Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 264: Inset Roof and Pillar Linings under 3D Fixture Roofs

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 264: Inset Roof and Pillar Linings under 3D Fixture Roofs

I've been experimenting with the idea of placing inset 3D fixture roof and pillar linings under a separate 3D fixture roof, and after some trial and error, I managed to get the right size, shape, and placement for the upper interior fixtures on this build based on the '96 Kompact, (2.69m wheelbase) as follows:

Above, from top: An inset placement for these 3D fixture upper interior components (pillars and roof), combined with surface alignment and 2D conforming, helps them stay hidden under the 3D roof fixture I fitted to this build as a replacement for the stock roof.

Remember when I discussed using a 3D roof fixture on this body set in an earlier post? For those who somehow forgot about that, I'll explain: The stock turret is somewhat awkward compared to the rest of the car's shape - so why wouldn't I want to replace it? Of course, with the new roof in place, I still had to make the upper set of interior fixtures align nicely with its shape, so I had to push them inward by just the right amount to prevent them from clipping through the roof and/or pillars.

As for the rest of this build, it's still a work in progress - I should shrink or hide the transmission tunnel to prevent it from clipping through whatever floor fixtures I choose to place, and build the interior around the bodywork accordingly - but with all of the upper interior fixtures in place and appropriately sized, it's off to a decent start.

Hotshot Tales, Part 22: The Volcanic Absurdity of the Heated Highway

Hotshot Tales, Part 22: The Volcanic Absurdity of the Heated Highway

Hotshot Racing is known for its retro-themed aesthetic and old-school track design, but one variant - the Heated Highway route on the Coast map - takes the absurdity of its settings to extremes. Although its technical layout makes it one of the most challenging layouts in the base game, it's not the reason I'm mentioning it here. The key feature of this track (for which it is named) is a tunnel running through an active volcano spitting chunks of solidified lava into the air from two pools of magma either side of the actual track. Obviously, such a geologically active region would be very ill-suited to being a racing venue (or even a construction site for road building) in real life, but then again, the game doesn't even pretend to be realistic in any way. As for the sector's layout, it begins with a tight 90-degree left-hander, followed by a short straight that feeds into another sharp 90-degree left as it enters the volcanic tunnel, which is essentially a right-left-right chicane made narrower by artificial bottlenecks at the tunnel's exit.

Above, from top: Heated Highway is the most escapist track configuration in Hotshot Racing due to having a section of track with a volcanic magma pool either side - a geologic feature that would easily preclude any form of road construction nearby in real life.

It is very rare for a car to be launched into the lava pits through a glitch that can cause them to clip through the edges of the track, but even if this occurs, the car will simply respawn back on the track within seconds, as it would when it goes out of bounds elsewhere. So why am I mentioning this lava-sculpted twister of a track again on this blog? A recent nearby volcanic eruption that made the sky slightly dimmer and forced me to take extra precautions to avoid unnecessary exposure made me think of this track (along with its alternate configurations), and how a single eruption could shut down the entire map for racing purposes for months. Specifically, if the volcano through which the Heated Highway route runs were to erupt, almost the entirety of its third sector would be completely impassable, thus necessitating a time-consuming excavation and reconstruction procedure after the eruption ends.

Obviously, the fallout from such an eruption wouldn't be limited to the lava flows and ashfall - earthquakes and tsunamis would also ravage huge sections of the map - but the fact that Lucky Mountain Games had the audacity to place an active volcano in the middle of one of the track configurations in Hotshot Racing shows that the racing game genre still deserves to have some element of escapism in it, and this is no exception.

Infinite Space Insights: A Literal Blood Moon Outside of an Eclipse

Infinite Space Insights: A Literal Blood Moon Outside of an Eclipse

It was only yesterday that I captured this stunning close-up picture of a full moon - specifically, a Harvest Moon (which refers to the September full moon) rising above the eastern horizon - but this time, the circumstances were different. The sheer amount of atmospheric haze, combined with the moon's proximity to the horizon early at night ensured that the shorter, more energetic wavelengths of reflected sunlight (blue and violet) were scattered before they reached ground level, allowing the longer, less energetic wavelengths (red, orange, and yellow) to reach my eyes and mobile phone camera first. As such, the moon took on an unusually (and unnaturally) fiery red hue, as if it were on fire, even though the absence of an atmosphere on the moon prevents any combustion from taking place at all up there. This made for a striking, yet ominous sight in the early evening sky where the moon resembled a battle-scarred hellscape littered with endless bloodshed.

Above: A close-up image of the Harvest Moon (the September full moon) discolored red by atmospheric haze (instead of a lunar eclipse) as it rose in the eastern sky on the evening of September 27th, 2026.

What made this picutre all the more unusual is that it was not taken during a lunar eclipse; had there been one, the atmospheric dust would've made the moon look even darker still (to the point of being nearly invisible) in its eclipse phase. In any case, this is a rare chance to see a "blood moon" outside of an actual eclipse, from which the term originated. So you might be thinking: What does this have to do with Digital Eel's Infinite Space trilogy of sci-fi roguelikes?

A peek into the lore of the Infinite Space universe reveals the surprising link. The Garthan faction (a race of physically strong and durable carnivorous cold-blooded reptilians with a warlike demeanor and strong hostility towards the player) in Sea of Stars uses the name Blood Moon (a term for a lunar eclipse that makes the moon appear red, as described above) as a possible ship name for the Light Carrier class (which only carries a pair of Impaler Missile Racks by default, and usually relies on its fighter bay of 3 Garthan fighters to provide support for other Garthan vessels).

Above: In this custom combat scenario, my lone vessel (a Terran Frigate) is targeting a Garthan Light Carrier bearing the name Blood Moon (in reference to the phenomenon of the moon turning red during a lunar eclipse). The actual blood moon on Sunday evening didn't actually count, since it was solely due to atmospheric dust, but it still looked red regardless.

And how does this specific ship name tie into the Garthans' lore? According to their backstory, their home world, Gartha, is a hot, humid planet with a tropical climate and no less than five moons (Gnaz, Krala, Fnotgar, Zlotrog, and Ssath), all of which are represented in the background of the map during any battle that takes place there, as well as in the strategic view outside of combat. This makes it the record holder for having the most named moons out of any single planet in the entire franchise. As such, a lunar eclipse (and hence a blood moon, for which a Garthan light carrier may be named at random) on Gartha would be much more likely than it is on Earth, so it wouldn't bring as much awe to the Garthans as it would to us humans.

Above, from top: Visiting the Garthans' home system in regular gameplay reveals that their home planet and capital, Gartha, has five moons (Gnaz, Fnotgar, Krala, Zlotrog, and Ssath) orbiting it - which makes lunar eclipses much more commonplace there than they are on Earth.

Judging by what I saw last night, non-eclipse blood moons can also occur in the Infinite Space universe, but the games don't depict or even refer to them explicitly. Nevertheless, the fact that I saw something that made me think of a random name for a Garthan capital ship shows that Digital Eel has more than enough knowledge of astrophysics and astronomy to make their fictional universe plausible.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 263: A Sporty Daily Driver From 30 Years Ago

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 263: A Sporty Daily Driver From 30 Years Ago

As part of my entry into this Discourse Challenge, I made the EMR EL3 3.0 GT (an adaptation of an earlier contest submission) with the intention of positioning it as a sporty daily driver that was still comfortable enough for everyday driving. Here it is:

Above, from top: With its 240-horsepower, 3.0-liter straight-six powering the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox and a helical limited-slip differential, the EMR ML3 3.0 GT is a potent performance machine, And expertly tuned 4-wheel independent suspension (strut front/multi-link rear) combined with high-performance tires surrounding 16-inch alloy wheels and vented anti-lock disc brakes keep it planted and exciting in the corners, Combined with a premium interior/CD stereo sound system, advanced safety kit, and a sportier (and functional) aero kit, it's as close as you could have got 30 years ago to a one-car solution for more than two people - especially at its $28000 AMU in-game price.

Although I have plans for lesser trims below this one, the 3.0 GT is a fitting flagship for this particular generation of the model line. In short, it's an ideal one-size-fits-all machine.

Infinite Space Insights: Rebalancing a Hypothetical Sequel

Infinite Space Insights: Rebalancing a Hypothetical Sequel

As good as Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars is, I would not be surprised if its sequel turned out to be even better still. However, for this to happen, some of Sea of Stars' balance issues need to be addressed as follows:

• Currently, Gorgar's Garthan capital ship (one of the possible allies the player can encounter) may spawn even if the Garthans' home world (whose host star system is always a white F-type star, which is hotter than a yellow G-type star, but cooler than a bluish-white A-type star) and correspondingly higher Garthan fleet strength is not present on a randomly generated sector map. Preventing the Garthan capital ship from spawning  under such circumstances would thus make such a scenario more challenging by reducing the potential maximum attainable score, but on the other hand, would reduce "wastage" of fleet slots (of which there are six - four for capital ships and two for fighters). 
• Related to this, In Sea of Stars, it is possible to have a maximum fleet size of five vessels (three capital ships and two fighters) if the map contains Zorg and Muktian home worlds, but recruitable allies that fly Zorg and Muktian capital ships are absent in addition to the Damocles and Kestrel (both of which are quest-specific). while both the Zorg and Muktian fighters can be recruited from the map by visiting the systems where they are found (and in the former case, after transferring an item from your inventory to the mercenary owning said Zorg fighter). Preventing a Garthan capital ship from spawning as a recruitable ally under such circumstances would thus remove the possibility of potentially having too much dead weight on the player's roster.
• If any one of the Zorg, Muktian, and Calatian home worlds are present on a randomly generated map, the probability of negotiating an alliance with them should initially be 100%, by giving their respective allies a 100% chance of spawning on the map at the start of a game. To balance this out, such behavior should be incentivized by increasing the credit bonus earned through diplomacy.
• The probability of quest-triggering items, fleets, and discoveries spawning at the start of a game should be decreased from 100% to 20% or 25%, to reduce the probability of completing the corresponding quest and gaining its associated score bonus.
• If Esmerelda (who will steal a random item other than the Klakar Beacon from your cargo hold and deliver the former to the homeworld of a randomly selected faction, including your own, or your ship's towels if you have no such items) is present anywhere on the map at the start of a game, either or both of the only two items capable of capturing her (the Toy Robot and Lookout Frogs) must also be guaranteed to spawn alongside her, albeit in a different system from where she can be encountered in both cases. This makes it more likely for the player to earn her associated 500-credit bonus; to make this task even easier, both the Toy Robot and Lookout Frogs could grant the ability to detect Esmerelda's location on the map by marking it with a dashed blue circle (assuming the player has never previously encountered her), to allow the player to actively seek her out upon storing either item in their cargo hold. Neither item should be 100% guaranteed to spawn at the start of a game if Esmerelda is absent from the map, though, nor should they be able to detect other potential passengers (Phredd and Smetlov's Brain) - both of these rules are retained from Sea of Stars.

Hopefully, if Digital Eel (which has been the franchise's developer since the original game) were to ever consider developing an Infinite Space IV, they could (should?) at least examine the possibility of implementing at least some of these balance adjustments into the next installment.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 262: Copycat Roof Swaps

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 262: Copycat Roof Swaps

I've recently spent some time investigating some additional possibilities for roof transplants on the '88 Copy Cat, and eventually I was able to come up with the following options as some of the best ones from an aesthetic standpoint:

Above, from top: A comparison of several 3D fixture roof fixtures transplanted onto the '88 Copy Cat (shown here in notchback configuration with a 2.64m wheelbase), shown in side profile.

Aside from the fact that the JAG_220 variant of the SHD 90s Euro Sports fixture set on the notchback is potentially better at making an XJ220 replica than using the supposedly more faithful fastback variant, my testing yielded a few surprises:

• The FER_F50 and FER_F50_GT roof fixtures can work surprisingly well, especially if you make the front and rear fascias (which takes you closer to an F50 replica, if you want to make one).
• The ASC_KZ1 variant of the SHD US 00s Sports fixture set gives even more cab-forward proportions than the JAG_220 fixture variant mentioned above.
• The DOD_VIP_ZBII variant (also from the SHD US 00s Sports fixture set) also provides a more dynamic cab-forward look, as does the AR_8C variant of the SHD Euro 00s Sports fixture - but the former has a more pronounced double-bubble roof.
• The CHE_C5R variant of the SHD US 00s Race fixture set may appear more static on paper than some other options, but in reality, it can be a great choice if you want a more minimalistic look.

I've also tried other 3D roof fixtures on this body set, but these are some of my favorite choices when working with it using a custom roof in place of the stock turret. The only caveat, aside from having to resize and reposition the fixtures accordingly to match the window line is that some of them can make the interior somewhat claustrophobic (if one is fitted at all) due to their small rear windows, but otherwise, they all work well enough.

A Lifer's Diary, Part 18: Applying Hotshot Racing Customization Logic to Game of Life Movers

A Lifer's Diary, Part 18: Applying Hotshot Racing Customization Logic to Game of Life Movers

Having played Hotshot Racing for countless hours so far, I decided to extrapolate one of its best aspects - its customization system - to The Game of Life (or specifically, its various video game adaptations) and applying it to its movers (which represent players' locations on the board) to give players more options to express their personalities and individualities further than they otherwise would. So here's a breakdown of what would be in store if such a feature were to be implemented.

Above, from top: Every car in Hotshot Racing can have up to 16 customization slots (not counting palettes, which simply change the foreground, background, and accent colors of the currently applied skin) - having such a wide range of options for these categories would make any video game adaptation of The Game of Life even more attractive to prospective players.

I would suggest carrying over the customization from Hotshot Racing wholesale into a Game of Life adaptation (in video game format) - the only things I would change are replacing the Steering Wheel and Dashboard slots with Interior Color and Interior Pattern slots (if the movers were to also have fully detailed interiors), along with allowing players to specify custom colors for their chosen exterior color palette should none of the presets be to their liking, and adding the option to save specific setups to their profiles for later use if they feel like using it again.

Obviously, for anyone playing a Game of Life video game to even be able to use these items in the first place, they could (and in my opinion, should) be forced to unlock them by buying them with points accumulated from completed games and/or completing specific tasks, as is the case in Hotshot Racing. This would incentivize completionism even further, and would help mitigate the problem of new players getting too carried away with their chosen mover's aesthetics. Players' avatars should also be given customization options as well (something that hasn't happened since Generation III was included in Family Game Night 3), with similar criteria for acquisition. With these features, you could make any future video game adaptation of the Hasbro Game of Life much more compelling by adding some much-needed replay value. For good measure, it could be possible to extend this feature to every version that is simulated in a future video game release, which will definitely come in handy in a compilation featuring at least one previous iteration of The Game of Life alongside the one currently in print.

In short, bringing back more options for avatar customization to any video game adaptation(s) of the Game of Life, in addition to expanding the list of mover customization options, would significantly broaden its appeal, not just to younger players, but also to older ones as well.