Project Automata Newsletter #3 View this email in your browser On the Road to Alpha

The Project Automata team is hard at work coding, rendering graphics, and conjuring up game-play mechanics, but the next big step is the Alpha stage where we bring it all together. Once we have a playable build we can really start unearthing what this game is all about.



So, what exactly have we been working on? I'm glad you asked! Graphics The most obvious updates have been with the graphics. We had switched out our temporary houses with slightly better temporary houses, but that didn't last long as we're already implementing our own building models for towns and resources extractors.



Our current undertaking is adjusting the shaders that light the world. We want a happy town to be bright and shiny, but areas that become polluted with the dregs of production will look absolutely dreadful... in a good way, of course!



While working on the shaders for the water, we also went ahead and gave it a bit of character, adding some transparency and waves that crash against the shore. Resources Basic resource collection has been implemented. Coal, Gas, Oil, Stone, Water and Trees can now be pulled out of the earth and sent in to town or waiting factories. Code This is where all the magic happens. Improved path-finder algorithms are sorting out how roads are drawn by the player and how vehicles get to construction sites or trade with towns. Trucks and construction vehicles will stick to the roads when they can, but they will blaze a path though the wilderness if necessary. All new building constructions require raw resources so you'll need to ensure you have a fleet of builders ready and a clear path to site before you start that new industrial yard. First trucks deliver the materials needed then builders are dispatched to finish the job. Interface We want to ensure that growing your industrial empire is a pleasure, not a chore, and having a functional interface is a big part of that. Everything from where buttons will be placed to the sounds buildings make will help you understand what's going on in Project Automata. For example, when placing new buildings the game is intelligent enough to know which direction they should face, allowing them to snap automatically to existing roads. When they can't be placed, they turn bright red to make it clear you need to try somewhere else. Theme Exactly when and where Project Automata will take place is something we're drilling down to. We started with the theme of "diesel-punk", but we also want to bring the feeling of growth and opportunity that history has seen. Think of the industrial revolution when the locomotive changed the face of Europe, or post World War II when mass manufacturing was part of the American dream. But fast expansion has a dark side too... We'll talk more about that another time.



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Lastly, if there's anything you want us to know, feel free to



Until next time,

The Project Automata Team The next updates will focus on the game mechanics themselves so be sure to check out our development blog in about a week for all the details.Also join us over at our sub-Reddit we'll be hanging out there a lot more soon as we produce more content that we want to share with the community.Lastly, if there's anything you want us to know, feel free to send us an email or a tweet . We listen!Until next time,The Project Automata Team Twitter Reddit Website Email