Posts by red51

That's your decision, if you want to write in english, write in english, if you want to write in german, write in german (preferably in the german section of the forum)

Once again, I like your suggestion! How should players find out the quality of the animals products? By trial and error?

But this feature will also take a long time until it's fully implemented, since we currently don't have any animals at all, and we're working on bringing them into the game Once they're ingame, we have to implement all other things that are necessary for survival gameplay first, then we can do this kind of "fine-tuning"

German:
Wir haben die Angelegenheit innerhalb des Teams besprochen, und wir denken, dass wir am Lua scripting System festhalten sollten, da dieses Feature ja auch nur im Multiplayer wirklich Sinn macht. Momentan ist nichts dergleichen geplant wie ein Bürgermeister, Städte oder Königreiche (natürlich abgesehen von durch Spieler geschaffene Städte oder Königreiche), aber all dies kann problemlos mithilfe von Lua umgesetzt werden.
Aber wie gesagt, wir werden definitiv ein paar grundlegende Scripts erstellen, auch sowas wie du dir gewünscht hast, welche auch völlig ohne Programmierkenntnisse verwendet werden können Ingame wird man ohnehin keinen Unterschied feststellen

English:
We discussed the matter in the team, and we think, that we should stick with the Lua scripting system, since this feature only makes sense in multiplayer. Currently there is nothing planned like a mayor, cities or kingdoms (of course apart from player-made cities or kingdoms), but everything can be easily done with Lua.
But as mentioned, we will definitely create some basic scripts, also something like what you've requested, which can be used without any programming knowledge You won't see a difference ingame anyway

Hi Marxell,

thanks for your suggestions!

1. Yeah, that would be a nice feature, but brings a few difficulities concerning the way we have to store those information (which block is damaged, what amount of damage etc.). We're planning to add this feature for objects, with different "damage stages": For example when hitting a door, it will break up more and more.
We'll have a look if we can also implement this feature for blocks

2. This is already possible with custom lua scripts. You can control who is allowed to build or destroy something within defined areas. You can also create something like factions or groups, and define which group may place a block, or pick up an item etc. depending on the current location of the player. It's even possible to add new elements to the GUI, e.g. a small label in the bottom of your screen showing the name of the area or it's owner or something like that.
We will offer more scripts "out of the box" in the future, so that they can be used without any programming knowledge. Futhermore, we are working on a wiki and more tutorials, to bring light into the darkness
Or do you think that "claiming lands" should be a "core feature" of the game?

3. Sounds good! There is already a map in the game, but it's quite useless, so it can't be crafted at the workbench Your idea is a good approach I think, I like the cartography aspect But it will still take a bit of time until this feature is implemented.

Hi folks!

You've probably expected a new update, but unfortunately, it's not ready yet This is due to the fact that the game is undergoing some bigger changes, and we're also doing a lot of bugfixes. We're not only working on the game, but are also implementing a new payment method: paysafecard, which will hopefully available in the next few weeks.

Concerning the game, we're currently fixing a lot of annoying things, e.g. "flying plants" near cave entrances, or missing grass at some locations. We also replaced the old filebrowser (which was used for uploading custom images) by an ingame solution, since the old one caused many problems.

Another point: With the next update, there will be a new biome type: Grassland, with only a few trees, and many smaller plants (which are also new) like flowers, ferns etc.

This is just the first step of realizing some bigger features. Here is an overview of the new features and also a roadmap for the next time:

Next update:

• Changed worldgeneration to generate bigger cave entrances
• Added a new "biometype": Grassland with only few trees
• New ingame-filebrowser to select and upload custom images
• New plants: Flowers, ferns, mushrooms
• Fixed a lot of annoying "cosmetic" problems, like flying trees near cave entrances
• Changed the look of the grass
• Fixed a lot of problems related to cutting grass

Following updates (in the long term):

• New biomes, like desert, tundra, polar region, savanna etc.
• New crafting gui with clearer navigation
• Extended construction system
• Animals and Monsters
• Chests to store your items
• Corpses when you die, allowing you to get your stuff back
• Ability to deconstruct objects, pack tents etc.
• Creative Mode (containing many, many tools)
• ...

Note: There will be of course more things we'll implement, so this list is not complete And btw., this list is not sorted.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lastly, I want to show you a few screenshots of some of the new features:

Meadows:

Ingame-filebrowser:

Flowers:

Stay tuned!

Hey folks!

The new update is now available! The launcher downloads it automatically - as always

This update introduces static lighting, i.e. you get the ability to place torches in the world. In order to place a torch in the world, you have to craft a mount for it. After placing the mount, you can attach the torch to it. Afterwards, you can pickup the torch at all time and hold it in your hands, while it still spends light.

This update also contains some major bugfixes.

Current restrictions, which will be fixed in the future:

• Torchlights will not be blocked by walls
  
• Sometimes light is wrong, but gets updated correctly after modifying the chunk
  
• Rotation of mounts does not fit exactly to special blocktypes, like cylinders

---------------------------------------------------------------

Full changelog:

• [New] Static lighting works now again (i.e. torches can be placed in the world)
• [New] A mount for torches can be crafted which is required to place torches on walls etc.
• [Change] Chunks are now saved differently which should be a little bit more efficient
• [Change] Object and Vegetations receive light with higher precision now
• [Change] Renamed some Lua database functions
• [Change] Adjusted specular lighting
• [Change] Reduced direct memory consumption by sharing more buffers
• [Bugfix] Fixed the problem that plants (trees, scrubs) were fully black sometimes
• [Bugfix] Fixed some problems with the ingametime
• [Bugfix] Fixed a bug that you wake up after sleeping while it was still night
• [Bugfix] Lua Label and Panel setX() and setY() work properly now
• [Bugfix] Lua setTimer() function no longer causes a 'ConcurrentModificationException'
• [Bugfix] Server no longer skips night when no player is online
• [Bugfix] Hopefully fixed the problem with missing chunks

Jap auf jeden Fall

Hehe, solche Sachens ind natürlich immer nett. Wir haben dahingehend auch schon ein paar kleinere Ideen

Gutes Argument Wir müssen mal schauen, ob wir in Zukunft vll ohnehin einen weiteren Buffer benötigen (was für andere Features ja gut sein kann), wo wir den Parameter fürs Flackern heimlich mitschicken könnten

An sich schon, das Flackern selbst würde auf diese Weise umgesetzt werden (das Flackern berechnet ohnehin die Grafikkarte), allerdings bringt eine globale Einstellung das Problem mit sich, dass es die gesamte Spielwelt betreffen würde, da sich alle Chunks dasselbe Material teilen.
Selbst wenn pro Chunk ein individuelles Material definiert wäre, würde diese "globale" Einstellung trotzdem noch alle statischen Lichtquellen innerhalb des Chunks betreffen, also würden auch alle normalen Lampen flackern Sprich wenn neben einer Fackel eine normale, moderne Lampe platziert wird, würden beide flackern.

Die Schwierigkeit ist also, dass für jeden einzelnen Vertex separat entschieden werden muss, ob an dieser Stelle geflackert werden soll oder nicht (die Prüfung also, ob die diesen Vertex erreichende Lichtquelle flackerndes Licht abgibt, wie die Fackel, oder normales konstantes Licht, wie eine moderne Lampe) Und da ist die einzige vertretbare Lösung eigentlich ein eigener Buffer...

Danke!

Der Radius sowie Lichtfarbe sind komplett variabel. Momentan entspricht der Radius der platzierten Fackeln dem Radius der "in Händen gehaltenen" Fackel

Lichtflackern ist erstmal noch nicht drin, weil das diverse Schwierigkeiten mit sich bringt: Momentan wird das statische Licht (sowohl künstliches als auch natürliches) als VertexBuffer an den Shader übergeben (Vector4, rgb für die künstliche Lichtfarbe, a für den Anteil des natürlichen Lichts). Für sowas wie Flackern bräuchten wir einen weiteren Indikator (schließlich sollen ja nicht alle Lichtquellen flackern), leider ist der VertexBuffer wie man sieht komplett ausgebucht, und einen weiteren Buffer wollen wir nicht extra dafür verwenden Wir müssen mal schauen, ob sich irgendwann mal die Möglichkeit auftut, so einen Wert (der ja pro Vertex gesetzt sein muss) möglichst optimal den den Shader zu geben (vll i.V.m Texturkoordinaten, allerdings wird dann auch der "Berechnungsaufwand" des statischen Lichts [was ja die CPU erledigen muss] größer).

Beim dynamischen Licht wäre das hingegen kein Problem, all dessen Daten werden als Uniforms an den Shader gegeben, und bei Punktlichtern haben wir noch einen Parameter frei Allerdings wäre auch das wahrscheinlich suboptimal, wenn die Fackel flackert, während sie in der Hand gehalten wird, aber ganz ruhig ist, sobald sie an der Wand klebt

The next update gives you the ability to place torches and lamps in the world, to illuminate the environment. You can place as many torches or lamps as you want. You can also pickup a placed torch at any time and hold it in your hand, while it still spends light.

We're also preparing more "light-spending items", for example flares and chemlights.

The update will be available within the next days, so stay tuned!

Thanks for your suggestions and your feedback! It's always good to receive positive feedback, we're pleased to hear that you like it!

About your suggestions:

Quote

1: advertising. LOADS of people would be trying this game out if they knew about it. And I'm sure that on indiedb alone many people have clicked on it. But the one thing that people dont want to risk is $15. If there is one thing people aren't lenient with its money. I suggest maybe somehow releasing a free version of the game? I know the money helps a lot, but this game would have plenty of youtube videos and downloads if it was free during the alpha stage. I feel I've definitely got my money's worth, but many wouldn't risk it.

Yeah, advertising is quite important and still lacking at the moment. Many people are hesitant, and the majority does not even know about this game. Making the game for free now won't be a good solution, since it's a little bit a slap in the face for all current customers. But we already thought about something like a free demo, with reduced content, maybe a restricted playable area or something like this. We need to discuss that topic.

Quote

2: Have you guys ever thought of adding a little horror aspect to it? The first time I entered a cave with a torch I was really hoping you guys hadn't added any hostile mobs, because it would have scared the heck out of me! But all in all, this would be a great horror game: no planned jumpscares, monsters jumping out when you least expect it, everything is random. Wouldn't be any other horror game like it. And horror games are kind of trendy right now. It would add an extra spark to an already innovative game in my opinion.

That's an interesting idea. Admittedly we never really thought about that, but to a certain extent, it could be a thrilling aspect. The good thing is, we're not able to do anything "pre-scripted", so of course everything would be random. We'll discuss which of our planned monsters fit into a horror sheme, and in what manner. Thanks for this hot tip!
But obviously, we need to bring any monsters or animals into the game as soon as possible

Exactly, this feature mainly focuses on multiplayer

Of course factions or jobs are possible, those things can be easily done with scripts. You can define whatever you want, for example set different colors, or define a territory for each faction.

A basic tutorial is available, you currently find it on our IndieDB page: Tutorial overview page

Find the script of the tutorial in attachment.

PLEASE NOTE: Support for the Lua API discontinued in 2017. While Lua scripts still work in the Java version (with limitations), the new version has no Lua support at all

To create a new script, go to the "scripts" folder inside your game folder (if it does not exist, simply create it). Now create a new folder named as your script (for example "MyScript"), and create the following files which are required:

• A file called "definition.xml" which contains all information about the script (template: definition.xml)
• The scriptfile itself (must be a .lua file)

The script must contain the event "onEnable()" (see below, of course the comment is not necessary):

function onEnable()
    -- this event is triggered when the script is loaded
end

Finally, one more hint: If using this feature in singleplayer, it's recommended to enable the debug console (open the "config.properties" in your game folder and change the line "game_debug_console" to true). The reason is, that if any error in your script occurs, it will give an output to the console pointing to the erroneous line in your lua script. This is extremely helpful when developing a script.

Happy scripting!

Since you find an application example in the recent changelog, here just some main information about the new Lua scripting functionality:

This feature allows you to take control of the game flow. You write external scripts in Lua, a powerful and easy to learn script language (more information: http://www.lua.org/), and load them into the game (when starting the server). Your script gets notified of all relevant events, for example when a player dies, or destroys a block, or changes his position. Generally you receive further information with every event, so you know which block the player has destroyed, or which is the new position of the player. You're also able to cancel most events, preventing them from execution, i.e. the block won't get destroyed, or the player stays alive, or the player gets teleported back to his previous position.

You're also able to call different functions, e.g. change the player health, or spawn an item. One special feature is the ability to create own GUI elements for the player, so you can display some texts on the players screen (useful to provide him some information, or simply to advertise your homepage). You can currently create labels and panels. Of course you can freely determine the position, color and size of those elements, among some more properties (e.g. border etc.).

Another special case is the chat: When a players writes something into the chat, beginning with a "/", it's recognized as command and won't be shown in the global chat, but send as a "command"-event to your script. So you can - for example - create a command called "/changetime" to change the current time, or "/rules" to display your serverrules.

It should also be noted that this feature has full sqlite support, allowing you to store some data in a database.

We will provide something a documentation and an example script as quick as possible. Watch the new section "Lua Scripting": http://forum.concept-game.net/…p/Board/18-Lua-Scripting/

Finally, a few screenshots. Since it's not easy to show screenshots of this new feature, I guess it's the best to give you some screenshots related to the application example in the changelog thread

Here you see how an area is created during runtime. The selector has been enabled with a simple command. Now another command saves the selected area in the database with the provided name:

Now when entering this area, a small text is displayed in the left bottom of your screen, showing the name of the current area (in this case the area is called "Kitchen"):

This is what it might look like when having several areas, especially in a hotel. It is intended that you can slightly see other areas through walls. Every area you see is saved in a database, and can be displayed with a simple command (please keep in mind that everything is done by a script):

As promised, here is the new update!

It gives you the ability to write custom gamemodes in Lua. You can compare this feature a little bit to the scripting functionality of Garry's Mod, or SA:MP or MTA.
A typical use case: You create a multiplayerserver and build a hotel. Now you want to make sure that nobody destroys the building, so you can write a script that protects everything within a specified area from destruction. Maybe you bind this to different groups, so that players assigned to a group "admins" still can modify the hotel (just as an example). Next, players should be able to rent a room in your hotel; they are not allowed to destroy the room, but they're allowed to place own objects (like furniture) in the room. So you define more areas in your script, according to your hotel's rooms, and specify that the player who rented a room can place objects, but cannot destroy walls for example.

It's also possible to show elements on the player's gui, for example labels. So when entering an area, you can display the according roomnumber, or the name of the owner etc.
In addition, commands are also supported (i.e. everything you type in your chat, beginning with "/"), so a lot can be defined during runtime (e.g. specify the owner of an area etc.).

This is mainly a multiplayer feature, but works also in singleplayer.

Find more information here: Lua Scripting

A few other changes were also done, for example you're now able to sleep in your bed or in a tent to skip the night.

Here is the full changelog (looks quite short, but the scripting feature should compensate that).

---------------------------------------------------------------

Changelog:

• [New] Added Lua scripting functionality to the game which allows you to write custom gamemodes
  
  
  • Notification about different events, e.g. when a player places a block, or a player dies, or changes his position etc.
  • Cancel an event to prevent it to be executed. For example: Cancel the "place block" event, so the block won't be placed, or cancel the "player die" event, so the player won't die
  • Ability to receive every input a players types in his chat beginning with "/" (commands)
  • You can split your script into several files (to keep your code clear and good readable)
  • You can load as many scripts as you want
  • Ability to create own GUI elements individually for each player (currently labels and panels)
• [New] You're now able to interact with beds and tents
• [New] Ability to sleep to skip the night
• [Bugfix] Fixed a problem when returning to main menu (not all elements have been reset)
• [Bugfix] Fixed a bug that did not let you press the "respawn" button after your death

Thanks, especially in this initial phase of development every form of advertising helps us

And yes, we're working tirelessly on new updates, there is still much to do, but we will not give up on it so quickly

Glad to hear that everything works now!

And you may ask as many questions as you want, that's absolutely no problem Unfortunetely, torches are currently disabled. At least you cannot place them, but you can hold them in your hand (then they also spend light, as well as the lightstick and flashlight).
For debugging purposes, you can also press L at the moment to create a lightsource that follows you. Of course this function will be disabled as soon as torches are working again.
Expect them to be working soon

//Edit: Wait... did you extract the files from the archive? Or do you run the game within the .zip?

Really? Usually you don't have to download the game everytime, only if an update is available. That's strange... What OS are you using? Were all gamefiles downloaded into the same folder of the concept.exe respectively the concept.jar?