Devlog #6 - Graphics improvements, room detection, natural rivers and save system

Hi everyone!

This week was incredibly productive: from graphic overhauls and new gameplay mechanics to system optimization, Wildborne continues to take shape. Here's a full recap of what I’ve worked on:

🌳 Better forest visibility

I added a dynamic transparency system for trees when the player walks behind them. This makes movement through dense forests much easier without compromising visual immersion.

🌊 More natural river generation

I replaced the old water source system with a cellular noise-based river generator, resulting in more natural and immersive rivers.
Rivers are now generated during chunk loading based on local humidity.
I also disabled player and tree spawns on river tiles to avoid awkward starting positions or floating vegetation.

🧱 Room detection

When the player builds enclosed walls, the game now detects whether they form a valid room. This lays the foundation for future mechanics like sheltering from cold, rain, and wind — but for now, I still need to implement roof construction before those effects are fully in place.

❄️ Improved logic for cold biomes

• Trees no longer spawn where the annual average temperature is below -5°C, simulating permafrost.

• The taiga biome was adjusted to remain viable for trees despite this new constraint.

🌾 First wild plant: wheat

I added my first plant: wheat, along with a dedicated sprite.
It spawns naturally in the Grassland biome and will soon be harvestable for straw.

💾 New save system

The save system is now in place:

• The game now distinguishes between new games and existing saves.

• The world seed, player position, and elapsed time are properly saved and restored.

• I'm currently using BinaryFormatter, but plan to switch to JSON later for better security and compatibility.

💧 Water system optimization

• Added a cache for Water.Flow to avoid recalculating everything every frame.

• Improved water rendering: sprites now change depending on the neighboring tiles (N/S/E/W), giving more organic-looking rivers and lakes.
  I still need to complete the 16 corresponding sprites.

🖼️ Visual polish

• Finalized sprites for the Desert and Tundra biomes.

• Updated the wheat sprite to better match the grassland ground.

• Added a branch wall sprite, with plans to make it visually adapt based on neighboring wall pieces.

• Introduced a toggleable tile grid to make the movement system clearer.

📋 Menu

• Added a main menu with New Game, Load, Options, and Quit buttons.

• Added a pause menu, which can be opened during gameplay to access essential options or return to the main menu.
  

🔜 Coming next

My next goals:

• Finish the contextual water sprites.

• Make wheat harvestable.

• Expand the save system to include player needs, carried items, world objects, and already generated chunks.

Thanks to everyone following the project —
See you soon for more updates! 🌾🔥🌧️