MAJOR UPDATE 0.6: Ballistics, Loadout System, New Modules

03 Jul 2022Developer post

Source: Steam Community (opens in a new tab)

Hi everyone,

Not so long ago we published the news about the beginning of the public playtest for everyone.
Together, we discovered a big number of bugs in the gameplay, which were fixed.
Special thanks to everyone who took part in the playtest, you have helped us a lot!
As a reward, each participant of the playtest could receive VIP status for 7 days.

Today we officially announce the update fully ready to be released on the main server.
We have been working on this update for a very long time and we hope you all will enjoy it :)

What's new?

This update includes hundreds of improvements, changes and bug fixes. Here are some of the highlights you can expect in this update:

Ballistics system that includes the drop of bullets depending on the type of caliber, as well as the ability to penetrate and ricochet off of objects;
In-game loadout system that allows you to change and customize weapons during the match without going to the main menu;
Improved Lighting and Optimization on Valley;
2 brand new sights and a flashlight. All other models of weapon modules have received a complete redesign;
Complete redesign of all weapon models;
New character levels. Now the maximum level is 50;
Notification system for game events;

You can see the full list of all changes below.

BALLISTICS

So, as mentioned above, ballistics will add bullet drop depending on the caliber of the weapon.
Thus, sniper rifles will be able to shoot at a longer distance than pistols.
We tried to calibrate the physics of the bullets falling so that it didn't change the gameplay too much, compared to the old version, where there was no ballistics at all.
Therefore, it is possible that at a short shooting distance you will not notice any changes. This was done on purpose. We are still continuing to calibrate physics and we hope to improve this in the future.

Also, the new ballistics system includes the possibility to penetrate some objects. This depends on the material from which the object is made, as well as the thickness of the object itself. Thus, the probability of breaking through a wooden pallet is much higher than a thick sheet of metal or a brick wall.
It also depends on the caliber of the weapon.
After breaking through the object, the bullet loses some of its energy, which also depends on the physical data described above.

But that's not all. The new ballistics system adds the ability to ricochet bullets. This also depends on the material and caliber of the weapon. So, bullets will ricochet from metal surfaces, but not from sand.
After ricocheting against the surface, the bullet will lose some of its energy. This depends on many indicators, such as the angle of the ricochet, the speed of the bullet and others.

You can try ballistics now!

LOADOUT SYSTEM

Previously, all players had to leave the server to change and customize weapons in the main menu. Now you can do it during the game without leaving and without losing progress! Just choose a new weapon and customize it to your liking right in the game.

So, there are 2 loadout modes: compact and full.
Compact allows you to quickly select other available weapons in your inventory. Previously installed modules will be automatically installed on the selected weapon.
Just choose G36C instead of M24 and repel the enemy's attack on the objective.

Full mode allows you to compare the characteristics of weapons, as well as install modules that are available in your inventory.

This is only the first stage of the new function. This system will be improved in the future.

NEW LIGHTING

Polygon is a beautiful game, isn't it? :) But it can be even more beautiful.
Lighting plays an extremely important role in graphic visualization. This allows you to dive deeper into the gameplay, feel the atmosphere and depth of the space better.
Therefore, it is always necessary to start with stage lighting.

Polygon will now use a different lighting algorithm. This will significantly improve the quality of graphics.
Unfortunately, setting up a new algorithm takes quite a long time, so we decided to start updating the lighting gradually. And we will start with the "Valley" map.
We will show you some screenshots to compare the old and new lighting.

BEFORE \ AFTER

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can see that the lighting has become more balanced. Unnaturally dark areas have become lighter, and its now darker indoors.
The new lighting algorithm will also increase FPS in some cases by up to 50%.
We have put a lot of work into working out the new lighting, but there may still be some lighting errors in some places. We will continue to work on this.

But that's not all! Previously, if you used low graphics settings, your shadows completely disappeared. Now shadows will be visible even at the lowest graphics settings and this will not affect FPS in any way!

BEFORE\AFTER

(low graphics settings)

In the future, all other maps will also have improved lighting. At the moment, this is only available for Valley.

UPDATED MODELS

In the last major update, we started improving some weapon models and we continued to update them in 0.6.
Fully updated models of weapon modules:

We also added 2 brand new sights: "Cobra" and "Pistol Collimator".

In addition, a completely new module for weapons has been added - the flashlight.
This will make it possible to illuminate some dark areas in the game world, and also allow you to blind the enemy at close range.
Remember that this also makes you easier to spot, use it wisely!
You can purchase a flashlight in the in-game store for credits - the currency earned by playing the game.

We have also updated the models of all the weapons that are in the game at the moment.
All current weapon skins have also been completely redesigned. No new skins were added.

NEW LEVELS

Before this update, you could reach a maximum level of 40. Now the maximum level in the game is 50. It takes 4,138,000 experience to get level 50.

We have also updated the icons of all levels in the game. Now it has a more attractive look.

The following information applies only to players who previously had level 40:
Unfortunately, we had to reset the experience to the level required to get level 40. So, if you had, for example, 5,000,000 experience, then your experience will be reset to the level required to get level 40 (1,898,000).
In general, this will not affect your game in any way, but we understand that this is upsetting news for some players. So, we have prepared an exclusive item for you: a watch that displays the total number of all kills, starting from the moment of using this watch.
Also, a number is displayed depending on what place you had on the experience leaderboard before this update. No one else will be able to get this watch, it is completely exclusive.

We will start issuing this item after the update starts. It will take us some time to do this.

NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

A notification system for game events has been added to the game. At the moment, you receive notifications about the beginning of the capture of an objective by your team or the enemy team. In the future, other notifications will be added to help you react to various events quickly.

GENERAL LIST OF CHANGES

— New: Added Ballistics system;
— New: Added in-game loadout system;
— New: Added the Cobra sight;
— New: Added Pistol Collimator sight;
— New: Added the Flashlight;
— New: Added 10 new levels;
— New: Added a notification system for game events;
— New: The "Redeploy" button will kill your player so you can redeploy. You can find this button by pressing escape;
— New: Now the aiming animation is also displayed for other players;
— New: Added a limit on the experience gained (level 50);

— Improved: Lighting on the Valley map;
— Improved: All models of weapons and weapon modules have received a complete redesign;
— Improved: Main menu interface;
— Improved: Optical sights shader. Now the optical sight reacts more correctly to movements;
— Improved: Aiming animation;
— Improved: Shot animation;
— Improved: Weapon recoil animation;
— Improved: Level Icons;
— Improved: Color icons of items (weapons and modules);
— Improved: White icons of items (weapons and modules);
— Improved: Graphics have been optimized;
— Improved: Network code has been optimized;
— Improved: Grenade flight mechanics;
— Improved: The quality of all textures in the game;

— Changed: The transition of the game to Unreal Engine 5;
— Changed: Now the maximum number of points for assisting a kill is not limited to 75 points;
— Changed: The sound of footsteps has been amplified;
— Changed: Loading logo;
— Changed: M14 renamed to Mk14;
— Changed: The cost of VIP for 1 day was reduced from 200 to 150 Crowns;
— Changed: The required level for the purchase of the collimator sight "Red Dot" has been reduced from 4 to 3, and the cost from 2600 to 1500 Credits;

— Fixed: Error #6 when trying to connect to the server;
— Fixed: Camera clipping into objects when the character is leaning;
— Fixed: Bug with falling under the map on Storage;
— Fixed: Grenades falling under the map;
— Fixed: Bug with inviting players to the squad;

We really hope you enjoy this update.
During the playtest, we tried to catch all the most critical bugs, but due to the huge number of changes, new bugs are still possible.
If you want to discuss this update, report a problem, as well as find new friends and chat with the Polygon team, visit our Discord. There we constantly publish news about the game, as well as hold in-game events with rewards.

You can also support us on our Patreon and get unique in-game rewards. It helps us a lot to keep developing! Thanks a lot :)

See you all on the battlefield!
- Polygon Team