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It's been a while since the last devlog. And it's also been a while without any work being done on this game. I haven't forgotten about the game, but it was necessary to put the development of this game on pause for a while. While the development of this game has been paused for the vast majority of the time between posts, there have been brief periods of time that I have spent developing this game, which we'll discuss later on in this post. Also, just a heads-up: I do not intend to make a Devlog post for April, but I do intend to make one for May. The original intent behind these posts is to publish them on the 1st of each month unless it lands on a Saturday, then it'll be published on the 2nd of that month. I intend to get back to that schedule.
Remember back to the previous Devlog where I said I wanted to do a number of things over several, small, incremental updates? Well, that didn't quite go as planned. First off, I started working on the updates about 2-3 weeks late. And of course there was a lot of time debugging when things didn't work as intended. But here's what I originally intended to do as individual updates.
This is going to be among the last of the v0.2.x updates to help smooth things over for the upcoming Modding (v0.3.x) Update. This first one is sort of designed as a preview of the control system that it coming to Solar Lander in the Modding Update. The control assignment table and how controls assignments are handled have been heavily modified. Here's what the new assignment system looks like, which includes a ton of changes behind the scenes as well.
Unity recently changed their pricing model so that any developer that makes $200,000/year or more, AND has 200,000 or more total app installs that use the Unity runtime will have to pay $0.20 per install. This means that once I meet the new criteria, I have to pay Unity $40,000 for my work. This includes game demos, re-installs, installs on multiple devices, and pirated installs. Fortunately, I don't make that much money per year so I don't have to worry about this extra payment yet. But it does mean that I'm taking Solar Lander off of the Unity engine before I qualify for those fees. Plus, it also means that Unity is essentially forcing their own, proprietary, tracking software into a game that I have decided long ago will NOT have any such software in it. And I wouldn't trust their tracking software anyways. Here are a list of things I've been working on to put the Modding Update in the beta branch on Steam.
I accidentally published the Demo Version of Solar Lander rather than the Full Version. This update fixes that error. Sorry about the inconvenience. I do have some ideas on how to prevent such mistakes from happening in the future, so this should (in theory) be the last time this happens.
The cursor size should now be the same across all platforms that Solar Lander is available on.
This game does have builds for Linux, but they couldn't be accessed until now. Sorry to all the Linux users who tried to play Solar Lander. I had known about the problem for a couple of months and tried unsuccessfully to search for a solution (couldn't find the right page in Steamworks). Finally, I contacted Steam support which pointed me to the correct page and I was able to implement the fixes in about 1 minute. Sorry it took me so long to fix the issue.
It has been brought to my attention via the forums that there are some issues when saving files. This build fixes these issues. Here's the full change log.
Change Log:
Change Log:
I made a couple of mistakes when implementing the suggestions in v0.2.5. Mistakes Fixed:
Recently, I have received some suggestions from a player on how to improve this game. While I can't implement all of them in a Physics Update patch, I can implement some of them. In this case, there are three that I could put in a patch to the Physics Update. Most (if not all) of the rest will be implemented in future updates, such as the Modding Update. Also, this game has it's own YouTube channel and Discord server. See the Links section below.
Solar Lander's home page has moved to a new location on the TChapman500 Gaming Website. It is no longer in "/Projects/Software/Solar Lander". It is now in "/Solar Lander". The website's main page now directly links to Solar Lander's home page under "My Games". This new home page for Solar Lander has all of the information you need about the game and its updates all in one place. There's also a section for in-game screenshots. More information will be placed there in the near future (eg: what my plans are for the upcoming v0.3 Modding Update).
This is perhaps the last update for the v0.2 Physics Update as I want to now focus on the v0.3 Modding Update. In v0.2.4 (which also updates the demo), the following items have been changed.
Saving/Loading your progress in Progression has been added to the game, but is quite limited at the moment. After you complete the first level, you will be able to go into the escape menu and click "Save". The game will then save what level you are on, your score, the number of attempts you have left, and how many times you have upgraded each item. You can then quit the game and reload at a later time. When you want to reload, start a new progression game, go into the escape menu and click "Load". You will then start at the level you left off as if you had clicked "Start Level" on the upgrades screen. Limitations:
The 0.2.1 update introduced a bug that caused the axis controls to be unresponsive (sorry about that). This update, which was supposed to introduce progression saving and loading, fixes this bug. Time acceleration now disables the axis controls, but allows for control when no time acceleration is applied.
A small update to the Physics Update is now available which should now make the game winnable.
Solar Lander's Physics Update is now available on the main branch. There are many changes, improvements, and bug fixes with this update, with the main highlight being the physics updates.
This took me a lot longer to implement than I would have liked, but the Physics Update preview is no longer a demo version of the game. This means that you now have stuff like achievements, stats, and leaderboards among other things. Keep in mind that there's a reason that this is on the "beta-build" branch, though. Not everything is implemented. For example, we don't yet have free roam or all 21 planets implemented. But we do have a new upgrade screen, and a reworked upgrade system backend.
After a much longer wait than what I wanted, a preview of the Physics Update is now available on a new branch called "beta-build". Technically, this is preview is the same as the new demo version (which has also been updated). I published the demo to the beta branch just in case those who have bought the game are unable to run the Demo. Over the next few weeks, I intend to update the beta branch to the full version as I reimplement the features for the full version. There will be another announcement once the Physics Update goes onto the main branch. Change Highlights:
[previewyoutube=74_UHVxbsX8;full][/previewyoutube]
From this day forward, Solar Lander is no longer available for macOS and I will no longer develop anything for Apple-brand products. Solar Lander will continue to be updated for Windows and Linux though.
I am currently working on a massive overhaul of Solar Lander's systems to fix a few issues that the game has and to make it easier to develop the game in the future. Here's a video about what I'm doing with the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDJ8Ql3kjNk
Engine and crash sounds have been added to the game. You may have to go into the game settings and check the "Sounds in Space" checkbox for them to work. A skybox has also been added which you can turn off if you desire. Along with these things, a credits page has been added to the game which you can view from the main menu. Here is a video preview of the new updates for you to enjoy.
The freeroam game mode has been successfully implemented. This will allow you to start a new game where you visit planets in any order that you want, provided you have at least reached that level in the Progression mode. The same framework will be used to create tutorials and scenarios.
On top of that, there have been a few performance tweaks and bug fixes. One of the bugs that have been fixed is the one that reverses a few of the controls. I don't know when this bug was introduced, but when I discovered it, it was top priority and I thought I had fixed it in the previous update but I was wrong. There have been a few other bugs that have been fixed along the way.
For the next update, I intend to focus on adding some more sounds, some dialog, and maybe some background music to the game.
There have been some changes and updates to the some of the game mechanics. Here is a short summary of the changes.
Time warp and pause have been added to the game. Both can have their controls configured in the settings screen. The Time Warp will increment and decrement by a factor of 1x. Time warp will start becoming ineffective at around 10x normal speed, but may vary between systems. Just to make sure you don't lose control over the vehicle, all controls except camera zoom are disabled while in time acceleration.
It's been a while since I posted anything here, so here is an update on the status of the project. I'll start with the bad news first: This game is going to spend a bit longer in Early Access as I don't yet have all of the features that I want implemented. In addition, I am temporarily removing the quicksave feature from the game until I can get it working reliably. Now for the good news: I'm working on new game modes (eg: free roam and scenario), better integration with the Steam API, and new and improved game mechanics. These enhancements will come in several stages over the next several updates. Here's an overview of where the project is going.
I'm still trying to figure out how to get the Command Module AI to get back into orbit if you manage to get it out of orbit, but in the meantime, I've implemented some new features and increased the performance of the game.
Solar Lander has just been updated with working sound settings and a bug fix. I also noticed that the previous build didn't quite make it to the live state as I had intended. Don't know what happened there, but that issue is now fixed. And I double-checked this build just to make sure!
There is now a Linux version of this game available (x64 only) for testing with the demo coming soon. The Linux version has not yet been tested on any Linux distribution. Steam will now store the best score that you have achieved on Solar Lander and display it on the "High Score" leaderboard. The game still stores your high scores in a local file, but that will not count towards the High Score Leaderboard. The old system is likely to be removed. Other Update Notes:
There is now a Linux version of this game available (x64 only) for testing with the demo coming soon. The Linux version has not yet been tested on any Linux distribution. Steam will now store the best score that you have achieved on Solar Lander and display it on the "High Score" leaderboard. The game still stores your high scores in a local file, but that will not count towards the High Score Leaderboard. The old system is likely to be removed. Other Update Notes:
I'm publishing an experimental build of the update early to begin working on achievements and stats. As a result, you will see "Developmental Build" in the lower right hand corner of the screen. This build is a small portion of what I want the next update to be because I am trying to implement and test achievements and stats. Stats added (but not necessarily implemented) include things like the number of times you've crashed, the highest score you've obtained during the game, and a few other surprises. Most of the achievements are (theoretically) implemented already and I'll be working on implementing the rest of them quickly. Please provide feedback on how the achievements are working (or not working). A few closing notes: The command module now has an AI that will kill its rotation, there's a click sound for changing the HUD mode (mostly as a sound test right now), and the new undock, staging, and kill rotation mechanics have been implemented. As a bonus, I changed the command module and ascent stage textures to show where the docking ports are. Just line up the pixels almost exactly and you'll be redocked. Also, I would like feedback on how to improve the achievement thumbnails. Particularly the one modeled after NASCAR's disqualification flag. If anyone sends me a 64x64 image for any achievement, and I use it for that achievement, they will be listed in the game's credits.
I'm publishing an experimental build of the update early to begin working on achievements and stats. As a result, you will see "Developmental Build" in the lower right hand corner of the screen. This build is a small portion of what I want the next update to be because I am trying to implement and test achievements and stats. Stats added (but not necessarily implemented) include things like the number of times you've crashed, the highest score you've obtained during the game, and a few other surprises. Most of the achievements are (theoretically) implemented already and I'll be working on implementing the rest of them quickly. Please provide feedback on how the achievements are working (or not working). A few closing notes: The command module now has an AI that will kill its rotation, there's a click sound for changing the HUD mode (mostly as a sound test right now), and the new undock, staging, and kill rotation mechanics have been implemented. As a bonus, I changed the command module and ascent stage textures to show where the docking ports are. Just line up the pixels almost exactly and you'll be redocked. Also, I would like feedback on how to improve the achievement thumbnails. Particularly the one modeled after NASCAR's disqualification flag. If anyone sends me a 64x64 image for any achievement, and I use it for that achievement, they will be listed in the game's credits.
Over the past couple of months, I've been working on some more aesthetics as well as gameplay and physics updates.
Here are some screenshots of what's in store for the new updates (starting with the physics):
The unity engine has a collision buffer on 2D collisions that prevent the objects from actually touching each other. Since I couldn't reduce the buffer or scale-up the game, I simply adjusted all of the collision meshes.
Here's a screenshot of the command module being nudged by the lunar module (I advise against that). Most of the command-lunar collisions should look a lot more convincing now. A product of this is that you no longer have that "jerk" that is associated with undocking and staging.
Now for some aesthetics:
The engines now look like their doing something when their fired. I added a particle system to the engine so that you get different amounts of particles at different thrust levels. The best part is that the engine exhaust can collide with other objects. Careful not to fire your engines too close to the command module. Otherwise, you can crash the command module without even touching it!
On the topic of gameplay, I've added upgrades that will give you a variety of items to choose from. I'm still working on balancing the upgrades, but since this game is in early access, I'll let the community help me decide what needs to be tweaked in that department. Here's the upgrades screen (I may make some changes though):
For our final screenshot, we have an updated settings screen. Be aware that this is still a work-in-progress, so what you see here is going to be different than what you see when the update is launched.
As the screenshot suggests, you will be able to change stuff like the screen resolution fully within the game itself. The update screen's width matches that of the help screen, so it's more consistent with the rest of the UI. I still haven't figured out how to change joystick input settings from within the game, but there will be sound, contrary to what the screenshot would suggest.
Among what's not shown in the above screenshot is going to be an update to how controls are assigned. One button per possible assignment.
Here are some other things to be updated that are not shown in the screenshot:
Over the past couple of months, I've been working on some more aesthetics as well as gameplay and physics updates.
Here are some screenshots of what's in store for the new updates (starting with the physics):
The unity engine has a collision buffer on 2D collisions that prevent the objects from actually touching each other. Since I couldn't reduce the buffer or scale-up the game, I simply adjusted all of the collision meshes.
Here's a screenshot of the command module being nudged by the lunar module (I advise against that). Most of the command-lunar collisions should look a lot more convincing now. A product of this is that you no longer have that "jerk" that is associated with undocking and staging.
Now for some aesthetics:
The engines now look like their doing something when their fired. I added a particle system to the engine so that you get different amounts of particles at different thrust levels. The best part is that the engine exhaust can collide with other objects. Careful not to fire your engines too close to the command module. Otherwise, you can crash the command module without even touching it!
On the topic of gameplay, I've added upgrades that will give you a variety of items to choose from. I'm still working on balancing the upgrades, but since this game is in early access, I'll let the community help me decide what needs to be tweaked in that department. Here's the upgrades screen (I may make some changes though):
For our final screenshot, we have an updated settings screen. Be aware that this is still a work-in-progress, so what you see here is going to be different than what you see when the update is launched.
As the screenshot suggests, you will be able to change stuff like the screen resolution fully within the game itself. The update screen's width matches that of the help screen, so it's more consistent with the rest of the UI. I still haven't figured out how to change joystick input settings from within the game, but there will be sound, contrary to what the screenshot would suggest.
Among what's not shown in the above screenshot is going to be an update to how controls are assigned. One button per possible assignment.
Here are some other things to be updated that are not shown in the screenshot:
The first major update to this game is out. This update mostly provides visual enhancements to the UI, starting with the main menu. Everything is now big and centered on the screen. There is a new Help screen to replace the old help information on the main screen and gives a bit more detail about the various parts of the UI. The Help screen will be updated as needed based mostly on player feedback. There is a new settings screen that allows you to assign keyboard and joystick button inputs. These settings are saved so that you don't have to reassign your buttons every time you start the game. There's also an option to reset to the default settings. Due to some limitations in the Unity engine, axis assignments are done via a dialog box that now comes up before the splash screen. The axis assignments are "X Translation", "Y Translation", "Rotation", and "Throttle." The graphics settings are currently set using the same dialog box to set the axis until I get a better system in place. Cockpit sounds and developer commentary are coming soon. The in-game UI has also been greatly improved. There is now a HUD that gives you all the information that you need to land and redock. A button on the top center of the HUD allows you to change the HUD mode between surface-relative and command module-relative information. At the request of one of the players, the HUD now has a horizontal speed indicator. The default controls have been adjusted slightly to allow you to separate the main engine from the vertical translation thrusters (there's an option in the settings panel to change this back if you want). You can now use your thrusters to assist your main engine or cancel-out some of its thrust. The major control differences is that you must now hold the stage/undock buttons in order to maintain thrust, and that the keyboard/button inputs now instantly go from 0 to 100% and back when you use them. This is a consequence of me overriding the Unity's default input system. The screens to view and submit your high scores have also been given a visual update. And a screen has been added for those who complete all the levels of the game without crashing.
The first major update to this game is out. This update mostly provides visual enhancements to the UI, starting with the main menu. Everything is now big and centered on the screen. There is a new Help screen to replace the old help information on the main screen and gives a bit more detail about the various parts of the UI. The Help screen will be updated as needed based mostly on player feedback. There is a new settings screen that allows you to assign keyboard and joystick button inputs. These settings are saved so that you don't have to reassign your buttons every time you start the game. There's also an option to reset to the default settings. Due to some limitations in the Unity engine, axis assignments are done via a dialog box that now comes up before the splash screen. The axis assignments are "X Translation", "Y Translation", "Rotation", and "Throttle." The graphics settings are currently set using the same dialog box to set the axis until I get a better system in place. Cockpit sounds and developer commentary are coming soon. The in-game UI has also been greatly improved. There is now a HUD that gives you all the information that you need to land and redock. A button on the top center of the HUD allows you to change the HUD mode between surface-relative and command module-relative information. At the request of one of the players, the HUD now has a horizontal speed indicator. The default controls have been adjusted slightly to allow you to separate the main engine from the vertical translation thrusters (there's an option in the settings panel to change this back if you want). You can now use your thrusters to assist your main engine or cancel-out some of its thrust. The major control differences is that you must now hold the stage/undock buttons in order to maintain thrust, and that the keyboard/button inputs now instantly go from 0 to 100% and back when you use them. This is a consequence of me overriding the Unity's default input system. The screens to view and submit your high scores have also been given a visual update. And a screen has been added for those who complete all the levels of the game without crashing.
Over the past week, I've been working on improving the aesthetics of the game. Here is a list of changes that I've made so far:
I've added a HUD-type display for orbital speed, altitude above ground, and vertical speed. The HUD also shows where the vehicle is going and which direction is straight down and level with the horizon. The velocity direction indicator is even color-coded to let you know if you're going to make a safe landing.
When the update is released, you'll be able to toggle between surface-relative and command module-relative speed and distance displays.
In the top-right corner, the text display of the fuel and speed has been replaced with a visual representation of how full your tanks are.
Demo of the HUD.
Speed direction indicator is blue to indicate a landing score of 1,000+ points.
Speed direction indicator changes color as you accelerate. Red is bad!
What is shown here is subject to change by the time the update is published. I'm also working on improvements to the in-game menus and the various screens that the menu items take you too. There will be a dedicated help screen and a new settings screen.
I fixed an issue with the torque physics that would cause excess jittering with the vehicle. This would most likely be noticeable when trying to redock with the command module. The amount of jittering due to trying to control the vehicle is almost non-existent now. As a side effect of this bug fix, the retro RCS thrusters (and possibly the main engine) are now far more effective than they were before. This issue is not related to any jittering that you may experience in the later levels of the game. That is caused by the Unity engine using 32-bit physics and the planets late in the game being so much larger than the early planets. The 32-bit physics is also why I scaled the planets and vehicles the way I did.
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