Hi there,

Before getting into what has changed, wanted to briefly mention some other things. As it’s been a couple of interesting weeks since the last build update; that major one, not the demo that came out a few days ago. Have been juggling between the many hats a solo developer has to wear (not just in making games but outside of it) in order to make a project come to fruition. And more importantly to be in the known. While plans had to change and as opportunities were left in the dust (some of them would’ve been a real boost to the project), some form of value still has been seen here and there: One of them was the continuous interest in the project, which brings some joy to this otherwise grim atmosphere over here. Or the fact that the values of my long term philosophies, the providing value and complexity and so forth, still holds some merit, and others too are keen to bring a much needed change. After all, we all do what we can with what we’ve got; some more while others bit less, but all forms do count in the end if you ask me.

Today’s update log will be a bit all over the place, as the interconnected systems are slowly coming online one by one, and often separate parts require attention. And for the fact that some of the design elements were slightly changed, like the layout of the valves (as in what system they controlled), as those weren’t written in stone in the first place (as there was no time to work on pre-production, and technically everything has to be made up on the spot). This is why there’s a larger overhaul on the control panel, where the functions are completely swapped out and bits of the cabinet replaced; but more on that later below.

Now let’s see what the list of changes are:

• During operation, there’s an “Engine breakdown” event (floating spanners), which after fixing wouldn’t trigger again; that’s been fixed
• The voltmeter now no longer works on the batteries when there’s an issue with them, either by fire or fumes, and if there are repair crates on the floor.
• The first big task was to come up with new sound effects for the control panel. Not fully complete, as the anchor switch doesn’t make noise, but almost there. See it in action here:

• A big change came in the form of recharging the batteries (see video below). Well, the way we can recharge them. You see, by default there’s this “dynamo” attached to the engine which slowly recharges the batteries over time. Which is fine if you just want to keep the lights on, but the thought was to give them a little bit of a boost when the time comes. Of which I’m sure plenty will be. The only downside is that it can hurt you if you go too close (currently it does nothing, but it will in the future), and worse, can burst the engine into flames; which is also a slight issue if you wish to survive. So the main intended purpose is to use it sparingly, as it can go nuts any moment.

• Several changes occurred to some of the VFX in the game (like the electric shocks), to make them behave a little better, and look nicer
• The engine mechanic also underwent some changes, as well as the connected ones, like using fuel, changing the valves on the tanks, etc. All are now affecting fuel economy and output (most notable in the speed of the sub).
• Apparently, between the plethora of changes, the player’s position got messed up a little, which now has been fixed when saving and loading; it had world coordinates, but changed to local ones long time ago, but the code didn’t fully know about that
• Forces, the ones that move the sub, are now more functional, and can be fully saved and loaded. This also means that now the sub slows down more gradually, instead of hitting a brick wall; for some reason this took a long time to backtrack as to why it happened.
• A lot more things have tutorials for them, mostly the ones that operate and do something. Also some of them were cleaned up a little bit (formatting issues here and there with the visuals). Still debating on how to tell the player on when to use a flashlight, as it’s one of the few tools that have no context aware mechanics (when you look at things). It’s already mentioned on the control panel, but doesn’t show how to use them, which key to press. That will need more thinking.
• There was a slight issue with the inclinometer, as the hitbox for the thing was several times the size, and didn’t move with the needle. Now it’s in the correct place and always stays true.
• Another big change came in the form of the passive sonar, dubbed Depth counter. A fancy tool telling you what’s beneath the submarine at what depth. It normally shows the seabed, if in reach, otherwise the closest object. See video for an example below. Not jet working though, as implementing it will come at a later stage. It was fun animating it tho’.

• Continuing the theme, as per usual, some parts of the code underwent slight refactoring (changes, to make them function better and be more modular), as working whilst laying down the tracks has its drawbacks sometimes. And other bugs and bits and pieces were done, ones that I managed to catch or needed immediate attention.
• The 2 left master switches, the top ones on the main control panel, now actually work. So you can stall the engine, or turn off the lights if needed. This will come handy later, when conserving resources or hiding from the enemy. The rest of the switches are still work-in-progress as mentioned before.
• And in case you missed the previous demo update, the game now has 2 new shortcuts for quick saving and loading!
• Probably forgot to include some of the rest of the things…

Thank you for reading! Take care,

theaaronstory