Biome Defense: An RTS fought between the animals of earth's biomes

Updates:
* New proto-queue system exists that the user can add to (creates new proto-units on timer)
* Unit production buttons are now used for prototype-creation-queue
* Grid system used also for structures
* Proto-queue system auto-adds unit-type when empty (by count, then by order on keyboard)
* Outline camera size is updated on screen-size change (so outlines always match)
* Prototype units do not fight back when attacked

 

Updates:
* UI exists for modifying object grids
* Objects missing from object-grids are auto-added
* Biomes tech-tree panel no longer deselects object in middle-mouse scroll

 

Updates:
* Object-grid cells have working hotkeys (for now same as clicking buttons) [e.g. Q for top-left unit, Shift-Q for top-left structure]
* "Fruit/vegetable" resource replaced with "Sugar", "Grain/protein" resource replaced with "Starch"

 

Updates:
* Objects>Hotkeys panel exists for setting Action cells and structure Ability/Tech cells
* Abilities/Tech panel exists for selected-units' abilities and active-structure's abilities/techs
* Actions use the new grid system
* Plants use new grid approach

 

Updates:
* Prototype unit can be "cloned" to create new unit of that type
* "Clone" units start smaller and slower, work slowly, and can't attack
* "Clone" units that are children turn into adults after X seconds
* Action cells enabledness updates based on whether action can be run
* Hotkeys do not run if ui has keyboard focus
* ActionPanel>Console's code evaluator no longer errors when evaluating expression that evaluates to null
* Camera-rects-from-ui are expanded by 1 pixel to ensure no rounding-errors/white-lines

 

New screenshots
==========

At the bottom-left: New BottomBar>Console panel, showing logging from path-finder specific to the unit, as well as the in-game code evaluator. (for debugging)

At the bottom-right: New proto-queue system shown at the top of the units panel, with a "prototype" of the given unit type created whenever the progress bar for one completes. Prototype units are non-working, non-fighting units from which you can "clone" to create child units. Child units are are weak and slow, but will after some time become adult units--your standard working and fighting force.


New BottomBar>Units panel, showing the new grid system they're layed out in, with a unit's info-popup showing.


One of the "child" units. Also shows the "general actions" panel at the bottom-left, and the "plants" panel at the bottom-right.


The Hotkeys panel, where plants, structures, and units can be aligned to grids. These grids are used both to lay out the items in the ui, as well as to determine what hotkey triggers them. (top left is triggered by the "Q" key, the one to its right by the "W" key, etc.)


About the same as the above. Lets you align "general actions" and structure-specific "abilities/technologies" to grids. The general actions consist of things like "Set Stance - No Action", "Stop", or "Self Destruct". The abilities/technologies consist of special building-based attacks (none added yet), as well as technologies the given structure can research.

 

Updates:
* Proto units move at half-speed
* When error occurs in v-script, the call-path/vs-stack-trace is logged
* BottomBar>Info panel exists, showing object info (from both type and instance)
* Resources are collected from a plant by "attacking" it (i.e. knocking produce out)
* Plant collect-health is shown in bar

 

Updates:
* Deleted protos have a delay (10s) before being recreated
* Proto units shown by white border around health-bar (rather than white outline around model) [outline dropped gpu fps too much]
* Data-frame-time reduced to ~80% of prior, by making-so:
* 1) Apply-transform-time reduced to ~12% of prior, by having Transform props be set directly (rather than through Change system)

 

Updates:
* Building combat-type renamed "Impact"
* Combat-types apply to object by default (rather than requiring defense-type entry)
* New combat type exists: energy (like pierce, but works on more things)
* Stack trace is preserved better when called through Node.CallMethod
* Cloning proto no longer errors
* Child clones again have slowdown applied
* Protos again have slowdown applied
* Health system is based on doubles (with armor being deflection percent)
* New ability exists: fire pulse [for now, all units have it]
* Biomes>Hotkeys>General renamed [Globals], and shows grid
* New global ability exists: AirStrike [for now, all biomes have it; fake one for testing]
* BottomBar>Globals panel exists (and its hotkey series works)
* Matches page lets you set the starting-age
* Proto units again default to NoAction stance

 

Updates:
* Arrow has fire effect at back, to make it easier to see
* Towers no longer fire before being built
* ApplySoils (based on biome-at-start data) works again
* Data-frame-time reduced to ~80% of prior, by making-so:
* 1) CallJS-time reduced to ~50% of prior, by having the stack-trace only generated when capture-stack-trace is enabled in the Console>Calls panel.

 

Updates:
* VDF deserializing run-time reduced to ~80% of prior, by making-so:
* 1) VDF.ParseTokens run-time reduce to ~72% of prior, mostly by using a switch statement instead of else-if's.
* VDF serialization run-time reduced to ~83% of prior, mostly by replacing some calls to Contains with a call to IndexOfAny

 

Updates:
* Player serialize-time reduced to ~66% of prior, mostly by optimizing the VDFNodePath.ToString() method.
* Base VScript run-time (e.g. for two "every # seconds, run #" nodes) reduced to ~2% of prior, mostly by caching the GetNodesOfType results.
* Visualization for a path uses line-segments, rather than dots
* Data-frame-profiler lets you toggle profiling of outside-data-frame and inside-data-frame code

 

Updates:
* Objects with UnitySource model can have vertex-colors auto-generated for AFS shader
* New VObject>model>shaderOverride prop added
* Objects are aligned to grid, even when the grid-size isn't 1
* New Objects>General>[Refresh Model] button exists
* UI exists for setting LOD values (making tweaking faster)
* AFS shader can be set to double-sided (the new default)

 

Updates:
* New plants exist: Banana Tree, Banana Tree 2, Banana Tree 3, Banana Tree 4, Banana Tree 5, Cupuacu Tree 1, Jatoba Tree 1, Kapok Tree 1, Palm - Ground 1, Palm 2, Palm 3, Palm 4, Palm 5, Palm 6, Palm 7, Palm 8, Palm 9, Palm 10, Palm 11, Palm Bush 1, Palm Bush 2, Papaya Tree 1
* New Objects>[Show Grid] option exists
* New Objects>[Show reference] option exists (shows translucent 5'11" man)
* Object>General panel lets you set a "Height" prop, which scales the model during import
* Using the "FireProjectile_FirePulse" ability no longer errors
* New TreeCreator shader is added to shader-list for shader-override prop. (has better wind animation than AFS shader)

 

Screenshots
==========

New FirePulse projectile and movement-lines.


New trees.


New Maps>General panel. (on right)


New object VDF options.


New Objects page options. (with new plants marked on left)


New Live>Info panel. (and new outlining used to show that unit is a prototype)


UI to set match starting-age.


New Profiler>[Last data-frame] options.


New Profiler>[All data-frames] run-counts and Clear button.


New dev-settings.

 

Made my first overview video!

It's not very good, but at least I have something to show people in video form now.

 

Just read your job description in Unity Connect.

You work like a monster, your spirit is strong like stone. I love strategy game since I was a child as well, but in order to achieve something like Age Of Empire with the mechanism to encourage user to program the AI in game, I think you want so much.
Let's narrow down what you think it's important only, set the milestone of what it will have for the releases step by step, improve the graphic. Don't just bump your head into the fire.

You are scaring people who want to work with you

And more important, let's find investors, or you have enough money to survive for years ???

By the way, if you didn't, let's watch Silicon Valley movie.

 

Thanks emperor!

You bring up an important point regarding narrowing down the goals to a level that's more immediately attainable, so you can get something out more quickly and so be able to get feedback and in-a-playable-state satisfaction before the long-stretch of adding all the features you'd eventually want.

That makes sense, although you still have to have the initial goal be interesting enough that you're motivated daily toward it. (it's a psychological balance between boredom with initial goal, and required-work-time for the initial goal)

I've tried to reach that balance by having, for example, the AI builder in place for the initial release, but refrain from making it as rich as I'd want it--just adding the bare-bones features needed to accomplish the specific AI behavior I want.

As for your suggestion of setting milestones, that's probably a good idea. That and others are good, but I think they become more important once I'm on the cusp of releasing the "initial build". I estimate this to be in ~4 months.

As for scaring people who want to work with me, sorry!

I didn't expect so many applications/interest in the project when I put the job descriptions up, it was sort of just an afterthought of setting it up and seeing if it'd produce some possible partnership leads, so I didn't put much thought into how people would perceive the development-speed risks of the project.

It would help greatly if Unity Connect had a way of messaging applicants directly on the page. As it stands, there are too many applicants to track them down and initiate contact to sort them through efficiently. So I will probably wait until the initial pre-alpha-release/build before doing so.

As for investors, that's not a problem. I live with my parents, and due to the family situation, I'm actually a benefit to them staying here despite having no income--in other words, I could stay here indefinitely, if I so chose. (I prefer to move out in the next few years though)

Thanks for the interest, however, and I will consider (again) cutting down my initial goals in various areas, to bring the 4 month estimate down further. (especially since estimates always seem to be wrong, despite recursive adjustment)

Also, I will endeavor to resume updates on this thread relatively soon. (for those who'd rather not wait, you can check out my Twitch channel, with recent recordings, linked to in my description)