Hi! I'm a solo dev working on TIEFGANG, a fast first-person roguelite shooter set in
1887. You dive in a brass diving suit through the drowned ruins of a lost civilization,
room by room, 14 depths down. I'll use this thread to post progress as I go, so feel
free to follow along and tell me what you think.
Game page: https://osugerman.itch.io/tiefgang
WHERE IT STARTED
The core idea was simple: a roguelite that keeps you moving. Dashes, double jumps and
enemies that clearly show what they're about to do, so you can read a fight instead of
just tanking it. Around that sits the build system: charms, elemental blessings and
reactions that are allowed to get completely out of hand.
WHAT I WORKED ON RECENTLY
Lighting. The first areas used real-time lights only and looked flat. I moved to baked
lighting with light shafts, fog and decals. The temple, the coral cathedral and parts
of the sunken archives are done now. Somewhere above the ceiling openings you might
even see something large swimming past.
Effects. Lightning used to be a thick glowing line. Now it's thin, jagged and branches
out, jumping from enemy to enemy. Frost grows crystals, blood leaves stains and the Void
blessing opens an actual black hole.
Weapons. Testers told me only two of the nine weapons felt worth using. So each of the
other seven got its own mechanic: a harpoon that reels enemies in on barbs, sticky depth
charges you chain-detonate, a bell you ring in rhythm. Damage got balanced so every
weapon has a reason to exist.
UI. Testers also said the menus looked generic. Reward cards are now riveted metal
plates where the metal tells you the rarity: copper, brass, gold. The Tab screen became
a diver's logbook and the HUD a small brass instrument panel.
WHAT'S NEXT
A new area is in the works, with its own enemy faction and a boss fight on a ship that
starts to list. Before that I want to polish enemy attacks and sharpen the visuals
further.
It's a free test build, so honest feedback helps a lot. What looks good, what looks
off, what would make you want to play it? I'll keep posting updates here.