Skipped a few version control updates in the middle there but Update 0.4.9 "OFF THE GRID" is available soon now! - As is the game, now publicly present on Steam as a coming soon page here!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3066940/Immortal_Engine/
It'll be a while still before I feel the game and coming soon pages are in a state where I want to publicly promote them, but we're getting there. Playtesters/Pre-Alpha players, standby for future information on how the two game branches will merge as the game launches into full early access either later this year or early next year. Likely will get the Coming Soon page on Steam in the next few weeks, do a little promotion, run a small Kickstarter, and then launch for Early Access.

We're still in the phase where there's just way too much for me to reasonably patch note it all. But I started adding some new content to the visual systems in addition to continuing to expose the underlying engine, tuned up some UI, etc. and I do have a decent set of patch notes for you. Expect this to continue and for these to get more detailed as we get closer to launch.

Let's get at it! ---

• OFF THE GRID PART 1: Added advanced planet graphics. These generate actual coastlines and muddle details into a baked surface map instead of having biomes conform perfectly to hex tiles and such, for nicer-looking small planets or higher-detail renderings.
• OFF THE GRID PART 2: Building no longer conforms to the hex-subgrid system and the original 13-point-per-subtile wall system. **Reworked** the subdivision system to accommodate. Significantly reworks existing simulation behavior, but allows for infinitely more interesting generations, and generations in general.
• OFF THE GRID PART 3:Not truly off-the-grid, but planet models can now incorporate heptagons into their design, enabling a massive range of new planet shapes, rings, discs, and all sorts of fantasy and sci-fi options.
• The planet shapes are one of the coolest parts of this update. It required heptagons to be introduced in order to support the negative geometry on some of the new planet models while still keeping the maximum warping of tiles within a 1.4x stretch of the average tile. This was a NIGHTMARE. But the outcome was cool enough to make it worthwhile.
• As a quick side note, as far as I know, Immortal Engine might be one of the only, if not the only system out there capable of producing Goldberg-esque tile-based non-standard shapes with negative geometry. Which is pretty tubular! ...get it?
• ALTERNATE PLANET SHAPES - Bored of scientific, standard planets? Want to make a big ol' torus planet, or some weird, stretched out egg-shaped one? Now you can!
• The new Fantasy/Magic/Sci-Fi Planet Shapes include single, double, and triple torus/ring planetoids (stacked or in a line), ovals and eggs, discs, rings, halos, tunnel spheres, corkscrews/coils/knots, arches and hourglasses, and a ton more, along with the ability to combine shapes, all while conforming to the hex grid within a reasonable tolerance, so no single biome tile will ever be too stretched and simulation/navigation remains fairly simple.
• Revised Simulation Behavior - Preparing for the full sim to be somewhat accessible in the next couple of updates, it needed some updates to keep up with the additions and changes to the project as a whole.
• VISUAL AND MAIN MENU UPDATES - Space looks a lot nicer, with generated backgrounds and light patterns based off the colors of the local sun. The FPS/3D view has been completely overhauled. The Archivist has new graphics and animations to be more on-par with the rest of the visual upgrades coming with this update. You can toggle the classic appearance if you wish.
• SUB-BIOME GENERATION OVERHAUL AND EDITOR - This update significantly reworks the way sub-biomes generate, including graphical and general reworks, but also includes a suite of new tools to help you design the perfect planet piece by piece.
• SOCIETIES, CIVILIZATIONS, CULTURES - most are still a work in progress both in systems and UI but these are brand new, fully fleshed out and integrated systems to the engine.
• Significant 3D Simulator Updates including the ability to climb slopes and walls based off your attributes and skills, more material integration, and "off the grid" optimizations.
• BUILDING STYLES, SYSTEMS, AND VILLAGES - with the arrival of Civilizations and Cultures, you can now see and explore the cities generated by different races, as well as explore their development over time.
• Building styles consist of a set of rules (shape of rooms, number of rooms, roof style, number and location and type and shape of windows, doors, roads, etc.) and belong to cultures. Multiple cultures can exist within a civilization, and when this happens, the resulting town is built of a combination of the building styles based on the cultural traits. The two main values are Cohesion and Unity, which determine how much the building styles blend or integrate between multiple civilizations vs. how much they build independently or maintain their original styles.
• Building Updates - now include multiple floors, windows, doors, stairs, ladders, etc.
• Overhauled Planet Creator UI and visual appearance.
• Updated animated graphics, loading bar, and interactivity features in Planet Creator.
• Updated fonts throughout the system. (Switched to IBM Plex family: after some consideration of more stylized fonts I found this the easiest to read at all screen sizes consistently.)
• Added Photo Mode with some basic visual effects for the Planet Creator.
• Updated space visuals. Now uses domain-warped 3D nebula noise baked to a cube map.
• Added Space Phenomena - Asteroid belts, comets, rings, trojans, eclipses, aurora, and more.
• Updated lighting system. Added space and planet surface shaders for different materials. Added bloom.
• Updated biome tile graphics and normal renderings. Forests now have trees up close, water has waves, etc.
• Added a suite of viewers within Biome Creator so you can see how your biome and parameters will look visually on an actual planet in the simulation.
• Added sun surface "biomes" (basically plasma oceans). They no longer look ABSOLUTE FREAKY! Will probably be adding an achievement to land/stand/swim on the surface of the sun at some point, feel like that's a fun challenge.
• Removed the old cloud system, it looked really ugly. Added a new one, currently toggled off by default (subject to change once I like the way it looks and generates).
• Added some graphics settings (Ultra, Low, etc.)
• Added scaffolding for rebind and controller/Steam Deck support looking ahead towards Early Access.

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