Threaded Mode May 2025 Update
🕑 Added 2025-05-04 06:52:13 +0000 UTCGreetings Everyone,
As mentioned in the previous update, I will be moving servers soon. Most of the old server has been backed up on the new server, but I have not started up services on the new server. I plan on doing that this evening (Sunday May 4th, Eastern US time.)
FBS Fundraising
This is the last month that FBS fundraising is paused. Fundraising will resume sometime between June 1st and June 3rd. The plan is to raise funds until we reach the next Milestone goals and then pause the FBS until next year.
GearCity: 2nd Gear
I will resume working on 2nd Gear in June. Please submit any bugs you have and try to include save games. (Zipping them and uploading them to our forums is preferred.) Save games save me time, even if the issue is something that you can see with only a little bit of gameplay. It allows me to see the exact problem you're having without any chance of me not seeing it.
AeroMogul
Since the last update, I completed moving the multiplayer creation UI in the Main Menu from the Multiplayer panels to the Start a New Game panels. As mentioned before, player creation was moved from the Main Menu to the World Map. I also finalized the creation of the "admin" player when starting a Direct LAN Multiplayer game and fixed up some issues with assigning who is who.
All the work over the last month on the multiplayer, local player accounts, and character creation was solely to work on the save game loading system. I have begun converting the local load system to the .zip files. I'm also in the process of overhauling the UI and allowing for the loading of older backups of the same save. I expect this to finish soon. Most of the complex stuff is done on the server side, and most of the UI is already there on the client side.
After that, I will add the load system to the World Map. Only the admin user can load games in a Direct LAN multiplayer mode. (Thus all the work on MP and Player Accounts.)
Once I complete the work on the load game stuff, I have a couple of bugs to work on on the save name side. Then I will work on cleaning up some bugs in the settings system.
Sadly, it looks like I'll be about 3 months behind from where I wanted to be when the FBS resumes. But we're getting there.
Until next time!
Comments
Eric Jones
Yes and no. As of right now, it is not slowing me down. (Except for the fact I had to spend 10x more time on the FBS than planned.) There is significantly more programming required for these types of tycoon games than artwork. The whole FBS was thought up as a way to bridge the time gap for the artist between end of GC and when I need artwork for AM. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have done the FBS to begin with. Lack of artwork has delayed the AM teaser trailer, but with FBS subscription you pretty much see everything anyway, so a teaser is worthless for you. It's also a good thing it was delayed, because I am a year behind because of GC:2G. No point in doing public PR with such a delay. (It would cause me to use more time doing community relations work.) Going forward, I may have to make some adjustments to what was planned. For example, I was hoping for each family of aircraft to have 3d models. Ideally, 3d models which you would use to do seat configurations. I might end up with just 2d images and a GUI seat configurer. But that won't be a decision I have to make until the game is about 75% complete. I'd say we're closing in on 20% right now. Assuming the worst, the good news is that I am semi-trained as an artist. (Although I am 20-years removed from my peak.) Between the "asset store", "AI", and my "skills", I should be able to manage to slap it together on the art side solo if need be. It won't be as spectacular as I envisioned, but it will be better looking than GC. :) The good news is, if 3d aircraft are cut, the art workload is significantly less than GC, which means I could handle it solo.
Jerrod
Out of curiosity will artwork be an issue for Aeromogul in the same way it was been for FBS stuff in gear city?
