Effectively then, we’re properly into Cogmind’s tenth 12 months now xD
It’s kinda arduous to nail down a transparent “ten-year” mark, since we may measure Cogmind’s age from its beginning as a 7DRL practically 12 years in the past, or after I began engaged on it full time in mid-2013, or its first business launch in Might 2015, however anyway yeah that is my tenth annual evaluation, a factor I began doing yearly since I made a decision to construct this world of robots in full.
In earlier years I’ve opened the evaluation with a collage of dev photos of various themes and content material, however approaching the tip of this 12 months we’ve got one main theme that stands out, and that I’ll be writing extra about beneath, so let’s hear it for the interface mockups!
Mockups put collectively in REXPaint some weeks in the past throughout a dev stream in preparation for Cogmind’s new UI format (open for full dimension).
Growth Time
As of the newest tally I’ve reached a complete of 16,785 hours of labor in these 10 years. Numbers go up.
One of many issues I’ve been specializing in a bit extra in recent times is a revival of the higher recreation:non-game work ratio that Cogmind loved in its early years after I was much less fascinated by selling it and extra fascinating in simply constructing cool stuff.
Certain even now I nonetheless spend numerous time engaged immediately with the energetic participant group (which has different advantages for improvement like suggestions!), although undoubtedly much less so exterior that, as evidenced partially by the decrease weblog exercise till very just lately 😛
This pattern held in 2023, in truth marking the primary time I’ve spent greater than twice as a lot time on constructing Cogmind reasonably than doing different supporting work because the pre-alpha days!
The ratio of direct work on Cogmind vs optionally available supporting work, principally community-facing stuff. (2013 excluded as a result of that 12 months I did little or no outward-facing work other than fast weblog posts and little progress updates on numerous boards, so 2013 would considerably skew the graph as an outlier.)
The dip beneath 1.0 for greater than a 12 months was the Steam launch, a busy time demanding that numerous effort be redirected to promotional wants and fielding buyer help and such.
As for 2023 although, the additional give attention to Cogmind itself can be mirrored in one other graph with an identical path…
Web variety of new gadgets added to Cogmind every year. (
I’ve included 2024 in that graph as a result of the work on all these gadgets was already accomplished on this 12 months’s dev time, however have but to be launched, and as you’ll be able to see it’s fairly a cache. The ultimate 2024 quantity by the tip of subsequent 12 months will even be larger, nearly definitely breaking the report.
Now clearly gadgets are usually not everything–building the sport includes different components, plus uncooked merchandise numbers can’t inform a full image since some are very simple so as to add whereas others are fairly concerned, however Cogmind is a particularly item-centric recreation, plus they’re simple to quantify :P. This new batch of things particularly consists of fairly a couple of belonging to the mechanics-heavy very fascinating class, so in that regard this spike is kind of significant. Proven one other approach:
Web complete merchandise depend in Cogmind, 2015-2023 and past. The primary three years there are Alpha, adopted by Beta.
I’d share one other of these cool merchandise artwork collages, however I’ve already accomplished that a number of occasions this year–scroll down SITREP #51 One other Large Bang to see one.
So total I believe this has been a fairly good use of time, and admit I’ve additionally additionally been more and more motivated (and freed up) by Patreon help to maintain give attention to improvement itself, in order that’s been fairly a boon!
On the flip aspect, 2023 has additionally introduced vital headwinds that considerably lowered the overall time I may commit to improvement within the first place (another excuse to prioritize recreation work!). Principally numerous well being points, ugh, amongst them a repeat of what severely incapacitated me again in 2017 (albeit from a distinct source–got randomly attacked by a chook wtf xD). That’s additionally why I needed to lower most of my streaming this 12 months, solely doing 7 streams within the final 8 months (25 complete streams in 2023 vs 40 final 12 months), however anyway forcing me away from streaming additionally freed up time for improvement, so there’s a constructive in there someplace 🙂
Regardless, improvement has been accelerating quickly into the latter months of 2023 and I’m excited to share what’s coming down the pipe, however first there’s extra recapping to do…
Releases
A 12 months in the past as the tip of 2022 approached I made a decision to pour a pair weeks into constructing a cool particular occasion, producing Polymind.
“This vacation season you might be NOT the Cogmind”
Apart: My annual critiques every year cowl a Dec~Nov interval, and normally come out within the first days of December–this 12 months’s is late since I used to be too deep within the coding mines on the time. So Polymind is technically a part of Yr 10.
It’s a fairly cool mode (nonetheless accessible) that turned out properly, I wrote a autopsy about it, and the hassle behind Polymind is already serving as the premise of a minimum of one new official mechanic, after it was confirmed possible from a technical standpoint 😀
This 12 months’s main launch was Beta 12, that includes revamped Garrisons, a significant new faction mechanic, and the generative Scrap Engine construct crafter.
All of your base are belong to us.
The discharge turned out properly, however is… undoubtedly not what I initially deliberate to occur. What was launched as Beta 12 was really speculated to be half of a bigger launch, however itself grew so giant in scope that it took some time to finish and needed to be cut up off and launched alone. Humorous sufficient that was a mere precursor to what’s persevering with to occur to the opposite content material it was to be part of (now Beta 13, however quickly to be greater than that xD). Extra on that later.
Group
The participant group continues as robust as ever, with new blood (oil?) becoming a member of on a regular basis and pleasant veterans instructing the ropes, guiding people to their first win and past. Nice to see and be part of.
The most recent prereleases have been experimenting with a singular type of optionally available Discord integration, which has been good for extra dialogue and additional reference materials. I wrote about that implementation earlier this 12 months.
Cog-minder and its wiki and instruments proceed to develop. The unique wiki I arrange a few years in the past has been taken out of motion by the host’s poor server maintenance–it nonetheless exists however just lately grew to become inaccessible to most browsers. It had already been partially gutted (the imported stat knowledge) by an not possible MediaWiki improve path, so I used to be going to exchange it with one thing else ultimately. Within the meantime it’s now a non permanent touchdown web page that redirects guests to Cog-minder.
I’ve added performance to help one other of aoemica’s superior initiatives, a fight log analyzer that produces fairly graphs and summaries primarily based on the complete export knowledge from Cogmind’s newly-detailed fight log.
aoemica’s fight analyzer! Earlier than the following full launch I’ll make additional changes to Cogmind to additional enhance the potential accuracy and usefulness of this device.
Usually I exploit the annual evaluation to place out a name for some Cogmind votes over on IndieDB of their annual Prime 100 record, however being too busy this 12 months and probably not eager to hassle with it anyway, simply dropped a pair hyperlinks on the Discord again then–apparently that was sufficient as a result of Cogmind made the record for the ninth 12 months in a row xD
Much more necessary is Patreon help, which actually retains issues buzzing alongside. I vastly recognize it! It’s particularly useful on this relative lull in exterior curiosity till I get the brand new UI so as.
A 2023 “cogtree” by veradux, adorned with Runia’s glorious 3D-printed fashions 😀
2024
That is the place issues get fascinating, as a result of 2024 goes to dwarf 2023, simply turning into Cogmind’s greatest 12 months but. We’re getting map zooming (already constructed), a brand new UI format with bigger font sizes for everybody (within the early phases of implementation), and naturally the UFD enlargement (a sizeable chunk of which is already constructed as properly), plus almost definitely further very vital issues however I don’t wish to communicate too quickly lest the birds come after me.
nervously glances out the window
Late this 12 months I paused the enlargement to prioritize main new UI options, together with map zooming after determining how you can make it appropriate with the engine and recreation on the whole, as described earlier in this collection. Its time has come.
Simply this week I streamed the primary playtest of that function, and was pleasantly stunned. With assist from new QoL options it was fairly playable, even whereas zoomed in more often than not.
I attempted it out with each pure mouse and pure keyboard enter. Word that it was streamed as common play reasonably than specializing in demonstrating all of the related options in a short while, so the video just isn’t a very good supply for a fast abstract, however if you wish to see it in motion that’s one present choice, and I did ultimately have pure alternatives to check all of the options and speak about them.
For higher reference I’ll be ending off that article collection with a writeup on the QoL I constructed to help map zooming (there’s loads :D).
A snapshot from the stream I modified to be used as a canopy picture to display the distinction from zooming (open for full dimension).
Following that I’ll be documenting the method of a fair larger new interface venture. Yep, even larger than zooming.
Final month I wrote just a little preview about this right here, in the event you’re within the particulars and associated numbers, however the gist could be garnered from the dimensions diagram I compiled:
Basic overview of potential Semi-modal and Modal UI layouts for Cogmind.
That is what the mockups had been created for, permitting Cogmind to be performed in a 45-row terminal as a substitute of the present 60, which means a font dimension improve of as much as 33% relying on decision. (Though I streamed the mockup work, it wasn’t archived on YouTube because it was a pure laid again impromptu dev stream and we had been listening to music.)
There have been very vital design and architectural challenges to creating this a actuality, however having already surmounted them and constructed the foundations to make it potential, it’s now secure to say this is usually a factor, and what I’ll be engaged on subsequent. Phases 1 and a couple of are full (2 has but to be launched exterior patron check builds), and three is below development.
Within the coming weeks the weblog will begin seeing articles about these Section 3 developments.
That brings us to the 2024 launch schedule… As normal I can’t give dates, however what I’d love to do right here is give a common thought of what every future launch comprises, particularly because it varies from what was initially projected.
As talked about there was simply going to be Beta 12 and that was Scraptown and mates. Effectively, “mates” acquired approach too huge so I believed I’d cut up it up into 12 and 13. Then whereas engaged on 13, “mates” acquired even larger, one map turning into three maps and increasing to incorporate an enormous vary of mechanics, a significant faction, extra large-scale occasions, and a brand new ending. With the brand new emphasis on inserting UI enhancements into the method, extra splits are so as 😛
Under is what I’m pondering for a tentative abstract of the approaching Beta releases, together with what they could be referred to as:
- Beta 13 “Zoom All The Issues”: Subcaves, map zooming, upscaled/modal UI layouts
- Beta 14 “United Federation of Derelicts”: Scraptown/UFD
- Beta 15 “0bPrime”: New late-game map and ending (mysterious)
- Beta 16 “Unchained”: Unchained! (you die right here, so possibly we don’t want extra betas? 😉
- Beta 17 “Hexidium”: New map for less than the bravest minds
Take this record with a pinch of salt, as a result of as you’ll be able to see plans do change after I resolve so as to add but extra Stuff, however anyway delays solely imply merely that–more content material and options, so the timing just isn’t tremendous necessary in that regard. Nevertheless I do wish to strive releasing just a little extra continuously than in previous years with these ever extra huge updates, so considerably smaller cuts could be good the place possible.
Discover I don’t have Section 4’s modal UI in there wherever but, either–it’s too early to say a lot about that one because it is determined by how Section 3 fares.
I very a lot sit up for bringing you some superior releases in 2024!
Except a Recycler eats the code.
