Airlocks and a Modular Base

I faced a couple design challenges and it took some trial and error getting things right (or rather, acceptable). My first iteration of the base was butt ugly. The "Martian cement" on the outside of the base that protects from radiation was nearly the same shade as the terrain and it just looked like shit, literally. Now it's painted white!

I probably won't be able to keep up the quality I've enjoyed so far with my 3D modelling. There is so much to do and I am no artist. Maybe sometime in the future I can team up with a competent artist. My colony is boxy - but I'm more interested in making it do things than making it look nicer.

The colony is generated procedurally. Consider that the game was an empty field before I started. The code to create that base is something like this:

Create hallway at 0,0
Create room at -1,1
Create airlock at 1,3

Furthermore, the pieces you see at the end of the video should be a nice way to show a gradual construction process during gameplay. And the sections of room that are like slices of pie will allow me to re-use room designs. And since the "outside" is a separate model from the "inside", different insulation is a possibility.

Airlock

As usual I didn't program just an airlock. I kept the door, doorknob, and mouse-hover-highlight code as re-usable as possible. Like the colony, the first airlock was ugly as hell so I remodelled it.

Sound

The sounds are free so long as I give credit. I am sort of keeping track of that.

As for music, I am considering the original Starcraft soundtrack! But that's only an option if I never make a penny on this game. That's a possibility.

My friend Alex also knows a band that have already made a lot of music that really suits my game.

NASA

Here's some exciting news in space propulsion research.