- Monthly Update #29 - 19 April 2024
Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates recently, haven't had anything too exciting to show off as I slowly tick away at the remainder of the game. We're going to be changing the cadence of these devlogs so we can put a bit more in them and increase our focus on building better things long term rather than crunching on little features to make for exciting changelogs each week. For this months update, we have a new Environment System built into the game! Currently it stores a grid of information about the localised environment, such as temperature. If you place a fire, it can heat up the area around it and turn water into steam! This more energetic form of water can be used to push level elements around, and will eventually cool down and condense back into water. You can see the environment grid by turning on Debug Mode, which will show hotter areas in red. FUNG - Changelog: New Flam…
- Weekly Update #28 - 29 March 2024
Greetings Wardens, If you're interested in my other projects (namely - Drift King), you'll already be aware that a combination of sickness and a short holiday have been keeping me away, and if ye didn't know that, now ye do! The latter half of Chapter 2 is coming down the pipes at a slowly accelerating pace, but some bugs have been identified! Let us know if you encounter any more! FUNG - Changelog: Fix crash when adding variable radius entities Fix ignored collisions between small and large entities Small entities are defined as "smaller than the hashmap grid size" and large vice versa Enjoy!
- Weekly Update #27 - 23 February 2024
Hey all, We've finally finished our new collision resolution system, that utilises hashmaps to improve collision performance by over 10x! Now we have extra headroom for more complex physical simulations, and can have considerably more particles in a given level. A new fire/heat system is in progress to utilise the new system, keep an eye out in the future for that! FUNG - Changelog: Reimplemented collision resolution to use a spatial hashmap, similar to food searching
- Weekly Update #26 - 16 February 2024
We forgot to post the last weeks update! We've been deep in the optimisation mines so that we can expand the number of entities in a level beyond 500 without slowing down, so that we can add some basic thermodynamics! The goal is to add fire particles that will add a heat value to a grid, which will diffuse and spread over time. This, in tandem with a new wood wall type, will allow for the propagation of fire, and the heating of water, which will add more interesting physics based level mechanics (like boiling water into steam to push something)! Also, the tamagotchi mode is coming along too, as the FUNG is fed it becomes happier and slowly evolves into more calm behaviours, and a hungry FUNG becomes more ferocious. It'll stay persistent across sessions, unless you let it die and start again. To keep y'all happy while I continue to improve performance, have a look at 4,000 water particl…
- Weekly Update #25 - 2 February 2024
Hey all, I've got that update for y'all to improve the first few levels of Chapter 2 after feedback and extra playtests. The bulk of this week however has been getting back into the captains coding chair and revving up to full development speed by contributing to some open source software (OSS) projects that have either helped the development of FUNG, or helped me keep my sanity. The biggest contributions this week have been to a Minecraft mod called HBM's Nuclear Tech Mod, which was a sorely needed distraction during the downtime between the frenetic pace of working on Chapter 2. If you play Minecraft at all, you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not check out this mod! https://github.com/HbmMods/Hbm-s-Nuclear-Tech-GIT Also, if you haven't yet found and played the secret chapter in Chapter 2, you're missing out! FUNG - Changelog: Improvements and fixes made to levels 1, 2, 4, 5, and…
- Weekly Update #24 - 26 January 2024
Greetings Wardens, This week we're back in action, fixing some issues identified in the earlier levels of Chapter 2, no update yet since we're out of the office for the long weekend in the Grampians, but we'll have something out to you all at the end of the next week! Have a good one! - George
- CHAPTER 2 - COLLAPSE - Part 1 - 5 January 2024
A NEW POWER SOURCE. Greetings once again, Warden. You find yourself at the foot of a building that is somehow over a kilometer underground. The power is still on, which leads you to believe that you can end your reliance on the FUNG and bring consistent electrical power to the surface. Steel yourself, traversing this decaying building will be anything but simple... Part 1 of CHAPTER 2 - COLLAPSE is now available, download the latest version and get on it! FUNG - Changelog: ADDED PART 1 OF CHAPTER 2 - COLLAPSE ADDED - Find the second secret chapter New loading indicator - SPINSNEK Add fullscreen effects (Just on the title screen for now) Add link to OST in menu Add option for music to play through level opening video Rifles can now be given from PoIs Bridge building further tuned, should run similarly at all framerates (tested at 144hz and 60hz) Phys Objects can now have custom masses Ph…
- Weekly Update #23 - 29 December 2023
Hello once again, I hope you all had a great Christmas, surrounded by people that you love! Next week, on Friday, we'll be releasing the first half of Chapter 2 (15 levels), instead of the planned whole chapter (20 levels). This is because we've decided to fill the chapter with more puzzles that we developed during playtests, and to further flesh out the story. The gap from this first half of the chapter to the second will not be anywhere near as long as the gap between chapter 1 and 2, since we already have all the design elements ready to go. The upside to this, is you'll get 10 more puzzles, and they'll be considerably more difficult than everything faced so far. If you want to get to the bottom of the apparent self-immolation of the world, you'll need guts and brains. Our final code update for this chapter will be released alongside the chapter content, since our build scripts have…
- Weekly Update #22 - 22 December 2023
Not gonna bore you all with a long one, just know that things are going. FUNG - Changelog: Tool edit dialog improved, adds custom options for bridge parts Show Phys object start velocity as an arrow in play mode Add trigger effect for losing a level Option for level to be played without FUNG running AI and weapons finished Relink all bridge parts at level start, with new point constraint math for more consistency Fix shift-moving levels breaking on secret chapters Show trigger groups on triggers in edit mode Add hidden PoIs, can be unhidden by other PoIs Don't show tool options in sublevels, they share the top level tools Fix misaligned level image in menu Add water counter to water dropper Have a Merry Christmas, everyone! - George
- Weekly Update #21 - 15 December 2023
Not all things go to plan, especially in games development. Even with the blistering pace of work over the last 3 weeks, we're still a little behind on the release of the second chapter. On the upside, we've managed to eliminate all known bugs in the new mechanics, and catch quite a few unknown ones in the process! The bridge building tools have been playtested thoroughly, and have been reworked to be easier to understand and use. We have also been extensively playtesting the levels developed so far (about 19 levels), and tuning them so that they're difficult without being unfair. We're sorry for the delay, but we're not going to release anything unfinished or untested, our respect for our audience extends to the quality of our gameplay, and we want you to feel that you're getting your time and money's worth. Not all is lost however, today's update is probably the last code change requi…
- Weekly Update #20 - 8 December 2023
Greetings Wardens, Have you ever wanted to feed your FUNG after release, but not risk being mistaken for food yourself? Good news! We now offer a rifle powered food delivery service for your FUNG, allowing you to fire pellets of food to your actively growing slime mould! Get yours today, available in the latest update! https://imgur.com/a/hPG4dKo FUNG - Changelog: Added two new songs to the editor Whole level gravity toggle, instead of just for the mould New rifle ammo type - Food Rifle now plays sounds, and ammo is split into 5 round magazines Rifle ammo count can be changed in editor Add max size for collision geometry segments on Phys Objects Fixed music not playing correctly on sublevels Add bridge width option for editor added bridge pieces Small explosions no longer destroy bridge pieces Phys Objects can now activate triggers Explosion force now scales with explosion size Water wh…
- Weekly Update #19 - 1 December 2023
Greetings Wardens, It has been a big week in writing this week (and dealing with all the paperwork of running a business, oof). If you haven't already read the deep dive on the AI in Drift King I highly recommend giving it a read. In terms of FUNG development, we're aiming to have the second chapter out by Christmas, and we're crunching hard on it! Here is a short sneak peek: https://imgur.com/u9t3PCl Keep an eye out next week for another extension to the level editor/sandbox! (Hint: think Tamagotchi!) https://imgur.com/SqB79uq - George
- Weekly Update #18 - 24 November 2023
Drift on, drift 'til you drop, be the envy of Glandeen the Drift Pig himself. Introducing the most sophisticated drift racing AI ever developed, coming straight to you in Alpha v0.8! This one has been in the works for quite a while now, and finally it has paid off. This drift model uses no neural nets, prerecorded inputs, or any other trickery - to bring you an unparalleled single player racing experience! It has been designed using a simple state machine and just a smidge of calculus. Since this isn't directly related to FUNG, I'll leave the meat of this out, but if you're interested in reading more, check out the Drift King devlog: https://mellowarpeggiation.itch.io/drift-king/devlog/640000/weekly-update-18-the-machine-revolution-begins Happy drifting! - George
- Weekly Update #17 - 17 November 2023
Hail to the Drift King, baby! This week we've finally finished a vital task in implementing the ideal drift racing AI. It functions without any neural networks or other black boxes, just pure calculus and an improbably simple two-state machine (Grip Racing and Drifting, switching between the two based on about 6 inputs), and no overfitting, the test track is entirely new to the AI! I'll be posting a deep dive on how it functions later! Check out the finished AI below: https://imgur.com/a/RO2xJT3 We got a bit done on FUNG too! Improving our dialogue systems and adding in more interstitials. Check out the sub-lobby: No updates for either game today, since Drift King now requires a rewrite of path following to integrate the new AI, and FUNG hasn't got enough changes to warrant a patch. Have a great weekend, everyone! - George
- Weekly Update #16 - 10 November 2023
Hi hello what's up? An OST release, that's what! It's currently available on Youtube and YT Music, have a listen below! We've also finished the official website for MELLOW PTY LTD, check it out! https://mellow.games For FUNG, just a few more bug fixes as we chug along, and some more interaction between level elements, including triggerable PoIs (no longer only triggerable by clicks!) FUNG - Changelog: PoIs are now triggerable entities PoI animations now play in play mode Fix mould not rehiding when returning to edit mode if set as hidden in editor Fix logo font scaling, no more jagged pixels in intro Thanks for tuning in! - George
- Weekly Update #15 - 3 November 2023
Greetings once again, I'm feeling better now, so we're back to production! This week we've been setting up a new, proper presence on the web, complete with a snazzy new domain: https://mellow.games It's still being actively worked on and polished, it's not yet in its finished state but we're getting there! Once it's proper good to go public we'll be posting about it again. You're all welcome to follow along the development as it comes down the tube as it is entirely open source! Check it out here: https://github.com/MellowArpeggiation/mellow-games In terms of games development, FUNG is still ticking along, with 6 levels finished (visuals and all) and around 17 more in the pipe. We're also uploading a hotfix today for some bugs and UI improvements! FUNG - Changelog: File dialog now shows an image preview when a .png is selected Fix double loading of music Add win trigger, for levels that…
- Weekly Update #13 - 20 October 2023
BREACH DETECTED, SEEK SHELTER FROM UNAUTHORISED ART EXPOSURE: (We didn't want to use a fully developed visual aesthetic for just one single cutscene in FUNG!) Phew, now that we've all been exposed to the art virus, we should be innoculated against any further incursions. This week in development we've been chugging away at turning all the level concepts in CHAPTER 2 - COLLAPSE into fully rendered levels, and working on the new tracks! Here is a short clip of one of the more polished cutscenes in the chapter: https://i.imgur.com/AkcG6Re.mp4 COLLAPSE APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY - George
- Weekly Update #12 - 13 October 2023
Greetings Wardens, be careful of any unsettled rubble as a result of the COLLAPSE PROTOCOL. This week has been focused on knocking out all the story elements and animatics, and building out the visuals for the levels within the collapsed facility! However, there are no distributable updates for this week (and probably won't be until the release of the second chapter). Here are some sneak peeks: KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED, COLLAPSE IS INEVITABLE - George
- Weekly Update #11 - 6 October 2023
But you alone must drive it... This week doesn't have a code update for FUNG, since we don't need any more code changes to complete CHAPTER 2. But fret not, we are still hard at work on completing the chapter. To make up for this, we have some updates to Drift King (available on itch.io)! Unfortunately, the new AI that was the bulk of work this week is not yet in a good enough state to release. But we do have a new clip replay system, and some improvements to the overworld! For those that don't care for Drift King, I have a sneak peek for you, a closeup of the facility post the initiation of the COLLAPSE PROTOCOL. It appears that the building and even a part of the road has fallen down here, deep under the ground.
- Weekly Update #10 - 30 September 2023
A bit of a short one this week, today is a public holiday in Australia for the AFL Grand Finals! But we're now feature complete for CHAPTER 2 - COLLAPSE, so the next few weeks will be finalising that, and then onto more Tower Defense work for the final chapter! This week we created a custom Signed Distance Field function to improve the water rendering, added the ability to add arbitrary png images to levels, which will automatically create a physics hull for them, and added sublevels, to create more complex scenes and navigation within a single level. FUNG - Changelog: Added Phys objects Added sublevels, can be accessed by PoIs Droplet shaped droplets, using a custom SDF function Added input tutorial on the SECRET CHAPTER Fix platformer collision with non-collideable entities Fix PoI tool giving not allowing for more than one instance to be given Fix crash on creating a new level Have a…
