Spanner in the Works

[Arowx]

If you use Zone to select a region in the editor and Mask, only the selected region will be visible, allowing you to build an interior to your ship.

Your right the hull will be the armour between your characters and space and enemy attacks.  Crew space and Console will provide basic protection to space, but not from attacks.  Shields can also be used, so in theory you could just use a shield generator.

Currently the system does not check for gaps in your ships design, although it would be fun if people built a disconnected ship and when they flew it the engine(s) shot away!

[ekolis]

Do shield generators project some sort of field that covers other nearby blocks, or provide a magic bubble of extra hitpoints to the ship as a whole, or do they function the same as hull?

Speaking of flying the ship, is the game going to stick with the grid-based movement, or switch to something else - say, arcade style controls, or newtonian?

The game reminds me a bit of this Minecraft-clone-in-space thing I've heard of called StarMade...

[Arowx]

At the moment it's a simple bubble shield.

I'm sticking with a really simple rougelike turn based control mechanic, more strategic.

Like I said it's a roguelike and StarMade is way more advanced than spanner.

[ekolis]

I guess I don't really see, then, how the 3D ship design fits in with the rest of the game. Will you bump enemy ships to attack, which causes your ship to fire laser beams onto the enemy's design grid at random locations? Will you be able to target specific locations on enemy ships?

[Arowx]

Have you tried the alpha?

Ship to Ship and Dwarf to Zomork Combat is mostly ranged. 

Good idea I will have to add in targeting of specific ship locations.

[ekolis]

Yes, I did try it. Didn't get to see any ship to ship combat; I figured you hadn't implemented that. Did manage to leave my ship once, and I was fighting... something... but I had no idea what it was, since I couldn't see it...

[Arowx]

Great,  there is another ship out there to fight with.

Those pesky Zomorks, they hide in the asteroids. 

Good point thought the light around the player is limited and even though your character can have Line of Sight on a Z you might not be able to see it.

Great feedback ekolis.

I'm taking part in the VRJam for the next three weeks but I will be back, any and all feedback, greatly appreciated and come on show me your ship designs!?

[guest509]

Dude!

Obvious promise here is obvious.

This is a cheerleader post. Rah rah rah!

[Arowx]

Thank You Jo,

I'll be back, I've been off working on a VRJam entry LGM Pizza Delivery Rocketeer, the recent Ludum Dare where I made Decimoid and I'm juggling between Spanner and Space War a multi-player space combat game for the Oculus Rift.

Just trying to build Space War up into well more of a war, and less just lots of space.  But I will get back to Spanner.

Any and all feedback welcome!

PS Do any of you rougelike players have an Oculus rift? ;0)

Decimoid Video
LGM - Pizza Delivery Rocketeer Video
Space War Video

[Darren Grey]

Hey, you must be the same Arowx from the Frontier forums! Cool to see you're into developing roguelikes too

[Arowx]

Yes, well I started a 3D 7drl roguelike but haven't got around to finishing it yet, keep getting side tracked on silly things like other games or Ship databases