SG Dial Sim Preview 4

My first commit to the SG Dial Sim project was almost exactly six years ago. That’s not six years of steady work, of course; I’ve often gone months at a time without working on it at all, between my day job and other interests. But, progress continues to be made, however slowly, and I decided it was about time to cut a new version.

Preview 3 came out back in August 2022, with significantly overhauled graphics. Preview 4 is admittedly a smaller update than that. I had more I wanted to do, but so much time had already passed that I didn’t want to keep holding back the next release for stuff I hadn’t even started yet, especially because Preview 4 already had some exciting improvements for fans of screen-realism.

I really focused on the fine details of the gate screen with this preview, with the goal of reaching the point where it would be virtually indistinguishable from the “real thing” as seen on the show. This includes some updated and tweaked animations, small groups of yellow and blue lights that fill gaps in the interface, and a 3D spinning SGC logo that I found in the public domain, among other adjustments.

The new preview is sporting a brand-new event horizon effect that is much closer in appearance to that seen on the show.

The main menu has also been updated to more closely resemble my reference images, and provide more space for added functionality in the future. And it’s gained some additional keyboard support as well, which I hope to continue building on given how rarely the characters in the show seemed to be using mice to navigate the SGC software.

I always enjoy coming back to this project, and I hope I’ll have time soon to do more of the cool stuff I’ve been planning. I’ve recently been rewatching the show yet again, and noting when there are good shots of the dialing computer, so that’s always good inspiration!