Devlog 24.38

It has been about 3 weeks since my last post.

Sector & Planet Search: I finished extracting the code to create separate searchable sector, trade network, and planet graphs. It will require some more refinement but it does the job for now. I still need to decouple the existing search functions so i essentially separate Sector & Trade Network data from the logic used to create it. These were "first iteration" developments and they served their purpose, but in going to need something easier to maintain.

Code Maintenance: I did quite a bit of code maintenance over the last couple weeks. I moved around some code to better separate concerns, trimmed a couple extraneous classes, and made a bunch of notes for the upcoming "open source" release. I haven't quite committed myself mentally and emotionally to an open source release, but I'm getting closer and closer.

Cosmetic updates: Stars displayed at the sector level better reflect their proportional size differences. It isn't exactly accurate, this is space we're talking about after all, but they are noticeably different.

Now clicking within the boundary of a Trade Main will now highlight every system considered part of the Trade Main.

Gamepad updates: In the process of updating and adding to the user interface, I've made changes to the gamepad code so i can properly integrate input from the gamepad and use it accordingly. I've done a bunch of work with the gamepad previously, implementing an input buffer and going so far as to using it for some menu interaction, but this next step is where the two become one--gamepad interchangeable with mouse and keyboard. Both using the same event system. 

My goal is to use the gamepad to move around and select items from the sector map. 

Interface updates: I'm working toward making the sector navigable so i can at last tie the player's map position and movements to the passage of time. Once the player has a finite position on the "game board" I can start testing the sector-wide updates and build out the email & questing system. 

I was rather charmed by the emails in Mass Effect 2 & 3, and I would like to implement something similar, perhaps fully integrating it with the overall "quest" system. With a few tweaks here and there, it should be possible to create a calendar system, enable the player to set priorities and reminders, and keep in touch with various contacts across vast distances.

Next Steps: Partway into the decoupling process of Sector & Trade Network graphs, i realized that i had shunned certain libgdx code which would have proved extremely helpful in the implementation of specific views, especially filtered map views.

I don't know if I'll be able to properly decouple the data and graphs without ALSO refactoring the display code. It's just how i wrote it. 

I am moving parts of the project to be more data-driven and use more lazy-loading schemes so that there is a little "downtime" as possible. Meanwhile I'm also breaking out more of the display code into separate modules so it's easier to maintain in the long run. I ultimately want to be able to support additional fancy graphics (even if i can't code them myself yet) and i already know some of the bare bones stuff i can implement to make my life easier, later on down the line.