Devlog #1 – Transforming Builds into Engaging Experiences
The Quest for Purpose in Beautiful Worlds
Spatial Terminal Engine, the ultimate world-building platform, was suffering from an existential problem. Players were creating beautiful voxel worlds, but what they truly lacked was a sense of purpose. Now, as one of the talented developers behind this fantastic game engine, I was immersed in the heart of the discussion that aimed to address this issue. We put our heads together as a team, and I’m here to share with you the fascinating journey we embarked on to turn those picturesque worlds into playable games.
Sparks of Inspiration from Other Games
Like most developers, we take inspiration from other successful games. Consequently, our brainstorming sessions often revolve around comparing and analyzing the mechanics of games like Minecraft and Space Engineers. Our team’s creative genius, Yuan, suggested incorporating procedural generation in the Spatial Terminal Engine – an interesting idea that would undoubtedly have made our world-building even more vibrant.
However, Bell, our voice of reason, reminded Yuan that creating a procedural generation engine as captivating and detailed as Minecraft’s would be incredibly time-consuming. And so, we decided to do something different. Instead of following in the footsteps of existing games, we chose to empower the creators themselves. After all, who would know better than the creators when it came to designing game mechanics for their own worlds?
Learning from the Modding Community
The modding communities of various games, particularly Minecraft and Cities Skyline, played a massive role in shaping our approach to game design. These communities have demonstrated how gameplay, building, modding, and game design can seamlessly function together. Drawing inspiration from them, we decided to equip players with the ability to not only create and play but also mod and eventually design their games from scratch, if they desire.
To put our vision into action, we needed to make the Spatial Terminal Engine as accessible and user-friendly as possible. This meant eliminating the need for tutorials or coding knowledge, especially for users with no technical background. Yet, as ambitious as it sounds, my brilliant colleagues and I plan to implement advanced AI in the near future so that modding can be done by merely prompting the engine.
Incorporating Game Mechanics
Setting our grand vision into motion, we introduced our concept of “Spawnables”. These non-voxel objects allowed us to develop a Programmable Engine that enables players to attach executable scripts to Spawnables, thereby bringing game mechanics to the world.
Keeping our design simple, we fashioned flowing light walls for spawn points, giving them programmable functionalities by attaching the world-saving engine API-based scripts. The programmable has three components: a physical object, scripts (methods), and storage fields. By implementing these features, we enabled creators to customize Spawnables through our Spawnable Edit Panel, adapting them as they see fit for their game world.
Checkpoints & Endpoints: Breathing Life into Voxel Worlds
With a robust foundation in place, we started designing Checkpoints and Endpoints to turn these voxel worlds into playable games. Our elegant solution took the form of a parkour map, where checkpoints set players’ progress and endpoints unlock the Edit Mode. This allows players to add more content or modify mechanics when they reach the endpoint set by the original creator.
In this novel approach, the Endpoint acts as an incentive, making players strive to reach the desirable stage of unlocking the Edit Mode. Our team has grand hopes for the innovative system we’ve developed, and we’re excited to see the community embrace it.
Join the Community & Wishlist Us!
Our incredible journey has led us to develop a game engine that promises an unparalleled experience for both creators and players alike. As a developer, I invite you to join our passionate community, wishlist the Spatial Terminal Engine and eagerly await more updates (like our upcoming devlog).
Wishlist Us: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2261570
Join Discord: https://discord.gg/h2aZGWeQ8K
More Tutorials & New Beginner Maps
Furthermore, I wanted to share that we’re adding more instructions and an all-new parkour map in our beginner tutorial section. These exciting additions will be released in our upcoming update just next week. We cannot wait for you to experience our unique game engine, share your world with others, and embark on countless adventures.
Until next time, happy building!