Weather effects have been added to the game, including snow, rain, mysterious shimmer, cloud shadows, fog, and lightning. This has really helped make the planets come more alive. I also changed the way I’m creating the planetary landscapes, moving from pure 2D to top-down 3D, so it brings a little more realism while keeping the familiar 2D texturing. It’s already more fun seeing alien worlds this way. You may also notice the date/clock, fully functioning. Time is ticking down – the rift continues to threaten Earth!

Behold the snowstorm…