From a Sawing Prototype to a Complete Job
After spending quite some time on visual and technical improvements, I am returning to gameplay.
Sawing wood has existed in Bajaja for some time. Two characters could already operate a two-person saw together, but the activity was still closer to an isolated animation than to a complete job.
The first visible improvement is the handling of the saw itself. It no longer appears directly in its working position. One of the workers now takes it from its resting place, carries it over the timber and sets it into position. After the cut is finished, the saw is lifted again and returned to where it belongs.
Each completed cut now also changes the material being worked on. A separate log is created, while the remaining timber becomes visibly shorter. Before the next cut, the workers move the timber forward into the correct position and clear finished logs away from the sawbuck.
This turns a single cutting animation into a complete processing cycle. The workers continue cutting until the whole piece of timber has been divided into usable logs.
The final step was connecting the activity to the surrounding simulation. A worker can obtain timber from the household’s supplies, carry it to the sawbuck and place it there. Once processing is complete, the finished logs are collected and stored elsewhere on the plot. The workplace can then accept another piece of timber and start again.
Sawing is therefore no longer just an action performed at a prepared prop. It is now a complete production job: bringing in raw material, preparing the tool, making several cuts, moving the timber, clearing the workplace, returning the saw and delivering the finished products.
I hope more activities will follow soon. If there is something you would enjoy doing in Bajaja, feel free to share the idea on Discord. I cannot promise what will make it into the game, but I would be glad to hear your suggestions.