- Devblog 6: Low poly is the new high poly - 9 February 2017
This week has been mostly about two things: Props and multiplayer. The multiplayer servers have been giving me a real headache. I'm trying to strike a balance between an easy to use server system, but also allowing people the freedom and flexibility to host servers their own way. In the end I've settled on a "traditional" dedicated server approach. You'll be able to download the server EXE and run servers by yourself, free of charge. However, we'll also provide custom dedicated server hosting if you don't want to manage that sort of thing by yourself, as well as a number of public servers. So, as a result of all this mucking about the server list, API and back end are all now mostly complete other than servers saving/loading. Today I started importing content. There's now 97 props, and I've got a few hundred still to import. I also cleaned up some UI bits which were bugging me: building…
- Devblog 6: Low poly is the new high poly - 9 February 2017
This week has been mostly about two things: Props and multiplayer. The multiplayer servers have been giving me a real headache. I'm trying to strike a balance between an easy to use server system, but also allowing people the freedom and flexibility to host servers their own way. In the end I've settled on a "traditional" dedicated server approach. You'll be able to download the server EXE and run servers by yourself, free of charge. However, we'll also provide custom dedicated server hosting if you don't want to manage that sort of thing by yourself, as well as a number of public servers. So, as a result of all this mucking about the server list, API and back end are all now mostly complete other than servers saving/loading. Today I started importing content. There's now 97 props, and I've got a few hundred still to import. I also cleaned up some UI bits which were bugging me: building…
- Devblog 5: Facepaint - 5 February 2017
As I mentioned in the last devblog, work is slowing a little, but I wanted to update you guys on what I've added this week. The main feature I've added is the ability to paint different parts of an object with different materials. This was a huge problem in the old version, because if you wanted the interior and exterior of your house to be different colours you had to create double walls and colour each object. Now, you just make one wall, and paint the different sides different materials! This also works for meshes. People who play the current version will notice you can only paint each object with one paint, and some parts can't be painted. Now, if the object has several different textures (like wood, metal, ceramic all in one object) you can paint every part with a new texture. I've also simplified the way content is imported into the game. Previously in the editor you had to make t…
- Devblog 5: Facepaint - 5 February 2017
As I mentioned in the last devblog, work is slowing a little, but I wanted to update you guys on what I've added this week. The main feature I've added is the ability to paint different parts of an object with different materials. This was a huge problem in the old version, because if you wanted the interior and exterior of your house to be different colours you had to create double walls and colour each object. Now, you just make one wall, and paint the different sides different materials! This also works for meshes. People who play the current version will notice you can only paint each object with one paint, and some parts can't be painted. Now, if the object has several different textures (like wood, metal, ceramic all in one object) you can paint every part with a new texture. I've also simplified the way content is imported into the game. Previously in the editor you had to make t…
- Devblog Week 4 - 27 January 2017
So it's the end of the 4th week of work on Concrete and Steel "redux", so I thought I should update everyone with the project progress. There's not much visual progress to show this week. I've mostly been working on the UI and tool system, integrating a chat system for online games, etc. I've also put together a roadmap/timeline for when the development. I'm hoping to have a new early access version put out by the end of March. However, this just be a rebuild of the game with the current features - after the March update, I will begin work on adding new features (as requested by you guys) with the intention of a "Early Access v1 final" by June, and a full launch (leaving early access) in October. I've started looking into console development. Ideally, I'm trying to bring Concrete and Steel to PS4 and Xbox One by Christmas 2017 - I'm in very early talks with both Microsoft and Sony to ma…
- Devblog Week 4 - 27 January 2017
So it's the end of the 4th week of work on Concrete and Steel "redux", so I thought I should update everyone with the project progress. There's not much visual progress to show this week. I've mostly been working on the UI and tool system, integrating a chat system for online games, etc. I've also put together a roadmap/timeline for when the development. I'm hoping to have a new early access version put out by the end of March. However, this just be a rebuild of the game with the current features - after the March update, I will begin work on adding new features (as requested by you guys) with the intention of a "Early Access v1 final" by June, and a full launch (leaving early access) in October. I've started looking into console development. Ideally, I'm trying to bring Concrete and Steel to PS4 and Xbox One by Christmas 2017 - I'm in very early talks with both Microsoft and Sony to ma…
- *Progress klaxon* - 20 January 2017
It's been an interesting couple of weeks - here's the latest progress. Tool Bag One of the first things I worked in is improving the UI, and I started with the tool bag. As you can see, it's much clearer to see and easier to select which tool you need. Todo: Allow for more than 4 tools, allow for item categories Environment The environment has been the biggest change from the previous game. Previously we made every level by hand. Now, the server (or offline system) will be able to generate an environment using random tiles. You will be able to add new tiles through updates or mods. Character This little guy made an appearance this week. And the good news is, he has lots of friends who are joining the fun soon. Todo: Character selection/customisation And that about rounds up the development progress update this week. Work is on schedule and the game is feeling playable. Block, Prop and P…
- *Progress klaxon* - 20 January 2017
It's been an interesting couple of weeks - here's the latest progress. Tool Bag One of the first things I worked in is improving the UI, and I started with the tool bag. As you can see, it's much clearer to see and easier to select which tool you need. Todo: Allow for more than 4 tools, allow for item categories Environment The environment has been the biggest change from the previous game. Previously we made every level by hand. Now, the server (or offline system) will be able to generate an environment using random tiles. You will be able to add new tiles through updates or mods. Character This little guy made an appearance this week. And the good news is, he has lots of friends who are joining the fun soon. Todo: Character selection/customisation And that about rounds up the development progress update this week. Work is on schedule and the game is feeling playable. Block, Prop and P…
- Gimmie dem features (and development update) - 17 January 2017
As I mentioned in my last post, we're restarted development. Actually, it's more like we've restarted - from scratch. I started working on the network code last week. A big flaw in the previous network code was, once you get ~4,500 objects, you start having sync issues when you join. This shouldn't be a problem any more, as I've thrown away Unity's network code and written my own, with a really thin/lightweight server app you can run. It's not polished yet, but it's a good start. I've also been working on the visual style. Two things that bugged me about the previous version were the strange branding, and the visual style of the game. There was also a huge difference between the branding and what you actually see - the branding was cartoony and the game was aiming to be photorealistic. Aiming for the "photorealistic look" is difficult, and I think when you don't quite get it right, it c…
- Gimmie dem features (and development update) - 17 January 2017
As I mentioned in my last post, we're restarted development. Actually, it's more like we've restarted - from scratch. I started working on the network code last week. A big flaw in the previous network code was, once you get ~4,500 objects, you start having sync issues when you join. This shouldn't be a problem any more, as I've thrown away Unity's network code and written my own, with a really thin/lightweight server app you can run. It's not polished yet, but it's a good start. I've also been working on the visual style. Two things that bugged me about the previous version were the strange branding, and the visual style of the game. There was also a huge difference between the branding and what you actually see - the branding was cartoony and the game was aiming to be photorealistic. Aiming for the "photorealistic look" is difficult, and I think when you don't quite get it right, it c…
- Development Re-Started - 11 January 2017
As you might be aware, the development has gone rather stagnant. Well, there's a whole heap of reasons for this: Simulator or Game? This is the biggest part we've been stuck on. Do we go all-out and turn this into some super-complex creative tool for building stuff? Or do we add gameplay and make it less about building? Building on a Mess The game and code is a mess. The whole thing is an out-of-control prototype, and I don't feel that it's right to try and patch this up or add more content. The network code also has a fatal flaw in it, hence why the dedicated servers were taken down. We got spam-attacked As you might have seen, while I wasn't looking the forum got spammed into oblivion. I have not had a lot of time, so the forum is offline at the moment. I'm working on a solution. So, how do we deal with all this? We're starting from scratch. Crazy as this sounds, I learned so much fro…
- Development Re-Started - 11 January 2017
As you might be aware, the development has gone rather stagnant. Well, there's a whole heap of reasons for this: Simulator or Game? This is the biggest part we've been stuck on. Do we go all-out and turn this into some super-complex creative tool for building stuff? Or do we add gameplay and make it less about building? Building on a Mess The game and code is a mess. The whole thing is an out-of-control prototype, and I don't feel that it's right to try and patch this up or add more content. The network code also has a fatal flaw in it, hence why the dedicated servers were taken down. We got spam-attacked As you might have seen, while I wasn't looking the forum got spammed into oblivion. I have not had a lot of time, so the forum is offline at the moment. I'm working on a solution. So, how do we deal with all this? We're starting from scratch. Crazy as this sounds, I learned so much fro…
- Update 3.2 - 12 June 2016
Further to Update 3 released last night, this update fixes not being able to load savegames among other things. This update also gives you the ability to make cylindrical freeform shapes! Just hold C and scroll with the mouse to change freeform shape.
- Update 3.2 - 12 June 2016
Further to Update 3 released last night, this update fixes not being able to load savegames among other things. This update also gives you the ability to make cylindrical freeform shapes! Just hold C and scroll with the mouse to change freeform shape.
- Update 3 - 11 June 2016
Hello! After a busy week of work, I'm proud to announce the 3rd update to Concrete And Steel! Here are some of the highlights: Tool Fast-Switch and Help Tips We recognised that learning the various tools are a bit difficult. So in this update we totally reworked the tool belt, adding clear and concise help tips for each tool. Furthermore, we also added a "fast-switch" tool menu which you can access by holding TAB. Hint: You can continue to instantly switch tools by tapping tab. Look and Feel Updates, and Config Screen A fresh new look! Ambient light levels have been raised, as well as a brighter ground texture for grass based maps. We've updated the Ambient Occlusion shader, too, which means better shadows for high end PCs. Finally, we added a tilt-shift shader. All of these can now be toggled by a handy menu when you press Escape in-game. Music (BETA) A work-in-progress, we've added mu…
- Update 3 - 11 June 2016
Hello! After a busy week of work, I'm proud to announce the 3rd update to Concrete And Steel! Here are some of the highlights: Tool Fast-Switch and Help Tips We recognised that learning the various tools are a bit difficult. So in this update we totally reworked the tool belt, adding clear and concise help tips for each tool. Furthermore, we also added a "fast-switch" tool menu which you can access by holding TAB. Hint: You can continue to instantly switch tools by tapping tab. Look and Feel Updates, and Config Screen A fresh new look! Ambient light levels have been raised, as well as a brighter ground texture for grass based maps. We've updated the Ambient Occlusion shader, too, which means better shadows for high end PCs. Finally, we added a tilt-shift shader. All of these can now be toggled by a handy menu when you press Escape in-game. Music (BETA) A work-in-progress, we've added mu…
- Update 2 - 3 June 2016
We recently released Update 2 which includes a bunch of bug fixes. Here's what it includes: Added "no-bulild" zone colliders to spawn areas (thanks Guy2You) Fixed freeform tool preview object not disapearing after switching tools (thanks Guy2You and farfadet46) Fixed not being able to paint street plaza (thanks robbie) Fixed bug where you could incorrectly copy a freeform with the build tool (thanks Guy2You) Fixed bug where the aimer temporarily had the wrong rotation after copying an object with the build tool
- Update 2 - 3 June 2016
We recently released Update 2 which includes a bunch of bug fixes. Here's what it includes: Added "no-bulild" zone colliders to spawn areas (thanks Guy2You) Fixed freeform tool preview object not disapearing after switching tools (thanks Guy2You and farfadet46) Fixed not being able to paint street plaza (thanks robbie) Fixed bug where you could incorrectly copy a freeform with the build tool (thanks Guy2You) Fixed bug where the aimer temporarily had the wrong rotation after copying an object with the build tool
- Update 1 - 28 May 2016
Hello! A massive thank you to everyone who has bought and played the game so far. It's been amazing seeing what you guys have built since the launch. Also a huge thank you to everyone who has given feedback, criticism and bug reports. The community is what influences this game. From listening to feedback and watching you guys play in videos/streams, I have just published the following updates: Freeform Build Tool I've decided to release this earlier than planned because I'm excited to see you guys play with it. By pressing number 2 (or pressing tab) you can now get to the Freeform tool (it's the pencil). To use the Freeform tool, click once to set a start point - you will now see a preview object (a bit like the Brush system in Hammer editor). Use the scroll wheel to set the height of the block and move the mouse to set the width and height. At the top of the HUD you will see the width,…
- Update 1 - 28 May 2016
Hello! A massive thank you to everyone who has bought and played the game so far. It's been amazing seeing what you guys have built since the launch. Also a huge thank you to everyone who has given feedback, criticism and bug reports. The community is what influences this game. From listening to feedback and watching you guys play in videos/streams, I have just published the following updates: Freeform Build Tool I've decided to release this earlier than planned because I'm excited to see you guys play with it. By pressing number 2 (or pressing tab) you can now get to the Freeform tool (it's the pencil). To use the Freeform tool, click once to set a start point - you will now see a preview object (a bit like the Brush system in Hammer editor). Use the scroll wheel to set the height of the block and move the mouse to set the width and height. At the top of the HUD you will see the width,…
