I brought Zlorma Core: Signal Lost to Game Jolt, published a new gameplay trailer and applied for Creator access for ZlormaStudio.
title: "Bringing Zlorma Core: Signal Lost to Game Jolt"
published: false
description: "I published the new Signal Lost gameplay trailer on Game Jolt and applied for Creator access for ZlormaStudio."
tags: gamedev, rust, indiegame, devlog
Bringing Zlorma Core: Signal Lost to Game Jolt
Today marks another step forward for Zlorma Core: Signal Lost and ZlormaStudio.
After publishing the prototype on itch.io and sharing its development through this blog, I have now started bringing the project to Game Jolt.
I uploaded the new gameplay trailer, prepared the game presentation and submitted an application for Game Jolt Creator access.
The application is currently waiting for review.
What is Signal Lost?
Zlorma Core: Signal Lost is a procedural science-fiction top-down shooter developed in Rust with my custom lightweight 2D game engine, ZlormaEngine.
The player wakes up inside a damaged digital station being consumed by corruption.
The main objectives are to:
- explore procedurally generated rooms and corridors;
- repair three damaged terminals;
- collect data fragments;
- fight corrupted programs;
- build barriers and automated turrets;
- use the Zlorma Data Forge;
- escape before the system collapses.
The current release is Prototype v0.2.1 — Demo Polish Update.
A More Polished Gameplay Trailer
For this release, I created several versions of the gameplay trailer.
The main trailer includes:
- an animated introduction;
- faster gameplay cuts;
- cinematic titles;
- visual impact flashes;
- dynamic zoom and camera movement;
- a custom synthwave and chiptune soundtrack;
- a final screen linking to the playable prototype.
I also created shorter versions for social networks such as Mastodon, Bluesky, Discord, Facebook and Game Jolt.
Preparing several trailer formats helped me understand how differently a game needs to be presented depending on the platform.
A full trailer can explain the mechanics, while a shorter version must immediately show action, visual effects and the main gameplay loop.
The Zlorma Data Forge
One of the most important additions in Signal Lost v0.2 is the Zlorma Data Forge.
After repairing a terminal, the player receives three randomly selected upgrades.
Each upgrade provides an advantage, but most of them also introduce a disadvantage.
For example:
- faster shooting can reduce weapon damage;
- additional maximum health can reduce movement speed;
- stronger turrets can become more expensive to build;
- additional data rewards can accelerate corruption.
The goal is to make each run different and force the player to balance power, survival and risk.
Demo Polish Update
Version 0.2.1 improves the presentation of the prototype with:
- screen shake during impacts;
- projectile trails;
- procedural shockwaves;
- glowing enemies and terminals;
- floating score and data indicators;
- clearer objective messages;
- corruption warnings;
- animated system banners;
- improved victory and defeat screens;
- a more animated Data Forge interface.
All visual effects are generated directly through code.
Signal Lost does not depend on external level files or large graphical asset packs.
Built with ZlormaEngine
Signal Lost is powered by ZlormaEngine, my custom 2D game engine written in Rust.
The engine currently provides:
- software-rendered 2D graphics;
- procedural environments;
- procedural effects and sprites;
- a custom bitmap font;
- native Linux and Windows builds;
- very small executable sizes.
The current approximate executable sizes are:
- Linux: 476 KB;
- Windows: 312 KB.
Keeping the engine and games lightweight remains one of the main technical goals of the project.
Why Game Jolt?
Game Jolt gives independent developers another place to present their work, publish trailers, share development updates and interact with players.
My goal is not to replace the itch.io version.
Instead, I want to use both platforms:
- itch.io for distributing the prototype;
- Game Jolt for sharing videos, updates and building a community around ZlormaStudio.
I have configured the Game Jolt marketplace account and submitted a request for Creator access.
I am now waiting for the Game Jolt team to review the application.
Play Signal Lost
The prototype is currently available for Windows and Linux:
Feedback about the controls, procedural generation, visual effects, difficulty and Data Forge system is welcome.
What Comes Next?
The next steps for Signal Lost include:
- improving combat feedback;
- expanding procedural room generation;
- adding more enemy behaviors;
- improving the Kernel Error boss encounter;
- balancing the Data Forge upgrades;
- adding more sound effects;
- preparing the next public release.
I also plan to continue improving ZlormaEngine through the development of Signal Lost and Gemfall Arena.
Every new game helps test a different part of the engine.
Repair the system.
Contain the corruption.
Find the exit.
Top comments (0)