Each Friday we will showcase some work-in-progress. We’re not just working on optimization and stability - we’re working on new content too, and we want to tell you all about it!

Hi guys!

My name is Josh Rubenstein, and I am a designer on Smash+Grab. You’ve played 7 leaders and 13 lieutenants so far, but you may have also seen some portraits of upcoming leaders and lieutenants. Today I’m here to talk to you and show you a little more about them.



This is Gray. He’s a heavy leader on the Dappers.

Gray was once the head of security in Newbright, so his abilities are all about security and keeping the peace. For example, he has an ability called Screamer Sentry that lays down a trap in the form of a sentry device. When triggered, this trap emits a debilitating screech. If there’s a store nearby, the metal shutters close temporarily too, so that it can’t be looted or attacked for a while.

I’m sure you can think of some devious ways to use this ability to deny an important store to an enemy!



This is Shutter. She’s a ranged lieutenant on the Dappers, and our first ranged female character.

We’ll get into the details of their backstory a bit more in the future, but Shutter and Grey became trusted partners by chance during a crisis situation in Newbright.

Shutter has a handheld flash device that can blind enemies in a cone shaped area. Blinded players get a flashed screen effect, and blinded AI characters are weakened too. I’m excited to see what dirty tricks leaders can get away with during the few seconds that an enemy is blinded by Shutter!

Gray and Shutter are in development now, and we’ll be showing off their abilities and attacks a little more when they’re closer to being ready.

Thanks for checking out this post, and see you online!

We know that some of you are experiencing performance problems with the game. Firstly, we want to assure you that we are actively working on improving the experience for everyone. This is a top priority for us.

A few important things to note:

1. Many people are trying to run the game on systems below our Minimum Spec. This is especially true for the CPU. If you need to see how your CPU stacks up against our Minimum Spec (Intel i3-3220), you can use the following site: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/
   
   
2. The video memory of your graphics card is important. You should have a card with at least 1GB of dedicated video memory (VRAM).
   
   
3. There are also tips and tricks posted in the steam forums. A great place to look for info is in our FAQ & Top Known Issues post.
   
   
4. If you are above Minimum Spec and still experiencing issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and we will do everything we can to help you resolve the problem.
   
   
5. We will be releasing patches over the coming weeks to address these issues, along with other exciting updates!

The game is in Early Access, and we are working very hard to fix issues people are experiencing. Thank you for hanging in there with us as we try to make this a great experience for everyone.

Watch the Launch trailer here: https://youtu.be/TOYdv9oQMFM

You got a glimpse of our fresh new take on competitive multiplayer action during our Closed Beta. Now we’re pleased to welcome you back to Union Bay with our official Early Access launch.

From assembling your customized crew of colourful characters, to crafting lethal weapon mods, to smashing and grabbing your way to the ultimate $50k victory; we can’t wait for you to jump into the mayhem.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/412720/

https://discord.gg/SyszAqn

http://steamcommunity.com/app/412720/discussions/
www.PlaySmashAndGrab.com
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

Firstly, a massive thank-you to everyone who joined in on our Smash+Grab Closed Beta! We loved seeing Smash+Grab in your hands for the first time.

The Closed Beta was important, because we gained a lot of data from our analytics, and feedback from you, which helped us make decisions around our goals for our Early Access Launch.

Here are just a few examples of what we’ve been busy working on for Launch:

• Optimizations to reduce load times, reduce disconnections and crashes, and lower our Minimum System Requirements.
  
• Leader and Lieutenant gameplay balancing and tuning.
  
• Reducing stunlocks in combat.
  
• A first pass of a new feature called Crew Commands, which is where you can direct your AI crew to perform a certain action temporarily (Attack, Loot, or Follow).
  
• Dozens of new vanity items.
  
• New grapple animation variants.
  
• A borderless window option for streamers.
  
• General bug-fixing and tuning.

We have not yet announced a date for our Early Access Launch, but it will be later this month. Our discount Early Access Launch price will be around $20 USD.

You can wishlist Smash+Grab on Steam now, and stay tuned to our social channels below for more info on our Early Access Launch!

Twitter: www.twitter.com/SmashGrabGame
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SmashAndGrabGame
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/SmashAndGrabGame
Instagram: www.instagram.com/SmashGrabGame

Thank you to all of our players for a successful Beta weekend so far! We've had fun, we've learned a lot, we've made many incremental improvements and some solid progress on optimization, thanks to you. It's also been killer fun watching you smash it up against one another - our devs have been playing in many of the games with you, and we've had our eyes glued to the streams too!

As the Beta Weekend has progressed we've seen an issue where some players are unable to load into (or immediately dropped from) matches. You've told us that this is resulting in widespread AI in matches and, ultimately, a less fun game experience for everyone involved. This issue is manifesting because some PC setups does not meet our current Beta Minimum System Requirements.


This is so we can continue to gather data to help us improve the game, while still making progress on optimizations. Here's how this will work:

• Beginning at Sunday 10pm PDT (the end of the original Beta period), the game will now detect whether or not a player's PC setup meets the current Beta Minimum System Requirements.
  
  
• If not, the player will be informed that their system is below the Beta Minimum System Requirements, and will be unable to progress for the Extended Beta period.
  
  
• This helps protect the community in the Extended Beta period from experiencing unbalanced games where a team member or enemy is unable to participate due to having a system that is not adequate for playing Smash+Grab at this time.

We are actively working on optimizing the game to perform well on a wider range of CPUs and GPUs, as Smash+Grab is quite taxing on both. We want you to know that it is a priority for us to bring down the Minimum System Requirements so that as many players can enjoy the game as possible. Expect updates on this soon!

Thank you to all of you for playing the game during our Beta Weekend, and for your enthusiasm and patience as we improve Smash+Grab, which is after all why we are doing this Beta with you!

If you have any questions regarding this update, you can always comment on the Steam Forums, chat to us on Twitter (@SmashGrabGame) or email us at community@unitedfrontgames.com.

For help, visit the Smash+Grab Steam Forums.
Please review the Minimum and Recommended System Requirements below to ensure your PC is suitable for Smash+Grab.



For those who were able to grab a key, we can’t wait to get you playing. But first, here’s what you need to know to get the best out of your Beta Weekend:

• The Beta Weekend runs from Friday 9am PDT to Sunday 10pm PDT.
  
  
• Your progress will be saved. If you re-join us for our Early Access release, you will start where you left off!
  
  
• For help, visit the Smash+Grab Steam Forums. Whether you have a technical bug, a question about gameplay, feedback for us, or just want to share your experience, that’s the place!
  
  
• Please review the Minimum and Recommended System Requirements below to ensure your PC is suitable for Smash+Grab. We are in Early Access Beta and are still optimizing performance.

Minimum System Requirements:
OS: Windows 7 (64 bit only)
Processor: Intel i5
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 550Ti or equivalent
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 6 GB available space

Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Windows 10 (64 bit only)
Processor: Intel i7
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 750Ti
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 6 GB available space

Please remember: Smash+Grab is an Early Access title still in development; any bugs or rough spots you may experience are a reflection of that.

Now you’re fully geared up and prepped to hit the streets running. Go forth and SMASH!

Our friends are gonna hook you up! We’ve teamed up with Alienware, PCGamer and Razer for a massive Beta key giveaway, starting today!

(One per person, but send the links to your buddies, too. Sharing is caring.)

https://www.playsmashandgrab.com/the-smashgrab-beta-weekend-announcement/

There are limited keys available, so be sure to grab your key now, and cement your spot in the multiplayer melee mayhem this weekend.

Join us this weekend at PAX West in Seattle, WA and be the first to get your hands on Smash+Grab: The dystopian, underground competition where rival gangs compete for loot, weapons and infamy.

You can compete with us for some real-life Smash+Grab loot – in this case, free swag and Beta keys – by jumping in the team-based melee action at the Juniper Room in the Sheraton Hotel (adjacent to the Sasquatch theatre on Level 2).

Not one of the lucky ones headed to PAX West this year? Never fear: we’re sending Smash+Grab Prize Packs to some awesome fans, so be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and our Steam Community Hub for information on how to enter to win.





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