Hey everyone, it’s time for your weekly update. Back in late October/early November, when we had our last Alpha backer free-play weekend, a number of issues with our installation process were discovered and then fixed. Unfortunately, when a patch was released, we encountered a previously unknown flaw with our web infrastructure that prevented it from being accessible - thereby putting the poor patch all by itself in purgatory. You probably didn’t notice, but we rolled out some improvements last week to our web infrastructure that resolved these issues which, of course, paves the way for our next patch!
Aside from work on infrastructure we of course spent a lot of time on weapons. The initial implementation of missiles, which is the biggest remaining blocker for the next patch, should be completed in time for the next weekly update however an exact date of the next patch remains just outside of reach. To round out our efforts last week, time was also spent on hardpoints, weapon loadouts, weapon balancing, new sound placeholders, discussing missile locking, discussing the design of re-arming and repairing, discussing improvements to warp, going over the core game loop, and finally our internal roadmap for the coming months. Each of these warrant their own weekly update so we’ll be going over them individually as we move forward.
A detailed view of the door going on top of the destroyer
On the art side the final geometry pass for the destroyer will be complete by the next weekly update. Dan has produced a new mockup of the carrier that we all really like and he’ll be handing that off to Kristian and Jan, who will also be working on finishing the cruiser, for further iteration. Dan will instead focus on finishing up the geometry for our bobbleheads and getting started on other backer rewards. We hope to release some screenshots of the new carrier within a month or two, we think you’ll all be pleased!
Yes, show us what you have. But do not rush, be slow as a turtle and fast as a cobra and smart as a owls . At least I think that the owls look smart and inspire respect
Destroyer looks great. Btw i also like that you chose to move away from exposed commando bridges for capitals, it was one of the few things in the old design rules i didnt really like.
Regarding the Carrier:
I have said this before, and i will repeat it as often as needed:
I REALY think that you should put a functional mockup ingame before you commit to a carrier layout. That means one ugly undetailed box for the outside, but the closest possible approximation for all functional parts of the hangar, such as doors, entry and exit points, small ship spawns and the entire internal hangar volumes. I think it is vital to validate them before putting any work into the visual design of the carrier. We need them ingame with working collision so we can test takeoff and landing, spawning and rearming, repairing and grouping up and so on under actual combat conditions. If you commit to a carrier design and hangar layout before thoroughly testing it, chances are you will have to redo it and throw a lot of visual work away.
The current carrier designs are very rough, and built around the function that the carrier will serve in game, along with the carrier “Experience.”
How will it look and feel to launch from a carrier, “BSG esque launch tubes”, or more “Exit via the big door at the end of a hangar bay…”
Also, how does a player dock with a carrier, especially if it’s moving… and how will that influence the design / placement of primary engines, hardpoints, internal hangar bays etc.
We’ll be considering these things and more as we push the design. Testing with rough models in game will more than likely be a valuable step in that process.
