MS80 Update #3

Hello, it's Lucien and this is the third update for MEANWHILE IN SECTOR 80.

We've got a bunch of cool new stuff to show off, so let's dive right in.

Engineering System

We've been working hard on what we're calling the Engineering System. It's the set of tools that you, as a futuristic, space-faring engineer use to build and fix things.

At any point, you can hit the TAB key to switch into Engineering Mode. With it, you can inspect any object around you.

Engineers in the MS80 Universe are equipped with telekinetic powers. You can use them to move and rotate objects, like these cubes:

You can also attach objects together in the field with what is basically space-age Blu Tack. It's super helpful to fix things in a pinch.

To take things with you, stick them onto your character! The player collider is currently just a capsule so this looks pretty silly:

At a workbench, your set of engineering tools expands. Here, you can add, remove, and adjust the parts on your equipment. You can see me here fine-tuning the position of this battery.

You can use the wire tool to add or remove wires between sockets located on different pieces of equipment. This laser gun has a power input on the back, and a power output on the front.

Workbenches have a storage board where you can stick parts you aren't using for easy access.

Physics Simulation

We've been steadily improving our physics simulation. We have a new wire network, we simulate thermal radiation and incandescence, and we model adhesives.

Hot objects radiate a lot of energy and glow. In the update video, this laser emitter starts off a dim red, turns orange, white, and then blue once it's really hot.

Most stuff will break or melt or combust long before it gets this hot.

What's Next?

We're starting production for 3D models and audio, some of which has already made it into the game.

Our next milestone is a playable demo! We're polishing the mechanics that we have so that we can get the game into YOUR hands to try it out.

Outro

That's all for this update!

You can join our Discord server or subscribe to our mailing list at secondhalf.games.

Stayed tuned for more updates on MEANWHILE IN SECTOR 80.