Once again it’s time for another update, this time in the form of version 0.17.0.

What’s New?

So then what are the headline features this time? To begin with there has been a rewrite of the settings page to make it more intuitive. Now a new popup will appear after pressing the apply button with a list of all the changes made and the option to either apply the changes or revert them to before the changes were made. Additionally the visuals of the settings page have also been updated, now all settings which can either be enabled or disbaled make use of a checkbox instead of toggle buttons. A change which not only helps to make the settings page look cleaner, but also means it is easier to see at a glance which settings are enabled and which are not.

Apart from the settings page there were also another couple of visual updates, in particular health bars now have a red background to make it easier to see the normal maximum amount of health. While buttons which are selected now have both a brighter background and a more pronounced border. Again with the aim of making them easier to tell apart from regular buttons.

Finally and perhaps most importantly there are now scripted tutorials for both space battles and the campaign map. Accessed from the main menu these tutorials, which are split into 8 different sections, aim to walk you through each part of the game in a more controlled environment where you can try out the different features as you learn about them. It should be noted that like alot of the features when I first implement them the tutorials are very much in the experimental stage and so can be easily broken. For this reason I’d advise sticking as closely as possible to doing what the tutorial tells you to do, as not doing so is likely to result in some actions not registering and perhaps a crash or two.

Update 0.18.0

As you may have already guessed, the inclusion of the new scripted tutorials turned out to be a lot more work than I was expecting. Not only did I need to come up with a way of creating and tracking ongoing objectives. But I also needed to find a way of checking when those objectives were completed and of course what exactly the different tutorials should teach and what to say during the different stages.

As a result of this I was unfortunately not able to get around to implementing neither the new diplomacy system nor the merger of fleets and armies into a single entity that I had originally planned for this update. Therefore the 0.18.0 updates first aim is to implement these two features to the best of my abilities. Additionally thanks to my time spent building out the scripted tutorials I now have both. A better understanding and some new systems with which to begin work on the long awaited scripted campaigns.

Finally, as with all my updates I’m going to take some time to go back over other areas and see if I can’t improve upon them. This time around that area will most likely be the space battles which have only seen a small amount of improvements in the last few updates as a result of all the work done on the campaign map. What these changes will be I am not yet sure, though at the very least I would like to make improvements to both the AI and the pathing used by squad based units. Squad vs squad combat has always been a rather hit or miss feature and I’m hoping that 0.18.0 will be the update that finally refines it to a state I am happy with.

Closing Thoughts

Having said everything I wanted to say, it’s again time for me to leave and get to work on the 0.18.0 update which will be released in exactly one month's time. Normally I’d be a bit more lenient on my timeframe but as the 18th will mark two years since the release of version 0.1.0 it’s a release date I want to try and hit. Especially as I think it would be a good idea to take a moment to look back at how much has changed since that first release and what my plans are for the next year of development. For now though I should probably get to work on said update if I want to have any hope of meeting the deadline I’ve given myself.

As always if you have any questions or queries then don’t hesitate to ask and similarly if you have any feedback for existing systems. Or indeed if you have any ideas, features or changes you would like to see implemented then also don’t hesitate to let me know.

As with all of my updates a full list of the changes made can be found in game, with the changes and additions pertaining to this update listed below:

• Added a notification to the campaign map for when a building has been removed
• Added a popup to the settings screen which shows which settings have been updated
• Added a option to revert the changes made on the settings screen before they are written to the config file
• Added a new button to the main menu for accessing the scripted tutorials
• Added a new tutorials screen where any of the available scripted tutorials can be selected and played
• Added a new space map for use with the first scripted battle tutorial
• Added a new space map for use with the second scripted battle tutorial
• Added a new space map for use with the third scripted battle tutorial
• Added a new space map for use with the fourth scripted battle tutorial
• Added a new campaign map for use with the first scripted campaign tutorial
• Added a new campaign map for use with the second scripted campaign tutorial
• Added a new campaign map for use with the third scripted campaign tutorial
• Added a new campaign map for use with the fourth scripted campaign tutorial
• Added a new space battle tutorial which teaches the basics of camera and unit movement
• Added a new space battle tutorial which teaches the basics of unit recruitment and building managment
• Added a new space battle tutorial which teaches the basics of combat and unit abilities
• Added a new space battle tutorial which teaches the basics of map features
• Added a new campaign map tutorial which teaches the bascis of camera movement and the user interface
• Added a new campaign map tutorial which teaches the basics of unit recuitment and fleet management
• Added a new campaign map tutorial which teaches the basics of how to build buildings, conduct research and manage a planet
• Added a new campaign map tutorial which teaches the basics of fleet movement and campaign map combat
• Added support for loading different campaign maps
• Updated the recruitment GUI on the campaign map to switch to adding units to a fleet or army after a starting unit has been selected
• Updated the check box buttons on the settings screen to display whether a setting is enabled or not
• Updated the notifications on the campaign map to stop fading while the game is paused
• Updated the battle map GUI to have a way of displaying the current objective if there is one
• Updated the battle map GUI to have a way of displaying a message box (for use with the scripted tutorials)
• Updated the campaign map GUI to have a way of displaying the current objective if there is one
• Updated the campaign map GUI to have a way of displaying a message box (for use with the scripted tutorials)
• Updated the health bars on unit buttons to have a red background to show the full length of the bar
• Updated the guide page to list unit abilities when a unit is selected
• Updated building slots on the campaign map to show when they are selected
• Updated save files to include the path for the campaign map they were saved on
• Fixed a bug where research wasn't cancelled when the planet conducting the research was captured
• Fixed a bug where planets remain hidden if a save is loaded just before a battle on the campaign map
• Fixed a bug where the game was no longer paused when viewing either the campaign map or battle map tutorial
• Fixed a bug where camera movement wasn't locked when viewing either the campaign map or battle map tutorial
• Fixed a bug where the campaign map autoresolve wouldn't run if there were squad based units in any of the fleets
• Fixed a bug where squad based units wouldn't keep their current damage levels if they entered a battle on the campaign map
• Fixed a bug where squad based units could be targeted before being called in as a reinforcement unit
• Fixed a bug where the minimap doesn't update if the game is paused
• Fixed a bug where upgraded buildings on the campaign map wouldn't have the correct outline colour when pulled into a battle
• Fixed a bug where the delete save button would remain unlocked even if no save was selected
• Fixed a bug where squad based units would show the incorrect amount of health on their unit buttons healthbar
• Fixed a bug where clicking and dragging to make a selection box would sometimes cause all units on the screen to be selected
• Fixed a bug where reinforcement units were no longer being grouped together despite being the same type of unit and having the same amount of health remaining
• Fixed a bug where the game would crash when the select all command was given and there were units which had not yet been added to the map (scripted tutorials)