Devlog 28 - A Soundtrack Direction and a Failed 3D Test

Summary

The soundtrack direction took a big step forward. I now have original Jackstrap music to test against the game and trailer, built around Nutcracker/Tchaikovsky references but pushed toward a much more game-like, heavy, slightly chiptune-ish sound.

I also tried a completely different experiment: turning Jack's model sheets into a 3D character with current AI tools. That part went badly.

What changed?

Started testing several versions of the new music against gameplay and trailer timing.
The Nutcracker theme still feels surprisingly compatible with the rhythm and absurdity of the game.
Fed Jack model sheets and concept art into AI 3D-generation tools to see whether they could reconstruct the character consistently.
The results were vaguely related to Jack, but the character changed shape dramatically between attempts and none of the models were usable.

My guess is that these tools currently have an easier time with subjects that already have huge amounts of familiar visual reference. Jack is a very specific original character, and at least in this test the model never really understood what he was supposed to be.

Next steps

Keep testing the music in-game and in the trailer.
Add controller inputs.
Continue building the trailer payoff sequence.