Development Update: Crowding, Pathfinding & UI Improvements
2026-02-23Hi everyone, I wanted to share a quick update on the latest development progress. I don’t have screenshots or videos to show just yet, but there have been some major changes to the game that I think you’ll appreciate. What has been done so far? • Crowding • Creatures can no longer occupy the same space. Each tile is divided into a 3×3 grid, meaning a maximum of 9 creatures per tile. • Creatures now pathfind and move in relation to each other — they can’t pass through one another, so when things get crowded they’ll find alternative routes or ask others to move out of the way. • Creatures will never get stuck due to a bad dungeon layout. They will always find a way out (though it may take some time). • Slower creatures can force faster creatures to walk behind them during the same phase (if there are no alternative routes).
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• Ghosts and living creatures are allowed to occupy the same space. • Pathfinding • Fishmen can travel through water just as they would on land, and they can also fight from water. • Trogosaurs can travel through lava just as they would on land, and they can also fight from lava. • Bats can now move over both water and lava. • Exploring • Creatures now explore as intended, and their Exploring property determines how far from their base they’re allowed to go. • Fonts • I refactored the text system so we can use fonts that aren’t installed on the system — instead, they’re bundled in the game folder. • Updated the font to something more appropriate. • Text is much sharper now. • Creature Status bar • Updated to a more modern version (the old one was more than 10 years old). • Includes LOD behavior depending on camera distance and whether the cursor is hovering nearby. • Shows only what’s necessary — default states like full health or good mood are hidden. What is left? • Balancing creature combat and fleeing. • Making sure the new font works with Simplified Chinese. • Ensuring possession works as intended. • Adding a new “Crowding” status that can lead to unhappiness if it gets too high. • Optimizing the pathfinding algorithm to use less memory. • Other minor bug fixes. I’ll try to share a video or screenshots as soon as I have time — I tend to prioritize development over marketing (probably my biggest weakness). One side note: after more than 10 years of working on Dwelvers, I’ve accepted that I probably won’t earn back all the time I’ve invested. But I keep developing it because I genuinely love it — and because I still believe the game has huge potential. Until next time! / Rasmus
