1
Development & Discussion / Re: How about a Discord server?
« on: January 16, 2018, 04:26:38 PM »
Thanks very much man, delighted to have you aboard. 
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2
Development & Discussion / State of the Universe (or Nothing)
« on: January 11, 2018, 09:30:28 AM »
Hey all,
Here is an update on the state of the project, first with a recap of 2017, and then with my plans for the coming year.
2017 Recap
So last year was a wash-out for Universe or Nothing, there is no other way to put it. My wife was very ill for most of the year and I had to juggle work committments with looking after her and our two children. Thankfully her illness passed and things began to return to normal, but it took a lot out of her and the recovery process has been ongoing. I ended up with a large backlog of client work for my day job, which made the last three months a bit of a firefighting exercise for me.
Now I say it was a wash out but some work was done on UoN. I continued doing bits and pieces over the year, but it was only maybe 10% of what it would have been. Most of the work I did do was on the game engine, fixing issues and adding new functionality. I focused on that stuff because frankly it's easier for me than the art side of things. I am most comfortable with code, and least comfortable with art (though I do try to challenge myself with it). The biggest project I completed last year was to break a lot of the game's code out into the mod system, to allow more of the game to be customised in mods.
I also employed some artists to work on the ships for the game, turning the two ships from Isaac's concept art into usable assets (models with all of the required material maps). That work is quite advanced but there is still more to do (I pay for this work out of my earnings, so it is bit by bit).
2018 Plan
My plan is simple in concept, I want to create a properly playable multiplayer build of the game so that we (as a community) can start to figure out what works and what doesn't. When I say properly playable I mean that it has to have three stations (Helm, Tactical and Engineering) with at least the base gameplay for each, and the ability for crews/ships to fight each other. What this build does not need to be is polish, so I am going to just focus on getting it done and I'll worry about polishing it up later. So that means placeholders for everything non-essential, which includes the 3D graphics (I will use the ship and effects from the old build that I made videos with).
What I have now is the base multiplayer game with much of the ship simulation systems in place, a fairly complete Engineering station, and the guts of Tactical and Helm. My focus will be on building out these stations, and only doing the work that is directly needed to do that.
There are risks to this plan, as there are to every plan. These include work, my situation is a little volatile right now, and my wife's health (though I really really hope this is not an issue). I'm stating this as I want to be completely transparent with you guys, but I really do hope there are no setbacks this time.
Once again thank you so much for sticking in there with me, I really appreciate your support.
Thanks for reading!
Mark
Here is an update on the state of the project, first with a recap of 2017, and then with my plans for the coming year.
2017 Recap
So last year was a wash-out for Universe or Nothing, there is no other way to put it. My wife was very ill for most of the year and I had to juggle work committments with looking after her and our two children. Thankfully her illness passed and things began to return to normal, but it took a lot out of her and the recovery process has been ongoing. I ended up with a large backlog of client work for my day job, which made the last three months a bit of a firefighting exercise for me.
Now I say it was a wash out but some work was done on UoN. I continued doing bits and pieces over the year, but it was only maybe 10% of what it would have been. Most of the work I did do was on the game engine, fixing issues and adding new functionality. I focused on that stuff because frankly it's easier for me than the art side of things. I am most comfortable with code, and least comfortable with art (though I do try to challenge myself with it). The biggest project I completed last year was to break a lot of the game's code out into the mod system, to allow more of the game to be customised in mods.
I also employed some artists to work on the ships for the game, turning the two ships from Isaac's concept art into usable assets (models with all of the required material maps). That work is quite advanced but there is still more to do (I pay for this work out of my earnings, so it is bit by bit).
2018 Plan
My plan is simple in concept, I want to create a properly playable multiplayer build of the game so that we (as a community) can start to figure out what works and what doesn't. When I say properly playable I mean that it has to have three stations (Helm, Tactical and Engineering) with at least the base gameplay for each, and the ability for crews/ships to fight each other. What this build does not need to be is polish, so I am going to just focus on getting it done and I'll worry about polishing it up later. So that means placeholders for everything non-essential, which includes the 3D graphics (I will use the ship and effects from the old build that I made videos with).
What I have now is the base multiplayer game with much of the ship simulation systems in place, a fairly complete Engineering station, and the guts of Tactical and Helm. My focus will be on building out these stations, and only doing the work that is directly needed to do that.
There are risks to this plan, as there are to every plan. These include work, my situation is a little volatile right now, and my wife's health (though I really really hope this is not an issue). I'm stating this as I want to be completely transparent with you guys, but I really do hope there are no setbacks this time.
Once again thank you so much for sticking in there with me, I really appreciate your support.
Thanks for reading!
Mark
3
Development & Discussion / Re: How about a Discord server?
« on: January 11, 2018, 08:56:34 AM »
Hey Solar,
Welcome to the community.
I had considered using Discord, but the reality is we (currently) do not have enough community members (or public development activity) to warrant it.
We are also not yet ready to grow the community, as frankly people would get bored and leave before there is anything ready to play.
That is not to say I am against there being a Discord server, and I will drop in later to say hello.
I hope this doesn't all sound like a big downer, I believe in the future of UoN but due to my limited time and resources it is a long term project. I think raising people's expectations too high, or too early, can be the death of a project like this (as it creates a lot of pressure on the developer(s), and stress is a creativity killer).
All that being said, I do like your positivity.
Welcome to the community.
I had considered using Discord, but the reality is we (currently) do not have enough community members (or public development activity) to warrant it.
We are also not yet ready to grow the community, as frankly people would get bored and leave before there is anything ready to play.
That is not to say I am against there being a Discord server, and I will drop in later to say hello.
I hope this doesn't all sound like a big downer, I believe in the future of UoN but due to my limited time and resources it is a long term project. I think raising people's expectations too high, or too early, can be the death of a project like this (as it creates a lot of pressure on the developer(s), and stress is a creativity killer).
All that being said, I do like your positivity.
4
Development & Discussion / Re: Happy New Year
« on: January 02, 2018, 08:05:39 AM »
Happy new year Grey! Thanks so much for checking in.
I really hope 2018 is a great year for UON.
Thanks so much for checking in.I really hope 2018 is a great year for UON.
5
Development & Discussion / Re: [Progress - 27th October] Filling in the blanks
« on: October 30, 2017, 01:01:07 PM »
Up until now all my rendering for UoN has been handled automatically by the Xenko renderer, but those automatic systems (which take game objects in the world space and render them) do not allow for what I want (such as rendering a 3D spatial radar to the screen, without having to build it from game objects in the world space first). To render directly I have to "tell" the rendering engine what I want to render by sending it vertices, uv coords, a shader, and texture information.
The main problem is that the vertices that are sent to the renderer have to be relative to the camera, where a vertex (0,0,1) is one unit (metre) in front of the camera, but the vertices are stored either relative their parent. The parent can be the world space, but it could be another set of vertices, which themselves could be stored relative to another set of vertices (this is the case for spaceships, where some parts of the model are stored relative to other parts).
So in order to send these vertices to the renderer they need to be transformed from their current space (where they are relative to the world space or another set of vertices) to the camera space (where they are relative to the camera). The most efficient method of doing these transforms is using transformation matrices.
While I'm in study mode I am also studying some other computer graphics related maths, including Quaternions for storing and manipulating rotations. I've worked with Quaternions before, but without a complete understanding of them.
I'm making good progress with the study, and I have started building prototypes to put the theory into practice.
Thanks man.
The main problem is that the vertices that are sent to the renderer have to be relative to the camera, where a vertex (0,0,1) is one unit (metre) in front of the camera, but the vertices are stored either relative their parent. The parent can be the world space, but it could be another set of vertices, which themselves could be stored relative to another set of vertices (this is the case for spaceships, where some parts of the model are stored relative to other parts).
So in order to send these vertices to the renderer they need to be transformed from their current space (where they are relative to the world space or another set of vertices) to the camera space (where they are relative to the camera). The most efficient method of doing these transforms is using transformation matrices.
While I'm in study mode I am also studying some other computer graphics related maths, including Quaternions for storing and manipulating rotations. I've worked with Quaternions before, but without a complete understanding of them.
I'm making good progress with the study, and I have started building prototypes to put the theory into practice.
Thanks man.
6
Development & Discussion / [Progress - 27th October] Filling in the blanks
« on: October 27, 2017, 11:30:53 AM »
Hey all,
I am delighted to say that I have been back working on Universe or Nothing in a "serious" way since early September. My wife is doing really well now, her illness is behind us and life has returned to normal.
While my wife was ill I still did a little development on UoN every week, and during that time I made some significant improvements to the modding system. I modularised much of the game's gameplay code and moved it into mods using a "plugin" system. Having this modular system makes it easier for me to add gameplay, and it also means that most of the game's source code will be available to modders.
Now my focus is on graphics programming. Up until this point (in the game) the 3D "world space" and the 2D UIs have been completely separate, rendered separately by different parts of the code, but the game requires there to be a deep integration. While much of the UI is 2D there are parts, like the spatial radar, which are 3D. In order to fulfill my vision for the game these 2D and 3D elements need to work together. This integration requires a deeper level of graphics programming (and math) than I have experience of, so my past week has been spent studying. That involves me reading books and documentation, and building prototypes to increase my knowledge of the area. That process is coming along really well, and I will be getting back to the 2D/3D integration soon.
This progress update is not a "flashy" one, it will be a while before I have new screenshots and video to show, but I really wanted to convey that I am deeply engaged in development of Universe or Nothing.
Thanks for reading!
- Mark
I am delighted to say that I have been back working on Universe or Nothing in a "serious" way since early September. My wife is doing really well now, her illness is behind us and life has returned to normal.
While my wife was ill I still did a little development on UoN every week, and during that time I made some significant improvements to the modding system. I modularised much of the game's gameplay code and moved it into mods using a "plugin" system. Having this modular system makes it easier for me to add gameplay, and it also means that most of the game's source code will be available to modders.
Now my focus is on graphics programming. Up until this point (in the game) the 3D "world space" and the 2D UIs have been completely separate, rendered separately by different parts of the code, but the game requires there to be a deep integration. While much of the UI is 2D there are parts, like the spatial radar, which are 3D. In order to fulfill my vision for the game these 2D and 3D elements need to work together. This integration requires a deeper level of graphics programming (and math) than I have experience of, so my past week has been spent studying. That involves me reading books and documentation, and building prototypes to increase my knowledge of the area. That process is coming along really well, and I will be getting back to the 2D/3D integration soon.
This progress update is not a "flashy" one, it will be a while before I have new screenshots and video to show, but I really wanted to convey that I am deeply engaged in development of Universe or Nothing.
Thanks for reading!
- Mark
7
Development & Discussion / Re: Our new 3D artist
« on: September 30, 2017, 11:59:10 PM »
Yeah it will look very close to that in-game.
I won't be posting much until I do have some new gameplay to show. I really do appreciate your patience.
I won't be posting much until I do have some new gameplay to show. I really do appreciate your patience.
8
Development & Discussion / Re: Our new 3D artist
« on: September 30, 2017, 09:37:34 AM »
Welcome to our little community Rockhold, and thank you for your support.
I had meant to post an update on the ship earlier but my focus has been entirely on development. I don't want to show off the completed ship until it is with gameplay, but here is a sneak peak:
There may be some tweaks to the ship before release, but right now the ship is ready to go. Pete brought it from 1.1 million polygons to around 200 thousand, he also remapped the textures and polished rough areas.
I had meant to post an update on the ship earlier but my focus has been entirely on development. I don't want to show off the completed ship until it is with gameplay, but here is a sneak peak:
There may be some tweaks to the ship before release, but right now the ship is ready to go. Pete brought it from 1.1 million polygons to around 200 thousand, he also remapped the textures and polished rough areas.
9
Development & Discussion / Re: Will there be a Beta or option to sign up for one?
« on: September 13, 2017, 03:11:05 PM »
Hey there,
Thanks for checking in.
As Blaze and Grey have said, we're still a while away from even Alpha and I haven't been working on the game much since May due to my wife's illness. The good news though is that she is on the mend, and I have increased my time working on UoN dramatically in the past week.
When we do the closed alpha everyone on registered on the forums now (and probably anyone that joins in the next few months) will be invited.
Mark
Thanks for checking in.
As Blaze and Grey have said, we're still a while away from even Alpha and I haven't been working on the game much since May due to my wife's illness. The good news though is that she is on the mend, and I have increased my time working on UoN dramatically in the past week.
When we do the closed alpha everyone on registered on the forums now (and probably anyone that joins in the next few months) will be invited.
Mark
10
Development & Discussion / Re: My absence
« on: August 17, 2017, 08:16:55 PM »
I really appreciate your support guys, hopefully it isn't anything serious and we can get back to normal soon.
I am working on UoN at the moment, doing a little every day to keep the project ticking. I don't want to pressure myself though so I won't be writing about it until things get back on track.
Thanks again.
I am working on UoN at the moment, doing a little every day to keep the project ticking. I don't want to pressure myself though so I won't be writing about it until things get back on track.
Thanks again.
12
Development & Discussion / Re: My absence
« on: August 15, 2017, 12:47:23 PM »
Hi all,
My wife is still quite ill, I won't go into details here but the doctors don't know what's wrong and we're waiting on some more tests.
My wife is still quite ill, I won't go into details here but the doctors don't know what's wrong and we're waiting on some more tests.
13
Development & Discussion / Re: My absence
« on: July 19, 2017, 10:42:22 PM »
Thanks for your understanding, I appreciate the trust you guys put in me.
14
Development & Discussion / Re: My absence
« on: July 19, 2017, 06:03:15 PM »
Thanks man, I really appreciate you continued support.
15
Development & Discussion / My absence
« on: July 19, 2017, 04:38:05 PM »
Hi all,
As you may have noticed I haven't been very active in the past two months.
My wife came down with a very bad chest infection just over two months ago, and while the infection was cleared after two weeks it left her with a chest condition which causes constant chronic pain. The condition is usually not permanent, but can take months to recover from. For two months I've been working from home, rather than in my office, doing my best to support my wife by helping around the house and with our two young boys. This has been a really tough time for her, and for me. I've fallen way behind in my day job, but thankfully my boss is very supportive.
As much as I've wanted to work on UoN, I just haven't had the time or mental energy for it.
I wasn't intending to post about this, as I wasn't expecting my wife's illness to last this long, and I am quite a private person when it comes to my personal life. I feel like it has been too long since I last posted though, and I wanted to be honest with you.
The good news is that my wife is improving, bit by bit. In a few weeks, all going well, things should be back to normal for us.
While all of this has been going on Pete continued working on the Kite class spaceship, and just last week he completed it. I'm really looking forward to getting the ship into the game, and showing it off to you guys.
I really appreciate all of the support and patience you guys have shown me.
Thanks for reading!
Mark
As you may have noticed I haven't been very active in the past two months.
My wife came down with a very bad chest infection just over two months ago, and while the infection was cleared after two weeks it left her with a chest condition which causes constant chronic pain. The condition is usually not permanent, but can take months to recover from. For two months I've been working from home, rather than in my office, doing my best to support my wife by helping around the house and with our two young boys. This has been a really tough time for her, and for me. I've fallen way behind in my day job, but thankfully my boss is very supportive.
As much as I've wanted to work on UoN, I just haven't had the time or mental energy for it.
I wasn't intending to post about this, as I wasn't expecting my wife's illness to last this long, and I am quite a private person when it comes to my personal life. I feel like it has been too long since I last posted though, and I wanted to be honest with you.
The good news is that my wife is improving, bit by bit. In a few weeks, all going well, things should be back to normal for us.
While all of this has been going on Pete continued working on the Kite class spaceship, and just last week he completed it. I'm really looking forward to getting the ship into the game, and showing it off to you guys.
I really appreciate all of the support and patience you guys have shown me.
Thanks for reading!
Mark