inside_the_box_se_2025/TODO.md

Singleplayer TODO

High priority

• Pick a new game name
• Build main islands
  • Play section
  • Editor section (with tutorial)
• Add loads of new, unique singleplayer levels
• Curate boxes and put them manually into themed series
  • Example: Forest, desert, arctic, ...
  • Example: Easy, Medium, Difficult?
  • The goal is to have boxes fit better together rather than being a large but unsorted collection of levels
• Add tutorial levels
  • But easier than the ITB server

Maintenance

• Allow to replay boxes in sequential series
• Rip out perks
  • Allow free zooming because why not?

Long-term goals

• Lore?
  • Revealing the secret of the nexus
  • Secret order of the nexus?
  • ???
• Make fully translatable
  • Including box contents like signs and terminals
    • Needs rewrite

UI

• Rewrite terminals
  • Completely overhaul interface
  • Button-based interface, no more typing
  • Only show relevant commands you can actually use
  • Print message when something unlocks
  • Add commands to trigger mech nodes
• Get rid of ugly fallback formspec style

Documentation

• Write instructions on how to import/export boxes
• WRite instructions on how to develop/maintain boxes

Main game TODO

• fence and wall sounds are bugged due to high collision box

• lava bubble sound missing

• bad sounds:

  • glass footstep sound
  • gravel sounds 'wet'
  • snow footsteps: remove high freq?

• check placement code for all breakable nodes and make sure they can't be arbitrarily placed.

• block modifiers (anything that does set_, remove_ or swap_ *node)

• light level in entry/exit lobbies is sometimes bugged at max light

• chat text color filtering is broken?

• tutorial: part chooser once completed

• spurious placeholders?

• terminal: move content to mod_storage

• terminal: make more useful (box/player stats?)

• better fix falling through lobby at box entry

• Spikey blocks?

• series maintenance GUI

• pick better understandable icons

• support for "patching" boxes - have other players submit newer versions for review?!

• build time in inventory

• teleports: modify attributes with a gui

• winter vegetation/grass/weed

• skybox-related ambiance sounds:

  • night: trunk -> owl
  • grass: windy -> wind sounds dark and stormy -> perhaps rain drop sounds?
  • water: sloshing lake wave?
  • sunny: tree leaves & cicadas

• swimming sounds