VR Designs

What have I been doing the last weeks?

In my limited leisure time I have been enjoying From (tv series) and have been reading up on designing architecture lore, I have especially been enjoying the Megastructures facsimile reprint.

I have been focussing mostly on work on the next Decisive Campaigns title. Working on UI improvements as well as finishing up PBEM++ support. Shadow Empire still gets rule fixes and bug fixes. Soon after the brunt for DC is done I am looking forward to adding navy units to SE. Chances are becoming higher that this will not be locked behind a new DLC. No defenitive announcement there yet though.

Also I would like to share the poll results about what your favorite Vidcom style graphics are. Most interesting result I found is that, graphics preference-wise, voters seem to fall into three groups: Sharp Grimms [55%], Sharp Hopefuls [30%], and Mood Artists [15%].

The first two groups are the most important to me, by their sheer size and overlap. Both prefer sharp, realistic graphics. The big difference is mood and message. Sharp Grimms prefer menace, tension, social pressure, repression, politics, war, and visible power relations. Sharp Hopefuls also like sharp realism, but with more readable worldbuilding, civic life, high-tech, governance, repair, construction, competence, and some room for optimism.

So that provides me with the possibility to let the game itself help select the right Vidcom tone. If your nation is unstable, oppressive, or desperate, the image should lean more Grimm. If your nation is functional, competent, democratic, or improving, it should lean more to Hopeful.

Mood Artists are the smallest group. They prefer painterly, nostalgic, gloomy, environmental, and more ambiguous images. I think I could implement their style in the future by serious usage of elements like: fog, dust, smoke, ruins, weather, murals, posters, newspapers, reflections, discovery scenes, planet details, and low-tech scenes.

Above the best liked image by the Sharp Grimms

Above the best liked image by the Sharp Hopefuls

Above the best liked image by the Mood Artists.

Now Vidcom art is something I wont actually work on in the near-mid future, but I did want to share these results with you. Its a nice topic to reflect upon. And I will continue to do so. A next poll will probably be about gameplay. One might argue that is actually a more important topic :)

Best wishes,
Vic

Hi all, just a quick word. What have I been doing these last weeks?

In the limited leisure time I have available I have started rewatching the Andor Series and reading up on Belisarius. And working on extending the SE lore for before the Dissolution War.

I have also been slightly annoyed with some continued negative reviews for the Shadow Empire base game due to AI art inclusion, while the base game is completely and utterly playable without that art, by using the master switch on the startup menu. I am surprised to find myself at the point where I am actually happy to see a negative review that just says “Game is no fun; UI too clunky; thumbs down”.

Mostly I have been working on implementing PBEM++ systems inside the next Decisive Campaigns (DC) title; more news on that title soon. The last time I used PBEM++ systems was like 3 PBEM++ system versions ago, and for DC2: Case Blue; so I am happy that I am getting this tech back in to one of my games again. Might also see introduction with SE at some future point.

Shadow Empire work is mostly bug fixes, balancing changes and enlarging to-do lists for nice-to-have stuff, as time currently is being mostly spent on finishing up the mystery DC title.

However, after the summer (yes, got family, I also do holidays), I’ll return my full focus to SE. I said a month or so ago that I would make a new road map, but since my plans for the next SE release need to be properly aligned with the publisher, this will take a bit longer. I gotta be sure of how I am going to spend the next years, before I commit. The good news here is that the more I am secretive, the more it points towards some major thing.

Next week or so I’ll share my findings from the NewGfx polls. It’s quite interesting, but of course just a rough guideline.

Hope everybody is doing well. And I will try to post more. Take care!

Best wishes,
Vic

We just did the NewGfx upgrade like 2 months ago… But probably in about a year’s time we’ll publish a newer version of the NewGfx. I am already doing some community research which graphic styles and image compositions are preferred by the SE players. If you have not done so yet, please vote over here: https://www.vrdesigns.net/vidcom_poll/poll4.php

Best wishes,
Vic

Please make sure to get your high quality copy of the Shadow Empire Republica Original Soundtrack (OST)! by the great Marco Finestra.

His music has inspired me for years now to make Shadow Empire better and more immersive. Hop on over here to his bandcamp: https://marcofinestra.bandcamp.com/album/shadow-empire-republica-original-soundtrack

Did I already mention that the “Meritocracy” track is pure gold? It is! But with nine political systems and nine soundtracks, there must be a favorite for everybody.

Best wishes, Vic

I would like to make especially (potential) modders aware that with the New Gfx Vidcoms graphical modding has been hugely extended. Cumulating multiple images, layering, conditionals, using multiple mods at the same time, it is all possible now. Read more in this short PDF presentation: https://www.vrdesigns.net/docs/NewGfxVidcomModding.pdf

For more in depth documentation go to the full docs over here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XlfhwgiXz9UxpCpevndGf-xM76WkCOner8MCabBt_cA/edit?usp=sharing

Also note I have created a dedicated page in the top menu of this website under the “Shadow Empire Series”. https://www.vrdesigns.net/?page_id=2325

Best wishes,
Vic