HTML Zoolux Eternum [v0.1.1] [Grimward]

[GrimwardGame]

Hello, is this compatible with the interface trial run you made and posted on page one?

No, unfortunately it’s not compatible. I ended up scrapping that interface idea after more negative feedback came in - and to be honest, I wasn’t too happy with it either. A new system has since been developed to replace it. However, you can avoid the bug if you don’t look for the thief on the first planet and instead go straight to the second one. The issue happens because I accidentally used the same variable in both minigame scripts, so when one runs, it activates something that affects the other. If you skip that step, everything should work fine!

 

[charaglitchwitch]

I’m continuing work on the game, and a question came up that I’d love your opinion on:
What do you think about the video resolution in the current demo?

Right now, I cut and render the videos exactly at the size they appear in the game (about 870 px wide). The big advantage of this is that the files are very lightweight – for example, around 100 videos total just take up 150 MB.

The video player in the game won’t appear larger than this, so we’re not talking full screen here. (And yes, I deliberately kept it that way because my OCD can’t handle it when text is wider than the video )
So the only thing I could change is the video resolution itself – say, bumping it up to 720p – but that would already double the file size.

I’m using an older 1080p monitor myself, and on that, the videos don’t look pixelated during gameplay.
But of course, what looks fine to me might not look the same for everyone else.

So what do you think? Is the current video quality good enough, or would you prefer higher resolution even if the game size increases?

Personally, with my setup I would prefer higher resolution. Though i am not sure if that is the majority. The people i know lean towards the high end side.

 

[thornum]

the actual resolution is not a problem for me.

 

[GuardianSoul]

What do you think about the video resolution in the current demo?

I think a bump to 720 would be a pretty noticeable increase in quality without too much file size bloat.
I'm running an old 1920x1080 monitor and while the video quality is fine it does look a bit fuzzy.

Even scaling up the number of art assets I don't think the game would get too bad, and for the amount of images and videos a ~2-4GB footprint doesn't sound bad for the eventual full game (I'm making some guesses here but I don't think that's an unreasonable estimation based on current file size)

If it becomes an issue later it may not be a bad idea to lay the groundwork for a high resolution movie pack as an alternate download.

Wouldn't have to be a full repack of the game if that eats into overhead, just having a 'Movie' folder that players can replace should work. Looking at the file structure you'd need to rework how the movie files are stored (put them in their own folder instead of mixed in with the images like you have now) but I believe it should be possible.

 

[hatass]

The obvious solution is maintaining two versions, but that of course is more hassle. I would suggest using the highest resolution possible as a baseline assuming you have enough storage (1080p or even higher for example) and having an automated solution (ffmpeg script?) generating different distribution packages based on what kind of bandwidth you want to support.

 

[GrimwardGame]

The obvious solution is maintaining two versions, but that of course is more hassle. I would suggest using the highest resolution possible as a baseline assuming you have enough storage (1080p or even higher for example) and having an automated solution (ffmpeg script?) generating different distribution packages based on what kind of bandwidth you want to support.

Because I clearly enjoy torturing myself , I went ahead and re-edited and re-rendered all 90 videos used in the game. They’re now all in full 1080p, bringing the total video package size to around 600 MB. On top of that, I had a bit more fun and used HandBrake to re-encode them in 720p as well, so a smaller file size version is available too. Hopefully, this way everyone can pick the version that works best for them, whether they prefer full HD or a more lightweight option!

 

[hatass]

Because I clearly enjoy torturing myself , I went ahead and re-edited and re-rendered all 90 videos used in the game. They’re now all in full 1080p, bringing the total video package size to around 600 MB. On top of that, I had a bit more fun and used HandBrake to re-encode them in 720p as well, so a smaller file size version is available too. Hopefully, this way everyone can pick the version that works best for them, whether they prefer full HD or a more lightweight option!

Awesome, thank you for the effort! Just make sure it's not too annoying to keep maintaining this going forward.

 

[GrimwardGame]

Awesome, thank you for the effort! Just make sure it's not too annoying to keep maintaining this going forward.

It's not annoying at all - quite the opposite, I'm actually glad that these topics, ideas, and suggestions are coming up at this stage. It gives me the chance to shape the game early on to better match expectations, make it more user-friendly, and ensure it offers the best possible experience.

 

[Nemesis2025]

I’m continuing work on the game, and a question came up that I’d love your opinion on:
What do you think about the video resolution in the current demo?

Right now, I cut and render the videos exactly at the size they appear in the game (about 870 px wide). The big advantage of this is that the files are very lightweight – for example, around 100 videos total just take up 150 MB.

The video player in the game won’t appear larger than this, so we’re not talking full screen here. (And yes, I deliberately kept it that way because my OCD can’t handle it when text is wider than the video )
So the only thing I could change is the video resolution itself – say, bumping it up to 720p – but that would already double the file size.

I’m using an older 1080p monitor myself, and on that, the videos don’t look pixelated during gameplay.
But of course, what looks fine to me might not look the same for everyone else.

So what do you think? Is the current video quality good enough, or would you prefer higher resolution even if the game size increases?

fine by me

 

[hatass]

It's not annoying at all - quite the opposite, I'm actually glad that these topics, ideas, and suggestions are coming up at this stage. It gives me the chance to shape the game early on to better match expectations, make it more user-friendly, and ensure it offers the best possible experience.

What I meant is so that it's not very annoying to maintain two versions in the future when adding new content. We wouldn't want you to burn out, would we?

 

[lepassager]

Heya, just wanted to say really liked this game, looking forward to more. Clever idea, and while there were some annoyances in gameplay, most of your responses seem like you'll have them sorted by next release (namely the ease of exploring sets of planets). Again, love it so far!

 

[BobCarter]

Great game, really needs a better interface, typing in the numbers gets repeatitive, even more so when everything minus 2 starts with 00.

Having a planet selection list that marks a check box if you have been there before is for sure a better way going forwards. As this ends up with I assume 10k planets by end of game?

 

[Scream98k]

Great game, typing in the numbers is cool, but if you forget a planet it becomes a bit annoying typing through the numbers searching for a planet again, if there was a list of all planets visited not just important ones that would be cool, i do enjoy the numbers though its unique

 

[GrimwardGame]

The plan today was to do the final polish, but I ended up going back to the travel UI. I wasted a whole fucking day on it – excuse my language, but it's the truth – though I think I finally nailed the final version.

Now you can use the WASD keys and arrow keys to input values like +1, +10, -1, -10. There are still buttons on the display with values, so mouse control works too. It also responds to the Enter key, or you can just continue with the mouse to travel to a planet.

The buttons also react to being held down – when you press and hold them, the numbers start spinning fast, making input much quicker and smoother.

The interface now remembers the last planet you entered, and on the right-hand UI panel, it also shows the last visited planet. From now on, it keeps track of all the planets you've been to. If you type in a planet number you've already visited, the interface lights up blue. So no need to remember where you’ve been – that’s taken care of too. And of course, there’s the Starlog, where the key planets and other stuff are listed separately.


I really hope this finally solves every problem, annoying detail, and concern related to the UI! If all goes well, tomorrow everyone will be able to try out this new system – and of course, all the other new features as well.

 

[Nemesis2025]

wooohooo new planets inbound!

 

[GrimwardGame]

Sorry if I’m not supposed to share links this way – I’m still new to how things work on this platform.
But here it is, you can download the new version from this link:

You must be registered to see the links

 

[hatass]

Sorry if I’m not supposed to share links this way – I’m still new to how things work on this platform.
But here it is, you can download the new version from this link:

You must be registered to see the links

Are old saves supported? (Always good to include info about save compatibility)

 

[GrimwardGame]

Are old saves supported? (Always good to include info about save compatibility)

Due to the new travel system, older save files might not work properly.
To be honest, I didn’t originally plan for this – but I’ll quickly put together a shortcut for those who want to jump straight into the new content without starting over.

 

[hatass]

I'm assuming gradual sound increase in videos is a feature? Cool! I'm a big fan of how it all sounds actually.

Bug 0: Sound doesn't seem to start until you move the volume slider.
Bug 1: WASD seem to change the number by 2/20 insead of 1/10. Actually sometimes it doesn't switch the number at all, overall kinda weird. Most likely this has to do with handling of holding down the button. Keep in mind that a single press is both a key down and a key up. This seems to be not as bad in the main game, after the tutorial is finished? Not sure why.
Upon investigating more I also encounter a bug when the W doesn't increase the displayed number, but if I then hyperspace, the planet is correctly changed (for example, I'm on 0006, press W, display still says 0006, but jumping shows planet 0007).
Even more testing, pressing W or S changes the displayed number correctly, but then I land on the wrong planet (example, I'm on 0013, press S to get 0012 displayed, but go to planet 0011 when jumping).
Bug 1.1: clicking the buttons with a mouse seems to do nothing the first time, in the tutorial
Bug 2: In the tutorial I can keep going back to 9999 and using graviton beam to farm infinite humans.
Bug 3: finished the tutorial, used W a few times, jumped over planet 3 due to bug 1, wanted to go back via mouse, got

An error has occurred. You may be able to continue, but some parts may not work properly.

Error: <<replace>>: no elements matched the selector "#codeValue".

All mouse buttons have this.

Is there a reason why we cannot have both editable controls and the dials? Without having to choose? At the bare minimum there should be a way to switch between the two options.

Ok I'm going back to typing because dials are really buggy.

I'm running it on Firefox by the way.

 

[hatass]

Testing on Chrome, Bug 0 isn't present, and the sound widget looks different too.
But the dial bugs are present.