In the last dev diary, we shed some light on four aspects of Hell Galaxy that we are currently focusing on, and we hope you were intrigued by what we shared. One of those areas was the creatures found in the Galaxy of Neterun. In this new dev diary, we want to delve into the process that led to their development. Please keep in mind that the images we share are still works in progress, and some may be discarded or old concepts.
The question was: What does the Galaxy of Neterun contain? You see, we weren't just looking for alien creatures strange enough to intrigue players. We wanted something that would fit into the story of the raiders, a reason for their presence.
So we decided to tie the creatures to sonic matter. We envisioned the creatures as the main source of sonic matter for the raiders, like a goldmine for gold miners. Well, some might argue that a goldmine isn’t trying to kill you, blow you up, survive your attacks, or crash into you... But a goldmine isn't alive, is it?
The creatures of Neterun are essentially agglomerations of sonic matter, making it the vital essence of life in the Galaxy of Neterun. This precious matter fuels the special attacks of the creatures and shapes their powers.
When the first imperial explorers arrived in the Galaxy of Neterun and defensively slaughtered the first Zanion, they noticed that these creatures left behind a trail of sonic matter, a behavior common among the living beings of Neterun: when they die, they leave behind small clusters of "processed" sonic matter, that is not absorbed by the nebular banks where new creatures are formed, but remains available for the raiders to collect.
The mysterious structures left by the Neterunians before their disappearance act as attractors of unprocessed sonic matter, forming the alien creatures that inhabit the galaxy. The Human Empire has discovered that by not interfering with these monuments and structures, there is a virtually endless supply of creatures and sonic matter. This is one meaning of a raider's eternal exile: you fight, collect, and evolve as a machine, only to return and repeat the cycle.
Sonic matter can give rise to purely organic beings as well as strange combinations of organic and inorganic parts, and so some creatures have evolved true defenses against bullets and other firearms, as well as body parts that allow for rapid movement. A good raider is a raider who adapts quickly to what is out there... but maybe this is just Imperial propaganda.
That's all for now. We are happy to share with you the creative process that led us to define some of the elements of the world we are creating, and we look forward to you experiencing them as you find yourself lost amidst the dangers of deep space.
Farewell, raiders!
