This week, we’re highlighting some of the less visible, but absolutely essential, work that keeps 100 Lives running smoothly. We spoke with Maria M., one of our software engineers, who focuses on everything from back-end systems to player-facing improvements like resolution support and early multiplayer tools.
While her work often happens behind the scenes, it’s key to making sure players have a seamless experience, whether it's customizing a character, tracking a specific lifestyle in the quest log, or noticing how Kingstown subtly changes around them.
What did you work on last week, and what’s next?
Last week: integrated the analytics system and created some events we want to track in order to improve the user experience. Next, looking into Twitch integrations!
What’s a new feature, mechanic, or piece of content you're excited about?
The changes on the map - how it will change as a reaction to the events.
What’s been the most interesting design or technical challenge recently?
Maybe not interesting, but a technical challenge I enjoyed recently was adapting the game to look nice in all different resolutions/operating systems.
Is there anything players might miss if they don’t look closely?
If players take a look at the quest log, they can play events & activities in a way that they can follow interesting paths and go deeply into a specific lifestyle. If they don't use it, they will probably live a more random lifestyle. But I wouldn't say it's something they can "miss", maybe for some players it's more fun? Items are not only needed for unlock options or finishing quests, but you can also use them in order to improve your skills, it might be helpful for some events!
How is your work helping bring the “100 Lives” concept to life?
I'm not only a Unity Developer, I'm a Software Engineer, so even if sometimes I work directly creating features inside the game, I try to focus more on the backend / on the shadows to create all the infrastructure that the rest of the team needs in order to develop the game. Also, keep working on pipelines that help us iterate faster and be more agile (building a version with just some clicks on the CI, distributing the versions...)
While you may not always see their work directly, our engineering team plays a major role in shaping how 100 Lives feels to play. From faster build pipelines to smarter quest tracking, they help us iterate quickly and build a game that’s as responsive as it is rich in detail.
We’ll be back soon with another devlog, this time with a closer look at character design and backstory development. In the meantime, don’t forget to wishlist 100 Lives on Steam, and try taking the road less traveled in your next life. You never know where it might lead.