March Dev Log - Visual Improvements

Greetings, Scientists!

We have been working hard on more features and improvements for our game, and we are very excited to show them off to you today! So pull up your seat, grab a cup of coffee, and join us while we discuss what’s been done behind the scenes of LithoBreak this past month!



Buildings Visual Improvements:

We are spending some time reworking the visuals of various buildings in the game, making them more lively and appealing. For example:

• The ingots will now glow while cooling off
  
• Substance fillings will be animated and material levels show in the buildings
  
• Vacuum rocket engine exhaust!

New Main Console UI:

A lot of work was put into reworking the UI, and after a lot of community feedback provided on our Discord, we’re happy to show off the final result!

The new UI is simpler to operate, and fits the new style of the game better

• The build menu is now on the lower left and easily accessible.
  
• Sprites and link connections overlay can be turned on and off on the right.
  
• An (in progress) parts list is available, with more information windows to come.
  
• The updated objectives will show up on the top left.
  
• SARA tags along too, showing up on the top of your screen.
  
• With everything closed the UI has a slick look!

Part Transport Revamp:

Something we wanted to improve was the part transportation system we’re using in game. We have recently overhauled the core systems to be more performant and flexible

The major impact now is the removal of the noticeable lag spikes and allows part warehouses for storage. In the near future, we will extend this transportation infrastructure to include multiple locations via train networks and orbital transports!

The solution we have come up with is capable of handling hundreds of part types with thousands of individual parts across dozens of mining sites. If you are interested in the technical aspect, here it is;

• The different part types have separate mappings, allowing calculations to be split up.
  
• Part routes and production requests are calculated over multiple frames and cached for future access.
  
• When a part state changes, the remaining routes or requests for that type are ignored and flagged for recalculation.

This approach greatly diminishes the amount of calculations needed, and distributes the calculation load over time for a drastically smoother experience.





Thanks for taking the time to check out or dev log, Scientists! We’re really excited about the recent changes and what’s coming next, and we hope you’re just as hyped as we are! We’ll talk to you soon, but in the meantime, make sure to check out our Dev Live Streams, and to join us on Discord!

Catch you in the Verse,
Tau Ceti Labs