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Development News - Main Update 12
The primary focus for Main Update 12 was to add the final planets necessary to make it possible to generate systems where every single planet is unique. It's technically possible for a system to generate with 54 planets so to be certain that every planet could be unique we needed 54 base planet designs in total. Main Update 11 added a few more but we were still only up to 43. Main Update 12 will fix that. 11 new planets are already finished bringing us up to the magic number 54. This change also means that planets can now all have unique names instead of 'Planet 2' or 'Planet 34' etc. Believe it or not, this feature to name planets has been coded into the game for nearly 3 years but until this point didn't make sense to use. There's still a couple of days work ahead to implement the new system generation code and to individually name all the planets but this will definitely be included in MU 12. If there's time, the plan is to update the planetary notes for each planet too so that they don't start blank but instead have some very basic info. This might seem like a small job but with 54 planets it's going to take some time so it might need to wait until MU13. We'll see.
While creating the new planets I experimented with an idea suggested here in the forums to make a 'dark' planet (see example pic above). You probably already realize that Space Bob's art style doesn't use lights so it's not as simple as turning off a light to make things dark. Instead I experimented with overlaying dark transparencies to create the illusion of darkness. This worked surprisingly well to alter the mood and atmosphere especially on the asteroid planets. My experiments with this lead to trying out similar effects to create a type of hazy dust over the surface of a planet and then to the opposite effect of brightening up a planet so it looked like it was in bright sunlight. All of the new planets already include some form of the above experiments with atmospheric effects and they really do add another lovely layer of atmosphere (no pun intended) and visual variety to the game. This system is planned to be extended across many, if not all, of the older planets too over the coming days so that the whole game has a fresh new look for MU12. The screen shots included in this post will give you an idea of some of my experiments so far.
This has been requested many times and it's now a reality. MU12 will allow rebinding of the aim controls on gamepads allowing for a twin-stick control scheme where the player can aim in any direction while moving and facing in any other direction. With practice, aiming and moving in different directions was always possible but many players still complained that it wasn't possible after hours of play so a more traditional twin stick system was made available for those that prefer it. A new twin-stick default keybinding setup has also been created and the new system also transfers over to mouse and keyboard users who will also be able to aim completely independently of movement when MU12 is released.
Some of you may remember the changes made to add additional friction to various surfaces in the game a few patches ago. This was to allow variation in how much Bob would slide against various surfaces but it didn't prove to be as successful as hoped. The problem was that when friction on a surface was increased to reduce how much Bob would slide it also made it impossible for him to walk up some steep slopes on high friction surfaces. MU12 will have a new dynamic system included that finally resolves this issue and allows every surface to have individual settings to simulate friction that don't interfere with Bob's ability to walk up slopes. This is already working so Bob will now stop almost instantly on surfaces like rubber or sand, but will still slide on ice and loose gravel type surfaces. Every major surface in the game has been individually updated to work with this new system. So, if you were one of those players who disliked how much Bob would slide around then MU12 will have you covered.
Finally, what do you think to the idea of swapping 'Exploration Mode' for 'Survival Mode'. Exploration mode was originally implemented as an experiment to make an easier game mode for players to learn the game but that was before the difficulty level sliders were added. Only about 20% of players ever try exploration mode and I've been seriously considering replacing it with survival mode. Survival mode would remove the jump-gate and have Bob trapped and trying to survive for as long as possible. Key resources like crystals and illmenite would respawn and we'd likely have a system that caused deterioration of upgrades over time so they would break and need to be replaced. I think an initial version of this mode could be up and running relatively quickly and could then be expanded upon over time if it proved to be popular. Let me know what you think because it could easily become the primary focus for MU13.
[ 2019-01-03 17:04:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
First up, I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and happy new year!
Before I share some dev news can I say a big thanks and welcome to everyone who picked up the game during the Steam Winter sale.
(Open images in a new tab to see full size versions)
Here's the news:
100% Unique Planets coming in MU12
The primary focus for Main Update 12 was to add the final planets necessary to make it possible to generate systems where every single planet is unique. It's technically possible for a system to generate with 54 planets so to be certain that every planet could be unique we needed 54 base planet designs in total. Main Update 11 added a few more but we were still only up to 43. Main Update 12 will fix that. 11 new planets are already finished bringing us up to the magic number 54. This change also means that planets can now all have unique names instead of 'Planet 2' or 'Planet 34' etc. Believe it or not, this feature to name planets has been coded into the game for nearly 3 years but until this point didn't make sense to use. There's still a couple of days work ahead to implement the new system generation code and to individually name all the planets but this will definitely be included in MU 12. If there's time, the plan is to update the planetary notes for each planet too so that they don't start blank but instead have some very basic info. This might seem like a small job but with 54 planets it's going to take some time so it might need to wait until MU13. We'll see.
New Atmospheric Effects
While creating the new planets I experimented with an idea suggested here in the forums to make a 'dark' planet (see example pic above). You probably already realize that Space Bob's art style doesn't use lights so it's not as simple as turning off a light to make things dark. Instead I experimented with overlaying dark transparencies to create the illusion of darkness. This worked surprisingly well to alter the mood and atmosphere especially on the asteroid planets. My experiments with this lead to trying out similar effects to create a type of hazy dust over the surface of a planet and then to the opposite effect of brightening up a planet so it looked like it was in bright sunlight. All of the new planets already include some form of the above experiments with atmospheric effects and they really do add another lovely layer of atmosphere (no pun intended) and visual variety to the game. This system is planned to be extended across many, if not all, of the older planets too over the coming days so that the whole game has a fresh new look for MU12. The screen shots included in this post will give you an idea of some of my experiments so far.
Twin Stick Control System
This has been requested many times and it's now a reality. MU12 will allow rebinding of the aim controls on gamepads allowing for a twin-stick control scheme where the player can aim in any direction while moving and facing in any other direction. With practice, aiming and moving in different directions was always possible but many players still complained that it wasn't possible after hours of play so a more traditional twin stick system was made available for those that prefer it. A new twin-stick default keybinding setup has also been created and the new system also transfers over to mouse and keyboard users who will also be able to aim completely independently of movement when MU12 is released.
Bob's new boots
Some of you may remember the changes made to add additional friction to various surfaces in the game a few patches ago. This was to allow variation in how much Bob would slide against various surfaces but it didn't prove to be as successful as hoped. The problem was that when friction on a surface was increased to reduce how much Bob would slide it also made it impossible for him to walk up some steep slopes on high friction surfaces. MU12 will have a new dynamic system included that finally resolves this issue and allows every surface to have individual settings to simulate friction that don't interfere with Bob's ability to walk up slopes. This is already working so Bob will now stop almost instantly on surfaces like rubber or sand, but will still slide on ice and loose gravel type surfaces. Every major surface in the game has been individually updated to work with this new system. So, if you were one of those players who disliked how much Bob would slide around then MU12 will have you covered.
Survial Mode - Interested?
Finally, what do you think to the idea of swapping 'Exploration Mode' for 'Survival Mode'. Exploration mode was originally implemented as an experiment to make an easier game mode for players to learn the game but that was before the difficulty level sliders were added. Only about 20% of players ever try exploration mode and I've been seriously considering replacing it with survival mode. Survival mode would remove the jump-gate and have Bob trapped and trying to survive for as long as possible. Key resources like crystals and illmenite would respawn and we'd likely have a system that caused deterioration of upgrades over time so they would break and need to be replaced. I think an initial version of this mode could be up and running relatively quickly and could then be expanded upon over time if it proved to be popular. Let me know what you think because it could easily become the primary focus for MU13.
[ 2019-01-03 17:04:10 CET ] [ Original post ]
Space Bob vs. The Replicons
Intravenous Software
Developer
Independent
Publisher
2018-09-28
Release
Game News Posts:
33
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
🎮 Full Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support
Very Positive
(90 reviews)
The Game includes VR Support
Public Linux Depots:
- Space Bob vs. The Replicons Linux [1.13 G]
Space Bob vs. The Replicons is a light hearted yet challenging physics-based planetary exploration, survival, rogue-lite in the final stages of development for PC (Mac & Linux soon). Expect to die in a dozen different ways before you figure out how to survive for an hour.
Combining hand crafted planets with procedurally placed resources and hazards, you must help Bob to solve the mystery of what is keeping him trapped in a never ending time loop while experiencing elements of survival, platforming, adventure and space exploration along with his companion AI.
Gameplay
Explore dozens of planets, collect resources, salvage what you find to craft upgrades, and fight for your life while trying to uncover the time-bending mysteries of Bob's universe.At first, something as simple as landing on a planet and recovering some salvage will be a challenge. If the planetary hazards don't kill Bob first he will likely be overrun by Replicons before learning that many things are not worth his time to collect. Managing resources while learning how to maneuver valuable loot around obstacles, and out of deep winding caves, is what the game is all about.
The first objective is to escape through the jump gate and this may feel like the end of the game but nothing could be further from the truth. To truly escape Bob will need to explore further, master his skills and ultimately take the battle to the Replicons directly over three story acts.
Whether you live or die, an average play session is designed to take 30-90 minutes. At first you'll die frequently and struggle to do seemingly simple tasks but with patience, careful resource management, time and practice you'll learn to survive long enough to discover that death is not as permanent as it seems. Dig even deeper and you'll find yourself working with mysterious forces to save mankind from alien obliteration over multiple consecutive games.
This game features a type of permadeath. Death doesn't reset the story but it does rewind time. Collected resources and upgrades will be lost so it's best not to try and do too much before learning how to survive first. Also, contrary to some of the early reviews, the game now allows saving at any time but as is typical with rogue-lites your save point will be lost after death.
Technology
Although the game may initially appear to use traditional 2D sprites, it instead uses polygons. This allows for improved performance but also the ability to seamlessly zoom from viewing an entire planet down to having Bob fill the screen, and all without any pixelation.All objects are physics enabled creating the corner-stone for much of the gameplay. You'll need to figure out how to efficiently connect objects together and return them to your refinery ship in orbit while managing their weight as they swing around the game's environments. Oh, and don't forget that you'll need to do it while trying to survive an alien invasion. Good luck!
MINIMAL SETUP
- OS: Ubuntu 10.10 or later (see below for other distros tested)
- Processor: 2Ghz
- Graphics: Intel HD4600 or better
- Storage: 2 GB available spaceAdditional Notes: Tested and working on Ubuntu. Arch Linux. Fedora. Gentoo. Tumbleweed
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