Hello... Part of the GUI rework for 0.17 is also tweaking the tooltips: They should be structured better. They should contain more useful information. They should be a better tool for new players to understand how things work. We will cover more of the tooltip changes in a future FFF, but the necessary preparation for this is to rethink the way we explain some basic properties of machines to avoid as much bloat as possible. One of the good ways to do that is also to remove the need to show some of the mechanics by simplifying them, or completely removing them if we figure out that they are not really important for the game.
Water animation - Concept Albert Since the very beginning of the project, we have focused a lot in the side of the factory, providing better designs for the machines, and expressive animations that give a sense of life and credibility in this area. We put a lot of effort also in the environmental side, adding different tile sizes, improving textures, adding doodads, cliffs, trees, decals, and constantly improving the map generation for a better feeling. But apart from biters and the factory, nothing else moves in this Factorio planet. So the environment is nice looking but it feels somehow unreal due this lack of motion. Today we proudly present the first experiment in this area: Animated water. This animation doesn't try to grab your attention, it's just there. Slowly moving. I personally bet that this animation, with the proper sound design, will provide the natural feeling that the planet needs.
Playtesting kovarex We have been playtesting a few days this week. There were some things we had to fix on the fly, but we still were able to play quite a lot, so I would say that it went surprisingly well. We have been able to get 3 multiplayer bases into a late game stage.
Hello, In the last FFF-386 we covered the natural landscape of Vulcanus which mostly showed the visuals, but as you are probably aware we always put gameplay first. Now it's time to find out what kind of greater good you can do to the planet...
Lua Mod GUI additions Rseding Mod GUIs have been an interesting part of Factorio modding since I started working at Wube. They allow scenarios and mods to add GUIs that look and feel like the base game. When someone new to Factorio modding is introduced to how they function, they almost always have the same questions: Why is mod GUI part of the game state? Why do mod GUIs need to be deterministic? How can I edit the base game GUIs? And then comes the explanation: The actual widgets are not part of the game state and are not deterministic. The part that mods have access to however is. In an environment where mods have to operate deterministically, if a mod is allowed to read some data that data must be deterministic. In that simple bit of logic; if a mod can read the checked state of a checkbox then that checked state needs to be deterministic. If the mod didn't have access to read that state it would need to store the last-known state and update it every time it got the changed event. Try to imagine that: every single mod implementing their own system for remembering last-known-state about GUIs they're using. Instead of leaving that entire mess to mod developers we decided long ago that we would manage that "last-known-state" for them. The basic data about what a given mod wanted to show on screen is recorded so mods can read and change it as they want and not need to be concerned with constantly updating it every time some changed event happens. Additionally it means that the game can use that "last known state" to restore what the player sees if they save, quit, and load the game. That still leaves the last question: "How can I edit the base game GUIs?". Using the above example it's much easier to explain that: as a mod - you can't. The base game GUIs are not implemented using this same system - they're just pure collections of widgets. None of the "last known state" is saved anywhere and it's all lost when saving, quitting, and loading. However, that leaves a divide: we need to implement each widget type through the "CustomGui" system in order for mods to be able to use them. With this latest release I finally figured out a way to do tabbed panes since they're special in how they work compared to everything else. Additionally I figured out a semi-friendly way for mods to put things directly on the screen in a way that the player can drag them around - instead of being limited to some fixed area (left, top, center, etc). Another system which I've been thinking about for quite some time is some way for mods to position GUI elements relative to base game GUIs. For example: a mod wants to add a pane which shows on the left of the character inventory GUI. Currently it's not possible - the base game GUI isn't readable by mods so they can't do anything with it. My idea is some system where a mod can say "I want to add this GUI, and I want it to be shown relative to the character GUI on the left side" and then any time the character GUI is shown it would also show the mod GUI. There are some critical parts to this new system. It needs to: Be easy to expand (either automatically works with all new base game GUIs or works with minimal effort). Not break with simple refactoring. Not cause other programmers trouble by existing. Not prevent base game GUIs from working how they need to work. So far none of it seems impossible. I don't know when I'll have it working, but I'm looking forward to what mods will do with it.
Hello, we've already shown the space platform processing cycle in FFF-380. Let's talk a little bit more about the machine which makes it all possible - the asteroid collector.
Hello, Several FFFs ago we have shown you what a Space platform can look like (FFF-373), today we would like to explain how they work in a bit more detail.
Hello, Make Way for the Pentapods! Last week (FFF-424) we announced two entirely new enemies coming to Factorio: Space Age: Stompers and Strafers. This week, we're going to take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the features, systems, and optimizations that brought these adorable monsters to life. We'll also talk about the techniques we used to prepare last week's announcement. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's dive right in.
