Hey hey hey! So we've been focused hard on physics for the last month or so & made BIG progress on some core mechanics. Is the work done? Not by a long shot.. but things are moving in the right direction and we're excited to share where we're at.
We had a lot of goals going into this update & one of the most crucial was to soften the learning curve for new & existing players by making board control overall more intuitive. To that end, we have two new stats - Auto Level & Grind Stabilization - as well as a handful of physics refinements.
Along with these changes, we've filled in some large gaps in the Replay System! Replays now have sounds, slomo, and keyframing; PLUS you can see your control overlay in replay & watch your precise inputs throughout gameplay.
With that said & without any more fluff, here's a more complete list of what's new:
Stats & Physics/Mechanics
- Added Auto Level - this will have the most drastic effect on gameplay. With it on, ollies will self-level to an extent, and stick movements will tweak/shifty in air. This means an ollie can be done with a single stick & in-air control is much more predictable.
- Added new Grind Stabilization - this does not 'magnetize' grinds at all - it uses similar code to auto level & tries to keep the board upright during grinds. L3/R3 hold during grinds isn't necessary for stability, but still can be used to disable pop
- Added Gravity Multiplier to stats
- Added Stomp Catch to stats - this already existed, but can now be toggled OFF if desired. When enabled, hold both L3 & R3 when catching to stomp
- Added Reset to Default option to stats
- Added trails to input overlay
- Stick input mappings have been refined & should result in far fewer instances of feet 'hopping' unintentionally.
- Pop is now more reliant on Input Speed - popping faster will pop higher, slower will pop lower.
- Shuvits & variations now rotate on a more level plane
- Manuals no longer require L3/R3 input to balance steadily
- Stats have been reset - New stats may not match 1:1 with old stats if set to the same values
- Flicks have become more sensitive to timing - whether a kickflip flips straight, or skews fs/bs relies on timing, direction, & input speed. This is more a byproduct of other changes & will continue to be worked on.
- Scoop+Flick combinations still are a big thorn in our side.. after several attempts to solve for better tre flips, hardflips etc.. nothing *so far* has been the solution I'm looking for. This continues to be a high priority moving forward.
- Feet now rotate based on their current state & player input for more natural looking movement during tricks
Replay System
- Added Slomo playback
- Added Sounds to playback
- Added Input Overlay (L3 + R3 to toggle)
- Keyframes for cam position & play rate have been added - follow on-screen UI for usage instructions, I'll also try to put out some kind of explainer in the coming days.
- note: Keyframes only play in Playback Camera (switch cameras using X/Square)
- Replay now begins at your last respawn, & all respawns create keys you can quickly navigate using dpad left/right
Known Bugs
New progress = new bugs. Here are a few that have our attention right now:
- if in Multiplayer & Replay, skaters who are not also in replay will only update when your board isn't moving
- if in Multiplayer & exiting replay, it can take a few moments for your board to reappear.. until that time you'll be invisible
- Tricks out of grinds are slightly less predictable. Some parts of the grind & tricking systems will need reworking to handle this properly.
Oh also, we expanded the Amphitheater map a bit. Enjoy!