Hey Trailmakers!

We've another Mod Makers update releasing today that includes more fixes and even some expanded Mod functionality!

New Mod Functionality
- ModGameObject.Exists()
- ModGameObject.SetScale() per axis
- ModGameObject.GetScale()
- ModGameObject.GetIsRigidbody()
- ModGameObject.GetIsStatic()
- GetMapName()
- Block.Exists()
- Default rays should now ignore triggers.
- Fixed collision layer on PFB_KungfuFlaglol
- Fixed collision layer on PFB_ChallengeCheckpoint_Floating_Expedition2

Changes
- Updated PioNet. This should lead to improved Multiplayer stability/performance!
- There's a browse workshop button in the Session Options now for even easier access to Mods.
- Added a Report Button to the in game Steam Workshop. This will bring up a new dialog which will allow you to copy the workshop ID for easily pasting into a new channel we'll be setting up on the Discord when reporting a Blueprint.
- Tidied up the Keyboard and Mouse controls help screen (not localised yet).

Fixes
- Fixed a Unity Crash that was occuring for some people when quitting to Main Menu/game.
- Fix for an Overflow when spamming events.
- Fix for a "baseline" error that would occur quite regularly in very aggressive multiplayer sessions.
- Fixed an issue that would cause zooming in and out in the builder to "skip" steps if you were playing at high frame rates.
- Fixed Dynamic Resolution not working.
- Further builder optimisations around nub rendering on groups of blocks and moving the camera at specific angles (this is most noticeable on lower end hardware).
- Made some optimisations to hover block behaviour.
- Optimised the Aerodynamic Arrows in builder.
- Some localisation changes for "Disable Air Control" in German and "Race" in game mode drop down in Italian.

Hey builder!

Congrats to @PudelNudel and @Mightynight for winning the Alien Challenge!



The next Weekly Challenge theme is Energy! ⚡
DEADLINE: Thursday May 20th 2021 1PM CET (1 hour before Stream)
Entry Limit: 1

If you would like to participate but do not know how, keep reading 😙

"Alien" creations that deserve an spot:





Is it the first time you hear about our weekly challenge? Every Thursday, our dev team try cool creations by the community with a weekly topic. Last week we saw some awesome builds by the topic "Alien" and this Thursday May 20th 2021 2PM CET we will be trying new cool creations made by you with the topic "Energy" live on our Twitch. Electrifying topic, right?

Challenge? Is there a prize?Yep! The winners get an exclusive trophy block 🏆 only available for the weekly challenge winners. You'll be able to proudly display your trophy on your creations as you want.

Want to participate? You just have to let your creativity run wild with the next topic: "Energy". It is easy to share your entries to the challenge through Steam Workshop naming it with the weekly hashtag (#EnergyChallenge this week).

If you are interested in participating, we recommend you go to our Discord server, where you'll find all the info on how to submit your best creations and let our dev team try them live. We have an amazing community & mod team ready to help newbies, so if you're just starting out at Trailmakers, this is your place.

Thank you for participating and sending us such impressive creations, see you next Thursday builder 🛠️

Hey builder!

This is us, Flashbulb Games. And we would like to use this post for you to meet some of the most amazing creators who are playing Trailmakers (in case you don't love them yet). There are many content creators that deserve a mention and thanks from us. For having fun and entertaining their audience by bringing out the best of Trailmakers.

There are so many, that it has been difficult to choose who to start with. So for future posts please help us, which content creators do you think we should share? Let us know in the comments (spoiler: don't worry if they don't speak English).

We dedicate this first Content Creator Showcase 📺 to Scrapman, Kosmonaut and kAN Gaming. Three true experts creating incredible vehicles. They have dared with everything: submarines, racing cars, helicopters, motorcycles... They always surprise with their evolution challenges and demonstrate the creativity (and friendship) of these three builders.





Honorable mention also for the Stranded in Space campaign that Scrapman and Kosmonaut are now playing, hand in hand.



And, if you still haven't seen what you can do with Mods on Trailmakers, maybe you should stop by this Scrapman video 😁

That's it for now, builder. Hope you enjoyed the first Content Creator Showcase 📺 and remember to comment on your favorites, so we can give a well-deserved spot.

Hey builder!

Congrats to UntamedCubby and Biwi8835 for sending amazing creations to last weekly challenge: Search and Rescue Challenge!



The next Weekly Challenge theme is ALIEN! 👽
DEADLINE: Tuesday May 11th 2021 1PM CET (1 hour before Stream)
Entry Limit: 1

If you would like to participate but do not know how, keep reading 😙

"Search and Rescue" creations that deserve an spot:





Is it the first time you hear about our weekly challenge? Every Thursday, our dev team try cool creations by the community with a weekly topic. Last week we saw some awesome builds by the topic "Search and Rescue" and this Thursday May 6th 2021 2PM CET we will be trying new cool creations made by you with the topic "Alien" live on our Twitch. Cool topic, right?

Challenge? Is there a prize?Yep! The winners get an exclusive trophy block 🏆 only available for the weekly challenge winners. You'll be able to proudly display your trophy on your creations as you prefer.

Want to participate? You just have to let your creativity run wild with the next topic: "Alien". It is easy to share your entries to the challenge through Steam Workshop naming it with the weekly hashtag (#AlienChallenge this week). If you are interested in participating, we recommend you go to our Discord server, where you'll find all the info on how to submit your best creations and let our dev team try them live. We have an amazing community & mod team ready to help newbies, so if you're just starting out at Trailmakers, this is your place.

Thank you for participating and sending us such impressive creations, see you next Thursday builder 🛠️

Hey builder!

Congrats to @Mr.Nothing [Pilot] and @Mightynight for sending the best creations to last weekly challenge: TV Shows Challenge!



The next Weekly Challenge theme is SEARCH AND RESCUE!
DEADLINE: Thursday April 29th 2021 1PM CET (1 hour before Stream)
Entry Limit: 1

If you would like to participate but do not know how, keep reading 😙

"TV Shows" Winners:





Is it the first time you hear about our weekly challenge? Every Thursday, our dev team try cool creations by the community with a weekly topic. Last week we saw some awesome builds by the topic "TV Shows" and this Thursday April 29nd 2021 2PM CET we will be trying new cool creations made by you with the topic "Search and Rescue" live on our Twitch.

Challenge? Is there a prize?Yep! The winners get an exclusive trophy block 🏆 only available for the weekly challenge winners. You'll be able to proudly display your trophy on your creations as you prefer.

Want to participate? You just have to let your creativity run wild with the next topic: "Search and Rescue". It is easy to share your entries to the challenge through Steam Workshop naming it with the weekly hashtag (#SearchAndRescue this week). If you are interested in participating, we recommend you go to our Discord server, where you'll find all the info on how to submit your best creations and let our dev team try them live. We have an amazing community & mod team ready to help newbies, so if you're just starting out at Trailmakers, this is your place.

Thank you for participating and sending us such impressive creations, see you next Thursday builder 🛠️

Hey builder!

Congrats to @rn_22 and @Mimetic.Soup for winning our last weekly challenge: Architecture Challenge!
Is it the first time you hear about our weekly challenge? Every Thursday, our dev team try cool creations by the community with a weekly topic. Last week we saw some awesome builds by the topic "Architecture" and this Thursday April 22nd 2021 2PM CET we will be trying new cool creations made by you with the topic "TV Shows" live on our Twitch.

You can take a look at the last week highlights here:


Challenge? Is there a prize?Yep! The winners get an exclusive trophy block 🏆 only available for the weekly challenge winners. You'll be able to proudly display your trophy on your creations as you prefer.

Want to participate? You just have to let your creativity run wild with the next topic: "TV Shows". It is easy to share your entries to the challenge through Steam Workshop naming it with the weekly hashtag (#TVShows this week). If you are interested in participating, we recommend you go to our Discord server, where you'll find all the info on how to submit your best creations and let our dev team try them live. We have an amazing community & mod team ready to help newbies, so if you're just starting out at Trailmakers, this is your place.

DEADLINE to participate: Thursday April 22nd 2021 1PM CET (1 hour before Stream).
Too close? Don't worry, we have a new and crazier topic every week.

If you don't want to miss the weekly live stream where we mess with your creations, make sure to follow us on Twitch.

And another well deserved spot for last week winners:
🏆 @rn_22 and @Mimetic.Soup 🏆





Happy Weekly Challenge, builder!

Hey Trailmakers!

We've another small hotfix update for Trailmakers today which fixes some issues with Saving and Loading with Mods and some pesky Oh No fixes related to those pesky Chickens...

Fixes
- Fixed Workshop Mods not being able to load or save correctly on certain hardware set ups.
- Fixed an issue related to Chickens, Jellyfish and Birds being killed on a server, the murderer leaving, and then any subsequent clients attempting to join would get an Oh No crash.
- Fix for a client Oh No Crash if a Chicken was killed whilst a client was late joining.
- Fixed an issue on older hardware that would lead to a crash rather than a timeout when loading into the larger maps.
- Fixed the Help video titles within the video not being localised correctly.

Hey Trailmakers!

Firstly, thank you all for the warm reception to the Mod Makers update! It's been fantastic not only seeing what the Modders have made so far, but also seeing other Trailmakers being able to easily enjoy these Mods!

Since the update released we've been tracking reported issues closely and we've put together a hotfix update to fix some of the more common ones we've been seeing!

Mod Related
- Fix for Mods not activating on certain system locales if not running in Single Process.
- Fix for Mods not error logging if not in Single Process.
- We've restricted Coins being earned from spawning items in with Mods.
- Fixed the initial mod UI placement so they don't appear in the corner of the screen.
- Fixed Gravity not reverting when disabling mods.
- Spawnmod should now show the default gravity as 14.

General
- Fixes for many of the reported Oh No's since the update went live.
- Fixed a nullref in Cannon Block Behaviour.
- Fixed nullrefs in structuregraphs.
- Fixed an Oh No with grid size position.
- Fixed the In-Game Help Screen only displaying five of the six columns.
- Fixed bullets not killing Chickens.
- Fixed the Oletto, Sunny Slide and Skull Island flythroughs not playing if no medal was earned on the track.
- Fixed the Carball Arena ball not rendering if LOD was set to Good.

We became aware of an issue when trying to activate Subscribed Mods in Single Player whilst playing in Dual Process. This small hotfix fixes that!

With this latest update to Trailmakers we’re adding Steam Workshop support for Mods and bringing along some much requested Quality of Life features. It is now easier than ever to modify your game and try out Mods made by the Trailmakers Community! Want to change Gravity? Or perhaps create your own race track? These Mods and more are now just a few clicks away!

If you’re interested in creating your own Mods, be sure to join our active Discord Community where our most active modders hang out and share their knowledge.

This update also greatly improves how structures break apart with the new Structure Destruction system. Now when a structure takes a hit from a cannon for example it will have chunks break off, leading to more satisfying collisions and battles. This combined with our improved damage propagation should greatly improve vehicular combat in the game!

• Improved Damage Propagation - Layers of blocks will now do more to protect the blocks behind them. This should mean way less one-shot kills from Explosive Cannons (unless the root block of the structure gets a direct hit!)
  
• Structure Destruction - Structures will now break into satisfying chunks when taking damage!

Here's how a structure in the Perfect Pitch update would handle a single Tank Cannon shot.


Here is how the same structure will react to multiple Tank Cannon shots in the Mod Makers update. Kaboom!

• Explosive damage tweaks - Explosions now do more focused damage over a smaller radius. We felt that explosions were quite simply too powerful and ultimately unsatisfying to use due to their one-shot kill nature. Now explosions will do much more localised damage. This combined with the new damage propagation and structure destruction means vehicular combat is more satisfying than ever.
  
• Structure Metadata now transfers across clients - On a server with somebody and you jumped into their structure? The UI will now display the structure and author name alongside the button icons.

• Added Steam Workshop support for mods!
  
• Now when opening the In Game Workshop you’ll see a new category for Mods.
  
• Upload your Mod by opening the In Game Menu and navigating to Session Options. Here you’ll find a sparkly new “Upload Mod” button.
  
• In-Game Mod Activation - In Single Player you can now activate Mods by bringing up the In Game Menu and going to Session Options.
  
• If you’re hosting a server and want to play with Mods, there is now an Enable Mods checkbox on the Create Server page, then you can activate them in game like above.
  
• If you place a .png called "Preview.png" in the mod-folder you're uploading, It will be the thumbnail for the mod in the Workshop!

• Open Mods Directory Button - This button can be found in the same place the Upload and Activate Mod button is for quick access to the default Mod Directory. This is primarily for mod developers for quick and easy access to testing their work.
  
• LoadFile and SaveFile have been renamed and work differently now. If you’ve already made a Mod using the tm.os.LoadFile() function for example, you’ll need to update your Mod for it to work in this new update.
  
  LoadFile -> ReadAllText_Dynamic(string path): string and ReadAllText_Static(string path): string
  SaveFile -> WriteAllText_Dynamic(string path, string stringToWrite): void
  
  Dynamic means data that is unique to the user. This can be both read and written to. The dynamic data will not be uploaded with your mod. It is not located in the Workshop directory, like the rest of the Mod, but is instead located in Steams userdata. This is to prevent user made data from being overwritten by Steam when updating the Mod, and to prevent different users on the same machine from overwriting each other's data. Static means data that's uploaded with the Mod. This can only be read.
  
  
• Introduced better messaging when certain features are disabled when using mods.
  
• Removal of the mods.txt file - We removed this file since it’s no longer required. You can now place mod folders in the default mod directory and the game will detect them.
  
• If a Mod throws an error we’ll try to notify the user with an in-game message in the bottom right corner of the screen.

• Blueprints that are over the Complexity Limit can now be spawned in and fixed to be used again. This is mostly relevant if you happen to join a Server which was a lower Complexity limit set.
  
• Added a tooltip to the loading spinner when Blueprints are in the process of being loaded.
  
• The Tags list in the Workshop is now displayed within a drop down list.
  
• We flipped around the order of the Input in the Configurator for more consistency across the game. Negative Axis Input is now on the left side of the Configurator, Postive to the right.

Here's how a layered wall would take a Tank Cannon shot in the Perfect Pitch Update.


Here's the same structure in Mod Makers with the new Damage Propagation and tweaked explosives!

• Further improvements and optimisations to the bullet system. There’s now a maximum of 2048 per player + 2048 for unoccupied structures.
  
• Improved the bandwidth usage of Logic Blocks.
  
• Improved how we render the green connection nubs to indicate where blocks can be placed.
  
• Added a View Distance option to the Advanced Graphics Panel.

• Fixed an issue that would cause already placed blocks to become unselectable in the builder after particular actions.
  
• Fixed an issue with Korean Localisation displaying in game.
  
• Introduced a fail safe for getting stuck in a death loop within Stranded in Space.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Overlapping check failing after detecting more than five block overlaps.
  
• Fixed an issue with Steam Workshop downloaded Blueprints not appearing correctly in game.
  
• Fixed an Oh No that would occur if trying to change a lot of inputs at once.
  
• Fixed a bug that would cause the structure of another player to despawn if they repaired.
  
• Fixed a bug with the paging in the in game Workshop.
  
• Fixed a bug with Author names not displaying the first time you loaded a page in the Workshop.
  
• Fixed a bug with Activating Auto Build whilst blocks were already placed in the build context that would lead to a softlock.
  
• Fixed some cases of sounds becoming stuck in the world.
  
• Fixed an incorrect image being displayed when collecting the first Power Core in Stranded in Space.
  
• Fixed some floating trees in Rally Mode.
  
• Fixed an issue with the rubber on tires not being rendered after a respawn until the structure moved.
  
• Fixed an issue with the Block Preview not displaying in the Customisation screen if playing on lower settings.
  
• Fixed a bug with Undo reverting all blocks to the same colour.
  
• Fixed a bug with some prefabs not correctly rendering if Max LOD was set to Good.
  
• Fixed Tires being able to be punctured during the invulnerable period after repairing.
  
• Fixed the Explosive Barrels getting stuck in a respawn explode loop if they were destroyed from 100m+
  
• Fixed the resolution of the Blueprint displayed when editing an uploaded being low.
  
• Fixed a soft lock that would occur if entering the seat in the same frame that it was destroyed.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Daily Challenge not displaying correctly.
  
• Fixed numerous localisation issues.

Ever since Trailmakers launched on Early Access we've continually been impressed by what our community has created with the things we've given them in-game, and we can't wait to see the Workshop fill with your Mod creations!

We’re hard at work bringing the 1.3 Update to PlayStation and Xbox too, though of course without the Mod Support. Stay tuned for more news regarding this release on those platforms and for us to dive deeper into our plans for the 1.4 update...