Hi Everyone!
I'm happy to announce that after 8 months of development time, the 'Reloaded' update is finally here. What was originally planned as a direct port from Unity 2017 to Unity 6 ultimately sparked the idea for a fresh rework of the entire VR interaction system. This in turn created a chain reaction of things I had to fix and update. By the end of it, I just decided to just go ALL IN and take a stab at giving Fast and Low a complete overhaul! This was pretty huge undertaking for me as Fast and Low is my first foray into game development. So without further ado, here is a change log of the 'Reloaded' patch.
Please note...the original version of Fast and Low will remain available to play in a separate branch [legacybranch2.7b1] (and its save/progress will be unaffected by the 'Reloaded' version). Going forward, I will be updating the game based off of the 'Reloaded' version. Also, modding support has not yet been implemented for the 'Reloaded' version.
Game Version is now 3.0
VR Physics Based Interactions
One of the biggest things that I wanted to address from the original game was the lack of physical presence of the hands and the held guns/gadgets. With this new physics based system, they can no longer phase through walls or pass through each other!
Guns can now also be used to pistol whip suspects, knock down doors, and break glass!
Force-Pulling, a staple in modern VR, is now also added into game. You no longer have to physically bend down to pick up stuff!
Inventory Toolbelt
One of the more common complaints about Fast and Low was the placement of the gadgets and zipties, which made it easy to accidentally grab them during a gunfight. To address this, gadgets and zipties are now placed on a toggleable "Toolbelt".
The toolbelt can be toggled ON by holding the Right Controller's Primary/Menu button (Default 0.5 seconds).
Weapon Handling and Recoil
Weapon handling is now even more detailed than it was before. In addition to unique hand grip poses for each weapon and gadget, small details have been added throughout the reloading process, such as visible rounds in the chamber when a weapon is ready to fire, and empty magazines ejecting out of the gun when the gun runs dry. And the best part is, all of these details are synced in Online Multiplayer!
Weapons with hinges can also be closed with a flick of a wrist!
All weapons have also received a recoil and balancing pass, giving each one a more distinct feel. Larger caliber weapons in particular should now feel more punchy and impactful when fired.
Particle FX, Gibs, and Ragdolls
From muzzle flashes, to bullet impacts and explosions; all the particle effects have been updated!
Gibs and ragdolls have also been improved so they now react properly to impacts, moving in the direction they’re hit from.
This also applies to player ragdolls and destroyable objects!
Desktop Player Improvements
Fast and Low is more than just a VR game. In my mind, the Desktop player experience is equally as important. As such, I've touched up the 'Reload' animations for all the guns so they're smoother and more snappy.
Similar to the VR side, all the weapons for the Desktop player have received a recoil and balance pass.
I've also made updates to the FPS players "World" model by adding new walk/run animations, hit reactions, and also recoil when firing.
UI Overhaul
The UI has also been reworked for 'Mission Progression' and for 'Loadouts'. The mission list now displays all missions to better show how many levels are in the game. Missions that haven’t been unlocked yet are marked with ???. The same principle applies to unlockable weapons and perks.
The game now also keeps track of your Best Score and Fastest Time, with progression and scores tracked separately between Normal and Hardcore difficulty.
Every 10 seconds, the monitors in the main menu will display your Career Stats.
With the addition of built in stat tracking....it leads to the implementation of....
STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS
This ended up being alot of fun to make. I've added over 30 achievements for players to unlock!
I'm really excited to see the unlock data when this patch rolls out!
New Unlockable Firing Ranges/Multiplayer Lobbies
The original multiplayer lobby ("Gunda's Gun Range") has been retired and is being replaced this snazzy new Shooting Range.
Equipped with functional targets to test out your unlocked weapons....
and hone your shooting dexterity!
I've also added 3 different shooting ranges for you to unlock! Try to get 'em all!
Personally I like the purple one the best :D
The last cool feature I want to showcase is...
Built-In Spectator Camera
This was a feature that I initially built to help me capture VR footage for my trailers and screenshots. It ended up being such a useful feature that I decided to expand on it and make it available to use for everyone.
This creates a separate camera that has built-in smoothing to better capture what you are seeing in VR. This is perfect for content creation and for showcasing a smoother viewpoint for people watching you play VR. It also features a bunch of fun different angles.
3rd Person
3rd Person Shoulder Camera
The 'Reloaded' Update - Full Change Log
Enemy AI:
enemies will now keep track of their current target's last known position and will stay fixated on that point until it finds a new target (this allows for more flankability)
"cover-firing" enemies now shoot in bursts/salvos before taking cover again
enemy aiming/draw speeds have been adjusted and will be less inhumanly fast
enemy IK has been reworked to remove awkward bending of the spine
added visual recoil when enemies are firing
improved enemy pathfinding
increased enemy acceleration and turning speeds.
added a new melee enemy with stabbing animation
calling for an arrest on an enemy with their back turned will always catch them by surprise
calling for an arrest on an enemy with their back turned will always increase their Fear level
surprising an enemy will reduce their accuracy briefly
witnessing the death of a fellow suspect will occasionally cause them to surrender voluntarily
dismembering enemy's will occasionally cause them to surrender voluntarily
increased time it takes for enemies to break out of "surrendered" state
suspects with shades will now be stunned by flashbangs for 2 seconds instead of having complete immunity
Level Updates:
lighting has been reworked for all the missions
new action and idle combat tracks have been added for all the missions
added additional cover for Mission 2
reduced the number of suspects in Mission 6 (Office Level)
reduced the number of suspects in Mission 11 (Metro Level)
hostiles cannot see through the glass in the subway carts (this is to limit the crossfire on the subway platforms)
added UI markers for collectable/unlockable elements
Tutorial level has been reworked to reflect new interactions
Model Updates
9mm Pistol - made the barrel more circular
.45 Cal Pistol - has a new slimmer/modern look
Showstopper - has a new model with deeper indents/grooves
Revolver - new model for VR
SCAB-AR - adjusted iron sights sizing
Parliament SMG - adjusted iron sights
Parliament Mini - new longer magazine
New models for Flashbangs, Stingers, Frag Grenades
all SWAT character models have updated models (bulkier and bigger helmets)
updated all player models
all VR models have updated less-blocky hand models
new bullet casing and bullet models
Grenades Changes
Option added to manually pull pins from grenades with a second hand
added new Visual effects when flashbanged, sting grenaded, peppersprayed
activated Flashbangs, Stingers, Frags can now be thrown through windows
activated Flashbangs, Stingers, Frags will damage and briefly stun an enemy if it hits them directly
fuse on activated Flashbangs, Stingers, Frags reduced to 1 second upon hitting a surface
Flashbanged audio has been changed to a more muffled/droning sound
Graphics
added ability to adjust 'Bloom' levels or to disable it entirely (for performance)
added ability to toggle Falling Particle FX (for performance)
Audio Stuff
added Volume settings for Ambient Noise and Weapon SFX
changes to weapon audio for 45 Cal pistol, Showstopper, Revolver, Umpire, Parliaments, SCAB
gunfire (both player and enemy) pitch/volume recalculated every shot to make sustained gunfire sound more varied
Partner AI
improved Partner AI pathfinding
improved Partner AI's ability to track and neutralize hostile targets
added a Location marker for issuing Partner Commands
VR Stuff
improved VR player IK rig to allow for more fluid movement
updated Avatar Calibration settings to allow for better height adjustment and avatar size adjustment
added option for 'Movement Vignette' for Locomotion comfort
added option to use an alternate "Vive Color Pallette" for older-gen headsets
added a new options page to configure the new "Inventory Toolbelt"
added the ability to customize hand rotations/positions
Misc Changes
removed the Hunting Bow weapon (for VR)
only toggleable "Slow motion" is kept in 'Reloaded' version
you can now pepper-spray your allies
players get ragdolled more naturally when they are killed
civilians will automatically surrender after getting Baton'ed or Pistol Whipped twice (you will still get a penalty, so it's better to bring pepper spray)
doors now have a new damage threshold that allows them to be broken completely
fixed crosshairs for players with UltraWide monitors
I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of for now!
The 'Reloaded' update ended up being a much bigger undertaking than I initially planned. I've added new systems, improvements and reworked many parts of the game, to the point where it almost feels like a sequel. I just wanted to give a huge thanks to everyone that played Fast and Low and supported the game throughout the years. I hope you all enjoy playing the 'Reloaded' patch and let me know in the comments or in the Discord if you run into an issues!
If you'd like to help support the future development of Fast and Low, I will also be releasing a 'Supporter Pack' which includes a couple bonus goodies. Please consider checking it out if you've enjoyed this update!
-Huskinator