Good Morning/Evening/Time is an Illusion Everyone!
Welcome to another Sea Power update blog. You join us as we work hard to finish the remaining core components of the game, improve performance on core features, and support Microprose’s marketing team in preparing fun things (keep your eyes open for us popping up here and there in the near future).
The biggest core parts of our work at present are: the save/load functionality while playing missions, and the campaign. However, as always bug fixes and improvements abound (though I think Nils will insist we stop adding new features to break unless they involve the campaign in the very near future).
Victor, supported by Ivan’s extensive knowledge and capricious memory, has been getting acquainted with the code base over the last two weeks and has been tightening up the INI file handling systems. I think it has been said before, but Sea Power is highly modifiable with all the features controlled through INI files that you as the player will be able to modify. We have stuck to this format rather than switching to the more common JSON as we feel it is easier to read for players and hopefully makes new features more accessible. Ivan has also been really focused on setting up new units, especially airfield variants, and ground units. After all Close Air Support is no fun without things to explode!
Speaking of new features be aware that we do read all the messages on the Discord, Steam Forums, and elsewhere. So, if you are really interested in any particular feature there is a good chance we have it logged away in our fan suggestions box, and at least a few have been included already! We really want to make sure that this game is a success, and we have a serious plan for making sure that it has longevity!
In the art team Mek and Nils continue to generate new models, variants, and improve our existing work with little features like unique serial numbers for aircraft (I’m not sure how they managed to get us to program that one in!). In line with the survey we are not releasing as much info on new models as that was not seen as a point of focus. However, Steam, you guys have let the side down here; Discord is far outstripping you on replies!
I’ve spent most of the last few weeks focused on my day job, but also on aircraft, improving the flight models to be a little more natural, along with (this week) making some updates to formation flying. I’m hoping that we can add the ability for you as a player to “Assume Direct Control” of the aircraft and really let loose.
On the campaign front I have been integrating the way that background data like cities and airfields is displayed into the Mission Editor, and hopefully into the live missions so that your scenarios can have realistic background traffic in them. Danill (who had a lovely holiday) and Martin will be joining me in working on this in the next week or so. This should let us really parcel out the work packages and ensure that we chunk through what remains to be done.
In the midst of this Noah has been hard at work testing and stress testing all of our fixes, he does want to remind you what happens when people touch America’s boats though!
Thanks for visiting, we really appreciate your comments and support! Enjoy some extra screenshots!
And some 1980s inspired post-processing
And here is one that Nils found from very early in development, before most of the systems even existed! But you can see even then how much wizardry the art team is able to get out of these!
