Nitis

Solo dev, trying to make a new RTS on a shoestring budget.
Most assets are placeholders.

[Nitis @NitisDev]

500k boids, via compute shaders.
After the recent forced hiatus, I'm looking for ways to drastically improve how many units my RTS can handle.

Download: https://t.co/rvKmy9ZeHp
Music courtesy of @misoginomisogi

#indiedev #computeshader #boid #unity

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Added a basic VR mode to my RTS. It took some reworking of the input and GUI systems to keep the code clean, but the result is fun... provided you’re not afraid of heights.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy #rts #virtualreality #vr

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Replaced the old system where each unit had a single attack with one where they have a list of possible actions, each with its own conditions. This means units with more complex abilities will be possible.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Fog of war is now blocked by buildings (or smoke), making ambushes and infiltration possible.
Vision-related systems (targeting, fog of war, radar, etc) used to be separate, but this update revamps them to share the same data & rules.
#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy #stealth

[Nitis @NitisDev]

@ericnofsinger Yes, a playable demo is starting to become urgent. Too many things I'm not sure of.

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Radar view is now working.
For performance reasons, it reuses data from the target-search broad phase. It will need some playtesting to see whether the resulting low resolution is actually a problem.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy #minimap

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Expanded squad selection beyond just a single one.
The game now has the classic box selection, adding/removing, control groups, and shortcuts to select all-in-view/all-of-the-same-type/entire-army.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Added drop shadows, with some minor shader trickery to hide when they clip into the ground and a few changes to how rendering components are stored to avoid each shadow becoming an additional entity.

Reasonably happy with the difference it makes.

#gamedev #indiedev #shadows

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Squad selection has been reworked to be more user-friendly and less buggy.
The same goes for the GUI, though it's still a first draft and heavily inspired by existing games.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Last one: Can fractals be used as a battlefield?
The answer is yes, but the soldiers' AI seems rather confused by the uneven terrain.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy #fractal #raymarching

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Another 3D fractal, this time integrated into my physics engine.

#indiedev #gamedev #fractal #raymarching #physics

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Real-time 3D fractal rendering, via raymarching.

Currently experiencing some difficulties that make focusing on the actual project tricky, and working on algorithms like this is always a nice way to empty your mind.

#indiedev #gamedev #fractal #raymarching #unity

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Adding a few more spy-oriented Army Abilities, as each faction will have a different specialization. This one is a flying unit under direct player control, allowing quick map scouting.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy #airship

[Nitis @NitisDev]

60,000 units fighting at 60fps.
For comparison, September's battle was 2,000. Most performance improvements came from reducing entities' memory footprint, reordering the multi-threading system, and reducing the strain on target&path-finding.

#gamedev #indiedev #realtimestrategy

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Working on AI again, this time at the squad level. Starting with the ability for indirect fire units to either concentrate their targeting or spread it over a large area.

#indiedev #gamedev #realtimestrategy

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Minefields are back as an ability, now properly invisible to enemies. They react to any contact, including allies, so be careful - any path "closed" this way will also pose a problem for your own troops.

#indiedev #gamedev #realtimestrategy

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Unit-specific abilities have been revamped to handle more complex effects. This new unit has two: becoming invisible when standing still and swapping positions with its attacker - ensuring no situation ever feels truly secure.

#indiedev #gamedev #realtimestrategy #ninja

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Started working on non-infantry units. These will be mainly intended for Tier 3, when it’s time to wrap things up.

#indiedev #gamedev #realtimestrategy #tank

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Added the first construction option (a field hospital), along with the last two soldier AI stances: automated retreat and building-targeting priority.

#indiedev #gamedev #realtimestrategy #AI

[Nitis @NitisDev]

Adding more stances to soldiers' AI: one to control who or what they can attack, and another to control how far they can move from their position to engage.

#indiedev #gamedev #realtimestrategy #AI