[Developer update 2] Making progress

Hey everyone!

Thing are slowly progressing and after having overcome a couple of obstacles, we can now say what will be the features of the next release!  

Sound has been implemented and the next time you download a demo you'll have the great ambient themes of our skilled composers playing in the background, sound effects can easily be added but we don't currently have any in the game, however that may well change before a release.  

GUI, we have finished integrating CEGUI into the engine and it'll now be possible to make flexible, dynamic and great looking GUIs. We have sketches of what the GUI might look like, but we still need to finalize the design and putting it into XML files so that CEGUI can understand it (If you're interrested in helping with this, let me know).  

Refined compound and process system, is in the works and will make things easier for the player to manage microbes (especially in building them) while making further integration of processes and compounds easier.  

Basic Microbe editor. We will have our first alternative section of the game and an interresting one at that! You will be able to create your own microbe using a limited amount of organelles and take it for a swim!  

The first microbe interactions, your microbe will be able to release harmful agents into the enviroment to harm and kill other microbes.  

There is still a number of things that we need to get in order before the next release, but I estimate that it should be within 1-3 months time.

As always you can find the latest progress on github: https://github.com/Revolutionary-Games/Thrive and specifically what is being worked on on the issues page: https://github.com/Revolutionary-Games/Thrive/issues?state=open

Feel free to asks any development related questions on here or reddit!

why so slow? hurry up wit this game

I love this small updates, they keep up everyones spirits and make the whole project more transparent. Thank you and everyone else who has helped!

crovea wrote:

Basic Microbe editor. We will have our first alternative section of the game and an interresting one at that! You will be able to create your own microbe using a limited amount of organelles and take it for a swim!

Finally! :D I think this is one of the most anticipated features of the microbe stage and will attract many new interested people. I can't wait to make my first microbes!

Marija Milosevic wrote:

why so slow? hurry up wit this game

You know that this is an open-source project founded by voluteers, right? Everybody who helps with this project does this of their own accord. Who are you to command them? Be thankfull that they contribute to this awesome game.

I'm looking forward to our next release!

I'm sure you, the makers of this game, are likely a bit disappointed with the current following of this game. If so, here's some things to consider:

Hidden members: People who haven't bothered to make accounts and are quietly following the game. There is probably quite a few of these.

Youtubers: Once you actually finish or get the game working how it should somewhat, Youtubers will be ALL OVER IT. It would also prove useful to advertise, but I know this game doesn't have a budget (last time I checked).

Some way of earning money: It really feels... Wrong to take such an amazing concept of a game and make it a free thing, you should at least sell it for 10 bucks or so. If you at some point decide to do this sort of thing, Kickstarter might help. Keep in mind I'm suggesting and not demanding.

Scottnov wrote:

Youtubers: Once you actually finish or get the game working how it should somewhat, Youtubers will be ALL OVER IT. It would also prove useful to advertise, but I know this game doesn't have a budget (last time I checked).

Some way of earning money: It really feels... Wrong to take such an amazing concept of a game and make it a free thing, you should at least sell it for 10 bucks or so. If you at some point decide to do this sort of thing, Kickstarter might help. Keep in mind I'm suggesting and not demanding.

Nobody should take this wrong, but I really doubt that youtubers will be all crazy over this game once we release the microbe stage. Thrive isn't the type of game that appeals to the masses, like for example COD or Minecraft.

On the topic of money, we have repeated countless times the two main reasons why we don't want money:

1. We don't need it right now

2. It would be difficult to divide it fairly among ourselves

Tarpy wrote:

Scottnov wrote:

Youtubers: Once you actually finish or get the game working how it should somewhat, Youtubers will be ALL OVER IT. It would also prove useful to advertise, but I know this game doesn't have a budget (last time I checked).

Some way of earning money: It really feels... Wrong to take such an amazing concept of a game and make it a free thing, you should at least sell it for 10 bucks or so. If you at some point decide to do this sort of thing, Kickstarter might help. Keep in mind I'm suggesting and not demanding.

Nobody should take this wrong, but I really doubt that youtubers will be all crazy over this game once we release the microbe stage. Thrive isn't the type of game that appeals to the masses, like for example COD or Minecraft.

On the topic of money, we have repeated countless times the two main reasons why we don't want money:

1. We don't need it right now

2. It would be difficult to divide it fairly among ourselves

That's true.
I was mostly talking about the more creature-like stages (aquatic and the other creature stages), because that's what most people are probably the most interested in.