Newsletter 14

content/posts/newsletter-014/index.md

@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 +++
 title = "This Month in Rust GameDev #14 - September 2020"
-date = 2020-10-05
+date = 2020-10-07
 transparent = true
-draft = true
 +++
 
 Welcome to the 14th issue of the Rust GameDev Workgroup's
@@ -32,8 +31,6 @@ Table of contents:
 - [Library & Tooling Updates](#library-tooling-updates)
 - [Popular Workgroup Issues in Github](#popular-workgroup-issues-in-github)
 - [Requests for Contribution](#requests-for-contribution)
-- [Jobs](#jobs)
-- [Bonus](#bonus)
 
 <!--
 Ideal section structure is:
@@ -137,6 +134,35 @@ Some of this month's updates:
 [mkirk]: https://github.com/michaelkirk
 [NoSuchThingAsRandom]: https://github.com/NoSuchThingAsRandom/
 
+### [Garden][garden]
+
+![screenshot: trees and water](garden.jpeg)
+
+[Garden][garden] is an upcoming game centered around growing realistic plants.
+Some of the updates from [the September devlog][garden-devlog]:
+
+- The project switched to Nvidia’s PhysX from a custom physics engine.
+- More accurate plant clone placement.
+- Significant rendering performance improvements.
+- Work on saving and loading system has begun.
+
+[garden]: https://epcc.itch.io/garden
+[garden-devlog]: https://cyberplant.xyz/posts/september/
+
+### [galangua]
+
+![screenshot](galangua.png)
+
+[galangua] by [@tyfkda] is a dynamic 2D shoot 'em up game,
+written in Rust using SDL2.
+It works on desktop as well as in the browser.
+
+[The source code is available here.][tetris-bane-src]
+
+[galangua]: https://tyfkda.github.io/galangua/
+[galangua-src]: https://github.com/tyfkda/galangua
+[@tyfkda]: https://twitter.com/tyfkda
+
 ### [Way of Rhea]
 
 [![Way of Rhea logo](way-of-rhea-header.jpg)][Way of Rhea]
@@ -150,10 +176,10 @@ Changes since the last update:
   and the puzzles are better tutorialized, and there are more of them.
 - A tiny amount of screen shake was added to the game.
 - Work has begun on a couple of new levels for the ice biome
-- In this biome, you have to learn to predict the behavior of the
-  crabs to solve the puzzles
+  In this biome, you have to learn to predict the behavior of the
+  crabs to solve the puzzles.
 
-![Ice Biome](way-of-rhea-ice-biome-snowcrab.png)
+  ![Ice Biome](way-of-rhea-ice-biome-snowcrab.png)
 
 Follow [@AnthropicSt] or [@masonremaley] on Twitter or
 [sign up for the mailing list][anthropic-newsletter] for updates.
@@ -293,6 +319,36 @@ furnitures, collect coins and fight lava/fire based enemies with your water gun.
 [@captainfleppo]: https://twitter.com/captainfleppo
 [bevy]: https://bevyengine.org
 
+### [Zemeroth][zemeroth]
+
+![Summoner imps throw a swordsman around](zemeroth_chain.gif)
+_Be careful with chained reaction attacks!_
+
+[Zemeroth][zemeroth] by [@ozkriff] is a minimalistic 2D turn-based tactical game.
+Some of the recent updates:
+
+- The game now [stores simulated text lifetimes][zemeroth-text] for each tile
+  during the event processing to reduce popup text overlapping.
+- Push bombs are more useful now: they still don't cause direct damage,
+  but [now they can push away other bombs too][zemeroth-bombs].
+- [All the assets sources are merged into the main repository][zemeroth-assets]
+  and the project now uses [resvg] insted of console Inkscape for svg->png rendering.
+- Abilities [don't have parameters now][zemeroth-abilities].
+- Dynamic depth-sorting [was implemented][zemeroth-zsort].
+- The work on adding sounds continues:
+  check out the [video of the first results][zemeroth-audio] 🔊.
+- Smaller UI improvements and bugfixes.
+
+[zemeroth]: https://github.com/ozkriff/zemeroth
+[@ozkriff]: https://twitter.com/ozkriff
+[zemeroth-bombs]: https://twitter.com/ozkriff/status/1304458740758970368
+[zemeroth-abilities]: https://twitter.com/ozkriff/status/1300817277714075648
+[zemeroth-assets]: https://twitter.com/ozkriff/status/1297239743269412864
+[zemeroth-zsort]: https://twitter.com/ozkriff/status/1310603877507620865
+[zemeroth-text]: https://twitter.com/ozkriff/status/1306651821314891776
+[zemeroth-audio]: https://twitter.com/ozkriff/status/1303736184045174785
+[resvg]: https://lib.rs/resvg
+
 ### [Akigi][akigi]
 
 [Akigi][akigi] is a WIP online multiplayer game.
@@ -430,7 +486,7 @@ Also, the whole tutorial [was upgraded to WGPU v0.6][learn-wgpu-upgrade].
 [learn-wgpu-threading]: https://sotrh.github.io/learn-wgpu/intermediate/tutorial13-threading
 [learn-wgpu-upgrade]: https://sotrh.github.io/learn-wgpu/news/#_0-6
 
-### [Is it easy to draw a line?][Lines]
+### [Is It Easy to Draw a Line?][Lines]
 
 ![hexagonal strategy map with region borders](lines_hexstrat.jpeg)
 _Example of result chains._
@@ -831,7 +887,7 @@ on the new [sponsors page][sponsors]!
 [miniquad]: https://github.com/not-fl3/miniquad
 [article-screen-reading]: https://not-fl3.github.io/platformer-book/screen-reading.html
 [shadertoy-web]: https://not-fl3.github.io/miniquad-samples/shadertoy.html
-[shadertoy-src]: https://not-fl3.github.io/miniquad-samples/shadertoy.html
+[shadertoy-src]: https://github.com/not-fl3/macroquad/blob/master/examples/shadertoy.rs
 [macroquad-doc]: https://docs.rs/macroquad/0.3.0-alpha.0/macroquad/index.html
 [@fedor_games]: https://twitter.com/fedor_games
 [@not-fl3]: https://github.com/not-fl3
@@ -936,7 +992,7 @@ _Discussions:
 [![a scene with lightning and a hi-poly character model](rg3d.jpg)][rg3d_twitter]
 _Click to watch a [video demo of one of the new examples][rg3d_twit]._
 
-[rg3d] by is a game engine that aims to be easy to use and provide large set
+[rg3d] is a game engine that aims to be easy to use and provide large set
 of out-of-box features. Some of the recent updates:
 
 - Render to texture - it is possible to render scenes into textures.
@@ -996,6 +1052,12 @@ to the user guide.
 
 ## Popular Workgroup Issues in Github
 
+- [rust-gamedev/wg](https://github.com/rust-gamedev/wg):
+  - [#21 "Planning a survey for Rust game developers"](https://github.com/rust-gamedev/wg/issues/21);
+  - [#93 "Consider creating a game math library benchmark for the working group"](https://github.com/rust-gamedev/wg/issues/93);
+- [rust-gamedev/ecs_bench_suite](https://github.com/rust-gamedev/ecs_bench_suite):
+  - [#13 "How results will be updated?"](https://github.com/rust-gamedev/ecs_bench_suite/issues/13);
+
 ## Requests for Contribution
 
 <!-- Links to "good first issue"-labels or direct links to specific tasks -->
@@ -1027,15 +1089,6 @@ to the user guide.
 [simm-issues]: https://github.com/mkhan45/SIMple-Mechanics/labels/good%20first%20issue
 [bevy-issues]: https://github.com/bevyengine/bevy/labels/good%20first%20issue
 
-## Jobs
-
-<!-- An optional section for new jobs related to Rust gamedev -->
-
-## Bonus
-
-<!-- Bonus section to make the newsletter more interesting
-and highlight events from the past. -->
-
 ------
 
 That's all news for today, thanks for reading!