Sun level upgrade - I upgraded the graphics of the sun level!
Coins are in Planetary Settlers now, and they have a wonderful message! United we stand! Divided we fall... These words are especially important amid the chaos we are up against today. Let's stand together united as humans to overcome the many challenges we are facing, and stop fighting among ourselves! Let's do great things together as humanity! I plan on making it so the coins can later be used in some sort of shop / and / or for crafting. They give you 1 gram of Cobalt each, Platinum, and more. See how many coins you have collected by seeing how much Cobalt you have. I plan on making an in game currency display later.
Upgraded the lighting for all levels (upgrading to the newest version of Unreal Engine 4 did that)
Upgraded to use the highest resolution available on the textures (the ground on Mars looks even better now, as seen in the photo of the coin, for example).
Bug fixes - I have fixed a number of bugs.
New Sky Update
I have made a few improvements in this update!
I have updated the Jupiter cloudsphere to have more detail, and give more of an impression that there are just clouds beneath, no ground. To check it out in person, go to Jupiter and look outside the floating base!
There is now a new mission on Neptune where you have to get over 100 waypoints as fast as you can! Are you up for the challenge? To try it, go to Neptune and fly up on top of the floating island and trigger the green question block. I had a lot of fun with it, and I hope you will too.
I have made multiple bug fixes!
Here is a look at the Neptune mission:
Here is a video I made of me testing the skyshpere: [previewyoutube="g265pdGMhao;full"]
Second Anniversary
For the second year anniversary of Planetary Settlers, I thought I would share some details on how development has been going! Here is the good, the bad, and... the lessons!
The Good
Planets are in - All the planets are available now to visit, there is a level for each planet of the solar system (and a couple more levels - the sun and moon).
All positive reviews - All reviews of Planetary Settlers have been positive so far!
More features - I have added more features than I originally planned!
Beta! - Planetary Settlers is now in Beta, and I plan to fully release it in about a year!
Financial Improvement - Planetary Settlers sales have been somewhat increasing, and I turned a slight profit for the first time, though I am still not out of the woods. The situation is improving though, and I am optimistic it will continue to improve!
Found - All the space slugs of the inner solar system have been found, but none of the outer solar system ones have been found. You can still be the one to discover those, post a picture to the community page if you find one. This will unlock further rewards for all the players, and you can name the pet too (just keep it kid friendly).
The Bad
COVID-19, finances and ulcers - oh my! These have come together to create the "perfect storm" of worry. I am personally learning to put my trust in God though, which I need to do before the worry further deteriorates my health, so I can start healing!
Family illness - The whole family got really sick earlier this year after visiting a convention to look for ways to market Planetary Settlers. I am very thankful it wasn't COVID-19 - it was just a bad flu, and I am thankful we all pulled through.
Burnout - I was getting burned out, but I am fine now. I was overdoing it, needed to scale back my efforts a bit, and at least observe the Sabbath (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown).
Not enough reviews / sales - I am still under the required number of reviews to have a recommended score for Planetary Settlers. I also don't have enough sales to make Steam trading cards yet.
The Lessons
Focus on the good, and learn from the bad!
Follow God!
Keep going! If it is a worthy cause you are working on (I feel Planetary Settlers is) and is feasible, don't give up on your dream, keep going! If it isn't, find something else you enjoy that is a worthy cause!
Go at a steady pace, don't over do it (or under do it)!
Work with others - family, friends and you - the community - have provided a number of good ideas that have greatly enhanced Planetary Settlers (though still observe social distancing and local guidance while we deal with COVID-19).
The Future Since you made it this far, here are my goals for the fairly near future:
Polish the graphics / look and feel - adding more furniture and artwork to the levels, and adding particle effects, quest line, etc...
Give crafting a bigger role (it is currently used in the Jupiter base repair mission).
Add more missions to the existing levels, to include crafting missions and more missions for the outer solar system! My goal is to have 10 missions per planet.
Add verbal dialogue.
Further test and fix more bugs.
Possibly add more levels to highlight different parts of the planets.
Possibly implement health / fall damage, battery power, and pickups to replenish health and battery power.
Add levels for some of the more interesting moons, an asteroid, and a comet!
Add more achievements.
Translate to other languages.
Make it available over more platforms.
I am optimistic about the future of Planetary Settlers - I am marching toward full release, and I have the ability to press on!
Autopilot Fleet and... Beta!
There are some new space ships that need their autopilot tested out! Are you willing to help test their autopilot programming? Step up on to the ship in the hangar and near the "?" mark to trigger the autopilot. The ships are supposed to fly around in formation, controlled completely by auto pilot. Just ride one and see if you can collect all the waypoints! If the test runs smoothly, they may even attempt to have you transfer between the planes!
I now consider Planetary Settlers to be in Beta! I plan on adding a number of other missions, fixing bugs, adding a few more levels, and adding more features. I feel it is moving more from the development phase into the polishing phase, to improve the look and feel, etc... I still have a lot of new content planned. I am hoping to do a full release of the game in about a year!
Features include:
Uranus Fleet Flight Mission
Added Jet Plasma Trails
Planetary Settlers is entering Beta!
Multiple bug fixes - the most major bugs are now fixed (for now, hopefully it stays that way)!
Cleaned up missions in the outer solar system
Improved lighting (some areas still need more work)
Since you made it this far in reading, here is a sneak peak at the new mission!
[previewyoutube="Bq18cV6qLkc;full"]
Good Sport Update
Now you can find and unlock different sports balls (5 total, in addition to your regular ball) to launch! Once unlocked, find them under your Ability tab!
In Normal mode, sports balls are unlocked by finding a hidden console (hidden in secret areas), where you walk up to download the blueprint. Once you find a blueprint, you can launch the balls by pausing, going to the Abilities tab, and selecting your desired ball (lower right corner). When you left click, you will now launch this as a projectile!
If you want immediate access to them, you can go play in Open Exploration mode, where they are already unlocked.
Customize their color under the Color tab! Select Projectile, then pick your color. You can pick a color from the menu, or make your own color with the RGB sliders. You can also select Glow, and make the ball glow in the dark, whatever color you pick! Hint - try sliding it on the RGB bar down to a low value if you want an authentic glow in the dark look (otherwise it will be bright enough to glow brightly in the day light, which you may want to try as well). While you are here, might as well mess with your light color! While this was here already, it is a lot more fun to try with different sports balls!
Multiple bug fixes and improvements have been made as well. The way points on the alien mission are now brighter / easier to see, and now you can walk right up to the edge of the moon dome (inside and outside).
Thank you all for being good sports during this trying time! Together as a society, I am sure we will get through this. Hopefully this update brings some happiness as well!
Sneaky Secrets and Space Slug Rewards!
The Quivakon's pet space slugs in the inner solar system have all been found, and the Quivakons have given a generous reward on the Mars base (upstairs on the table)!
The secrets have gotten sneakier! If you know where the secrets are already, they are still in the same areas, but most are better hidden now!
Can you find the pet space slugs in the outer solar system? There are a total of 5 more to find (4 of 9 total space slugs have been found). Even greater rewards are in store!
The space slugs that have been found now know, and can say their name. They can only sense when you (or a projectile) are very close to them, but if they sense your presence, they will say their name in dialogue!
Bug fixes have been made.
While not part of the game, I thought I should make it known that am donating my unused CPU cycles to help with the Folding @ Home project to help scientists fight the Coronavirus, among other diseases. I encourage you to do the same. Together, we might make a difference! Check it out at: https://foldingathome.org/
All Around Update
The Quivakons have made their first delivery for finding one of their lost space slugs! Now 1 of 8 space slugs have been found. The reward is available on the Mars table upstairs. The found space slug's name is Alfie, and she was found in the underground cave on Mars!
The Quivakons have also posted posters of their lost pets on planets where they might be.
The portals are now linked together better so you come out through the portal you went in (e.g. if you jump into the Venus Volcano and go to Mercury, you can go back through the portal and be in the volcano, instead of at the start of the level).
I made it so you can't turn your speed all the way down to 0 (this eliminates the possibility that you could lock yourself into a level, if you don't have any ability points to put back to speed).
I also fixed some bugs, including a couple found by a dedicated player! Keep up the good work and feel free to let me know if you find more bugs!
Now Neptune
With the addition of Neptune, I am happy to announce that all the main planets of the solar system are now in Planetary Settlers. Pluto is also present, and can now be reached from Neptune.
In this update, you can now go to Neptune, venture outside the air ship, and explore the nearby Quivakon floating base. I wonder what secrets it holds? More missions are on the way!
There are still many updates planned to come, including:
Adding more missions and content to the existing levels
Adding some of the interesting moons and possibly other locations
Adding more story elements
Touching up game play (enhancing the menus)
Adding more features
Adding multiple language translations
Spot the Space Slugs
Spot the Space Slugs! Some of the Quivakon's pet space slugs have escaped. If you find a space slug somewhere in the game, share a picture on the Planetary Settlers community page, and describe where you found it! Use F12 to take a screenshot. The Quivakons are offering in game prizes for everyone, depending on how many are found. All the ones in the inner solar system have been found already (4), and there are a total of 5 more to be found in the outer solar system! The contest is ongoing through 2020 (or until they are all found)!
Rewards are being provided on the table on the second floor of the Mars base.
Uranus and Aliens
Now Uranus is in the game, and there is a rumor of a new alien life form!
Enjoy the view as you ride through the upper atmosphere of Uranus! From the dual blimp bases, enjoy the beautiful turquoise sky of Uranus, as well as its thin rings. You can also fly out and explore!
There is a quiz to challenge your knowledge of Uranus, and the solar system! Each planet has its own quiz, which randomly gives you 10 questions from a bank of 25 questions.
There have been seven reports of a newly discovered alien life form! Is this life something the Quivakons brought us, or something native to the planets? Reports describe it as some sort of breathing space slug. If you find one, please post to the community hub where you found it so the rest of us can find them!
Researcher's Notes: This alien life form appears to require conditions at least remotely hospitable for life. They are also shy and like to hide, so they will likely be very difficult to find. They are rather large, and, like the slugs we know, they can climb on walls and ceilings.
