Star Explorers News

So this seems like something I should have done a long time ago ... somehow it slipped my mind, I guess.

Explosions now damage the player.

To be fair, some explosions did damage the player previously, namely exploding aliens and meteors. However, the rocket launcher did not damage the player at all if you fired it at close range. Now it does, as do the exploding fuel crystals seen in the last update.

You can see how it works here:
https://youtu.be/40swfyAk8v0

ALSO:
I think I finally fixed the Sonic Cannon. It was working, but sometimes it didn't always register a hit, so it seemed a bit faulty. I found out it was calculating direction incorrectly, and now it should actually hit stuff when pointing at it.

Okay, if you really want to enjoy this game, I recommend not reading further, and just go play the game knowing that I have updated the explosions.

However, for the sake of being thorough, I will describe exactly what I've done.

[h3]Explosions Updated:[/h3]
First, the rocket and meteor explosions have been updated to work more efficiently. Previously, these explosions would use a light source to create a glowing area. However, this was quite awkward, since some of the games materials do not allow for more than two lights. The result was some strange switching on and off of lights, the player's flashlight included. It was an ugly solution to a problem that has no right to be in a modern game of any standard, but here we are.



So, what I did was to use a glowing mass of particles instead of an actual light source. The effect is different, maybe not quite as dramatic looking, but it allows for a more persistent and sensible environment in the game.

Okay .. go play the game. It's much more fun if you actually just experience these things first hand.

...

Still here?

Okay fine.

[h3]Chain Reactions:[/h3]
One thing I really want to do in Star Explorers is to create emergent and unexpected gameplay. This, as it turns out, is not an easy thing to accomplish. Getting things in the game to react and interact with each other is challenging, and coming up with and implementing these kinds of things has proven difficult for me.

But I figure if I continue to add one or two little things here and there, eventually they will start interacting in unexpected and exciting ways. In this latest update I am adding an interaction with Acknexium crystals, the primary fuel source in the game.



Fuel crystals are unstable, allowing them to provide power to the game's spacecraft. This instability will result in explosions and possible chain reactions if the crystals are damaged by weapon's fire. Direct fire from a laser will cause the crystals to explode immediately. Indirect damage caused by nearby explosions or sonic weapons will set up a kind of resonance feedback loop that will result in a brief period of instability, followed by an explosion. If crystals are close enough together they can set each other off in a chain reaction this way.

[h3]Plans for the Future:[/h3]
No promises. When I think of stuff, I get excited and add it to the game. If it actually works, then you will likely see an update. I do want to have more, interesting interactions like this, especially with the various life forms in Star Explorers.

NOTE: You will need to run the game in order to let it create the "VSync2.txt" file. There is an older "VSYNC.txt" file that will only have the first line. That file can be safely deleted if you want.

Star Explorers now allows you to cap the framerate of the game as an option.

In order to do this, you will currently have to modify an external text file. Some day, I may add an in-game menu option for this if there is demand.

To do it, find the "VSync2.txt" file in the save game folder.

"C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Star_Explorers"

When you open the file, you should see this:



The second line is new. Keeping the 0 at the end of the second line will allow your game to run as fast as your hardware can take it. This may cause some strange issues as hardware is getting faster and faster every day. Setting this to a comfortable speed like 60, should allow the game to run smoothly without unexpected issues.

Here's what it should look like if you want to cap the framerate to 60 fps.



The first line sets the game to run at the same speed as your monitor if it's set to 0. This was already a feature of the game. You can unlock this limit by changing the 0 at the end of the first line to a 1.

Slight Adjustment to the previous build...

I have adjusted the planet rotation so that it turns in the opposite direction from the spaceship. This was more cosmetic, but it was strange to see the planet rotating faster than the ship in the same direction. I also fixed an issue where the time of day could be different from that shown at the ship's helm.

I'm getting some good feedback, and have made a couple small changes to the game.

1. Players can now orbit a planet faster in order to speed up the day/night cycle. This is important especially on planets with a cold night time temperature, but will help in any case where you want to arrive during the day. Previously, you could rest in the sleep/healing pod to speed up this process, but now you can also just press the "W" key (or whatever key you've assigned for forward movement) while in orbit to speed things up.

2. Looting alien caches will turn friendly aliens against you. If it's working correctly, you may open their loot with no repercussions, but if you take something, they will turn hostile immediately.

3. I have modified the way music is played. I'm not going to say it's better, but it is a bit different. The music should now play in a more regular tempo. Previously, the notes themselves would play slower or faster depending on the pitch. Now it can adjust the pitch, without effecting the speed at which the note is played, so it should sound more rhythmic.