Hello Warriors!
Welcome to the Alpha 0.5.8.0 Lightning Bug Update!
Since our last post we've had two major updates. Alpha 0.5.7.0 (Fire Ant) and now Alpha 0.5.8.0 (Lightning Bug). With those updates came a host of big and small new features and a ton of bug fixes. We won't be going over everything that's changed because the list is quite long but we'll be highlighting some of the biggest updates.
Sign up for the future Alphas! http://eepurl.com/gPRL6T
Tutorial
One of the biggest problems we've noticed new users have when testing Virtual Battlegrounds is figuring out how to use the basic controls. That's why we've added in this fun new tutorial that loads up the first time anyone plays the game. It features Sam the robot. An AI companion that will be featured throughout the universe of Virtual Battlegrounds that is controlled by your robot overlords corporation Erebus. He enthusiastically teach you how to play VBG. While the tutorial is not done yet, we think it's off to a good start.
Bots
We know that matches may not always be full and because of that having bots is critical to keeping a game alive in the VR space. So for this update we've added both a single player with bots option and bots mode option while in a multiplayer game.
Steam Friends Integration
Being able to play with your friends is super important, that's why we wanted to make it as easy possible. Invite your friends through a friends system that we built directly into the game that interfaces with Steam.
Squads Mode
We had planned to launch Squads mode for this update. We've tested it a bit intenrally and it's a ton of fun! Unfortunately we ran into a few problems with the mode and decided to wait to launch it in a hotfix before a future update. Look forward to that update coming soon!
Development Timeline Update
Reminder that you can view our development timeline at any time here:
https://trello.com/b/kvO0EmYl/virtual-battlegrounds-roadmap
We've update our development timeline to reflect the changes we've made since our last update. The timeline is always changing!. We're considering adding in an in game Trello board that anyone can vote on, what do you think of this idea?
Full List of Notable Changes
New Features:
Added a tutorial.
Added bots into main game mode.
Added consumable pickups.
Added vegetation LOD system.
Added improved graphical settings.
Added Steam friends options.
Bug Fixes:
Fixed weapon muzzle flashes falling behind when moving quickly.
Fixed killing people in the helicopter before match starts.
Fixed getting stuck in a black screen when loading into a game.
Fixed odd collision on top of zipline towers.
Fixed mic muting options.
Fixed bot games breaking after first use.
Fixed sharing attachments with your team mates not working.
Fixed zipline audio not producing audio on the network.
Fixed bounding sphere moving rapidly before game starts on rare occasions.
Fixed not falling from zipline when dying on zipline.
Fixed swimming adding velocity to character after climbing.
Design Improvements:
Made it easier to grab weapons on the ground.
Made it easier to drop weapons into your hip slots.
Increased end game menu size by 20% to make it more legible.
Increased average frame rate by 20%.
Improved several key game textures. (Rocks, Vegetation)
Alpha Invite Status
We've invited an additional 250 people into our alpha. The goal right now is to ramp up stress tests as much as possible while we ramp up for release. We plan on rolling out additional incremental invites on a weekly basis. If you haven't signed up for our alpha already make sure you do so here! EVERYONE gets invited eventually
Thanks for reading warriors!
We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield soon
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