Greetings, mighty creators of infinite Universims!
Making worlds is a true adventure! And, as it happens on adventures, sometimes the heroes need to rest and regain their strength on some peaceful, faraway planet. After we released TU 1.0, our dev team needed just such a rest - for it's been a perilous journey! But then, on one tranquil day, as we were farming and decorating our cottages, we again felt the call of the deep space. So, we restarted our engines and gathered around our spaceship's command table, planning our next course.
Infinite space means infinite possibilities. Which way do we set sail this time? Before, we had a single goal - the release. With that great quest done, the possibilities before us are practically endless. What better time than now for you, our fantastic community, to take part in steering this project! This is why today's release is all about giving power to the players!
MODDING
Many nights were spent before the glowing screen. Many cups of strong coffee were drunk. Still, we fought on. Today, we are proud to announce that we have found a way to add modding to The Universim!
This was truly a monumental task. Many moons ago, as we were writing the first lines of code that would become TU, we could only dream of something like modding! Suffice to say, the codebase lacked any support for this type of thing. Still, if we are going to do it, we are going to do it right.
We do this for you, our community, first and foremost. It's hard to overemphasize how much your opinion means to our team - and this is why we decided to release modding in parts, after each release, listening to your feedback and adjusting our course. This will allow us to consider the different points of view in between releases and truly make this project community-driven, as is our dream.
That dream is also why we took additional time ensuring that everything related to modding can be done completely in-game: Through our familiar, standard UI. We want modding to be an integral part of the experience, that almost anyone out there, in our great community, can do - regardless of your programming or technical knowledge!
MODDING, CHAPTER I - FACTORIES
Today, we release the first chapter of Modding: Custom Factories. As we finished the main system for adding custom content through in-game UI, the first thing we thought of were factories. This is the building type that has more effect on gameplay than any other. Plus, factories are also easy to test, with clear parameters and straightforward functionality. Overall, they appear as the best choice for the first iteration of modding. They will allow us to get the best idea of how you, as the players, are going to use the system - and how we should proceed in the next chapter of this quest! Which we'll start right after this release.
MODDING, CONTINUATION
Keep in mind, though, that the most thorny part of the road is behind us. The modding system is already in the game, and the next chapter will take much less time than the first - for which we had to add an entirely new system! Now we just need to choose the direction, prepare the UI and the basic functionality, and test.CREATOR PANEL
In our ongoing mission to empower players as the true rulers of their own universes, we are excited to unveil new functionality that was previously reserved for only the most seasoned developers! Introducing the Creator Panel, a powerful tool that grants you unlimited resources and a limitless workforce to elevate your civilization to unprecedented heights. With this tool, you'll command armies of drones, unleash hordes of UFOs, and wield all the powers a Creator could dream of. Creator Panel activated within the Game sections of the settings.
But beware, for with great power comes great responsibility. The Creator Panel allows you to shape your civilization according to your grand vision, but it also gives you the ability to destroy it. This tool is designed for the most experienced players who truly understand the consequences of wielding such immense power.
Warning:
Utilizing these tools with extreme values can lead to unintended issues within your game. We strongly advise using them with caution. The power to create and destroy is now in your hands—handle it wisely!How to Find and Install Mods from the Community
To discover and install mods created by the community, follow these steps: [olist]
Bug Fixes and Improvements:
- Fixed an issue where Builder Bot transportation requests were not prioritized over regular transportation requests.
- Fixed an issue where reserved spots by drones were not properly released when the drones were destroyed.
- Fixed the Infection Achievement, which can now be completed as intended.
- Made numerous localization fixes.
- Addressed a star map issue on Macs with M chips. This was one of the most bizarre issues we’ve ever encountered. Due to computational differences between Intel chips on older Macs, Windows machines, and technically all other platforms, a specific calculation on Macs with M chips was not being processed correctly. As a result, the camera's position was always set to 0, rather than incrementing over time for smooth movement. This issue was caused by architectural differences in how computations are handled on Macs with Apple Silicon. We have implemented a workaround, but it’s uncertain if other computational issues may arise on Macs with M chips.
