Dev blog · #5 ·

The machines get real models

A windmill, gears, a boiler, a steam engine and power poles
A windmill, gears, a boiler, a steam engine and power poles

Every machine in Zentura was a grey box with a label. That's fine for testing but nobody wants to play it.

I planned out all 39 machines and built concept pages for each one: how big it is, how much ground it takes up, what it looks like when it runs. Then I went through them and picked. Some looked right first time. Some got five different takes before one worked.

The picked models are now in the game, each with a running animation, and the space each machine takes up matches its model. If a model is missing, the game falls back to a box instead of breaking.

Smaller change, but one I like: items now go straight into your inventory. Nothing drops on the floor for you to chase.

— Zane