Status Update: Getting closer to the new version

Hey folks! We're currently focusing on getting the first demo of the new version ready as soon as possible. The first version will be rather a "walking simulator", but it will serve as foundation for future updates. And the demo will still give a good impression of the gameplay and the technical component (graphics, audio etc) of the new version.

The last weeks we've been further improving the terrain generation. The game now generates more realistic, but also much smoother landscapes (i.e. no more "bumpy" terrain). Biomes (including proper forests) and dungeons are still missing, but the world is already more varied than in the old version.

We've also been working on the new building part. Our goal is to keep the freedom of the old system, but improve it to a extent that building becomes a lot less painful. Apart from fixing some issues of the old building system, we've reworked the way how snapping works from scratch. You will be able to change the rotation pivot of an element, and you will also be able to snap the object to a pivot of another element. As a result, creating curved structures will be much easier.

Unfortunately the building part won't be ready for the first demo release, but it will be available in a separate update shortly after.

We also spent some time on a new auto-updater/launcher (for the Standalone version) and on a Linux build. Unfortunately it looks like Linux/Vulkan support isn't Unitys greatest strength, which is a bit disappointing. We've discovered some bugs which are out of our control - most of the rendering stuff is "black boxed" in Unity and the source code of the engine isn't available. Only thing we can do in this case is to forward these issues to Unity, however, if you experience any issues or crashes with the Linux version of the game, please don't hesitate to contact us.

As always, you find more information on our Trello roadmap

Thanks a lot for your feedback

Quote from zfoxfire

Whatever it is, it appears to be a singular object--not plural and un-owned.

Bigfoot confirmed

Thanks for your feedback

Quote from icon58

Ii can see a a the blur? In the old version which gotten worse over the years.

Hmm... can you elaborate on that? You mean the blur got worse in the Java version in the past? There is a depth-of-field effect (which was already present in the Java version), but it can be disabled in the graphics settings. Basically all post-processing effects are optional and can be disabled in the settings

Quote from ebisgames

Does that mean that we can only explore on the map at the beginning or are actions already possible on the demo?

A few things will already be possible in the demo. E.g. interaction with objects, digging, and the creative mode terrain tools will also be available. Once the demo is ready, we will focus on adding construction elements and finalizing the building tools (which will then be available as a subsequent update)

Quote from Avanar

red51 i can see fog around the areas, are weather effects already in place?

Yes, some weather effects are already implemented (fog, rain, snow). They will be available in the demo (but only via console command). Only thing we haven't implemented yet is a proper sky (there are no clouds yet, so weather effects don't change the sky atm).