Entry 008

[Devlog — February 8, 2025 – 9:19 PM]

I decided to take a break from story scripting today. No event triggers, no dialogue tweaks—just routine optimization.

I prepared recording software on my desktop and set up my phone as some sort of back-up. Maybe I'm just paranoid because of Mira, but I feel like things will be a lot more... convoluted. I'll be using footage to review my devlogs from here on out.

Anyway.

NPC movement had been bothering me for a while, so I spent most of the afternoon fine-tuning their pathfinding. It's nothing major, just small tweaks to make sure they navigate around obstacles more smoothly. Less getting stuck on corners, fewer awkward pauses in crowded areas.

It's satisfying work. A simple input, a predictable output. No surprises.

Seth, for example, moves exactly as he should. He follows his set patrol route, stops when spoken to, continues on without hesitation. It's almost relaxing watching him do exactly what he's meant to do. The way he walks, stops, turns—it's precise. Clean. Controlled.

It made me realize how messy Mira's movements were before. She never glitched outright, but there was something... irregular about the way she navigated the space. A slight hesitation, like she was deciding where to go rather than following a script. I thought it was just bad pathfinding. Maybe it was.

But Seth is different. No pauses. No detours.

No decisions.

I let the game run for a while as I worked on other NPCs. Most just needed small fixes—adjusting collision boxes, refining turn speeds. The marketplace, in particular, feels a lot smoother now. Watching them move around, passing each other in perfect little loops, made the whole thing feel more... artificial. Not in a bad way. Just noticeable.

I guess I never really thought about how much of this game is just patterns. Loops within loops.

After that, I started working on some background chatter—just a few idle dialogue lines to make the towns feel less like empty stages and more like real places. I added new ambient lines for general NPCs, but I also went through specific shopkeepers to give them a little more personality.

That's when I got to Elias.

His shop was fine. Hadn't touched it in days, but I felt like checking it out.

"How's business?" I asked.

"Good as always. People need supplies."

I ran a quick check on his program—open menu, browse items, close. Simple.

Right as the interface faded, he spoke. Mockingly.

"You'll be back soon."

I stopped.

That... wasn't in his script.

I checked. Twice.

I ran the interaction again.

"How's business?"

"Good as always. People need supplies."

That was normal.

I exited. Re-entered.

Same conversation. No extra line.

Maybe I misheard?

I checked the recording. Right as the menu closed, there was a flicker—a frame of static, barely noticeable. And then... a gap. A missing frame, like something had been cut.

I sat there for a while, replaying the clip, waiting for the unease to settle into something explainable. Instead, a different thought crept in.

I had spent all this time thinking about Mira. Watching her. She was the one I fixated on. But before her, before everything spiraled into this... whatever this is—

There was Elias.

That very first moment. That first strange thing. The first time an NPC gave me something I didn't program. Mira's stare had burned itself into my thoughts, but Elias? He had already spoken. Already responded.

I had just forgotten.

And now, here he was again.

I stared at my screen for several minutes, trying to make sense of it. The more I thought about it, the less it made sense.

And then—

A sound.

Not from my speakers. Not from my headphones. A voice, low and muffled, threading through the hum of my PC.

I froze.

The game was still running. Elias was still standing there. And he was talking.

I couldn't make out the words.

But I knew one thing for certain.

That wasn't in his code.

I shut the game off.

[End Entry]

[Bug Report]

elias