Future Release Plans

What’s the process system overhaul? The CPA prototype he’s been working on?

Well, the current process system was hard to repurpose towards being used with bacteria, in large part because processes are heavily intertwined with the microbe code, and we needed a new way to model process rates that’s more modular and independent. The model he’s working on uses a system for process rates that is just what I was looking for.

Sure thing, I updated the OP.

If you’re working on the process system, I think a very important feature is to have the photosynthesizing “algae” create oxygen compound clouds. Also, the cell still stockpiles CO2, which sometimes kill you since you don’t have any room for oxygen, so keep that in mind.

Good luck!

Where are we with everything left to be completed for 0.3.2?

  • CPA update : Move/rewrite a lot of the code for the CPA processes.
  • Temporary text tutorial : Either making the help panel more helpful, or adding in scripted text boxes that explain the features.
  • Performance improvements : Fixing the stuttering that the microbe experiences while swimming.
  • Updated flagellum model : A flagellum that moves with helical motion.
  • Options menu : In-game ability to change graphics, audio, etc.
  • Sound effects overhaul : Update some of the SFX in-game.

Other than fixing the GUI panels, the tutorial looks finished. I can get the sound effects updates done in a couple of days when I have the time, and I’d imagine a new flagellum model isn’t too difficult to add (correct me if I’m wrong).

Other than that, it’s three more big programming updates. In my opinion the performance improvements (fixing the stuttering on loading new microbes) should take priority.

Hopefully all of this can be completed by mid-April, which would be a good time to release. If it’s before then, even better.

The player controls a eukaryote right? Turns out that eukaryotic flagella are actually different from bacterial flagella. Eukaryotic flagella wave from side to side as depicted in game, while bacterial flagella spins around.

Really? Huh. Live and learn, I guess. Could you hit me up with a link to that?

No idea. I believe @moopli said he wants to work on that, and @tjwhale made a prototype for the CPA system in general. But CPA Overhaul in my opinion is too general, so it’s hard to say how far we are on it. We’re definetely not doing the A (auto-evo), but compound/processes could definetely make it in, depending on who has what time.

It’s done and merged.

@Moopli and @hessnake are working on that. Hessnake has already moved a large part of the microbe code to c++. I’m hoping they’ll be done by mid-April, but you’re better off asking them.

I ran into a problem with that. A flagella that moves in a helical motion looks a bit too rigid compared to the one that’s currently in game. So the question is, how much do we need a new model? Is the old one really that bad.

We don’t have any GUI assets for this, so I don’t think it’s going to make it. @meandmy10 said that he’s going to have some time in a couple of weeks (though I don’t remember when he said this, so it might have changed).

As for other features, I’m moving on to “fixing” oxytoxy to work as a cloud, and will move onto bacteria next.

Here are a few sources:

http://study.com/academy/lesson/flagella-definition-structure-functions.html

Not sure how credible these are but they’re study guides so I’m gonna assume they’re legit. You’ll find lots of results you google “eukaryotic flagella”

If we get the features being worked on at the moment done, and things like new UI, CPA updates, etc. are still on the horizon, I think we should just release, and save the other features for later updates.

It doesn’t have to be a helical flagella (that was just the option listed in the OP). The flagellum model at the moment looks a bit flat and blends into the background.

yeah i’ll have holidays then and should have plenty of time, and besides that at the moment I’m only working on mock ups of the basic layout of it and then after I’ve done that i’ll work on different variations of designs so it’ll be a while anyway.
also besides that no one has given me a straight answer of what exactly going to be on the options menu other then the very general resources we have now, so that makes it harder.

Oh, I hadn’t realized. If you want, start a thread for discussing the new options menu. I remember I wrote up a list for that a while back that I could provide you (or it may have been new game options).

I’ve moved around a few things in the opening post list, in particular moving the planned but not started items for 0.3.2 to 0.3.3. The reproduction system overhaul is ahead of schedule too, so I moved that from 0.4.0 to 0.3.3.

I’ve seen a few people on Slack talking about releasing in the summer, and this worries me. Yeah, we probably would collectively have more free time then, but that hasn’t exactly helped in past summers. I think we should aim for April 30th at the absolute latest for 0.3.2. The two big features, compound clouds and a tutorial, have been effectively done for ages now, and we’re mostly waiting on performance improvements and some tidying of the CPA code (and sound effect things, but I have that covered…hopefully).

I’m even willing to say if the performance improvements remain in a half-finished state all the way up to the end of April, then we say screw it and push them to next release. I think it was @hessnake and @SpasticMelon who were working on that, and they’ve…uh…kind of disappeared, so I don’t see much hope of it being completed without us getting more programmers, which won’t happen until we do more outreach, which we’ve decided won’t happen until we complete 0.3.2. So basically, unless @moopli or @crovea get more time, we’re stuck in a catch-22. We could wait for that to happen, but in my opinion we can’t keep waiting too long. It’s what nearly killed the project between 0.2.4 and 0.3.0, and when we have the opportunity to do so much after the next release, we can’t afford to let that happen.

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How much would thes performance improvements affect playing the game? The idea of getting some good outreach done for this release was because the game would be in a state that would attract programmers (and others), I.e. a good looking game. Would not included these improvements have much affect on that?

If not much, then I say we release in April with what we’ve already done, and try to get more people. However, if they do then we’ll just have to wait until someone can complete them, because we don’t want to put potential developers off.

The performance improvements were basically to up the framerate. The only time this would be noticeable would be when new microbes pop onto the screen and the game freezes for a second.

There’s also the stuttering of the cell as it swims, which is pretty noticeable.

I would support just releasing what we have now (unless we have something very near to being finished), and then work with ease on the other features for the next release.

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I think it’s about time to start preparing for the next release. What exactly are we going to complete and what aren’t we by the end of the month?

@TheCreator did you get toxins working with the compound clouds? If nothing else, that and the sound effects (I’ve had a couple of attempts since I posted on the topic, but none have sounded that good, but I’ll keep working on it) could be completed. We could also finally fix the disappearing menu bug as we now know what’s causing it, assuming that doesn’t throw up other problems.

Well, I haven’t really worked on them :blush:, but I feel like I should be able to finish it this weekend. That said, I strongly suggest we wait until @moopli finishes implementing his compound processing system.

If that’s the case, I suggest we check with moopli to see how close he is to being finished, because if not soon (no rush) I’d prefer we do a test release of what we have now and prepare that for full release. The players haven’t actually gotten to experience the compound clouds or tutorial yet.