Large Tribes - Sapiens Devlog 56

[@unmannedocelot1960]

I can't be the only one who drops everything to watch these

[@ZealZeal]

I was gonna study but NOPE sapiens first

[@elvd1296]

Drifter

[@MrWizarddog]

Me too!

[@brotherbootlegger1777]

Not the only one lol

[@jackstaggers7252]

You know it!

[@Jabrils]

fun stuff! Congrats on all the progress so far. Here's to many more devlogs :D 🥂

[@aw1lt]

mhm also hi jabrils, love your stuff

[@davidt01]

I literally just finished watching your video.

[@Arkenald]

Instead of implementing a strict building height limit, you could implement a some form of a "Structural integrity" system. So you'll have a soft limit based on construction material. And if all objects have their properties serializable , players could toggle the integrity off so they can continue to built their thatched space elevators. Anyway always exited to see where this will go next, Cheers! The Building Stability system from Valheim is a fairly good and simple example. You have four constant values to define for each object/material type, and one tracked value. Max Support. The height the support value that a component can have. It will gain that much support if it's connected to the ground as a foundation. Min Support. The minima value required for a comment to be supported. If the Support value falls be this number, the components breaks. Vertical Loss/Horizontal Loss: the amount that the support value will diminish by to support other components. And then the only tracked value would be Current Support. And it only ever needs to be update checked if something that connects to the component changes.

[@yoouuu3212]

honestly, i dont like valheim building, if you are going to make things realistic then make them for real, with all the challenging mechanics and workarounds that would make actually realistic building fun, otherwise is just annoying and it only acomplishes realistic look, wich i can do by myself if i want to play like that. Valheim building gets old very quickly becouse there is not much you can do to work around the structure system and there is not much you can do buildingwise becouse of its soft limit, it just forces the realistic look wich in my opinion should be a choice. A stability system should implement fun mechanics not just a stack cap. Thats my opinion anyways.

[@Arkenald]

​@@yoouuu3212 I'm not the biggest fan of Valhiem system either, I'm mostly just using it as an example because it's extremely simple to implement and is very light on performance. The more elements that you incorporate the less performative of a system you can end up with. If you wanted to incorporate weight distributions, which think can be extremely fascinating, you will have to update and check the majority of the comments in a building every time something is added. This would be very doable, but can run into some scaling issues if you want to construct abnormally large buildings, or want to take into account other weights such as that from NPCs or from items stock piles, which can cause multiple updates in rapid succession.

[@yoouuu3212]

@@Arkenald yeah, my point is if you cant support a well made stability system, then just dont add any.

[@Wohodix]

@@yoouuu3212 guys he is a solo developper

[@Rogan211]

I had the exact same idea! You bet me... by three weeks oops, guess I was late

[@grantprice613]

> Alpha tester starts playing game focused on guiding a primitive culture through development. > Immediately builds the tower of Babel. I love it.

[@russellocean_]

amazing progress as always Dave, lots of stress coming from opening sapiens to the public but you're doing great.

[@Gwilo]

"new sapiens video? I'm basing my entire morning around this" -me, every single upload for like a year or two

[@xxrockraiderxx]

It's looking really good my dude. The fact that you're able to have over 120 Sapiens in a single world is awesome, a lot of other town builder games start struggling around the 50-60 mark so you're doing great with that. Also I know you may not think it, but all that work optimising and coming up with better ways of doing things is really helpful for your game in the long run, it's vital work and a stable game with less content will win more fans than a buggy game with more content. After all, it doesn't matter how much content there is in a game if you can't do it due to a bug crashing the game. You're doing great and I look forward to being able to pick this up on Steam.

[@solarchaser166]

No comments on the performance side of things, but I do have one for the crafting side. I would add a third option past the two current options (do x times or infinite) which is a "do until x amount is reached, resume when y amount is reached". This allows players to set it so that their stockpiles aren't overflowing with one crafted good or that their workers aren't constantly making the same thing over and over again. For example, say you have tons and tons of wheat but really only need 30-40 bread at a time. You could set it to make bread until the connected stockpile has 40 bread in it and then the work order pauses until it goes back down to 30 bread, upon which the work order will unpause and the worker will start crafting bread again. I play a lot of Rimworld and I have modded it to use a similiar system and I really love how much control it gives over your crafting empire.

[@gefulltetaubenbrust2788]

Im a simple man. I see Dave Frampton, i clicc.

[@thejakery]

I wouldn't worry about whether or not this video 'sells the game'. We all just love watching the process of you making it. Of course sometimes there will be lots of bugs for you to fix, but we're all already completely sold on the idea. Can't wait for that Early Access :)

[@4rs0nn]

Wake up babe, new sapiens devlog dropped

[@MrEterman]

I can't wait to play this game! been here since day one.

[@neinherman9989]

This is shaping up to dwarf fortress complexity! :D

[@QTpyeRose]

Take your time, we are willing to wait as long as it takes.

[@pallascat6767]

Mammoths look sick. Can't wait for this to come out.

[@ArkhBaegor]

I'm so glad you're going for early access, you had me so worried when you said you'd release it next year, you really need to take your time with this

[@timothymakesgames]

Keep it up Dave, I never miss a devlog. Excited about your progress, its inspiring.

[@colemanscollard2207]

Viewer from America. Every few weeks/months waking up to a dev blog is incredibly exciting. Thank you!!

[@joshuasusish8462]

Man. It’s been a while since I’ve heard your name. The blockheads made my childhood, and I am very happy that you are still making games after the blockheads went down. Keep goin man

[@exosproudmamabear558]

You can put limits for the performance and you can let players disable them in the developer menu. Also, a reset option for stuck sapiens would be nice since it will be a problem in the early access a lot.Anyway I love your content the game progresses beautifully. Also craft till x amount is a good option too and usually helps a lot.

[@SanctumCreative]

YES Dave! I am so excited to watch this after work. Hope you’re doing well mate :)

[@GeorgeTheDinoGuy]

The sound track is great!

[@QTpyeRose]

I have felt the bug performance cycle before. I built my own language interpreter and it was to slow so i change things, changes cause bugs, then fix bugs and it slows down. You have done wonderfully so far though. Just look at how far you have come.

[@Skeffles]

Mammoths look fantastic and it's super interesting to see the pathfinding debugging.

[@supergaminggeek5546]

Comment for the algorithm, can't wait to see the mammoth hunt

[@RamkrishanYT]

When I first knew about this game, I was in college and was unable to afford it. Now I finally have a job and can't wait to order it when it releases

[@revvilo]

4:40 I love this. It's like an ant colony. The hive mind has a mission and it will be completed!

[@lilBernier]

I love seeing your development, and all the bugs you have! It makes me feel better about myself and all my random dumb bugs.

[@amassasa]

Looking better and better with each updated. Good job.

[@Staladus]

Awesome to see your vids again, making good progress on the game!

[@luxinveritate3365]

Amazing work, this has come so far from the terrain fly throughs.

[@jonathanmoothart8038]

Do you plan on ever having an open beta? I'm loving the devlogs and It looks like heaps of fun

[@jamesporter628]

Hi Dave, great video as usual. Progress is looking wonderful. Don't be afraid to go over the technical details, I'd love to see more of the ins and outs of some of these problems as you're going along :)

[@Not_Pulsus]

Have confidence in what you say! If you've made a decision with your own time, the players should trust you and understand.

[@kaiserschmarrn260]

I was hoping you would make another video soon great as allways 👍

[@antoinepilote7341]

You inspire to keep me working on my stuff. I like these videos very much, thanks

[@jackstaggers7252]

Awesome devlog dude. I make sure to check every now and then to see when you've made another video, and I'm super excited to see what this game continues to shape into!

[@T33K4Y]

AHHHH AN UPDATE ON MY BIRTHDAY!! yesssss hahaha 😄

[@PrjMkoften]

wow I remember looking at this in 2019, this is crazy progress good work man.

[@codysconclusions895]

Absolutely incredible in how far you have come since the beginning. I have been loosely following this project for a long time now and every time I come across a new vid, im always blown away with the progress. Keep up the great work man! Amazing concept.

[@hehe8138]

With the continuous production, I would recommend having the ability to add some constraints. Maybe resource A can be useful in multiple recipes. You don't want to run out. Then the player would add a constraint that says it will always preserve 20 of A. Maybe you only need a certain number of B. The player adds a constraint that will stop production when 10 B have been produced. I think it would be easiest to manage if these constraints were global, rather than just crafting area specific, which would feel micro-managey. Game looks fantastic so far, good job

[@FreeRadicalX]

It feels like some tweaks to surface textures and colors might go a long way toward addressing the lighting issues in more built environments? Very exciting getting to see footage of the tester's maps where it looks like the players were aiming for specific forms and functions with their communities, and the 'messy' state of the game at the moment is clearly healthy growing pains. Looking forward to watching future updates while playing the EA :D

[@Shirroyd]

I love all the progress so far! I know you don't need the comments anymore since you have testers, but I do have a comment/suggestion for the selection menu. Something has been feeling odd with it, and I think I figured it out. Have you experimented with the selection window being a square instead of a circle, or at least more rounded edges of a square shape? I'm referencing to the menu at 4:36

[@brotherbootlegger1777]

This is super cool stuff! Can't wait until the finished product long down the line.

[@olliesacoustics]

Oh man, I can't wait for this Dave! Been following your progress closely since the start and so excited each time I see you've uploaded a video. Can't wait to play!

[@NeroPop]

Ayy its crazy to see your development. I have been watching you for a couple of years now and you inspired me to study game design at university which I'm loving so thank you!!

[@jinviradev]

Great work! Always looking forward to your videos!

[@heidichalfant5643]

I just found your channel, wow, looks like a great game. Looking forward to playing it.

[@martinzavodny]

Looks great and having sapiens skyscrapers metropolis would be definitely awesome :-D

[@stormsummerstone2908]

Idea for building height limit. What if was based around the material used and way its built

[@Rossilaz58]

Great progress! Can't wait to see where this goes after release

[@monkey77381]

I am really excited to play this game! I think one thing I noticed that I would love to see is maybe the implementation of late game jobs that are technically unnecessary. Like I think it would be cool if they could learn to pain on leather or create rugs, or make more pots for decorations and stuff. The houses seemed empty, that being said tho even with out it the game would still be amazing!

[@birdsview8663]

I don't know if you know the game Banished but this game is next level! so excited for it , the only game on my watchlist -Keep up the great work, love to play even a Demo or even help if possible. 10/10 what I'm seeing! Hope you are still motivated! And will see you early next year (Fingers crossed).

[@yoouuu3212]

starting to look promising, id love to see an rpg mode where you play as just 1 sapien and you have to gain the respect (or fear >:D) from your subjects.

[@cyberclaw3641]

I miss the blockheads dave u a legend for making the game of my childhood

[@someonewithsomename]

This is incredible! I was very skeptical about this game, because most of the games this type are great at the beginning, but once you play a bit, the game breaks either because of performance, AI or economy. I'm happy to see, that the first two parts look addressed. How big of settlements do you want to support in this game for the end goal?

[@thypandrew3913]

There’s no challenge yet there’s like a good year before this is a game. Which sucks but exciting. Idk you probably don’t need a trailer because you could over hype before it’s done. Your a real cool dude gl

[@houstonhampton2418]

Welcome back Dave!

[@janikcodes]

YES new Video! Finally! Totally forgot about this serie

[@MaxPicAxe]

10:12 the markers are glitching through the mammoth

[@wellplyd8110]

Neato burito

[@max.lindgren]

Here's one for the algorithm. Looking great, it's so fun to follow the progress :)

[@jackgeorge6288]

I think with the buildings you could set a different build height depending on what material it is made out of, for example, you couldn't make a thatch house as tall as a mudbrick house, or if you added something like concrete later that could be built higher than mudbrick for example.

[@Simtar123]

Glad to see this video, have thought about this game a bit 😊👍 I will buy it as soon as I can get it

[@enderman5423]

1 question When you're done developing this game, will you update any of your mobile games?

[@ArkhBaegor]

Can't wait for you to add horses

[@justinbrown6433]

looks awsome Can't wait to try it !

[@thypandrew3913]

You are a far smarter man than I. Should have waited for the end of the vid XD

[@zakmorgan9320]

The mammoths look awesome!!

[@quirinusdivus7818]

always love seeing thsi games developement, it would be cool if maybe we could trap and tame the mammoths instead which could be used for transport perhaps?

[@bejoscha]

Master orders servants to harvest 500 beet roots, all run out. 5 beet roots end up in the storage, the rest is eaten by workers realizing that they could use a snack :c)

[@PennDraken]

I think you should look into some of the code from Cities Skylines! For instance, I noticed there were a lot of floating error icons, what they do in CS is that they only display one error icon when you're far away, and then splits them as you get closer. This should give a slight perfprmance boost.

[@buzzbuzzthebee]

Great video. Suggestion: Add other animals to the world. Feels strange to see a world without birds, sheep, cows, ox, horses, wolves, bears, squirrels, pigs, cats, fish etc. Animal domestication / hunting was an extremely important part of human history.

[@MrWizarddog]

Keep up the good work! We all would rather have a nice polished game. Instead of a "sorta finished" game. Just release it when you are comfortable with it! We can be patient! :)

[@BuCz2004]

Miss your game The Blockheads

[@baldbread3693]

those lucky fuckling in alpha testing, dont know how good they got it. xD looks great man, cant wait to see it progress even further.

[@squeakybunny2776]

Do we get sid as well😁 maybe one random mammoth with sid as an Easter egg... 😄

[@jarjarfilms5077]

A good way to manage population is to add more threats in the game, such as: predators, disasters, enemy tribe, hunger, etc.

[@janikcodes]

I dont know if you already had this in mind but regarding performance why not combine markers that are far away and clustered to 1 big marker? Or for stuff like multiple building requests on walls next to eachother, you could easily make it a 1 big marker from the distance and spare some rendering performance.

[@V_2077]

Regarding the height limit, what if I want to make a great pyramid for the civilization 🥺🥺 Please don't cap it too much

[@Wohodix]

Seeing the mammoth gave me an idea for a more "natural" tech research system : free time. There is this misconception that hunter/gatherer didnt have free time ,compare to farmer .But its quite possibly the opposite. The mechanic would be by hunting big prey or managing well your resources , you would gain free time for your sapiens. They would use this free time to research stuff (by standing around in the camp and doing random shenanigans ) . You would have to dedicate a portion of your resources to research (or mb they would just consume surplus) . The random perks would depend on what resources were available for them.

[@Obsiduction]

Looks really great to me !

[@yewtm]

Just woke up as this video was posted. Perhaps the height limit can be different for different materials?

[@ElGato_ConBotas]

can you fix the blockheads?

[@mnattew]

Anyway to become a tester? Sorry if this sounds pushy or anything but I've been watching since you first started making devlogs on this game and I really enjoy the concept. Just asking out of curiosity.

[@majicDave]

You can put your name down here. There are lots of volunteers already, but still a decent chance you'll get in at some point forums.playsapiens.com/t/sign-up-to-be-an-alpha-tester/719

[@aurered6387]

and for crafting what if u have urn and grain in the stockpile and when u ask Sapien make dough they would go automatically take the first urn then go to grain put grains in the urn and then carry them to the crafting spot to make dough then u still need to make urns this would make less crafting

[@guilhemane]

Did you explain your planet generating algorithm anywhere? I'm interested in how you did LOD on an icosphere, especially with hexagons.

[@Sapix_]

Great stuff!

[@aurered6387]

if u plan in the future add horses take as a reference Przewalski horse would fit amazingly this theme ;)

[@invaderjoshua6280]

Any chance we could see a fix for the indoor lighting from outside and have it be an extreme graphics setting or something? I have a 3080ti OC, with a i9 12900k, and 64gbs of ddr5 5200mhz, and I’d love to see that setting.

[@jamesreid6940]

Just wondering will there be a limiting factor in sapiens growth like more chance of disease or predators so people don't have 2000 sapiens

[@doapin6240]

Have you finally let go of blockheads?

[@tristunalekzander5608]

That's ok! Even real tribes were usually less than 150 people!

[@ashleegaming5024]

The new game your working on looks amazing! I’m curious, when you had the idea of Sapiens, did you have The Blockheads in mind, meaning did you want to create a more realistic 3D version of The Blockheads?

[@majicDave]

Sapiens is definitely the spiritual successor to The Blockheads. I did want to take Blockheads further, but I was hitting limitations that really held back my ability to make the changes it needed. So Sapiens could be considered a re-write, but making many different decisions along the way, ultimately ending up with a very different game.

[@developerdeveloper67]

Show us how your alpha test foliage shader works and what you do so it doesn't look like s* from distance.

[@rainey06au]

Did the grass tech you did in a few episodes prior to this video stay in or did you have to revert some of it? The grass here doesn't quite look as good as it did in that video, although it may just be the time of day.

[@theordersmaster8876]

Watching this i thought the replay-ability would increase a lot if different building styles where harder or easier in certain biomes. Like if you're in the steppe it'd be really difficult to build anything at all since you would have very little wood and you would have to rely on animal hides and bones, whereas building in mountainous regions would naturally gear you towards smaller stone based houses because there's plenty of rocks around but since they're heavy it's challenging to build tall without advanced technology like cement and such. So the building styles shouldn't be limited by progression but resource availability. I guess that might actually be a lot of work though...

[@Kajenx]

When your game is ready for beta testing, can you PLEASE send it to Let's Game It Out? This kind of game is right up his alley. XD

[@Rasgore4]

Great progress! Don't start to feature creep, no one needs a guy to be able to dig himself out of a cluster of trees lol

[@badger7736]

incresse hight limit of building by civ age or tech tree?