Progress Report: Updates, Delays, and Deep Dive into Hive City Heat’s New Level

Hey everyone!

It’s been a little while since the last proper update, so I wanted to sit down and write a more in-depth report for you all — not just a quick progress note, but a real look at what’s been going on with both of my projects: Inquisitor Trainer and Hive City Heat.

First of all, I owe everyone a sincere apology for the recent delays. I know many of you have been waiting for new builds and story content, and I completely understand how frustrating it can be when updates take longer than expected. The truth is, both games have grown in scope quite a bit, and with that growth comes a mountain of extra work — new assets, new characters, new systems, and plenty of behind-the-scenes polishing that doesn’t always show up immediately in builds.

I’ve been juggling between creating art, coding, testing, and writing — all while building up the new content pipeline for both projects. It’s been exciting but also pretty overwhelming at times! So, thank you all for your patience and continued support. Every message, comment, and bit of encouragement really helps keep me going, even during the long grind sessions.

Hive City Heat: A Look Into the Undercity

Let’s start with the project that’s getting an update soonest — Hive City Heat.

This update is shaping up to be one of the most visually interesting ones yet. The biggest addition is an entirely new level set in a bar/stripclub deep in the undercity. This location is meant to expand the world and give players a glimpse into the more hedonistic and chaotic parts of the Hive — the kind of place where mercenaries, workers, and smugglers all mix after a long day of surviving in the neon gloom.

I wanted this level to have a very specific mood — smoky, loud, and packed with life, the sort of environment that feels both dangerous and strangely welcoming. The lighting is built around pulsing pinks, purples, and blues, contrasted by flickering neon signs and the dim ambient glow of the undercity. Creating that look required new shader tweaks, light masks, and animated background props to make the environment feel alive.

On the gameplay side, this level introduces a few new mechanics and enemy interactions. There’s a new enemy type — an alien grub creature, a small but aggressive bioform that crawls and leaps at the player in erratic patterns. It’s a bit of a departure from the humanoid enemies in the earlier stages, but it adds a fresh layer of challenge. You’ll have to mix up your combos and movement to handle these little pests, especially when they appear alongside regular thugs.

NPCs and Atmosphere

One thing I really wanted to push with this level was the sense of life and atmosphere. So I’ve been adding a bunch of new NPCs — from background characters like bar guests and shady patrons lounging in booths, to waitresses, bouncers, and dancers on the stage.

Each of these NPCs has their own idle animations, movement loops, and in some cases, dialogue snippets or ambient interactions. They don’t just stand around — they react to the environment and, occasionally, to what’s happening in the fight. Some may even run away or duck for cover when chaos breaks out.

It’s a small touch, but it makes a big difference in how alive the level feels. The idea is to make every location in Hive City Heat feel like a snapshot of a larger, breathing world — a city that keeps moving and thriving no matter what’s happening around you.

Behind the Scenes: Building the Level

This update has been a huge amount of asset work. The bar/stripclub environment alone has taken dozens of new sprites — tables, stools, stage props, signage, neon effects, animated lights, drink glasses, and background NPC silhouettes. I’ve also been experimenting with a new parallax setup to give the environment more depth when you move across the screen.

The character animation workload also grew more than expected — especially with the dancers and waitresses. Each of them has their own animation cycle and sprite layering system to handle lighting and transparency effects properly. That means a lot of frame-by-frame adjustments to get the rhythm and mood right.

Coding-wise, I’ve also added new background logic so NPCs can move independently or react to the player. It’s simple AI, but enough to make the level feel organic. And yes — for those who love to look for details — there will be some interactive elements hidden in the background!

What’s Next for Hive City Heat

I’m currently finishing the final batch of polish before releasing the next build — that means testing combat flow, fixing hitboxes, and making sure performance stays smooth even with all the new NPCs and lighting effects active.

Once everything’s stable, I’ll release the next patron build with the new level included. That’s expected within a few days (I’ll post again when it’s ready). After that, I’ll move on to expanding the next few stages — I already have sketches and plans for new enemy factions and environments that will push the story further into the darker corners of Hive City.

Inquisitor Trainer: New Character, New Scenes, and Polishing the Story Flow

Now, about Inquisitor Trainer — progress is still ongoing! Development on this one has been a bit slower lately since a lot of my time went into Hive City Heat, but there’s still plenty of progress happening behind the scenes.

The biggest upcoming addition is a new assassin character for the Heretic Path storyline. She’s been in concept and design for a while, and I’m finally at the point of turning those sketches into full in-game assets. She’s meant to bring a darker, more dangerous energy to the story — someone who operates from the shadows, both literally and morally. Writing her scenes has been a fun challenge because she contrasts so sharply with the rest of the cast; her dialogue is colder, more deliberate, and the choices surrounding her will push the player into much more morally grey territory.

Art-wise, a lot of effort is going into creating new portraits and scene illustrations for her introduction and early encounters. Since Inquisitor Trainer is a visual novel, each major addition like this involves not just writing the story, but also crafting a full set of expressive poses, lighting layers, and intimate scenes that match the tone of the story.

There will also be a few sexy scenes involving the new assassin character — all fully illustrated and integrated with the branching storylines in the Heretic Path. These scenes are taking extra time because I want them to feel high-quality, expressive, and consistent with the visual improvements I’ve been making to the rest of the game. That means better shading, lighting consistency, and smoother animation effects for transitions between emotions and poses.

It’s taking a bit more time than I’d originally planned, but I really want this chapter to feel cohesive, polished, and emotionally engaging — not just another quick content drop. Once it’s ready, it’ll add a lot more depth to the Heretic Path and open the door to future expansions in that storyline.

❤️ Thank You for Sticking Around

I can’t say this enough — thank you all for your patience and continued support through these development stretches. Making games like this as a small solo (or near-solo) developer means every bit of support, whether financial or moral, really helps keep things moving forward.

I know the wait between builds can feel long, but please know that every extra day usually means more polish, more content, and fewer bugs for you to deal with later. Both games are growing and improving, and your support gives me the freedom to make them as good as they can be.

Once again — thank you for being here, for believing in the projects, and for your understanding during this busy period. New builds are coming, and I can’t wait to share them with you all.

Stay tuned — Hive City’s getting rowdy, and the Inquisition’s not far behind.

See you in the next post,
Adeptus Celeng