Hello everyone, I hope you had a great summer!
After a lot of feedback on the Station9 demo, I decided to remove it from the store in order to improve it. So I'm going to take a step-by-step look at the changes I've made to the game over these rainy summer months.
Graphic Design
Perhaps the most obvious changes are in the lighting of the various spaces. When I started developing Station9, the floors were smaller and the rooms more brightly lit. But by increasing the size of the levels and the number of objects visible on the screen, lighting consumed a lot of graphic resources, which is currently a major issue for 3D games. At first, I tried to compromise, but the result was really average. So I decided to set up a single light source for the entire space.
The performance problem solved, I was able to change the look of the floor.
The rooms are about to get a little visual update: here are some objects before their texture is added!
Interface
The redesign of the UI (User Interface: all visual components enabling players to interact with the game) was the other big project. The aim was to make it simpler and clearer. Thanks to feedback from the demo, I started to remove superfluous elements, replacing certain texts with icons where possible. I've also removed certain tabs to facilitate access to information on the game, in the tutorial for example. The experience is now much smoother and more enjoyable!
Tech Tree
The final major change concerns the technology tree. Previously, technologies were unlocked over time, and the tree was poorly organized.
The player wasn't active: he or she simply had to start the process of acquiring a new skill or technology, then wait for it to be unlocked.
To reduce this feeling of waiting, a research lab has been added. Assign researchers to it, and they will generate points that will be used to unlock the various technologies. The more researchers you have, the faster the points will arrive.
The tree has also been reorganized, and after several attempts, I've opted for a fairly classic but effective layout. Tiers are now unlocked according to the level of your station.
The new demo is currently being translated and I hope to be able to put it online in a few days. I can't wait to see the feedback on all these changes!