Instruments of Destruction News

The changelist for version 0.240 is not especially long for an update of this size, but that's because one of the items on it is a big new feature: Vehicle Destruction.

Vehicle Destruction is something I didn't really want in the game when it launched in Early Access, and until recently, I was fine not having it. The Floppy+Breakable option in Sandbox mode was a kind of goofy thing that kinda mimicked destruction, but it wasn't really suitable for using in the campaign. With the focus shifting towards some missions being combat-oriented, and the recent features for making objects destructible, I started to think about adding a real vehicle destruction system.

There were a few things that went better than I expected, so it didn't take as long as I thought it would. The most unexpected aspect was that destroying the joints in a vehicle worked right away for the majority of part types. I also was not looking forward to making the destruction directional like it is with objects. I already had the shader done from objects, but doing all the 3D math and damage tracking was probably going to be difficult. It turned out to be an unnecessary worry, as doing the part-based damage/tracking/etc was more than enough detail. I was able to spend more time focusing on customizing how different parts take (and spread) damage.

In terms of changes needed for vehicles themselves, they have been generally pretty minimal for the vehicles I've worked on. Currently, only parts with some sort of joint in them can be "broken", while others just take visible damage (and transfer damage to adjacent parts). I also have to say that currently there aren't a lot of things outside of explosive barrels that do a lot of damage to player vehicles. You can certainly build a separate turret (with a gauss cannon, laser, or explosive weapon) and shoot your own vehicles to see how they destroy. My experience so far is that partially destroyed vehicles are still quite satisfying/fun to drive, and there will likely be some "malfunction" missions where there's a soft time limit in the form of the vehicle falls apart within a few minutes.



Because none of the vehicles/missions in the current campaign were designed with vehicle destruction in mind, I've disabled the system outside of Sandbox mode. I also removed Floppy+Breakable for now, and changed it so all the remaining cab-related settings can be used in any mode. This reflects the recent shift towards making the vehicle editing even more powerful (even though the number of settings/options for parts is too high for most players), so that really fun/interesting vehicles can be created more easily by vehicle builders.

After one more week or so of me working on additional campaign vehicles (and hopefully the addition of the long-awaited custom treads part), I'll be working on adding enemies and other vehicle-hostile obstacles of various sorts to the game. After there are a good number of enemies/obstacles, expanding the types of missions/objects that are possible will be next, and finally work on new campaign maps/missions can begin.

Here's the full changelist for version 0.240:

• Added vehicle part destruction system (sandbox only mode, for now)
  
• Added new part: Sequencer - Like a wave generator, but produces a series of pulses instead (up to 32)
  
• Add 8 new small parts (weapons now have S versions)
  
• Added Create Mirrored Selection shortcut (Control-M) - Creates a copy of selected parts and mirrors them
  
• Added Expand Part Selection shortcut (Control-E) - selects adjacent parts to current selected parts
  
• Added width/length offsets to flex panels/triangles
  
• Added some subtle mesh variations for Flex Panel + Triangle (Style slider)
  
• Made all cab/vehicle settings available in all modes
  
• Added Vehicle Damage multiplier (applies to all damage to player vehicles)
  
• Added damage mod advanced option to all parts (multiplier on that specific part)
  
• Removed part cost from Sandbox mode, show part hitpoints instead (vehicle cost still shows, but will be going away)
  
• Removed floppy and breakable settings for vehicles
  
• Made more advanced option variables apply to all parts, not just ones of similar type (Sound Volume, Sound Override, Damage Mod, and Material Override)
  
• All non-logic parts can now use material overrides
  
• Material Override can be set to "No Collide Parts" (uses default material, but won't collide with any other vehicle parts)
  
• Added an option to the Claw to set the starting angle (shows a preview of angle, but not fully visible 'til gameplay starts)
  
• Added a dark outline behind logic helper circle drawing
  
• You can now place explosive barrels in sandbox mode
  
• Enabled part rotation for more weapons
  
• Aiming Laser now has a strength value, only affects laser thickness
  
• Red Laser strength can now go up to 5 (instead of 3)
  
• Fixed missile/rocket trails disappearing if they were fired far enough
  
• Added No effects flag for power wheels and treads
  
• Updated collision for a number of parts
  
• Fixed solid pipe connectors being hard to select when the pipe was less extended
  
• Made smaller/larger parts draw if you have them selected (both in the library and the upper right)
  

Version 0.235 has a lot of stuff, and I'm trying to go fast this time. To change things up, I'm going to go over the entire changelist in sections.

SIGNIFICANT NEW PARTS Added new part: Shock Blaster - Instant blast/push with multiple adjustable options
Added new part: Power Socket - 4-way socket joint control
Added 2 new parts: Fixed Swivel and Fixed Pivot (like Flex Swivel/Pivot, but no joint used)

The Shock Blaster lets you create a small explosion or instant push on the player vehicle. Lots of parameters to tweak. The Power Socket is a 4-way joint controller to make some types of vehicles/machines easier to create. It's pretty straight forward to use. The Fixed Swivel and Fixed Pivot are similar to the Flex Swivel/Pivot, but with one key difference: They do not use joints, so they are completely stiff. No extra rigidbodies are added from wanting to create a custom angle in your creations from now on.

VERY IMPORTANT USABILITY IMPROVEMENTS Added way to select all parts of a type (Shift+click on part type in library)
Added new function to shift selected part logic inputs/outputs to unused inputs outputs (Ctrl+L)

The first makes it easier to select a part that's buried inside other parts (or search for a part in a complex creation). It will select resized parts as well. The second function makes it WAY easier to make complex logic-based creations that need multiple sets of logic. Select all the parts you want to use separate logic then press Control+L. Those parts will change all their logic inputs/outputs to use new slots.

WAVE GENERATOR IMPROVEMENTS Made wave editor wider and use 2 decimal places
Added some vertical grid lines to wave editor BG
Added phase offset for wave generator (as a multiple of time)
Added reverse inputs for Wave Generator
Added Copy button for waves (from other active wave)
Changed [Y] functionality to be a lot better/clearer
Added small dot for nodes in wave editor
Made wave editor wider and use 2 decimal places
Fixed disabled Reset On Release still resetting the outputs on release
Fixed loop flag not working correctly 1st spawn


A lot of small changes that add up to the Wave Generator being a lot easier to use and edit. Combined with the Logic IO remapping above, creating walkers with legs is now a lot less tedious.

MORE CABS AND RESIZABLE PARTS Added 5 new cabs - Just for visual variety/etc
Added 12 new S parts: 4-way Shield, Side Offset, Spike, Angle 45, Y-Split 45, Y-Split 120, 5-Way 120, Overdrive, Turbine Vacuum, Repulsor Drive, Hover Drive, and Accumulator
Added XXL version of Propeller
6-Way now contracts to 6-Way S (and 6-Way S removed from part list)
Power Pivot now contracts to Power Pivot S (and PPS removed from list)

The 5 new cabs are for visual/connection variety. The S parts lets you build more varied small vehicles, and I wanted an even larger Propeller for a vehicle so now there's an XXL version. A couple parts may appear to have disappeared, but they just got changed to an S version of a similar part. Wanted to do this for a while, and finally made a code change to how things can line up.

LOGIC AND ADVANCED OPTION IMPROVEMENTS Added XNOR+NAND to logic gates
Added 3 advanced options for Arcing aiming laser
Added inputs to propellers/wings/aeroflaps, used as multipliers in force calculations (if no inputs are assigned, there's no change from before)
Added Magnets advanced options: Range, Applies To, and No Effects
Changed Hover to use input strength to affect hover height
Added Hover filter for Sea Level
Increased Hover height range to 128
Reduced min flex panel/triangle Length/Width to 0.5
Added NONE as an option for the vortex/turbine filter
Changed the output labels on the Camera Translator logic part (and Fast Rotation => Linear Turning)
Added dot product limits for movement and turning (Camera Translator)

Just a variety of improvements to advanced part editing. Some of these I needed for new campaign vehicles, while others were player requests.

MINOR TWEAKS/FIXES Made F1 hide majority of custom drawing (and connectors) in build mode
Changed how 0 volume parts work a little (they no longer interfere with sound from other parts)
Changed some parts to be more flexible with variable + combined input strength (free swivel, free piston, vortex/turbine, and magnet)
Fixed a couple default values for Camera Translator
Fixed Undo forcing the camera to focus on the selected part (even with "focus on part" disabled)
Fixed problem with input strength being read as 0 when firing a weapon (not a perfect fix, but good enough)
Fixed Vacuum/Turbne being full volume with low input values
Fixed Min Clamp UI range on Output Modifier
Removed debug message for hovering over water

Just fixing things, making them work a little better, etc.

That's it for today. I'm nearing 30 campaign vehicles, and working on them is helping refine advanced part options and keeping my motivation up, so I'll probably keep doing them for longer than I expected.

Let's start with the changelist this time (version 0.230) since there are a lot of things to go over:

• Added 12 new showcase vehicles (will be renamed/improved/used in upcoming campaign revisions)
  
• Added new part: Accumulator - Makes building debris stick to your vehicle
  
• - Multiple accumulators have no extra effects, recommend using a vehicle with 1 rigidbody
  
• Added new logic part: Wave Generator - Edit 2 curves and use them to sync up curves across multiple part types
  
• - NOTE: Outputs work a little different than other logic (Ideal for walkers/vehicles with complex motion requirements)
  
• Added new logic part: Logic Math - Apply math functions with up to 4 inputs (add, subtract, multiply, min, max, and average)
  
• - NOTE: Subtract takes away the 2nd/3rd/4th inputs from the 1st (all others are obvious)
  
• Added Sound Override option for a lot of parts
  
• Vortex/Turbine: Added Applies To, No Effects, and separate Range advanced options
  
• Added 3 new mini parts: Vortex, Gyroscope, and Attacher
  
• Added gyroscope Move Dampen advanced option (acts like additional drag on the vehicle)
  
• Added Sound Volume option for nearly all parts that make sound
  
• Added two new advanced options to Output Smoothing logic part (Mapping and Scaling)
  
• Added sound to Pusher
  
• Added Momentum Cam option for cabs (for vehicles where the cab rotates a lot and makes the default follow cam bad)
  
• Reduced pull on player from Blocks/Structures/Objects when using Vortex/Turbine
  
• Added drawing of same-index flex connection lines in advanced mode
  
• Increased linkages/channels to 16 (from 11) for various parts (32 for Flex Connection)
  
• Increased damage from cannon balls/boulders to destroyable objects
  
• Increased damage to smoking cars
  
• Fixed thrusters ignoring the strength of the input
  
• Fixed thrusters making a distortion effect when No Effects was selected
  

I'll cover the 12 new vehicles below. There are 3 major new parts this time (and 3 new mini-versions of some others). The first new part is the Accumulator, which lets you create a debris ball:



There's a new Showcase vehicle that uses the part (along with some other newer parts). With the Accumulator, you should only use 1 of them, and you'll probably want to keep your vehicle as simple as possible (physics-wise) because of how it functions. It's really only designed to do one thing, and while I might make improvements to it for future vehicles to make the Accumulator more flexible in its use, I don't have plans to at the moment.

The other two parts are the Wave Generator, and the Logic Math part. The Logic Math part is fairly straightforward, though Subtract function is a little different than the rest (it subtracts the last 3 inputs from the first). With the Math part, if an input it connected, it is always used in the calculations.

The Wave Generator lets you create 2 curves (as a loop or one-shot) and use those curves to control other parts. It's especially useful for doing complex motion, but it can be used to turn a normally continuous part into more of a one-shot function. It's probably one of the most powerful parts in terms of vehicle/control refinement, and I'm looking forward to using it more and seeing how you guys use it.

Side note: The Output Smoothing part also got some improvements to make it more useful/customizable, including a global scaling factor. The scaling factor is also in the Wave Generator, and both parts can scale their outputs by 3x. Some parts (including the just-fixed thruster) can use the additional input value to go beyond the normal limits. I have not tested many parts with 3x scale, so use with caution (and let me know if something ignores values above 1x and you wish they wouldn't).

"FUN" VEHICLES

The Accumulator Ball is one of 12 new Showcase Vehicles (scroll to the end of the list, the last two columns). I chose these 12 because they are pretty varied and can be fun in different situations, and I wanted to use them as examples for the upcoming Fun Factor Featured Vehicle Theme. I wouldn't consider any of these final for the campaign, but some of them are pretty close to what you'll see in the campaign (aside from the names). Every vehicle will have maps/missions designed *specifically* to highlight what the vehicle does well. Some vehicles may show up in more than 1 mission, but currently I'd expect most of them to be in only 1.

I'm going to list each vehicle and talk a little bit about how well (or not) it accomplishes the goal of being fun. Note that I'm focusing on Follow Cam (and using a gamepad) most of the time, but also using a keyboard and Isometric Cam to make sure those work too.

• Turbo MiniDozer: This is possibly the first vehicle the player will use in the game. It is super-simple (9 parts) but is an elegant design, easy to drive and fairly effective against small wooden/rock structures.
  
  
• Shover: This is another fairly simple vehicle, and barely changed (at the moment) from the one seen in the campaign. The visual design of this vehicle is too bland, but in the right scenario, it could be really fun. The scenario in this case: Shoving tires or crates across a gap into large walls. That's not something any of the current maps are designed for, but it's something I've done in previous test maps.
  
  
• Wormy Spiker: This is a more complex vehicle, and would be fun to use in more scenarios than the Shover. It's just a bit different (and satisfying) to drive and see the segments line up. It's also surprisingly good at destroying structures. It works better with low or skinny structures than wide tall ones due to the camera.
  
  
• Bash Buddy Quality: An evolution of the Bash Buddy vehicle from Orion in the current game. This is a relatively simple but polished version of a Wrecking Ball-equipped vehicle. Some vehicles like this one don't need a specific scenario to be fun.
  
  
• Small Excavator: This is quite similar to the Bash Buddy in overall direction. It automates the use of the attacher to make destruction easier, but otherwise serves a similar function of being polished and fun to use in most scenarios. (The amount of wobble will hopefully be reduced in a future version, and it does have an extraneous control currently - [T] is not supposed to be mapped to anything)
  
  
• OctoWalker Dual Laser: This is quite slow on purpose. It's equipped with some very powerful and accurate weapons, so it doesn't need to move fast. The walking motion isn't anything special, but it's satisfying to watch and stable. A mission designed around precise destruction would enhance the enjoyment of using this vehicle (it could probably use limited laser usage for gameplay purposes).
  
  
• Accumulator Ball: This is a vehicle focused on a single part: The Accumulator. The design could be improved a bit, and the balance of the controls might be tweaked. Not sure it's a "fun" example in general, but I've been using it to make sure the Accumulator works, so I decided to include it because of that.
  
  
• Hook Bomber: This has the most complex logic of the example vehicles. But it's not complex for the player. All the logic is to simplify the controls and make it easier to use. It is similar to the OctoWalker in overall function, but they feel different enough and focus on different parts so I don't mind having both. It's possible a mission in the campaign will allow you to choose between two vehicles, such as this and the OctoWalker (after introducing both vehicles separately).
  
  
• Car Killer: The name gives this one away. It's designed to be used on the racing maps (such as Desert Track). The turning controls still need a bit of work, as it turns too fast at low speeds, and the cannon balls should probably fly faster (will change that soon). The design on this one is ok but is lacking something compared to other vehicles on this list.
  
  
• Hover Hornet: This vehicle is difficult to control even though the controls are super-simple. I enjoy using it on Desert Test and Test Island, though neither is quite ideal. I
• think* it could really fun on a wide open map with lots of small/tall things to destroy, particularly with some that you need to slide past while firing. Unlike Car Killer, I think the visual design of this works quite well.
  
  
• Artillery Maybe: This is a more extreme version of the Hook Bomber and OctoWalker. It still needs some work design-wise (especially the front), and I'm not sure about the controls. It's possible I should simplify the controls more so it uses fewer inputs. I like some aspects of this thing, and I think a mission designed around slow methodical destruction would be enjoyable (perhaps one with multiple stages/vehicles). Definitely not a finished product though.
  
  
• Stick And Turn: Like the Artillery, this one is about potential. It has a unique mechanic in the stick-and-turn element, and maybe that aspect is good enough to build a (single) mission around. Wanted to include this as an example of another "concept" vehicle that is close but is lacking in a couple areas.
  

I think I've rambled on even longer than usual, and I'm anxious to get back to building more vehicles and few new parts (more cabs are the main parts I still want), so that's all for this week.

The winners and honorable mentions for the latest Featured Vehicle contest (Excavators) are featured in the video below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Here are the winners in text form:

FEATURED VEHICLES

• Overhead Deconstructor - Kitten
  
• Crabcavator - St. Nicolas
  
• Long Reach Excavator - PyroTeknikid
  
• Digamatron 3000000 - Jonny_Arson
  
• Heavy Walking Excavator - Stranger
  
• ACCT Dionaea - Arad
  
• ACMT T-R-X - Arad
  
• Excavator Crusher - Stranger
  
• Articulated Excavator - PyroTeknikid
  
• Mammoth Excavator - Zombie Ninja
  
• Heavy-Duty Excavator - St. Nicolas
  
• Modern Excavator - Phynnix
  

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Liebherr R9800 Excavator - Rosli.Othman
  
• Excavator - TimeMaster111
  
• Excavator - Agent McNeil
  
• ACMT Hydra - Arad
  
• Liebherr R 9800 Excavator - TurtleBravo85
  
• X-Cavator - [Arch] B_Glo
  
• X-cavator - Stranger
  
• ACMT D-E-U-X V.2 - Arad
  
• Apexcavator - Stranger
  
• Tyrexcavator - Stranger
  
• Bagger 293 - Neo_Runner
  
• 14T Excavator - Stranger
  
• X-Crab-Scavator 2.0 - Mastersubliminal
  
• Cool-Scavator 2.1- Mastersubliminal
  
• Bucket Wheel Excavator - BlueSky2011
  
• TAC-495 - Stranger
  
• 2013 Excavator Pro - Jonny_Arson
  

There were a good number of entries, and the engineering/design was very impressive as usual. The Articulated Excavator in particular had custom treads that were both relatively efficient and excellent at turning. It's obvious I need to add custom treads as a single part at some point soon, as a number of entries had custom treads that were too slow even on my 13th gen i9 CPU.

NEXT THEME: FUN FACTOR
DEADLINE: MAY 17th

For the next theme we're going to shift the focus to something different. Instead of a specific vehicle theme, I want to see vehicles that are just fun to drive and use (and aren't too big). "Use" can mean many different things in this context; that could be making it as fun as possible to destroy a building, a fast vehicle with weapons that are ideal for blowing up racing cars, or something that's great at picking up containers and moving them around with ease (or anything else you find fun).

The key things I'm looking for are easy-to-use controls in a compact and attractive design. You can add notes about which map it's best to use the vehicle, but it should only take a few seconds for me to figure out the vehicle controls and start having fun. Don't add all possible options/weapons to a vehicle. Just make it do 1 or 2 things really well.

BUILDING FUN AND ATTRACTIVE VEHICLES

Part of the reason I'm focusing on these elements now is because of the upcoming campaign changes. I've spent a couple days recently trying to make vehicles that are easy and fun to control. While there will be a few familiar vehicles from the current Showcase Vehicles, most of them just don't cut it because they aren't particularly interesting or visually distinct enough. As I've been creating this new batch of vehicles, it's apparent to me now that we need more advanced controls over some parts to make them feel like fully-finished vehicles.

It's also become obvious that advanced vehicle builders (aka you guys) have been using impressive workarounds to get things to fit just right, particularly in smaller vehicles. For this problem in particular, version 0.227's big new feature is a new part: The Flex Connection. I've seen requests for something similar to it in various forms (particularly since the Flex Beams were added), but I didn't fully appreciate the need for something like it until now.

The Flex Connection basically removes the need to use workarounds to connect parts in unusual ways. Instead you just use as many Flex Connection parts as you want, and all the parts of the same Linkage index will be joined together (invisibly). This means you can build physically impossible shapes like things floating in mid-air, but that's not something I've worried about for a while.

Rather than ramble on any more, here's the full changelist for 0.227:

• Added new part: Flex Connection (Decorative) - Creates a solid but invisible connection between all Flex Connections of the same Linkage
  
• - NOTE: Creating a connection between rigidbodies that are connected in other ways will give the "Connected to Itself" warning/error
  
• Added adjustable spread for rockets and missile pods
  
• Changed damage/speed to be separate values for rockets/missile pods
  
• Added Default camera option
  
• Changed how hover drive calculates forces (should be less jumpy, more consistent)
  
• Added damage to plants from entity collisions
  
• Changed how isometric camera updates its offset while rotating
  
• Increased death timer of missiles pods/rockets by 5x (12.5/25 seconds)
  
• Fixed free and spring pivot collision (couldn't actually go 90 degrees)
  
• Fixed attacher ignoring alt input (Normal mode)
  
• Added 2 shift all structure buttons to the layout editor and fixed Compound buildings
  
• Fixed Control + MMB/Wheel only working in certain modes
  
• Fixed mirrored rotation for hooks
  
• Fixed Shift + click in build mode still colliding with connectors and letting you add a part
  

That's all for now.

Added Car damage models + explosions
- NOTE: The amount of damage taken by cars will likely be adjusted based on future maps/missions/etc
Rockets/missiles are now affected by gravity (new option in advanced mode)
Overdrive now affect rockets/missiles (speed and explosions)
Changed Follow camera to be the default
Made some improvements to Follow camera
Changed Normal camera name to Orbit
Re-enabled Normal/Orbit camera for play mode
Fixed/Changed right-stick behavior for camera on gamepad (lots of changes)
Fixed cars often becoming slow/etc after falling in water and getting back out
Adjusted Follow cam to not roll sideways
Reduced firing spread on missile pod (and a little bit on rockets)
Changed depth of field to be LOW by default (won't affect anyone who played the game previously)