The changelist for version 0.240 is not especially long for an update of this size, but that's because one of the items on it is a big new feature: Vehicle Destruction.
Vehicle Destruction is something I didn't really want in the game when it launched in Early Access, and until recently, I was fine not having it. The Floppy+Breakable option in Sandbox mode was a kind of goofy thing that kinda mimicked destruction, but it wasn't really suitable for using in the campaign. With the focus shifting towards some missions being combat-oriented, and the recent features for making objects destructible, I started to think about adding a real vehicle destruction system.
There were a few things that went better than I expected, so it didn't take as long as I thought it would. The most unexpected aspect was that destroying the joints in a vehicle worked right away for the majority of part types. I also was not looking forward to making the destruction directional like it is with objects. I already had the shader done from objects, but doing all the 3D math and damage tracking was probably going to be difficult. It turned out to be an unnecessary worry, as doing the part-based damage/tracking/etc was more than enough detail. I was able to spend more time focusing on customizing how different parts take (and spread) damage.
In terms of changes needed for vehicles themselves, they have been generally pretty minimal for the vehicles I've worked on. Currently, only parts with some sort of joint in them can be "broken", while others just take visible damage (and transfer damage to adjacent parts). I also have to say that currently there aren't a lot of things outside of explosive barrels that do a lot of damage to player vehicles. You can certainly build a separate turret (with a gauss cannon, laser, or explosive weapon) and shoot your own vehicles to see how they destroy. My experience so far is that partially destroyed vehicles are still quite satisfying/fun to drive, and there will likely be some "malfunction" missions where there's a soft time limit in the form of the vehicle falls apart within a few minutes.
Because none of the vehicles/missions in the current campaign were designed with vehicle destruction in mind, I've disabled the system outside of Sandbox mode. I also removed Floppy+Breakable for now, and changed it so all the remaining cab-related settings can be used in any mode. This reflects the recent shift towards making the vehicle editing even more powerful (even though the number of settings/options for parts is too high for most players), so that really fun/interesting vehicles can be created more easily by vehicle builders.
After one more week or so of me working on additional campaign vehicles (and hopefully the addition of the long-awaited custom treads part), I'll be working on adding enemies and other vehicle-hostile obstacles of various sorts to the game. After there are a good number of enemies/obstacles, expanding the types of missions/objects that are possible will be next, and finally work on new campaign maps/missions can begin.
Here's the full changelist for version 0.240:
- Added vehicle part destruction system (sandbox only mode, for now)
- Added new part: Sequencer - Like a wave generator, but produces a series of pulses instead (up to 32)
- Add 8 new small parts (weapons now have S versions)
- Added Create Mirrored Selection shortcut (Control-M) - Creates a copy of selected parts and mirrors them
- Added Expand Part Selection shortcut (Control-E) - selects adjacent parts to current selected parts
- Added width/length offsets to flex panels/triangles
- Added some subtle mesh variations for Flex Panel + Triangle (Style slider)
- Made all cab/vehicle settings available in all modes
- Added Vehicle Damage multiplier (applies to all damage to player vehicles)
- Added damage mod advanced option to all parts (multiplier on that specific part)
- Removed part cost from Sandbox mode, show part hitpoints instead (vehicle cost still shows, but will be going away)
- Removed floppy and breakable settings for vehicles
- Made more advanced option variables apply to all parts, not just ones of similar type (Sound Volume, Sound Override, Damage Mod, and Material Override)
- All non-logic parts can now use material overrides
- Material Override can be set to "No Collide Parts" (uses default material, but won't collide with any other vehicle parts)
- Added an option to the Claw to set the starting angle (shows a preview of angle, but not fully visible 'til gameplay starts)
- Added a dark outline behind logic helper circle drawing
- You can now place explosive barrels in sandbox mode
- Enabled part rotation for more weapons
- Aiming Laser now has a strength value, only affects laser thickness
- Red Laser strength can now go up to 5 (instead of 3)
- Fixed missile/rocket trails disappearing if they were fired far enough
- Added No effects flag for power wheels and treads
- Updated collision for a number of parts
- Fixed solid pipe connectors being hard to select when the pipe was less extended
- Made smaller/larger parts draw if you have them selected (both in the library and the upper right)