#unity pause menu

[frogsmulder]

The Ring

Sometime after Mulder and Scully Meet The Weremonster, they both get a little handsy and are embarrassed that they have worn their wedding rings as a necklace the entire time they have been separated; 1.3k words; rated t; tagging @today-in-fic

Part 1: The Ring

The ring is a symbol of unity, eternity, constancy, and hope. They had always had that in excess, there was no doubt, or at least Mulder had thought. He considers each of these things as he thumbs the gold band Scully had placed on his fourth finger almost a decade ago. The wedding ring, once placed, shouldn’t be removed, not for poverty, not for sickness, not even in death. It should have tied them together forever. The cold overhead office lights catch and glimmer on the ring as Mulder twists it between his fingers and swivels in his chair. He still considers himself a married man, even through his failings. It has been over for a while between them, but hope is a hard thing to kill, especially when he again gets to see her smile everyday.

The distinctive click of Scully’s heels gets louder as she walks towards the office door. An involuntary grin, pulls at the corners of his mouth. Quickly, he drops the ring behind his shirt, where it hangs out of sight on a chain he wears around his neck. She saunters in with two steaming coffee cups in her hands and a new file tucked under her arm. “Skinner has sent us another case–one to get your paranormal juices flowing.” 

Seeing Scully in good form, beautiful as always, his grin turns coy as his heart beats allegro presto. He stands and swoops around her, taking his coffee and talking closely in her ear, “Paranormal juices?” he delights in her smirk– “Is that a quote from Skinner or have you got more creative juice in that coffee than you are letting on?”

He may have pushed her away, she may have moved out–called the end to their relationship–but he is still a married man and hope is a hard thing to kill.

Part 2: The Unity

...Some time later...

Mulder pauses for a moment, appreciating the beauty sitting in his lap before him, how she seems to grow finer with each passing year, like a wine he can’t afford to taste, but can’t help thirsting for. The lights of the lamps in the living room are dim, giving Scully an ethereal glow as he brushes his fingers through her hair. It falls like the red curtain at the end of the final act around her face, tasting him with a hunger that reminds him that the story is never over. She had been off the menu for so long and he doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve her desire again but he doesn’t question it as her tongue seeks his, falling to her will so comfortably. 

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he remembers that she took him up on his open invitation for dinner at their once shared home; she was the one that suggested a film when the case reports got too tiring; she snuggled up to him on the old familiar couch, thighs touching side by side and then a head resting on his shoulder. He had embraced her brazen physical contact like catching an individual cherry blossom falling from the sky: admiring its wonder and cautious of its fragility. Scully had taken the worry of that blossom and thrown it aside the moment she had turned her lips against the pulse point of his neck.

Her tongue drags along that point now, drawing out an appreciative groan from him. His hands settle on her hips and rock her closer, appreciating how her body, still strong, has softened with the years. 

He keeps his eyes open, afraid that this is a cruel dream, that if he blinks she will drift away like smoke as she did many years ago. He watches as her perfect blue eyes roll back and her eyelashes flutter when she grinds herself against the bulge in his jeans. It’s a vision he’s witnessed many times but never tires of. His thumb trails up her body to rest on her chin, gently coaxing her lips apart, replacing her need for air with his own lips. He can feel her smile against them.

He’s afraid to ask but he has to know, so on a shallow breath he murmurs, “What are we doing?”

“Reconnecting.” Scully lets her forehead rest against his. “Is this okay?”

“God, yes, I just…”

It’s her turn to run her fingers through his hair. “It’s okay.”

With a wicked grin, she starts slowly rolling against him again and he lets her play this slow dance, basking in the waves of pleasure she creates. Her fingers wander down from playing with the fuzzy hair at the nape of his neck to laying her palms flat against his chest, mooring herself at his harbour. 

Mulder stiffens and his blood heats, his heart beating erratically against the walls of his chest. Under his shirt, between the frame of her hands, lies a chain that’s tied him for so long, its presence had become a second skin. It wasn’t a secret, but it was hidden out of sight: a symbol of unity and eternity he could not part with even when Scully had parted with him.

“Mulder?” Her sweet voice cuts through his embarrassment, her worry bringing him back to the moment.

“I’m alright. I just…” He sighs. There shouldn’t be shame in carrying that part of her close to his chest in a gold band. He couldn’t have let her see it on his finger–their marriage through, or so he had thought–but he couldn’t part with it either. Despite his failings and her forced distance, he still considered himself a married man. He couldn’t let her know he had never kept his promise of letting her go. Gently, he moves her hands away from his chest. He couldn’t let her feel the ring.

“Mulder…” Her bright blue eyes pierce his soul as she searches for an answer to his hesitation. “Talk to me.”

He chews his lip. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

Crestfallen, she whispers, “What do you mean?”

“We were doing so well, keeping on friendly terms, not complicating this relationship… I–” The gold burns into his chest. Hanging his head, he mumbles, “I don’t want to lose you again. Not over a stupid mistake.”

He can hear the slight tremble in her voice and can picture the tears unspilled in the corner of her eyes. “Do you think this is a mistake?”

“No! That’s what I mean. I–”

Scully interrupts him this time, bringing his hand to lie flat over her chest. He can feel the thrumming of her heart so lively directly beneath his palm. Curious, he looks up to her.

She closes her hand over his, sealing a sacred truth. “You never lost me.”

Something cold tickles thumb just underneath her shirt. He tries to move his hand to find the source of it, suspicious that she has kept him close by too all this time, yet her grip tightens around his, holding him in place. Her face is painted with the same shock and instinctive worry that he had felt earlier. Slowly, trusting, she loosens her grip.

Mulder places a chaste kiss to her cheek, not reaching for her shirt but instead unbuttoning his own. “You never lost me,” he repeats almost with a chuckle. Reaching beneath his shirt he pulls out his wedding ring and places it in her upturned hand, watching the chain spool in her palm. “I was afraid that you would uh think… less of me if you saw this.”

With his index finger, he caresses down the opening of her shirt, tickling her flushed skin. He smiles when she pushes her chest into him despite herself. Hooking his finger around the second hidden chain, he pulls out her wedding ring, the cool diamond he had felt earlier glistening in the light.

She dips her head to hide her laugh like she used to in her youth. “I guess I should have seen this coming.”

He drops her ring into her hand and wraps his arms around her, chuckling as he kisses her, “We both should have.”

Between their bodies, Scully clutches her fist, holding their rings together, unified at last.

[blackjackkent]

All right, some more Veilguard adventures!

We left off with things having gone pretty off-the-rails in Treviso and frankly not THAT much better in Minrathous, and Helena's next idea is that maybe Solas will have some insight on what to do about the dragons and whatever other tricks the gods might have up their sleeves.

So, back to the Lighthouse we go for a well-deserved nap, to dream sweetly of a cryptic bald fellow.

First, though, we have a few companion chats in the Lighthouse, starting with the welcome wagon for Davrin, who has managed to get a nice fire going in his new bedroom.

"What? You're hungry?" he is saying as Helena enters, squinting at a loudly squawking Assan crouched in front of him. "I found a yam in the kitchen."

Assan squawks again, feathers ruffling irritably. Davrin sighs. "Stubborn just means you'll starve."

"Trouble settling in?" Helena asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Doing the best I can," Davrin says wearily. "My job was to keep the griffons safe, not fix their dinner."

Helena grins. "I meant Assan."

"Oh." Davrin shrugs. "I guess we're both adjusting."

Helena chuckles. "Well, a confused griffon should fit right in around here."

Davrin lets out a heavy breath, sinking against the back of his seat. "Appreciate it," he mutters. "There's no training manual for them anymore."

"I guess we'll figure it out together," Helena says, eliciting a soft, happy squawk from Assan.

Davrin smiles, his gaze drifting through the wall to something more distant. "Griffons don't trust easily," he says. "Lancit and Remi had to work to win them over. They said a Warden and griffon have to move as one, think as one. They called it 'turlum'. A sort of unity." A pause; his jaw works. "But now they're both dead."

Helena watches him in silence for a moment, seeing the flickers of doubt, grief, reget working through his expression. And she feels a flash of sympathy in response. Davrin, like Helena, has been thrown into a situation he was not expecting, something that has escalated beyond his understanding. But he is steady, a hardened soldier. He has not flinched.

"Why'd the Gloom Howler attack the aerie?" she asks him quietly.

Davrin huffs a breath out, rattling his lips. "I intend to find out," he says curtly. "First it stalks Wardens, now it's after the griffons."

Helena grunts. "Trouble's our specialty. No shortage of it around here."

"I'm getting that," Davrin says dryly. He turns his eyes back towards the fire, watching the flames thoughtfully. "Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain. Hard to believe."

"Can't be easy hearing that your own gods are ending the world." Helena looks at him sidelong.

He shrugs. "Elves have enough trouble. Don't need this on our heads too. But I have to say... killing a monster is one thing. Taking down the goddess of *all* monsters, and the god of vengeance while you're at it..."

He trails off into silence. She can hear the unspoken doubts and questions in his voice. And she isn't really sure how to answer them, because the truth is she feels just as out of her depth.

She panicked, back in Minrathous. She doesn't like acknowledging it, even to herself; she has always prided herself on never feeling fear, never showing fear... but seeing her city burning felt like someone was holding her head underwater. All of them are in a fight that none of them know how to handle... but they have to handle it. They have no choice.

She forces a smile. "I know. Our problem around here is we think too small."

Davrin snorts. "Okay, then. Good to know the boss can laugh about it."

Helena's smile fades. "Not really," she says quietly. "But dwelling on things won't help."

This brief moment of vulnerability is shattered abruptly as Assan begins to squawk again, agitated.

"What?" Davrin cries wearily. "I told you; it's yams or nothing."

Helena chuckles. "Or maybe you need a new menu..."

-----

Neve and Bellara are hanging out in the kitchen area (where Lucanis isn't :( ). We don't get a full cutscene with them, but a bit of banter:

Bellara: "There's something about this room. Sometimes I almost forget I'm in the Fade. Other times..." Neve: "I opened a cupboard, and ten wisps flew out with one of my quills." Bellara: "Right! Exactly!"

[herbgroom]

first time player? want to replay but you're scared? simply a skill issue? (no judging)

here I present

The Pathologic Cheat Compendium

pathologic is known as an harsh and unforgiving game (rightfully so) but it doesn't have to be, here's a quick guide to add cheats and commands to it that can make your life just that bit easier

DISCLAIMER: this is not a comprehensive list, as I feel it's still important to experience the somewhat core of the game. cheats like fly, teleport etc. can disrupt the feel after a while, and make for a less interesting experience. also, if you're a purist, fuck off and go away :)

Pathologic Classic HD Edition

Classic is an old game made with an old engine, so adding cheats to it is not hard at all

if you bought the game off Steam, right click the Steam icon and go through these files: \steamapps\common\Pathologic Classic HD\data

if you got it from GOG instead, do this: \GOG\Pathologic Classic HD\data

in the data folder open config.ini. Find [General], skip a line and type ShowConsoleLog = 1 then EnableConsole = 1 on the next line, save and exit.

to turn on console command, launch the game and press `

REMEMBER! each healer has their own id number tied to them, so you need to change it every time you start a new route

Bachelor: 6986

Haruspex: 6995

Changeling: 6995

Status Effects:

health: brings you at max health [ex: propl 6986 health 1]

disease: removes the plague [ex: propl 6986 disease 0]

god mode: will make you immortal, but you can still get hurt, if you turn it off at 0 health, you will die (simply type god to enable and disable it)

Items:

to add items, type additem [id_player] [item name] [amount]

shmowder: additem 6986 powder 1

panacea: additem 6986 burah_serum 1

you'll notice that the list is very short, this is because these things are the main ones you actually need to worry about during a run

you can bind keys to the commands, like so:

in config.ini or in the panel, type in a free line bindcmd [key] [command] = ex: bindcmd F1 propl 6986 health 1

PROTIP: with these tools available, you will finish the main quest with a lot of time to spare. what I suggest is go in the burnt districts, quick save before entering a house and turn on god mode (because there will normally be 2-3 burglars inside), then loot the place. this way you'll have plenty of supplies to continue the run comfortably

Pathologic 2

being made in unity, the control panel is a bit trickier to work with, but nothing impossible

console commands can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+Shift+F4 at the same time

Tip: open the panel while in the menu (inventory, mind map, etc.) this way it'll pause the game and you can type calmly without any worry

Items:

they can be added by typing in the command: add_storable -storable:[itemid]

bread: Bread_Entity

milk: Milk_Entity

meat: Meat_Entity

shmowder: Powder_Entity

panacea: Panacea_Entity

immunity boosters: Immune_Entity

weapons: Knife_Entity ; Revolver_Entity ; Scalpel_Entity ; Shotgun_Entity

ex: add_storable -storable:Bread_Entity

and so on

*the items will be added automatically to your inventory IF you have slots available. if not, they will be dropped on the ground

Status Effects:

after opening the control panel, select the inspector bookmark and follow this path

-> UpdateService (UpdateService)

->PlayerUpdater (DelayUpdater)

->Updatable [#]

->Element # (PlayerControllerComponent : Simulation/Objects/X)

health: expand the Health (ParameterValue<float>) and then expand the Parameter (Parameter : Health | #) for max health edit the number to 1

disease: expand the Infection (ParameterValue<float>) and then expand the Parameter (Infection : Fatigue | #) to remove infection edit the number to 0

immortality: expand the IsImmortal (ParameterValue<bool>) and then expand the Parameter (BoolParameter : Immortal | False), click the box labelled Value, which should then change Immortal | False to Immortal | True

and there you have it, if you want a complete list of all the cheats and commands, make sure to check out the wiki page

[amadeusgame]

Forgive the lack of production value, this is a very quick and dirty screen recording to show.... look! text pauses in the middle of text appearance! I've reinvented baseline Ren'Py and RPGmaker functionality in Unity, let's go!!

(Placement and length of pauses are subject to change.)

Note: the length of text pauses does scale with the text appearance rate you've set in the menu. So faster text = shorter pauses. With a bit more tweaks, it should "feel" right.

(Fun behind-the-scenes fact: the script I wrote for this interprets "<" in the text as a pause. Longer pauses means more "<"s. So what I actually enter into the game is this...)

[livehexmoments]

Hi sorry i havent been posting as much on here FEWFERHR

I swear im still fixated on DMG stuff (especially hex, again), ive just been busy writing stuff for it and general stuff not related to it. I am working on a fic so i’ll probably be posting it soon!

but anyway as apologies for not posting, here’s some fun facts/cheat codes from The Hex that some people might not know:

In the Hex, it is very possible to accidently get softlocked or corrupt your save data. I know that the game has had many patches but i still managed to get softlocked by complete accident. So if you ever lose your save data for whatever reason, shift + A + S unlocks the chapter select so you’re free to continue where ever you left off or just want to play a certain section

Also this game has an in-game speedrun timer. Not kidding. Doing shift + R has the timer show up and start counting. I don’t know much of the mechanics of it like how to pause it or whatnot but if you ever wanted to see how fast you can beat a section, here you go. 

So i ripped the game using asset studio and found some interesting stuff, like did you know there’s actually a clean version of the inn theme in the files? Literally the official ost does not have it nor have i ever found a yt video with it and honestly im a little upset about it cause it’s really good 

In the scene where Irving is talking to Lionel, I think there is audio of Lionel talking to him backwards but i haven’t been able to figure out how to isolate the audio and reverse it to get what exactly he’s saying. One of these days ill figure it out

ok this isnt really a fun fact more as it is a genuine question but to any Hex experts out there: Does Jeremiah wear a tophat in game? I found a sprite of it several times in the files but I can literally never recall him wearing it in game. It might just be leftover sprite from the beta (There might be more sprites like that that I’m not aware of yet) and probably was cut?? But again, I’m not 100% sure.

Update on that last point: He does wear it in the main menu if you wait for the lightning to strike and look at the attic window (thats him btw if anyone didnt know) and in the settings! It’s usually obscured in shadows and in the files, it’s completely colored in and detailed, which is super neat. Shoutouts to @theblacksheepcz for telling me in the replies!! <3

Like with Inscryption, there are some default sprites and stuff from unity leftover but it’s not as cool as the strip club being found in ACT 3. Just default emojis and the logo of Unity. 

Ok last one and its another genuine question too: When looking up the characters’ “voices”, it’s actually just one little sound and that’s it. It’s pretty funny if you listen to it for the first time. In the dialogue text files, I did see that there’s code that basically makes it so that it pitches or sounds a certain way during cutscenes and interreacting with characters/objects. If anyone who sees this and gets this far knows how that works, I would love to hear it! 

[luckyladylily]

Ok but the analogy breaks down because coke was already successful. Tumblr is not. Yes they know that the average established user hates change and wants everything to stay the same as we have had it for years but Tumblr as we have had it for years with the established user base is unprofitable, and the culture of this site and the established user base has worked hard to keep it that way.

Of course they are not catering to the established user base, 90% of us are actively hostile to their one goal in running this place. They are trying to attract new users, hopefully people that don't actively sabotage their attempts to make money.

This new UI is basically the entire issue in a nutshell. People are freaking out about what amounts to Tumblr changing to conform to industry standards that assume the user has a wide screen monitor. At the most basic , body in the center, navigation on the left with all items clearly labeled including collapsible navigation sub menus built in, additional info on the right bar if necessary. The style elements are virtually unchanged, it's just where they are on the page, and almost nothing more is being shown, just more things are labeled instead of icon only. This uses more screen on the assumption that we have the screen to spare (which we all do), and the always present navigation and labeling makes the site significantly more usable to new users and reduces cognitive overhead.

Everyone else did this a decade ago. Mozilla uses it, AO3 uses it, windows explorer, visual studio, unity, the switch eShop, steam, video game pause screens, honestly if something is complex enough to warrant multiple information views, especially navigation data, then it probably uses this basic structure. It would probably be easier to name programs that don't use it. So yeah, it looks a lot like Twitter. Let that basic pattern recognition take you one step further to it looks like everything else as well. This is a basic, minimally intrusive change that makes the site better and more usable for new users that should have been done 8 years ago and would have if staff had been even mildly competent back then. That's all.

But established users are acting like staff broke into their house, pissed in their cheerios and kicked their dog. The response to the most nothing of nothing UI change has been for everyone to lose their god damn minds. Given behavior like that, along with the fact that they have very much demonstrated the established user base does not make them money, do you really think Tumblr wants us anymore?

Tl:Dr - We are drama queens that eat their money like a black hole, of course they are not interested in catering to us.

You know that study that found when doing a blind taste test the majority of people prefer pepsi over coca cola so coke changed their recipe to taste more like pepsi, and people actually liked the new coke a lot less because the people who were buying coke didn't want it to taste like pepsi they wanted their coke to taste like coke. That's what a lot of the new changes tumblr is working on feel like.

[game-development12]

Responsive Design in HTML5 Games: Best Practices for Mobile

In the mobile-first world of gaming, creating a seamless experience across devices is no longer optional—it's a necessity. Whether a player is launching your game on a smartphone, tablet, or even a small laptop screen, the gameplay must adapt gracefully to various screen sizes, aspect ratios, and orientations. This is where responsive design plays a vital role in HTML5 game development, especially for studios targeting mobile users. For any HTML5 game development company or team planning to hire mobile game developer talent, adopting responsive design best practices is crucial to delivering consistent user experiences across devices.

Why Responsive Design Matters in HTML5 Mobile Games

HTML5 is inherently flexible and built for cross-platform compatibility, making it an ideal technology for mobile game development. Unlike native games that must be tailored separately for iOS, Android, and other platforms, HTML5 games can run in any modern web browser. However, that versatility comes with a challenge: ensuring the game layout, controls, and performance dynamically adjust to different devices and screen sizes.

Poorly implemented responsiveness can lead to issues such as distorted visuals, off-center UI elements, touch areas being too small, or gameplay breaking entirely on certain devices. This not only disrupts the user experience but also leads to higher bounce rates and lower engagement. To avoid these pitfalls, game developers must prioritize responsive design from the earliest stages of development.

Best Practices for Responsive HTML5 Game Design on Mobile

1. Use Scalable Layouts and Viewports

The foundation of responsive design lies in defining flexible layout strategies. Setting the correct <meta viewport> in your HTML ensures the game scales properly to the screen size. Instead of hard-coding dimensions in pixels, use relative units (like percentages or viewport width/height) to make elements adjust automatically.

Game engines like Phaser, PixiJS, or Cocos2d-JS offer scalable canvas options that allow you to set scale modes such as FIT, SHOW_ALL, or RESIZE, which help maintain aspect ratio and visual integrity across devices.

2. Implement Adaptive UI/UX Elements

In mobile games, UI components like buttons, HUD elements, and menus must remain accessible regardless of screen size or orientation. Design UI elements to reposition or resize dynamically based on the available space. Anchoring important buttons to screen edges or using relative layout systems can ensure consistent positioning.

If you're planning to hire mobile game developer professionals, look for those with experience in crafting flexible UI that adapts fluidly between phones and tablets, both in portrait and landscape modes.

3. Optimize Touch Controls for Different Screen Sizes

Responsive HTML5 games must also account for varying finger sizes and device responsiveness. Touch targets should be large enough (ideally 44x44 pixels or more), and control layouts must change appropriately based on screen resolution. For example, a virtual joystick may be positioned closer to the edge on smaller screens to reduce thumb stretch.

Experienced developers working at a professional HTML5 game development company often test touch layouts across multiple devices using emulators and physical testing to ensure responsive interactions.

4. Handle Orientation Changes Gracefully

Many mobile users frequently switch between portrait and landscape modes. Your game should detect orientation changes and either reflow the layout or pause gameplay to prompt the user to rotate the device if needed. Unity WebGL, Phaser, and other HTML5 engines provide event listeners to handle such changes in real time.

5. Use Device Detection and Breakpoints for Enhanced Customization

For games that offer different control schemes or visual layouts, consider implementing breakpoints using JavaScript or CSS media queries. Detecting screen resolution, pixel density, or user agent information can help tailor the game experience for each device type.

6. Optimize Performance for Lower-End Mobile Devices

Responsive design is not just about layout—it’s also about resource scaling. Use asset compression, lazy loading, and resolution-based asset switching to ensure smooth performance on budget devices. Responsive games must load quickly and maintain fluid frame rates, or users will abandon them.

Why You Should Hire Experts for Responsive HTML5 Game Development

Creating responsive mobile games in HTML5 requires a blend of design sensitivity and technical execution. Many studios and publishers hire mobile game developer experts specifically for this task, especially when scalability and cross-platform play are critical goals.

Partnering with an experienced HTML5 game development company ensures that responsiveness is treated as a core pillar of the development process—not an afterthought. These teams use proven frameworks, automated testing across real devices, and performance profiling to deliver games that look and feel great no matter where they're played.

Conclusion

Responsive design is essential for delivering high-quality HTML5 mobile games that engage users and retain players across devices. From scalable layouts and UI adaptation to orientation handling and performance tuning, responsiveness is more than just good design—it's smart development.

If you're planning to launch a web-based mobile game, the decision to hire mobile game developer professionals or collaborate with an established HTML5 game development company can significantly impact your success. With the right approach, you can ensure your game not only plays well—it plays beautifully on every screen.

[erevgg]

Dev Log #5 - Treasures, Items, and NPCs

Alright for this month my goal was to mess around with UI and my items a bit. I started by creating a tentative pause menu like this.

Not all of those buttons are implemented yet, but I did decide I wanted to start with the item system.

The Item system utilizes Godots dictionary capabilities.

These items can be found in various ways in the game, but in this case treasure chests and npcs can give out items too so I prototyped that.

This is a treasure chest in this test version.

This is going to be an NPC in this test version.

The goal was to have the NPC have some test dialogue and give an item, and a treasure chest able to give an item as well.

Here's what I ended up with:

With that I have pretty much the building blocks of an RPG the plan with this now is to start creating a demo that will be playable with a Kickstarter launch. This is the farthest I've made it in the outline since the set back with switching from Unity to Godot so pretty excited to start tangibly building stuff.

Anyway, thanks for reading and see you next month!

[wsc-custom-controller-jb]

Making a Pause Menu

Unreal Engine:

First off, you need a widget to show that the game is actually paused.

This is just a blur background that fills the screen, as well as a text element on the top.

I then created an Input Action called "IA_Pause", which is then set in the Input Mapping Controller to the spacebar (for now). The Input Action also has "Trigger When Paused" turned on.

Finally, in the player blueprint, we check for the input and plug it into a flip flop. The first output is for creating the pause menu, and the second is for removing it from the screen:

Here are a few things I'd change to make this better:

I'd put the logic for creating the pause menu inside the world blueprint or in a custom "UI Handler" blueprint. The "BP_ThirdPersonCharacter" blueprint is for things unique to the in-game player, adding UI logic to it would make it a mess for more complex UI.

Creating and removing things in real-time isn't generally something you want to do, by this I mean actually adding it into the world and removing it from the world, especially if the object contains complex logic. This is why things like Object Pooling exist. A better way would be to hide and un-hide the UI, rather than create a new UI and add it to the screen every single time. The UI would be created at the start of the game and immediately hidden, which can then be enabled and disabled whenever.

In Unity:

In unity, I created a button (to open and close the pause menu) and a pause menu. Unity's UI system is in the world itself and is edited just as everything else is:

You'll notice the pause menu is grayed out, this is because it's disabled and won't be visible. The "EventSystem" is for things like getting the player input.

I then created a GameManager script to manage things like the pause menu. As far as I'm aware, Unity doesn't have a function to pause the game, so I set Time.timeScale to zero instead, which effectively does the same thing. The final script includes some interpolation so that the pause isn't so jarring:

To actually pause the game, Unity's UI button has an "On Click" event, which lets you call any function or change any variable on any script (as long as it's public, like the DoPausing() function):

Time.deltaTime is the time in seconds between each rendered frame. This is important because when doing anything over time, simply doing it every frame will it to happen faster with higher framerates and slower with lower framerates. Here's a visualisation of why:

(Credit: ME.) ^

In a perfect world, every Update (or Event Tick) happens every frame, higher framerates mean every function is being called more often. In reality, the framerate varies over time, which means this is an even worse problem because now its going to be all jittery.

How do we fix this? Multiply by delta time (delta seconds if you use unreal). This ensures that any change in variable will happen at a constant rate.

[lifebyyounews]

May 9, 2024 ASK THE TEAM Q&A

Rocio and King swapped sessions this week, so below the cut you can find all of the questions and answers from the ask the team Q&A with King:

Q: I've noticed that there is a needs category in the modding menu. Is there a way to create custom needs? A: Yes, we have a Needs editor! In principle, you could make that mod. But in practice, we will almost certainly need to add extra support. Part of our aim for Early Access is to extend our mod-support to make gameplay mods like this possible!

Q: What kind of genetics system will you have in the game? A: We are still designing some aspects of this. However, family members do have shared physical attributes when generated in character creation. But players can customize the humans if they wish. More information to come as we flush out family and kids gameplay during our Early Access period.

Q: Will we be able to import mini-games into the game to be played on different in-game electronics? Such as free emulator type games that are on the internet. A: Right now, we only have 'Paradox Pop' which you can have your humans play on their in-game mobile phone to fulfil their 'Fun' need. This was just a fun nod since many members of the team have worked on mobile games at one time or another. It was sort of an organic addition to the game just for fun.

Q: REDDIT MEMBER QUESTION: Is it possible for mod makers to add a new race like elves or aliens? A: Yes, this is possible through both visual human customization options which can be added by modders AND the demographics presets that you can use to define a fantasy race.

Q: How do the recolorable meshes work for modders? Is it done by using unity's material system, or will it be through some sort of texture where white pixels are where the custom color shows through and black is where it's left as is? Or will both methods of using materials, and a separate texture map be available for us to use? I hope this isn't too complicated to be answered at the moment. A: The assets are colored from a "Color Mask" that uses the (rgb) channels set in Photoshop. The main texture "Albedo" is in gray scale and is colorized by the selections from the "Color Mask" Areas that you don't want colored can be left black in the "Color Mask" Areas that you don't want colored in the "Albedo" can be left with color. For assets without color masks we use the unity color picker which is limited to 1 color 3 colors per material a total of 5 colors are available ingame, so you will need to pick 5 if you have more than that.

Q: In the population presets will you be able to create a list of first/last names random generated characters spawn with to fit in with the theme you're going with? A: Not at the start of Early Access in June. Currently, there is a names-list which contains thousands of names from different regions in the real world (which are used to generate the in-game humans' first + last names). But making that moddable is a good idea - this won't be available during our Early Access launch in June. But good suggestion.

Q: I would like to ask will muscle definition be included and also will it be possible to modify bodyparts such as chest, glutes, calves, biceps, and etc? A: We continue to refine and add options around surface-details to humans during our Early Access period. We do have a muscle slider that adjusts the human's over all muscle definition under the Body > Overall section of the character creator. Adjusting this by part of the body is an interesting suggestion.

Q: Can you pause aging for everyone but the characters you have selectable? A: Not for the start of Early Access in June. But we will explore this during Early Access.

Q: You mentioned that babies, toddlers and children won’t be available at the start of early access, does that mean we won’t be able to make our humans have babies in game or we just can’t make them in character creation? A: Humans won't be able to give birth at the start of Early Access in June. However, you can add teenaged children to a household. Birth is however on our development schedule during Early Access. We have some functionality created, but felt it was not ready for players so we plan to continue to refine it and release it when its ready.

Q: Will there be basic city service buildings and careers at EA? Such as police, paramedics, Postal workers, etc? Would something like a paramedic job have the human go to someone’s house for a medical emergency or police go to a local shop to stop a shop lifter? A: Town services for the start of Early Access are delivery people and the undertaker. For full release, it is TBD what extra services we will add. We are happy to take suggestions

Q: Can we use spiral staircase cases as an entryway for lots that are on mountains or hills? A: Recommend you put this in ⁠requests

Q: Will we be able to edit the roads and types? Such as bridges, overpasses, roundabouts, dirt roads, roads going into tunnels, one lane/two lane, interstates etc. A: For Early Access, you should assume all roads and bridges will be fixed for the Regions.

Q: Can we rotate lots freely in the region editor, or can they only be rotated on a 45 degree angle like what was shown in today's video? A: Right now, you can free rotate lots or rotate them in 45 degree increments. With in a lot you can free rotate objects or snap rotate them in 45 degree increments. You can free place objects or turn on snap to grid for precise placement. This is an area we are eager to get player feedback on and improve as we see how players feel about the build controls.

Q: Will we be able to place lots&such in a "snap to grid" mode&is free rotation of said lots&objects a possibility? A: Right now you can free rotate lots or rotate them in 45 degree increments. With in a lot you can free rotate objects or snap rotate them in 45 degree increments. You can free place objects or turn on snap to grid for precise placement. This is an area we are eager to get player feedback on and improve as we see how players feel about the build controls.

Q: Would it be possible to tie relationship states to dialogue and then tie dialogue into relatinship states? For example, let's say your human asked someone for a date, and they said "I'd rather date a porcupine", and they get a relationship state like "denied" and then you can mod in new dialogue like "so... how's life with the porcupine?" Or something like that? A: Yes, that's possible. There's a bunch of different ways to do it, so it would be up to the modder's approach.

[kiru-miru]

Injection Deflection

Programmer/Designer: Me

Artist/Producer: Joey Montiel

Description:

In Injection Deflection you play as a patient trapped inside a haunted hospital. You wake up and find yourself surrounded by zombie doctors trying to inject you with a virus! You’ll need to deflect their injections using scalpels for 1 minute.

Controls:

Use the WASD or number keys to move. 

Press the left or space button to shoot a scalpel.

Use the mouse position to determine where to shoot.

There are no diagonals. You can only aim up, down, left or right.

So, if your mouse is above the character, the scalpel will shoot up

Issues:

You can push the enemies around (and they can push you) which looks weird.

Countdown doesn’t show 60 and starts at 59.'

Notes:

The game as it is right now is decently complete, albeit short. The initial goal was to have multiple levels and have them be in waves. If I were to further develop the game, I would add more levels that have more room to walk around and also add different kinds of enemies. Perhaps ones that shoot the player. I also want to add proper start and end screens and maybe even a pause menu. It might also be worth exploring some kind of story. I'm also thinking of making the arrow keys be the buttons you use to shoot the scalpels. I still like the challenge that not being able to shoot diagonally gives you since it forces you to really move around and aim. But, using the arrow keys instead of solely the mouse to aim would make it easier. This is how one of the games I like "The Binding of Isaac" does it. Overall though, my art partner did a fantastic job with the animations, and I really appreciate her for her work.

Game credits:

Since this was my first time touching Unity, I didn't know how anything worked. The in class demo by Ben Beary really helped a lot, as well as BlackThornProd and Coco Code for UI stuff. I think I know enough to be able to make a new game completely on my own now which is cool.

[rockinracket]

Save Rockin’ Racket!

By Hamilton Gilbert, Lead programmer

Itch page: hamiltongilbert.itch.io

Going into this project I had never used saving in any of my games. They were all small enough projects that if you win, congratulations! Play again? If you lose, bummer. But do you want to play again?

Literally what my game ‘Galactic Defender’ asks when you lose.

Rockin’ Racket is a much larger project than I’d ever attempted before and it became clear we were going to need to save some important information so that the player can start back up (mostly) where they left off. Deciding what to save is an important and ongoing discussion. The reason we don’t just save everything is because saved information is only useful if it’s loaded and used by the game. For example, something we decided not to save was whether you were in the middle of a concert. If we did save that information, it would mean that whenever you open the game, the game would have to check if you were in a concert, if you were then it would have to load that concert and it would have to grab all of the concert variables like audience size, audience happiness, current score, bandmate stress, etc. Keep in mind, our concerts are just a couple minutes long. That would have been a lot of work for very little reward as most people won’t have to quit the game mid concert and if they did then they’d be losing just a few minutes of progress. Nevermind the possible bugs it might introduce. All things considered, we decided the pros didn’t outweigh the cons and so we spent our valuable development time elsewhere.

Saving, like a lot of programming, can be tough to figure out but is very easy to implement once you do. Because we have multiple programmers working on this project, we actually ended up with two different but both perfectly valid ways of storing our game’s information. For anyone who’s curious, I created a static C# class to keep track of items in the inventory and one of our other programmers created a C# class for information on levels and money that exists in all of our scenes and is on Unity’s “do not destroy” list so when you switch scenes from say level one back to the garage, you won’t lose all your game information. Both methods work just fine, but we now had two different files that were saving different information. Because we were already using both of them in the game, I decided to keep them both and have them both save their respective information at the same time whenever the player saves the game. I decided to put this saving capability in the pause menu because it exists in every scene and it seemed like an intuitive place for the player to save the game.

Since my programming focus for this game is the shop and inventory system, when I created my portion of the save system I started there. First I saved the items that you currently own and had them display as “sold” when you open the shop catalog. Then I added in “equipping” so you could choose which of your owned items you want to bring into the concert with you, displayed as a golden border in the catalog. This is important information to save so that players don’t have to re-purchase and re-equip their favorite items every time they open the game.

We’re so close to putting in our item images, but for now you’ll have to settle for my stand in assets.

There are also some basic but very important pieces of information that we need to keep track of like what levels you’ve completed, what your highest score was on those levels, etc. These are just some of the variables that keep the game functioning for players that return to it. All of these pieces will need to be working when we release our game this spring, but my immediate next step will be working with our narrative team to save which conversations you’ve had with each character to prevent repeats.

Once your game gets to a size that players might not be completing it in one continuous playthrough, you might want to consider implementing a save system. It is definitely NOT a requirement for smaller games and I would recommend against it unless you’re really wanting to try it as it takes up precious development time and adds to the complexity of your game. But for modern gaming as a whole, it’s clear that saving has come to be expected and is here to stay. So, learning how to save your game efficiently without waste is a useful skill to have.

Check out Rockin’ Racket on Twitter (X), Instagram, and YouTube to follow our journey of getting our band to stardom!

[linuxgamenews]

Get Ready for a Hardcore Challenge with Ninja Issen

Ninja Issen Hardcore Mode comes to the action platformer game on Linux via Proton with Windows PC. Thanks to the deeply creative minds behind developer ASTEROID-J. Available now on Steam and still holding a steady 96% Positive views. Let's talk about developer ASTEROID-J, who just announced a major update for Ninja Issen with Hardcore Mode. This is also something worth sharing with the community. First off, let's dive into the new Hardcore mode for Ninja Issen. This is huge for those of us who like a solid challenge. After you play through once, you unlock this mode. It's all about skill and speed. There are no in-game events or dialogues to slow you down, which is perfect for Linux players who want to focus on perfecting their runs. Here's the catch – the enemies hit harder, and if you die once, that's it. In Hardcore mode, you start with just one life and a timer, and you've got to make it from Chapter 1 to Ninja Issen Chapter 9. Your score depends on how quickly you clear the levels, your combo count, and how many lives you have left. For those aiming for higher scores, you can even choose where to start within the chapters. This means you can push the pace even more. But remember, the pause menu's retry function is disabled. It's all about nailing that perfect run in one go.

Ninja Issen Official Launch Trailer

Besides the Hardcore mode, Ninja Issen is also improving its tutorials. This is great for new players or anyone looking to brush up on their skills. The start of each chapter will now have control tutorials, and you'll get handy tips every time you face defeat. Plus, there are some bug fixes and quality of life upgrades, which are always welcome. Now, let's talk about the title itself. The Ninja Issen stands out as a hyper ninja action platformer that tests you with Hardcore mode. You're Kiba, a ninja on the run, and your job is to take out waves of enemies and tough bosses using your ninja skills. The gameplay is fast, precise, and very satisfying, even on Proton. The title has a cyberpunk future city vibe with retro graphics, which adds to its charm. Is it good? Even before the Hardcore mode update, Ninja Issen was named the “Best Indie Game” at the 2022 Made with Unity Korea awards. It's been getting a lot of attention at game conventions around the world, and even before its release. It was also second on the list of Popular Upcoming title and first in action platformer titles on Steam.

A Discount is on the way:

Another exciting bit of news is the Steam Pirates vs. Ninjas Fest. From January 22nd to the 29th, the title will be available at a 30% discount on Steam. It's a great opportunity for more people to try out this awesome title. Even before Hardcore mode, Ninja Issen is a title that's really made a mark. With its engaging gameplay, challenging new mode, and the upcoming Steam event, there's a lot for Linux players to be excited about. Even if only a Windows PC build. Whether you're new to the title or a seasoned player, these updates are something to test you. Priced at $14.99 USD / £12.79 / 13,50€.

[jiglesias-acmwo-capstone]

Progress Update 6

As of right now, I've finished a Pause Menu screen with working functions. This will allow players to pause the game, quit it, resume, or head back to the main menu screen. It will also show the game controls.

So far I've been working on bits and pieces of my project, this sort of helps me to get parts of my project done or at the very least partially done. I've learned that focusing on one part is a bit stressful especially if something goes wrong and I can't fix it in that moment.

I've also been creating the character animations in Piskel for the fighting mechanics, and will be putting it together in Unity.

[lets-gamify]

Enumerating Game States

Enumerating game states in C# for game development in Unity can help you manage different phases or states of your game, such as the main menu, gameplay, pause menu, game over screen, etc. Here’s a step-by-step guide in easy-to-follow numbered steps for a beginner: Step 1: Set up the Unity project Open Unity and create a new 2D or 3D project. Set up the necessary scenes, assets, and objects…

[astrxlfinale]

In some far distant lands of Fontaine, the very intoning of his name causes him to sneeze on the spot. Not exactly the best look when the form of a Consecrated crab was scuttling aggressively, looking for him.

Thoma pauses, his feelings being imbued with a form of resonance being made as a soft smile settles on his lap.

Not only did a new Assman ascend into the realm of Teyvat.

In kind, he could feel a true soul brother, the Honorary Assman coming to welcome him.

Pressing his hands together in a form of prayer, even amidst tremors and spouts of growing flame, he offers this blessing with a smile.

"Through the endless sky and the boundless sea. May the power of Peach always bring unity." Now! It was time to make sure a lovely president of the Spina has some luxury crab on the menu!

________

"Huh. Talk about a guy after my own heart. If you put it that way, why not make it a miniature festival. Sounds like you've found some good people in this land."

"Keep 'em close, the Trailblazer spirit can never sleep on that."

That said!

"A place that loves wayward rules just need to prepare for a little proper kick back. See, the spirit of the Assman would never bow if even justice itself tries to angle some unjust narrative." Clenches his fist!

"How about both? A toast to a new brother, then we can make use of all this space in the tea realm. I got a few techniques in my sleeve to show ya."

　Oh hey! It's the guy with the interest on peaches that has been giving him quite the inspiration as of late!

　"Likewise, I've been meaning to come around for a chat. I've heard some of your dealings with peaches to have become quite popular." He crosses his arms and grins broadly.

　"As a friend of another assman and a newbie follower of the path, perhaps we should take this opportunity to know each other better? Maybe have a drink or a fight?"