It seems I never run out of achievement stuff to show... because, well, yeah there are 256 of them xD
Here's the finalized icons for the second to last category: events and story-related elements!
Achievement work is progressing nicely. Yesterday I pretty much finished the internal framework, and also implemented most of the new related UI features (except for the main achievements UI). But I haven't yet recorded anything to share there, so it'll have to wait for a later SITREP. (We have pop-ups on the map when achievements are earned, as well as a new section next to the end game stats window if any new achievements were earned at the end of the run. All animated, of course :D)
LOW_CONTRAST
Remember POLYBOT-7? Well it was quite the detour, but as mentioned before Cogmind benefited from it in a number of ways, one of those I haven't talked about yet being enhancements to low-contrast mode.
The "LOW_CONTRAST" renderFilter option I added in Beta 5 has been getting some use among players, though it was always kind of a hackish thing in the first place. Lots of Cogmind code and scripts assume the background is black, but I went in and changed that assumption in a number of places where it was more accessible. All of these improvements came as a result of efforts to polish the distinctive look of POLYBOT-7, which uses a low-contrast aesthetic by default. For example:
Path visualization is now much more visible. (All sample images are using the SLEEPY preset.)
FOV edges are somewhat easier to see.
(The following are all before-and-after gifs demonstrating adjustments.)
Activating an Optical Array.
Motion trail fading.
AOE visualization edges.
Structural Scanner and cave-in visualization.
SFX visualization.
Cogmind's Big Little Brother
Speaking of POLYBOT-7, this week I finished the last two parts of its dev postmortem, much of which is related to Cogmind:
- Part 3: Spending Too Long on Map Generation and Content
- Part 4: Finishing Touches
Again there are lots of diagrams/images so I won't copy them all here, but here's a few to give you an idea:
My desk after reasoning through various POLYBOT-7 map layout needs.
A sample 100×100 map layout, annotated (the generation algorithm is one borrowed from Cogmind, but many of the parameters are different).
Testing generation for one layout style (each floor has multiple styles) of the 125×125 map (fourth floor).
Examining content across a section of map, including patrol paths (the colored lines). I use these same features to balance Cogmind.
Special prefab rooms, labeled. A lot of Cogmind's outlying maps have prefabs as well, and that's one of the main ways to create unique experiences for different areas, but in POLYBOT-7 there wasn't time to add very many.
The purge timer in action.
Oops! Bug-enabled hacking interface opening a theoretical exit into a Dispatcher. Most of the non-applicable Cogmind features were blocked off, but I had only blocked bump-hacking and forgot that when adjacent you can of course click on a machine to hack it xD. (Being a simpler, faster, purely combat-oriented game there is no hacking in POYLBOT-7.)
If you want to see (and hear) it in action, this week I streamed my first serious P7 run, and won! :P
And POLYBOT-7 also appeared in PC Gamer this week :D
Community
I also streamed this week's Cogmind weekly seed, going for a purely wheels-based combat run. It's a very atypical build, but a lot of fun. The entire run was uploaded to YouTube, and you can find a written summary on the forums.
Also on the forums, Joshua has shared his notes on Cogmind's many "Resources," essentially a breakdown that might aid some of you in understanding these concepts and in some cases how they relate to strategy.
b_sen's prequel mockups are becoming a recurring theme around here, but his reimagining of Cogmind and use of REXPaint are really inspiring :). The latest installment is "AI updating in the face of Derelict incursions" (source)
Next time we'll take a look at the final achievements category! And probably see some of the achievements UI features in action :D