// Stage 01 · Concept

The Idea That Wouldn't Die

The proof of concept. Was it fun? Did it look good? Yes and yes, that was the green light to build everything else.

DECLASSIFIED

Before AIRLOCK had lore, before it had art, before it had a single Settler, it had to prove it could be a game. That's what this stage was. A throwaway military compound, ALS V4 dropped in, a custom dollhouse camera written from scratch, and a minute of footage that answered the question: yes, this works.

CLEAR

01.01

Original Prototype

Built a military compound blockout in Unreal Engine 5 to prove the concept actually works. Integrated ALS for third-person control. Built the prototype dollhouse camera. AIRLOCK stopped being an idea and started being a game.

ALS V4 dropped in. Custom dollhouse cam written from scratch. The military compound was throwaway, but proved the dual-view loop. The moment that build ran, AIRLOCK stopped being a pitch deck and became a project.