Not all news can be a showcase of pretty landscapes and new tools you can use. The invisible part of the process is equally important. The playability of the game highly depends on its performance after all. We decided to share the steps we take to make sure that our open-world map runs smoothly and the game looks as beautiful as possible without melting the players' computers.
The main goals of the project: open world, a huge number of objects the players can interact with and the best possible graphics were the base for the creation of all necessary tools explained below. This was a tricky task but after some thinking, the best solution seemed to be a mixture of simple and more complex systems.
A separate test map was created to see how the engine will handle all the assets and textures. We filled it to the brims with buildings, trees, and most importantly huge amounts of grass.
Then the map was cut into smaller pieces, which we can load depending on where the player is. This allows us to show the highest quality textures and VFX in the surrounding area. We load the lower quality textures behind the horizon and the player, which helps us keep the immersion without worrying too much about the performance.
Even though the grass was at some point the trickiest part to get just right, finally getting the system to work reliably makes rendering trees and even whole pieces of land much easier.
The game will also be equipped with a separate controller responsible for animating and rendering the grass directly through the GPU. This will increase the calculating power available and relieve the CPU. A system like this allows us to keep stable 60fps on maximum settings when using a GTX 960 graphics card. (the light green part of the graph represents the editor)
A traditional LOD system, which will switch models into less demanding variations depending on how close to them the player is, supports all these systems. The models are almost identical visually while being much easier to handle for the engine. With the number of objects on the map going into thousands, LODs are a must.
The last implemented system allows the game to save and load the status of singular trees. It will differentiate between ones that have fallen and ones still standing. This system will ensure that up to 800 objects at once with no hiccups or frame drops.
The backend part of the process may not be the spectacularly looking or the most interesting for all the players, but we wanted to shine the spotlight on the hard work of our programmer. You can show them some love by hopping onto our community discord and saying hi or sharing this devblog on your social media.
Devblog #4 - UI & Tool Accessibility
Ahoy Shipwrights!
Accessing the most important elements of your job requires a properly designed UI. In this devblog, we will show off the design and elements of the screens you will be seeing quite often.
Your Inventory.
The limited amount of items you can carry on you. The additional slots will open as you progress through the game. You can buy more space with all the cash this player clearly does not have. You can sort through items by categories or just drop them randomly for that extra bit of chaos.
Tool Wheel.
The quickest way to access your tools. You decide which items to take with you on that specific occasion. This way, in the heat of the moment, when you see the perfect tree, you don’t have to look for a saw in the depths of your inventory. Additional information will help you with using your tools.
The Stockroom.
All your tools and materials will be stored in the stockroom. Similarly to the inventory, you can access different categories separately. Organising your items is optional, but keep in mind you may play with others. You can buy additional storage space as you collect materials and eventually grow out of this stockroom’s capacity.
Ship selection screen.
Here you can access all ships available to you, along with brief descriptions and their stats. As you progress through the game, new ships will unlock and they will become more magnificent and complex. Each ship’s card will show its class, speed, the number of crew members needed to operate it, as well as the approximate amount of cargo the ship can carry.
Ship customisation screen.
Many elements on your ship can be customised. To be able to pick and choose, you need to buy the item first, otherwise, it will be locked on your customisation screen. Each element will have its stats, which among other things will inform you of their rarity and value. This way you can decide whether you build your ship as efficiently as possible or maybe just go for stylistic points.
On top of all this, we have more things coming soon! So as the devs continue their work, keep your excitement contained or share it with us on your community discord!
Devblog #3 Shipwright's Skills
Ahoy adventurers!
The sea is waiting for you, but before you can start sailing and trading, there is a lot of work to do on land. Building your fleet and creating a trading empire literally from the ground up will require you to master many unique skills.
The developers have been working hard on new features, which will help you immerse yourself in the hardships of a shipwright. Various tasks will be performed in form of mini-games, which will ensure that even the most mundane jobs become fun challenges.
One of the most important aspects of surviving and constructing a fleet is fire. You will be able to experience that chase of a spark in a mini-game. Keeping the elusive arrow in one place will be a key to starting a kindle strong enough to feed a fire capable of not only cooking meals but also melting ores.
Raw materials you collect need to be processed and shaped into nails, bolts, anchors. This is an exhausting process requiring lots of time and patience, which is why developers created this arcade-style challenge. While anyone will be able to produce items they want, perfecting smithing will require skill and impeccable timing.
The number of produced items will depend on how well you perform in the mini-game. You will always produce the items (no material will be completely wasted), however, the more outstanding your work is the better results! A combo system will allow you to create more items out of the same amount of raw material.
Obviously, as time goes on, there will be more features added. We just wanted to introduce you to the first two of them. As you master them all, you will become the ultimate craftsman.
While the developers tinker away, join our discord and become a part of the community. See you there!
IAYP Prolog Release
Hello to our prospective Ship Builders!
Just a quick update from our studio: we are stocked to announce that we are publishing the prologue to our very first game: I Am Your President!
It is (and always will be) free to play, so those of you that aren’t afraid of venturing into the shady waters of US’ White House politics might want to check it out!
You can learn more about it and get the game here:
Our 3d artists are currently creating one of the galleons. It is an immense project with a lot of details, so takes a lot of time. Simultaneously, our programmers are working on the process of casting cannons. We are not slowing down!
Above you can see the galleon in its full glory. This is an advanced model - unique and historically accurate. It is based upon an actual ship from 1684 and consists of… 1,000 pieces! So, if you’ve been wondering what was taking us so long, now you have the answer – we were creating a realistic, enormous ship (we’re not kidding, it’s 40 meters long!).
The galleon before your eyes is a draft version displayed in a wireframe mode. It is being modelled in a next-gen utility software by our 3d artists. As soon as it’s finished, we will provide you with more graphics and information.
In the meantime you can visit our Discord server and become a shipwright, as well as ask us about any details you are curious about. See you there!
Devblog #1 "Alpha Build 7"
Hello there!
Welcome to the first devblog of SBS. Below you will find a recording from the SBS alpha.
WARNING: What you will see is not a full and ready game. Most of the current models and animations are just placeholders which will be replaced or improved in the later stages of the game's development. It's an alpha, so many things will be changed in the future.
For those who prefer to read - under the YouTube video is the same only that written and with pictures.
[previewyoutube="8jikR0a_Mxc;full"]
INTRODUCTION
Ship Builder Simulator is a game about… boat building! You guessed right.
You'll start with almost nothing. Thrown by the storm on the beach, after your last sail was destroyed by it. You will have to work your way out by becoming the boat builder.
Current state of the game is early alpha where we experiment with various gamplay possbilities and implementing those ideas we found the best. Bugfixing and optimisation - are made in parallel with the core game development. For example you can notice that the earth is a little bit transparent. Yea... we are fixing that.
In the released game here on the beach you will find many collectables (like tools, wood etc.) that will help you get started.
For testing, we have prepared sets of ready products and piles of resources that allow us to quickly erect test ships and test other functionalities such as crafting or wood cutting.
There will be many functionalities in the game. Let's talk about some of them.
WOODCUTTING
Collecting resources is just the beginning. As we gain access to tools, we will be able to cut down trees and acquire wood for shipbuilding. In SBS we have to cut down at least half of tree trunk to fall one. The trees grow back very slowly, so with our greater demand we will have to venture deeper into the island.
Fortunately, SBS does not need to wear each beam separately. Everything goes to our infinite inventory.
SMITHING
An advanced method of processing harder to obtain resources. Many ship components in larger vessels will require metal parts - nails, fittings and chains. We will make them with the help of a forge. Currently represented by an anvil.
WOODWORKING
Here is a carpentry table. A foretaste of the carpentry workshop in which we will get rid of bark and transform it into useful elements needed to build a ship. These elements include - square beams and boards.
BOAT BUILDING
Welcome to your first shipyard - it is simple and poor, but you have to start somewhere. The ships will be editable, giving them decorative elements such as lamps, number of masts, type of cannon and many more. Here you can build simple sailboats, cutters and boats, and when you earn enough, you will be able to build larger vessels in larger shipyards.
RESOURCES & INVENTORY
The game will contain raw material needed for ship construction. Among other things: various types of wood and metals. You can come into their possession in several ways: by finding, extracting or buying. Currently, only the first two ways are implemented. Of course, the search for findings will cover the entire island not only it's beaches.
We are still working on main map. We want to provide players with the most interesting places both visually and for exploring.
SCANNING
Every now and then you will have access to the Site Scanning skill. The wave you send will highlight interactive objects for a short time. This hint will help you find items such as resources, collectibles and notes. It will also make it easier to find the last element that needs to be finished in the ship.
SUMMARY
We still have a lot of work to do. There are a lot of ships to model and implement, full sounding of the game along with music and making the whole island along with a small settlement, not to mention optimizing and fixing bugs.
If you want to help us improve this project, share your opinion about the game in the comments below. You can also join our discord for more news and beta access: https://discord.gg/3nPwrq3
Thank you for watching and Happy Holidays Everyone! See you in the next devblog.
About material gathering
Hey everyone;) You probably wonder what gameplay will look like ... or not? Regardless, I would like to introduce you to one of the gameplay features. I would also like to hear your feedback on this. Let's get to the point!
In our game, we want the shipbuilding and development of your shipyard to start from scratch. Maybe not entirely from scratch but at the beginning you will only have a few basic tools such as a hammer or an axe. These tools will allow you to obtain further raw materials such as wood and many others. How to get wood? You probably guessed that you have to cut down a tree;). We promise to do it in the most pleasant way possible. As the game progresses, you'll get better tools that will speed up the material gathering. For these needs, we create an environment in which you will find everything you need. The available area will not be the biggest open world you have encountered in games. Actually it will be relatively small, but we will try to make it as interesting as possible. What's more, exploration of the area available in the game will be quite profitable! On the island you will find many hidden and quite useful treasures such as materials, tools, money and special items to customize your ship. Therefore, it will be worth visiting every corner and every cave encountered :).
Of course, this will not be the only way to obtain materials! Everything will be available for purchase in a small port town using the money obtained for carrying out orders or selling ships. Thanks to this, you will be able to focus on building large ships without worrying about raw mats.
Let me know what you think about it. If you have any ideas, we'd love to hear them. We also invite you to our Discord server, thanks to which communication with us will be even simpler. Link below: https://discord.gg/3nPwrq3
Cheers, Intuition
New development information :).
Hello everybody!
We haven't communicated for a long time, but we're working hard on the game. We just finished alpha version of Ship Builder Simulator and basic gameplay parts are ready. Here are some of the changes we've made.
We can cut down the trees and then they fall! Incredible. Believe me, it's quite satisfying.
First ship is ready to be built from scratch.
Many resources added such as raw iron, iron bars, nails, beams, wooden planks, linen etc.
Usage of different tools is now complete. Axe, Saw, Hammer and so on.
Blacksmithing and woodworking workplaces are done and functional. Right now it's quite a mess because we allowed to move workbanches and place them almost everywhere (look at the picture below). We wanted to give player possibility to customize shipyard but we're not sure about that solution. What do you think?
Produce things from raw materials by using workplaces and appropriate tool. For example: saw beams to make wooden planks.
Inventory management is done. We believe it's now easy to use and intuitive.
Swimming. In case someone falls into the water;).
Bugfix.
What’s next:
More bugfixing (duh)
More ships
More island to explore
NPCs to interact with.
We are currently preparing prototypes for:
Sailing
Online cooperation.
PvP Naval battles.
Of course it will be completely optional and not required. You still can fully enjoy game while playing alone. We just want to give you the opportunity to test the ships you built. :)
