Today’s dev sprint focused on destructive power and high-quality visual polish.

💥 What Got Done

• ✅ SpriteSheetMaker Upgrade: Implemented the Mitchell filter for high-quality downscaling. This significantly improves crispness and sprite consistency when generating sheets from single images.

• ✅ Bombardment System: You can now rain destruction from orbit. Basic damage logic is in place, with hooks for visuals and colony impact.

• ✅ Ground Combat: First pass at a turn-based ground invasion system is working — includes attacker/defender phases and post-battle resolution.

• ✅ Visual Effects Foundation: Started work on a unified FX system to support combat visuals like explosions, hits, and transitions.

• ✅ Save/Load System: Added auto-save, quick save, and a new save/load UI panel for player access and session persistence.

• ✅ Research System: Implemented the framework for unlocking technologies — categories, cost progression, and placeholder techs.

🔍 What I Learned

The Mitchell filter made a noticeable visual upgrade for my sprite workflows — definitely worth the integration. It’s now clear that sprite quality from AI tools can be saved with the right post-processing. Also, committing to a unified effects system early means smoother integration later, especially for combat-heavy sequences.

🚧 Still in Progress

• The Research System is scaffolded but incomplete — needs UI improvements, better tech tree layout, and actual gameplay unlocks.