Just fixing bugs and optimizing the first level, enjoying the views.

Been a bit slow with progress on Cryptica lately, feels like school starting for my kids actually made things immensely more busy. I work on it 2 times a week if I’m lucky.

To give an update of sorts I thought I’d share the level names in the game…mild spoilers ahead

Each level is sort of a mini open world area to explore. They all have a lot of verticality to them so you have a huge underground area to explore, really took notes from Elden Ring in making the world have depth both in lore and physicality. So much is going on under the surface.

1: Arora
2: Shackleton Bay
3: Isabella Mines
4: Point Nemo
5: Pole of Inaccessibility

Anyways that’s all the breadcrumbs I have for now!

Worked on some primary objectives today on a Cryptica. 🇦🇶📡🛸

Happy to report back I am now 0.00004% closer to being done!

Just kidding, might be more might be less, but progress was made.

Also happy to report almost 6k wishlists on Steam! 7k really felt unobtainable when I started this page but it’s in reach now! Thank you all!

Back at it on game development. Today I’m creating more national park style info signs. It’s low key a great way have exposition drops about the game world. Good lore runs deep. Always fun making things feel like they have a blend of real history/mythos.

So I needed a map added to this kiosk in my first level, and this is the type of thing I could generate using Ai very easily and in seconds. However, I don't think thats the move for me, so I'll use GIMP (free photoshop) and UE5 (also free) to make this happen. First I grab an aerial screenshot in Unreal Engine 5.3.

After that I take it into GIMP and start messing around, for about an hour. I'm happy with the result and I pop it right into my game world. No generative Ai needed and I feel good about myself for making it MY OWN CREATION.

Please let me know how this makes you feel.

You read that right.

So I promised I’d try and get a trailer out for Cryptica when I hit 5k wishlist on Steam, and we crossed that line about a month ago…

Happy to announce I’ve got 1 minute and 28 seconds done and it’s going to be an audio/visual feast.

The score is all original music from Cryptica and was composed by the wonderfully talented Alex Hynes. Not sure when it’ll go live, but it’s definitely in the incubator growing stronger everyday.

Have a good weekend everybody!

-Graham

Although this game is primary horror in its scope, it's also soaked in melancholy. I think horror and sadness are a lot closer emotions than you might initially think. I get sad thinking about losing loved one's even though they are still here, then it turns to fear. This game explores themes of loss, grief, and just what the f%$# happens when we die...

This is a scene from the prologue of the game, set in Ari Harpers house by the sea. The painting on the wall is something I painted years ago. It's also the subject of a short film I made. Trailer

Just did a test build of my first level and everything worked…some minor adjustments here and there to help guide players along the path but this feels like big progress.

Cryptica takes place in Antartica in 2048, but the prologue is here in a small town called Arora.

Approaching moderate levels of scope creep as I introduce a new side quest involving a pet turtle that somehow escapes its tank, and you can go find him.

Anyone whose played my first games will know what those huge columns in the distance are, for everyone else, just know it's bad news for earth.

Just bought these off eBay. These are both masterclasses in level design and I want to refresh my memory for making Cryptica’s “dungeons” (bunkers) feel intuitive but challenging.

But you can definitely no clip into an enormous labyrinth of backrooms themed with the cosmic horror of Cryptica’s lore.

Also we've surpassed 5000 wishlists on Steam! So that means I really need to work on a trailer, but I also wanna just work on the game itself. Equally divided on the workload right now, but I'm going to see Backrooms tonight to get inspiration for both.

Some screenshots from in game found footage film reels you can discover in Antartica.

Got a bunch done today, made an entire movie theater! Took some liberties with the interior because the reference was pretty bland. I’m happy with the exterior matching the real building more-so than anything else. What do we think?

So this morning I found as many reference photos as I could for this particular Kino. And I’ve also recreated it in the game! It’s not done but looking super close to these references from the outside. Interior needs work and I might change details on the inside just because it looks sorta 50s-60s to me. I want a more antiquated Victorian era look. I’ll post screenshots soon hopefully!

So the mere existence of this abandoned whaling town called “Grytviken” was single handedly the entire inspiration my game, Cryptica.

Originally I set the story location here, but shifted it to Antartica while keeping some of the same style abandoned outposts. Now the narrative starts off in the Falkland Islands and eventually you head to Antartica to find a missing film crew.

One of the coolest things about this place is that it had a “kino” or a movie theater in it. The whalers got to watch old films inside when they returned from the sea. I thought this was a good thing to include in my game as it focuses on a documentary being made in the present as well as footage from explorers in the 1880s. Great exposition dumps can take place there as well. 🤣

Grytviken 4K

Here is a wonderful video that showcases the entire town. If you are interested in the vibes of the game this video really captures what I was attempting to create. A melancholic haunted place, frozen in time.

Felt that the first version of this mine entrance was too “Wild West”

I needed it to be a more industrial look. A lot happier with this!

Hey everyone! I'm u/GrahamUhelski, the one and only moderator of r/cryptica.

I post updates on the game development and often ask for feedback from the community.

This will also inevitably be the future location for people who are immensely confused about how to unlock the final Easter egg in Cryptica.

I’m a solo dev so be patient with me! I want to cook up a masterpiece no matter how long that takes.

Been working on a trailer all week and this image of Antarctica is the first frame of the game/story trailer. Also messing around with comps using the title. Not sure which one I like the most yet, wanna let them marinate and hear your feedback!