This project started a few years ago, having been interrupted due to profound changes in my job and the birth of my son. At the time it was not being developed at UNITY, but after some reflection on the subject I decided to import it, having benefited mainly in terms of graphics and work methodology. I am very happy with the results and especially with UNITY itself, having undergone an evolution above my expectations.
The game is all about growing up a space ship and equip it with stuff to blow up any thing ahead you. I pretend it to be a RPG game with a strong component of resources and crew managment. Got my thoughts inspired by existing games like Theme Hospital, Master of Orion, Home World and Minecraft, so i hope it will be a nice mix.
I am currently developing the ship’s editor being close to the final result. In my old version (before UNITY) I was one step ahead but I took the opportunity to add some capabilities to the editor, as well as improve some aspects.
The ship is basically made of NODES that shape the hull, and MODULES that give it properties and capabilities.
Here’s some screenshots i share with you, hope to get some feedback, and later get some help with some issues that will appear:
The hull construction works like in Minecraft in which blocks (NODEs) are placed to shape the ship. The standard look of a NODE is a cube, but there are several types of “slopes” to smooth out the edges.
NODEs(Hull) and MODULEs are the principal components to build a ship. Nodes will build the main structure while Modules will add extra features and behaviors like maximum speed, acceleration, radar range and alot more.
I just updated a small video showing how Modules placement works:
it is possible to change the hull(Nodes) and Modules colors. At the moment only 3 colors are available (dark gray, yellow and white) and there are the following types of editing:
Paint the entire ship in a single click;
Select a group of Nodes or Modules and paint them all with a single click;
Paint the faces of the Nodes or Modules one by one.
It is also possible to cycle the skin of each Node face. Note that when a Node is created each skin face is randomly assigned.
There is avaliable in game an option to paint decals over the main hull. Player can place premade shapes and logos or just write some text over the ship. There is also a palette to choose up to 16 colors, fade decal or just flip it. In the future I will create the degradation effect on the DECAL over time, that will be automatically repainted when the ship enters a hangar for repairs or to trade, and also an option for the player to add their own content.
MODULES will add extra features to the ship. A ship without MODULES will do nothing. MODULES will be attached to the hull (only for box Nodes) and can only be placed on flat faces. Some of them can occupy the interior of the NODE, therefore 2 MODULEs cannot be placed in the same NODE if both need to occupy the interior.
Exhaust & Thrusters are what move and rotate the ship. There are 3 properties that the engines imply in the ship:
“Acceleration”;
“Maximum speed”;
“Maneuverability”.
The bigger the ship, the more engines it will need for it to be able to move. Let’s assume that we have 2 ships of different sizes but with the same engines. In this case, the smaller ship will be more agile and faster.
There is a 4th property called “hyperspace” that controls the waiting time between jumps, and the maximum allowed distance.
Hi, this looks like an awesome project! I’ve always been a fan of Sci-fi themed games and recently started working on space/Sci-fi scores. If you want any royalty free music for your project, I’d be happy and grateful to help!
Containers are of the most basic types of MODULES but at the same time the most versatile. Its basic function is to store something inside, so in its basic form it provides more space for storing cargo. In the last update I created the possibility of placing equipment inside the Containers, in other words, a Container can accommodate an energy generator or batteries for now. In the future it will be able to accommodate other types of facilities.
When using the Container for a purpose other than storage, the skin undergoes slight changes that are only noticeable at close range. Since I am eventually thinking of creating an online battle mode, this factor is purposeful so as not to expose crucial points of the ship to the enemy.
Weapons are divided into the following categories:
Cannons - low cost but heavy static artillery. It forces you to maneuver the ship so that you can aim to the target.
Turrets - Higher cost artillery but with less damage. Its advantage is due to the precision of shooting derived from the ability to rotate. There is a subcategory called “Sentry” that automatically points to smaller targets (fighters or warheads).
Silos - A warhead launch facility. The warheads can be of the Rocket, Missile, Torpedo or Bomb type, in which each has different characteristics, either in speed, damage or aim.
The ship editor is practically complete, so I am experimenting with building different types of ships taking the opportunity to understand which aspects can be improved. Here are some of the results:
Looks very nice, but I think you should start to focus on a game play before you burn out.
Make Minimum Viable Product - max two ships, one of different kind of equipment (but only few (3 or 4)).
And one mission with a working enemy - this will take you probably a year.
