Okay, if you really want to enjoy this game, I recommend not reading further, and just go play the game knowing that I have updated the explosions.

However, for the sake of being thorough, I will describe exactly what I've done.

Explosions Updated:

First, the rocket and meteor explosions have been updated to work more efficiently. Previously, these explosions would use a light source to create a glowing area. However, this was quite awkward, since some of the games materials do not allow for more than two lights. The result was some strange switching on and off of lights, the player's flashlight included. It was an ugly solution to a problem that has no right to be in a modern game of any standard, but here we are.



So, what I did was to use a glowing mass of particles instead of an actual light source. The effect is different, maybe not quite as dramatic looking, but it allows for a more persistent and sensible environment in the game.

Okay .. go play the game. It's much more fun if you actually just experience these things first hand.

...

Still here?

Okay fine.

Chain Reactions:

One thing I really want to do in Star Explorers is to create emergent and unexpected gameplay. This, as it turns out, is not an easy thing to accomplish. Getting things in the game to react and interact with each other is challenging, and coming up with and implementing these kinds of things has proven difficult for me.

But I figure if I continue to add one or two little things here and there, eventually they will start interacting in unexpected and exciting ways. In this latest update I am adding an interaction with Acknexium crystals, the primary fuel source in the game.



Fuel crystals are unstable, allowing them to provide power to the game's spacecraft. This instability will result in explosions and possible chain reactions if the crystals are damaged by weapon's fire. Direct fire from a laser will cause the crystals to explode immediately. Indirect damage caused by nearby explosions or sonic weapons will set up a kind of resonance feedback loop that will result in a brief period of instability, followed by an explosion. If crystals are close enough together they can set each other off in a chain reaction this way.