For the first time in what feels like for god damn ever, development is rolling along at a reasonable pace. I lost a good couple of weeks to my job, which is always busy this time of year, but I didn't let it derail me & things are chugging along like a proper train analogy.
Ship Customization System Complete
You can change the color of shit. It's done. On the one hand, I'm frustrated at how lackluster it turned out; the final product is in no way indicative of (or justified by) the amount to time that went into it. You win this one, sunk cost fallacy. That said, it feels good to be moving on, and I think I learned some things about myself as a developer and how to recognize when I'm digging myself into a hole. And, negativity aside, it IS kind of fun to play with.
 |
| Optimus Prime |
 |
| Black Gold |
 |
| Planet Express |
Input System Refinements Nearly Complete
This was one of the major goals for this update and it's been going pretty smoothly. Except that both of my flight sticks are busted, so I couldn't test it all as thoroughly as I'd like to, and I wasted a couple of days opening them up and putting them back together like, "yup, still busted." I can't really justify spending money on a new one right now, so whatever. I was still able to test with a throttle, rudder pedals, and X-Box 360 controller, so good enough, I think.
Anyway, the UI has been revamped to provide the room for growth that the coming updates will require. A slider for deadzone adjustments and a full/split toggle is now available for every bound axis. These were sort of already in the code, I mostly just had to expose them via UI. There's still a little more work to do here but nothing major.
A fun little side effect: as I was adding a few missed controls to the system (most notably the run button), I remembered that I had added a secret flashlight to the game some time ago. I needed it to debug some lighting issues or something, but never got around to including an in-game button for turning it on & off. Well, now there is one!
 |
| Spooky! |
More Cuts >:D
Adding to list of shit for future me to handle, I've decided not to worry about the pilot reputation system for this update. It will definitely be a thing eventually, but it won't be a major gameplay factor until I flesh out the provinces. For now it was just going to be a number that you can make go up, it wasn't going to add much, and I'd rather get back to focusing on the simulation side of things as soon as possible.
Coming Up Next
Once I wrap up the input system refinements, it's on to graphics work. Space station lighting needs a rework, and I'm kind of thinking about redoing the space stations altogether. I'd also like to get some work done on the planet generator and start revamping some of the old planets & moons. And that'll round out the last of the major planned features for this update! Still a ways to go, but a version release is starting to feel within reach.
No comments:
Post a Comment