Context
Today I made real progress on the day/night cycle and continued tightening up the project’s memory usage. While the custom skybox approach has been challenging, I finally landed on a hybrid solution that balances flexibility with visual quality.
Day Sequence Devices + Level Sequence
I decided to move forward with a system that blends Day Sequence Devices with a Level Sequence to control sky transitions. It’s not perfect, but it works reliably enough to move on.
Current setup includes four distinct time‑of‑day states:
- 12 AM (Midnight)
- 6 AM (Morning)
- 12 PM (Noon)
- 6 PM (Evening)
These switch immediately at the correct times and work alongside my custom sky sphere to achieve a stylized look. It’s functional and visually cohesive, even if not fully dynamic.
Memory Budget Work
I continued optimizing the project:
- Removed unused assets
- Compressed textures
- Standardized more materials
This reduced the project size from 15% down to 12%, which puts me in a safer range before importing the rest of the crops.
My goal remains: stay under 15% total usage once everything is brought in.
UI Polish Coming Soon
With the sky system stabilized and optimization underway, I’ll soon return to UI polish—particularly the inventory, crafting, and interaction prompts.
Summary
What I accomplished:
- Finalized the day/night cycle using Day Sequence Devices + Level Sequence.
- Integrated four distinct times of day into world logic.
- Reduced project size from 15% to 12% via cleanup and compression.
- Maintained stylized sky visuals using the custom sky sphere.
What I learned:
- A pragmatic solution is sometimes more valuable than a perfect one.
- Texture compression has an outsized effect on overall memory.
- Hybrid sky systems can deliver solid results without full dynamic lighting control.
