ShrimpleLife - 3D Rimworld

[Fakes64]

Something I’ve wanted to make for a while is a 3D version of RimRound (because… yeah).

And while I’m something of a novice I have been wanting to code a job queue for a while and got to work. The gif below shows progress so far (about 3 days as of posting).

what free time does to a mfer

As a base I’m using @fatonymous’ Fat Haydee as a placeholder, but I’ve already begun making it unique to the project. They move independent of player input right now but setting jobs per pawn will be added soon.

Right now it has:

• hunger + energy
• both deplete based on the job
• wg with blendshapes over time after eating
• basic digestion/ fullness (they gain weight within a determined range of fullness)
• speed based on weight
• collision size related to the nav mesh and each other based on weight
• sfx
• resource collection and allocation (appreciating ideas on how power/ money might be used so feel free to add below (game starts you with only one pawn, with an expensive option to buy more later is one I have already))
• idling
• camera switching/ first-person mode

What I want to add:

• player-driven job allocation added
• social need (robot-hockey idk)
• shop/ research menu ~ in progress
• placeable elements (including conveyors and machines to improve food quality (they’re robots but can’t cook anything that doesn’t involve a microwave)) added with room for expansion
• animations (walking, job interaction etc.)
• physics bones to skeleton
• progression ~ in progress
• a better name

I really enjoyed my time playing Spacethumper by @Chubberdy (go play it), and really like their “weight as resource” mechanic, and figured a unique mode for a different way of playing could be added.

Might setup an itch when I have more elements implemented. Will make rolling out versions easier too.

Stay tuned?

[Fakes64]

1st person (hides the head when switching)

[Prism7]

This looks really interesting! I’ll be keeping an eye on this project and I wish you the best.

[Fakes64]

Ahh thank you! I’ll keep pushing updates when I can

[Fakes64]

Food and energy bars on each pawn’s back (thinking there’ll be a HUD element too when not zoomed in this close)

[Fakes64]

a sprite to show if they’re hauling something (sped up for debug)

moving as fast as they are they can’t help but wiggle upon arrival

[Fakes64]

beginnings of a pawn control hotbar and expanded camera control

[Fakes64]

(and now i want to add a tiltshift effect smh)

[Fakes64]

More progress today.

Job allocation works, along with portraits per pawn.

Unsurprisingly the first feature to go if processing becomes too intensive to handle other important features (animations and bone physics come to mind).

[Eyewatcher9]

this is looking pretty good!

[Fakes64]

Small update, built a desk irl, and worked on a build mode in game. Coincidence? Yes.

Needed to spend some time refactoring old pawn code. Originally all the hooks for job points were manually done but now the triggers to create a new pawn are ready with methods to search for new buildings. Next is a build mode UI.

@Eyewatcher9 thank you!

[Heroyne]

I’d like to see where it goes.
I’m a rimworld and colony simulator enjoyer, i have a lot of hope with this project !

[Fakes64]

Big leap in building.

Tab-based build menu with expandable sub-menus. I really wanted to future-proof how buildings are added to the system (see below) and completed one of the most robust systems-side managers I think I’ve ever made.

I don’t know why I’m including this image I’m just happy how it turned out.

That being said the hookups aren’t 100% there yet, but this was substantial enough to warrant its own post. While I’m happy with how it looks, it’s open-ended enough that I can redesign the tabs later on if they don’t fit with the game’s other visuals when it reaches a more complete state.

Next is fixing hooks between pawns and jobs.

@Heroyne Saaaame, and same!

[Fakes64]

Hey hey, progress is happening albeit slowly.

Wanted to give a small teaser, the next update’s called;

The Bot They Sent Was Too Big For Their Hellpod

a certain game i’ve been playing was totally not the direct inspiration for what this implies

Over the last week and while doodling, while I know the broad-strokes for progression and what the pawns are both in gameplay and to the world, I’m still not 100% on their appearance. Primarily the head/ face region. I’ll continue to mull it over while I kick this behaviour tree in the titanic ass that it is.

Till next time. Play Helldivers 2. Not sponsored. Would be weird.

[Fakes64]

Hey there. Big-ish update. Lot of quality of life changes. Tons (tons!) of features.

Functional trees that repopulate the area after being cut down. There was an issue regarding finding the nearest workstation (or tree) but has since been fixed, which, while it doesn’t sound complex, took up most of the time since the last update, along with getting pawns to complete jobs correctly since their rework.

New job icons. The last ones weren’t consistent, so while plain, the new icons are more uniform and can be used in other menus.

The button hasn’t been added yet, but I wanted to include the beginnings of pawn customization. I have plans later for allowing players to directly modify each pawn’s model, but that’s low priority for now.

Last time I wrote about progression. While I don’t want to get into too much detail, the game’s progression is tied to research tiers, that unlock based on the weight of your pawn(s). The weight table is highly configurable;

excuse the debug markers

Free cam now works. By default you track the newest pawn when they spawn in but at anytime you can press WASD and begin panning (you can return to the original pov at any time).

I’m currently working on a building-specific context menu. Building selection works, and in the future I want the player to be able to force jobs to take place e.g. cutting down a particular tree that’s in the way.

i had to see what it would look like

The idea is pawns have a low chance to spawn “pre-cooked”. Until you research a means to get them out, you’ll need to feed them to keep them alive.

So far this has been a cool project. Makes me think I wish I could make a sfw version, but given how mechanics like this and the weight table (and others I haven’t spoken about yet) wouldn’t translate well in any other form, I’m happy continuing as is.

Sorry for the long read. Hope you enjoyed seeing progress as I am in spite of… gestures broadly.

Until next time. Hopefully sooner.

[Fakes64]

unrealistic goals… unless?

[Marcelo_Bolanos]

This looks so cool, hope it all goes well!

[Fakes64]

Howdy, short tech post.

Something I was worried about early on was tree generation and building placement, and over the last couple nights managed to resolve the issue and more. Wanting to learn more about noise gen, I set tree regrowth within a range per the noise in an image (wherever it’s white shown in the image above).

By doing this, I can now set a boundary around placed buildings, so whenever a tree regrows they’ll never clip. Neat.

Couple extra things, early context menu is in and works. Right now it’s only for chopping trees like I wanted, but there’s room for expansion later.

Early version of a research menu is in the works, but this should give you an idea how progress is gated across tiers.

Next is connecting the research menu to the building data shown in a previous screenshot, and with this completed, a shop menu should be easier to implement.

@Marcelo_Bolanos thanks!

[Fakes64]

look on as i try to remember how to draw in realtime

Hey, researching works (in earnest).

Pawns will stay in place unless interrupted by a need not unlike Rimworld. It was a relief seeing the building appear in the build tab, and was a huge payoff for everything built previously.

The menu builds dynamically too, so as more buildings are added, the list populates without tedious editing.

The weight table also works as advertised. Pawns will find the base or any one of its attached extensions (with a snapping feature that works) and stand on a plate. The screen updates as they join with the total weight, unlocking any tiers in the research menu. As an aside, I have an idea how the economy works, these extension plates won’t be easy to build.

I’ve made a bsky account if anyone wants to follow. It’s been fun doodling in between the challenges I’ve been facing (both in the project and generally), and I might share smaller posts there, while summarising progress here (mostly to avoid spam):
fakes64.bsky.social

Another thing, I might be opening a kofi in the near future. You’ll get a credit in the game as thanks and early versions (and doodles if people like them enough?) once a save feature is implemented. You don’t have to give anything if you don’t want to.

Next is the shop menu and the ability to buy pawns. Till next time. Thanks for reading.

[Fakes64]

Update soon™ (positive)