Update v0.36
Even more new graphics!
List of updates/fixes

• All materials, resources & products now have a unique icon to help visually differentiate things and clarify what the heck is going on
  Drawing 52 icons in the very limited Startron-specific drawing tool took some doing...
  

• There's a readme file now included with every release going forward to explain what to do when the game invariably doesn't start up on a modern computer
  

• Resources can now be beamed down to planets, moons and asteroids from the cargo bay! (This'll become important for splitter-conveyors in v0.37)
  

• Fixed a couple of typos and inaccuracies in the cosmic database
  

• Offset the background in the space station rooms from eachother so it feels a little more 3D as you navigate around
  

[vdapps]

So after mulling it over, in the interests of keeping things as compatible as possible and ensuring I don't need to re-do things that already work, I've decided to simply include a read-me file with instructions on getting .NET Core runtimes if people have problems.

I've also done this because I have already had at least one person ask me if there'll be a Linux compatible version one day so without realising it I've already gotten most of the way to providing that without even needing a Java port - which I may not even do now.

v0.36 will just continue where I left off with new gameplay development as usual; nothing fundamental will be changing regarding .NET

Thanks for the heads up though vdapps

[EDIT:]

Right, I hadn't noticed a difference. - I will investigate switching to .NET Framework if .NET Core doesn't come with Windows by default.

I just chose the simplest to get a console up and running.
EDIT: It appears I don't have the option to use .NET Framework, just lots of versions of .NET Core and if I swap the output type from Console Application to Windows Application, it no longer starts.

I guess I need to recreate the exact error and figure out a way to provide whatever .dlls it thinks it's missing.
EDIT2: Ok so I forced it to use .NET Framework 4.8, this killed the music player but everything else is working as expected, so just need to swap the music player out or find how to get WMPLib to work in .NET Framework and I'll release a new version. - I hadn't realised this was so incompatible with people's PCs - I figured .NET Core was the more minimal solution so would work in more places

Don't get me wrong, C# is great, but I find Java is a little less reckless when it comes to coding patterns - with C# there's just so many inconsistent rules and ways to do things as well as needless data structures that I just find bothersome. (Java will always be my first love :3 - It did after all get me a job as a programmer lol)

Yea I'm inclined to agree with JobLeonard; the idea of expanding upon a quiz game with unlockables still sounds terribly dull to me - I'd be far more inclined to investigate a really good interactive encyclopedia made for the modern age (like a universe sandbox). There is something to be said for those old CD-rom fore-runners to Wikipedia; the interactivity and "cool visuals" they boasted always helped solidify the concepts for me, even with 90s hardware limitations. (Immediately engaging educational programs that come to mind: 3D Dinosaur Adventure, 3D Human Body, Exploring Civilizations, RedShift, etc.)

Hah, I actually like the name "Not Settlers" - it could work for you in a weird sort of way

There is already a game called "Settlers", are you sure you want to replace it?

Overwrite Cancel

Update v0.35
All new graphics!
List of updates/fixes

• New space station artwork!
  

• Planets, moons & suns with a single block sticking out the top and bottom have been fixed (because it looked really dumb)
  

• Ice-caps have been added to planets and moons (they generate larger the further the body is from the system's centre)
  

• Collecting resources now accumulate in the message at the bottom (so you don't have to keep swapping back to the cargo bay to see how much of something you've got) (visible in the last picture^)
  

• Ice has been added to rocks too! (For realism )
  

• Fixed being able to build underneath other buildings
  

• Fixed being able to create land outside of planets by demolishing space
  

• Shuffled the external resource files around so the game directories are less cluttered
  

Just an observation, but you probably want to amend your first post with some of the 3D screenshots near the top (one can scroll half way down this thread and see only 2D pictures of a game that has 3D in the thread title )

EDIT:
Hah, the pictures don't even do it justice - I had a go and this actually looks quite fun - I drank a whole pond :D!
Also I think maybe having a more intuitive interface with prompts may help as I skipped the tutorial then couldn't work out any of the controls (assuming they'd be something fairly standardized).

You probably need to post some pictures of your game if you want people to notice it

I'm inclined to agree with JobLeonard - I would probably drop the "Lionessy Sins" part and just call it "Paws on the Sand" - this avoids any connotations and sounds slicker (easier to remember too).

Looking good otherwise :D

Update v0.34
It moved when I wasn't looking :O
List of updates/fixes

• Planets can now sometimes generate with cities on them (the planet gets called something less generic when this happens) - Cities are useful because dwellings are expensive to make when setting up new colonies
  

• Storage yards can now collect resources even while you're off in another system (resource deltas are tracked then applied with a multiplier on arrival)
  

• Entities generated in solar systems now vary depending on the system type - e.g. space stations don't generate near neutron stars (because radiation) and black holes have lots of debris around them without any planets (because they'd get all torn up )
  

• Rocks are now easier to distinguish from one another because they get assigned a letter in their name - e.g. "Rocks B"
  

• Rocks can generate with lone dwellings on them for the same reasons cities were introduced to planets (makes things a little more accessible and the cosmos feel more populated)
  

• Fixed a bug where the lighting calculations on rocks could crash the game
  

• Also tidied up a bunch of large code pieces (particularly the intro which was just hacked together before)
  

Wow this actually really surprises me that nobody has tried this before - it's kind of combining the tech used in games like Megarace and Myst but used in real life to make the ultimate experience. - Big fan

Aye it just gives the hint of 3-dimensionality without actually requiring lighting calculations or geometry.

Still, plenty of other things I intend to polish as features are added and fleshed out.

Update v0.33
That's no moon...
List of updates/fixes

• Added a load of space station variants so they don't all look the same now!
  

• Added more prefixes and suffixes to use for generating random names of things
  

• Fixed being able to build all over things you shouldn't be able to
  

• Fixed a load of automation bugs regarding queuing
  

• Made asteroids more rocky so there are places to build (and also allowed roads/conveyors/conduits to be built between rocks while ensuring buildings must be built on rocks)
  

• Added rough lighting for asteroids and space stations (don't get your hopes up, it's nothing too fancy )
  

Update v0.32
Grass, trees & bugs! (Also an intro...)
List of updates/fixes

• Added an intro animation! (It may get tweaked over time so don't get too attached )
  

• Fixed the menu sometimes not letting you play after generating the cosmos
  

• Fixed the Captain's log not saving the last line you were on
  

• Fixed some build actions being triggered by just typing in the Captain's log
  

• The Captain's log is now available in space stations! (So it's actually useful for making shopping lists n things )
  

• Moved the Captain's log out the way of the build instructions so you can see what you're doing while making notes
  

• Added a previously absent warning when trying to buy something you can't afford
  

• Improved all the lighting and some characters for minerals, products & structures
  

• Added grass and trees to planets so they're all pretty now :3
  

Well if you don't know, we don't either

Heh, wibbly :3

Haha, spacejokes

Shot a new video!

• Not ready to release the next version just yet, but I thought I'd show off the janky intro parody I just added:
  

• The video shows some of the gameplay while I fumble around and realise I've started a colony in a dumb place (also some bugs in the captain's log I clearly need to address):
  
  

• I may replace the intro with something home-grown later :3