May Devlog: Builder Drones, Smarter Placement, and Regional Systems Expanded

🪐 May Devlog – Stabilizing the Surface

This month wasn’t about flashy reveals, it was about structure. Literal and metaphorical.

We focused on grounding major systems

how buildings are placed, how objects are initialized and powered, how regions are managed, and how players interact with the game on a technical and mechanical level.

In short

the scaffolding beneath the chaos.

Let’s walk through what got done.

🧱 Building the Right Way

➤ From Grid to Grounded Placement

We replaced the old grid-based building validation system with a simpler, more reliable collision-based query. The previous system had grown too complex and fragile, especially around terrain and object interactions. The new approach makes building feel smoother and frees up designers to create more intuitive, flexible placement rules.

➤ Builder Drones Take the Lead

Instead of snapping buildings into existence, we’ve started implementing the long-awaited builder drone system. After placing a structure, drones will deliver resources and construct it over time. In the future, drone performance, speed, capacity, concurrent jobs, will be region-specific and upgradable. It's a small step toward automation and strategy becoming deeply linked to regional progress.

➤ Structural Integrity Warnings

With the addition of a structural integrity system, we’ve taken care to avoid surprises. The system now predicts what would happen before removing panels, offering a warning if a removal would cause parts of your base to collapse. The goal: smart constraints without frustration.

➤ Smarter Build Controls

Build inputs, like rotation, now adapt more intelligently based on what you're placing and where. The difference is subtle, but it reduces the jarring moments where a building suddenly flips or misaligns due to unexpected input behavior.

🔌 Systems, Initialization, and Power

A lot of invisible work went into cleaning up and organizing object behavior at runtime.

We built out an object power controller to manage which objects are powered and how they respond to power state changes.

We implemented a clean initialization flow for objects, especially defensive ones, so they’re consistently set up, registered, and controlled when entering a region or being placed.

These systems work together to improve how the world behaves under the hood: more predictable, more modular, and more efficient.

🕹️ Input and Interaction Cleanup

We also refactored and cleaned up the player input system, consolidating code and eliminating outdated logic. This improves how the player interacts with the game at both a systems level (like input registration) and a gameplay level (more responsive and maintainable).

🌐 Region Management Expanded

Following last month’s introduction of region-based expansion, we spent May deepening its implementation. Region systems are now better organized, with clearer definitions for what’s controlled, what’s powered, and how gameplay behaviors change based on region state.

This work ties directly into builder drone restrictions, future enemy patrol systems, and long-term progression strategy.

🎨 From the Art Team

➤ New Enemy: The Hauler

A new enemy concept entered the world. This heavy-duty bot is designed to haul large cargo containers, but what it’s carrying, and how it might be repurposed, is up to you to discover.

➤ Final Concept: Rock Crusher

The Rock Crusher is a heavy industrial shredder designed for breaking down metal, especially hostile bots. This final concept gives us a clear visual language for high-power, high-risk processing equipment in the world of Hostile Mars.

➤ Base Concept Exploration

We also explored an early concept of what a prior mining operation base might have looked like. This piece is purely conceptual—but helps us imagine the kind of remnants, structures, and industrial patterns that could shape the world’s visual storytelling.

➤ Robot Legs

Some robot legs. Solid.

🔭 What’s Next Looking ahead, we’ll continue expanding Build Mode functionality, flesh out region-specific gameplay, and start connecting systems like drones, logistics, and enemy pressure into a cohesive loop.

Thanks for following along, and as always, your feedback helps us build this world more intentionally.

– The Hostile Mars Team