almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Hey everyone!

Today's dev log will be rather dull because I don't have a whole lot of new content to show off. I'm at the stage where I'm working on bugs, polish, and finishing implementation for previously shown features. That's good, though, as that means the date for putting this update into beta is drawing near. I hate not being able to tell you guys a specific date for when that will be. I want this to be my last dev log before then, but due to the scope and complexity of the update, there's a lot of hidden tasks that arise as I go. This update is more like a sequel than it is a general update and as a result is an absolute ton of work for me. Thank you for understanding that, and for being patient with me. :)

Now, I've seen a few comments recently about how long this update is taking and some have even expressed that there is nothing in this next update so I wanted to recap some of the things that have been added:

-Tech tree. Allows for Humans to unlock magical props/items.
-Capturing mechanic and respective props.
-Diets. Allows players to specify the diet by race and indicates what foods are harmful or have negative long-term effects.
-Unlimited save slots plus a bunch of extra save info is now displayed.
-Variable map sizes. Maps can now range from 16x16x16 up to 256x256x64.
-New hills biome variation which allows for previous biomes to be flatter.
-Player progression is now saved to realm, rather than tile. Things like diets, uniforms, tech tree unlocks, currencies, etc, will be saved even when the player's settlement is lost.
-Players can now settle any tile, even ones they've abandoned or had a game over at. Also, game overs will not force players to start a new settlement. The game will continue to play for as long as they player wishes. They can choose to start a new settlement at that same tile, or start a new game, or load the last save.
-Room functionalities. Players can now mix and match room functionality to allow for more specific room clusters. i.e., A room with a bedroom, kitchen, and workshop could be set as a room template that you name 'home'. The game has several default templates, but players can add/remove/edit new templates if they choose. Rooms can also be placed on several z layers.
-Combat and move order entity states have been re-written to be less buggy.
-62 new tools and weapons.
-A billion QoL improvements: draggable windows, lists for active zones/jobs/rooms, modifier keys for hotkey edits, tooltip additions/improvements, better text contrast, item and entity tracking can be added/removed/edited on the top bar and clicking top bar items will take you to the next point, and much, much more!
-Entities will no longer be able to scale any height. They can climb a max of one tile up, but will need ladders/stairs to climb higher.
-Light permeates the ground layers now. This is to allow for better exploration underground, like you'd see in a game such as Terraria.
-Save/load speed improvements and general performance improvements. I re-wrote the entire backend of the game to allow for bigger maps and so the game's performance has been drastically improved.
-Transparency for a bunch of textures. Because I re-wrote the renderer, I'm able to properly do transparency for things like glass. You can sort of see in the below gif that the house has some transparent windows as a roof.

And the list goes on... There are a million smaller changes, fixes, and polish tasks I've done over the year and if you'd like to see them, you should check out the Trello where I jot down finished tasks, or checkout my previous dev logs.

https://i.redd.it/l9opjo0z6h571.gif

One small thing I can show you is that a lot has been added to the game's overlays. Above you can see what's displayed when building, for example. One addition is the path permission up/down arrows to indicate where entities can move up (green arrow) and down (red arrow). With the new restrictions on climbing height, this is an important bit of info, which will help players plan out castle walls and such.

Ok, back to work for me. Thank you so much everyone for your feedback and encouragement. I appreciate this community.

Take care

External link →
almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by userInvadil

Thanks for the update and for all the progress you make with the game!

Thanks friend!

almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by YoungArtifact

I'm actually really hyped for the update!

It you need help with anything, hit me up!

I appreciate that. Thanks!

almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by Suspicious_Can2468

Can’t wait to test the new update once it is ready for beta! Keep up the fantastic work, and thank you for such a wonderful game!

Hey cheers! Means a lot :)

almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by DiegoRaist

i need this update!! this game is just so awesome

So happy to hear you like it. Thanks!

almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by Dark__Thoughts

So if a wall would be too high to climb, there would be no arrow? What's the actual height for that?
Can we expect the AI to not jump down castle walls or towers and instead shoot arrows from there too?

If you had a wall two blocks high, the entities wouldn't be able to climb it.

The AI will only try to get to the enemy if they are out of range for attacks. So, Archers will hang out on the top of the wall as long as they are in range to their target. Also, any entities that have been given a 'Hold Position' command, will never leave the designated point.

almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by YoungArtifact

I'm honest here! Am gamedev myself (even though I haven't released a "good" game yet) and I know how tough it can be :D

But another question: Do the workrooms still exist in this update? I mean those rooms which need certain structures in them. I am somewhat confused with the new room templates, or at least how you described them.

Essentially, they work the same. You'll still need to provide specific props for them to be used. The difference is that you're providing the props for the 'function' of the room.

Before: Workshop Room [Needs props xyz]

Now: Workshop Room - Wood Mill Function [Needs props xyz] and Fireplace Function [Needs props xyz]

The workshop is now just a default template which groups together the wood mill and fireplace for ease of use and progression. Another example is the forge template with its foundry and smithy functions.

There are about 25 functions for players to mix and match. You could just create one big room with them all if that was your wish.

almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by Dark__Thoughts

Also, any entities that have been given a 'Hold Position' command, will never leave the designated point.

Is that new / fixed behavior? Because I thought I had an archer sitting on a wall on hold before, which made him wait there, but as soon as the enemy was in range he took one shot before he jumped down the wall to get close to the enemy.

The live version of the game has some terrible bugs. My guess is that you encountered one of them. That sort of thing doesn't happen in this next update.

almost 3 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by DWLlama

Don't mind the naysayers. Sounds like some great improvements you have coming. Looking forward to trying them out.

Thank you. People like you keep me going :)

over 2 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by drem0027

I enjoy the game your a doing great work

Thank you, my friend

over 2 years ago - /u/unknownorigingames - Direct link

Originally posted by 3magic4

Steam sale convinced me to finally buy this game and I am loving it! Super excited about the things mentioned here!

Thank you so much for supporting the game!