We sent files for our new logo ! Working on it this week and finally hit button send.

Well, we want to be classic but not boring. Light color and impactful font. One thing we insisted :
Adding a symbol that have a link with the raid leading skill. Because players will have to master and build their raid. High customization will be up next update, and we want the logo to show that you write your story.

Maybe a small shield that carries the armor of the guild ? But we are not closed to other ideas, this guys are talented and we can't wait to show you the first draft !

Excited to finally be able to tell people about this! I've been working with Markiplier for the last few months on an Iron Lung movie! Check out the official teaser:



I've been heavily involved with production, including collaborating on the script and being on set for the entire filming, and you'll also get to see me in a small cameo in the film itself! More details will follow in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Hey everyone!

As promised in the last devlog, I wanted to cover the changes and new mechanics regarding item stacking in Shapez 2!

However, I wanted to also quickly mention that we have a new logo for Shapez 2:


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

Let us know in the comments if you like it!

Please note: This devlog might contain spoilers regarding shapez 1, if you haven't completed level 20 yet.



In shapez 1, the stacking basically works like this:

If you combine two shapes, let's say, two halves, it will combine them on a single layer:



However, if you try to stack shapes that have overlapping parts, the right shape will stack "on top" of the other shape, effectively getting smaller:



The reason for the upper shape is getting smaller is making sure you can still read both layers.

It can get more complex quickly though - what if the shapes only partially overlap?
In this case, you will produce an overhang:



If you now try to cut this overhang, the right side "falls down" and gets bigger again:



Here for example is how you produce a shape that has a "floating" piece which is not connected to anything else (like in the logo):



Using this mechanic is required to produce the logo (level 20) shape - and it can be very unintuitive.
In fact, it is so unintuitive that we got hundreds of bug reports about "broken stacking mechanics" so far!


When making a survey in the shapez 2 discord about the stacking mechanics, this is what we got out of 927 votes:

A) 31%: I have completed level 20 in shapez 1, and figured the solution on my own
B) 51% I have completed level 20 in shapez 1, but I looked up the solution fully or partially
C) 3% I stopped at level 20
D) 15% I stopped before level 20

Seeing that only 18% stopped at level 20 or before - it shows that this is really represents the core audience of shapez, having played the game at least for 10 hours +.

And yet, out of the 82% who completed level 20, effectively 62% had to look up the solution on the internet!

This showed us that the mechanic definitely needs a change, and this is what we did in Shapez 2.


Our goal for Shapez 2 was, besides of making all buildings open, making the game more accessible. This also includes making all mechanics feel like a challenge, but not like a bug, and thus they have to be intuitive.

I'll simply show the exact same setup from above, but this time in shapez 2. (PS: There are alpha builds available in the discord, if you want to try it yourself!)

Again, if you combine 2 halves, it looks like this:



If you stack 2 shapes that have overlapping parts, it looks like this:



If you stack 2 shapes that only partially overlap, it looks like this:



So far so good - but what happens if you now try to cut the overhang?



As you can see, there is now a little animation showing how the overhang is falling down and resizing to its original size.

This also applies if you try to build a floating shape:



As you can see - the overhang now falls down as well!

This means that floating shapes, which are not connected to any adjacent shape, are not possible in Shapez 2 - are they?

Let me introduce you the new pin mechanic!


To allow to produce floating shapes in shapez 2, we wanted a mechanic that makes more sense and also looks "reasonable" with the new 3D environment - having parts just float in the air would look weird and inconsistent.

Thus, we are introducing a new mechanic - the pin pusher.



It introduces a new "shape part" type (Short code: "P-"), that is a little different compared to the other shape parts. It effectively removes a whole quadrant and replaces it with a single pin.

Utilizing the pin, you can create floating shapes again:



This makes whole process a lot more intuitive. And you can produce some pretty .. interesting shapes! Notice how the right shape is actually the "a" from our new logo - a shape you can only produce in Shapez 2!




The shape stacking logic has been created completely from scratch in Shapez 2. It now does an actual, physics based simulation of the shape (which is of course cached, so it's very efficient).

The first step is identifying "groups" within a shape. 2 parts of a shape count connected if:

- They are on the same layer
- They are adjacent quadrants (i.e. top right and bottom left wouldn't connect)
- Both are a "full" shape - that means, not a pin

A group is connected physically, so it means that when it falls down, all parts fall down by the same amount.

After identifying the groups, we run our "physics" simulation which basically applies gravity to all groups, until the shape is not changing anymore.

This might sound rather complex at first, but the behaviour is actually a lot more intuitive if you try out!

PS: Again, there are alpha builds available in the discord, if you want to try it yourself!

PPS: If you are interested in the exact details - you can find the C# Source here! We are always happy to get suggestions on the code, just like in shapez 1.


The floating shapes mechanic was a beloved mechanic from a lot of veteran shapez 1 players, and we are very well aware that the pin pusher mechanic simplifies the process quite a bit. Especially for those who love (hard) puzzles, there is now a gap.

However, don't worry - this is why we are introducing additional shape mechanics as well, such as crystals!

Be sure to follow the Store Page to get notified about new devlogs covering those mechanics!



PS: Did you notice all GIFs loop seamlessly? This was actually a lot of work! If you like the devlogs, let us know in the comments so we know it's appreciated :)

Have a nice weekend!
Tobias



https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/

Frost fighters, Anomalous frost and Adepts are getting weaker - there is only one week left to hold out! On Friday 28.04 the event "Anomalous Blizzard 2023" will be removed from the game.

📢 In-game store promotions and the Battle Pass will also be removed from the game.

Regards,
EXBO Team.

Hello

In this little update we added two buttons to the Project Files window
A button to open the files manager (Explorer) and another one to open the command prompt (terminal)

Thanks!

Greetings, Citizens! 🏙️

How’s everyone doing? I hope all is well!ːcozycrashfishː

You must be wondering what this announcement is about… Well, I won’t make you guys wait and get right to the context, as it’s Friday, and most of us are already in a weekend mood! ːsteamhappyː

Looking back at how this all started and what we have achieved, it’s been a long journey. This wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for all of you! We want to thank everyone for their constant support towards the project and for being part of this amazing community. ːTieː

We are always trying our best to improve whenever and wherever possible, the progress that we’re making wouldn’t be possible without your lovely support and suggestions.



To do something special for our lovely community, we are hosting a giveaway for all of you ːoldschoolː

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. This game is the sequel to Star Wars Jedi Fallen order.

A lucky member of the community will be winning a copy of this awesome game on the platform they desire! 🥰

To enter the giveaway, you have to do is head to this link 🔗↴-
Click here!

If you know someone who is a die-hard fan of the Star Wars series and is eagerly waiting for this game, don’t forget to invite them as well! We really don’t have any major restrictions as to who can participate!

That’s all from me today 😀

Kind regards
Nody,
Community Manager, Word Warfare & Economics.

Pump up your pet over the weekend! 🐰

Weekend rates in Karos:

🗯 04/22/2023 - Pet experience x2
🗯 04/23/2023 - Pet experience x2.

Have a great weekend, fighters!

Dear friends, it's that time again.
On Friday the ⁠"Ocean" art contest starts! You have 10 days to give your best and create a piece of art that finds as much approval in the community as possible.

This time the theme is: Ocean. So: think about what you can find in the ocean and get to your brushes. We look forward to seeing what you come up with.

For more information check out our Discord server!

• Conclusion to the first act of the "find the sister" crew quest, including two new story events and a quest-unique pilotable ship variant.
  
• Additional interactions with the Ganymedean base.
  
• When performing actions on your crew using the dialogue system, crew occupation will be listed next to their name.
  
• Improved performance of HUD rendering.
  
• Updated translations.

Hey everybody. So, if you've paid attention to the development of F*ck This Game lately, you've noticed it's been... quite dormant. Incredibly dormant, actually. And I've got some good news, and bad news.

If you've noticed, there's been some tags and some bits of the description removed; namely, any elements referencing horror.

The truth is that the game previously included secretive horror elements, which would have teased some sort of secret project, or something. But I had lost direction over both this secret horror game and FTG, which means I couldn't figure out how to proceed.

The good news is, TabularElf and I will finally begin work on the game again since I've figured out what I want the game to be. This is a significant step forward in the development of FTG, and I'm really excited to be working on the game again. The bad news is, any horror elements will now be absent from the game. This makes the overall game smaller, but it also makes it more realistic that the game will be released. Anyone who was waiting on horror or secret or puzzle-y elements, you may be disappointed, but do understand this was a necessary step in order to make sure we could finish the game.

Hopefully you'll understand why FTG hasn't had public updates in so long, but I promise that beginning today, there will be much more progress made.

Thanks for reading.