Hi all!

Here’s Gan_HOPE326 with the first update to Biverse!

The #texturelessjam2015 is now over and Biverse has qualified at the 5th place - we’re really happy about that and thank everyone who voted for our game! But we also hope that this can be only the first step towards building a truly great game, and here’s the first update to go beyond the prototype and start making something bigger.

First things first: Biverse has now a completely procedurally generated galaxy! 2000 star systems, each with up to 5 planets, on a space big enough it would probably take you hours to scour it entirely. Putting the “exploration” in what’s supposed to be, well, an exploration game. Neat!

But don’t worry, if you feel lost in all this space we also have tools to indicate the right way. First, the MAP: press M at any time to have a galactic map pop up. This will show you star systems, but planets are up to you - or where would the fun be?
Still, space is pretty big, so finding planets isn’t easy either. Enter the TARGET GRID - a neat gravity sensor that’ll point straight up to the closest solar system (if you’re into interestellar space) or to the closest planet (if you’re inside a solar system). Follow it to get at, well, something, and enjoy what you find out. If you want to turn it off because either you don’t need it or you want to take a bit of a look at the beauty of space without any clutter, just press T and it’ll fade away (and T again to bring it back).

There’s also now some in-game text - when you enter or leave in a solar system/planet you’ll get a discreet warning message. Solar systems and planets have names too! …pretty much, it’s more like catalog numbers at the moment, they’ll be made a bit more creative in the next releases.

FInally, some of the biggest changes took place under the hood. I’ve done an overhaul of a lot of code in the graphic engine and as a result there’s not the slightest loading delay any more when moving in space. Everything is as smooth as it’s supposed to be.

Stay tuned for the next releases - look forward to the introduction of hyperjump and to the thrills of danger and death entering the still peaceful world of Biverse!