🐈 Pets DLC Devlog #1 – From reference photos to Very Good Bois! 🐕‍🦺

Hello Flippers! 🤗

Welcome to our brand-new series of developer logs leading up to the official release of the House Flipper 2 – Pets DLC.

Lately, our team has been hard at work making sure development stays on track, though we’ve also kept things under wraps to preserve a few delightful surprises for you all! 🤫

This inaugural devlog dives straight into the heartbeat of the expansion—the absolute core of the Pets DLC. Let’s pull back the curtain and take an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what’s currently unfolding in our cats and dogs department! 🐱🐶

We are making incredible strides toward delivering the 40+ dog and cat breeds we promised, and we are thrilled to announce that our 3D character models are nearing completion! While we are still smoothing out a few minor rough edges, the majority of our adorable digital actors already look remarkably photogenic and ready for their closeup. 👀

It is worth emphasizing just how vastly superior the visual fidelity of these animals will be compared to the original Pets DLC from the first House Flipper.

We’ve meticulously analyzed every single breed to ensure we capture its distinct anatomical quirks. Sometimes that means sculpting an extra set of wrinkles; other times it involves fine-tuning exact body proportions. Yes, our team genuinely spends hours debating canine facial folds—just another glamorous day at the office!

The journey typically begins with one of our 3D artists researching a specific breed before sculpting a high-polygon prototype:

From there, we gradually sculpt and refine all the defining characteristics through endless cycles of feedback and iteration… and more iteration… and then a little more iteration. 🎨

Once the artistic vision is locked in, the models undergo rigorous optimization to ensure they are fully game-ready, followed by one final round of quality assurance.

It’s an intense, meticulous process, but when you finally see a completed breed come to life with all its subtle nuances perfectly intact—absolute perfection! 😘🤌

Of course, the ultimate goal of the Pets DLC is to introduce far more than static statues into the world of House Flipper 2. This brings us to two other crucial pillars of development: animations and behavioral patterns! 🐕

Our designers kicked off this phase by compiling an exhaustive list of desired actions, allowing our animators to start checking them off one by one. Naturally, this isn’t a simple copy-and-paste job across different breeds; every animal is meticulously rigged. A Chihuahua simply does not move the same way as a German Shepherd, and pretending otherwise would haunt our dreams forever! Crafting custom rigs and movement sets for each breed is a monumental part of bringing them to life.

Finally, we integrate sophisticated behavior trees. These systems dictate how a pet reacts when interacting with players, navigating around obstacles, or fulfilling essential needs—such as the eternal, sacred pursuit of tasty snacks. 🍖

After applying the finishing touches and implementing everything into the game engine, we end up with results like this handsome fellow:

If you’d like to experience some of these features firsthand, make sure to drop by and see us in Cologne this August during Gamescom 2026! We’ll be showcasing the very first playable Pets DLC demo alongside some exclusive House Flipper 2 merchandise giveaways! 🎁

Before we wrap up, we want to kick off a community vote in the comments to decide the topic of our next Pets DLC devlog. Let us know which subject you’d prefer to explore:

• An in-depth look at pet behavior trees and how we program them.
• OR
• A showcase of the brand-new map and environment featured in the Pets DLC.

Cast your vote in the comments section below! Thank you so much for your incredible support, and we’ll see you in the next update! 💙💙

Source