Pie Labs Journal https://pielabs.dev/blogs/ Practical notes from Pie Labs on product discovery, software engineering, delivery, and reliable digital products. en Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:17:47 GMT Pie Labs static blog builder From Painted Zones to Living Neighborhoods: Procedural Buildings in Empires https://pielabs.dev/blogs/empires/procedural_buildings_and_zoning_in_empires.html https://pielabs.dev/blogs/empires/procedural_buildings_and_zoning_in_empires.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:17:47 GMT How Empires turns painted zones into deterministic plots, varied procedural homes, material requirements, Builder work, and persistent neighborhoods. Game Development Developing NPC AI in Empires: Jobs, Needs, Inventory, and Family https://pielabs.dev/blogs/empires/developing_npc_ai_in_empires.html https://pielabs.dev/blogs/empires/developing_npc_ai_in_empires.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:17:33 GMT How Empires combines priorities, action queues, jobs, needs, inventory, family, reservations, and navigation recovery to make a settlement feel alive. Game Development Building Empires: From a 2D prototype to a living 3D world https://pielabs.dev/blogs/empires/development_of_empires.html https://pielabs.dev/blogs/empires/development_of_empires.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:39:35 GMT The long development story of Empires, from its first 2D settlement prototype and home-grown tools to spherical experiments, streamed 3D terrain, distant horizons, and a playable world. Game Development