It’s been awhile since the initial Space Blog came out and, during this time, we have been working full speed ahead on the upcoming patch. We’ve also been continuing our development of the Space Age, meaning we are finally approaching the end of our Early Access cycle. The Universim for us is more than just a game, it is our baby and we would love to have it with us forever, but sometimes we have to realize that we need to let it go. This is why we are working nonstop on this last Age. We would like to make sure that you will have an amazing experience playing The Universim and that the Space Age will provide you something new and fresh with its gameplay and challenges. Internally, we are already discussing the release date and once we finalize it, you will be the first to find out!
Today, we would like to share with you what awaits you next. Read on to discover what space holds for The Universim and what new mechanics you can expect.
Before we start, we would like to give a shout out to our friends at Blue Meridian.
On April 27th, they are finally releasing their title Prehistoric Kingdom. If you like dinosaurs, ancient animals, and tycoons then make sure to check it out on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/666150/Prehistoric_Kingdom/
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Now, lets roll :)
UNOBTANIUM
Welcome to one of the most powerful sources of energy that Nuggets will learn how to mine. UNOBTANIUM is a very rare resource that you will be able to find across the galaxy and can be utilized to charge your drones and make them function. It will also be used to charge up something bigger. For example, Cracker.
In the upcoming patch, you will be able to find that resource on your Mother Planet and play with the drones but, as we get closer to the release date, this would be the content that you will be able to unlock as you go to space. In the meantime, please provide us with any thoughts on these drones :) We would love to hear your feedback.
RESOURCE EXTRACTOR
Unfortunately, Nuggets moved from an idea of hitting strange things with their pickaxe and hammers and learned how to use drills. In order to mine unobtanium, Nuggets will have to use a special building that won’t require any Nuggets, but it will definitely require some of your previous resources. The extraction process of the unobtanium is not fast, but is definitely worth it.
OXYGEN REFILL STATION
Certain planets will have oxygen, while others won’t. Based on the oxygen levels, your Nuggets will build residential areas - either with domes or the actual large city without them. If oxygen on the planet is required, your Nuggets will have to constantly return to the rocket or one of the residential buildings in order to refill their supply of oxygen. All this Nugget walking takes time and (obviously) slows down the progress of your colonization. Unless, of course, you will use the oxygen refill station. Oxygen refill stations will allow your Nuggets to resupply their oxygen without the need to travel long distances.
NUGGET TOOLS
Previously, Nuggets had to choose between the axe, hammer, or pickaxe. Now, they have been able to develop something far more exciting and energetic. A new Nugget tool will be introduced to the game that will provide a more futuristic approach to building things.
WEAPONS
Nobody knows what will await you on other planets, this is why it would be best to equip your Nuggets with some proper gear and weapons that would be a better fit for space.
Not only can your Nuggets receive new weapons, but so can your drones. These weapons will allow both Nuggets and drones to kill their targets faster and more effectively. Unless, of course, you try to pick a fight with someone bigger than you…
PLANET GENERATION SYSTEM
In the last blog, we covered many things regarding planets and their variations. This time, we would like to share a little bit more on the actual planet generation system. What is it? How will it work? And what can you expect?
In The Universim, you will be able to colonize and travel throughout hundreds of different planets. Some of these planets will be handcrafted and some of them will be randomly generated. We have built our planet generation system to be as flexible as possible and have watched it provide good results so far!
Planet generation goes through multiple stages. In stage one, we define the size of the planet, cloud types, planet type, and temperature.
The next step defines the entire look of the planet, starting with the color. Here is where a lot of the magic happens! With a wide variety of configs with different color combinations, the system will select a specific config/color combination in order to apply it to the planet. In those configs, we are defining all the colors of the planet including: its atmosphere color, color during night time, day time, colors of different biomes, rocks, trees, etc.
Our next big list of configs is texture. In these configs, we define the overall look and feel for the planet and what each biome will look like. Will the land be rough or smooth? Will it have holes or not?
Lastly, to finish up the look of our planet, we have over 50 different mountain configs! Each config will generate a mountain that has a different look and feel. You will be able to encounter mountains that look like spikes, flat mountains, small mountains, zig zag mountains, mountains in which you can build things, and many more. Each mountain will influence your playstyle and how much space will ultimately be available on your planet.
After finishing with the actual planet generation, let's dive into all the details on the planets including vegetation, resources, animals, and biome distribution.
Starting with trees, each tree trunk has its own config that contains information about the tree (i.e. its model and what kind of leaves it can have). Leaves can either be unique to the tree or they can be in a general pool of leaves that can fit any tree. So, our system selects the proper config for the tree and leaves that would appear.
Stones are created in a similar manner to trees where each stone, model, level of durability, and what it yields are all being set up in their individual configs.
Additionally, we are setting up bushes, grass, animals, and sea life.
Lastly, our biome distribution and resource distribution system is how we specify how much water the planet can hold, and how much desert, grass, forest, or mountains can be on the planet. All these parameters will define the playground for the player and influence their playstyle. Some planets might have a lot of water, but they can be lacking vegetation. Other planets might have less water, but boast plenty of mountains and rocks.
Resource distribution works in conjunction with biome distribution; each resource knows on which biome it has to appear and how it should act on that biome.
Each of these systems will have different configs that will define future planets. Selecting and combining each config from different areas will allow us to create a variety of unique looks and experiences.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Each planet will have a handful of new vegetation and alien animals that will accompany it. Due to the nature of the planet and its specifics, you might not always see the planet and its beauty immediately. In fact, you may have to terraform the planet first in order to see everything. Think of it like an onion - you have to peel back the layers to get to the heart of it. Similarly, you will have to peel the layers of ice and lava in order to see the true colors of the planet and its nature.
FAUNA
We worked very hard on the system that will allow us to generate a good amount of alien animals in order for you to discover. Similar to the planet, our alien animals have randomization to them. Their strength, hp levels and their look will use our manually crafted configs in order to create a creature that will vary from the creature on the different planet. Don’t always assume that the creature with the similar look, will be weak or strong on another planet. Before charging on with your hunters, make sure to check the animal yourself and assess if you can take it on. Maybe your new guns will help ?
Planet Cracker
In a lot of our trailers, you’ve probably noticed a big machine that is the size of a small planet. Well, without spoiling too much, you will have to face this beast at some point. Will you defeat it or it will destroy your world? It will be up to you and your civilization.
Planet Cracker is the world destroying machine responsible for the destruction of many different planets it’s encountered over time. Despite its huge size (and being able to step on anything), Planet Cracker also possesses hypnotic powers and laser beams. Come on, we couldn't go to space without them.
Its laser beams will easily be able to cut through buildings while its hypnotic powers can afflict any living creature.
Planet Cracker was initially created by an ancient alien race as a machine to mine resources but, throughout time, some modifications were added and it became the planet destroying machine.
PLANET CRACKER PART EXTRACTOR
Scattered throughout the universe, you will have a chance to collect certain Planet Cracker parts and, who knows, maybe at the end you will be able to build your own planet destroyer…
MYSTERY
You might have guessed already, but Planet Cracker is not the only threat as someone is usually responsible for the creation and operation of such large and terrible machines. Throughout your journey in space, you will encounter alien ruins and alien ships that won’t exactly be friendly (especially after you shot some of their smaller aircrafts). You will have to learn to whom those alien ships belong and what mystery space has prepared for you.
SPACE SOUNDTRACKS
We just recently finished our space soundtracks and they sound awesome! We can’t wait to let you listen to them and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Building Upgrades
We finally got our hands on all the buildings and finished their upgrades up to the Space Age.
Rehabilitation Center
Our rehabilitation center received a modern overhaul on its architecture. Now, it finally looks like it will be able to treat any Nugget inside of it.
Prison
Throughout the Ages, most prisons looked the same: gray and square-shaped. Well, we did our own take on this building. The new prison will have increased efficiency but will require more resources to operate.
Stone Mine
A new stone mine with some gravitational technology will surely improve the workflow on-site.
Metal Mine
Extracting metal from the ground was never easier. With the new upgrade, you won’t have any issues mining as much metal as you want. Unless, of course, the planet won’t have any more metal to offer you.
Gas Mine
As space travel becomes a common thing for Nuggets, your civilization will require more and more resources in order to sustain itself across different planets. New gas mines will provide the most efficient way of gathering resources.
Gas Plant
This upgrade is probably the most exciting for us personally. In moving away from wood and bricks, the gas plant has received a complete cosmetic overhaul and has some extra improvements. Potentially, it can be one of the most effective ways of producing electricity for your civilization, but not without damage to the planet.
Lumber Mill
The new upgrade for the lumber mill will not only add a nice modern look to the building, but it will also increase the speed of growing trees and collecting them.
Power Battery
More capacity, more charge! As usual, you can zap the battery with your lightning strike in order to give it extra juice.
We hope you are enjoying the journey as much as we do. Next week, a new patch will be released and we are looking forward to your feedback. Thank you so much for all of your support and we are extremely grateful to have such an amazing community.
- Crytivo Crew
https://store.steampowered.com/app/352720/The_Universim/
