Completed steps, such as they are.

1. Trim unneeded text, and make everything overall more concise. Break up explainations of the map's mechanics over a longer period of time, instead of throwing three pages of text out at the start of the map. -This is less an overhaul and more something to be mindful of as I develop the map.

2. Waves, they have been implemented. From this point onward, they merely need to be refined until they are the best I can make them.

3. Screen shots. I've updated both the title card, and added a collection of screen shots taken from my own gameplay of the level. I might change these in the future if I get actual artwork done, but that is unlikely.

4. Refine the scripts more. Something I'd like is not to completely shut the player out of the recruitment screen after they commit to an option but change their mind. -The Loop action has solved this issue. Keeping the scripting tidy is a mindset going forward.

5. Refine the waves now that they are implemented. -Roughly where I want it to be right now, dialing it in will take time.

6. Randomize more elements of the campaign, including Infected spawns and exploration scripts. -Done, and once again is a thing to keep in mind as I add more to the map. I'll bundle randomizing Infected spawns into perfecting the placement for now.

7. Once the Custom Command Center Command feature has been released, utilize it for handling the Regroup event, instead of firing it every couple of days. Make a separate button for the Titan once available as well. -Done and done. The Tutorial message could be tweaked slightly to make it a little less jarring, but this is a marked improvement over the repeating event.

8. Balance pass #1. -Done and done. There will be one, maybe two more in the future.

9. Literally everything I wanted to do before the expansions were worked on.Infected placement, narrative, layouts, bug fixes, new features, etc.

10. Add a forest region to the east of the industrial district and expand the river into this new area.

11. Once everything is done, add From the Ashes into a Collection titled 'Wings of the Phoneix'

Other work notes. I'll edit this with other thoughts, mostly regarding my processes as I edit the map.

Some people are reporting crashes on map start after V 0.10.10 of the game itself was released. I can't replicate this on my end, and can only hope whatever issue is causing this is corrected soon.

Leading up to V 0.9 I'll keep updating like I have been, but as I make the push toward V 1.0 I'll put out less frequent, but larger updates. Instead of an update that fixes only one typo for instance. Given of course that there isn't a bug that demands rapid attention, which would receive it promptly.


A note on the constant "Has joined the colony!" pings, I do understand that this gets old; but I've no good way to stop it. If I leave the buildings infected, but player controlled then at the start of the map the player gets the majority of the Fog of War filled out and a snapshot of where the infected are within it. That snap-shot goes away once the map starts, but the FoW does not return. The current situation is preferable to a spotty knowledge of the map before it starts. I plan on trying to correct this once the Modding Rules feature has been implemented however. I think I can get around this by just manually setting the view range for all the buildings to 0. Or a negative. Then again that might turn out to just show the buildings floating in the FoW. Oh well.


Another bug I seem to experience, is that every so often I'll get a black shudder underneath the map. Like textures Z-fighting almost. It doesn't happen often, but I can sometimes see it when working on the map in the editor. I'm not sure what causes it, or if I can fix it at all. It might be that the file I'm working on is screwed and I need to remake the map from scratch to solve the problem. That would suck.

The Way Forward
As my work on From the Ashes has continued, I've been hit with a lingering feeling. That my ambition in terms of its design, and what I want to accomplish with it, exceeds the tools I have available, or my proficency with them. Also, that I may be better served taking what I've learned and attempting some of those goals with a new project with a stronger foundation. It's not a strong feeling however.

With all that said, my plans for updates leading up to V 1.0 are roughly as follows.
-Pull back the Excavation HQ to the map border. Expand the slums into that new region, and to the west/south.
-Add a forest extension to the east of the industrial sector, complete with sawmills and a continuation of the river. This would connect with the farmlands.
-Move the Academy of Immortals to the very south-west corner of the map. Heavily expand the upper-class district to match, with a connection very close by.
-Add a new region, connected to the Entrance's western wall. This will likely be an open 'lake' region, with a heavy fishing focus. Its planned to wrap all the way around, connecting to the road that will lead to the new Academy position.
-Maybe add in a new threat mechanic, beyond just Shelter waves. A few waves from the noise you make killing infected every 1,000 or so. Not positive, but I think there should be some other element of danger even if you've sealed the Shelter itself.

There are other minor adjustments, like maybe expanding the area south of the farmland pond, but the above five are the major expansions I have planned. Each would feature a few new events as well. Other updates to add up to 1.0 will cover balance and detail passes. With that done, I'll work on putting everything I've learned into a Steam guide. Hopefully it will be of help to other creators.


Then, I'll work on the next map in the series. Which will likely be a joint mission, the founding of a new colony between New Phoenix and Roanoke. Where From the Ashes was me pushing the editor's buttons and attempting to create a map divorced from the ryhthms of survival; the next map will be me attempting to expand on them, with a heavy narrative focus. I have plans for the map after that, but we'll cross that road when we reach it. The main focus of this update was getting what exists now to a point where I'd be happy with it even if no further changes were made. That way when I make expansions I only have to focus my work on new content in future updates.

I've decided to keep my momentum, and work on the next maps in the series. From the Ashes is in a finished state already. I'll put all that extra effort into the next.