Well after our unfortunate delay, I'm sure a lot of people are curious what's been going on with the game. A lot actually! With a new timeline in place, it was time to improve a few features that I wasn't 100% happy with. I'm really excited to show these new features to you! I apologize for using gfycat links, but these gifs were a bit massive
NEW STATION MECHANICShttp://gfycat.com/ifr/ScarceCheerfulInchwormOne thing I was really unhappy about was the way stations and crew were being used. They stood around. A LOT. Other than gathering items on planets, what were they for? Play testers were coming up with elaborate death machines that didn't even require crew. The game is supposed to be all about the crew!
In the gif above you'll notice a couple of things. First, the engines no longer work unless there is a crew attached to navigation (and of course, power). This might be a bit annoying to veteran players, but it adds a new dynamic to combat and space travel. The bonus your crewmen offers your ship speed has also been greatly increased, AND crew now level up A LOT faster. in order to balance crewmen on navigation at all times, I've also reduced their hunger/sleep decay rate.
You'll also notice the bobbing! The ship now moves around on screen. Nothing dramatic, but it adds a crazy amount of life to the game. You'll have to see it to believe it.
http://gfycat.com/ifr/OffensiveConsiderateAmurminnowScanning now works the same way. Scanning was the one station that was the least useful or used in the game. Now it's pretty impressive. It still dramatically boosts accuracybut, the combat map below is covered in a "fog of war." It is revealed when scanners are active. The enemy ships details are also revealed when scanning is active. The coolest part: No more scan button! The scan button added nothing to the gameplay except to slow the player down.
You might also notice that the astroids now move. This is one of my favorite changes. I increased speed as well - if you can get the astroid moving really fast it'll damage things it runs into! The best part is that bullets can't penetrate it, so it's pretty nifty to absorb enemy fire while doing some damage.
Weapons also have the same treatment (though not pictured.) In order for guns to fire, you must have a tactical station manned. The bonus to your weapon damage has been increased for each station as well to make it more beneficial.
http://gfycat.com/ifr/ElegantSadChickenEnergy has always been a huge hassle to deal with as well. Manually turning stations on/off proved to be a really boring feature. During combat, you'd have to power down all your food/sleep/entertainment stations one by one, then power up your navigation or tactical. By making the stations required for ship operation, I knew I had to fix this problem. Stations now share an energy "pool." The energy is automatically allocated depending on usage. Combat is now a snap - just simply send your crewmen to the combat stations. A lot less fuss.
http://gfycat.com/ifr/LeanDentalCrustaceanHeres the big one. This took a while, but it's well worth it. Installing stations and managing guns was probably one of the biggest issues for players. How do you do it? Why can't you remove stations? Etc etc... I've split it off into it's own menu separate from the inventory. It is now in the "Fleet Management" window. Move your crewmen from ship to ship, install stations, remove them, or just move them. Swapping guns from ship to ship used to take a LONG time. Now just removed, switch to the ship you want, install. Also I dig the little icons :3
We've also been making a lot of little changes here and there, far too much to itemize in gifs
http://gfycat.com/ifr/EssentialAssuredIggypopsYour little ship icon now shows up, and then goes to the point you land. Not really an essential feature but I think it polishes it well
http://gfycat.com/ifr/BrokenMealyBlackmambaYou may have noticed that you can rename your ship. You can also rename your crew. I'm not a big "renamer" so I didn't realize how much people would want it! Request granted!
http://gfycat.com/ifr/GoldenRecklessArctichareOther little things: crewmen now climb down ladders instead of jumping down them. Minor, but appreciated!
http://gfycat.com/ifr/TerrificAdolescentBandicootWhere, were do you find this? You'll have to find out I guess.
Well that wraps it up for now. Patch notes between v0.99->v0.99n here:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Interstellaria/comments/37avqz/interstellaria_v099n_live_be_prepared_mechanicsI'll be out of town this week on a non-dev related trip, so I wanted to get an update out before I left. Maybe I'll make a little game with all those icons while I'm away? Once I get back my mission is nothing but bug fixes and polish. Thanks everyone for your patience!
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