The development log of Cantorite: Carriage Line, a roguelite auto-battler for mobile, desktop and Steam Deck.https://devlog.hollowcut.com/enhttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#concept-arthttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#concept-artConcept images generated with Flux 2 Klein: a first pass on the 4B model, then the 9B model for the keepers. Each batch was checked by eye and the keepers picked by hand. The key art and the conductor are the picks here.Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#designhttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#designThe first written design: a style guide (art direction, palette, UI rules), the game design, a technical design for Godot (deterministic simulation, platform integration, store, CI), the monetisation (a free first area, a one-time Full line unlock, no ads, no energy, no loot boxes), and every screen described with a mock-up image.Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#assetshttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#assetsReference sheets for the train (a locomotive turnaround and a carriage lineup) and the conductor (a turnaround sheet, with expressions and a dialogue portrait in the repo). The boss (the Viaduct Crawler) and the enemies were refined in the same round, in a first colour set that is shown in phase (e).Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#colourhttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#colourThe enemies were the wrong colour. The Harrow are smoked quartz and ivory glass with glowing gold cracks; the first set was violet, which is the Umbra's colour. The mite, shard bat, beetle, worm, watcher eye and splinter were recoloured in gold. The violet set is kept only as the before. User: "Please note the harrow art.. its not in line with the other games. You're using purple which is umbra. Thst's fine.. umbra can be an enemy.. but the harrow should be gold"Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#skinshttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#skinsThe train and the conductor in two faction styles, as concept art. Directorate: pale steel with cyan running strips and a thin brass stripe, an armoured supply train. Umbra: a matte black locomotive with a single violet light. Not made yet: an Umbra conductor, and carriage variants for each role. User: "It Might be worth it to have several train styles.. eg this generic is fine.. but we might skin the train more as a directorate train."Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#slicehttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#sliceThe vertical slice is started in its final style from day one, so nothing has to be re-skinned later. The shots are the references it is built to: the screen layout and the gold enemies. They are not screenshots of a build yet.Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMThttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#pitchhttps://devlog.hollowcut.com/carriageline/#pitchPicked from a round of game ideas: a mobile-first roguelite auto-battler in the Vesper Reach. A short armoured train rolls through a gauntlet of stops; its carriages fire on their own, and between stops the player buys, orders and merges them. Godot 4 with GDScript; touch, mouse, keyboard and gamepad; Android and iOS first, then desktop and Steam Deck. Runs take about ten minutes, so a whole run fits into a short session.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT