It's been a couple weeks since the last client update, so I'm writing this article to let you guys know what has been getting worked on, where it's at, and what's coming up next.
I had to take a few days to work on other projects, but when I came back to AArcade I went to work on the Steam Workshop integration.
Upcoming Workshop Update
This is what I've been working on the past week and it involves a pretty major overhaul of some AArcade systems, which means there will be lots of improvements when this update is ready to go live.
Without going into too much detail, here are some of the great features that will start to become reality with the first Steam Workshop update:
- A Steam Workshop where you can browse, subscribe, rate, and comment on all types of Anarchy Arcade addons including: props, cabinets, items, and maps.
- A built-in developer asset packing menu for packing & publishing your addons to the Steam Workshop without even leaving AArcade.
- An easy in-game menu for activating/deactivating your addons.
- Extremely fast connection times to multiplayer servers.
- In-game downloading of addon content while you walk around in multiplayer servers.
It will take at least 2 more weeks until this update is ready to go live. Not only is there a lot of stuff to code, there is also a lot of stuff to test. However, this update will also make it possible to implement multiplayer item spawning in the future, so it is worth the effort.
Pending VR & Source Engine Update
Very big and exciting news coming from Valve that they are nearly ready to roll out a Source engine update that will enhance many features of AArcade including virtual reality support. The entire engine branch is actually being upgraded to a newer build, so there will be enhancements across the board.
Valve is constantly improving and adding new technologies to the Source engine, and the Anarchy Arcade community being able to enjoy these enhancements is one of the excellent benefits of utilizing Valve's own Source engine.
I will be implementing these updates as soon as Valve pushes out the new build of the engine, which should be very soon. They actually tried it push it out a couple weeks ago, but rolled it back because they weren't finished working on it.
AArcade Community News
Lots of cool stuff has been happening in Anarchy Arcade lately, as the community screenshot section shows. This includes weekly scheduled events held by myself and community members, as well as user-created maps & addons even before the Workshop is ready! I'd like to give a special thanks to Bucky and all the community members for helping eachother out and answering questions on the forum!
Anarchy TV: Every Wednesday I host a 24-hour LIVE Twitch stream from within Anarchy Arcade. I give tours of my many many arcades, play games with viewers, watch movie clips, and listen to music all day long. It starts every Wednesday at 4:20am at http://www.twitch.tv/AnarchyArcade. I also join other people's multiplayer arcades and play their games, as well as host my own server for others to hang out in. There are others who participate in this weekly celebration by hosting their own gaming streams on Wednesdays. Drop in this Wednesday, have some fun, and let me know if you'd like to join the broadcasting crew!
Horror Movie Madness: Every Saturday & Sunday in October some community members have organized group YouTube viewings of cult classic horror movies in a custom made 3D environment that they created specifically to host the event. The map features a gigantic IMAX movie screen, tons of stuff to watch, plus a huge arcade in the lobby with hundreds of games & great music to enjoy. The movie you are watching also gets played on many other screens throughout the arcade, so feel free to look around! You can check out their post on the official Anarchy Arcade Steam Community Hub for more info: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266430/discussions/0/613938693139648213/
Addon Cabinet Models: The innovative AArcade community member Vermilicious has already figured out how to create new custom 3D arcade cabinets that you can spawn your shortcuts in. Not only are the props great looking and useful, but figuring out how to create AArcade addons before there is even a tutorial is impressive. If you happen to find your way into a multiplayer arcade that Verm is hosting, you'll also see he's pretty handy at making addon maps as well. Funny thing is, he makes them with Google SketchUp; intersting. You can check out all of Verm's stash in his post on the official Anarchy Arcade Steam Community Hub: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266430/discussions/2/613937943121102961/
Addon Maps: A couple weeks ago the Anarchy Arcade map designer tool, called Hammer, became easily accessible from AArcade's main menu, bundled with a tutorial and some easy prefab to get people started. Lots of people have already started building their homes in the editor, and then building their 3D desktops right inside of those in AArcade. However, the AArcade community member Demitri has been busy not only learning Hammer, but sharing his creations with the community as well. He's been creating some rather large maps for those who like to spawn big props in their arcades, as well as a halloween themed graveyard. Head over to the official Anarchy Arcade Steam Community Hub to check them out: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266430/discussions/2/
Continued in part 2 of this news post...