Infinite Empire Demo · published · build 24045544
This update focused on establishing a new baseline for projectiles so I can more easily add VFX going forward and prep for a weapon design pass.
Modules now have their health pools tied to their footprint on the hull. This is how it worked pre-alpha, but since then I've learned how to make it functional, so it's back! Shots drill real channels through plating, and the scars you see ARE the damage state.
Overkill carries through: heavy slugs bore deep, light guns chew.
Bisected modules die. Because module health is tied to hull segment health, you could technically cut a module in half and it might still live if your weapons were very accurate. That seems silly, so it's tuned to avoid that. I hope.
Core kills roll one of three deaths: a molten crater, a fountain of fire and sparks, or the whole core section blown clean through. This will continue to be a system that's tuned, because I love explosions.
Wrecks go cold, vent gas from their wounds, and smolder as they drift. They did before, but we're close to 10x the flair versus 30 days ago.
Full projectile rework: faction-tinted tracers sized by damage, proper motion tails, legible from point-blank to full zoom-out.
Impacts scale with the hit, muzzle flashes sit on the barrel, damage numbers merge into one tally instead of stacking into soup.
Shields respond where you hit them: a localized ring races out from the impact instead of the whole bubble frothing white.
Tesla arcs, void bombs, and summoned craft all got real visual identity. Everything smooths at high refresh rates.
This is also pre-work for a larger update to weapon type design that's possible now with the new hull damage updates, so watch for those improvements.
The Empire screen opens as frosted glass over your live galaxy, and Sol Defense can run time forward while you watch.
Fleet icons settle straight into orbit. Battles start outside EVERYONE's weapons range, including yours. No more shooting before the screen even loads!
Plus: squadron panel survives the crazy 32-bay hangar builds that Codius decided was a good idea, and a pile of smaller fixes. Full notes in the in-game News panel. o7
New damage model requires balance around time to kill and weapon types; some builds may no longer be viable, and some may be OP.
New hull armor system requires an update for NPC ship designs to fix some, likely, silly edge cases.
Economy and research balance requires continued tuning, and will be ongoing as things are updated.
The new UI transitions are in place for 50% of scenes, but not in place for Research, Build, and transitions between all combinations of scenes.
Sol Defense tab system map layout needs a pass after the UI update.
Galaxy map overlays: This system is in-transition, with the next phases adding level of detail, an additional Military overlay, and then a re-shuffle of what info is in what overlay, including touching the system hover UI and the system detail and management UI.
Weapon VFX in this build is a major step forward, but is mainly preparation for adding more fancier shiny effects, which are ongoing.