Dev Log – Milestone: Overlay Visualization System Online
May 17, 2025
Understanding a complex simulation demands more than raw numbers—it requires visibility. As of mid-May, the Overlay Visualization System is fully operational, marking a major leap in how developers and players can interact with planetary data.
This system provides real-time visual overlays on the geodesic sphere, translating per-tile simulation data into intuitive, shader-driven graphics. It’s built on a custom mesh pipeline that supports:
- LOD-aware overlay mesh generation synced with the underlying planetary surface
- UV channel data packing, enabling efficient per-tile data storage for GPU visualization
- Custom shaders capable of gradient blending, prioritization, and future extensions like rainfall, biomass, and tick profiling
- Z-offset rendering, creating a seamless layer above the surface without visual collision or clipping
The overlay system acts as a diagnostic tool, gameplay feedback layer, and visual storytelling device. Whether it’s displaying surface temperature, cloud cover, or solar irradiance, it reveals the hidden heartbeat of the simulation.
This milestone unlocks:
- Richer developer debugging tools
- Immediate validation of simulation output
- The groundwork for player-accessible data layers
A UI panel is next in the pipeline, enabling users to toggle between different overlays interactively. In time, this will expand to include multi-overlay blending, region highlighting, and visual cue integration with simulation events.
This isn’t just paint on a globe—it’s the lens through which simulation becomes sensation.
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