Hello Riftbreakers!
We spent the past two weeks talking about the massive upcoming changes in Riftbreaker 2.0 that we are working on. The improved weapon and loot systems will give you more gameplay options than ever before and reward you for the time spent exploring the wilds of Galatea 37. However, not all updates we decide on have that kind of impact on the game. In fact, some of them are small in comparison but significantly affect the impression the game leaves on players. Today, we’d like to tell you about some improvements we’re introducing to some of your base's most commonly built structures.
A blast from the past! In this build from 2019, the upgraded buildings were marked only with a number hovering over the rooftop. It looked bad and was almost invisible in real gameplay.
We always want our game worlds to look beautiful, our enemies fearsome, and the player bases futuristic and well-detailed. To achieve that, we decided early on that buildings most likely to be placed in the base in large numbers, such as the Energy Storage and Walls, would get an individual model for each building level. Thanks to this, it was easier to identify which buildings in your base still needed upgrades. You don’t always have the resources to upgrade 50 structures simultaneously, and it is easy to forget that you missed a couple of upgrades here and there. Different models allow you to see that. On top of that, thanks to upgrades, you can see your base growing in strength over time since higher levels are usually more massive and sturdier, adding to the high detail that we strive for.
As a middle ground, we added plates with numbers that denoted the upgrade level. It worked fine, and those numbers can still be found on some buildings. Still, we could do better.
While we were correct in assuming that some of our buildings would be more popular than others, we didn’t quite anticipate just how much our players love building up their bases. You started showing us entire maps covered with dozens of storage units, solar panels, wind turbines, factories, and more. Much more. To protect such massive bases, players needed a lot of AI Hubs - and there we saw it. Fields of AI Hub buildings of various levels, some with an upgrade “number plate” on them. Buildings that do not have unique models for each level would get a plate with a number, signifying their upgrade level. While better than what we had in the VERY early days (numbers floating in the air above the building) and not ruinous to gameplay overall, we felt that it was an area where we could improve.
In the end, the most commonly built structures that are likely to appear in large numbers got individual models for each level.
We asked our graphics team to create new level models for those buildings that initially didn’t have them but were always present in bases. This includes the AI Hubs, Repair Towers, and Liquid Material Storage. Our artists happily accepted this change of pace, as the things they have been working on are truly massive, from the Omega creature models in various flavors to undisclosed endgame mega elements (which we should be able to start previewing in just a couple of weeks!). We decided to maintain the overall shape of the buildings and use the current model as level 2 - which means we have both bigger and smaller versions now. Check them out:
The new AI Hub building levels.
The new Repair Tower building levels.
The new Liquid Material Storage building levels.
Level 1 AI Hub might be a bit of a shock at first, as it doesn’t feature the prominent green light that we've become used to. Look how tiny that thing is! Level 3 was significantly beefed up, and the screens all around the structure give it a more advanced look. We used an animated texture on this model, which worked well in this case!
The Liquid Material Storage had to keep the pipe attachments in the same place, as well as the windows that showed the kind of liquid inside. That limited the options slightly. However, you can easily see the progression from Level 1 to Level 3.
Finally, the Repair Towers. Level 1 has lost a little bit of its heft. We wouldn’t leave the HQ unsupervised with only use these towers to protect it. However, Level 3 got much beefier and looks like a beacon of… repair.
We hope that these new models will give your bases a nice refresh and make the process of upgrading your HQ more rewarding. These are not the only changes you’ll be making in The Riftbreaker 2.0, but more on later. If you want to see previews of the new stuff we’re working on, tune in to our streams on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 PM CET on https://www.twitch.tv/exorstudios. We don’t always have complete control (or knowledge) over what kind of secret new developments decide to do a little surprise pre-reveal (which some might call a leak, but they are wrong).
See you there!
EXOR Studios