“Mining is all well and good if you know what you are doing, but more asteroid colonies have been lost to mining mishaps than Greebon attacks.” - Jason Tanner, chief astrogeological expert.

Wow, even more progress, I’m stunning even myself.

Tonight I managed to complete buildings, building coldet, mining, square contents, more AI and minor pathing. These systems aren’t finished, but they are adequate enough while I flesh out the UI, which is more important. That will be next, and it will be the harder code.

Here’s a screenshot.

“Okay, we’re coming in to land. What’s that? Oh holy …….” - Last transmission of the S.S. Pegasus

I continue making progress, this time it’s with colonist moving and falling. It’s adequate, which is all I need to move onto the next list item, but I’m not satisfied. Definitely the first thing to re-factor when I start adding proper AI.

I have tile clicking done, so the cube under the mouse is highlighted. Next is to add walls and buildings. Then mining, and with mining sub-tile values. Then there’s tasks and pathing to add to the Colonists giving them more AI, and last on the list so far is the UI, which will be the hardest.

Here’s to an eventful and successful week of programming.

Addendum: I just finished walls. It was easier than I thought.

“What all them people don’t get, is space worms is good eatin’.” - Troy ‘Grubs’ McGaven

I did even more work, now the asteroid actually looks like an asteroid. Complete with chunky bits.

More work to be done tomorrow. It’s a split between working on walls and floors, and working on colonists. I also need to spawn the starting base and work out how to do models. That’s the harder part.

Until tomorrow.

“Hull breach warning. Colonists are asphyxiating!” - Computer voice from Rigel 3 Outpost37

Woo! I’ve progressed. I now have a floating lump of rock in space.

Well hey, it is progress.

This is the basis of the game, a 3d space in which the colonists mine, build and live.

Next is more input, I need to get mouse control working. Then I can start on some gameplay.

Wow, it’s been one hell of a quarter.

I had so many plans, but they all fell by the wayside. I recently sat down and went through my plans for the next year and the one thing that always came up was: I just haven’t put in the time.

This year I’m taking on the Thousander Club Challenge, which I heard about from Gianfranco Berardi of GBGames.

So, 20 hours a week for 50 weeks. 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. It’s very doable, even with a full time job. What has me worried though is that if I add up all the time I’ve worked on games, it would barely come to 400 hours over the last 10 years. This year I’m doubling it and more, working towards completing a game. I’ve found my notes for the first game that I wanted to make, Randor, and that’s the first one I’m going to finish. It’s going to be one hell of a year.