# Project Starlight

> A Godot FPS inspired by classic Halo. Fun weapons, regenerating health, and enemies that feel smarter than they are.

HTML: https://www.chrissadler.tech/work/project-starlight/

Year: 2026
Role: Design & engineering
Stack: Godot, C#, Jolt Physics

Project Starlight is a first-person shooter I am building in Godot. Classic Halo is the reference. Not the story. The feel. Two weapons at a time. Guns on the floor. Health that comes back if you stop getting shot. Enemies that look like they are thinking.

You spawn in a test map. Cover blocks, weapons on the ground, something hostile at the far end. Click the window to lock the mouse. Walk, sprint, crouch, jump.

Still early. Still a sandbox. I wanted the combat loop in my hands before I worried about a campaign.

## Guns that feel good

You carry two weapons. Primary and secondary. A range of them, each meant to feel different in the hands. They live in the world as pickups. Walk up, press interact. If both slots are full, the one you are holding hits the floor and you take the new one.

Shoot, and the gun kicks. Take damage, wait a few seconds, and health starts coming back.

That is the loop. Find a gun. Fight. Back off. Come back.

## The illusion of intelligence

I want a variety of enemies, not one behaviour with a different mesh. Some hold. Some rush. Some fall apart when you press them. Alone they look nervous. In a pack they look organised.

The trick is not perfect AI. It is the illusion of intelligence. Enough cover, sound, and morale that a fight feels like a fight, not a shooting gallery. You should read the room and make a plan. They should look like they are doing the same.

## Prove the fight first

I am not building a campaign yet. I am building the combat until it feels right on its own. Movement. Weapon pickup. Regenerating health. Enemies that sell the idea they know what they are doing.

When that loop is fun in a grey box, the rest can follow. Until then, the sandbox is the product.

## How it is built

Godot 4 and C#, with Jolt for physics. Movement is a custom collide-and-slide on a kinematic rigid body. You and the AI feed the same player. Sight and sound are areas, so a gunshot is something the world can react to. Planning is goal based. Pick a goal, then a short sequence of actions.