Ymir "New Dawn": progress update

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The graphic systems for logic 'display layers' have been completed, allowing players to easily access information about their terrain and city.
This system allows me to control, for each display layer, whether to display a specific map as colors on the terrain, or colors on tile edges, or if i want to toggle off the display of buildings, roads, walls etc, or if i want to display built platforms as 'blocs'.
This greatly facilitates the creation of easily readable display layers and will make the logic of fortifications far clearer for players.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]A new "Movement cost" display layer has been added, which specifically focuses on displaying the path-finding grid logic. It clearly shows the tile movement cost, but also the tile edges costs from walls, and the platforms/bridges thanks to the bloc display.
That will make complex fortifications much more intuitive to build and analyze, especially thanks to the 3d display as well, compared as the current legacy version.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Deployment tools have been repaired and are functional again. That includes the systems to display military troops, a key milestone towards the bigger picture that is having a functional battles system again.
Overall, the deployment tools work in the same way as in legacy.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I've slightly improved the associated "Areas" display layer, which now more clearly communicates the status of an area between exterior, protected, navigable or inaccessible.
Bridges heights impact the accessibility of navigable areas, as showcased here: low pontoons can bloc water passage (even though its currently not used by the game as there's no navigation game-play).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]After so many years, it's finally here: road access implementation.
Buildings (most of them) will finally require a proper road access.
The feature is not fully implemented yet, but the basis is completed, and its design is set.

All settlements will require this small "road stele" building, which can only be built once and cannot be destroyed.
It's role is simply to be a reference point to define the starting point of your roads network: any road not connected to this stele will be considered invalid.
Besides that, buildings simply need a road on one adjacent tile, and the addition of dirt paths allows you to do so from the game's start.
The lack of building access will be greatly reduce the efficiency of production buildings.

[/p][p]The "roads" display layer will show you easily which buildings are missing road access if any, as well as the quality of roads and if road networks are invalid.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]But beyond simple yes/no road access, the most interesting new feature built on roads is the addition of the 'traffic map'.
Cities will now simulate organic traffic on the roads, to compute a 'traffic heatmap' that you can visualize as a new display layer.
[/p][p][/p][p]This 'sim city' like feature will show which roads are being saturated with traffic beyond their capacity, which will depend on the road type players have built: improving roads will increase their traffic capacity, thus allowing for more traffic before 'turning red'.
This means you'll be able to design a road network adapted to your traffic needs, instead of having to mindlessly upgrade all roads to the highest tier: a single home isolated in the country side will probably remain fine just with a dirt path.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The traffic heatmap is calculated by averaging the paths taken by new 'traffic agents'.
Instead of just spawning cosmetic random 'road wanderers' citizens, the game will now also spawn traffic agents citizens: units with an objective, and who actually pathfind on the roads network.
For now, there is only one main type of traffic agent: production buildings will spawn citizens that deliver their productions or get materials.
In the future, more types of "traffic agents" will be added, to create a more accurate model of traffic in the player cities.[/p][p]It also makes the cities feel more lively, seeing porcos traveling through the streets with an actual goal, which you can also see by selecting them.

The traffic map will then have a global effect on your whole territory: if traffic overall gets bad, it will start to negatively impact the efficiency of all production buildings, and the quality of life of all houses.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Speaking of houses: another new mechanic is finally introduced (albeit basic for now): the desirability map.
It can also be viewed as a display layer.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Buildings can now have a positive or negative desirability effect (and range).
For example: tanneries have a strong negative effect with a large range while things like water sources, palaces, doctors or forums have positive effects.
This defines a global desirability map, and the desirability value where houses are placed now affects the Quality of Life they provide to their residents.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some long standing QOL features have finally be implemented, notably a new 'copy' tool.
[/p][p]This tool, available from any building's menu, will copy this building's settings to any other building of a similar type. [/p][p]
[/p][p]By clicking on the 'copy' button, you'll be able to then select an area of terrain.
Any building of a matching type will be highlighted in green and once released, the settings of your original building will get copied to all of them.

This allows you to easily copy the material and production choices of your workshops, or to easily copy the particular storage settings of a warehouse.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Another long requested QOL feature has been added: it is now possible to mass upgrade all buildings of a similar type at once, simply by holding "shift" when clicking on the upgrade button, in the building menu.[/p][p]
[/p][p]The upgrade popup will also preview the number and total cost of upgrading all.
It will only upgrade buildings of the same type.
if the total cost is higher than your current material stocks, it will only upgrade the maximum amount possible, meaning some non-upgraded buildings will remain.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]It is now possible to limit the maximum amount of workers in any building.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]By clicking on the number of workers in the building menu, you can now not only hire/fire one worker, but also increase or decrease permanently the cap of workers.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]It is now possible to easily toggle 'production sources' in production buildings. [/p][p][/p][p]In the production building menu, you simply click on the production source to toggle it on/off.
This also works for annexes (ex fields): it will auto set to sleep/wake all the relevant annexes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
As you can imagine, making such a new game will take a lot of time.
It's quite a desert crossing for me as it leaves the legacy game un-updated for all that time (causing a natural drop in interest and sales) while this 'new game' still has a long way to go.
Any support on Patreon is REALLY more than welcome.
It is rewarded with a special Discord room where i discuss and share daily updates about the progress of "New Dawn" with my Patrons, and an exclusive access to the New dawn WIP builds so you can see it for yourself on your PC![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]