It is once again time for a new edition of Dinolords Monthly where we check in with development of the game and what has been going on behind the scenes since last time.
This time round, we are having a look at the new and updated T-rex, we are frolicking in the forest, and we are looking at some of the new stuff that is currently being worked on so strap in, arms and legs inside the ride at all times, and let's go!
This has been on our to-do list for a long while now. Our old T-rex was made in a different suite of 3D software than we use now, so to be able to do some of the new cool things we want to do, it had to be redone. It could also do wit ha bit of a visual update to bring it further in-line with the rest of the newer units in the game, so without further ado, here is the new T-rex with british barding:
Is that a seat? IS THAT A SEAT?!?!
So that probably also answers a question we have seen asked a lot; yes, you will be able to ride a T-rex. And not only that, it also comes with some super cool abilities for combat! Being able to eat and throw enemy units, hurling them towards an untimely demise. Viking bowling, anyone?
Strike! I wonder if they had those deranged bowling alley animations in medieval times and how would they look..?
Just when I thought it couldn't get any cooler, a lord riding a T-rex shows up!
Until now, trees have been just that, trees. Barely in your way, a resource to be felled and used to expand your position. But that is soon coming to an end, or at least it's going to change slightly, because we are introducing more trees to the trees, turning it into an actual forest!
And that probably needs some explanation as to why that is exciting, so I will first explain what has changed, and then try to elaborate a little on how that affects gameplay.
Impassable forest with undergrowth and different ground texture.
Trees are part of a system that checks how close trees are standing. And if they are close enough, undergrowth is added and they act like a blockade you can't run through. Very similar to how other RTS games have done before, with the added exception that any tree that stands too far away from other trees will continue to behave just like it has up until now.
Now, this might sound like a minor change, but the implications are much bigger than that. Suddenly, forests effectively acts like dynamic barriers that will change over the course of a level. As you cut down trees, you are opening up new points of attack, but this also go the other way; you are able to carve a way through the forest into enemy territory where they might have thought they were safe.
Additionally, this helped with another factor with was navigating a level. Paths, rivers and mountains only do so much, and becoming disoriented can cost critical time when the enemy is knocking down your gates. Somehow, having these areas of dense forest helps provide some navigational points of reference, and it is now much more intuitive to move around a level.
In case you havn't seen them yet, my colleague Jesper is posting a summary of highlights from our weekly internal show & tell, you can find the posts over on reddit and on our discord. Every week there's a bunch of new goodies to feast your eyes upon and I definitely recommend heading over and taking a look.
But even though we now have those great weekly updates, I have still picked a few highlights to show off here, so let's dive in!
First up of cool things added to the game is something called Triplanar Projection. Gone are the days of stretched out textures on steep or vertical terrain surfaces, and in are super clean looking textures that wrap seamlessly around bends and curves. This has drastically improves how levels appear!
Before (left) and after (right)
And speaking of levels, Martin has been busy trying out different ways to make variation across levels in an attempt to both create visually interesting and distinct areas but also to help with navigation, here are a couple of screenshots of two very different looking zones:
It is so great seeing how drastically some different terrain, rocks and lighting can change the feel of a level, it is indeed very dramatic looking but I assume it would be, meeting a T-rex out in the wild like that.
We are going to be adding a bunch of new units to the game, and here I have tried my best to highlight how they will work and what they do in the game, so let's have a look:
Thesaurus - a super fibrous unit packed with words, has a permanent area-of-effect buff that increases the literacy stats of all nearby units. Will always win in an argument and never backs down.
Cupidon - small, youthful flying unit that shoots arrows that charms enemy units. Wears a cute wreath but otherwise refuses to wear clothes. Awkward.
Adaptor - incredibly versatile unit that can straight up merge into any role and fit into every regiment.
Countertops - absolutely solid unit that provides a great platform that serves as a working surface for other units, provides +10 cooking skills while in use, known for its stews and baked goods.
We absolutely can't wait to see these units in the game, but we don't expect them to be ready before this exact same date in exactly one year because to us, it is a very special date.
That was all for this edition of Dinolords Monthly.
Thank you for following along and for all the support towards the project, it truly means a lot to all of us.
See you in the next one!
-panxter