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My Colony 2 v0.26.0 Released

If you were wishing for back-to-back My Colony game updates this week then you are in luck, because right off of the heals of the MC1 update from the other day comes the v0.26.0 update for My Colony 2! What's new in this release? Let's find out!


This update brings some pretty large changes to the engine code, which means that new bugs could be showing up, so please let me know if you find things that are broken. I have added support for modifying the terrain heights that are generated by the world seed, which itself constituted a pretty large change to the base code. A new concept of "subterranean resources" has been implemented, where there are now resources present under ground as well as on the surface. Several new scripting flag types and scenarios have been added to the game, and the engine now supports techs that cannot be unlocked through research, but by some triggered game event. All of these engine features are available now in this update in various forms.

First we introduce a new resource for this update, Alien Artifacts, which we all know and love from MC1. Getting them though is a lot different (and possibly more difficult) than in the original My Colony. The first thing you need to do is unlock the new Deep Excavation tech, allowing you to construct the new Excavator unit (created by @spamdude ).


This is a large, slow 2x2 unit that can be used to flatten out hills on the terrain. Once a hill has been removed, there is a chance for new subterranean resources to be exposed, giving you access to more resources you can harvest. This is probably as close as I will come to adding the different Mines from MC1 to the game. Besides the usual resources, you may end up discovering some Ancient Alien Ruins under those hills. Discovering the ruins will trigger an engine flag, automatically unlocking the new Ancient Alien Language technology.


It is not possible to unlock Ancient Alien Language through traditional research. You must either discover ruins through excavation, or be gifted Artifacts from another player.

Once unlocked, you get access to a new Unit and a new Structure, the Artifact Extractor and the Giorgio Institute for Alien Research. The Artifact Extractor is built from the Robot Factory (so you need Robot abilities as well) and is a flying drone used to extract Alien Artifacts from ancient ruin sites. Alien Artifacts can be stored in small amounts in the current Warehouse building, but for additional storage, the Giorgio Institute provides a ton of space for Artifacts, and generates Research as well.


Once you have collected some Artifacts, you can then build the new Extraterrestrial Builder, which in turn is able to construct the new Aluminum Generator!


For those who want some more decorative items, the Single Family Home from MC1 is back, allowing you to build some lower density subdivisions for your colonists. I will probably add the other color variations of the house at some point too.

Finally, when you start getting to the point where it's hard to keep up with food production for your colonists' demands, the Vertical Warehouse Farm is back, providing large amounts of nutritious food to help feed a growing population.


There have also been a few tweaks here and there. I have extended the operating range of the Logistics Station (nearly 2x), since it seemed like setting up connected outposts had far too small of a range. I might end up extending it even more, you guys can let me know what you thing.

I have also turned CloudSync on by default for saved games, for users signed in with an Ape Apps Account. I haven't had many reports of issues with CloudSync lately, and it can really help save your colony in the event of a catastrophe.

I also changed the UI of the zoom buttons on the Radar a bit to make them easier to use on touch, and put the Radar Size button on the radar overlay as well, since on some smaller screen devices, switching the radar to large would hide the other button, never allowing you to switch back.

With this updates in hand, the next release will focus on ironing out whatever I broke in this update, as well as introducing new Alien techs. A lot of the bigger manufacturing structures are probably going to be needing their "Ancient Alien" upgrade, such as the Microchip Factory, the Refinery and so on. I am also debating on whether or not to add a Galactic Board of Trade to MC2, like in MC1. You can let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Other than that, that is all for this update! I hope you guys enjoy both of this weeks My Colony updates, keep the suggestions and bug reports coming, and stay tuned for more!

#mycolony2

My Colony v1.20.0 Released

Today I am publishing a long awaited update to the original My Colony, v1.20.0, which is live now on Ape Web Apps and the Ape Apps Launcher, and should be hitting everywhere else sometime next week (might have delayed app reviews due to labor day weekend). People have been asking for fixes and content, so it's time to give MC1 some love, so let's take a look at what is new, as well as what's to come!


First off, one of the longest awaited bug fixes is here in this release, regarding colony health statistics. There was a bug in MC1 where, if your colony ever ran out of food or water, it would completely bork the health reporting stats, even after food and water was restored. This has been corrected, and health stat reporting should be back to normal. If yours was borked, it might take up to ten minutes in-game for the issue to correct itself.

There was a request by @josip0101v to overhaul the building color codes in the "Building Colors Only" view mode, and this has now been done. I don't remember the new color coding off the top of my head, but its something like Yellow for resource production, Green for residential, blue and purple are in there too. I think they correspond to the graph colors when you click on a building. Anyway, it's better than showing everything in Red.


If you are one of those people who hate kids, then you are in luck because the long broken Deport Children function has been fixed. Deporting children will remove all kids 10 years of age and younger. The cutoff is 10, because MC1 considers kids over 10 to be working age, and they are available to work in the labor market.

There have been several issues raised related to inappropriate language and behavior in the in-game chat, so some basic automatic chat moderation has been added. These changes only apply to the green letter chat that shows up in the game window, and the slide-out chat sidebar will still show everything, for those who do not want moderation.

The game will filter out a variety of common profanity words. By filter them out, I mean if a message contains one, the message just wont show up in the game at all (it will still be in the chat sidebar though).

The chat overlay will now no longer show messages over 400 characters long. There have been complaints about people either typing a bunch of nonsense or just copy/pasting stuff into chat. This will no longer show up.

There have also been complaints about non-stop spam posting. The game will now no longer allow more than three messages from a user within a 10 (I think 10) second time span. This should be well enough time to allow for normal conversation to go uniterrupted.

Again, none of this moderation happens in the slideout chat, it's mainly to keep things from showing up for people who are just trying to play the game.

By request from @Shadowdoom286 , more information has been added to the popup window when you mouse-over the population of your colony. It will now show the number of children, the number of working age adults, and the number of retired people.


Moving on. The Quantum Warehouse and the Gravity Compression Warehouse now have storage for Cobalt. Cobalt will now also be generated by the Research Converter.

I have included three new buildings in this update that were submitted by the community. The new Nuclear Water Synthesis Plant (submitted by @itsLiseczeq ) is a great new structure for water generation (mid game, but its probably one of the best structures for late game as well). The Department of Paradoxical Studies and Nanite Server Building (submitted by @Electrogamer1943 ) have also been added. The Department of Paradoxical Studies is roughly the LIS version of the Department of Fish Mating Studies, and the Nanite Server Building is an upgrade to the Large Server Building, providing more bandwidth, but costing nanites and cobalt.

Next, I decided people might want me to start adding more late game content, and so I am starting down a new tech path which I will expand on over the coming updates. The new Advanced Simulation Theory research has been added to the game, which unlocks the new Advanced Simulations Unlimited structure, which is an OP generator for money, research and civics but costs huge amounts of power and bandwidth, and really chews through the nanites.

Moving forward, I think the game needs (at a minimum) better production facilities for Software, Nanites, and Bricks, so you can expect those in the coming update. I am also open to continued community submissions, so keep them coming and I will keep adding them. While I have been focused on MC2, there seems to be a larger desire for me to keep adding content to MC1, so I might as well, so stay tuned for more content to both games as the weeks progress!

So that's it for today, check out the update on the web now, idk when it will hit other platforms but it should be this coming week (maybe longer for Android). Enjoy!

#mycolony

My Colony 2 v0.25.0 Released

I am just putting the finishing touches on My Colony 2, and the update should be rolling out to all devices over the coming weeks (yes weeks, more on that in a bit). There are a few goodies in this release and a slew of bug fixes, so let's take a look at what's included!


I got some heat in the Play Store reviews section for MC2 not having many decorative items as compared to MC1, so to start addressing this, v0.25.0 adds a few decorative items that MC1 players will be used to: the hedge wall (made of Plastic in MC2), as well as 6 different color options of decorative flower beds (also made of plastic). I should not have underestimated the degree to which players like to decorate and customize their colonies, so from here on, I will attempt to include at least one new decorative item in each update. If any of you voxel modelers out there have ideas and submissions for items that are purely of a decorative nature, feel free to submit them for inclusion as well!

The Advanced Networking Infrastructure tech is now available to unlock, and with it comes the new Uplink Station (model by @GeneralWadaling ), which provides significantly more bandwidth than the current small server building. The Uplink Station also requires a Level 2 or higher settlement, and is built with the Construction Drone.

Next up, @spamdude recently submitted a model for an upgraded Vehicle Factory. The model was great, but I wasn't sure there was a need for it in the game, since it really does not need a bunch of new rovers. But I wanted to add it anyway, so I made some adjustments to the gameplay. The new Vehicle Factory is now an upgrade to the existing Construction Yard. The Construction Yard now maxes out at building the Advanced Builder Bot, and to get any of the newer bots, you will need to upgrade to (or outright build) a new Vehicle Factory. Keep this in mind, if you get the MC2 update and suddenly lost a lot of unit construction options, it's because you need to upgrade to a Vehicle Factory. It adds a bit of progression to the game. The structure also produces a ton of Spare Parts.

I mentioned this update could take weeks to arrive. If you play My Colony 2 on the Web (or have the Progressive Web App installed), the Launcher, or the Windows Store download, the update should be available to you today, if you haven't been updated already. iPhone users can expect the update next week sometime. For Android, who knows when it will arrive.

I have noticed a serious backlog for app updates getting approved to the Play Store recently. I still have apps that have been sitting in the "waiting for review" queue since August 15 (12 days as of this writing), which is extremely odd, since the normal review time has been a few days or less. Not sure what is going on over at Google lately, but if you are using the Android app, you may not get the latest MC2 update until early-mid September (unless their process greatly speeds up).

Of course, super slow app store updates give me yet another opportunity to plug the Progressive Web App (PWA) version of My Colony 2. Over the last few years, and even more-so beginning this year, PWA's have been my primary development focus, and I consider the web releases of all of my games to be the primary/best editions, and they are the only editions I personally use on my own devices. The native mobile apps are actually just wrappers for the PWA, but they are in a way gimped versions (particularly on Android) due to limitations imposed on the embedded WebView component VS the features afforded to the browser. The PWA, when properly installed to the home screen, gives you the full app-like experience, is always up to date, and is better supported than and other release.

To install the PWA onto your Android device, simply navigate to the MC2 Web App URL using Google Chrome, and you should automatically get an "Install to Homescreen" banner: https://www.apewebapps.com/my-colony-2/

Anyway, now that my semi-annual PWA sales pitch is out of the way, that is it for this update to My Colony 2. Go check it out, let me know what needs fixed, let me know what you would like to see added, and stay tuned for more!

#mycolony2

My Colony 2 v0.24.0 Released

Today I am releasing My Colony 2 v0.24.0, which is live now on the Web and the Windows Store and should be hitting the mobile platforms over the coming days. There are a lot of changes in this update, but you will have to excuse me as I currently have the covid(!) and my head is just throbbing, so the release notes might be a little weak today, but I will try to cover it all here, so let's get into it!


A lot of the changes in this release are engine and UI related. You will notice from the screenshot above that I have started to implement a radar on the sidebar!

Right now it can show the entire world in theory with infinite zoom, it also shows settlements on the map and you can click on the radar to move your camera. Eventually you will have to build radar facilities in order to use the radar, but I didn't get to that part, so enjoy the full visibility while it lasts.

I also added a new "mini" sidebar mode, the button for which you can see next to the bulldozer.


The mini/compact sidebar might be better on mobile devices, but I sort of like it better now on desktop too, so give it a try and see what you think!

You may also notice that the resource readout area has been updated to work more like what you would see in MC1. Not only are large numbers now abbreviated, but the amount numbers are now colored to indicate your storage level. In addition, clicking on the resource bar will now toggle from scrolling mode, show all mode, and show only low and falling resources.


There are a lot of engine optimizations under the hood in this update as well. The server code has been optimized significantly, particularly the path finder logic. In addition, initial game load times have again been cut down by quite a bit. I needed to make these changes, as displaying the radar actually causes a performance hit (which is why there is a radar on/off toggle), so be sure to disable the radar when you are not utilizing it, particularly on mobile (it might not make much of a difference on desktop).

Next up, mod creators now have the option to make a terrain "spreadable" (like the crystalline in MC1), and you can also now create structures that "morph" into a terrain object upon construction. To demonstrate this, I have added some new stuff. On worlds with trees, the two wood producing structures now also produce "tree saplings" that you can plant with the forest rover. These start as small trees and grow into full trees, which you can then harvest. This should help quite a but on the Water World, where it was easy to run out of trees early on.

I saw a suggestion that the Atmosphere Condenser needed an upgrade, so I have added the Nuclear Condenser which provides a whole lot more water.


There is also a new Large Infirmary upgrade, for when you need a higher medical rating.

Finally, I have added the flying Construction Drone that you build at the Robot Factory. It can build the new Extra Large Living Quarters, which provides a whole lot of housing for your settlement!

I think there is probably more in this update but to be honest I am beat and about to go to bed! So try it out and let me know what you think, let me know what issues you find, and stay tuned for more!

#mycolony2

Colony Wars v0.9.0 Released

Colony Wars has just been updated to v0.9.0, and the update should be hitting all devices very shortly. This update brings some new units, a new structure, a new map and a host of interface improvements, so let's take a look at what is new!


To start with, I made some minor tweaks to existing content. The armor rating for the Amphibious Transport has been increased a bit. The money generating speed or the Ore Fracking Operation has been increased. Building an Engineer no longer requires a Research Lab first.

Moving on, two new engine improvements have been implemented in this release, Primary Building Selection and Building Repair! Now when you have multiple unit production structures, the barracks for example, you can now set which one will be your primary, which means all new units will come out of the primary building. Additionally, you can now finally repair your buildings that have been damaged. Both of these features are represented by new icons on the Structure Options box that appears when you select a building.

Some UI tweaks have been made. Now when you mouse over a structure, it will become semi-transparent, so that you can see units behind it. Also, mousing over a unit will put an outline around it, so you can also better see units behind structures. It will also increase the render order of the unit to put it above the structure.

Moving on, I created a new map for this release called Beyond a Path, inspired by the Red Alert map, a Path Beyond. This is an 8 player map featuring both land and sea combat, and it's a lot of fun!

A new structure is introduced in this update, the Gold Synthesis Lab. This later game structure will allow you to continue generating funds, even after all ore deposits on the map have been depleted.


Three new units were added in this update. The first is the Field Medic. This helpful unit can be embedded into your infantry force and will automatically heal nearby infantry units during battle.

And speaking of infantry forces, the new A.P.C. (armored personnel carrier) is a land based transport that can carry up to five infantry units safely into a combat zone. It has the highest armor rating of any land unit and is equipped with a light machine gun for minor defense, but it is probably best to escort an APC with some tank units.


And finally, the big boy of the release. Previously, naval combat was not overly interesting, with the lowly Patrol Boat not being much of a force. This changes now with the introduction of the Cruiser! As of now, the Cruiser is the most powerful unit in the game, with the firepower of about 2.5 medium tanks and more than double the firing range, with a high armor rating to go along with it. If your opponent is able to sneak up on you with a fleet of Cruisers and you are not properly defended, then you might as well just kiss your base goodbye.


So that about wraps up todays Colony Wars update. As I mentioned before, I am now putting Colony Wars development on top priority, so expect frequent updates. Let me know on the forum what updates/features/new units you would like to see, and stay tuned for more!

https://wars.my-colony.com/

#colonywars

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Ape Apps, LLC is an independent software development company founded in 2010 by Brandon Stecklein. Over the years, Ape Apps has published over 400 apps and games across various platforms. You can get in touch with Brandon on Twitter or by leaving a post on his wall @bastecklein
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