Ymir "New Dawn": progress update
The new graphics -after being designed as shown in the previous update- are now being slowly 'reconnected' with the actual game, repairing mechanics one by one.
This is the slow part.
After repairing the basic initialization of client and server, client connection, server lobby and character creation, I finally reached the world map and repaired the core mechanics of it and also completed the basics of the new units display (remaining as 2D animated sprites, but within the 3d environment) used here for formations.
For buildings, a new ingame editor has been created to manage 3d models and visually combine them into assets used by the game.
A new ingame editor has been added: the asset editor.
As buildings will now be 3d based (instead of building types just calling a simple 2D sprite as graphics), buildings will now call an asset file made by this new editor.
An Asset can then in itself contain a composition of 2d sprites, textures, 3d models and animations, all controlled and placed in this editor.
I'm using it myself for the actual buildings of the game, but this editor will be public and in the game itself which will be an important tool for potential future modding: combined with an integrated database editor (which remains to be done) it could for example allow to create new buildings: the building stats in the database editor, and the building's graphics in that asset editor.
New level 1 slum models, to replace the old tents.
The asset editor can control the randomness of individual elements. This allows to randomize props or extensions around a main building model, making similar buildings less visually repetitive. Here, a slum model is used as a random building extension in the asset of a primitive hut.
The legacy buildings are being recreated in 3d from the same source models and designs to preserve the game's visual style as much as possible. Here a comparison between the legacy 2d sprite and the new 3d version of the same hut.
The new style of the world map now features a light grey for unexplored tiles instead of plain black. It also reveals basic landmass near explored tiles while fading to a plain color with distance.
As for explored but currently invisible tiles (fog of war), they are slightly greyed out as before, but lighter.
How the worldmap looks at different zoom levels.
The UI is also going through technical changes to make it more adaptative and scalable without all the artifacts currently in the legacy version.
The design of menus themselves isn't changing that much, updating the menus to this new system is a slow ongoing task in parallel with everything else.
The world map no longer being grid-based meant also developing a new different 'pathfinding' system that would work not only for hexagonal tiles but also in the context of a sphere.
Finally one can circumnavigate the globe instead of being stuck on one edge of a rectangle map. Or take pole shortcuts.
This is now completed and funcional.
Interestingly, this node-based pathfinding also allows for costs based on the origin tile, which will for example allow for reduced costs when moving along rivers. It is also a requirement for the future possible implementation of road connections between territories, so that's a good thing done.
Avatars have been updated with more pieces, and also a new system allowing for dynamic background/clothing that will allow the characters to change through the ages, or to adapt to their hierarchical roles in nations.
This marks the completion of step 3/5.
Now i'm about to begin work on the main piece of resistance: the local territory display.
First that means repairing the loading and display of buildings, using the new system of assets managed by the editor.
It also means repairing the display of units, and organizing a new system to display infrastructures such as walls, roads, etc... Lastly, there's also the terrain editing mechanics to repair and recreate within the new system.
All that will be step 4/5.
Step 5/5 will be repairing battles.
Once this is done, the very core foundation of the game will be updated allowing for very basic functionalities. Then the tedious work of completing all the smaller missing things will begin, as well as bugs of course, and optimizations.
This is the slow part.
After repairing the basic initialization of client and server, client connection, server lobby and character creation, I finally reached the world map and repaired the core mechanics of it and also completed the basics of the new units display (remaining as 2D animated sprites, but within the 3d environment) used here for formations.
For buildings, a new ingame editor has been created to manage 3d models and visually combine them into assets used by the game.
3d buildings and Asset editor
A new ingame editor has been added: the asset editor.
As buildings will now be 3d based (instead of building types just calling a simple 2D sprite as graphics), buildings will now call an asset file made by this new editor.
An Asset can then in itself contain a composition of 2d sprites, textures, 3d models and animations, all controlled and placed in this editor.
I'm using it myself for the actual buildings of the game, but this editor will be public and in the game itself which will be an important tool for potential future modding: combined with an integrated database editor (which remains to be done) it could for example allow to create new buildings: the building stats in the database editor, and the building's graphics in that asset editor.
New level 1 slum models, to replace the old tents.
The asset editor can control the randomness of individual elements. This allows to randomize props or extensions around a main building model, making similar buildings less visually repetitive. Here, a slum model is used as a random building extension in the asset of a primitive hut.
The legacy buildings are being recreated in 3d from the same source models and designs to preserve the game's visual style as much as possible. Here a comparison between the legacy 2d sprite and the new 3d version of the same hut.
Exploration & fog of war
The new style of the world map now features a light grey for unexplored tiles instead of plain black. It also reveals basic landmass near explored tiles while fading to a plain color with distance.
As for explored but currently invisible tiles (fog of war), they are slightly greyed out as before, but lighter.
How the worldmap looks at different zoom levels.
UI
The UI is also going through technical changes to make it more adaptative and scalable without all the artifacts currently in the legacy version.
The design of menus themselves isn't changing that much, updating the menus to this new system is a slow ongoing task in parallel with everything else.
New world pathfinding
The world map no longer being grid-based meant also developing a new different 'pathfinding' system that would work not only for hexagonal tiles but also in the context of a sphere.
Finally one can circumnavigate the globe instead of being stuck on one edge of a rectangle map. Or take pole shortcuts.
This is now completed and funcional.
Interestingly, this node-based pathfinding also allows for costs based on the origin tile, which will for example allow for reduced costs when moving along rivers. It is also a requirement for the future possible implementation of road connections between territories, so that's a good thing done.
More avatar pieces
Avatars have been updated with more pieces, and also a new system allowing for dynamic background/clothing that will allow the characters to change through the ages, or to adapt to their hierarchical roles in nations.
Next
This marks the completion of step 3/5.
Now i'm about to begin work on the main piece of resistance: the local territory display.
First that means repairing the loading and display of buildings, using the new system of assets managed by the editor.
It also means repairing the display of units, and organizing a new system to display infrastructures such as walls, roads, etc... Lastly, there's also the terrain editing mechanics to repair and recreate within the new system.
All that will be step 4/5.
Step 5/5 will be repairing battles.
Once this is done, the very core foundation of the game will be updated allowing for very basic functionalities. Then the tedious work of completing all the smaller missing things will begin, as well as bugs of course, and optimizations.