Hello everyone!
The time has come to share our progress. Although it’s clear from previous posts that the primary focus has been on the gameplay component (which I’d like to save for the Ecliptica 1.5 playtest), there are still significant improvements we can share today.
So, let's dive into what we've managed to achieve:
1. Visual Enhancements: Dynamic Clouds and Soft Lighting
Although this was partially shown in the previous post, it was without video, and to be honest, it wasn't quite clear what the new atmosphere looked like. So, I added it to the video to showcase:
Dynamic Clouds and Atmosphere.
Soft Lighting.
2. Volumetric Terrain (Parallax Occlusion Mapping)
I finally managed to correctly implement Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM). Now the ground textures have volume and localized small irregularities, which makes the world significantly more appealing.
3. New Resource Mining System
This is not just a visual update; it changes the approach to mining certain resources.
Mineral resources are now laid out in deposits deep within the ground. For example, Uranium ore can no longer be mined from simple red rocks.
Mineral deposits can be very deep, so for full-scale extraction, you will need an industrial mine and a quarry with dozens of workers. While you can still dig the ore yourself, it won't be as efficient.
I also plan to add more items, technologies, and structures to the game to help players locate large deposits.
4. Global GPU Optimization and Increased Draw Distance
We’ve done a tremendous amount of work on GPU usage optimization. I managed to improve game performance, which allowed me to remove the aggressive culling of distant objects. This has made the game's landscape more interesting and visually cohesive.
Important: Culling will still be active on low settings, but it will no longer be as aggressive.
5. Technical and Gameplay Improvements
This is far from all the improvements; many of them did not make it into the video:
Full PhysX Transition: I have completed the full transition to using PhysX for all scene objects, which allows for correct collision handling. In the old version, integration was incomplete, so the character could sometimes crash into "air," and applied damage didn't always hit the targeted object.
New Quest Mechanics: The game now features a fully functional mechanic for non-linear and dynamic quests. But I'll tell you more about this once the feature is fully polished.
📅 Important Release News
Unfortunately, I had to postpone the release until 2026. While I still hope to release an exciting demo in 2025, it will simply not be possible to launch the full multiplayer experience (which is the criterion for starting sales) in 2025.
In any case, this decision was made with the goal of making the game interesting and stable, rather than rushing the process.
Thank you all for reading the updates and following the game!