Greetings, noble mop-brigade!

Another year draws to a close, like the airlock doors on your fellow janitors; with much kicking and screaming.
And we're one step closer to a getting something juicy into your eagerly waiting gloved hands.

Before we take a much needed break, we'd just like to say thank you to you all, and wish you an amazing Christmas and holidays*!
*Aerospace Sanitation does not condone the rampant exploitation of holidays for personal gain; work is worth, work is life**, work is you.
**Aerospace Executives are exempt from mandatory work orders under section 7:A of the company executives contract; attendance of the 48h long office party on Elysium Station is however, respectfully requested.

While we're taking a bit of time off from work this year, we've already got some plans for the next steps come next year.

To that end, here's a short run-down of where we stand, and what's next.

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While we had hoped to finish the first major level as part of a showcase, we didn't quite make it.
Although, that being said we did make significant progress on it. Most of the mechanics we had in mind are in or nearing completion, and we introduced lots of brand-new high-quality content, so the level is looking really nice as it comes together.

See for yourself. Still a work in progress of course, so bear that in mind.
We even begun some work on the janitor Office, which will be an ongoing area of experimentation and design moving forward.

We redesigned the drop-pod, and gave it a shiny new look with lots of functional elements.
As you can see.
For a comparison, here is a screenshot of the same area from February.
We got to grips with some challenging new features in UE5, and are now much better positioned to simply add whatever we wish with less hurdles to implementation. This has been a big thing slowing stuff down, the sheer scale of things to learn when it comes to UE5's toolset.

We also improved a lot of other things just to make the development itself easier, editor tools and the like. These things you won't notice, but we will.

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So, what's next?
Well, firstly we need to finish the level we have coming together, and this means not only the last remaining mechanics, but also the artwork, particle FX, sounds, music, and possibly some reworking if we're not happy with the first draft's gameplay experience.

Secondly, the janitor office. Lots to figure out here! It needs some basics of course, and then lots of new things we've not worked out yet, and a ton of detailing. It'll be an ongoing thing, so we'll focus on an initial draft version of it first.

Thirdly, new tools. We've got lots of ideas here, one of which is essential to add at this point. The others will follow in the future as needed. Part of their design is to be useable in lots of places, but that may change.

Fourthly, the User Interface. It's bare-bones and ugly. It needs a touch of artwork.

Fifthly, refinement. Just about everything needs refinement, from the movement and camera, to the basic tools, and the blood decals(which themselves have to be reworked to work with UE5).

Sixthly(is that a word? It feels illegal...), janitor's personal items. Music and the Big Banger, the janitor Trunk, trophies, customization, interactive items, etc.

Seventhly, the game's story, underlying plot, corporate advertising, progression, scoring system, consequences and beyond! Much of this will likely only be introduced later on.

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Well, we're pretty deep into it at this point, but you can see things are coming together. All we can do is keep at it. For now, we'll take a break and return to it somewhat refreshed.
If you wish to stay slightly more informed, be sure to check out the Viscera Cleanup Detail 2 - Development Log page for somewhat more regular updates.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a great holiday, and we'll see you in the next year.
Oh, and do be sure to pay Santa's workshop a visit, I hear it is in a terrible state. Those poor elves...
Merry Christmas, everyone!