Foundation system registration now normalizes system names using BCMM's generated system index. When a SystemDef is created, the provided name is checked against the index and corrected to the canonical directory casing when a match is found. This ensures that registered Foundation system names match the actual system folder names.
BCMM also extends the base set lookup logic with a normalized system cache. Later, if a direct set lookup fails, BCMM retries the lookup using the cached fallback name. This makes system access effectively case-insensitive on the BCMM side and prevents capitalization mismatches from breaking startup or …
We've also made additional fixes, improvements to how the game handles BIK files, and, as always, more performance improvements and general bug fixes.
Remaining playthrough videos
Since April's blog post, we stopped at the E6M3 playthrough video. Here are the links to the remainder of the campaign playthrough.
TGL Compiler
Added transparent JSON localization support to the BCMM runtime. When the game requests a .tgl file, BCMM now first checks for a matching .json source file, automatically compiles it into a …
We started playtesting the stock SP Maelstrom campaign
Numerous runtime fixes
New smaller QoL features
New NIF models exploring the limits of what the old BC engine can handle
Large Battle Simulation
This prototype feature has now been balanced, and the results for the post-release phase will be highly dynamic and unpredictable. The latest tests conducted at the start of April produced different outcomes:
2K Cardassians vs 1K Federation ships
Cardassians were without the Hybrid ship type. The battle ended in a slaughter of the Cardassians. End …
This month has been relatively quiet as we've been busy with real-life commitments. That said, progress has definitely continued behind the scenes.
Here's what we've been working on.
Fixing Bugs
We've resolved several long-standing stock game issues that we've been tracking for years and had placed on the backburner. These include problems such as Mission Group Remove/Add call freezes and various CTDs. Cleaning these up improves overall engine stability and provides a stronger foundation for everything built on top of BCMM.
NanoFX in Single Player
NanoFX has now been fully enabled for Single Player.
A number of updates have landed in BCMM recently. This post provides a concise overview of what's new, with links to deeper articles where appropriate.
Widescreen support and new resolutions
This topic was covered in detail in a separate article, so if you haven't read it yet, I recommend starting there. What's worth reiterating here is that BCMM does not treat resolution as a literal rendering size anymore.
Instead, the selected resolution acts as a layout profile.
The profile defines UI proportions, font sizes, and layout logic, which are then used as the basis for upscaling. This allows proper …
We're back with our final progress report of the year. We're pleased to announce that we'll soon begin work on the final campaign for the BCMM SFC3 port, which should enter development shortly.
Now onto our report.
Talking to ChatGPT\Ollama
We've showcased something rare in games, and please note that this is purely a technical demo. It demonstrates live integration of ChatGPT\Ollama inside the game.
A LCARS-style communication window (native look and feel) sends player input through BCMM's IPC layer to an external process that communicates with OpenAI\Ollama. The generated response is then …
We're back and restarting BCMM development after our short break. So what's new?
More Performance Gains
We're still squeezing more out of Bridge Commander, and the latest results speak for themselves.
This month we're showcasing a 35-ship battle - the same scale most YouTubers use for their videos - except instead of a slideshow, BCMM runs it at 120+ FPS.
Full video demo is included below.
Discord Integration
We've added new Discord features, including two fully optional settings:
Mirror Window (for Streaming):
Creates a mirror window, so Discord can capture the game even when DX7 causes issues.
This month our focus was on campaign development for Bridge Commander, alongside new engine optimizations to better handle disruptor-based ships.
Romulan Campaign
We’ve completed the Romulan Campaign, bringing all 17 missions plus one epilogue mission into BCMM.
Next up: the Federation Campaign, featuring the USS Mako, an Intrepid-class vessel.
Performance Tweaks
Some claimed that BC couldn’t handle many high-poly ships with 2K textures, let alone handle disruptor-based ships, which were notorious for turning the game into a slideshow or PowerPoint presentation.
What we’ve demonstrated -- through both low-level and high-level engine tweaks -- is that the game …
This month our focus was on the campaigns in Bridge Commander.
New animations
Ever wanted to see the Great Barrier from Star Trek in BC? Now you can — check the sneak peek here:
Romulan Campaign
We've continued working on the Romulan campaign. See the promos below:
New Maelstrom Save/Load system
Ever since BC was released -- and especially with added mods -- the save/load system in the campaign has been unstable. Why? Because BC tried to serialize the whole universe, literally.
BCMM has now implemented a new save system to replace the existing one, which no longer has …