Hey everyone!
We're shipping out a new build to the test branch.
Meadow, Snow, Volcano and Desert all now have 3D environments surrounding them.
The areas should feel much more lived in and more alive with this update!
This is also laying the groundwork for us shipping more creative maps and game modes.
You'll notice an increase in build size (Snow environment is mostly the culprit but we're working on it).
Eventually we'll bring the build size as small as we can get it, we've already implemented some major adjustments that bring the build size down from ~12GB before we optimized (obviously, way too big for this size of game!)
We're hoping to get to a clean, stable build with these new environments as soon as we can.
We also had to move our render pipeline from HDRP to URP to accommodate the new assets and shaders we were using.
It meant basically re-building every material in the game and re-building the lighting and post processing.
What it DOES mean is the game will perform better, especially on lower end hardware.
It also primes us to eventually ship to consoles, which we needed to make this update to do.
Enjoy the new scenery!
Updates:
Maps:
Meadow
-Actual grass is used on the arena ground and it has some interactions to the ball and players
-Environment now fully 3D with trees, rocks, and some set dressing.
-You'll also notice the odd dinosaur in the background while playing. For now you'll just see them sleeping, but we'll eventually expand them to have more interesting behavior!
Volcano
-Environment is now fully 3D, with a volcano and lava in the background, moody lighting (and thunderstorms in the background), as well as areas on the sides of the bunkers that make the space feel more lived in.
-Dinosaurs also added
Desert
-Environment now fully 3D, with a pyramid and tombs in the distance and sandstorms that move through the area.
-Dinos also added
Snow
-Environment fully 3D, with snow falling, reactive snow impacts, ice, and set dressing that makes the area feel more alive.
Character Customization
Prep Work
-We've made some fixes to character customization (the scene where you could make characters) and are working towards bringing it back into the game.
-We're building towards scaling up the # of base character models from 2 to 8.
-At first, these will be small differences to the same base mesh (like how Lightning Guy isn't dramatically different in bone structure, but still looks very different).
-Expect this tool to come back in a later update, although we can't say for sure just yet.
Various
Ball
-Given we have new environments, we needed the ball to react to the environment in better ways than before.
-We've re-tooled our collision system so now there's new interactions between the ball and different surfaces.
-Probably the most fun one is the ball on grass, since hitting the ball hard enough can kick up some nice grass in a line that feels super satisfying.
-Ball impact effects and sound effects will now be more consistent in cases where a lot of collisions were happening at once.
Arena
-Improvements to outline materials, textures, shading and visibility across all arenas in the game.
UI
-Fixes for instances where controllers could get stuck on menus and need you to use a mouse at times.
-More elements should work with controller, while also working with mouse.
-Some fixes for menus and artwork where corners were cutting off.
Features Still In Progress
Third Person Camera for Tutorial Scene (and more)
-We've got it back functioning again but still need some work and some testing before we'll ship it.
Cloud Saves
-In early testing, basic framework built.
More Advanced Match Customization
-Tools are being built and tested, the update last April gave us a new navigation system that could fit all the new modifiers we wanted to add.
Buffs/Debuffs During Matches
-Buff/debuff system built and is being tested and experimented with. These can be applied at runtime in all sorts of different ways.
Think - getting exhausted after being hit a certain amount of times (stamina system), gaining momentum after holding the ball in an opponent's zone for a period of time, weather effects (heat, cold, frozen, burning, with characters from different regions having an affinity against certain effects)
Tournament Mode
-Tools are being built, framework is getting set up.
-In order for tournaments to feel like tournaments, we need to add more character variety and build more teams into the game (from different regions).
Season Mode
-Build a team and progress through the season, winning games, making the playoffs, and winning the championship.
Single Player Adventure
-A platformer-based single player mode that expands from what we built in the tutorial level.
-Progress through an actual campaign of challenges and levels that teach you and test your knowledge of the controls and the environment.
Account Progression
-A leveling system where you gain XP and unlock cosmetics and new ways to play as you level up and play the game
-Still in early stages
Achievements 2.0
-New achievements to reflect the new things to do in the game, as well as new challenges.
Closing
We're looking forward to getting these new features out to you as soon as we can.
Thanks to everyone who's played and enjoyed our passion project, we can't wait to show you more!
As always, updates and dev progress are in the Discord, so join if you're looking to keep up with updates and maybe meet a few people!