Star Explorers Testing Branch Updated to Pre-Release Version 0.5.3
It may be too early to say, but the new save/load script does seem to be more stable so far.
I spent some time on a few issues that have been brewing in my mind for some time. Nothing too major, but things that may help to increase the game's immersion a bit.
[h3]Sun Movement[/h3]
Until now, whenever you landed on a new planet, the sun would be somewhere around the mid-morning position. Since planets are relatively small in Star Explorers, this meant few players would ever experience night time in their travels.
Now, the when you land, the game takes the actual planet model's current rotation and applies that to the sun's position. So when you land, it may be any time of day.
[h3]Planet Orbit[/h3]
In a related effort, I have written an simple equation that keeps track of each planet's position in orbit, in all solar systems. It effectively allows planets to continue orbiting their stars even when the player is in a different star system. When you return to a system, planets will be in new positions based on how much time had gone by when you were away.
This does not currently apply to the Star Chart, where planet positions are still just randomized. I'm not sure if anyone will even notice this, but I was trying to see if it could be done for the sake of thoroughness.
[h3]Tree Leaves[/h3]
Some planets with trees were failing to reload their leaves when returning to the surface, specifically on planets with a vaporous atmosphere. I believe I have found the cause of this error, and it should not happen any more.
I spent some time on a few issues that have been brewing in my mind for some time. Nothing too major, but things that may help to increase the game's immersion a bit.
[h3]Sun Movement[/h3]
Until now, whenever you landed on a new planet, the sun would be somewhere around the mid-morning position. Since planets are relatively small in Star Explorers, this meant few players would ever experience night time in their travels.
Now, the when you land, the game takes the actual planet model's current rotation and applies that to the sun's position. So when you land, it may be any time of day.
[h3]Planet Orbit[/h3]
In a related effort, I have written an simple equation that keeps track of each planet's position in orbit, in all solar systems. It effectively allows planets to continue orbiting their stars even when the player is in a different star system. When you return to a system, planets will be in new positions based on how much time had gone by when you were away.
This does not currently apply to the Star Chart, where planet positions are still just randomized. I'm not sure if anyone will even notice this, but I was trying to see if it could be done for the sake of thoroughness.
[h3]Tree Leaves[/h3]
Some planets with trees were failing to reload their leaves when returning to the surface, specifically on planets with a vaporous atmosphere. I believe I have found the cause of this error, and it should not happen any more.