Latest stuff

Lots of behind-the-scenes work.  I’ve got terrain properly generating and regenerating as you move around the world, now.  I’ve also switched back from the “painting the terrain” system seen in videos before, to a system based upon placements.. with the placements then automatically performing the same terrain painting from those videos.  This approach fits in better with the game economy, makes save game file sizes manageable again, and helps push the game’s emphasis away from crafting terrain, and back toward the areas where I really want the player to be focusing his time.

In the screenshot here, I have a “terrain spire” selected (though it’s still rendering just a block).  The rough circles surrounding it are showing its area of influence;  this terrain object is making mountains;  you get full-strength mountains within the inner circle, and the effect fades off toward the outer circle.  (If you were to look from above, both circles would be perfectly circular;  following the terrain surface makes the inner circle quite wobbly!)

I’m also going to want to also support “strokes” of terrain, which will work basically like placing roads between buildings.  However, that’s going to wait for the next milestone build.  This one is far enough behind as it is without adding more features to it.  This terrain stuff has been eating up far too much of my time!

I’ve also been spending a fair whack of time on the player control;  still not quite happy with how the graveship acts.  Since it works entirely differently based upon whether the player is piloting it or whether it’s moving on autopilot, there are occasionally some nasty glitches when you start or stop piloting it.  It’s going to need a bit more love.  Although probably not for this first milestone that I’ve been talking about.