Welcome back, survivors! Time to expand on our weapons, some of which we already talked about in a previous devlog:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1621760/view/3146323379896888486
This time we’ll be talking about some of the more high-end tools of destruction out there in the Wasteland, the challenges we faced while implementing them, and more!
Starting off with something SPICY!
When developing the flamethrower, we were obviously concerned with its functionality, but we also had its visual effects in mind. Our main challenge was a programming one: the flamethrower does damage gradually, unlike every other weapon. In addition, all flamethrower animations include fire effects. Other major questions we needed to address were the damage particles that would be emitted by the weapon, their rate of fire and cone of damage, and even how much damage the flamethrower should do. In the early stages of the game, our main approach was to showcase it as a heavily modified version of an assault rifle with custom animations, balancing nuances and models. But for this one weapon, we decided to create a whole new framework as a starting point for models of different versions of the flamethrower. We are also working on improving the animations and particles of the flame, so it looks etter and stronger by the time the game reaches your hands!
Since flamethrowers deal damage to everyone, no matter your allegiance, we also created models of incendiary knapsacks to help you distinguish all your flamethrower-wielding teammates!
We managed to solve this puzzle, but some of the other puzzles ahead of us are more difficult and will take way more time to crack.
For example, the rapid-fire machine guns and assault rifles required us to pay attention to the game’s performance and frame rate. The first few tests we ran showed us all the weaknesses that we had to fix, some of which were EXTREMELY delicate. One of the most memorable bugs we encountered when working on weapons was that fire rates of most automatic weapons were tied to FPS. This bug is not that uncommon. You’ll notice it in many games that have been launched recently, and it’s clear that this issue can very easily break the game for most players if not dealt with promptly. It took us a while, but we managed to resolve this issue by making some major tweaks to the game code. So by the time the game launches, you shouldn’t notice this bug. HOPEFULLY.
As for machine guns…
The machine gun charge bar also has its own features. While you hold the charge bar to increase the power of the shot for single-shot weapons, machine guns get more powerful as you fire them. This required us to make some changes to the mechanics of the machine gun charge bar. We solved this problem by increasing the power of the shots for as long as the attack button is held. This is perfect for machine guns because now their effectiveness scales properly. The more you fire, the more damage your enemies take, but we’ve compensated for this by increasing ammo and stamina consumption as well.
While guns are undeniably fun, explosions are WAAYY more cool and satisfying, while helping get rid of WAVES of monsters instead of forcing you to deal individually with every little critter that jumps at you.
The Deacon grenade is the best grenade you’ll find in the Dust Bowl, and its explosions are HUGE. This thing can raze any patch of land you deem unworthy, but we balanced this out by making every grenade use up a bunch of ammunition material when thrown. These high-power explosives are great for dealing with oncoming Mutants and will turn most Zombies into wet paste or a bloody smear. A bullet might have your name on it, but grenades are addressed “to whom it may concern”. Check this out!
If you haven’t trained your throwing abilities in a while, a rocket launcher may be more your speed. The Buzz rocket launcher is essentially a tube with a faster and more deadly rocket projectile in it, and it’s awesome. Using an anti-tank rocket launcher on a Zombie, Mutant, or Human is something you don’t really see talked about much, but it’s a little insane, and well worth your time and money! We picked a simple one to showcase here. It’s the most basic rocket launcher in the game, but as you’re about to see, its power is unquestionable. Observe!
Plans for the future
Now on to the ideas board. This is where we theorize about some of the weapons we’d like to implement in the future, plus ones we’re already working on. Since most of these are in the planning or early development stages, we’d love to hear your ideas on them, what else you’d like to see, etc.
The first one, which we’re working on right now, is the shield. Seems simple enough, right? But we have some new mechanics that might make our shields a tactical mechanism instead of a throwaway loadout choice. Shields will, of course, increase the wearer’s defense. Simple, and you’d think that was it. But we’re not done. We want the shield to attract the attention of enemies, so that anyone with a shield acts as a tank in the player’s squad, giving you a bit of extra depth and strategy in squad planning, as well as in the actual gameplay. We’ll need to keep in mind that this tank can also deal some damage to enemies, so we’re planning to put a gun in their free hand, but who knows how the development will go? :)
Another weapon on our minds is the mine. Given the structure of the game, mines would make a great addition, add an extra layer of strategy, and spice up any battle (especially settlement defense missions) with a little tactical thinking. Players would be able to plant a few mines before the enemies approach and leave a big, deadly surprise for them! This one is also in the very early stages of planning. We hope to have it in the launch, but knowing how complex coding these weapons will be, it remains to be seen how the development will shape the path we take.
That’s it for the latest devlog. A lot of cool new mechanics are being worked on all the time, and we really want to add even more awesome things before the launch. What would you like to see? Perhaps, a spaceship? No wrong answers here. Your suggestions will help us make the game the best it can possibly be, so please do let us know your thoughts and ideas!
Thank you so much for reading,
The Decision: Red Daze team