Patch Notes — Version 0.23.0 Demo
Day/Night Cycle — Fully Implemented!
This is the main new feature of the update. Every battle now takes place in a dynamic day/night cycle, which drastically changes tactics and the visual experience of the game. In the lobby settings, you can choose the cycle speed (x1, x2, x3) or fix the time of day. By default, day lasts 8 minutes, night — 4 minutes.
Night Mechanics & Tactics
Night vision penalty: all units lose some line of sight during the dark hours. Hover over the "Sight Range" stat in the unit panel — you'll see how many meters the unit sees during the day and how many at night.
A new upgrade "NVGs" (Night Vision Goggles) has been added to the Barracks for all infantry. Cost — 1500, research time — 24 seconds. NVGs reduce the night penalty by 50%. For example, if the penalty is 0.5, after the upgrade it becomes 0.75 — vision is restored to 75% of the daytime value.
Visual & Technical Night Improvements
Dynamic lighting: all units and vehicles are now illuminated in the dark depending on the time of day.
Unit outlines automatically change from black to a lighter color at night for better visibility.
All buildings now have illuminated windows — at night, windows glow, creating atmosphere.
Vehicles now have headlights — they project light onto the ground, making night battles more spectacular.
Muzzle flashes from all shots now emit real dynamic light. Even a flying rocket illuminates the space around it — night battles look incredibly impressive.
Unit sight range borders have been smoothed out — the transition from visible to hidden areas looks more natural and seamless.
UI & Time Management
A time of day widget has been added to the PlayerHUD — it shows the current time and the day/night transition animation.
The loading screen now displays the selected time of day settings: starting time and cycle speed (e.g., "Day x3").
Balance — Thermite Rain (reworked)
I've reworked the "Thermite Rain" ability. It now has two upgrade levels, offering more flexibility in your tech progression.
Level 1: cost 4000 points, duration 10 seconds.
Level 2 (upgrade): cost 6000 points, duration increased to 20 seconds.
The visual effects of Thermite Rain have been optimized and now run smoother.
Lobby Settings
The lobby now includes time of day settings:
Cycle speed: x1 (default), x2 (2x faster), x3 (3x faster).
Time lock: you can set a starting time of day (day/night) and disable the dynamic cycle.
"Night without penalties" option: night affects visuals only, sight stats remain unchanged.
All these settings are displayed on the loading screen so everyone can see the selected mode.
Fixes & Improvements
Improved visual effects for all muzzle flashes — dynamic light sources have been added.
Optimized Thermite Rain VFX.
Plans
With this update, the game has taken on a whole new look — literally. Day and night now affect tactics, and the visual quality has reached a new level. My next big goal is the development of a new faction (USA) and a tutorial mission. It's about two months of work, but it will be worth it. Stay tuned!
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