RoVerse Development Newsletter #81

Hello everyone! Welcome to the eighty-first issue of the RoVerse Development Newsletter, where we keep you updated on the progress we've made over the past week.

Continuing off of the excellent work with vehicle gravity last week, Idyllic has continued to improve the system, as well as take a first stab at miniaturizing the vehicles, which didn't turn out to be as easy as first expected. To go with his work, a new, larger, generated planet, has been created, with Vedrakkerous working on the details of both planet biomes and other atmospheric effects, like a day-night cycle.

After some important tweaks to a scaling plugin to scale the effects of attachments properly, and setting up a specific grouping and process for welding, miniature vehicles got off to a bumpy start. With some interesting results that looked more like a foal trying to stand for the first time, than a suspension system, tweaking of forces was necessary.

That was the earliest, most promising results, because when it didn't spasm out like the above, it would either just disappear completely, having been launched out of view in a single frame, or explode into individual pieces. So it may not look like it, but it was very important progress.

After extensive work balancing variables, Idyllic managed to get a vehicle that could stand under its own weight, and operate as designed when driven.

There are still a few things that need to be smoothed and tweaked a bit more, but the results are looking good. The suspension is a bit rigid going over obstacles, and prone to breaking when hitting anything exceptionally hard or at a weird angle, but nothing unfixable.

Idyllic was also able to tweak the radar system to work with planets, the major change being that anything that is at your elevation is displayed as such, even if it is around the curve of the planet making it seem to be below you. So ships strafing you overhead will appear with a riser, showing their location. We look forward to more work on that system moving forward.

​While Idyllic was working on the technical systems for planets, Vedrakkerous took to improving the green, grassy boring planet Idyllic had been testing on, filling it with biomes like the polar zone, a desert, and some rocky plains. While not officially generated procedurally, these test runs will provide a basis for designing the systems that will generate biomes, using a variety of terrain materials and colors to create unique, and sometimes alien environments.

But it wasn't just painting terrain. Other atmospheric touches include a transition from clear at night, showing the thousands of stars, to nearly opaque during the day, resulting in a nice blue sky. And since the day-night cycle moves around the planet, rather than using the Roblox-provided one, the math behind finding where exactly the player was, turned into an interesting challenge that proved to be no match for the two devs.

And what's a desert without a pyramid rising from the dunes?

Next up on the list of features are a more dynamic camera than one fixed to the back of your turret, and the big challenge of getting characters to rotate to match the surface.​ We can't wait to see what our talented devs come up within the next week.

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Each week we compile a Q&A section here whenever there are any new questions posted on the RoVerse Community group wall or in the Community Discord Server. Be sure to join if you have any questions about RoVerse:

ROBLOX Group: https://www.roblox.com/My/Groups.aspx?gid=2948290
Discord server: https://discord.gg/npxBGwJ

Q1: Will there be scanning of planets to get extra information about them from orbit?

A1: Having a readout full of useful, and maybe some not so useful, information display when looking at a planet from orbit would be really cool, adding a bit of extra depth to the universe you're exploring. We'll look into putting important information, like a rough estimate of resources, hazardous conditions, and day length, when we get closer to implementing those sorts of guis. 

Q2: Will faction members be forced to wear a set uniform, to avoid those embarrassing ones?

A2: It will be left up to factions whether to require members to wear a specific uniform, with the possibility of certain accessories being allowed, so characters keep their identity. Or, alternatively, we leave it up to factions entirely to manage their members - there's nothing stopping you from kicking members that violate your rules.

Q3: Will we be able to make hovering land vehicles?

A3: Of course! Wheeled vehicles may be what we're working on now, but only because they were expected to be the most problematic. Hovering vehicles are a staple of sci-fi, we'd be remiss to not include them. They will of course handle much differently, and will have certain situations where they excel, as well as situations where they hold you back.

Q4: What benefit will AI colonists provide to factions?

A4: Building a colony on a new world will be a significant step in a factions growth, making them as an interplanetary force to be reckoned with. Besides the boosts to the economy, and increasing faction population statistics, a city on another planet is a significant stronghold should that planet come under attack. Taking care of a colony will reward you with a better presence, and an improved economy that could mean the difference in your military campaigns. 

Q5: Swarm Missiles over traditional single-shot missiles?

A5: We'll look into it, because they're sure cool to watch.

Q6: Will there be unarmed combat?

A6: In the hopefully rare occurrence that you run out of all ammo while invading a planet's surface, you'll be able to scavenge for other weapons or ammo, bring in shipments on friendly cargo ships, possibly even call down a consumable drop pod with supplies. When that runs out, you'll be provided with a weak laser pistol, that should hold its charge for a significant amount of time. While hand-to-hand combat would be cool, it's not really within the scope of RoVerse, and probably wouldn't work exceptionally well at the tiny scale we're working with.

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​You can support us by joining our Community Group or Discord server! So far, the community has been absolutely amazing, supportive, and very friendly. We are very appreciative of all the support you guys show us!

If you want to catch any of our developers streaming, you can always follow our official Twitch channel here!

Remember, we are always looking for new, talented builders, scripters and artists! If you’d like to help us you can always get in touch with us through RoVerse_Official on the ROBLOX website, or by contacting an Administrator in the community Discord! Don’t worry, we don’t bite!