The 9th update for Exoplanet’s alpha version brings some more convenience into the colonists houses and also adds a smart mechanical helper for the player which can cover him in intense gunfights and assist him in wiping out large packs of wild beasts. Details and complete list of changes you can find below.
Creating the models for the world of Exoplanet we, as many other developers do, follow the certain hierarchical order: from the biggest buidings and parts of the landscape to the middle-sized objects and only then to the smallest art asssets and interactive things which can be used by player in crafting, combat or other possible activities. In this update, before we continue to work on the completely different sets of modules for buildoings (e.g. unique native architecture and buidings made from space ships wreckage and debris) we decided to add some art assets for the colonist’s interiors to give them a bit more lived-in, homelike look (even if those homes are abandoned at the moment). Despite the fact that these “colonial style” items are made from cheap and durable materials like the “unbreakable” plastic and metal and look quite minimalistic, they are still a luxury compared to the interiors of the prospectors shacks and bandit camps, made literally from scavenged junk of all sorts found in the wastelands.
Designing different containers for supplies we have analyzed our own gamig experience and decided to animate them to give the player more visual feedback on his interactions with the world. In our opinion even the simple open/close animations can add a lot of atmosphere to the gameplay: we have found that there is nothing more fascinating for us about the containers in games than the excitement, when you are sneaking in someones house and lifting the lid of someones footlocker with a creaking sound, expecting to find rare and valuable loot inside!
And finally in this build we are introducing a new craftable gadget for the main character – the “Сyclops” sentry turret. According to our concept of the crafting system the player will be able to create it from the components found on the level and also adjust its behavior and other parameters. For instance he can define the type of damage and effective range of his turret by installing different types of weapons and loading different ammunition into it, as well as creating upgrade modules (additional accuracy, shock damage in melee range, stationary energy shield etc.). We are still experimenting with the turrets to figure out, how we are going to limit their firepower and total number avaliable for crafting and deploying simultaneously. We don’t want them to be a mandatory part of any efficient character’s build but also dont want the crafting-type characters, the masters of robotic gadgets to feel being underpowered. In Exoplanet we do our best to make the gadgets like this turret not only worth spending reccources on them but also fun to use. Imagine your “Сyclops”, equipped by exotic alien weapon, probably even the non-lethal one. What crazy combos with your own attacks can it create? Its up to you to find out!
Changelog:
- dynamic creation of rigid objects implemented
- dynamic creation of skin objects
- the crafting system allows now to create complex items, e.g. the “Сyclops” sentry turret
- basic colonial style furniture and other small art assets added to the game
- animated containers added (cabinets, footlockers)
- bugs in rendering mirrored normal maps fixed
- the tooltip width now is automatically scaled according to the text it contains
- second inventory added for interactions like trading and picking up items from containers etc.
- omni lights considerably improved
- special material for glass added (works better with global lighting and sun shafts)
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