So some updates as promised... Progress here is good, very good in fact. From the first version of the project, I'm already into a 'preplanned' early re-write. At this stage I'd like to share two key concepts of what I'm aiming for here in terms of the development side of the project, as it's important for context. #1.) Performance - What exactly is the most efficient state we can build this game in? The objective here isn't just a 2D game that can be played on a toaster... But a large immersive 2D game with complex mechanics that can be played on a solar-powered toaster, during a total eclipse. Hopefully this game will become a default for Alt + Tab whilst waiting for those pesky Raids/MP Game instances to load. #2.) Flexibility - A foundational game that allows for large amounts of customization, modding and future free content. Where the modding content will differ from 'Steam Workshop' is that all mods will be available directly from our website, and only added to the available downloads once curated by our own team. Total overhaul mods needing nothing more than PNG's and JSON data blocks is where I'd like to end up. So, back to the project... As a junior developer in C#, completely new to Godot. I had committed myself early days to the idea that after discovering basic use of the Godot API and establishing early game mechanics, it would be sensible to commit to a full re-write very early on. The idea here is to avoid foundational problems seen in other well known titles around the A*3 scene. What this means at this stage is taking the rather rough and scattered scene tree and fixed scene content from build 0.1, and moving this to a dynamic style scene system with resources loaded and cached where possible. Resources for the game being so small, caching the entire games resource system on launch is a really viable option here. The trick being to ensure allocated resources are disposed of quickly and efficiently when no longer needed. The new dynamic scene tree vs the old fixed ship scene's can be seen in the image! The benefits of this system are already becoming clear with things like 'modular ships' from ship parts, 'modular components' for ship parts are all working very nicely already. The plan is to get some basic systems back into functioning state, then release the Alpha build for free subscriber download and take feedback. The initial systems I'm aiming to have working for Alpha 0.2 is: - Ship/Full ship controls - Full physics simulation (accurately reflecting the 'Tyranny of the Rocket Equation") - Functioning UI for interactive ship controls - First loot containers - Loot container scanner mechanics - First space looting mechanics - Outpost meteor (with Landing Zone) - Transition to Outpost from ship The idea here being you'll be able to fly around a bit and feel the physics design. Try and 'attach' to loot crates to break into them etc., find your Outpost and see your Martian wandering around inside your outpost. I'll release more news as we move closed to the Alpha download release. Current time frames suggest this weekend or next! In the meantime, stay safe out there.
Following the major updates to the website. I'm planning to bring more consistent updates and visibility to 'Tiny Bubble' as it grows and develops. This will take a few different shapes: - Regular Content posts to #dev-studio in our channel - Less regular, major updates to the Studio section of our Website (including videos and screenshots etc.) Finally, a link will go live soon where you'll be able to download an Alpha copy of the game to test the current state and offer feedback. I'll keep the news coming as I roll out the above so you know as and when it's happening. I'm extremely grateful for any willing testers offering genuine feedback... Good or Bad. In the meantime, Stay safe out there!
So... after several months of learning new things... we have a "proper" public facing website @ www.kyrgaming.com / www.kyrgaming.co.uk There's general areas covering things like our PZ Mods and user specific content like our Worms W.M.D League is also live - Please sign up and get involved! We've got some great content planned here including our Tarkov Spy section, Factorio Archives for sharing community blue prints, and of course the Studio section that'll soon cover content on our 2 main projects. Please feel free to poke around, give us a nudge if you find anything weird... First up is the Tarkov Spy. It's already running on our server successfully and I'll start to tie in the market features to the site over the next day or two. Stay tuned for updates and as always... Stay safe out there :saluting_face:
