I basically spent this week ripping out code and replacing it with the changes I wanted to make to the ring design system that I prototyped last week. Having spent the previous could of months building up the game around the old system there wasn't much not affected by the change and it took forever to get the thing to compile in the end. Was forever finding bits I'd missed or old functions that no longer worked properly because of the new system. The loading system for the design slots still doesn't work, but at least the game is playable again now.
And it's a better playable experience for it. The change is a lot simpler to explain:
You have 7000 design points to pick items to design your spacecraft. As you progress through the game will will get new and improved items to add to your design.
As oposed to:
Pick 5 segments and 4 Hub Modifiers. as the game progresses you will recieve segment modifiers that you attach to specific segments to boost their stats.
The designer looks better now too:
I need to centralise the filter buttons at the top, change the node image and the yellow division line, but otherwise I'm happy with it.
I'm also thinking of ditching the oxygen resource. I think it's a difficult resource to manage and needlessly restricts player movement across the map. Having one less resource also simplifies the game for the better freeing up player to concentrate on trading and missions.
At the tail end of this week I started working on improving the orbital physics. At the moment it all feels a little slow sling shotting between planets and moons to reach other planets and moons isn't as fun as I feel it can be. So i'e been building a small prototype to try out a few different things - it will probably mean a change to the map size, the planet images and possibly the speed at which time runs, but I'l know soon enough.
I'm also taking the next two weeks off the this game so the next update will be on April fool's day :)