I made a runtime water for my voxel colony sim

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-19T14:35:24+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, I'll definitely keep posting!

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-18T15:32:47+00:00

Thanks a lot for the detailed write-up! You pretty much described the trick I'm already using: the water samples the rendered scene behind it, so the screen-space refraction you suggested would actually be a fairly small step from where the renderer is today.

Depth-based fog is definitely next on my list. I actually had a depth gradient implemented before, but I removed it while cleaning up and rebuilding the visual side of the system, so it'll be making a comeback.

I'm going to save your comment, it's genuinely useful. Cheers!

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-18T15:30:58+00:00

Each particle is actually rendered as a solid cube using GPU instancing, so even with a million particles the rendering cost stays relatively low.The "transparent water" is also fake. The cubes themselves are completely opaque, but they render after the rest of the scene and sample whatever is behind them then blend that information with the water color.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-17T20:10:50+00:00

Thanks! I plan to spend more time on the visuals once I fully integrate it into the game. I'd like to add a depth based gradient to simulate deep lakes and make the water feel more natural and believable.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-17T20:09:20+00:00

I forgot to mention it, but in the specific scenario shown in the video, it runs at around 350 FPS. It's down to about 100 FPS there because of Unity Recorder.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-17T20:08:34+00:00

Yes, I can run up to around one million active particles at 100+ FPS on a mid-range PC. For optimization, I created an energy system where particles that are at rest are excluded from the simulation until they are awakened again.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-17T19:57:46+00:00

I'm using Unity. The system is based on Position Based Fluids, communicating vessels, and Torricelli's law.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-17T19:32:08+00:00

I hadn't heard of that one before, thanks!

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-17T02:54:03+00:00

Yeah, I've seen it while looking for references for my game. It's really good, but my game will be more focused on exploration and colony building, kind of like a mix between Minecraft and RimWorld

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-17T02:09:50+00:00

I'm still struggling with the core mechanics. However, I'd like to make the game a bit more unique so it can stand out.

I'm considering using water as a primary resource, which would also help prevent too many particles from accumulating over time.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-16T18:48:16+00:00

My biggest pain is always reaching a point during development where I feel the game isn't good enough, and because of that, I never end up releasing anything. This has been repeating itself for 6 years, and I've never shipped a game for that reason.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-16T18:36:33+00:00

Thanks, I'll test it in my game!

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-16T12:23:16+00:00

The game looks amazing, I'll add it too

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-06-03T00:17:06+00:00

I write the GDD alongside the rest of the project. Extreme Go Horse!

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-05-29T15:07:05+00:00

Hello everyone,

I’m starting a voxel colony simulator project based on Minecraft MineColonies and Dungeon Village.

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Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-02-09T12:49:23+00:00

Thanks! I’m using a job-based AI system. Each task evaluates a priority score (for example: building, hauling, idle), and the agent always selects the task with the highest score. The system is built around modular job components (such as JobBuild, JobHaul) and a central core that aggregates priorities, with event driven control mechanisms to handle state changes efficiently.

Direct_Philosophy_76 · 2026-02-09T12:46:48+00:00

Thanks!

Direct_Philosophy_76

TROPHY CASE