Summer Islands News

today there is another small important update with the following changes:

• BUG FIX at Terrainforming: When selecting the Terrainforming Tool only water was displayed.
  
• BUG FIX for player colors: Array Index out of Range Error when displaying a player color in the menu.
  
• BUG FIX at saving with BOTS: variable undefined if you want to save in a match with bots.
  
• Changes of the NW.js library on Windows & Linux back to version v0.33.3
  

I think for the bug fixes there is no further explanation needed. We are very sorry that we did not find and fix them before. We have a testing workflow. But unfortunately this was not 100% adhered to this time due to time constraints. We are trying to improve!

For the change of the compiler libraby I have to go back a bit further.
As already mentioned Summer Islands is a HTML5 game with CreateJS as frontend library (createjs.com) and NodeJS as backend (nodejs.org). For compilation as executable we use the perfect tool Web2Executable from jyapayne (github.com/jyapayne/Web2Executable). Basically it is a simple interface to use the NW.js library (nwjs.io/blog).
This is the simple framework of software we use. Since we have published Summer Islands on Steam we need a library to integrate the Steam functions. For example Archievments, Steamcloud and so on. There we use the library Greenworks (github.com/greenheartgames/greenworks)

And that's where the problem starts. The Greenworks version runs with a certain version of NW.js.
The last Greenworks version v0.14.0 (18 Nov 2018) needs the NW.js version v0.33.3.
With this combination we have managed to get the stable FPS in the last months.

For MacOS we had to change NW.js version and took the latest version, NW.js version v0.43.6.
We had found a site that compiles the Greenworks library with the latest NW.js version (greenworks-prebuilds.armaldio.xyz).

This way we had no more startup problems with the MacOS version and could focus on internal client-server errors. We were able to fix all of them. Unfortunately this resulted in new bugs that we fixed today.

But the much bigger problem arose with the use of the new NW.js version. Because this had the consequence that the game ran very unstable. So we are talking about FPS drops below 10 FPS. If you opened the finance menu and moved the mouse, the game was unplayable under Windows. So we decided to switch back to NW.js version v0.33.3 for Linux and Windows.
The MacOS version must remain on NW.js version v0.43.6, because otherwise the game won't start. I am afraid that on MacOS the FPS are not stable and cause unpleasant gameplay problems.

We wish we could solve the problem immediately. But this is the problem when you depend on other libraries. We will try to ensure stability with the latest possible libraries in the future.
But for now we hope that there will be a new Version in the near future.

We wish you a lot of fun with the new version.

in the last weeks we could not integrate big new features due to time constraints. Especially at the beginning of the year there are always some things from life that you have to do first. Also the review 2019 I could not write in the scope I had hoped for. Therefore I try to summarize some information of the last year in this update.



The year 2019 started with a disappointment. Because we did not manage to start the Early Access at the end of 2018. But it was really still necessary. In the first months of 2019 we were able to fix some bugs and integrate new textures. You could see from update to update how the game became fuller and the atmosphere increased. In the middle of the year we had finally made it. At the beginning of summer, the 21.06.2019 we could start the Early Access.
If you want to know more about these stressful days before and after, you should read our update, here: https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791461530243/announcements/detail/1593627410379279953
I can only say this much. It was close and some bugs had to be fixed right afterwards. We had only managed this with your help. A big thank you to all of you!

The following months in Early Access were characterized by a larger expenditure of time with the forum. All your suggestions for improvement were added to our todo list and we are slowly but surely working our way through everything. Unfortunately, there were also some criticism we had to deal with. With unconstructive feedback it was also often very time consuming. But on a marketplace that is open to the whole world you get in contact with all kinds of people.

We appeal to all critics of Summer Islands to give us some more time. Our todo list is far from empty ;)

At the end of 2019 we have integrated some more features, e.g. the advisor menu, the victory window menu, sending money to other players, first architecture for supply buildings, the extended terraforming, savegamemanagement and of course the music. We even managed to create a trailer for Xmas.
I must admit that we are satisfied with the progress. Unfortunately this does not reflect our evaluation at Steam. Therefore we would like to motivate all Summer Islands players to give a review. Preferably a positive :D

Here are also some interesting charts from our Git repository from 10.2016 - 01.2020:



What you can see from them:

• We usually commit in the evening
  
• We've never committed at 5am
  
• Most commits come in on Sunday
  
• In the month we are continuously committing.
  
• Im Monat sind wir kontinuierlich am commiten.
  
• Commits make no statement about the quality of the new/changed code ;)
  

At the beginning of the year 2020 we took a closer look at your feedback on constant small freezes.
We took apart the complete architecture. Especially at the places that are called every second. We have optimized them and made them more efficient. There were also a few comments which did not understand the movement (one press per field) or found it too jerky. So we changed the movement on the map and made it smoother. Pressing the button immediately moves the field of view in one direction and only releasing the button stops the movement. Also there is now no longer jumping but moving. The result, we think, looks much better and also gives the computer more time to render the new fields. So basically a win-win situation :D :D

We are happy to release the support for MacOS today (finally). As a Windows/Linux user I must admit it was very interesting. Due to the fact that Summer Islands is a HTML5 game and we compile it executable file with a Nodejs server, we had to integrate some complicated functions to allow for example saving files. As you probably know it is forbidden for a HTML with JS file to manipulate files on your computer (except temporary files). So we had to look at MacOS how to implement these functions correctly. We hope that it works for all Mac users out there and wish you a lot of fun with Summer Islands. In case of problems: [email protected]

Last but not least we are constantly working on the BOTS. Last month we played the Settlers 3 & 4 again and were horrified to see how primitive the game principle was, which had captivated us for so long :D
Also the opponents were after some time no longer so active. That gives us enough motivation to improve the bots in Summer Islands so that they will really challenge you. In this update we have integrated approaches to the bots, which allow the reconstruction of the buildings after a natural disaster. We are also trying to implement a second city of the bots. I don't want to guarantee 100% that the bots will always be able to do this. But be warned they are getting smarter and smarter. :D

https://trello.com/b/FbC1a19w/devboard-summer-islands

I wish you a lot of fun with the new update.

we are happy to announce that a new version has been released. This version has the goal to make the game more complete. No big features were implemented, but rather many bugs were fixed and fine-tuned.

For example, you and we noticed that the building history was reloaded every time you reloaded a game or the charts were sometimes deleted or the star menu did not show the correct number of stars.
We would like to thank you very much for the feedback via the Steam Forum or via email, from all our loyal fans out there.

Through the fine-tuning by us we have reduced the probability of catastrophes a bit. There are now fewer disasters.
Also the default victory conditions are easier to reach and you can adjust them with the buttons. In the victory menu, when a player has reached the number of stars, the victory points are calculated better. Every 100 tourists count as 1 point and one star is already worth 1000 points. The money is the same, 1.000.000 € is 1 point.

The consultants have no longer 15 levels but only 6 levels. So it is not so expensive and time consuming to upgrade them to the highest level. With every 2nd level of Saboteur you unlock new Sabotage. In the future more sabotage possibilities will follow.

The biggest change is the software architecture of the buildings. We have now also integrated the age of the buildings into the popularity function. Older buildings also get a bonus of popularity.
This means that the building popularity is based on the demand of the road network, i.e. the number of holidaymakers and how many buildings of the same category exist. In addition, bonuses are added to this. So the surrounding buildings, the rent, health, how much advertising and now also the age of the building. so from about 5-10 years the bonus for the age increases. This gives the possibility to increase the rent again by a few monetary units. You must always look individually how high one can set the rent.

Of course we have adapted the savegames so that old savegames are automatically converted into the new format.
In case of problems you can of course send us an email:
[email protected]
Or play with an older version in advance. We have released every version as beta since the release in Steam. Under Properties>Betas>Select Beta.

That was it for this update with the big innovations.
We wish you a good Summer Islands start into the New Year 2020. Of course we want to thank you very much. Without you the game wouldn't have come this far. Thank you a lot!!!
There will be a more detailed review of Summer Islands for 2019.

https://trello.com/b/FbC1a19w/devboard-summer-islands

Until then, have fun
Your Summer Islands team.

yes, for the christmas holidays we wanted to release an update for your pleasure.
SUMMER ISLANDS WITH SNOW TEXTURES.......JOKE!

Here's our new trailer at the beginning:
[previewyoutube]https://youtu.be/7J5oE1tTXOs [/previewyoutube]

We thought we would bring a really good improvement of the game atmosphere and release the music! WWUUUUHHHUUU (Finally, it was time).

For the music we worked together with Fabian @ FarBeyond Studio.
You can find his social media accounts here:

• Website: www.farbeyondstudio.com
  
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYhp8FkgxdttAb2lPjBHKA
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarbeyondS
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/309880915804605

We can look forward to more songs in the future. We will be able to integrate them again and again. Half of the songs have been made by myself, by the guy who always writes to you here.
We think the songs are really great. Not every song you like 100% but it's a great compilation. Currently the songs always have a break of 2-3 minutes in between. With the 10 songs we get about one hour running time. That's a good start. We hope you like the songs too.

Furthermore we have added some new textures for the buttons. So that clickable fields are also well visible. We are currently only at the beginning to revise them all and consider how we can find a suitable programmed way without creating new textures. Also, it makes the game fell more alive.

With the BOTS we have also improved a lot. The BOTS now fill their space much better and try to use every building. Of course it is still a long way to go to create the perfect opponents. But with a little patience and more work on our side we are confident.
At Terraforming, we've gone up a bit with the cost. Before that we were much too cheap. It could be that now the balance is a bit confused.

We also fixed the support for Linux. For this bug we want to apologize to the Linux community.
We try to fix smaller bugs over the holidays and restore the finetuning.

I hope you have a lot of fun with the new update and the MUUUUUSSSSSSIIIIIIIIKKKKKK.

https://trello.com/b/FbC1a19w/devboard-summer-islands

in the last few weeks we've been able to work a little bit more on little things. This way we tried to improve the feel of the game.

First of all I want to talk about the SoundFX. We managed to add another component to our engine. So the SoundFX is only played when the object is visible on the screen. With cars you often heard the horn even though you were on the water and hadn't seen any. In addition, we added much more pleasant natural sounds and e.g. a little victory music in the victory window. We will also try to extend the SoundFX in the future.



We have integrated some feedback points from you. For example, if you wanted to go back to the main menu or desktop, an additional window will appear with an additional confirmation. We also improved the savegames. You now have the possibility to give each savegame a personal name. We have separated the storage of the data and the temporary information for the display in the loading screen. This way we can show you the savegames much faster and additionally show you more information. Which version, the playing time or how many players were there. Of course we made sure that the older savegames still work. They don't have a detailed display. But if you load and save them they are up to date.
If you want to copy them you only have to copy 2 files now. Under

../Steam/steamapps/common/Summer Islands/savegames

you can now always find a .data and a .info file. Both should be copied. But loading without the .info file is also possible.



We have much better news to the size of the scores. Unfortunately we noticed that in the last version the encryption of a 2000 map crashed the game. Therefore we took a closer look and made the space consumption more efficient. We could reduce the savegames by 20x. This means that the loading is much faster and that we now have much better possibilities to move the savegames to the Steamcloud.
We have already tested the Steamcloud with success. But not really integrated yet.



There is also a new little thing in the NewsHistory. This shows now always at which building type there is new building, with the new building name. Here and there we have also improved the scrolling or extended the time of the tourists in the sand.
And of course some more bugs fixed!

We are already looking forward to the XMAS holidays and you should also :D
Have fun with the new update!
https://trello.com/b/FbC1a19w/devboard-summer-islands


Update log:

• CLIENT/SERVER: Savegame Management
  
• SERVER: Savegame size reduzing
  
• CLIENT: SoundFX extended/improved
  
• CLIENT: OK/CANCEL check window
  
• CLIENT: NewsHistory improved
  
• CLIENT/SERVER: BUG FIXED
  
• CLIENT/SERVER: Javascript efficiency improved