Tag: colony sim

DevSlog

Mod Support in SpaceSlog | Devlog #2

Produno

In this update video we focus on the importance of mod support in SpaceSlog plus various other ramblings.

Being the creator of a popular Game of Thrones mod i know creating mods can be time consuming and can be met with certain restrictions. Modding is fun, and for some the fun part can be overcoming such restrictions. For SpaceSlog we aim to remove as many of those restrictions as possible, allowing people to create the exact modification they wish.

My work within the modding scene over the last decade has also influenced the reasons why i want SpaceSlog to be as fully modifiable as possible. We go into these reasons a little bit in the video and show whats currently possibly. We also talk a little bit about what we expect for the future. Of course all of this comes down to the scope of the game and how long we can actually spend on development. Which also depends on how popular the game will be, or if at all.

Information

SpaceSlog now has an Itch.io page

Produno

I have now created a page on itch.io for Spaceslog which can be viewed by clicking the widget below

We will be using Itch.io so our testers have an easy and convenient way to download the game. I have yet decided if we will be using the platform to sell the game, though it is looking likely. Mainly as there are not many downsides to doing so and it should be much easier and cheaper to release here in early access before we decide to release on Steam or anywhere else.

Anyhow, we are still quite a long way out before we can start to think about official releases, but if you wish to help and assist with the development of the game you can offer up your services to become a tester. I have created a post over on our forums where you can do just that.

Will a demo be available?

I have been thinking of a way where i can offer up a demo for a limited time before people are prompted to purchase the game. The idea is that every updated release will have a certain amount of hours playable before the game is locked and needs to be purchased. This means throughout early access you get to try each update and decide which of those updates you feel would be a good entry for you to purchase the game. With every update the hours would reset, meaning you get a couple of hours to test each build.

Currently i am still working a day job whilst working on this game and having something like this available would make me feel much more comfortable working on the game and updating when needed, instead of trying to push out updates that may not be ready to try and appease all those that had purchased the game and expected more.

This is something i do still need to look into however and the plausibility of doing so. Once i do receive enough interest in the game i will most likely switch to working on this full time anyhow.

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Discord

DevSlog

Building, objects and materials

Produno

My main goal for any game mechanics associated with building and the building objects themselves should be flexibility, extensibility and ease of use. Not only for those that want to modify the files but also for the players playing the game.

In other words the menus should be intuitive and easy to read, whilst giving all the information required to quickly build any of the objects available. Anyone wanting to modify the files should be able to do so easily and with the least amount of friction possible.

I also wanted materials to change the appearance of the item whilst also changing its composition, from how it reacts in the world to how much health it has etc.

A lot of time was spent iterating upon the UI and adjusting the mechanics of the game associated with building and materials to fit the criteria set out above. Below you can see the menu I finally settled upon, though be aware that like most other things in this game, it is still a work in progress and could be subject to change.

Build Menu
Build Menu

You can see from the above image we have a primary material and a secondary material. Not every object will require two different material types to build and this can be modified in the JSON files if required. Below you can see this item requires 3 of either Titanium or Gold plus 2 Silicon. These materials can be further modified via another JSON file.

"material_types": {
        	"primary_mats": ["Titanium", "Gold"],
        	"primary_mats_amount": 3,
        	"secondary_mats": ["Silicon"],
        	"secondary_mats_amount": 2,
        },

Below you can see the effects of the different primary material types (Secondary material types will not change the colour of the objects). This is achieved by using a shader and a mask material which can be input into the JSON file.

The effect of different primary materials.

Adding new objects should be as easy as copying and pasting a similar object, changing parts of its data and pointing it to your texture file in your module folder.

As usual, if you have any questions then feel free to head on over to our forums where I will be happy to reply.