3D Platformer Lobodestroyo Is Jumping Behind the Scenes

Very rarely does the average gamer get to see development first-hand. Thanks to crowdfunding, more and more developers are pulling back the curtain. Double Fine’s documentary on the making of Broken Age is the most extensive behind the scenes look at “how the sausage is made” out there. But even that was highly edited for the sake of pacing. It didn’t show much of the nitty-girty design and programming that goes into the game.

Enter Lobodestroyo, a game I’ve been gushing about since I discovered it months ago.

Lead developer James Guy posted an update to the studio’s website detailing some programming work. The update details the team’s new jumping mechanics, pretty important for a platformer.

Guy talks about the original jumping mechanics in which the jumping height was different for each jump. The difference was apparently barely noticeable, but sometimes it would make jumps impossible. From there, the post runs through the steps in trying to recreate the problem consistently so they know exactly what needs fixing.

Guy included lines of code from the game and explained how most of it works. It’s practically a mid-to-advanced level tutorial for programmers using the Unity engine.

Only a handful of people will find this update interesting, but it’s great for a couple reasons. Aside from the look at game development from the ground floor, it a great sign for what’s to come for Lobodestroyo. I thought the game was another MIA with its lack of updates for months. Everything’s changed after the return announcement though. With this update and increased activity on Twitter, Guy and Left-Handed Games are taking a more open turn.

There’s still no release date set for Lobodestroyo, but continued updates like this should alleviate the pain.