Updates:

• Graphics setting (WIP)
  
  
  
  • Implemented borderless mode
    
  • Implemented active monitor switching for multi-monitor user
    
  • Implemented overall quality preset
    
  • Additional 4 quality settings
    
    
    
    • Visual Effects
      
    • Texture
      
    • View distance
      
    • Foliage (future proofing; in the current build there is still no foliage asset)
      
    
    
  • Implemented auto-detect functionality
    
  • Various other improvements (minor layout changes; Primary GPU detection. Resolution change confirmation widget, etc)
    
  
  
• Implemented a custom configuration file. Several user-specific preferences now saved correctly and are persistent across playthroughs. (e.g: Measurement unit preferences, autosave interval, etc)
  
• Nativitized most of setting logic from blueprint to c++. Better performance and easier to extend/maintain in the future
  

Next Update: 5th July 2019

Updates:

• Various improvement in mecha logic (WIP)
  
  
  
  • Initial implementation of Mecha AI. Previously; a mecha is only controllable by a human player. Internal progress has been made to allow a mecha to be controllable by AI. This feature will be enabled in future build
    
  • General codebase maintainability. A controllable mecha with different locomotion type now shared the same base class. Less redundancy
    
  • Various refactorings. Preparation works to start integrating modifiable mecha in tycoon module with controllable mecha in the simulation module
    
  
  
• Refactored graphic setting logic and UI (WIP).
  
• Fixed checkbox for FullScreen and VSync not visible inside main game setting
  

Next Update: 28th June 2019

Updates:

• New [Locomotion Test Room] (Work In Progress)
  
  • At the moment only 2 locomotion types testable
    
    
    
    • Biped-human; representing leg-type movement
      
    • 4-Wheel; representing wheel-type movement
      
    • Other movement types will be implemented in upcoming updates
      
      
      
      • Track (e.g: Tank / Panzer)
        
      • Flying (e.g: Propeller / Jet)
        
      
      
    
    
  • Initial Implementation phase
    
    
    
    • Still using placeholder mesh
      
    • Still detached from tycoon module-> unlocked component/attachment in research tree cannot be tested. Focusing on locomotion logic completion
      
    • The room itself is also still being worked on; the idea is to add more unlockable obstacle/facility as the development progress further
      
    
    
  • Mecha control hint is displayed on the inside wall for quick reference
    
  • A reset pad used for reloading initial test mecha position is implemented inside the test room for cases where the mecha is out of control (see above GIF)
    
  
  
  
• Build Update Cycle Changes
  Biweekly build update introduced in Update #51 has been tested for several weeks, and I am reverting back to weekly build update. Even though there are several administrative-overhead every time a new build is uploaded; at the end of the week it is still more productive
  

Next Update: 21st June 2019

Quick progress update

• Various improvements in the animation workflow
  
• Dynamic collision capsule placement now enables lateral movement over small obstacle -> can now correctly stepping over obstacle sideways
  
• Expanded current solution implementation to include locomotion type
  
  
  
  
  • quadruped
    
  • bipedal "chicken"
    
  • bipedal "double joint"
    

Build Update

• Unreal Engine minor update from version 4.22.1 to 4.22.2
  
• This is a minor update; current progress is not included in the newest build as it still needs a lot of tweaking (see GIF for problem example)
  

Movement Progress Update

• Logic Implementation
  
  
  
  • Locomotion logic is now in c++ for better performance
    
  • Implemented more abstract solution for leg-type locomotion -> can be adapted to other leg types (quadruped, hexaped, etc) relatively quick
    
  • Internally using an experimental feature [CCDIK] (Cyclic Coordinate Descent Inverse Kinematic) from Unreal Engine to implement foot surface detection as opposed to simple [TwoBoneIK] in update#051. This has some several trade-offs; a beneficial one is a support for a leg with multiple joints
    
  • Various other WIP improvements such as hips offset; turn-in-place detection; etc
    
  
  
• Improved default animation workflow.
  
  
  
  • Internal animation pipeline is now correctly creating a base skeleton with root bone
    
  • Improved default animation creation. For leg-type basic movement; a total of 9 default animations per leg-skeleton are needed (forward, backward, left, right, 4* diagonal and default stance). In the new workflow; only 3 are needed; the others can be generated from the metadata -> faster development time
    
  • Implemented bone naming convention -> future implementation of other controllable legs with surface detection will be faster
    
  
  

Next Progress Update: 31st May 2019

Progress Update:

• Initial Implementation of Mecha simulation (WIP)
  
  
  
  • Controllable Mecha
    
  • Leg Locomotion movement logic; atm using humanoid bipedal
    
  • Initial implementation of dynamic foot surface detection
    
  
  
• New build will be uploaded next week. Currently experimenting with biweekly build update to further optimize current workflow (as opposed to weekly build update). Progress update is still being reported weekly.
  

Next Update: 24th May 2019

Update 50

• Minor update to the store page description
  
• Quick overview of past updates can be accessed from here
  
• Mechsprofit roadmap in Trello has been synced and updated (the last update was in #031)
  
• There is no new build introduced with this update; most of the time was consumed in non-technical works, replacement of hardware failure and recovery of development data

_________________________________________________________

Short Summary:

_________________________________________________________
Updated Timeline

“Mechsprofit will be in Early Access until approximately Q2 2019.”

“Mechsprofit will be in Early Access until approximately Q2 2021.”

_________________________________________________________
1 Year; personal thoughts

_________________________________________________________
For the next 2 years

Next Update: 17th May 2019

Updates:

• Improved metadata for current 89 mech component placeholder objects
  
  
  
  • LOD: Level Of Detail (each component has 2 extra LODs) -> This will reduce performance cost when there are many visible mechas on the screen
    
  • Collision Data: Continuation from Update 0.5.27.-> Randomized attachment will now attach itself closer to the surface of the parent component. Component selection in assembly now behaves correctly
    
  • BoundingBox: Camera auto center + zoom is now more precise
    
  • Not all improvements have immediately noticeable benefit in the current build (i.e: LOD). The main objective from these improvements are streamlined component generation workflow which will aid in a faster transition from placeholder to the final version
    
  
  
• Preliminary implementation of attachment reprojection when it's parent component changes. (WIP)
  
• Numerous other minor improvements (Attachment installation sound effect, Improved assembly center camera logic, code refactorings, etc)
  
• Fixed [context pop-up panel] not updating when randomizing Component/ Material/ Attachment
  
• Iterated save version to v31
  
• Updated UE4 Minor version from 4.22 to 4.22.1
  

Next Update: 3rd May 2019

Updates(WIP):

• Attachment can now be selected in assembly mode
  
• Improved assembly control
  
  
  • LMB to select a component/attachment
    
  • Double click LMB to focus on component/attachment
    
  • RMB to focus on mech / zoom out
  
  
• Camera now moves with transition instead of instant
  
• Implemented new button to remove all installed attachment on a component
  
• Changed internal assembly camera type from standard to cinematic; this allows better customization and a more realistic Depth of Field (WIP)
  
• Fixed incorrect initial camera height when entering/unlocking a platform
  
• Fixed internal platform orientation not facing the right direction
  
• Various other minor fixes, improvements, refactorings
  

Next Update: 26th April 2019

Updates:

• Implemented attachment randomization
  
• Updated 89 component's metadata. Some of the improvements include:
  
  
  
  • Skeleton object + transformation correction
    
  • Collision data
    
  • Animation
    
  • Data table references
    
  • Socket info locations
    
  
  
• Iterated save version to v.30
  

• Current component references
  
  
• Attachment development screenshots
  
  

Next Update: 19th April 2019