Development blog
This is our development blog! We have been maintaining this blog with updates for over 1000 days now, starting June 10th, 2013. Here you can read about the work that goes into making a game as complex as Brutal Nature:
August 15th update
Started writing some of the tutorial quests. Basic things like equip a weapon, check inventory menu, dig a hole, etc.
Did more work on quest callbacks as well. Will likely be doing a lot more work on quest callbacks in the future as quests need hooks all over the engine.
August 14th update
You guessed it. Still working on quests.
Finished up action callbacks and now I need to do some work on the client GUI. Did some research to figure out how I want the GUI to look.
Fixed a bug that caused speed bonuses for projectiles to not be applied, 30mm and 40mm buckshot will be much more effective now. Also added some extra logging during client initilization.
August 13th update
You guessed it. Still working on quests.
Finished up basic action callbacks and now I need to do some work on the client GUI. Did some research to figure out how I want it the GUI to look.
August 12th update
Still working on quests. Everything is starting to come together though.
Quest scripts can now add keyboard callbacks for the user and activate stages of the quest when those callbacks are called. Added some new support classes that should help with scripts that delete objects in containers currently in use by the game.
August 11th update
Still working on quests. scripting support for the basic quest structure is done.
Encountered a strange string bug that took awhile to figure out why it was happening. MSVC making std::string's internals needlessly complex did not help things at all.
August 10th update
More work on quests. Started work on adding callbacks for when a user presses an action key for use in the tutorial quests.
August 9th update
Started work on coding the basic quest script interface.
Came across a stumbling block of exactly how to store quests and quest data in a per character method. Decided to allow each quest to store a custom script defined class.
August 8th update
More research and design work on quests.
Realizing how fortunate I am to have picked a scripting language like Angelscript over making my own after seeing how limited some games custom scripting languages are.
August 7th update
Researching how some other games have designed and coded quests. Trying to distill it into a basic description of functionality and work from there.
August 6th update
More work into the quest system. Much thought has to be put into the initial design as it must be very flexible and not adversely affect performance.
Currently working on exactly how to hook events and how to structure the quest itself.
August 5th update
Spent a lot of time researching weapons trying to figure out the best way to have a progressive tech system.
What I found was the main advancements where switching from black powder to smokeless gunpowder and switching over from simple manual action weapons (break, lever and pump action) to blow back/recoil operated weapons and eventually to gas operated weapons. More efficient manufacturing allowed higher complexity mechanisms in mass produced weapons. Steadily improved materials and methods used to construct weapons are resulting in lighter more accurate weapons.
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Cartridges have also evolved over the years, With different rim styles, diameter of bullet, diameter of case, necked cases, tapered cases and each major country seemingly having its own preferred ammo cartridges there are several hundred different types of cartridges that have seen use in the past 200 years. And that is not even taking into account the style of bullet put into the cartridge.
Different cartridge designs worked best with different feed and extraction systems. All had there own pros and cons. Each is unique in its own way and was generally only used by military forces for a short period in history.
As such, plan to make the tech tree based around the reloading action used for the weapon and the cartridges. By having a progressive cartridge tech line, weapons can be limited to a certain time frame and power. It might not make a lot of realism sense, but it should make for good game play and that is really what its all about. |
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August 4nd update
Spent the day deciding on how I wanted the weapon tech tree to work. Tricky business to get just right so I don't want to rush it.
Looked into additional ways to improve the website and news articles.
August 3rd update
Worked on coming up with tutorial quests for the game as I realized most people just don't know how to play and are not reading the how to play webpage or the in game help.
Added a new page to the website: Future, It contains a guide of planed features.
August 2nd update
Added saving/loading of regions to the world save file.
Did more research on game development contracts, funding, etc. Looked for ways to improve the website.
August 1st update
Worked on improving terrain generation. Made the separations between sub regions be irregular instead of straight lines by using perlin noise to offset the look up positions.
Improved the websites Contact Us page.
July 31st update
End of another busy month! Its been great. The website has greatly improved and Worldcrafter is now also on IndieDB. A look back on some of what has been done to the game itself this month:
- Fixed all known bugs!
- Automatic mod support! Mods installed on the server and changed files now get sent to the client.
- Improved AI. They now have to see you before they will chased after you and will only run to where they last saw you if they lose sight of you.
- Improved spawn placement. No longer do you spawn next to bears or within sight of any.
- Reduced server/client CPU and bandwidth usage.
- New crafting equipment and cooking recipes. Also recipes to take apart ammo for the materials used.
- Made endurance be used for just about everything.
- Objects now properly respond to digging out from under them and fall.
- Terrain now has shadows!
- Can drop objects from inventory for other players to pickup.
- New editable scripts like the treasure island script that spawns chests over the island and the death script to drop 20% of your ammo when you die.
- Servers now indicate if ports are properly forwarded for clients to connect.
- Server browser only shows servers that have the correct ports forwarded.
As for today, more PR work and researching indie game development. More play testing to root out bugs and check balance issues. Added saving/loading of biome regions.
Thanks goes out to this months contributors, Innsewerants and Yanz! The new artwork has helped a lot!
July 30th update
Halved food usage based on play testing and user feedback. More work on the website. New site favicon by Innsewerants!
Published Worldcrafter on Indie DB. Indie DB icon and logo image provided by Yanz!
July 29th update
More work on the web site.
Did some play testing to check the game balance and find bugs. Fixed a bug in the announce server. Also found a terrain editing bug and fixed that as well.
July 28th update
Added script callbacks for server start up and shut down. Added some food and a single shot grenade launcher with 50 ammo to the players starting inventory.
Packaged up Worldcrafter for another release!
Released: 0.26
0.26 is now released:
- Fixed all known bugs!
- Changed spawning to place you somewhere NPCs can't see you.
- Added Vision to NPCs, they now only attack if they see you.
- Reduced network bandwidth used. Object updates are now sent compressed.
- Mining terrain now uses up endurance.
- Added endurance drain when butchering, skinning and chopping down trees.
- Objects now die when leaving world bounds.
- Server now takes 0.5 seconds to shut down and save instead of 20 seconds.
- Reduced stutters in frame rate by pooling more memory allocations.
- Fixed movement bug at low FPS.
- Added Camp fire/Bon fire objects.
- Added Cooking recipes for roast bear meat and bear jerky.
- Unreachable servers will no longer display on server browser.
- Added Grenade launcher, 50 grenades and some food to default spawn inventory.
- Added server start up and shut down script callbacks