In this article, the updated galaxy utilizing Density wave theory and the Diplomacy screen is showcased.
Updated Galaxy
Immersion is undeniably one of the most important aspects of a game. And what is a space exploration game without a realistically rendered galaxy?
In this update I applied the Density Wave theory (this theory explains the spiral arm structure of spiral galaxies) on a particle system to make the galaxy look more realistic (and I think it was worth the effort).
For anyone that is interested, the following article (not mine) gives a very good introduction on the Density wave theory: https://beltoforion.de/en/spiral_galaxy_renderer/ and also includes a C++ and Typescript implementation of the algorithm available for download via GitHub..
Diplomacy Screen
One of the ways the player can interact with other Factions is through the Diplomacy Screen. There the player can request contracts, revoke active contracts or obtain information about current relations between discovered factions. In order to request a contract, part of the player’s fleet has to be in orbit around a planet that belongs to the target faction and in addition the colony has to be advanced enough so that it supports a diplomacy corp. Once the contract has been accepted it will remain active until its expiration date or until the player cancels it. Note that all active player contracts and their info are available from the diplomacy screen and the player can cancel them at any time.
Examples of contracts are:
Declare war / Plead for peace (of course, war can also be declared just by attacking a faction)
Request Mining contract / Revoke Mining contract
Thank you for reading