As stated in the dev logs, many Joshs died to bring you this update...but I hope you enjoy it!! I really did want to have more gameplay to show by this point, but that's part of the reason for the announcement of the shift to mid-2014 release date. Hope you're all ok with that!

KS : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jos ... sts/708268
YT : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADcfqusFfaM

The graphics look crazy good now Really love the glow of the medium to large stars shining through the nebula as well as the objects in the game. When the video first started, I was "wow'ed" within the first 30 seconds.. Not to say I didn't like the look of the game prior to now.. but it's really looking amazing now!

Holographic display is awesome! I am hoping that also you will be able to display a small holographic of the ship within the HUD as a representation of damage/shields, think that would be pretty cool.

With the filter, maybe you could still show the other objects but simply make those much more transparent so they are still there and you can still see them in relation to the other objects but remove the ability to select them while it is being filtered etc

With regards to the release date, as many have said, I am happy with the delay to get the game moew awesome etc. I am curious though if there will be a beta (or pre) release for backers prior to that mid-year release, just to give us something to chew on during that early 2014 period?

Congrats on a year of hard work Josh! It's looking great. Can't wait to see where you take us in 2014.

Looks very nice. Keep up the good work^^ And happy new year.

but anyway, looking very good Josh, cannot wait!

~Sly

What a year indeed! I'm very happy I've been here (almost ) from the start. Putting the video from a year next to this one really shows how much the game has improved. Now, being on the verge of adding actual gameplay, I'm very exited about what's to come in the following year.

Katorone wrote:What a year indeed! I'm very happy I've been here (almost ) from the start. Putting the video from a year next to this one really shows how much the game has improved. Now, being on the verge of adding actual gameplay, I'm very exited about what's to come in the following year.

Agreed! I assume you were on the KS and transferred to the forums when it completed. I don't distinguish between the two as it feels like the same continuous event. Except for the chatroll nature of KS which had it's charm.

Looks gorgeous. I really look forward playing with this amazing interface... and with the actual game also, of course.
Looking forward to see everything else you have in store for us in 2014!

A couple of quick notes on the video:

1. Nebulae do look very nice! I'm looking forward to fiddling with the graphics options to obtain my own personal visual perfection. One thing about nebulae out here in the real world (which I mention for inspiration, not as a You Have To Do It This Way) is that there are both emission and reflection nebulae. That is, some glow from the interactions of energetic particles and dust, while others only reflect the light of very bright things nearby. This combination makes for some very dramatic images (although they're usually either intensified or use false colors with filters).

Any chance of reflection nebulae? Or would that not really add value?

2. I noticed a "twinkling" effect of point light sources (stars and cities on planets) during rotation (and, to a lesser extent, translation).

The 3D space game I've been fiddling with (in Java3D, which I think uses a version of OpenGL as a base) has the same effect, only more pronounced. I find it a bit distracting, and I wonder what others think.

Flatfingers wrote: 2. I noticed a "twinkling" effect of point light sources (stars and cities on planets) during rotation (and, to a lesser extent, translation).

The 3D space game I've been fiddling with (in Java3D, which I think uses a version of OpenGL as a base) has the same effect, only more pronounced. I find it a bit distracting, and I wonder what others think.

Didn't really notice the twinkling of stars I have to say.. but I did notice 2 distinct twinkling or flashing lights on the surface of the planet... or so it seemed to be coming from the planet surface. I was waiting for Josh to mention those in his video but he never did... so I assumed that it was either just some object in between the camera and the planet that wasn't worthy of mention, or a bug he was still working out..

With regards to finding twinkling of stars annoying.. as long as they look realistic, I don't have a problem with it..

Flatfingers wrote:A couple of quick notes on the video:

1. Nebulae do look very nice! I'm looking forward to fiddling with the graphics options to obtain my own personal visual perfection. One thing about nebulae out here in the real world (which I mention for inspiration, not as a You Have To Do It This Way) is that there are both emission and reflection nebulae. That is, some glow from the interactions of energetic particles and dust, while others only reflect the light of very bright things nearby. This combination makes for some very dramatic images (although they're usually either intensified or use false colors with filters).

Any chance of reflection nebulae? Or would that not really add value?

What's there to visually distinguish nebulae that emit light to those that reflect it?

light487 wrote:Didn't really notice the twinkling of stars I have to say.. but I did notice 2 distinct twinkling or flashing lights on the surface of the planet... or so it seemed to be coming from the planet surface. I was waiting for Josh to mention those in his video but he never did... so I assumed that it was either just some object in between the camera and the planet that wasn't worthy of mention, or a bug he was still working out..

Those were the AI ships he was mentioning when he tried to catch up to them. The ones that came back to unload their goods.

Moooooaarrrrr dev logs!

This was an awesome update! The nebula was absolutely stunning and the metal looks better then ever! Great job Josh!!!

Great work as always Josh. Looks like the game is really coming together.

Looking forward to all the gameplay that starts from now on in.

Flatfingers wrote:2. I noticed a "twinkling" effect of point light sources (stars and cities on planets) during rotation (and, to a lesser extent, translation).

The 3D space game I've been fiddling with (in Java3D, which I think uses a version of OpenGL as a base) has the same effect, only more pronounced. I find it a bit distracting, and I wonder what others think.

I noticed that too. It bothered me a tiny bit.