Mar 5, 2023

HOTFIX: Crash fixes Coallateral mini-game and updated bug reporter.

Metal Heads - MetalHeadsGame

Hi everyone!

Thanks to a few of the bug reports that have come in (now that there's a functional bug reporter), there are 2 main crashes that have been reported so far.
SUMMARY:
(CRASH FIX)- Fixed Coallateral physics bug crashing the game.
(POSSIBLE CRASH FIX)- Players using Dolphin/Wii controllers, sensor bars or using 3rd party controller emulation software should still be able to play without a crash. If using these things and it's still crashing, unplug those controllers, and/or turn off the emulation software and try again.
(Updated Crash Reporter)- More information on the crash reporter, specifically targeted to those using Dolphin/Wii controllers etc.

There is a known issue with Playstation DUAL SHOCK controllers (I can only test with Dual Shock 4), where if you try to play with one connected via BLUETOOTH, the game will crash.
Thankfully, I was able to test this and find a work-around/fix.

Go into Steam Settings -> Controller -> General Controller Settings
and enable "Playstation Configuration Support".

The Dolphin/Wii controller crash bug is one that unfortunately I cannot replicate, because it's to do with players having things like the Dolphin Wii controller plugged into the PC. And that's not something I have a hardware set up for.

Metal Heads uses a super helpful plugin that allows me to have 8 players, but it doesn't know how to deal with strange 3rd party controllers such as Dolphin Wii motes/nunchucks, Dolphin sensor bar's, and emulation software for Dual Shock controllers, such as Better DS3 and DS4Windows.

I have been in contact with the plugin developer, and he has been super helpful, and helped me put in place some code that HOPEFULLY will stop the game crashing simply because one of these devices are connected to the PC. NOW the game should still run, but those devices won't work in the game as they are completely unknown (hence they need emulation software to work).
Unfortunately, without me being able to replicate the crash at all, due to not owning any of the hardware, I cannot say for certain if this actually fixes the issue.

If you are someone who is using these types of controllers, and it isn't crashing anymore, please let me know, but also let me know if it STILL crashes.
Please let me know by either joining the Discord forum HERE or posting on the Metal Heads Steam support forum. Which is found HERE

OTHER NEWS
I am working super hard on the board game customization menu, and it's coming along nicely.
Bear in mind, that this is extremely complicated to make, so it may take me a while to do, but I'm making fantastic progress, and cannot wait to get it into your hands.

Anyway, ROCK ON!

Feb 22, 2023

CRASH REPORTER

Metal Heads - MetalHeadsGame

VERSION: SALTY SNOW #1.26 (public)

CRASH REPORTER

FINALLY, there is now a crash reporter that you can all use whenever the game crashes.
It will send the relevant information, so that I can narrow down the crashes that so many people are having, and if you do have a crash, all you need to do is click the SUBMIT CRASH REPORT button! :)

One of the most common issues that people have who refund the game, is the frequent crashes, however with no way of EASILY submitting a crash report, it's no wonder that people refund it and are upset.
Sure there's a little guide on the forums, but that's not good enough, it should only require one click of a button, that's it, so that's what I have set up for you all.
Obviously you can leave comments that you think may help me hunt down any crashes, and I urge you all to do this if you do run into a crash, as that additional information may highlight the issue and make it a hell of a lot easier for me to hunt down.

This of course doesn't mean that I will be able to immediately fix these crashes, but it at least points me in the right direction.

MAIN SUSPECTED CRASH CAUSE

(Added 27th February 2023)
This has been an issue for a while, but I haven't really been able to track the problem until now, but if you are using controller/input emulation software, this may cause issues, so try disabling that software. It's pretty much unnecessary now since Steam's controller emulation is great.

If you are using strange, 3rd party controllers, or input based peripherals, such as the Mayflash Dolphin bar, Wii Nunchuck's etc this may also cause problems, these things generally need emulation software to be functional too, so try unplugging USB controllers or disabling wireless/bluetooth controllers, and emulation software, to see if this fixes your crash.

I have reached out to the developer of the Input plugin, as I've already had some crash reports come through, and they are all pretty much the same. It is iterating through Nintendo controllers, Xbox controllers, and then finds some strange bizarre controller and bam, it crashes JUST because it is connected.
So I am trying to find a way to allow the game to still run, even when the plugin finds one of these controllers.

Typically, if you are using an Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo certified controller, you won't have any problems for now, but I would like to get it to the point where it'll work regardless of what you have plugged in.

CRASH FIX

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A crash that occurred when a client was mashing the keyboard or down arrow on their keyboard during loading screens is now fixed.
This was fixed thanks to a report from community members LolGod and HasteDay, who play Metal Heads weekly over at HasteDay's twitch channel. https://www.twitch.tv/hasteday

And trying to find this bug, prompted a search for other crashes, which ultimately led to the creation of the crash reporter, so you all have these awesome community members to thank for being so vigilant.
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OTHER NEWS, WHAT'S THE PLAN? WHY ONLY SUCH A SMALL UPDATE?
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In summary, I've been hard at work on creating a fully customizable board game experience, giving you guys the tools to play the board game mode how YOU want to play it, as well as working on new board game maps.
I'll provide more detail on this as it gets closer to being finished.

However, when I say I've been "hard at work", that is only when I COULD work.

At the very start of the year, I injured my spine, which left me bed ridden.
The last 2 months, I have been laid flat on my back in bed, and not really able to do much at all, including working at my main PC.
However eventually, after feeling sorry for myself, I set up my laptop in my room, and started learning new game development related things to help with not only the development of Metal Heads, but my future as a game developer.
That's not to say I didn't take it as an opportunity to actually have a break, relax and actually REST, which isn't something I'm accustomed to doing.
Thankfully the experience has reminded me once again to take things slow, and not to panic about not getting this done or that done by this or that time....so long as progress is being made, that's the most important thing.

It hasn't been the ideal start to the year for sure, but perhaps it's a blessing in disguise, perhaps it's an experience that has given me a better perspective on not just the game development, but life in general.

I'll find out in ~1 week what the injury actually is, I'm hoping it's just a herniated or bulging disc, and not something like a degenerated disc, or fracture or something nasty that requires surgery.
I AM definitely improving, but I also need to be careful and not get over-zealous, thinking that I can bounce right back again. It's going to take time and patience.
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I hope you are all doing well, and your 2023 is awesome so far!

Until next time, ROCK ON!

Dec 23, 2022

END OF YEAR UPDATE - BOSS FIGHT OVERHAUL, NEW LOBBY, BOARD GAME CHANGES

Metal Heads - MetalHeadsGame

END OF 2022 UPDATE

GENERAL FIXES AND CHANGES

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Fixed issue with host not spawning into mini-games.
Fixed a whole lot of audio issues. Most, if not all audio is assigned an audio class. Previously some audio, like the end round stingers.
Begun adding reverb volumes to levels
There were other fixes, but unfortunately I did not document them, they were mostly to do with online networking and such. But most of this update has been about content, rather than fixes.

A lot of work has gone into new mini-games, and a new board game map too, but those are things I will show more about in later updates.
A LOT of that work has gone into making the Metal Ball Z mini-game.

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NEW LOBBY!

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GAME MODE SELECT STAGE!
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When all players are ready, the camera will move to the game mode selection stage of the lobby, where the host player (or 1st player) can either click on one of the doors to go to the next stage, or run through the doors.
If the host is using a controller, they can simply hit the START button to enable mouse movement with the controller.
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GO DIRECTLY TO THE BOSS FIGHT
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You can now choose to play the boss fight from the lobby, rather than having to play through the board game mode first.
Players can opt-in to play as the boss, however if nobody opts in to play as the boss, players will go up against an AI controlled boss! However the boss AI is fairly basic right now, a little bit janky, as I didn't have a lot of time to work on it before the update. I intend to improve the boss AI over time so that it becomes a formidable opponent. (NOTE: See the "BOSS FIGHT CHANGES" topic for more information on the boss fight updates).
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MINI-GAME MENU
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Players can now run around ON the mini-game menu, allowing the host to get an idea of who wants to play what mini-game. I intend to improve this menu over time, such as allowing the choice of saved presets, quick game modes, continuous mini-games etc.

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BOARD GAME CUSTOMIZATION
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Whilst this is still fairly basic customization, the intention is to expand upon the customization menu, allowing very quick board game mode selection, and more advanced customization options in time, but for now, the host can choose whether to play an unlimited amount of rounds (with a limited number of Golden Gears to collect in order to win), or play with limited rounds, and the highest score wins.
There are some other tweaks such as cost of Golden Gears, Penalty cost for not reaching your destination, as well as starting points and movement mode (Move Wheel or Dice).
I'm excited for the future of customization options, I believe in allowing you to play how YOU want to play, so I hope you are all as excited as I am for the plethora of customization options you will be getting in the future!
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CROWD SURFING!
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Obviously a priority feature, players can now crowd surf in the character stage.
Right now, this is only just a small sample of interactivity for the lobby that I want to add. Eventually, in the polishing stages of the game, I will add in musical instruments, and other things to mess around with, and maybe even allow players to fight one another with a basic punch/grab/throw/block fight mechanics, because I know you all would love to throw one another into the crowd.
What would you love to do in this hub world style of lobby? Perhaps grab a microphone and the little metal head starts screaming death metal in high pitch?
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BOARD GAME CHANGES! (AND DICE ROLL!)

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FINALLY, THE DICE ROLL!
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This is long overdue, and I apologize for not having it in the game since Early Access launch, but it is finally in the game!
Whilst this offers a more random style of gameplay, players still have the ability to flip the side of the dice block before throwing it, and aim where the dice block is thrown.
When the dice throw movement method is chosen, players no longer need to land ON the Golden Gear in order to collect it, they simply need to run into it on the way to their destination, and will be prompted to purchase the Golden Gear.
If players can't afford it, or for some reason don't buy it, or do buy it, players can continue running to their destination.
There are other changes that have been made, or need to be changed in order to comply with the dice roll, such as the effect that curses will have on players, but in the future board game overhaul update, this will be addressed.
(NOTE: Currently there's a minor issue where sometimes the Golden Gear will respawn on the same path and players can actually collect multiple Golden Gears if they can afford it, but ...maybe this could be a feature? What do you think? This is perhaps something I can make into a customization option later.)
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CLASSIC GAMEPLAY LOOP
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In order to set the stage for the future board game overhaul update, I wanted to get rid of the terrible, unintuitive gameplay loop that I had previously, and opted for a more classic style of gameplay that everybody is familiar with already. This means temporarily disabling the trivia mode too.
IF there is a limited number of turns, then players with the highest number of Golden Gears + Plectrum Points will become the winner after all of the turns have ended.
IF there are unlimited turns, then the player who collects x amount of Golden Gears first, wins the game.
The winners will still play as a boss in the boss fight of course.
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A NEW TURN ORDER MINI-GAME
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Previously, the mini-game to determine who goes first, was ...confusing, and it just looked terrible, it was a placeholder.
Now there is a new mini-game. It still requires some work to make it more intuitive, but I think it's much better, while also allowing skill to be used rather than pure luck.
Later on when I do the board game overhaul, I will be adding in customization options however so players could choose multiple methods of determining turn order, including a quick start option which automatically assigns players randomly.

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CUSTOMIZATION
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There are now some basic customization options in the lobby, where the host can adjust number of turns, movement type (Wheel or Dice), Golden Gear count (if turns are unlimited), Golden Gear cost, Failure penalty (for not reaching destination), and starting Plectrum Points.
This will be expanded in the future board game overhaul update, where a huge focus will be on board game rule customization.
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BOSS FIGHT CHANGES

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The intention for this update was to overhaul the boss fight, introduce new gameplay and balancing mechanics, but admittedly, due to time constraints (due to my day job taking all of my free time), I didn't really get the boss fight to where I wanted it to be, but it's still an improvement simply because of the variety of boss attacks now, and that you can now choose to fight an AI controlled boss, even if the AI isn't complete just yet, it still is good practice.
BOSS ATTACKS
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The boss now has 3 groups of attacks; Presuming that you were using an Xbox controller, there are 3 A Button, 3 X Button and 3 B Button attacks. The most basic of each type of attack is done by simply tapping the button, where the other 2 attacks for each button are done by holding down the button longer.

I would like to add even more attacks by adding in the ability to hold down either LB or RB before tapping or holding A, B or X.
Eventually, 27 attacks would be pretty amazing to have, and certainly spice the gameplay up a bit!
(NOTE: I actually have started working on the rest of the attacks, but isn't a major priority right now)
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RUN AND BURN!
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Players will no longer die when shot with the energy balls, however players will continually run forward and change turn direction, meaning your character will likely run off the edge of the stage, however you still have some control over your character to try and prevent this from happening.
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OUTRO SEQUENCES
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The boss fight now has outro sequences that are relevant to who wins/loses. The poor boss will no longer explode, even if it wins.

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REJOIN PROMPT

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As mentioned in previous news updates, I have created a basic REJOIN prompt if there is a sudden exit from the server. This should help players get back into the game quickly if for whatever reason they are disconnected from the server, or they crash.
I created this as I found that most people have absolutely no idea that you can join a game in progress, or rejoin a server. This is because drop-in/drop-out connectivity (aside from in a lobby) is not present in any party games to date (mainly due to how much of a nightmare it is to make and manage), so hopefully this will educate players on this little known, but much needed feature of Metal Heads.
It's functional, but still fairly basic. When I do a UI overhaul, this will be improved in future.
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AESTHETIC CHANGES

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During all of this time since the last update, I have been learning more about various game development magic, including the creation of transparent decals using a program called Substance Painter (which is what I use for all of the texturing), and so I created some industrial decals and as you may notice, I slapped those decals everywhere I could! Especially the Board Game map, which looks much improved.
Previously over half of the map didn't have a textured floor, but now it does and looks significantly better.
There's more work to do on aesthetics, but it's definitely going in the right direction.
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WHATS NEXT?

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I will continue hunting for bugs, one such MAJOR issue is for whatever reason, when a client joins a server, and a mini-game is played, the client's graphics settings are set to the lowest. I'm yet to figure out why this is happening since graphical settings are only assigned when the game initially loads, not when a level loads.

Aside from this, I will be taking a little break for a week or 2, as I am working full time hours in my day job, and I've been working around the clock to get this update out, to the point where I'm completely exhausted.
Yesterday I got up at 6am, worked on the game from 6:40am until 11am, got ready for my day job, worked 12-7pm, got home at 8pm, and continued to work on the update until 5:30am this morning...so I'm somewhat tired.

Once I recover, and the hours in my day job slow down (I hope they do), I'll be resuming development, with a PRIMARY focus on making the board game mode into a highly customizable experience, along with working on the new board game map.
SECONDARY focus is on making the Metal Ball Z mini-game, and some other mini-games, with a major update targeted for FEBRUARY. However don't hold me to this, as my life circumstances (my day job) heavily influence how much energy I have, and how much development I get done.
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QUESTIONS?

[expand type=showmore]If you have any questions, feedback etc, please don't be afraid to jump onto the forums, comment below or use the Discord server to share your thoughts.
I am much more active on Discord and will generally answer within 24hrs, however since I don't get any notifications on Steam if someone posts on the forums, I may not see your post for a few days (or weeks in some cases) unless I get into a habit of checking every day.[/expand]

If you would like more regular updates, please head on over to the official Discord server and join.

OFFICIAL DISCORD LINK

ROCK ON!

PLEASE NOTE: DEMO VERSION IS NOT YET UPDATED TO REFLECT THESE CHANGES, BUT WILL BE UPDATED ASAP.