Instruments of Destruction News

Just a quick bit of news before getting into the details of this update: Speed Demons 2 is an arcade highway racing game coming to PC and consoles later in 2025. The trailer below debuted exclusively on IGN, and the Steam page is now live, so you can head over there to read more (or wishlist the game).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

VERSION 1.11 IS HERE!

Despite the short update cycle, there's a lot to cover for this version. Just a warning though: Pretty much every change has to do with vehicle building. We'll start with the changelist, then go into a bit more detail on the new parts and significant part options.

Changelist:
- Added Stasis option to Vortex and Turbine parts, along with anti-gravity modifier
- Added Shockwave part (projectile weapon, triggers shockwave explosion)
- Added Laser Gun part (projectile weapon, similar to X8 Rifle/Gauss)
- Added option to modify explosion strength of projectile weapons (use with caution)
- Added option to disable muzzle flash mini-explosion (all projectile weapons)
- Added Aero part for custom aerodynamics
- Added Ball wheel part (omnidirectional roller)
- Added option to scale all non-steering wheels that weren't yet resizable (including Ball)
- Added Flex Isosceles part
- Added option to hide base of flex parts (panel, triangle, etc)
- Added option to Gyro part to use direct rotation instead of physics
- Made Fireball explosion available in Effects part (3 sizes)
- Added logic to make big vehicle impacts more consistent (such as mission 2-1)
- Changed Settler SB level a bit
- Made sliders also change speed relative to the input strength (up to 1)
- Fixed slider activate mode ignoring the slider during negative inputs
- Fixed outline around bomb parts sticking around after they explode
- Fixed a bug with dropship pick-up (at the end of a mission) being too fast
- Fixed a potential GPU thread overflow when lots of particles are active

NEW PART OPTION: STASIS (Vortex/Turbine)

This is listed before the new parts for a reason. I was going to add a new part or two for this feature, but piggy-backing on the Vortex/Turbine was a faster way to get it done. The Stasis option turns the Vortex/Turbine in a sort of physics-pause tool, with tunable settings and control over how frozen the objects are, and how much anti-gravity to apply.

NEW PARTS: SHOCKWAVE and LASER GUN

These two new projectile weapons give you new ways to annihilate things. The Shockwave in particular can destroy basically everything in one blast if you turn up the explosion damage option high enough, but I'm not going to stop you. [That option is also now found on the Gauss and X8 Rifle.] The Laser Gun has nothing to do with the previous lasers, aside from sharing some FX and shaders. It's more of a traditional sci-fi projectile weapon. It doesn't really do anything new, but is a nice change of pace aesthetically.

NEW PART: AERO

The Aero part is relatively simple and small. It only has 3 significant settings, and a 4th that will mostly go unused. Based on the forward velocity of the part (and the relative forward speed vs. overall speed), it creates drag, lift, and a bit of rotation. It only cares about speed in one direction, but that's enough to simulate a wing fairly well, possibly better than the actual wing parts. Use multiple Aero parts at various points on an aircraft, or just a few with different orientations, and you can simulate whatever kind of aerodynamics you can imagine.

NEW PART: FLEX ISOSCELES

Flex parts are a bit of a pain to create, but this one mostly works like a normal flex panel. I make no promises about using it in a mirrored creation, but it does have 10 slight variants for visual purposes. Of more importance to some is the new inclusion of the HIDE BASE option on all panel-like flex parts. This prevents the base from rendering, allowing for adjusting parts without having to worry about the base. Note: This doesn't disable the base collision, just the rendering.

NEW PART: BALL WHEEL

The omnidirectional ball wheel was another quick part to make, and I figured out a simpler way to make wheels scale-able as well. They don't use E/Shift+E to change the size, but I think that's an acceptable compromise. The scaling option is now available on all non-steering wheels that didn't already scale.

NEW OPTION: DIRECT ROTATION (Gyro)

The last significant new part option is for the Gyro. There's now an option to use an alternative method of rotating towards the target orientation. It bypasses physics almost completely, and it's only 2 lines of code (after lots of trial and error), but ends up being more stable and effective than I expected. It's not the default setting, but perhaps it should have been.

The rest of the fixes/updates are fairly minor. Overall this update went more smoothly than expected, but it's possible I broke something with it, so I won't be surprised if there's a 1.11a version soon. Up next: We'll be working on wrapping up and submitting the console versions (reminder: March 27th on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S).

Instruments of Destruction version 1.1 is finally here. It's been much longer than I originally anticipated to release this update, and I want to apologize for the longer-than-expected delay. It arrives with a new trailer to showcase both the update and the announcement of the console versions' release date:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The console version is nearly done, but is coming in late March mostly because I'm unsure how long the certification process will take. I'll talk about the console versions in more detail another time, but the console porting process for Instruments has been fairly intense. Alan handled a lot of the optimization work (he's handling the PS5 port), while I did a bit more once I finally got my Xbox dev kit fully functional.

Too Many Projects

The console version isn't the only reason why it's taken so long to get version 1.1 done. Working on Fireball 2 took some time, and a new Speed Demons game took even more. That project is a story for another day. I haven't even mentioned Rhythm Storm, which has received the least amount of attention. But I did work on it a bit recently. In December, I worked on all 4 games to get them running on Xbox.

It's obvious now, but 4 projects is 2 projects too many to juggle. I wanted to release all four in 2024, but got burnt out by finishing Instruments 1.0 on PC. Then Fireball 2 bloated a bit, the SD project got WAY bigger than originally planned, and I never focused on finishing anything. Having two projects to work on still makes sense to me, particularly when one is a "side project", but 3 or more is where I've felt overwhelmed. I'll continue writing up my ideas for new games, but no more prototyping them until I'm ready to handle them ballooning into a side project.

And all of my recent projects have had a common problem: Feeling uncertainty about the art style.

Which Bear (Art Style) is Best?

The art style in Instruments of Destruction evolved quite a bit from where it started in 2020. But the improvement since then doesn't reflect the excessive amount of time I've spent on the visuals. I've tried a lot of different values and variations of nearly every art element and visual effect. And that has continued with version 1.1, which brings not one but two "new" art style presets.

If I had to choose, I'm not sure which of the 3 art style presets I prefer. "Classic" is what version 1.0 launched with, plus a few minor changes. "Normal" is the new default, and adds a lot more saturation and black outlines around most objects, making it look similar to cel-shaded graphics. "Comic" is like Normal with a new full-screen filter and tweaks to particles. The trailer above shows the game almost exclusively with the Normal art style.

There's some sort of style-fatigue at play in my brain, as I seem to always prefer the "new" style when I change the preset in Instruments. And when I check out old versions of my games that have had multiple art styles, I rarely feel like there's a big improvement once the basic elements are set. I don't mind working on the art of my games, but it's rarely an efficient use of my time.

Aside from realizing I'm spending too much time tweaking art to be different (rather than better), I think my most important realization of the last year is that aiming for a more "realistic" art style takes quite a bit more time than stylized visuals, and that my art skills/workflow don't lend themselves to realism. I can get close to realism, but not close enough to actually look real. And when I take a step back and compare my games' realism to other games that do it well, it's never a favorable comparison.

On the other hand, cel-shaded/comic style visuals are more timeless in nature, and I think I can achieve them relatively well, and in a more efficient manner. The style seems to work well in both Instruments of Destruction and the new Speed Demons game. So I feel good about finally figuring this out (even if it seems obvious now).

Character Portraits

On the other hand, one feature that absorbed way too much time and didn't have a clear resolution is the new character portraits. This idea was suggested to me back in May when the game came out to make the game "more appealing". Basically the new feature shows a picture of the characters when they speak. There are only 3 images, and they're not animated. I also found a contract artist to do them. So it seems like that's a fairly small feature.

But I'd estimate it took over 2 weeks of my time to get them in-game, which included finding the artist, creating the reference board, sending feedback, updating the UI to display the portraits (and fit the current art style). I also spent multiple days refining the art myself, as the original versions didn't quite fit once they were actually in-game, and it took quite a few iterations to create versions that fit well enough to ship. In the end, portraits don't show when Outlines are disabled, and I thought about cutting the feature entirely after it was done. So 2D character art is probably not something you'll see much of in my future games...

That's enough about my struggles with art. Let's take a look at the changelist, then talk about future plans and Instruments of Destruction.

VERSION 1.1 CHANGES
* Added art style presets: Normal, Comic, Classic
* Added subtle textures on world geometry and structures
* Added outlines option around structures, objects, and player vehicles
* Added new fireball particle for the center of explosions
* Added optional full-screen comic filter
* Added new character portraits (shown when Outlines are enabled)
* Re-enabled 60hz physics option (intended for consoles, but low end PCs can also use)
* Added motion trail option for blades and wing parts (for rotational motion)
* Added two sandbox levels, based on older ones (Test Island and Sandbox Resort)
* Made vehicle/level thumbnails adjust to the art style (kind of)
* Tweaked a few vehicles/etc so they work better with 60hz physics
* Changed shadow rendering to be sharper
* Fixed a few minor mission balance issues
* Fixed a few minor bugs and tweaked a couple interface things

2025 and Beyond Plans

Version 1.1 will not be the final update for Instruments of Destruction. I'll be fixing any significant bugs that slipped through in the next few days, and taking requests for minor tasks/tweaks/etc that would make the game/editors/etc better. I might also refine the two new revitalized Sandbox maps. Finishing up the Xbox and Playstation version for release is my other main priority.

Let me reiterate the important part:

Now (end of January 2025) is the ideal time to submit bug reports/suggestions/etc for things you want fixed/tweaked. Just comment down below with the relevant info. I'm not going to change anything major or risky, but this will be one of the last round of feedback-based changes to the game. I'll also be perusing the Steam forums and Discord bug-reports and suggestion channels for the first time in a while, but I don't mind seeing the same suggestion/report again.

After 1.1's follow-up updates and the console versions, my plans are less certain, but do include the following tasks:

1) Finishing and releasing Fireball 2 on Steam and consoles. Aside from achievements/leaderboards and a little UI work, there's not much left to do.

2) A new update for Instruments of Destruction with a few refinements to build mode (some of which may be PC-only).

3) Simplifying, refining, and finishing Rhythm Storm. There's a lot to do here, but I'm looking forward to working on it. This won't happen until both #1 and #2 are finished.

4) Finishing and releasing the new Speed Demons project. This might happen sooner than later, or it might be a while.

Beyond those four things, I don't know for sure what's next. I have plenty of ideas for future projects, and I want to work with Alan on a new project too, but that's not set in stone.

Yet I am fairly certain of one thing: I don't plan to work on Instruments of Destruction after the first half of this year. That doesn't mean it'll never have more updates beyond that, just that I probably won't be the one working on them.

Let's jump straight in and get to the video, then I'll go into a bit of info on the video, and when to expect another update (and console versions) for Instruments of Destruction:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The video is just under 10 minutes long, and it took around 40 hours of work to complete it. It's not quite as slick or animated as I hoped it would be, and the pace is too fast, but it's done and I think it does a decent job of explaining how the destruction works.

This is my second devlog video (first was on DodgeBomb, which was renamed Fireball 2). There's a lot more I could talk about with Instruments, especially the overall design, and the vehicle building system. The vehicle build system was actually more technically challenging than destruction, but I'm not sure it's as interesting to watch a video about.

After making this video, it's pretty clear that there are a lot of ways destruction could be improved in future games. With visuals in particular, everything could be better in multiple ways. But Instruments does two things better than most other destruction systems: It has a ton of objects, and it interacts with physics/other systems well.

I'm still not sure when I'll make more destruction-based games in the future. I'm looking forward to it though, as working on the destruction stuff is something I enjoy. It's challenging, but also creative and interesting work. Even visuals for destruction are fairly fun to work on, though I wish I had either gone more realistic or more stylized with Instruments. Something to keep in mind for future projects.

Future Instruments Work

I've had an Xbox Series X devkit for almost 3 weeks, and I'm still not able to make a build for it. It's not a technical/game problem (yet), as I'm just waiting to get access to some software that let's me do it. I'll be emailing the relevant parties again today. The PS5 port is nearly done (Alan has done all the work there), so porting to the Xbox will be a lot easier because of that.

There are a few other Instruments updates I'm ready to start working on once that issue is resolved. Some further optimizations from Alan have also benefitted all versions. Those will be coming in the next update as well.

As for when the next update will be, I don't have an estimate yet. No estimate for the consoles yet either. I might be working on Instruments stuff sooner than later, but I'm still trying to figure that out, and I don't have a clear picture of everything I need to do next. If my plans are clarified sooner than later, I'll update this post with more info.

Let's start with the update changelist, then I'll discuss what we've been up to and the future plans for the game:

VERSION 1.05 CHANGELIST Turned off shadows from rendering for cameras that don't need them (optimizes rendering a decent amount)
Fixed Flex pieces updating every frame even when not necessary (major fix for certain vehicles)
Added Kill Timer property to cannons (set it to kill off cannonballs X seconds after they are fired)
Fixed a gamepad issue with the options menu
Fixed a couple challenge types never working 100% correctly
Fixed missions/challenges in BnD having no parts available
Fixed a divide by zero issue with looping counters set to 0

The first two items are the important ones for version 1.05, with the rest being minor fixes/tweaks. Alan has been working on the console version, and he discovered a significant optimization for that version. Shadows were rendering on multiple camera types (such as rendering a depth buffer to create grass impacts) that didn't need them, so he turned them off and now the game just runs faster for all platforms. An even bigger slowdown was happening with objects with lots of resizable flex parts, like the bee (MCCH Apis Atomica) at 17:21 in this Scrapman video:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Every flex part was updating its mesh and collider every frame, and that's a lot of expensive code to run for 400+ parts. So I fixed the code that made it happen, and now the vehicle runs a lot smoother (runs above 60FPS for me, while it was below 15FPS previously). Plenty of other vehicles were affected by this issue, particularly some of the more complex ones on the workshop.

Beyond Version 1.05

As stated previously, I've been feeling a bit burnt out on Instruments after working on it for so long and for so many hours this year. While Alan has continued to work on the console version for part of the last month, I have moved on to other games (DodgeBomb and Speed Demons in particular) to try to finish them up for release on PC/console, and I had a long vacation with the family.

I was hoping when I returned from vacation, I would have a more balanced perspective on work and Instruments of Destruction in particular. But to be honest, I still dread thinking about or working on the game. Version 1.05 isn't a big update, but it was a necessary one to finish, so I'm glad to have it wrapped up.

I appreciate all the kind words and encouragement to keep going and promote the game more. I will definitely do more promotion when the console versions release. I also appreciate the feedback and suggestions to make the game better, though at this point I don't think I'll be making any significant revisions to the campaign or build mode. There will be more updates to the game, but I'm not sure when, or what most of them will be.

I think that's all for this time. -Luke

Added new logic part: Counter
Added Rotate Y setting to Flex Panel and simlar parts
Added Allow HDR Output option so you can force HDR output off (for Steam Deck OLEDs, for instance)
Fixed drill and saw not using the reverse input strength when set to Normal
Fixed alternate input not affecting strength of Hover parts
Fixed timed challenge objectives that should have failed but weren't (such as 2-4)