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4 NOV 2023:

- Made lots of 4k backgrounds with Space Engine Pro this week. Steam says I've used the program for about 15 hours.

- The backgrounds are oversized jpg images that are then compressed, using this awesome online tool that I found. Compressing the images decreased the initial load time by half! Nice! Because the images are oversized, I can position them on the screen with a little variation.

- I continued working on planets as "middleground" objects and to give a slight parallax effect. But there were 3 problems:

  • Although Space Engine Pro can generate png's with transparency, it can only go up to 1024 resolution (in skybox mode). So all the renders were not very detailed.
  • Even small png's caused the game to lag noticeably.
  • Getting the planets to look right during level transitions was . . . not impossible, but not worth the effort that would be required to get it working properly.

- Obviously performance is better than "looking cool" so I made the decision to scrap the "middleground" planets entirely. 

- When a level is completed, the player will warp to the next. Above you can see a preview of that (minus the railgun which I haven't added back in yet). 


IN OTHER NEWS:

- Started playing Red Dead Redemption 2. All I have to say is, wow, the level of immersion and detail in that game is amazing. There were quite a few parts that felt more like a movie than a game.  

- Have you ever thought about how much you spend on Steam? I made a spreadsheet and calculated that I've spent over $800 on games -- most of which I haven't completed or even play anymore. Sad, isn't it? As a result, an early resolution of mine is to only buy games that are on sale.

- Star Ocean: the Second Story R just released -- so it's definitely not on sale -- but they did have a demo. And what a demo it is! I remember playing the original on the PS1 and couldn't get into it. But this new version is just fantastic! Loving the 2.5D art style.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"True creativity flows only from stillness." -- Eckhart Tolle


Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your week!