#alienhorizon — Public Fediverse posts

There's been a lot of buzz around #AlienHorizon lately. Some YouTubers have made videos about it and people flocked to the Steam version, writing many positive reviews and buying quite a few donation packs. I'm once again cautiously starting to become optimistic about the game's future.

Today I had a long discussion with my girlfriend. We're not doing that great money-wise and my "business model" with #AlienHorizon is just not gonna save it. This combined with my doubts about the quality of the game leads me to the unfortunate decision that if nothing improves by the next few months, I will shut down development of AH and find a real job.

I released #AlienHorizon, my complex #SoloDev sci-fi survival #CityBuilder on #Steam today.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2767480/Alien_Horizon_Preview_Alpha
#GameDev #IndieDev

#AlienHorizon, the free sci-fi survival #CityBuilder I'm developing, now has a Steam page and trailer. Make sure you share and wishlist! Boosts appreciated.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2767480/Alien_Horizon_Preview_Alpha/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv6Hw9RGeTw
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev

So, a link to Patreon or any similar donation site is not allowed in Steam games. There goes any hope I had that a Steam release of #AlienHorizon would get me more patrons... #GameDev #SoloDev

I released a new version of #AlienHorizon today. This update adds some new content and significantly changes the early game balance, so it may be worth visiting again:
https://purple-nebula.itch.io/alien-horizon
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #CityBuilder

In a moment, I'm gonna start streaming with the update for #AlienHorizon
https://www.twitch.tv/akheracz
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #Streaming

Today's development of the reworked version of #AlienHorizon has been a rollercoaster of emotions.

On one hand, I measured that the new rendering pipeline is about 5-10 times faster than the old one, proving that the rework is worth it...

On the other hand, I spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out why my shader code doesn't work, only to eventually find out that #Monogame has a bug in its GLSL converter...

#Gamedev #Indiedev #Solodev

Does today's generation still do this meme, or am I old now?
#AlienHorizon

I released a new version of #AlienHorizon today. This update focuses on adding children to the game, which changes it quite a lot. Check it out: https://purple-nebula.itch.io/alien-horizon
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #CityBuilder #ScreenshotSaturday

Today is update day for #AlienHorizon. I'm gonna be streaming at 19:00 CEST on https://www.twitch.tv/akheracz - I'll show off the new update and play it for a while. Come hang out.
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #CityBuilder

#AlienHorizon almost has all the structures that are necessary for the colony to be self-sustaining, but I unfortunately left some of the most difficult ones to model last. The result is that I've been spending several weeks now modeling chemical plants with a crapton of pipes to the point I'm having bad dreams about being stuck in a world of pipes.

I regret not learning more about Blender's scripting system, which probably could make some of the piping work easier. Same with railing, stairs and ladders, which are also pain in the ass.

I've been working on a complete rewrite of the UI for #AlienHorizon. Every time I start making a new UI element, I feel like it should be done in an hour or two and every time I'm horribly wrong.

Today I was implementing an input text box and found out how difficult it is to add things we take for granted, like a caret, text selection or copy and pasting. (None of these are present in current version of the game)

Once again I keep thinking that I should've just used an existing library, but I like having complete control over my code.

#GameDev #SoloDev

I released a new version of #AlienHorizon today. There are some interesting changes there, so make sure you check it out: https://purple-nebula.itch.io/alien-horizon
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #CityBuilder

Today is update day for #AlienHorizon. I'm gonna be streaming at 19:00 CEST on https://www.twitch.tv/akheracz - I'll show off the new update and play it for a while.
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #CityBuilder

I released a new version of #AlienHorizon today. It's quite a big update, so make sure you check it out: https://purple-nebula.itch.io/alien-horizon
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #CityBuilder

Today at 19:00 CEST I'm going to be #streaming the release of new update of #AlienHorizon on https://www.twitch.tv/akheracz
Come say hi!
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev

Prefab Concrete Plant is your colony's first proper industry. It can make concrete out of sulfur and stone that your mining drills mine. It can also recycle concrete out of scrap.

It's not very fast, but just like all prefabs, it's quick to build and doesn't require much maintenance.

Concrete is one of the two basic most abundantly needed construction materials. As it's heavy and easy to produce locally, the colony fleet didn't bring too much with it, so it's important to start producing it early.

#AlienHorizon #ScreenshotSaturday #CityBuilder #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #LowPoly

In #AlienHorizon you can set desired workload for workplaces. For example, when you set it to 50%, they only employ half as many people and produce half as fast.
You can also be a slave driver and increase workload beyond 100%, which squeezes extra productivity from workers at some costs, like higher injury rates and lower job satisfaction.
It doesn't hire new people, though... or at least I thought. Today I found out that there was a bug and thanks to these two scenarios using the same system, when you increased workload over 100%, the workplace stealthily hired more people without showing it in the UI. So, technically, everyone was working less. A victory for workers' rights I guess?
#GameDev #BugOfTheDay

Oh no! For years colonists in #AlienHorizon were able to marry, but it turns out this information wasn't saved, so everyone always got divorced on reload #BugOfTheDay

Once you mine water, you need someplace to store it. That's what Storage Tanks are for. In fact, they can store any combination of three different liquids and can be connected to various buildings or other storage tanks via a special structure called "Pipes".

Pipes are not required, though, and tankers will transport liquids wherever they're needed automatically.

#AlienHorizon #ScreenshotSaturday #CityBuilder #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #LowPoly

I just found out that it's a good thing I bought a lower end version of my GPU back in the day - at least I get to see firsthand how #AlienHorizon reacts to running out of VRAM.
Spoiler: not very well.
#GameDev #MemoryLeaks

Using just resources that the colony ship brought with it wouldn't get the colony very far, so mining of local resources needs to be started very early on.

Mining Drills are the early option for mining resource deposits, capable of drilling into anything - be it ice, iron ore, sulfur or others.

They can be built almost everywhere, even on sloped terrain and only require power to work, but are quite slow and require colonists with high specialization to operate.

Deposits can be easily differentiated by the color of their texture, although if you want to know more about them or be absolutely sure what kind of resource they provide, it's best to survey them using a Survey Office.

Deposits came in various grades, which determine how fast they can be mined. Keep in mind that they're not infinite and will eventually deplete, requiring the mining drill to be rebuilt elsewhere.

#AlienHorizon #ScreenshotSaturday #CityBuilder #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #LowPoly

Every colony that uses renewable power sources requires Energy Storages to balance its power grid.

They are quite small, but the amount of batteries they require for maintenance limits their number. It is best to monitor the energy reserves and only add more if storage is inadequate.

You can quickly gauge the approximate level of charge by looking at the colored indicators on the model.

#AlienHorizon #ScreenshotSaturday #CityBuilder #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #LowPoly

Wind Turbines are another source of power for an early colony. Not as useful in valleys, but they beat solar panels in efficiency on mountain peaks and are respectable on wide open plains too. They can also be built on sloped terrain that solars can't.

It's never a good idea to rely on just one type of a power source, so build at least a couple and keep expanding along with your solar arrays.

#AlienHorizon #ScreenshotSaturday #CityBuilder #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #LowPoly

This little prefabricated structure may seem boring, but it's crucial for setting up the early colony. In the Prefab Survey Office, geologists can send out a surveyor vehicle to help them identify deposits of useful resources or explore unknown areas of the map. Doing so generates small amounts of geology research points. Like all scientists, they only work during the day.

Prefab structures are limited in number, but are quick to build, easy to maintain and don't take a lot of space.

#AlienHorizon #ScreenshotSunday #IForgotAboutScreenshotSaturday #CityBuilder #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #LowPoly

There's been a big uptick of activity on #AlienHorizon Itch.io page and it's driving me nuts that I can't figure out where it's coming from. Analytics tell me it's from search engines, but that doesn't help.

There are a lot of structures in #AlienHorizon, so I thought I would show one off and tell you about it every #ScreenshotSaturday, starting with the basics.

Solar Arrays are a staple of every early colony, providing reliable power. They're very space-inefficient are their maintenance is very labor-intensive, but they make up for it with low cost and fast construction. Unsurprisingly, they only work during the day, so energy storage is needed to compensate.

Expect to have to build hundreds of them before you're able to switch to different types of power production.

#CityBuilder #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #LowPoly

Today I'm once again free from corporate shackles, ready to resume working full-time on #AlienHorizon.
At least until I run out of money again...

I released a new version of #AlienHorizon today.
Not as many new features as I hoped because of the day job I have now, but there's quite a few improvements. Head to https://purple-nebula.itch.io/alien-horizon to download it and enjoy!
#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #CityBuilder