Terrain Effects

Here's the shot:



See the little rocks and patches of dirt? Yep. Actually, "Terrain Effects" are almost exactly like IsoFeatures except that their size is always the same as tiles and they're drawn under IsoFeatures.

It shouldn't be too much trouble to make a generic class for both IsoFeatures and TerrainEffects, then take that code and make a generic Quad (sub-tile) for each, so that IsoFeatures and TerrainEffects can be built up from Quads just like Terrain fringe is.
... and maybe I'll re-do how Terrain fringe is handled ...

Digital Painting

I was bored and felt a hankering to do some digital painting, so on a lark I answered ryguyrocks' call for concept art. He asked for an alien/machine sort of thing, so I worked far too hard (like 6-7 hours) and made this:



I'm never going to work that hard for free again -- If I can help it. Unless it's a totally awesome idea.. but I should shut up.

Look out Craig Mullins, I'm gonna catch up to you someday!
But honestly, I feel incredible about how far I've come with digital painting in only the last few months. I used to look at work by Craig Mullins and could never understand how it could ever be done. I'd get depressed by how good he was and how I could never do what he does. But now I see how I could do what he does... with a hell of a lot more practice! Heh.

Now I just need someone to commission me to do some concept art for actual payment.

That Dread Horizon

I was feeling a real coding "high" on Monday, but now I realize that I'm on the brink of having to implement a whole huge area of the engine that I've never done before -- gameplay. The possibilities are enormous and I'm going to have to make a lot of decisions about how the game is going to work while advancing on, if you will, that Dread Horizon of the Eldritch Unknown.

I know, it seems so easy when you're just sitting around BSing about your idea for the Coolest Game Ever, but it's completely different when you start seriously planning implementation. Like how do I deal with the 'map knowledge' of many computer-'players' (I won't call them AI) running on asymmetric political and economic levels? I can't store and update a boolean "map" of who knows about what for every single CP if there are 120 of them, nor do I want the CPs to just outright "cheat" and see the whole map -- I'm looking at you, Galactic Civilizations! And like every game ever, for that matter.

I'm going to have to do a lot of planning and documentation, I think.



And I should totally make a game called "Mechapocalypse".