Thank you for sticking with us, for your support, and company!
This is a big one. Since the last Playtest build we have updates to server code, lots of optimizations and fixes, along with: changed bot behavior, updates to Skyball (still experimental), reworked login sequence, added a new End of Match screen, updated server-side hit registration, and cleared a long list of performance and stability issues - including a networking bug from early-mid 2024 that could degrade performance for everyone on the server when players with lossy connections were present.
While there was a lot of work on server code optimization optimizations aimed at giving the server more headroom, that isn’t the only thing we are looking to improve with server performance…
We are also transitioning to better hardware.
With this patch, all Server Browser machines transition to instances with more than twice as much power and more RAM as the previous versions had, and much better hardware and configurations. Custom Games / Matchmade games were already on a higher spec than the Server Browser instances were, so no hardware change there. The only note is that the specific instance we will be using globally is not available in the Los Angeles datacenter location, so that one will be similarly-spec’d to all of the ‘new’ servers, but on slightly different hardware.
The intention is that the server code + the new server hardware should make performance better than it has been in years of testing Midair: Community Edition and Midair 2.
Openly, the new servers are much more expensive (around 4x the price) so spinning them 24/7 when players are not playing doesn’t make much sense. We are implementing a scheduler system for the Server Browser instances where for each region, a competitive and a pub server will always be up from 7pm - 1am in that region’s local time - and will stay up past that if it’s being used, it will turn off with 20 minutes of idle time.
Outside of those times - the scheduler will attempt to spin up a server instance if it detects a player in that region logging on. However, this takes around 5 minutes to do. If you don’t see your local pub, just hang tight.
Otherwise, Custom Games and Matchmade games will always be available in all regions with no interruptions (these spin up quickly on-demand, unlike the Server Browser ones).
Performance has been an active topic for years, and we are hoping that we can now move to a much better performance level together.
We still intend to get this game to Early Access and beyond, so thank you for sticking with us! We look forward to seeing you in-game!
Patch Notes
Performance & Stability:
Fixed a networking issue introduced in 2024 which could use more bandwidth on lossy connections and further degrade client and server network performance for both the player experiencing packet loss, and everyone else.
Reworked garbage collection, improving some periodic frame hitches some players experienced at fixed intervals.
Large dedicated-server optimization pass: reduced per-frame server work across characters, flags, and audio.
Optimized server-side hit detection.
Optimized sensor / IFF scanning, further improving server performance.
Cleared two causes of hitching in Rabbit - one exactly at flag pick-up, and a separate hitch slightly following flag pick-up.
Fixed a hitch on the first shot of some weapons.
Fixed a server crash when a flag capture was scored by a player without a valid team.
Fixed a couple of sources of client crashes.
Push-to-talk button should no longer cause a large hitch when keyed.
Voice chat: your voice-activity indicator should no longer light up unless you are actually transmitting.
Party and friends list fixes: failed party joins can be retried instead of the invite disappearing.
Fixed a crash that could occur on very long chat messages.
Hit Registration & Netcode:
Fast-moving targets using the old method could theoretically be off by roughly a full body-width per server tick. Hits should now land (and miss) more consistently.
Fixed a potential issue with hit registration and occlusion by geometry.
Explosion damage from a compensated hit should be more accurate in damage as well as visually. Impact decals and effects now appear on the victim's body instead of floating beside them.
Latency is now measured by the server rather than reported by the client, so a modified client can no longer claim maximum latency to buy itself a larger lag-compensation window.
Gameplay:
Rabbit: Players should now spawn closer to the Rabbit. Spawns are placed along the carrier's predicted path rather than where the flag was when you died.
Rabbit maps can now be launched offline from the Practice menu, now with bot support.
AFK handling improved: Players who stop providing input are moved to spectator after 60 seconds, and removed from the server after a further 3 minutes as a spectator.
Controller support: overhauled (still in progress). New default layout - only applies to new players and those who click "Reset to Default" setting on keybinds.
RB - Jump/Jet
LB - Skate
RT - Fire
LT - Hold Zoom
Bottom Face - Throw Flag
X - Reload
Y - Grenade
R3 - Melee
L3 - Toggle Camera 1st/3rd
DpadUp/Down - Weapon Cycle
DpadRight - Cycle Zoom
DpadLeft - Evacuate
Special-Right - ESC menu
Gamepad settings should now work: look sensitivity, ADS sensitivity (engages while zoomed), right stick deadzone, and invert controls.
Controller settings can now be rebound in the keybind menu. (Known Issue: B, View, Escape cancel the capture and cannot be assigned).
Controller Special-Right (Menu) button now closes the ESC menu as well as opening it.
Controller players are now able to select and join a server.
Removed Left Stick deadzone slider - it is not wired to have an effect due to how WASD maps to Left Stick control. Please use compatibility or other settings if you'd like to set Left Stick deadzone.
Known Issue: controller rebinding: B, View, and Escape cancel the capture and cannot be assigned.
End of Match:
All-new End of Match screen for CTF: final scoreboard, per-round stats, weapon-by-weapon performance comparisons, next-map vote.
Bots:
Bots now understand Rabbit and Skyball in addition to CTF, with mode-specific behavior rather than CTF logic everywhere.
Rabbit: hunters attempt to lead the carrier's movement to cut them off instead of chasing where they were, a bot holding the flag will try to run away.
Skyball: bots play positions - defenders hold near the goal, route runners break for open space, and carriers throw ahead of a moving teammate.
Much better movement: bots read the terrain ahead while skiing, steer around obstacles, etc. Some rough edges are still to be expected here.
Bots slow down when closing on a dropped flag instead of skating past it.
Bots are less obsessed with kills and more likely to play the objective.
Matches auto-fill with bots up to the target player count, and bots leave as real players join.
Bots should no longer spawn inside geometry.
Skyball (League):
Skyball (experimental) is back for testing. Must vote yourself into a Temporary Admin, and then use console to “open” a League map. The mode returns from hiatus with a round of long-requested fixes and rule changes.
Flag slapping works again - an empty-handed toss near an incoming flag slaps it away instead of catching it.
Holding a throw wound up for too long now fizzles the charge - you can no longer hold a max-power throw indefinitely.
You can now body-check an enemy carrier to knock the flag loose.
Jackpot rework: Goals are locked until the jackpot is worth taking, which stops grab-score. The jackpot decays after a lull in play. Intercepting no longer instantly wipes the jackpot - the intercepting team gets a window to score and steal it.
Boost pads now launch the ball with the same force they launch players.
A countdown warning plays before a loose ball resets to the field.
New callouts for stolen flags, denied goals, and the jackpot steal window.
Updated ball model and materials, and you no longer see yourself put the ball on your head in first person.
Fixed a server crash when the held-ball auto-drop timer fired after the carrier was already gone.
Login & Startup:
Reworked the login sequence. The game now signs in to its services in parallel instead of one after another, so login should be faster.
If part of login fails, you can now retry from where it failed instead of restarting the game, and the error message tells you which step went wrong.
Startup menu updated, intro video removed and replaced with an in-engine intro scene. Speeds up the launch sequence, and now renders on SteamOS devices instead of showing color bars.
Fixed a case where the game could sit on the loading screen for a further 30 seconds after login had actually finished.
Replays:
Fixed a duplicate, stale flag marker appearing on the HUD during replay playback.
Replay playback now uses the followed player's team for relative colors, so friend/foe coloring is correct while spectating a recording.
Ammo counts now read from the recorded weapon state, so they stay correct after seeking.
UI & Stats & HUD:
Flag interception throws are now counted. Flag hold time is now recorded correctly.
Ghost player no longer appears in the "Player List" Esc menu.
"Player List" now sits in its own section (mute/ignore options will live here in the future, making it easier to find).
Track HUD polish: score pool centered and highlighted, text shadows matched to CTF.
Fixed duplicate error message pop-ups on the main menu and server browser.
Adjusted settings on a number of textures and images which should improve client performance in some scenarios and improve memory use.
Mid-match "end match" votes now stay open for 30 seconds (was 10), so there is time to actually cast a vote.
Visual:
Fixed third-person characters twisting torso backwards when aiming straight down, while holding a rifle, in third-person.
Fixed end-of-match camera following a held flag or player down through the floor.
Audio:
Fixed flag's OOB alarm not starting or stopping correctly.
Fixed intermittent bug where player's chaingun would play a "grinding" loop while weapon idle.
Footsteps now stop immediately when you stop moving, in both first and third person.