Hi all,
I have completed the move from the Unity engine, which we outgrew, to the Xenko engine. Xenko is an open source engine which is written entirely in C#, using the latest software and techniques.
The move to Xenko has allowed me to upgrade the UNION code base and architecture, improving performance and extensibility (making it easier for me manage systems and add new features).
Before the move to Xenko I had started on the modding system in UNION. I have continued that work as part of the move, and made significant progress. All of the asset (models, textures, UIs) and configuration (factions, entities, spaceships, equipment) systems are complete, with just the programming API (for adding new ship and equipment behaviours) left to do (I will be working on it next). We are front loading all of the modding system work so that we can build all of the game content as a mod. Creating the game this way means that you, our community, will have access to everything we use to create content.
Writing the modding API will mean making changes all over UNION's code base, but it is totally worth it. The earlier I implement the API the lower the cost to implement it is (in terms of development time).
While the move to Xenko is complete, in that the game is now running in the engine, there are a number of things which need to be rebuilt. Chief among these is the effects system (laser beams, shieldo visual effects, explosions). I expect to move onto these once the modding API is in place.
Thanks for reading!
Mark
