junctiongate

[junctiongate]

3 Junction Gate Games, Upcoming Changes, And More

Wow! There is a lot of news to announce, including the existence of 3 Junction Gate games! While each game has its own dedicated blog post, this post will summarize those announcements and cover some other upcoming changes. Read on!

First, Why The Long Silence?

Before getting to all the news, I want to explain the long drought of information and updates since it’s been a while since the last serious update.

A Google Chrome update a while ago broke the hex grid for the then Junction Gate Beta. The hex grid would have allowed for a strategic map upon which different station facilities could be built. After not finding an immediate solution to the issue, I started looking at alternatives that would build the hex grid in true 3D rather than the CSS hack I had been using.

That search led me first to Three.js, a 3D JavaScript framework. After a month or two of experimenting with various solutions, I found that Three.js didn’t offer enough out of the box for game development.

Next I tried Babylon.js, another competing JavaScript engine that offered more game development features. At the same time, I also began experimenting with the possibility of a first-person 3D experience in the browser. However, again, after a few months, I concluded that the game ecosystem for 3D development in the browser wasn’t mature enough to realize the vision of what I wanted to do.

At the same time, I ended up having to travel a lot for work and personally while also in the midst of a house renovation. And the development time I did have ended up in the dead ends I described above. It was frustrating, but it was also too long without an update for the community, and for that I apologize.

Finally, I ended up trying Unreal Engine 4. After about a week, I had already made more progress with the 3D prototype than I had with the web frameworks. That was several months ago.

In the time since then, I’ve been developing and testing prototypes in UE4, learning the engine and a lot of new skills while also organizing plans for future development. I’ve held off making any announcements up until now because I wanted to be sure I could do what I wanted to do with the game.

And I think I can. We’re going to give it a go.

That brings me to the announcement of 3 different Junction Gate games: Junction Gate, Junction Gate Parallax, and Junction Gate Legacy.

3 Games?

 Yep! Let’s look at each of the games in turn and I’ll explain the differences between them and why they exist.

Junction Gate Legacy

This is the original JG that most of you have played, formerly called the Alpha version. It’s ~95% complete, but has some bugs, unfinished features, and needs some polish. It’s now getting finished with an end game, a few new features, and a completed story.

Junction Gate Legacy will be the first of the three games completed and will serve as a guinea pig for the others as I test different marketing strategies and business models with it. It’ll still be free to play on the Junction Gate website like it is now, but will also be for sale on Steam and potentially a few other platforms. You can read the full rundown on the dedicated blog post.

Junction Gate Parallax

Junction Gate Parallax is the former beta version of Junction Gate. It’s still early in its development. After some adjustments surrounding the hex grid, it’s going to go into open and public testing after the next release. No more closed testing.

Parallax will feature a free base version for the web, but will have premium versions targeting Steam and mobile tablets. The target gameplay will be a cross between Junction Gate Legacy and a 4X game like Stellaris. You can learn more about it in the Junction Gate Parallax blog post.

Junction Gate

The renaming of the other versions of Junction Gate frees up this title to simply be called: Junction Gate. This is the Unreal Engine 4 version; 3D, immersive, ambitious, and the game I’ve secretly been wanting to make all along. It’s in very early prototype stages and it’ll take a few years to develop. It’s a risk, but I’ve got to try it and I hope you’ll enjoy the journey with me, wherever it leads.

Junction Gate will be a team effort. There won’t be a free version and the other games will exist to help fuel its development. It’s going to start out as a survival game, but my hope is that we’ll be able to take it to a very unique and fun place. If you want more details, check out the Junction Gate post which also has a full Q & A.

Are The Games Sequels? How Do They Relate To Each Other?

They aren’t sequels. They’re all set in the Junction Gate universe, but each will tell the story of Junction Gate from a slightly different perspective and with different gameplay. You could think of it as the same story taking place in parallel universes (hence Parallax). However, that’s just an analogy; there’s no official canon connection between the games.

Open Development & Roadmaps

In an effort to be more open about the development, I’ve set up 5 public roadmaps and 4 issue repositories on GitHub:

Junction Gate: Roadmap | Issues

Junction Gate Parallax: Roadmap | Issues

Junction Gate Legacy: Roadmap | Issues

Junction Gate Website: Roadmap | Issues

Junction Gate Marketing: Roadmap

While I still do have some traveling coming up in the future, I’ll be updating at least one of the roadmaps at least once a week when I’m home so that you’ll be able to track the latest progress. The website and marketing roadmaps are included there because not all game development is strictly game development.

The roadmap for Junction Gate Legacy will be more detailed than the other two games as it’s closer to completion and subject to less change.

If you’re a tester of one of the games or the website, find a bug, and have a GitHub account, you can add the issue yourself. Otherwise, let me know on one of the social media channels and I’ll add it for you.

Also, once a month, I’ll be releasing a development video showcasing development progress. You can see the first video below:

On Version Numbers

 The version numbering system and alpha/beta tags have been confusing for people in the past, so I’m using the renaming of the games to reset version numbers in a more standard way. Here’s the system:

Version numbers will be in a 0.0.0 format.

The first number is for major versions. 1.0.0 would be considered a release version or a final product.

The second number is for updates that represent feature milestones. 0.2.0 would add new features, but not be a completed game. 1.1.0 would be considered a post-release update patch with new features. 0.10.0 would come after 0.9.0, but not be a completed game.

The third number is for hotfixes. 0.1.1 would contain bug fixes for the 0.1.0 version.

Each of the games will be reset according to the versioning scheme.

The next release for Junction Gate Legacy will be 1.0.0.

The next release for both Junction Gate and Junction Gate Parallax will be 0.1.0.

New Mailing Lists

 With the new names for the games come new mailing lists, one for each game. You can sign up for them below:

Junction Gate Newsletter Signup

Junction Gate Parallax Newsletter Signup

Junction Gate Legacy Newsletter Signup

Upcoming Website & Social Media Changes

 The new games also mean changes for the Junction Gate website. Each game will get its own dedicated mini-site and that means a new design and structure for the site as a whole.

In an effort to simplify the site, the forums will be taken down as they are mostly unused. As the community grows, they may get reinstated, but for now it’s just another thing to check and another place to post.

The social media accounts also need to be refreshed. New profile pictures and backgrounds for Twitter and Facebook, custom styling for Reddit. The Discord channels will also be reorganized shortly after this blog post goes live.

What’s Next

 While everything is subject to change, the planned schedule for the next few months is as follows:

Publish Junction Gate Legacy 1.0.0 on the web.

Publish Junction Gate Parallax 0.1.0 on the web.

Update the website and social media.

Continue concurrent development of Junction Gate and Junction Gate Parallax.

Publish Junction Gate Legacy on Steam.

Keep watch on the roadmaps to track changes and stay tuned for the October Development Preview Video.

[junctiongate]

Announcing Junction Gate, A 3D Survival Game Made In Unreal Engine 4

We’re incredibly excited to announce Junction Gate, an upcoming 3D survival game being developed in Unreal Engine 4. The prototype is still in very early development, but we have some initial development previews and information to share, with more polished videos and previews in the months to come as development progresses.

The First Development Preview Video

Initial Work-In-Progress Screenshots

Here are a few initial screenshots from the terrain prototype. Please note that the textures and assets are placeholder for now, with improvements to come in future updates.

  Q & A

Why Develop Another Game?

After reaching some technical dead ends with Junction Gate Parallax, it became apparent that some features simply weren’t going to be possible within a web browser as the eco-system simply wasn’t mature enough to realize the full vision of Junction Gate.

Why Unreal Engine 4?

UE4 was chosen after carefully evaluating the major game engines. Some of the deciding factors were the quality of visual results, the speed of development, documentation, and community. Other engines like Unity and CryEngine have produced many great games, but UE4 seemed to be the best fit for Junction Gate.

What Will The Gameplay Be Like?

To start with, the gameplay will feature survival, crafting, and exploration mechanics in a 3D environment. We have a detailed roadmap beyond that, but we’re keeping it private for now.

Tell Me About The Landscape

It’s a procedurally generated voxel landscape. What you see in the video is still a prototype, with placeholder materials and assets. As development continues, we’ll add additional biomes and environmental hazards.

Will There Be Mining? Caves?

Yes.

Will There Be A Story?

Absolutely. However, in the beginning, the development focus will be on the gameplay mechanics. The storyline will take place in the same setting as the other Junction Gate games.

Will There Be Multi-player?

No. Junction Gate will be a single-player game. Adding networking and multi-player would add even more scope to an already complex game.

What Is The Target Art Style?

The exact art style is still being nailed down, but in general, we’re aiming for a more realistic look.

Will There Be NPCs?

Not in the first few milestones, but they are planned. The extent and ability of the NPCs will depend on how well they work in testing.

Will There Be Aliens?

No. I love aliens, but a large portion of science fiction features alien life. The Junction Gate universe will focus on humanity scattered among the stars after the destruction of earth. Alone. With no alien flora or fauna to be found. The implications and consequences of such a universe are something I’d like to explore, while withholding any potential alien possibilities for the future.

Will The Game Be Free?

No, unlike the other Junction Gate games, there will not be a free version.

What Are The Risks In Developing Junction Gate?

There are a few key milestones and features that could potentially set the game apart from other games. However, they are experimental, difficult, and the type of features that need to be built and tested to see if they will work.

Developing several games at once is also a risk and will mean longer development times, but the story and some features can be shared across Junction Gate and Junction Gate Parallax.

When Can I Play It?

It’ll be a while yet. We want to get it to a certain point in development before releasing it, to make sure that our internal roadmap is viable.

Will There Be A Kickstarter?

There is a very real possibility. If we reach our target milestone for gameplay features and are confident we can make the game we want, we’ll go through with a Kickstarter.

Will Junction Gate Go Into Early Access?

Yes, once it reaches the point where it’s ready to be played. The other Junction Gate games are testable in the browser, but Junction Gate, being a UE4 game, will need to be downloaded for testing. Going into Steam Early Access will allow for iterative testing with an established deployment and distribution infrastructure.

How Will Junction Gate Be Priced?

The final price isn’t determined yet. It will be dependent on the implemented features in the final version as well as the prices of comparable games. Early access will start at a price reflecting the current gameplay at the time, with potential price increases following subsequent releases.

When Will The Game Be Finished?

The game is still at a very early stage, so it’s impossible to predict. However, given the scope of our internal roadmap, expect at least a few years of development for the game to be complete, with playable builds well before that.

Will Junction Gate Be Available In Other Languages?

It’s too soon to tell. This will partially depend on resources. There are also some planned experimental features that may be difficult to implement in other languages. That said, it’s something we’d like to try for.

VR Support?

Definitely not at first. This might be something that could be added later, but it will be dependent on performance and the hardware available at that time.

Gamepad & HOTAS Support?

Mouse and keyboard to start. Gamepad support will follow. HOTAS support is still up in the air.

What Are The Minimum Specs?

It’s too soon to tell. We’ll try to make it as performant as possible but need to balance that with realizing our vision. Early Access will help us narrow this down.

What Platforms Will Junction Gate Target?

Let’s start with Windows on Steam first and then expand from there as time and resources allow.

When Will I Know More?

Look for weekly updates on the roadmaps and a monthly development update video. Because there are multiple games being developed, these updates will encompass all of the games.

Public Roadmap & Issue Tracker

There is now a public development roadmap for Junction Gate. You can see a full list of everything that is going into the current release, current bugs, and future updates. If you have a GitHub account, you can also submit issues in the public issue tracker.

The roadmap for Junction Gate will only show the features of the current release in a limited amount of detail and a general summary of the next most immediate release. This is done to strike a balance between open development and the possibility of features changing around or potentially not making the cut if they run into unforeseen issues or aren’t as fun as they should be.

Junction Gate Newsletter

 If you’re interested in news specific to Junction Gate, there is now a dedicated newsletter that will feature all updates and news for Junction Gate as well as major announcements for the other games. You can sign up for the Junction Gate Newsletter below.

Junction Gate Newsletter Signup

Expanding The Team

 Given the scope of the game, I’m privately looking for some paid part-time help to aid in the development of Junction Gate. There are some pending inquiries, but there is nothing to announce at this time.

The Development Strategy

 Once the web version of Junction Gate Legacy is launched, development will be split between Junction Gate and Junction Gate Parallax, with the larger portion of time being dedicated to Junction Gate. If and when the development team is expanded, the new team members will work exclusively on Junction Gate.

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Beta Rebranded As Junction Gate Parallax, Open Testing Coming Soon

Along with other naming shuffles in the Junction Gate family, the Junction Gate Beta is being renamed to Junction Gate Parallax. The rebrand is accompanied by some additional news and changes.

Moving Forward After Technical Difficulties

As you might be aware from previous blog posts, there were some difficulties with the hex grid in the beta when Chrome issued an update, causing facilities on the grid to appear flat. Because of this breaking change, some alternate solutions were tried, but ultimately proved to be dead ends because of browser limitations.

Going forward, there will be one last attempt at fixing the hex grid. If it doesn’t bear fruit, it’ll be disabled for possible re-inclusion in the future. Crafting and facility upgrades will remain, but the grid itself and proximity requirements will be taken out.

This is a tough decision to make, but the grid has enough problems that, if they can’t be fixed, will create a very poor user experience. I’d rather cut it out for now than have it cause issues and stall development of other features.

Open Testing Announcement

The most immediate development priority for Junction Gate Parallax will be to ready it for open testing, following the development model of Junction Gate Alpha. The preparation for this will include removing the hex grid, some minor feature additions, and fixing some other minor UI/UX issues. 

It’s important to note that JGP is not as far along in development as Junction Gate Legacy, so it won’t have the same amount of gameplay at the outset.

Public Roadmap & Issue Tracker

There is now a public development roadmap for Junction Gate Parallax. You can see a full list of everything that is going into the current release, current bugs, and future updates. If you have a GitHub account, you can also submit issues in the public issue tracker. 

The roadmap for Junction Gate Parallax will only show the features of the current release in a limited amount of detail and a general summary of the next most immediate release. This is done to strike a balance between open development and the possibility of features changing around or potentially not making the cut if they run into unforeseen issues or aren’t as fun as they should be.

Base Web Version Will Be Free

A base version of JGP will be available online for free on the Junction Gate website. While many developers strongly recommend NOT having a demo version of your game, we believe there are some strong strategic reasons to do so:

It attracts a larger community, especially when you can just share a URL and start playing.

Testing is more effective with a larger group.

The larger the community, the more people have the potential of seeing/buying/recommending one of the paid versions.

The increased exposure will help offset getting drowned out by the sheer number of other games being released every day on all the different platforms.

Premium Features

Unlike Junction Gate Legacy, the paid versions of Junction Gate Parallax will have premium features that are not available in the free versions of the game. The full list of premium features is still in flux and probably won’t be finalized for quite a while, but two probable premium features will be improved graphics and the ability to colonize other planets.

Potential Platforms

Junction Gate Parallax will be targeting Steam to start with and then mobile platforms pending performance testing. Additional platforms may be considered depending on opportunity. Steam will be a paid offering and the business model for other platforms is still being determined.

Parallax Newsletter

If you’re interested in news specific to Junction Gate Parallax, there is now a dedicated newsletter that will feature all updates and news for JGP as well as major announcements for the other games. You can sign up for the Parallax Newsletter below.

Junction Gate Parallax Newsletter Signup

Development Strategy Going Forward

After the web release of Junction Gate Legacy, Junction Gate Parallax will be developed concurrently with Junction Gate (the full 3d version). After the first public release, the following release will feature trading mechanics and gameplay while setting the foundation for other future features.

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Alpha Will Be Completed, Renamed Junction Gate Legacy

For all of you who have played the original Junction Gate, good news! Junction Gate Alpha will be completed with a final gameplay update and renamed Junction Gate Legacy.

Why The Name Change?

The Junction Gate universe of games is expanding and we needed a way to differentiate between each game. Because the Alpha was the first prototype, it’s getting the Legacy designation.

End Game Update

Here are a few of the major new features and enhancements coming in the final gameplay update for Junction Gate Legacy:

End Game States

Star Bases

Updated Moonshot Game

Blockades, Vassal States, & Tribute

Completed/Expanded Story

Import/Export Save Games

Save Administrator Notes

Numerous other enhancements and bugfixes

While this is the final planned gameplay update, there may be future bug fix updates or minor feature updates as needed.

Public Roadmap & Issue Tracker

There is now a public development roadmap for Junction Gate Legacy. You can see a full list of everything that is going into the current release, current bugs, and future updates. If you have a GitHub account, you can also submit issues in the public issue tracker.

The roadmap for JGL will be more detailed than the roadmaps for the other Junction Gate games as it is furthest along in development and the features are largely locked in.

Steam, Other Platforms, & Where You Can Play

The complete version of Junction Gate Legacy will always be fully free to play online in your browser. When the update launches, we’ll be moving its location on the Junction Gate website, but it’ll have the proper redirects from its current address so you’ll be able to find it without issues.

In addition to being available on the website, we’ll be using JGL to evaluate some other platforms and business models for the other games. Barring any unforeseen issues, the first probable platform will be Steam.

Steam

Even though you’ll be able to play the same game for free in the browser (minus the Steam-specific features) Junction Gate Legacy will be a paid offering on Steam. This will allow us to test out different store features and will also help fund the development of the other Junction Gate games. We’ll be testing out the Steam ecosystem including, potentially, Steam Achievements, Workshop, cloud saves, and leaderboards.

Other Platforms

Depending on development resources and how the game does on Steam, we may evaluate other stores, web platforms, or devices. Because different business models are generally more effective on each platform, we’ll choose one that’s most appropriate for that platform. Monetization methods can be sometimes be controversial, but we’ll do our best to be fair to users and communicate any announcements to the community for feedback before implementation.

Legacy Newsletter

If you’re interested in news specific to Junction Gate Legacy, there is now a dedicated newsletter that will feature all updates and news for JGL as well as major announcements for the other games. You can sign up for the Legacy Newsletter below.

Junction Gate Legacy Newsletter Signup

What’s Next

Finishing the web version of Junction Gate Legacy is the immediate development priority, so look for an update coming soon. The roadmap will be updated weekly and you’ll be able to track progress as the release gets closer. After the web release, development will swing back to other games for a while. Expect a Steam release of JGL some next year.

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Alpha 0.9.1 - Accessibility

After a number of users that use screen readers recently discovered Junction Gate and emailed me asking for accessibility improvements, I decided to try playing the alpha version of Junction Gate using a screen reader. Even though I’m not experienced navigating web pages with screen readers (this was actually the first time I had used one), I could immediately tell that there were a lot of frustrating accessibility issues. 

It was an experience that changed my perspective as to how the web and video games are consumed. So, while I’m still committed to the beta, I decided to temporarily set some time aside for improving the accessibility of the alpha. While I wasn’t able to fix absolutely every accessibility issue, this update will hopefully make it easier for everyone to play the game. 

In the course of working with the screen reader, I learned a lot about developing for accessibility and it’s already changing how I’m thinking and approaching the beta. Because I’m venturing more into 3D with the beta, I can’t guarantee that the game will be playable on a screen reader, but it’s an area that I’m going to explore and it will certainly affect how I develop things like the UI.

This update adds a number of accessibility features for users with screen readers, some of which will be available for all players.

Please refresh your browser and clear your cache until you see 0.9.1 on your loading screen.

For Everyone

New - Keyboard shortcuts for the top level menu. A full list of all hotkeys can be found on the game settings page.

New - Keyboard shortcuts for the information panel tabs.

New - Keyboard shortcuts for the toggling play/pause, music, audio and for cycling game speed.

New - A new game speed of half speed. This is intended to give users using screen readers more time to react to game events, but is available for all users.

For Users Using Screen Readers

New - Keyboard shortcuts for getting stats for individual resource types: air, food, credits, helium, energy, population, and ore.

Update - All station government buttons are now labeled for screen readers.

Update - All worker management buttons are now labeled.

Update - All buttons in all windows (stocks, corporations, windows, etc) are now properly labeled.

Update - All game control buttons are now labeled.

Update - All research buttons are also now labeled.

Update - Upgrade buttons are now labeled and will tell you if you can upgrade or build or if you can't, it'll tell you why.

Update - Diplomatic contact buttons now let you know who you are contacting.

Update - All incoming game notifications will be read by the screen reader. This includes the current state of any action taken by the player regarding game states like play/pause, music, audio, and game speed.

Update - All icons are now read properly by the screen reader including resource stats.

Update - Facility and research prices have been properly labeled for screen readers.

Update - The loading page menu buttons were reworked to be more accessible.

Update - Landmarks were added to the main sections and menus of the game. Hopefully this will make it easier to navigate.

Update - All of the primary menus should now be marked as menus.

Update - Primary menu now labels locked tabs as locked.

Full List Of Keyboard Shortcuts

Main Menu Hotkeys

Alt + Shift + c - Open the command tab in the main menu

Alt + Shift + d - Open the diplomacy tab in the main menu

Alt + Shift + e - Open the economy tab in the main menu

Alt + Shift + l - Open the log tab in the main menu

Alt + Shift + r - Open the resources tab in the main menu

Alt + Shift + s - Open the station tab in the main menu

Alt + Shift + x - Open the exploration tab in the main menu

Alt + Shift + y - Open the science tab in the main menu

Information Panel Hotkeys

Alt + Shift + 1 - Open the resource panel

Alt + Shift + 2 - Open the production rates panel

Alt + Shift + 3 - Open the workers panel

Settings Hotkeys

Alt + Shift + m - Toggle Music

Alt + Shift + p - Toggle Play/Pause

Alt + Shift + u - Toggle Sound Effects

Alt + Shift + z - Cycle Game Speed

Screen Reader Hotkeys

Alt + Shift + a - Get current air stats.

Alt + Shift + f - Get current food stats.

Alt + Shift + g - Get current credit stats.

Alt + Shift + h - Get current helium stats.

Alt + Shift + j - Get current energy stats.

Alt + Shift + n - Get current population stats.

Alt + Shift + o - Get current ore stats.

Conclusion

Now it’s back to development on the beta. However, for those of you who have never tried using a screen reader before, I encourage you to try one out to experience a different perspective. You can download NVDA (instructions), which is what I used for development. Try playing Junction Gate or browsing a few of your favorite websites. Share your experiences in the comments.

[junctiongate]

3D Assets & Exploration

It’s time for another progress update for Junction Gate and I have a few goodies to show off. 

I’ve spent the last several weeks experimenting with different 3D modeling software workflows and techniques. I’ve finally settled on using MayaLT and Substance Painter together. I opted for both because they have a much lower learning curve than Blender, even though Blender is free and the others are not. So far, I’ve been able to dive right into MayaLT and Substance Painter with only a few short tutorials, whereas Blender has seemed like I needed several hours just to figure out the UI. This will likely save many hours in asset creation time over the entire course of game development.

I’m still learning and will continue to improve my techniques, but I’m fairly confident that I’ll now be able to create almost all of the assets I want without the need for working with an artist. This will cut down on dev time and the back and forth of trying to make sure everything looks just the way I want it. 

So even though it’s taking longer up front, thanks for being patient while I’m learning a new skill! I’m hopeful that incorporating more 3D into the game will elevate the quality and the enjoyment factor for Junction Gate.

Components

While I’m still exploring other uses of 3D for the game, one thing I feel safe in announcing is that every craftable component will now have a 3D model rather than a flat 2D icon.

Let’s take a look at the first few models, all of which should be considered works in progress:

Storage Barrel

Junction Gate - Storage Barrel 01 by Junction Gate on Sketchfab

Storage Crate

Junction Gate - Storage Crate 01 by Junction Gate on Sketchfab

Gel Circuit Rack

Junction Gate - Gel Circuit Rack by Junction Gate on Sketchfab

Cargo Area Scene

While experimenting with imports and UV mapping, I decided to try putting everything together in a small practice scene.

Junction Gate - Cargo Area Scene by Junction Gate on Sketchfab

Future Exploration

You might have noticed on the Junction Gate Trello Board that I've added a lot of items into the working queue. I'm working concurrently on a few different aspects of the game that all tie in together, so you’ll see them all there for a while yet.

The item that will have the biggest impact right now is my experimentation with terrain generation. I have the beginning of a prototype, but it’s not yet at a point where I’m ready to show anything off. In fact, I can’t commit to even using it in the game yet as I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get the quality I want out of it. 

The quality and performance of terrain generation will affect the art style, the grid style, and other gameplay aspects that could have far reaching consequences for how the game takes shape. I have a lot of ideas for what I’d like to do with it, but it will take some time to explore what is possible.

That’s it for this update. Next update I’ll share some more progress on components and will hopefully have some other updates as well!

[junctiongate]

Quick Update

Just wanted to put out another quick update on Junction Gate progress. I've been working through learning how to develop 3D assets and how to create a good workflow in addition to some experimentation with Babylyon.js. This has included some stops and starts, evaluating new tools, and it's going a little slower that I had hoped, but I feel like I'm starting to make some progress on it.

What you see below is a practice asset for a power core. It won't be put in the game beyond just testing, but I'll be practicing some more as I continue to learn how to use the new tools. I'll be experimenting with different art styles and effects as well to make sure I get the right combination for Junction Gate.

Stay tuned!

Junction Gate - Power Core Test Run by Junction Gate on Sketchfab

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Public Dev Tracker

In order to facilitate better communication with the community, I’ve created a public development board for Junction Gate on Trello. You’ll get to see exactly what’s being worked on, in between blog posts and in real time.

Most of the cards will remain high-level until they are closer to being worked on, but you’ll be able to expand the cards in the Working Queue to see more details and the checklists necessary for them to be completed.

The Other column contains marketing, community, website, tool, and workflow related tasks that aren’t directly related to working on the game code.

Going forward for the foreseeable future, blog posts will primarily be limited to whenever a deliverable goes out. 

Reporting Bugs

If you find bugs, please report them via the official Junction Gate forum. Please only post bugs you find in the beta version of the game as development has concluded on the alpha.

Prototyping

As you’ll see from the dev tracker, I’m currently working on learning more about what can be done in the Babylon.js engine, so it’s requiring some experimentation to see exactly what features might be possible. It’s a bit early still, but I’ll be sharing screenshots, gifs, and videos of the prototypes in the coming weeks. Keep in mind that not everything I prototype or share will necessarily make it into the game. However, the results so far are very promising and Babylon.js has been a lot easier to work with than Three.js. Stay tuned!

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Community Updates

While work continues on the game itself, there are a few new updates to share with the Junction Gate Community.

New Blog Platform

The old process of creating blog posts and sharing content was manual and took a fair amount of time. In order to share more types of content with the community without taking away from actual game development, I’ve moved the Junction Gate blog to tumblr.

If you’re on tumblr, you can comment or share through tumblr itself. If you’re not, you have the option of using Disqus.

My hope with this transition is to share more screenshots and short blog posts without the overhead of updating the website, so stay tuned.

Itch.io Forums

I’ve also long wanted to create official forums for Junction Gate and have created forums on itch.io. Itch.io is a platform for sharing and selling indie games and it seems like a fitting location for forums and will hopefully bring a few more interested gamers. Be sure to check out and support all the other indie devs on itch.io.

The forums won’t replace the Junction Gate subreddit, but will be the official place for interaction and reporting bugs and feedback. However, I’ll still respond to any questions or comments on any social media as quickly as possible.

Coming Soon

There is still some more planning and background preparation to do, but I will soon be making a development board public so that you’ll be able to see what’s being worked on, in real time.

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Dev Update 06

With this development update, we'll take a look at the overall status of Junction Gate and talk about some upcoming changes to development, testing, and communication.

Delays

As you might have noticed, it's been a while since the last beta release. While progress has been made, it's been much slower than I would have liked. There have been a number reasons why development has slowed, including travel for work, a family emergency, a house renovation, and other personal projects and events.

Going forward, things should be less busy and I'll also be making some changes to make it easier to focus on development that I'll outline below.

What's New

Work has continued on switching the engine over to Babylon.js. As it gets converted, I'm going to be exploring it a bit to see what improvements can be made, both visually and in terms of performance.

I've also begun exploring an entity object system. While it's still in the early phases of planning, it would enable every entity in the game to share common attributes. An entity could be anything from a star system to a ship to a faction to an NPC to a component. Common attributes could include things like history, location, status, assets, available actions, and AI. By having a common interface to develop against, it'll be easier to reuse code and develop tools to accelerate development.

On an unfortunate note, the artist I had started working with didn't work out. I'll be evaluating other options, but for the next few releases at least, expect some placeholder art for the 3D assets.

Communication

In order to facilitate a greater development velocity, communication around the game is going to change to include more frequent social media updates and fewer blog posts. For now, official development blog posts will only come out for major milestones rather than at the regular intervals. However, to offset that, you'll see more updates and sneak peeks on Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and Reddit, hopefully on a weekly basis.

Lore posts are also temporarily being suspended until the game is further along in development. There will be a lot of lore-based storytelling in the future, but for now it doesn't make sense to expand it too much until there is an actual game to play.

I also want to increase the visibility of the status of the game's development and what is currently being worked on. I'm looking at some options for doing this, so stay tuned.

Testing

I know many of you have signed up for the beta but haven't yet had a chance to experience it because of the development delays. I had wanted to send out the next batch of invites on the next release, but have instead decided to invite everyone currently on the list. The invites will be sent out early next week, so if you want access, sign up before then.

If you do sign up to be a beta tester, be warned that there are visual bugs on the Chrome grid, making the facilities appear flat. Also, the beta game is still very short and does not yet match the length of the alpha, so you won't have the same amount of gameplay.

Going forward, I'll also be breaking out some aspects of the gameplay for focused testing before fully integrating them into the game. This will include some individual features but also some mini-games. At least a few of these tests will be made available to the public in addition to the beta testers.

Development Going Forward

The next few weeks will be spent looking at ways to accelerate development including building tools, optimizing the development environment, and more detailed planning. Also, I will be spending some time looking for one or more 3D artists to help with the art assets, so I will need to map out the art plan in further detail.

After everything is setup and planned, I hope to do releases that are smaller in scope but more frequent so that there isn't another big gap in between releases. The next release should contain the updated engine and the new hex map with placeholder graphics for facilities.

[junctiongate]

Exopolis One: Foundation

I was funneled away to my work assignment within minutes of setting foot on Augustine, having barely had a chance to take in the sight of my new home. Lieutenant Levi had been right about Captain Hyro being organized. As I would come to appreciate over the following years, under the Captain's leadership, the colony schedule moved with the choreographed precision of the military marching bands my dad had taken me to see many times on Earth.

The short glimpse I did have of Exopolis One from my brief moments on the shuttle landing pad was both breathtaking and underwhelming. I was in awe of the otherworldly panorama surrounding the colony. Gigantic shards of ice and rock pierced the sky all around, like mountains of jagged teeth. The ice had veins of blue and pink snaking their way through the frozen strata. The wind was strong enough that I had to lean into it with every step and I could feel the biting cold even through my insulated suit.

The colony itself was dominated by the immensity of the imposing landscape. Situated on a plateau of charcoal gray rock, Exopolis One was a cluster of unimpressive dirty white domes half-buried by loose fragments from the excavation. I couldn't see windows on any of the domes. Most of the structures were connected by tunnels and I assumed that some tunnels might also exist beneath the surface.

My landing party paused at the airlock as the pilot pointed at a dome under construction. "The design of Exopolis One is from the standard colony template drafted in Earth orbit while we were making preparations to leave Sol. Most of the domes will be buried completely for insulation, though future colonies might also need to do it for protection against radiation. When Le Maudlin Rouge, Raustik, and Stillwater leave orbit in a few years to establish their own colonies, they'll adapt their designs based on what we learn with our construction. Once we're self-sufficient, most of our focus will be in providing support to those colonies so that they can establish themselves more quickly."

And that was it for an overview of the colony. As soon as I made it through the airlock and had finished removing my suit, I was met by an middle-aged Indian woman named Priya Narine who promptly whisked me out of the locker room with barely a greeting. Despite her small stature, I had to break into a half-jog to keep up with her. I quickly became lost as we hustled through a warren of long tunnels and non-descript gray rooms, finally arriving at the horticulture station.

The horticulture station (which I later found out was nicknamed The Water Palace) was a series of domes connected together with short passageways of only a few meters. Collectively, it was by far the biggest structure I had seen in the colony. Each dome was stacked to the ceiling with towers of trays and pipes, each of which was overflowing with various plants. Rows of lights illuminated the plants, providing a substitute for sunlight. The air was warm, humid, but fresh.

"We've been experimenting with both traditional soil-based horticulture and hydroponics, but so far we're seeing a greater yield from hydroponics because the soil just isn't rich enough," Priya told me. "Your initial job, Carmen, will be harvesting our vegetables. We're concentrating on establishing staple foods right now, so for today, you'll be working with the starches: potatoes and yams. As time goes on, we'll move to other varieties of vegetable and then fruits. I'll also be training you in various agricultural techniques, but you'll be expected to do most of your studies on your own."

After showing me how to rotate the planter racks and identify harvestable potatoes and yams, Priya left me to work on my own. She spoke very little, which seemed to be her way, but we both worked steadily for the next ten hours, pausing for only a brief meal of a baked potato and a small salad.

Finally, she beckoned me to follow her and we left the horticulture station for another series of tunnels that culminated in a communal bunk room. After pointing out the showers and warning me that I would only get two minutes of cold water, she showed me my bunk and told me that work started at six the next morning.

The next day and every day after consisted of early mornings, long days, and bland meals. Every night, I tumbled into my bunk exhausted. The monotony blurred each day together as there was little to differentiate one day from the next.

I hated it. Priya rarely spoke and the other colonists were so exhausted from their daily efforts that there was little socialization. I became lonely and depressed for my entire first year as I desperately missed my dad and dreamed of a different life in which the Earth and Mars had never been destroyed. I cried myself to sleep most nights.

In the end, it was the flowers that saved me. I discovered seeds for gerbers in the seed bank and decided to secretly plant them in a secluded corner. I stayed late several nights a week to tend them after Priya had left. I'll never forget the first blossom; the pink petals with the yellow center brought me so much happiness that I started bawling. I spent nearly an hour every night after that curled up in a ball, just looking at my little collection of color.

Three weeks after my first flower bloomed, I heard a cough behind me during one of my late night viewing sessions. Startled, I turned to see Priya standing behind me scrutinizing the flowers. Her expression was unreadable and I began to cringe inside, fearing her reaction.

"Hmmph", she cleared her throat after several more long moments. "I guess it's time."

She walked away without saying anything more, but the next morning I arrived to find packets of seeds, bags of dirt, and planters arranged on a cart next to my workstation. When I went to find Priya, she told me to begin planting flowers and shrubs around the colony.

And thus began my daily rotation around the colony. I chose the most public areas for the first planters, starting with the mess hall and the bunk room. When I wheeled my cart in, I received a lot of frowns and puzzled looks from those that noticed, but those looks quickly turned to smiles when they realized what I was doing.

As I tended the plants around the colony, I began noticing tiny signs of progress. The first private dorms were completed, to be occupied by Captain Hyro and senior members of her leadership. The genetics lab successfully grew the first batch of cultured meat (it was bacon!). Several days after my first petunias started blooming, someone began painting a mural in one of the tunnels leading to the cafeteria.

My migrations also put me in contact with dozens more people. I needed help setting up water and lights for some of the planters, which allowed me to meet many of the engineers. Others would simply stop to chat as I made my rounds, commenting on the beauty of the flowers and plants, grateful for the splash of color to enliven the dull palette of sterile lighting and underground living.

In my third year after waking up from suspension, Exopolis One became fully self-sufficient, no longer drawing from the supplies stored aboard the Anchorage. Water was mined from ice from a nearby glacier. The nuclear power generator was buried a safe distance from E1. The lab had expanded to producing three different types of meat; beef, chicken, and pork. My Water Palace broadened to growing various fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and shrubs. An entertainment dome was constructed, housing a small movie theater, a bar, and gym.

That year, Priya came down with a case of pneumonia and was put on bed rest for two weeks. I struggled with the added responsibilities. I managed to keep food production going, but the decorative plants suffered from my reduced time. When Priya finally came back to work, we added a third member to our little team to help with the workload, a young man named Kenichi.

The last dorms were completed shortly after my seventeenth birthday. I was assigned a room with Blanca, a talkative girl who was two years older than me. Blanca worked on the security and emergency task force and kept me supplied with all of the latest events and tidbits of gossip from the areas of E1 that I didn't frequent. We quickly became best friends.

Five years later, Exopolis One had produced enough supplies to fully restock the Anchorage. The senior crew from Le Maudlin Rouge was woken from suspension and shuttled down to the surface for extensive training with each of E1's department heads. After six months of training, they returned to their ship and made preparations for departure.

Both Raustik and Stillwater would remain in orbit with their sleepers as a safety precaution, but also to give us time to produce additional supplies for their colonies.

When the Anchorage and Le Maudlin Rouge finally wave jumped away to the Airlie system to establish a new colony, the mood on Exopolis One was a mixture of elation and sadness. The launch was the culmination of years of work, but it would also be years before we would hear if our new sister colony had succeeded.

[junctiongate]

Exopolis One: Planetfall

My first sensation on waking was the breathing tubes being pulled from my nose as they scraped along my nasal cavity. It wasn't done gently. I gasped and immediately started coughing up the nutrient gelatin that had seeped through my mouth and into the back of my throat.

I didn't want to move. But it was cold. Why is it so cold?

"Carmen."

We were running from something. Dad held my hand when we went through the clouds of smoke. Hurry. Hurry! I could hear the shouting behind us. The screaming started. Don't look back. Keep running. The ship is just ahead.

I coughed again and whimpered.

"Carmen," a female voice called out, "Can you hear me?"

The ship was dirty, like it had been on fire. The ramp was extended, but I could hear the whine of the engines ready to take off. I stumbled and went flying onto the concrete, scraping my hands and knees. Dad picked me up and ran into the ship. Close the ramp! someone yelled. Dad slumped against the bulkhead and slid to the floor, still holding me tightly. Carmen, my little Carmen. He began rocking me back and forth. It's going to be okay. I didn't realize he was crying until I felt him shaking. Then I started to sob too.

I felt a warm, wet cloth wiping my eyes. My whole body was shivering from the chill.

"I'm wiping the nu-gel off from your face. It tends to cake around the eyes, especially after being in suspension for a few years."

"Dad, it's going to be okay. Daddy! Don't cry."

"Carmen, honey, your dad isn't here. He wasn't assigned to our colony."

I opened my eyes only to be almost blinded by the bright light in the room. Blinking rapidly, I tried to make sense of the room and the woman bending over me.

"You're going to be weak and disoriented for a little while," she said. "so just stay still for now. You've been in suspension for over three years. My name is Alicia. I'm slowly bringing your core temperature back up. The tube in your right arm is a stem-cell rich blood mixture to repair your cellular tissue from the suspension. The tube in your left arm is removing the cryoprotectant solution from your veins."

"What colony? Where is he?" My voice was hoarse.

"Here, drink this." She put a straw to my lips. "What's the last thing you remember?"

I sipped the water and then coughed again. What was happening?

"We…we escaped Earth and made it to Mars, but had to leave again when it started getting bad. My mom didn't make it, I don't think. Then we were on the Esperanza back to Earth orbit and then…oh…"

She waited, nodding at me to continue.

"Then Dad told me I had to go into suspension because we were leaving the solar system to make a new colony. But where is he? Is he still in suspension?"

"No, honey, at least, I'm not sure. Maybe. But he isn't here. After you were put into suspension, the adults had a lot of meetings to try to figure out what to do in order for humanity to survive. The ship captains and the commanders of the orbitals decided to split everyone up according to their skills, so each colony had a chance at survival. Your dad was assigned to a different colony."

"But…but when will I get to see him?"

She took my hand gently. "Carmen, I don't think we'll ever get to see the people from the other colonies again."

"No! No, where is he?" I shoved her hand away and tried not to cry. Why? Why would he leave me?

---

I spent the next 12 hours hooked up to the IVs, slowly getting used to being awake again. Alicia came to see me multiple times, first to wash away the rest of the nu-gel from my body, then to give me more liquids and to help me practice walking and moving again. I slept a little between her visits, but each time I woke up feeling even more hollow and alone.

My muscles were weak and so I had to have electrotherapy sessions to help strengthen them. The electricity didn't hurt, but my whole body felt sore and bruised as if I had been in a fight. I had just finished with a round of therapy when my door opened and a tall man with a dark curly beard and glasses walked in.

"Carmen Warwick?" he asked. "I'm Lieutenant Levi, in charge of coordinating personnel and supplies from the Anchorage to the colony down on the planet. Are you feeling well enough for a little walk?"

I nodded and gingerly followed him out the door, the first time I had left my room.

"I'm not sure how much Alicia has told you yet," he said as we walked down a corridor, "but you're aboard a ship called the Anchorage. After you were put in suspension, we spent about two years orbiting Earth, preparing all of the ships for wave travel and colonization. During that time, we also took inventory of the skills, ages, genders, and health of everyone left and did our best to distribute them equally among all of the ships."

"But why couldn't I be with my Dad?" I asked.

The Lieutenant stopped next to a panel on the wall. "We did our best to keep families together, but we needed to balance a lot of factors. The tension was already extremely high among the survivors and so we felt that the fairest way to split everyone up was to have a computer make the choices based on all of the information.

"I know it's hard, Carmen," he sighed. "The computer assigned my wife to a different colony as well. It's been over a year since I last saw her and I still miss her. You're always going to miss your dad. But for right now, we're going to need everyone's help to survive."

He pressed a button and the panel began to lower into the wall.

"We arrived here about six months ago. We've named it the Thagaste System. If you look out the window here, you'll see our new home, Augustine."

The curve of the planet filled three-quarters of the window. It wasn't like Earth or Mars. A band of white circled the planet, which was otherwise a gradient of browns, getting progressively darker closer to the band. There were no blues or greens to be seen anywhere. Beyond the band was the night side of the planet.

"As best we can tell, Augustine is mostly tidally-locked to Thagaste, meaning that the same side almost always faces the sun. I say almost because there is an offset between Augustine's orbit and its rotation, but it's a small one, just 2%. The white you see down there at the day/night terminator is ice. Because Augustine's year is 312 days but it rotates in about 306 days, we think that over a long period of time, almost 50 years, that ice will gradually thaw and refreeze, eventually traveling around the planet."

"Can we even live there?" I asked. "Aren't there any planets with water or grass?"

"We're going to try to live there," he answered, "but it won't be easy. There are other planets in the system and Augustine was the best candidate. It's the closest to earth gravity at 1.1 gee; you'll feel a little heavier down there, but you'll get used to it. The other planets are either a lot hotter or a lot colder. We can't breathe the air on Augustine, but it does have a strong magnetosphere, which will keep us safe from radiation."

I tried to take it all in, but the thought of living on a new world without my family was almost overwhelming. I couldn't think of any more questions. Instead, I just stared out the window.

"If you look at that dark patch in the snow near the polar region," Lieutenant Levi continued, pointing, "that's where we're building our colony. We'll have some years of complete sunlight and some years of complete dark, but we won't have the same temperature extremes as we would near the equator.

"Our colony is named Exopolis One because it's the first human colony on an exoplanet. It's mostly underground for protection, but you'll see that when you go down."

My stomach tightened and I looked at my feet, not wanting to look at him or out the window anymore. "When will I go down? What will I do there? Who will I live with?"

"Don't worry," he said gently, "you won't be alone. We're still waking up the other children your age and you'll all be going down together in a few days with a group of adults. We didn't wake you up right when we got here because we wanted to get the colony started and make sure we could sustain everyone there.

"When you get down there, you'll each be assigned to a family. You'll have some schooling, but we're also going to need your help because there is still a lot to do down there. I know you're young, but we are going to need you to be as much like an adult as you can be. Right now we need help with food preparation, maintenance, and horticulture. Do you think you can be brave and help out like that, Carmen?"

I tried to study my feet for a while longer, but he didn't say anything else. He was waiting for my reply. Finally, I looked back up at him.

"I think so."

---

Five days later, we were all called together in the cafeteria. There were sixteen of us, seven adults and nine teenagers. I didn't see any younger children, but maybe they were still in suspension.

Over the past few days, I had met several of the other teens as we continued our physical therapy and learned more about Augustine. Tyler seemed excited about going down to the surface; he kept looking out the windows and couldn't seem to stay still, constantly fidgeting. Jolene was quiet and had dark circles under her eyes from crying. Her twin, Hannah, had been assigned to a different colony, for "purposes of genetic diversity", she said, and she wasn't handling it well. Rockford was quiet as well, but he was pale and clammy. It looked like he was going to be sick. I didn't know any of the others.

I was nervous and exhausted. The physical therapy sessions in the gravity centrifuge were draining as we worked our way up to Augustine's gravity, but more than that, I was just lonely. It had only been a few days ago that I had last seen my dad, at least from my perspective, and I was never going to see him again. The others on the ship were nice, but constantly busy, and so I had a lot of time to myself…

Lieutenant Levi entered the cafeteria, causing everyone to break out of their own private thoughts.

"All right," he said crisply, "I'll keep this short. As you might have guessed, you'll be going planetside today. In fact, directly after this meeting. You'll have a few minutes to collect any personal effects you might have in your rooms and then you'll need to make your way to the airlock to board the lander.

"Augustine is a tough planet. You won't be able to make any mistakes. If you do, you could end up killing yourself and those around you. Follow the regulations at all times, both in the colony and outside. Always be aware of your surroundings. Always check in, always make sure you have full supplies, and always plan for the worst-case scenario. No messing around.

"Exopolis One, or E1 for short, is the very definition of a frontier colony. It's rough, there's no luxury, and there's a lot of hard work down there. We're going to rotate everyone in shifts, but you're going to get tired out quickly, and not just from the higher gravity. Things will get better over time, but right now we're in survival mode, trying just to get to a point of self-sustainability. Once we get there, we'll be resupplying and outfitting the other three ships in our little flotilla so that they can establish new colonies in nearby systems. We'll be supporting those colonies until they're also self-sufficient.

"On the ground, Captain Akari Hyro is in charge. She's smart, capable, organized and she won't hesitate to toss you in the brig if you get out of line. And trust me, there is one. She's also a kind and fair woman and we couldn't have a better person leading the colony. You'll get a full briefing on the rules of the colony and your assignments once you land. Any questions?"

Everyone looked around at each other, but no one spoke. "Okay then," said the lieutenant, "you have ten minutes to report to the airlock. Grab whatever you need and don't be late."

The room emptied out quickly as everyone rushed to grab their belongings. I didn't have anything to bring, so I lingered, looking out the window again at Augustine's surface, wondering how looked on the ground and what my life would be like there.

Finally, I made my way to the airlock, where a man was handing out pressurized suits and showing people how to put them on before allowing them to pass through the airlock.

When my turn came, he handed me a red and gray one-piece suit, gloves, boots, and a helmet. My name was stitched on a patch on the breast. The airtight zipper ran down the neck and the right side and was covered by another flap. The back of the suit was covered with solar fabric to charge the electronics and other embedded systems.

When I had the suit on, he made some adjustments and showed me how to change out air tanks, use the comm system, the emergency flares, and the waste reclamation unit.

"The lander is pressurized, but you'll be wearing this suit all the time on the surface," he told me as he straightened my helmet with a click. "It's yours to take care of and to make sure it stays in working order. Every time, you make sure you run all of the diagnostics and are fully charged before going outside. If you have any problems, see the logistics officer right away."

After he was satisfied with my understanding of the suit, he motioned me through the airlock.

The inside of the lander was cramped, with crates and heavy equipment stacked everywhere, strapped to the exposed gunmetal gray bulkheads with thick bands of fabric or steel cords. There were no windows or even seats. The others were tying themselves to the walls with loose cable, so I found an empty spot and did so as well.

It took over an hour to get everyone in place, but finally the airlock door was closed and sealed. The sudden voice of the pilot in my ear made me jump.

"We're just about to detach from the Anchorage. It'll take about twenty minutes for us to reach the edge of the atmosphere. Reentry will be bumpy and loud for about ten minutes, but don't worry, that's normal. After that we'll be under powered thrust as we make our way down to the E1 landing pad. Keep your suits and helmets on the whole time, because we'll be walking on the surface once we land. Make you're strapped in securely now because reentry will toss you around a lot if you're not. Enjoy the flight and see you on the surface!"

A clunking sound came from the airlock as the lander disengaged. My arms and legs floated out from my body as the gravity suddenly disappeared. Across from me, someone's unsecured duffel bag drifted lazily toward the ceiling.

It seemed like only seconds had passed before the pilot again came on the comm. "Okay everyone, hang tight. We're about to enter the atmosphere."

The lander began to shudder back and forth, at first just a little but then violently. The cargo was straining against the straps. All around me, the other passengers were gripping tightly to whatever they could find. I could hear the atmosphere outside rushing past the lander like a hurricane made of blowtorches.

I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, hoping it would be over soon.

The minutes seemed like they stretched into hours, but abruptly the shaking stopped. There was a brief sensation of falling (the duffel bag went tumbling to the floor), but then the landing thrusters kicked in, slowly smoothing our descent.

I was sweating and I realized every muscle was tensed. Trying to calm myself, I started doing a breathing exercise my dad showed me for when I got scared. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

The landing thrusters got louder and the lander shifted back and forth slightly until it finally came to a rest with a gentle bump. There was a whine as the thrusters powered down and then an unsettling silence after all the noise.

"Welcome to Augustine," the pilot's voice crackled. "We're going to open the airlock door shortly, so please make sure your suits are secure."

I untangled myself from the wall and stood up fully, only to want to sit down almost immediately. The gravity was heavy! Even with the physical therapy, I felt like the floor was trying to pull me down.

The pilot came into the cargo area and double-checked everyone's suit before going to the airlock control panel and pressing a button. The air was drawn through the vents to the life support reserves with a hiss before the outside air was pumped in. Finally, the pilot opened the airlock door and walked down the extended ramp.

I was in the middle of the lander, so I had to wait as the others exited one by one. Outside, I could see glimpses of dark rock and patches of white snow. The wind whistled in through the airlock and I shivered, even though I couldn't actually feel the cold.

Then it was my turn.

With a deep breath, I exited the lander through the airlock and took my first steps on the planet that was going to be my new home.

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Dev Update 05

It's a shorter update this week, but there is some progress to report, along with a preview video.

What's New

Work is continuing on exploring the 3D aspect of the hex grid. The video above is testing performance of the hex grid, with placeholder facilities (the spheres). Also being tested is animation, camera angles, fog, and mesh performance.

3D facilities are still a work in progress as we continue to refine our art process. There's nothing ready to show just yet, but keep an eye out for the facilities in a future update.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Here are the choices for the next lore post:

Exopolis One

The Fate Of The Avant Garde

The Phantom Cache Of The Einstein

I'll be releasing a poll on social media next week for you to vote on your pick, or you can comment below.

Check Out Skywanders

When I come across indie games that might be interesting to the community, I'll share them with you. This week is Skywanders, which is similar to Space Engineers, but with a stronger emphasis on programming blocks and exploration.

[junctiongate]

The Diaspora Of Sol

Mars had fallen. Earth had burned.

By 2305, the chaos of the limbic riots had also spread to the remaining colonies, despite the quarantine procedures and hastily declared martial law.

The orbitals around Earth that survived were severely crippled. Over a period of several months, three of the seventeen orbiting stations were destroyed as the rioters overcame police forces by sheer force of numbers and either set off incendiary devices or overloaded the fuel stores. Those that remained survived only by banning all public gatherings and physically partitioning the stations to prevent large groups from gathering.

Europa fared no better. Its main dome was punctured by a grief-stricken freighter pilot who had just been informed his wife and two young daughters had died in the riots. He set his fully-loaded freighter on a collision course with Europa Primus, the colony's main habitation center. On impact, the ship tore through the dome like paper, crashing into the main power core. The subsequent explosion blew the dome wide open. In an instant, over eighty percent of Europa's population was either consumed by the fireball or sucked into the vacuum of space.

Some of the survivors of Europa decided to make their way inward, towards the orbitals, but soon discovered the situation was even worse. The 700,000 Martian refugees had flooded Earth's orbit, also hoping that the already overloaded orbitals would offer some form of sanctuary.

Alexandria Station

No one knew how to deal with the catastrophe that had befallen humanity. There weren't enough resources in Earth orbit to feed 1.1 million people. Station administrators argued with the refugee ship captains over food and water supplies, to the point that several ship captains threatened to forcibly take over a station and seize its goods.

The tensions came to a head when a group of refugee ships surrounded Alexandria Station, which was constructed as a repository of mankind's knowledge and the central node for the internet satellite network. Ignoring repeated warnings, the 23 ships began systematically disabling the station's defenses. The captain of the Profugus, however, took the dismantling too far and targeted the station's fuel depot. The ensuing explosive chain reaction didn't completely destroy the Alexandria, but it may as well have given the consequence of the damage.

Multiple fail-safes failed to protect large portions of the data repository because the magnitude of the blast exceeded the system's design for risk tolerance. Great quantities of scientific data were wiped out including the latest advances in biology, genetics, physics, nanotech, and medicine. Mankind's greatest remaining hope for recovery after the Burning was gone.

The response was instant and brutal from the other stations and even the other refugee captains. The captains and crews of all 23 ships were put to death after a hasty trial issued a unanimous sentence.

The Lagrange Conclave

The attack had a sobering effect on all parties as they realized that the chances of survival had diminished for everyone. A meeting for refugee and station leaders was called for at Midpoint Terminal, a station situated at the L1 Earth-Moon Lagrange point, to discuss the future of humanity.

Despite the desperation of the situation, various factions emerged that demanded to lay claim to various parts of the solar system, with multiple claims on the most viable locations. However, the specter of the infighting and resource grabs on Mars and in Earth orbit loomed over the proceedings, with more conflicts threatening to erupt in the near future.

The limbic riots were another consideration at the forefront of the conclave's collective mind. Nearly every surviving human had been exposed to and had proven susceptible to the epigenetic virus. A cure seemed unlikely anytime soon given the loss of almost all medical research on Alexandria Station. The best countermeasure to the riots on Mars and in orbit had proven to limit populations to groups of 500 people or less.

Discussions and fights continued for several weeks, with multiple solutions being proposed and shouted down by one faction or another. In the end, no one was happy with the final agreement, which was labeled the Diaspora Declaration.

Simply stated, the Diaspora Declaration concluded that remaining in the Sol system was too likely to bring about the destruction of humanity through fights over resources. Because no one could agree which faction would get which colony location, everyone was to leave the solar system altogether to settle in surrounding systems.

Since limbic riots were still a real danger, it was decided that each settlement would have a population of no more than 500 people. Only a single settlement would be planted in each system to allow the initial colony room to bifurcate as it grew over its population limit.

Furthermore, to prevent multiple groups from returning to Sol to fight over resources or to scavenge the ruins and gain an advantage over other factions, Sol's coordinates would be erased from all computers, with pieces of its location divided among specific faction leaders. Should humanity ever be united again and a cure for the epigenetic virus be found, a return to reclaim Sol and Earth could be undertaken.

In order to address the most immediate needs, namely the resource shortfall, it was decided that the majority of the survivors would be placed in cryogenic suspension until they were ready for colonization. The move would also serve to deescalate tensions while preparations were made.

Dismantling A Solar System

While wave drives were a new but proven technology at that point, they weren't in common use as no extra-solar colonies had yet been established. Only a few of the ships had a wave drive. Those few scientists and engineers remaining were charged with copying the drives and installing them in every ship.

The orbital stations were also to fitted with wave drives, though preparing them for space travel and wave jumps was a more Herculean task as they needed to be structurally reinforced.

While the ships and stations were being prepared for travel, other measures were being taken to improve the viability of each new colony. Databanks were created from a pool of the remaining computers in an attempt to reconstruct the knowledge lost in the Alexandria Incident. Each colony would be equipped with basic genetic databases to form limited ecosystems for growing food and some animals. Sadly, the spectrum of genetic diversity on Earth was lost forever.

Colonial kits were constructed from debris and by stripping down some of the ships that were unable to travel. The ruins of Earth and Mars were excavated and what remained of Europa was dismantled. Enough materials were gathered so that each colony would be self-sufficient, but only barely. There would be no redundancy and the margin of error would be razor-thin.

The Emergency Astronomical Survey was also commissioned to find the most viable locations for colonization. The survey used telescopes to identify likely nearby habitable planets, but also extended their search by using micro-probes outfitted with wave drives to explore systems that ranged beyond the capabilities of the telescopes.

It took over two years, but the preparations were finally completed in 2308. There would be over 2,000 colonies in total, to be spread out among the stars, scattered in every direction. Systems were assigned to colonies by lottery, with each colony only knowing the location of other colonies that belonged to their faction.

When the day of departure finally came, all ships were slaved together to make sure they jumped at the same time. At precisely 3:30AM GMT on May 5, 2308, 2,045 ships winked out of existence from the heliosphere of the cradle of mankind.

The Diaspora of Sol had begun.

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Dev Update 04

Happy New Year everyone! In this first development update of the year, we'll do a quick retrospective of 2016, share progress since the last update, take a look out to what's coming the rest of the year for Junction Gate, and then give you a chance to start voting on the next lore post.

2016 Year In Review

It was an interesting year for the game. Here are the highlights:

In January, the first version of the Beta, 0.0.1, was released to testers. Beta 0.0.1 featured a reworked game framework and a whole host of features including a new UI, audio, upgradeable facilities, a hex grid for facility placement, an intro cutscene, voice acting, crafting, research, and more.

Beta 0.0.2 came in February along with a new contextual tutorial system that gives in-game help for every screen.

At the end of February, Beta 0.0.3 out with a new facilities management screen, game seeds, 4 modes of difficulty, and basic stat tracking.

In March, the new Junction Gate website was launched with a blog, media, and a roadmap.

August saw the release of Beta 0.0.5, featuring the first venture into true 3D using WebGL and Three.js. A skybox was added along with a 3D planet and asteroids, all moving dynamically in the background. The intro was also revamped to incorporate the new background.

Beta 0.0.6 was released in September and was mainly a bug fix release, but also featured an additional 25 skybox combinations for the game.

In October, Chrome came out with an update that broke the hex grid, causing a setback in development. I am currently experimenting with also rendering the grid and the facilities in 3D in an attempt to fix the problem.

The Alpha version of Junction Gate saw some love in November with the release of Alpha 0.9.0, just in time for Thanksgiving. The released fixed a number of outstanding bugs for those of you waiting to play the next version.

In 2016, 22 blog posts were released, including 5 lore posts.

Development slowed down in the latter half of the year as I also began working full time, cutting available time from what it had been previously. However, even though there are fewer hours to go around, I've gotten a lot better organized and am still making progress on Junction Gate every day.

Check out some video highlights from throughout the year:

What's New

It's been a while since the last development update because of time off for Christmas and the New Year. Even though there isn't a ton of visual progress to share just yet, there was a lot accomplished that will help the development out in the coming months.

The big news is that I've been in contact with an artist and we are currently in the process of testing out some sample 3D assets for the facilities, to be used on the hex grid. This weekend I'll be doing testing to see exactly what WebGL can handle. No promises on 3D just yet, but if it works out, I'll hopefully have something more substantial to show off in the next dev update.

In anticipation of hiring one or more contractors, we've also had a lawyer draw up contracts that can be used going forward.

Because of a potentially new art direction, I dedicated some time to write an initial art style guide along with researching comps for some of the first facility models that'll be created. I'm holding off finishing it for now until we know more about 3D performance and capability in the browser.

I also spent time doing more game design and some mockups for future sections of the game that may tie loosely into the features slotted for this next release. There is now a working draft for exploration gameplay, which will be detailed in future updates. Time was also spent on mockups for the ship outfitting screens.

Looking Ahead In 2017

The Beta 0.1.0 release is taking longer for a few reasons: increased scope, interdependent systems, the hex grid setback, holidays, etc. However, it will set the stage in a big way for future updates.

2017 should be a fun year for Junction Gate. During the first part of the year, most of the effort is going to go toward getting basic systems working together, things like: travel, exploration, trading, AI, the economy, the stock market, factions, ship building, and more.

I'm going to be trying to do ambitious things with Junction Gate and some of them haven't been done in game before, so expect a few changes in direction at various points as I experiment a little. There is a strong vision for the game overall, but it may need to be adjusted depending on what the browser can handle. The only way to find out is to build it and see what happens, so thank you in advance for your patience.

As the different systems gradually come online and are integrated with each other, you'll start to see more and more of the background simulation come to life. I'm trying to build dynamic systems that will be able to produce evergreen content and gameplay, so the first task is to get the systems working and then to seed and populate it with content.

You can check out the roadmap for a roughly chronological take on development and future features.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Lore posts will also continue in 2017 and you'll continue to be able to vote on which you want to see next. Before the game is finished, I plan to take all of the lore posts and integrate them into the game as discoverable content, along with other additional universe lore.

Here are the choices for the next lore post:

The Fate Of The Avant Garde

The Diaspora Of Sol

The Phantom Cache Of The Einstein

[junctiongate]

The Fall Of Mars

The first refugees from Earth arrived on Mars on June 17th, 2298, 12 days after the Burning began, when the captain of the luxury cruise ship The Prospero was denied landing privileges in the Milan spaceport because of the riots and decided move on to the next port of call, Vikingstad on Mars.

Over the following weeks, more and more refugees arrived; the Earth's rich and those in power made use of their resources to escape to orbit. While some retreated to Europa or private asteroids and others waited in orbit, most decided that the red planet would be the best location to wait out the storm.

At the time, no one on Mars was aware of the apocalyptic implications of the events on Earth. By mid-October, the Mars Corporate Authority (MCA) had declared a state of emergency, quarantining the refugees in hastily erected camps outside Martian settlements after a limbic riot was triggered in Catenae Utopia.

The nuclear detonations on Earth began on November 3rd, effectively stopping the flow of refugees. When the last detonation was set off on in Sri Lanka on December 22, 2298, only 3.6 million people had been able to evacuate, a tiny fraction of a population of 32 billion.

Mars was overwhelmed. The planet's settlements had only achieved self-sufficiency for its 8 million inhabitants a few decades prior and the sudden population growth of almost 50% broke the back of the red planet's fragile infrastructure.

The Leper Colonies

The refugee camps were scenes of constant chaos. The outbreak of additional limbic riots in the camps mean that the camp residents needed to be further divided, first in groups of 10,000, then 1,000, and then finally 500 as fear of more riots mounted. Each division meant that new habitation domes needed to be constructed, but building supplies and raw materials were dwindling to the point that new camps were little more than airtight bubbles with only marginal heating.

Food and water were scarce. Martian soil was not naturally rich and water was delivered to the settlements via ice convoys from the mining facilities at the poles. To cope with the food crisis, some leading Martian nutritionists developed a liquid nutrient solution that could be manufactured in larger quantities, providing roughly 1200 calories a day per person. The mixture was thick and lumpy and the refugees derisively called the drink Red Sludge.

Only a few dozen men and women from each camp were required for the upkeep and maintenance of the habitations, leaving hundreds without responsibilities to keep them occupied. Fights broke out constantly and the occasional death was overlooked as it meant more resources for everyone else. The bodies were buried in shallow graves in the frozen tundra just outside the camps.

Privacy was almost non-existent. Makeshift tents and structures made from reclaimed parts of spaceships littered each camp, but only the lucky were able to secure a spot in one of those dwellings. The rest slept in the open air under blankets, huddled together for warmth.

The dearth of water also took its toll in the form of poor sanitation facilities. Personal hygiene was limited to once a week and the camps were rank with the odor of unwashed bodies. Sicknesses quickly spread through the camps like waves sloshing back and forth in an enclosed tank.

Mars didn't have a magnetosphere like Earth to protect it from radiation, so radiation shielding was necessary for any settlement. However, because there weren't enough materials available to construct proper habitation domes, many of the camps lacked adequate radiation shielding. The refugees started suffering from radiodermatitis, which caused burns and blistering on the skin. The Martian natives began referring to the camps as leper colonies.

The psychological shock of losing Earth also manifested itself in the tattered psyche of the refugees. Suicides were an almost weekly occurrence. Nearly every refugee suffered from anxiety and depression. It was common to hear people shrieking out in terror during the night as they relived the horrors of the Burning in their nightmares, only to wake up sobbing and drenched in sweat.

Guerre Circulaire

The situation was untenable. Even though the MCA was working feverishly to accelerate resource production and to improve the living conditions in the refugee camps, it didn't matter. On February 4, 2302, the first camp revolted and attacked Mars' smallest settlement, Becquerel Crater.

A small group of refugees raided the weapons locker and then tried to seize the settlement's control center, demanding more food and better radiation shielding. The MCA response team stormed the control center after the refugees killed the negotiator, an incident they later claimed was an accident.

The MCA set up a provisional court to rule on the attack. After a long trial of over 8 months, the court ruled that Martian settlements should undergo a further 5% rationing to aid the plight of the refugees. However, the attackers were to be executed.

The ruling was intended to be neutral, but instead sparked a conflagration across the planet. It wasn't enough and yet it was too much.

More camps rebelled and soon began coordinating efforts through acts of terrorism in the settlements. Entertainment galleries, MCA government buildings, production facilities, and even air circulators were all targeted in protest.

The MCA hit back hard, completely destroying three camps overnight by piercing the atmospheric seals and killing over 1400 refugees.

The camps erupted in protest. Martian natives sympathetic to the refugees attempted to overthrow the MCA from within, only to be thrown in prison or executed. The MCA declared planet-wide martial law, resulting seven of Mars' twenty-three settlements seceding from the government and declaring their independence in support of the refugees.

Skirmishes broke out on the barren surface of Mars as the MCA gathered to retake the rogue settlements by force. Only one of the seven takeover attempts was successful while the rest were repelled. The six remaining settlements retaliated by assassinating the CEO of the MCA, along with half the board.

Neither side was willing, however, to take the ultimate step of a full-on assault on a settlement. The stakes were simply too high. The smaller settlements housed tens of thousands of people while the larger had populations numbers in the hundreds of thousands. Instead, clinical strikes and assassinations were traded by both sides for a period of over 18 months.

The nativist civil war only worsened the desperate situation in the camps, causing them to resent all Martians. Food and water became even more scarce. The unrest in the camps grew worse, sparking more terrorism in the settlements, which in turn caused further retribution in response.

Tensions finally boiled over in late 2304 after months of sporadic combat and terrorism. A secret cult called the Aeternae Mortem had arisen from among the stricken refugees. Aeternae Mortembelieved that mankind was being punished for its sins and was fated for extinction. It was their duty, they believed, to accelerate that end.

On December 25, 2304, select teams of the cult simultaneously destroyed food production facilities in twenty-one settlements, effectively wiping out the planet's agricultural capability. They also blew up the ice mining facilities at the poles. Other members began breaching protective atmospheric seals and detonating any explosives they could find, in both the camps and the settlements.

In a single day, over 5 million people were killed. In the weeks that followed, the remaining 6.6 million turned on each other as starvation set in. There was no time to grow new food and, even if there had been, all seed stores had been destroyed.

The refugee camps swarmed into the settlements seeking food, only to cause further limbic riots as the natives were exposed to the contagion. Life support systems were sabotaged in an attempt to preserve food stores a while longer, wiping out hundreds of thousands. Settlements began engaging in open warfare with each other, regardless of previous affiliations.

The dust never settled.

The 700,000 that managed to escape into orbit fled back to Earth's orbitals and Europa, hoping to find refuge again after Mars.

Those that remained spent their final months in all-out warfare over unsalvageable resources.

The red planet of Ares had fallen and the light of mankind flickered even dimmer.

[junctiongate]

Junction Gate Dev Update 03

It's been a while since the last development update, so this post will cover an updated schedule, a dev preview, another Commonwealth Q & A, a chance to vote on the next lore post, and a shoutout to a fellow indie game.

Update Schedule & Format Change

In case you missed it on Twitter or Discord, the blog posts will be moving from every other Tuesday to every other Thursday. This is to make it a little easier to accommodate my work schedule and to relieve a little bit of the pressure on the weekends of an update.

Also, the format of the blog posts is going to change slightly. Because some of the features being worked on are larger features and may not have something new to show off every two weeks, dev updates will only be once a month. In between the updates will be a lore post, further expanding the universe of Junction Gate. This will help me as a developer so that I don't have to rush features out just to make a blog deadline and it will help me as a writer to further expand the universe lore.

Adding A Terrain Map

Because the perspective of the grid facilities broke with a Chrome update, I've been exploring rendering the hex grid in actual 3D. As a part of that, I've been experimenting with generating a terrain map upon which the grid will be placed. Below is an early prototype, without the grid.

How the terrain map will look and function is still being determined and will partly depend on performance. Next steps will include adding textures, integrating the hex grid, adding facilities, and changing the camera controls. There's a lot of work still to be done here, but my hope is that the added effort will make the game a lot better.

Commonwealth Q & A

This week's question and answer section addresses some writing and lore questions.

1. What Is Your Background As A Writer?

I have a B.A. in English with an emphasis in creative writing. It wasn't until after school that I realized my job prospects weren't stellar with an English degree. Shortly after graduating, I began teaching myself how to program and eventually ended up changing careers entirely. I did a lot of creative writing during school and a lot of business and technical writing since, but Junction Gate will be the first opportunity I have had to really put together a lot of creative and technical passions into a single project. I'm very much looking forward to writing the eventual plot and dialogue for the game and the lore posts are a great warm-up for that.

2. How Representative Are The Lore Posts For The Writing In-Game?

The Junction Gate lore posts are written to be like history lessons. There will be some historical overviews in the game as well, but there will also be scientific briefs, news reports, dialogue, exposition and more, so there will be different styles of writing throughout.

There are a few goals for the game's writing:

Create the feeling of a living, breathing world that has a real and deep history. This means grounding the setting in a hard sci-fi universe and taking the time to fully flesh out the lore.

Craft believable characters with rich backstories that make decisions that make sense within the bounds of their personalities.

Present the player with interesting scenarios that aren't just the common tropes of standard sci-fi.

Tie the story into the gameplay and vice-versa. I'm looking for plot points that can be directly integrated into the gameplay so that you have the opportunity to do in some situations rather than just read.

3. How Linear Will The Plot Be?

I have a lot of plans in this area, not all of which I'm ready to share because I'll be delving into some experimental territory and it's still a ways off before I'll even be able to begin working on it. However, I think it's important for player choices to mean something. Replayability is also important, but the appeal diminishes if the plot is too linear. My great hope for the play and plot of the game is that each journey will be a unique experience even though there are canonical story arcs that will be experienced by everyone.

4. I Think X Should Be In The Game, Why Isn't It?

World-building is a careful thing to construct and it's a responsibility I'm taking seriously. I'm open to a lot of suggestions from players, but anything that makes it into the game will need to fit into the context of the universe being built. Lore needs to be consistent, especially when it's hard sci-fi. I expect the community will point out any inconsistencies (and please do!), so I'm going to be cautious about how I add to the lore.

5. When Will The Story Be Added To The Game?

Bits and pieces of the story will be added throughout the development, especially those parts that are background or generated. However, the bulk of the story and dialogue will be some of the final parts added to the game. It's scheduled this way so that the core mechanics can be tested repeatedly by testers without spoilers. Writing the story all at once will also make it far more consistent and cohesive.

Choose Your Next Adventure

Every development update, I'm going to let the community vote on which lore post you'd like to see next. Here are this week's options:

The Fall Of Mars

The Phantom Cache Of The Einstein

The Fate Of The Avant Garde

Let me know in the comments or on social media which lore post you'd like to see next update. The remaining choices will be recycled for the next vote, along with a brand new option.

Check Out AI War II

Starting with this week's post, I'll be sharing interesting games from other indie developers. These aren't paid endorsements or ads and I don't know the developers personally, but I want to help support my fellow indies by highlighting their projects when I can.

This first game is a sci-fi strategy game called AI War II and is being developed by Arcen Games. They are doing some interesting things with their game AI that I can't wait to see in action. AI War II currently has about 11 days left in their Kickstarter, so you should check out their project. They've already made their initial funding goal and are working towards their stretch goals.