Fixed a crash for loading of fractal galaxies, oops!

[ 2023-09-05 18:25:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Well, hello again folks! After a bit of a break (that's life for you) I think we can confidently say that 5.0 is not getting any better - in fact I think it's pretty good! So I'm pushing it to production and declaring that it is fully released! The main change is that the simulation should simply be faster. Notably the UI is decoupled from the simulation logic, meaning that even if your galaxy is so big it's causing your CPU to tank - you should still be able to navigate around in it relatively smoothly (that is to say smoothlyer than before). This is a pretty dang big overhaul of the simulation engine, I don't know what I was thinking with that several years after the game release. It started out exciting but ended up in a giant mess of multi-threading and reentrancy issues. But, I think I came out alive on here the other side. Still, please let me know if you find any crashes, I'll try to fix them. I can now start to work on new features, maybe some fun things like new monsters and chaotic finance attractors.

[ 2023-08-20 13:13:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear community! I am still around, and still doing work on the game! The past year or so has been dedicated to a huge rewrite of the game, transforming it to a nice and cozy mostly single threaded puppy, to an inherently multi-threaded hydra. As you can perhaps imagine, this was a bit of a challenge, and soooo many bugs where found and fixed - this was a grand old time. After quite a lot of time in testing it now seems to be at least as stable as the earlier versions for most people, yay! Thanks a whole heap to the community on the Discord server for helping me out, I couldn't have done it without you! So it's time to share this with a wider audience, hence this beta announcement. Now what's actually the end result you may ask? Well, the most obvious change for most users should be that navigating around in the game will no longer be bottlenecked by the size of the simulation. Meaning that even if you have really big galaxies, you are still able to navigate and scroll around in it smoothly - even though the simulation itself may still be trudging along a 1 tick / second. The simulation itself is *also* faster, though the most dramatic difference is definitely in the way you experience the game. There's also a small trickle of new tweaks and minor features, maybe you can find one or two of them - but it wasn't the main focus of this update. So if you want to help out and see if I can get this thing out the door to production, give it a spin by choosing the open beta track through Steam, and drop me a comment in this thread if it runs, or post about bugs you find, just pick your favourite bug and post that if there are too many to fit in the forum. Have fun :)

[ 2023-01-07 20:02:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hellooo galaxy lovers out there, we have workshop support! After a slew of late updates to the beta patch, including some obscure additions like 3 (not so difficult) Steam Achievements, I think it's time to release this puppy to the public - so here you go - 4.10 is officially released! It's blatantly not bug free, so as usual if you find any issues with it - ping me on Discord or by email and I'll take a look. So again the big news is: Workshop support added! You are now able to share maps and ships with the rest of the world. Making them is quite straightforward, check out the beta announcement for information about how to do it: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/808100/view/4991679131374272342 Here's some more changes:

• Steam Workshop support added
• Natives added to certain systems, will allow empires to constructs their ships
• A lot of cool new maps added
• Vassalization of empires
• Highlighting of ship paths when selecting ships
• Blacklist empire specials
• New galaxy types: Solar system and Spaghetti
• Sped up pathfinding a lot, so (especially bigger) galaxies should lag less when there are lots of ships
• Railgun weapon added
• Steam Achievements added (well there's 3 of them but they are technically there!)
• Lots of bugs fixed and added

So have fun everybody, and we'll see what happens in 4.11 :)

[ 2022-03-31 19:03:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Steam! I am just pushing a 4.10 version of Galimulator to open beta testing. The biggest news in this release is Steam Workshop support - this allows you to share your own maps and ships with the rest of the community, and of course download the work of others. You can read more about making maps for Galimulator here: http://blog.galimulator.com/8-modding/4-galimulator-map-making-in-4-9-and-onward http://blog.galimulator.com/8-modding/2-maps And a bit about ships here: http://blog.galimulator.com/8-modding/3-modding-ships-in-galimulator The workshop can be viewed here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/808100/workshop/ (or through the Steam client)

Using mods

If you visit the workshop page and subscribe to something there, it will be automatically downloaded and made available as soon as you start up the Galimulator beta. Disabling them is a bit more tricky though, you will have to unsubscribe and manually delete the files, its a beta after all

Uploading mods

Once youve made the ship or map that you would like to share with the community, use the Share a mod button on the main screen - and you should be able to see your mod listed there. As a thumbnail, the game will use the latest screenshot taken - so make sure to grab one with the F12 key before submitting. Then you will go through a couple of steps submitting it. Once submitted, you can go into the workshop and change a bunch of stuff. Its not possible to change the thumbnail though, so be careful to upload the right one

Other fixes

Theres a bunch of other stuff too, like:

• Natives added to certain systems, will allow empires to constructs their ships
• A lot of cool new maps added
• Vassalization of empires (WIP)
• Highlighting of ship paths when selecting ships
• Blacklist empire specials
• New galaxy types: Solar system and Spaghetti
• Optional pathfinding improvements (fast during play but takes a long time to generate)
• Railgun weapon added
• Lots of bugs fixed and added

So dear community, try this stuff out and let me know either here or on Discord or by email or whatever if it works - and have fun!

[ 2022-01-29 06:31:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello out there, So finally I'm pretty confident that the 4.9 build that has been hanging out in beta for quite a while is ready for prime time - and so I'm officially releasing it! As usual, if you find any more bugs, ping me here, on email or jump on the discord and let me know. Here's the changelog, just the same as the beta so nothing new for those on the beta track: * Moving stars! Some galaxy types now have stars moving around in them. * Cultures added to the game, pervading the galaxy like empires or religions * Easy to make custom maps using just a single image file - check out http://blog.galimulator.com/2-uncategorised/4-galimulator-map-making-in-4-9-and-onward * Added an option to disable empires spawning from Neutral * Made it possible to designate any person anywhere you want in your empire in emperor mode * Dreadnaught ship added (it's pretty big) * Option to add separate density image during custom map creation * Improve galaxy selection screen, including preview window * Empires can now create multiple artifacts, with a configurable artifact cooldown * Added an option to log bulletins to text file * More empire achievements * More options in drawing the galaxy, like removing empire borders, simple stars * Supernovas and other AOE effects now also damage ships * Countryball fixes * Performance improvements * Fixed a whole lot of bugs (like the gradually slanting text ... don't ask) Next release would be 4.10! I have a half-implemented vassals system that I hope I'll wrap up, I have a lot of historical maps that'll be included thanks to the awesome support of a community member, and lots of nice to haves like blacklisting of empire specials, highlighting ship paths etc. And there'll be more. So stay tuned :)

[ 2021-08-24 17:33:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everybody, hope you are having a nice spring! I've been coding a bit of Galimulator stuff and after some positive feedback from my alpha testers it's time to do a first public beta release with some new stuff. As with every beta release, there are likely to be many bumps ahead - but I do hope that there will be some brave people out there who give it a go and let me know what you think. Here's some of the most major fixes: * Moving stars! Some galaxy types now have stars moving around in them. * Cultures added to the game, pervading the galaxy like empires or religions * Easy to make custom maps using just a single image file - check out http://blog.galimulator.com/2-uncategorised/4-galimulator-map-making-in-4-9-and-onward * Added an option to disable empires spawning from Neutral * Made it possible to designate any person anywhere you want in your empire in emperor mode * Dreadnaught ship added (it's pretty big) * Option to add separate density image during custom map creation * Improve galaxy selection screen, including preview window * Empires can now create multiple artifacts, with a configurable artifact cooldown * Added an option to log bulletins to text file * More empire achievements * More options in drawing the galaxy, like removing empire borders, simple stars * Supernovas and other AOE effects now also damage ships * Countryball fixes * Performance improvements * Fixed a whole lot of bugs (like the gradually slanting text ... don't ask) And very importantly with this one. This version *should be compatible with your old saves*! If it is not, if old save files break, then I'd super much appreciate if you send me your broken saves so I can try to make them loadable again the next beta update. To join the beta track, just right click on Galimulator in your Steam client, and find the "Betas" tab. As always, let me know down below in the comments if the new features work and if you like them. Or drop by on the Discord, reach me on Twitter, email, whatever. Input from the community is absolutely essential for the game!

[ 2021-05-16 07:13:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everybody, The fabled 4.8 update which has been in beta for a while has not made it into the production track - which means that it's coming your way too, yay! Now sadly, this will not be able to load saves from your 4.7 based games :( BUT - the good news is that all galaxies in 4.8 (and onward) should be loadable in all future versions of the game! Unless I go totally crazy and turn it into a Pokemon-themed anime FPS game, you never know. Here's the changelog yet again, you may have seen it before: * Added a couple more ships * Sleeper Service to bring back long gone empires * Retro arcade style monsters / empires * Added blacklist to forbid or allow certain ships and artifacts * Tilted empire names option * A bunch of bugs fixed I am certainly already working on 4.9, which promises to include things like a Culture system, the ability to create custom maps from a single image file (those NASA images turn into gorgeous galaxies), a big ol' Dreadnaught, more ways that Morons can screw up - e.g. by getting their artifacts to malfunction in creative ways, an option to block empires spawning from neutral, and many more. Even some performance improvements! Join the Discord to get more updates. https://discord.gg/XVumtY7

[ 2021-03-07 04:28:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone! Work on Galimulator continues, believe it or not! I am now publishing a small update to the Galimulator beta - it fixes just one small bug but also does some major changes to how the game is saved. Good news: Saves from the new release should be forward compatible with all future versions steamhappy ! And this should be true for all future versions, or at least it should be quite possible. Bad news: This build will break your old saves steamsad ... But! This should be the last time that happens, as mentioned above. Future updates with more meaty stuff is coming up, check out the #dev-log status on the Discord server for some sneak peaks of that. Have fun everybody!

[ 2021-03-01 05:23:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy New Year everybody! The Galimulator dev team (that's me) has not been totally idle in the past few months - in fact I'm just pushing a new version to beta. Give it a spin if you're brave! Quick changelog: * Added a couple more ships * Sleeper Service to bring back long gone empires * Retro arcade style monsters / empires * Added blacklist to forbid or allow certain ships and artifacts * Tilted empire names option To join the beta track, just right click on Galimulator in your Steam client, and find the "Betas" tab. NOTE: This update breaks backwards compatibility, your old galaxies will not be loadable after this update. Let me know down below in the comments if the new features work and if you like them. Or drop by on the Discord, reach me on Twitter, whatever. Your input is pretty darn crucial to keep developing this game!

[ 2021-01-04 20:15:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi again, the beta release has now been made public, meaning 4.7 is out! If you are already using the beta - nothing new for you! If you are not, then - new stuff! Changelog, copied from the beta updated (but more confidently):

• UI scaling bug finally fixed, along with many other bugs and UI improvements
• Shield Generator Ship that projects a field slowing down incoming missiles
• Ship shader effects (zoom in real good and watch the stars shine on them!)
• New Pingoism-spreading Olive Branch Dove ship
• Randomly generated mottos for all empires
• Gift of Balance (wipes out half of everything and it won't cost you a dime)
• New music track
• Game icons now work steamfacepalm

NOTE: This update breaks backwards compatibility, your old galaxies will not be loadable after this update!

[ 2020-08-02 05:00:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, beta update time!

Well if you're building a galaxy simulator you won't easily run out of things to do, I'll tell you that much. So I have some nice things that the brave here can try out. If you're not worried about the occasional glitch, then activate the beta and give this things a try.

Quick changelog:

• Many bugs fixed and some UI improvements
• Shield Generator Ship that projects a field slowing down incoming missiles
• Ship shader effects (zoom in real good and watch the stars shine on them!)
• New Pingoism-spreading Olive Branch Dove ship
• Randomly generated mottos for all empires
• Gift of Balance (wipes out half of everything and it won't cost you a dime)
• New music track
• Game icons now work steamfacepalm

To join the beta track, just right click on Galimulator in your Steam client, and find the "Betas" tab. NOTE: This update breaks backwards compatibility, your old galaxies will not be loadable after this update. Let me know down below in the comments if the new features work and if you like them. Or drop by on the Discord, reach me on Twitter, whatever. Your input is pretty darn crucial to keep developing this game! The new music track is from the very talented musician and Galimulator community member Olival Clanaro, check out the track and the rest of his channel here here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl2dABHNSd4

[ 2020-07-11 04:00:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi again, the beta release has now been made public, meaning the 4.6 is out! If you are already using the beta - nothing new for you! If you are not, then - new stuff! Changelog, copied from the beta updated (but more confidently): * Mac support added :O * Countryball mode added * Many new sandbox options (check out Silly stuff) * A few settings (amount of ships built, transcendence level) * A few display modifications (e.g. alliance names on the map, fixed artifact view) NOTE: This update breaks backwards compatibility, your old galaxies will not be loadable after this update.

[ 2020-04-05 04:39:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, it's beta update time! It's time yet again for those brave souls who are not afraid of the occasional bumpy ride, or for those with little patience who always want the best (they won't be reading this text anyway so why do I even mention them). Yes today is your day to jump on the beta track and see if this thing works. Quick changelog: * Mac support added :O If you're a Mac user, give it a try and let me know if it works for you too * Countryball mode added * Many new sandbox options (check out Silly stuff) * A few settings (amount of ships built, transcendence level) * A few display modifications (e.g. alliance names on the map, fixed artifact view) To join the beta track, just right click on Galimulator in your Steam client, and find the "Betas" tab. NOTE: This update breaks backwards compatibility, your old galaxies will not be loadable after this update. Let me know down below in the comments if the new features work and if you like them. Or drop by on the Discord, reach me on Twitter, whatever. Your input is pretty darn crucial to keep developing this game!

[ 2020-03-07 20:22:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

So it looks like it's been another extended beta period to stabilize things (and wait for no good reason). Today 4.5 will be officially released into stable! I fixed a couple of crashes, may have added some incidental feature (removing special properties from people being one), but the changelog is still mostly the same as the beta: * Support for having multiple galaxies at once (in a grid) * Tutorials fixed * Plague added * Hotkey for toggle all the UI (press F1) * In-game text input (optional) * Ship/monster modding support (blog to be posted soon) * Speed-up of galaxy generation * New monster Please let me know if there are issues! There's more features in the queue, like country ball support steamfacepalm (yes for real)

[ 2019-08-04 18:25:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for another beta update! If you are adventurous, curious, helpful or simply impatient, then join the beta! It's been run through by alpha testers for a while, so it's not terribly unstable, I hope ... Here's a summary of the most important fixes: * Support for having multiple galaxies at once (in a grid) * Tutorials fixed * Plague added * Hotkey for toggle all the UI (press F1) * In-game text input (optional) * Ship/monster modding support (blog to be posted soon) * Speed-up of galaxy generation * New monster To join it, just right click on Galimulator in your Steam client, and find the "Betas" tab. NOTE: This update breaks backwards compatibility, your old galaxies will not be loadable after this update. Let me know down below in the comments if the new features work and if you like them. Or drop by on the Discord, reach me on Twitter, whatever. Your input is pretty darn crucial to keep developing this game!

[ 2019-05-04 06:52:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

So finally after a long and difficult to justify wait - it's time to upgrade the beta to an official release! There are no changes since the beta release, so if you are already using the beta, this means nothing new for you. But still here's the changelog:

• Much improved top list - change the number of entries, which data to include and how to sort it
• (Minimal) game start menu, so it doesn't automatically load your gigantic autosave when you launch the game
• Hexagonal and square star placement option on all galaxies, as well as special square and hex galaxy shapes
• Paint religion influence across the galaxy (sometimes gods need a helping hand getting their point across)
• New monster
• Made ALL WILL BE ASHES a bit more devastating again
• Plot armor person special added to keep your darlings alive as long as you like (don't blame me if they get into some weird stuff)
• Lots of other small fixes

Have fun, and see you in the next update, which will include some more modding abilities, dual galaxies at once just to cherry-pick a few things.

[ 2019-02-06 18:47:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Honorable friends and mentions, It's time for another Galimulator update! This time Santa is plotting to take over the galaxy, or at least ride across it in modulated sine-waves with his reindeer up front. Snowflakes will accompany his progress - in "Let it snow!" mode! Here's a changelog of the more meaty stuff:

• Much improved top list - change the number of entries, which data to include and how to sort it
• (Minimal) game start menu, so it doesn't automatically load your gigantic autosave when you launch the game
• Hexagonal and square star placement option on all galaxies, as well as special square and hex galaxy shapes
• Paint religion influence across the galaxy (sometimes gods need a helping hand getting their point across)
• New monster
• Made ALL WILL BE ASHES a bit more devastating again
• Plot armor person special added to keep your darlings alive as long as you like (don't blame me if they get into some weird stuff)
• Lots of other small fixes

So sign up for the beta, try it out, and let me know if it works (either here or on the Discord), and also let me know if you're feeling jolly enough!

[ 2018-12-15 13:40:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

So finally! The 4.3 update is out of beta, time to everyone enjoy it, hopefully. Some bad news: This update will not be compatible with your existing saves. If you think that's bad, imagine how they people living in those old galaxies feel, they will spent the rest of existence in permanent stasis. Though I guess they will never know it. In fact, maybe it will happen to you right ... now? ... No guess not.

• Instead of random rebellions, they are now caused by factions which rise up in space before forming their own empires. Fight them in various ways, or liberate them, your call.
• Planets! You can now see the planets in the systems. It's just for aesthetics, but will help those of you looking for some more immersion opportunities
• You can search through the scenarios steamhappy
• New empire specials and monsters
• Some revamped UI
• Allied ships now also help support during ground combat
• Assign fleets to fight on different fronts

As usual, ping me on Discord or wherever if you have problems: https://discord.gg/XVumtY7 Have fun everyone!

[ 2018-10-13 03:26:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's time again for another beta of the game! If you join the beta channel of this game, there will be a new update waiting for you to download. Some bad news: This update will not be compatible with your existing saves, those galaxies will need to lie dormant forever while their masters amuse themselves with other fates. Also, this is a beta, this means there will be bugs and weird things happening - and I'm not just saying that. But still, people are enjoying it, so if you're feeling brave, you should too! Here's a summary of what is new:

• Factions can now form, which eventually lead to insurrections and start new empires within your empire. Fight them using the stats of your emperor, or set them free to gain a new ally
• Planets! You can now see the planets in the systems. It's just for aesthetics, but will help those of you looking for some more immersion opportunities
• New empire specials and monsters
• Some revamped UI
• Allied ships now also help support during ground combat
• Assign fleets to fight on different fronts

If you experience problems, let me know here in the comment field, or jump on the discord and let me know: https://discord.gg/XVumtY7 Have fun everyone!

[ 2018-08-31 18:06:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

If you're new to Galimulator, you should know that it is a game that is regularly (for the three years at last) getting new features, and being updated every couple of months. Updates and new features are always completely free, of course. Here's the latest batch of new things:

• Religions in the game! See the rise and fall of faiths! Will the Rationis Lumine come to terms with the followers of Pingoism?
• Emperor mode improvements, including:
  • Direct diplomatic window where you can propose peace / alliances etc
  • War room - where you can see ongoing wars and allocate generals to fronts
  • An option to "step" forward time in smaller increment
• A help screen with all the shortcuts in the game (check it out!)
• Fullscreen mode
• Webbed starlanes
• Shortcut for "Escape" button to close current window
• Setting to disable ALL WILL BE ASHES (ok you guys finally get what you want!)
• Setting to disable Conspiracies (they are a bit underwhelming right now anyway)
• Death match mode - create lists of empires to pre-put in the game
• Fix to show auras when stars are disabled (e.g. show wealth on earth maps)
• A button to make ships fleet commanders
• A big Giant Wheel

Join the discord server or post comments here to report bugs. Happy testing! Oh, and in the next version, looks like there will be ... planets!

[ 2018-05-06 03:35:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

If you're feeling brave and ready to experience new bugs before anyone else does (and hints of features hiding somewhere in the background), feel free to give the "Public beta" channel a try - and give the new update a try! Here's a brief changelog:

• Religions in the game! See the rise and fall of faiths! Will the Rationis Lumine come to terms with the followers of Pingoism?
• Emperor mode improvements, including:
  • Direct diplomatic window where you can propose peace / alliances etc
  • War room - where you can see ongoing wars and allocate generals to fronts
  • An option to "step" forward time in smaller increment
• A help screen with all the shortcuts in the game (check it out!)
• Fullscreen mode
• Webbed starlanes
• Shortcut for "Escape" button to close current window
• Setting to disable ALL WILL BE ASHES (ok you guys finally get what you want!)
• Setting to disable Conspiracies (they are a bit underwhelming right now anyway)
• Death match mode - create lists of empires to pre-put in the game
• Fix to show auras when stars are disabled (e.g. show wealth on earth maps)
• A button to make ships fleet commanders
• A big Giant Wheel

Join the discord server or post comments here to report bugs. Happy testing!

[ 2018-04-18 17:56:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

It now looks like the pricing issues have been resolved, and Galimulator is finally available to buy globally! Thanks for your patience! ːsteamhappyː

[ 2018-03-19 08:08:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

It now looks like the pricing issues have been resolved, and Galimulator is finally available to buy globally! Thanks for your patience! steamhappy

[ 2018-03-19 08:08:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Unfortunately I have an issue with the pricing of the game outside of the US, as in, there are no prices at all. Currently, I am waiting for Steam to approve my proposed non-USD pricing, which means that the game is temporarily unavailable. According to their documentation, it should be cleared within 1-2 business days, which seems to mean on Monday ... I'm really sorry about this. Meanwhile, the game is available globally on itch.io for the same price, you can buy it there and you will be able to get a Steam key for it later.

[ 2018-03-17 09:37:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Unfortunately I have an issue with the pricing of the game outside of the US, as in, there are no prices at all. Currently, I am waiting for Steam to approve my proposed non-USD pricing, which means that the game is temporarily unavailable. According to their documentation, it should be cleared within 1-2 business days, which seems to mean on Monday ... I'm really sorry about this. Meanwhile, the game is available globally on itch.io for the same price, you can buy it there and you will be able to get a Steam key for it later.

[ 2018-03-17 09:37:23 CET ] [ Original post ]