Procedural IK

Originally developed for a project that we are no longer focusing on, this is a versatile inverse kinematics rig with optional ragdoll enabling. Impulse based driving of forces, etc.

Post videos, post code snippets, post explanations.

The development of Arthrobots began on September 29th, 2025. It was initially an experiment to create a character controller driven by inverse kinematics, whilst working on another game project. We wanted a character that could move in a realistic-looking way, and then build on that with external forces, such as weapons and recoil.

We explored a few different approaches to the character controller. We started with a partly physics-based approach inspired by games like Gang Beasts, utilising leg torque & springs to apply forces to a rigid body. We experienced numerous stability issues as we increased the number of legs, and since we aim to include a variety of arthropod-inspired robots in the game, this limitation was unavoidable. We also realised that we wanted more control over the character's movement, and so we switched to an IK driven approach.

Recent Work

We've been working on the core gameplay mechanics, including the movement system, combat system, and the enemy AI. We've also been working on the networking system, and the UI.

What's Next?

Stay tuned for the next devlog where we'll go deeper into the IK system, the networking architecture, and our goals for different arthropod types -- spiders, ants, scorpions, shrimp, and more.

-- The Sleepy Pig Team