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Core Mechanics Overhaul - exploring the open world
Immediately playing the prototype it’s a vast difference, the smaller ships become much more fun especially the Markab destroyer which was previously little more than cannon fodder. The directional...
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Open-world Overhaul: Zones and UI
But why zones? Well there are inherent technical issues making a true open world space game, we found that the usable play area really falls far short of the epic proportions of space, in fact, it’s...
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Open-world Overhaul: Captains Log #3
But we need to keep the maps fresh. One thing we learned from the current alpha is that isolated clusters of rocks and gas do little to create a juicy landscape (so to speak.) So we’re now using...
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Open-world Overhaul: Material Concerns #4
In a 4X colonization would be that thing, but this is an RTS (an open-world one at that) so we have to think outside the box. But you don’t have to produce your own ships if you are economy averse,...
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Open-world Overhaul: It's Evolution #5
The game also now has a rudimentary AI that will simulate such tasks as auto-attacking, mining and trading (soon to be extended with patrolling etc.) and it’s all driven by a background concurrency...
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Zone Theory and Unit Construction
So as you’ve probably worked out, one of the distinguishing features of Shallow Space is concurrent activity spread across several play areas that we call zones. Each zone contains ships, fixed...
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Overhaul Progress Update
Under the hood is also progressing well, taking the time to rewrite the base layers has paid its dues. With the implementation of NVIDIA Physx and all the background concurrency stuff we feared it...
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Cry Havoc!
BZZZZZZ – THAWCK – ‘that sounds like XL weapons fire, a siege laser maybe, it can’t be here already…’ Spins camera round for a look and it’s a lone allied Homan Battlecruiser, emerging from an adjacent...
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Let's Recap
In the Overhaul, we get around that by splitting the play area into zones. Each zone might contain a series of installations lending it to a particular function (ie: Ship construction or trade) so not...
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User Interface Evolution
Previously the levels were pizza box shaped; now we’ve changed them to a cylinder shape. Not only does this feel more fitting when combined with the radial camera, it gives us an better sense of scale...
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