Hello everyone!
I hope you're all doing well as we head into the summer season. I wanted to share a quick update with our Steam community on where things stand with v0.3, as it's clearly taken significantly longer than I had originally expected.
Where is v0.3 at?
First, I just want to apologize for a lack of communication on my end. I know this has lead some people astray wondering where the update was, and for that I'm sorry. I try to hold myself to a higher standard, and I should've communicated this delay much sooner.
Now, onto why this delay has happened...
Since the last progress update, opportunities have arisen to implement some long-standing goals I had set out to do before the game even launched, the biggest of these being the introduction of mod support. It made more sense to tackle that now while I was already deep in refactoring the entity module system.
Alongside that, I’ve been able to address other key areas that would have been much more time-consuming to retrofit later. Without diving too deep into the technical side of things, here’s a quick overview of what’s been added or improved:
- Full refactor of entity detection using spatial partitioning instead of physics
- Completion of the entity module refactor, paving the way for mod support
- Major project code cleanup and restructuring
- Updates to core component drivers (e.g., Turret, Unit) with modular handlers
- Replacement of placeholder conditional logic with a new state machine system
- Introduction of unique unit types via the new state machine system
- New dialogue system to support quests and better character representation, which was heavily influenced by community feedback over on our Discord
- Plus many smaller improvements and polish across the board
All of this has contributed to the delay in releasing v0.3, but like with other delays, I truly believe the long-term benefits are worth it.
So, when is the update coming?
At this point, giving another hard release date would be unwise (and probably a bit comical) so instead, I’ve decided to take a more transparent approach. You can now track the remaining work on a public GitHub project board, which updates in real-time:
https://github.com/users/Vitzual/projects/2/views/1?sliceBy%5Bvalue%5D=v0.3
In addition to this, there's a milestone for v0.3 which more clearly shows the remaining tasks needed to complete the update. Please note however, the board only reflects the final remaining tasks, it doesn’t represent the full scope of the update:
https://github.com/Vitzual/Vectorio-Development/milestone/1
I know delays are frustrating, and I deeply appreciate your patience and passion for the project. My focus remains on delivering the experience I originally envisioned, with a stable and feature-complete 1.0 as the end goal. Every decision, even the tough ones that affect short-term progress, is made with that in mind.
If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat, I’m always around - feel free to drop into our discussions or join us on Discord.
Discord: https://discord.gg/vectorio
Thanks for reading and for sticking with me on this journey!
~ Ben