Hey everyone! Lexy here, I'm excited to share some fantastic updates on our medieval naval trading game. It's been a productive couple of weeks, and I've made significant progress on the building system. Let's dive into the latest developments!
Building System Overhaul
The journey began with creating a new board that bundles together all the cards needed for a fully functional building system. The first feature was the ability for buildings to switch between their built model and the worksite model. Now, every building you place will have an "under construction" mode, adding a layer of realism to your growing cities.
Squashing Bugs
With new features come new bugs. I encountered an issue where buildings could be placed on top of existing ones. The placement algorithm wasn't checking for existing structures, but that's now fixed. Another bug involved some buildings not being clickable because the ground would intercept the events. That’s sorted too.
I also fixed a bug where city buildings appeared on the world map, creating a bizarre and unintended sight! And there was an issue where the worksite wasn’t immediately shown after placing a building, plus a flicker effect when entering a city map. All fixed!
Fine-Tuning the Building Menu
The build menu is now much more user-friendly. All build options are correctly linked to their respective details, and I've fixed all the filters. Clicking on "build" will now construct the intended building, not just the default Brewery. Unless you just want Breweries everywhere, which, honestly, I wouldn’t judge.
Improved Placement Options
A new tiny window now allows you to cancel the current building placement and soon will let you rotate buildings during placement. The green shadow/highlight shown during placement will now correctly represent the building model, ensuring you have a clear idea of what you’re placing.
Moreover, the placement validation algorithm now considers the actual size of buildings, instead of assuming a 3x3 grid. This change enables more complex and visually interesting city layouts.
Building Rotations and Progress
I’ve implemented building rotations! This means you can now rotate your buildings for better city planning and aesthetics. Additionally, I've fixed a bug where the cancel or rotate buttons in the building options UI wouldn't block clicks on the city map, preventing accidental placements.
New buildings now progress through construction phases until they become operational. This adds a dynamic element to city-building, letting you watch your cities grow over time.
Population Management
The latest major update involves population management. Now, pops (population units) are automatically assigned to new buildings whenever there are unemployed pops available. This ensures that your new businesses will have workers ready to go. However, if the number of employed pops exceeds the total pops in the city, some will be reassigned to balance things out.
Looking Ahead
Now that these features are in place, the core of the building system is nearly finished. Up next, I’ll be fine-tuning the building requirements, costs, and production values to make sure the gameplay is balanced and fun.
Thank you all for your continued support and feedback. It’s your enthusiasm that keeps this project moving forward. Stay tuned for more updates, and happy building!
Cheers,
Lexy