So, I decided to try and get myself a piece of the shmup-dev competition pie this time around. As you may know, it was won last time by a GM production; my hope is that it will turn out the same way this time.

And so, the first official preview …

On to a more lush subject than interfaces: foliage. (And cameras, and AI)

I've added some new types of trees to DoC recently - dead pine trees, lush deciduous trees, and palm trees. You can see all three types in the image below. (Image is on high detail)

In case …

So, after the suggestions of the previous blog, I have prepared a new, improved interface for you to critique.

It features the following improvements/changes over the previous version:

* Backgrounds faded/darkened for open panels

* Resource bar text in white

* Black lines in build bar changed to red wood …

So, I figure enough people have complained about the interface that it's time to spend a blog or two completely revamping it.

Here's how it's going to work. Each "ID" blog, I will post an image of the current state of the interface. Then, you give comments about possible improvements, …

The DoC project is definitely my largest project so far, with 7,444 files (internal and external) created over a period of six months. These files come to a total size of 938 mb - a huge size for a GM project.

So, progress continues apace. I've recently created another building …

First and foremost, anyone (and I know there are people) who has suggestions for DoC, please tell me about it. I'll only be able to improve things through user input! And… you're the users.

I am open to criticism. Please, criticize all you want. It helps me work.

I've created …

Editor

New on the roster of improvements is… the map editor! Due to the unique nature of DoC's engine, I cannot have real-time terrain manipulation in DoC. Instead, I have implemented a separate terrain editing feature, whereby you can prepare, edit, and export terrains prior to making scenarios.

Implemented tools: …

The Bug that Would Not Die

So, I chased a couple of bugs for several hours yesterday. One of them must have been a virus - it kept replicating my fishing huts five or six times whenever one was created. The other had to do with a self-destructive storage pit …

…so I decided that I need to update Animaker to better-handle animation. This means positional offsets, customizable skeletons, props, etc. This also means that future DoC demos will feature new, improved animations. Thrusts, parries, deaths… it'll all look twice as good as before.

The skeleton system looks like this:

I …

The Dawn of Civilization demo has been released to the public at this location; a 64Digits release is forthcoming, as soon as the file manager starts responding right.

System requirements (reposted for clarity):

* Recommended at least an NVidia GeForce 6600 or equivalent (128mb graphical memory)

* At least …