Posted April 08, 2022 by Ryu1284
As previously promised a little over a month after the release of update 0.10.0, update 0.11.0 is now out.
So then, what new I hear you ask? Well as mentioned in my previous devlog this update brings in a new faction tentatively called the ‘Shin’ (Once again displaying my unparalleled ability to pick outstanding names). Unlike each of the three previous factions the Shin do not make use of laser based weapons but instead use a new type of turret. The kinetic one. Which unlike the humble laser is able to penetrate enemy shields while still dealing up to 50% of its normal damage.
Alongside their new turret type they also have a new ability. One which allows them to cloak their ships and in doing so gain a 50% chance of dodging any incoming attack. Additionally some ships, both of this new faction and of existing ones now support armour. Which can be damaged in the same way shields and health can, but which will also reduce the amount of incoming damage by a percentage of the amount of armour remaining.
Beyond these additions I should also mention that there were a number of changes and updates alongside a few important bug fixes which I feel are worth pointing out. For one, every ship and building now has the correct outline which will in the case of space stations update when the mesh of the aforementioned space station changes. An update that also extends to shields and the meshes they use. Finally for this update I also managed to resolve some issues with how I dealt with you drawing a box to select multiple units at once and the performance problems associated with it.
So as I had said it would be, the 0.11.0 update turned out to be decently sized, even if I wasn’t able to implement everything that I wanted to. The question now though, is what's next? Well much like update 0.10.0 I expect the 0.12.0 update to be on the smaller side. Though not for the reason you may think.
While in its current state Stelestial Contact: Solar Storm has space battles in which you fight against an enemy for victory they alone do not make a compelling game. Not in their current implementation anway. Rather they are but one part of a grander plan. I am of course talking about that button which has been sitting at the top of the main menu for more than a little while and which has remained greyed out the entire time. For some time now I have been working on the aforementioned gamemode hidden behind the button and at this point I think it’s time I transitioned away from a focus on developing the battles to a focus on developing the campaign that will connect them.
To be absolutely clear though this does not mean I am done developing the battle mode nor that it is in any way finished. Rather that I now feel I have enough features and content in place to work on a different part of what will ultimately become the gameplay loop. With this in mind the minimum plan for update 0.12.0 is to get the campaign developed to the point where it is at least possible to trigger space battles on the campaign map before you then fight them yourself.
To that end I can’t say how much new content if any will be in the next update when it comes to the space battles. I will say however that I will take this opportunity to begin going back over some of the features that I previously implemented and refining them a bit. One area in particular I hope to be able to make some improvements is with both the meshes and the associated textures, both of which could do with some much needed improvements.
And so with another update behind me I will once again ask that if you have any questions or queries then please do not hesitate to ask them. Additionally if you have any suggestion of what you’d like to see added or changed in the future then please also let me know.
With that out of the way I hope you enjoy the additions and changes made in update 0.11.0 and should things go to plan I’ll be back sometime next month with update 0.12.0.
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: