Devlog

The phone system got a major overhaul this week. Previously, contacts would just spawn when you clicked a button. Now, the flow actually feels like texting someone:

• Open the phone → select a contact → type or select a message
• The system parses keywords and returns context-appropriate responses
• After the conversation, you can summon the contact to a designated spawn point
• The NPC walks in (or is already waiting) and the trade UI opens

This makes the core loop feel much more intentional. You're not just opening a shop menu — you're initiating a conversation, getting a response, and bringing someone into the world to deal with.

Next up: adding more contacts with unique response trees and making the summoning feel more dynamic.

Big milestone today — the full street-dealing loop is now functional from start to finish:

1. Walk through the city
2. Open phone, message a dealer
3. Dealer spawns at meetup point
4. Buy product through shop UI
5. Inventory updates, cash decreases
6. Message a buyer
7. Buyer spawns, sell product
8. Cash increases, inventory clears

It's simple, but it works. The fantasy of texting someone, meeting up, and closing a deal is actually playable. This is the foundation everything else builds on.

Still rough around the edges — no police, no consequences, just the pure economic loop. But it's real, and it's fun in its own way.

A lot of crime games jump straight to empire building — territories, lieutenants, product ladders. Solitude is starting from the opposite direction.

The question I keep coming back to: what does it feel like to be at the bottom?

Not running a cartel. Not managing a crew. Just you, your phone, a small inventory, and the need to make enough cash to keep going. That tension — limited carry, limited contacts, limited information — is where the interesting decisions live.

Every system I add needs to serve that fantasy. If it makes you feel like a CEO instead of a hustler, it doesn't belong here. At least not yet.

This is why the prototype is so focused. One product loop. Two contact types. One city block. But it's your city block, and every deal matters because you're carrying everything yourself.

Spent the week integrating Easy Inventory into the project. The goal was simple: make buying and selling feel tangible.

What's working now:

• Product shows up in inventory after purchase
• Inventory notifications when you try to sell without stock
• Cash display updates in real time
• Failed transactions give clear feedback

The cash feedback is surprisingly satisfying. Watching the number go up after a successful sell hit is the core dopamine moment of the game. Everything else exists to make that moment happen more often.

Still working on making the inventory UI feel more diegetic — ideally it should feel like you're checking your pockets or a bag, not opening a spreadsheet.

Starting a new project. The core idea is simple: what if your phone was the main tool in a crime game?

Not a menu. Not a map. A real phone you use to text contacts, summon people into the world, and close deals face-to-face. The phone drives everything — who you talk to, where you go, what you carry, and how much you make.

Building this in Unity. Starting with a first-person controller, a basic city environment, and a phone UI. The first goal is a single product loop: buy from a dealer, sell to a buyer, repeat.

No promises on scope. No roadmap beyond the prototype. Just building something that feels good to play in short bursts.

Day one. Let's see where this goes.