Apr 27, 2023

Trailmakers: Airborne Expansion is out now! 🛩️

Trailmakers - alexirons92

Dear Trailmakers, you are cleared for take-off.

On January 23 we announced Trailmakers: Airborne. Since then we have written updates, streamed, showcased, and you have all been eagerly waiting and asking questions. Well, wait no longer.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2285970/Trailmakers_Airborne_Expansion/

This is by far the biggest expansion we have ever done and we hope you will be able to see how much effort we put into bringing something new to the game, you all humble us by playing so passionately since the initial release of Trailmakers.

And here is our thanks to you:

When launching the Airborne campaign you are transported into the Chirpo homeworld, a vast open-world map currently undergoing a devastating invasion by Robot Pirates. It is your job to bring peace to this world while upgrading your vehicle with a variety of new blocks and weapons. Use your upgrades to defeat the increasingly difficult enemies.

Explore the open world map of Trailmakers: Airborne by plane, car, airship (or whatever else your imagination can come up with) and find all the hidden treasures, missions, and blocks from the Skylands to the Ancient Deserts.

To complement the new weapons we have introduced an aiming reticle with adjustable aim assist. Use it with your new miniguns and rocket launchers, as well as the already existing smart guns - or use the bombs bays to take out enemies below you!

Use these new features in team-based multiplayer and have a blast with your friends.

You’ve asked for it for a long time and it’s finally here: Center of Forces visualization will make it easier to troubleshoot your vehicle with clear insight into weight distribution, buoyancy, thrust and more. Another thing often requested by the community is a camera block. Use it to gain a unique perspective from wherever you choose to put it.

We truly believe we have the most creative gaming community in the world and we are bursting with excitement to see what marvelous feats of engineering you will come up with.

Happy Trailmakin’!

Flashbulb Games

Apr 27, 2023

1.6 Update: Wings and Weapons is live 🛩️

Trailmakers - alexirons92

Hey there Trailmakers!

Today we are extremely proud and excited to release our latest update for Trailmakers - Wings and Weapons (1.6) alongside the release of our new expansion - Trailmakers: Airborne! We have a wide range of new features, blocks and bug fixes that are added to your game completely free of charge as part of the 1.6 update.

New and Improved Main Menu UI. It’s now much easier to find the content you feel like playing whether it be Campaign, Sandbox or Racing!
Targeting reticle. Now when you are using a structure with weapons you’ll notice a targeting reticle so you can see where your hits are going to be landing. On top of this it has a built in ammo clip UI which show you just how much longer you can keep on firing your weapons before needing to wait for a recharge. When hitting your target there will also be a juicy, satisfying hitmarker sound for you audible feedback pleasure.
Auto Aim. The Smart Cannon, Tiny Cannon, Mini Gun and Rocket Launcher feature a new Auto Aim. This is not an aim bot but an aim assist. It will vaguely predict where your enemy is and where they are going. But a skilled pilot will be able to dodge without issues. Within the Configurator for these blocks you can also adjust the Auto Aim Scale, or also turn it off completely if you are a hardcore dogfight elitist.
(Steam and Win GDK Only) - We have enabled the ability to bind your Left Mouse button for block input.
New Default Inputs - We have done a pass across the default inputs for all blocks in the game across both Keyboard and Mouse and Controller for a more consistent experience across the different blocks and different input methods. This also means there is much less conflict, in terms of things such as Dynamite and Bomb Bays being bound to the same key as your Dragon Jets. This change should not affect any existing structures that have had their default bindings changed. Existing structures that were using a default binding will update to the new default binding.
New Spawn in Builder button within the Workshop and Gallery - This new button means once you are subscribed to an uploaded Blueprint you can just press this button to spawn it directly into your Builder.
New Camera Shake and Screen damage effects. When your structure is getting hit you might notice it all feels a bit more physical thanks to these. The Camera Shake can be toggled on and off in the options.
New Block Damage visualization. Now when blocks on your structures get damaged it is clearly messaged to you with the new visual effects we’ve added. When parts do fall off you’ll also notice them bursting into flames and leaving smoking debris behind.
New First Person Look around in the seat! When using the first person in seat camera you can now freely look around with your mouse/right stick.
New First Person FoV Slider. In the Options you can now increase/decrease the First Person FoV to your preferred value!
Refined Camera Options. With the additional of the Camera Block, meaning you can essentially chose your own camera angles, we took the opportunity to refine the available options. We decided to remove the Sticky Orbit and Behind Seat options and have made numerous improvements to general camera behaviour.
(Steam/Win GDK Only) - Added functionality for panning the camera up and down when in Free Cam mode (F5).
Repair in Air feature (rep-air if you will). This new feature means you can now repair in the air after taking damage, but beware, you can’t do this freely. Once you Repair in air, you’ll notice a small bar in the bottom left of the screen start to slowly fill up. Until this recharges you’re unable to do another repair. You can wait out the cooldown, find somewhere to land for it to instantly refill, or kill some enemies to partially refill the meter.
(Keyboard only) The Backspace Key now requires you to hold for a second rather than just press. This should avoid accidental respawns.
New Teams Option in Multiplayer. If you are hosting a Multiplayer Server and you open the Session Options menu you’ll now have the option of assigning each player on the server to a different team. Being on the same team means auto aim will not pick up your own team mates though be careful, friendly fire is still a thing!
New hitbox for the propeller
New visuals for the modular wing blocks

Center of Forces Visualization! This one is a big one, and something that has been highly requested from the day we first released Trailmakers. Once you enable this in the Builder you will at a glance be able to see your Center of Mass, Thrust, Air Buoyancy, Lift, Vertical Drag and Horizontal Drag! If you build something that isn’t quite right, you’ll see a warning which when highlighted will give you a helpful explanation of what will happen if you leave it like that, and also tips to fix it!
Block Input Overview UI. This Toggle will show all of the configured Bindings for blocks which makes figuring out what key does what much easier!

Flight

Small Flap Wing
Small Aileron
Flap Wing
Aileron
Elevator Tail
Big Elevator Fin
Small Elevator Fin
Tubes
Cone 1x1x2

Balance

Inflatable Balloon
Party Balloon

Gadgets

Mini Gun
Bomb Bay
Rocket Launcher
Camera Block

There are also some blocks that have had their names changed from previous live versions of the game. These are -

Mini Thruster > Thruster
Helicopter Engine V2 > Stackable Helicopter Engine
Small Cannon > Smart Cannon

We have added a couple of new features to modding alongside this update, as well as a big batch of new Prefabs, some fixes to existing ones and we also removed a handful that were broken. You can find a full list of these Prefabs in the #modding channel on our Discord! (http://discord.gg/trailmakers)

Physics API (Concave support for custom shapes.)
Player API (Jetpack enable/disable support.)

Fixed a bug with Hinges and inconsistencies in behaviour when moving positively and negatively at varying speeds.

Numerous fixes to Mirror Mode behaviour.
(Steam) Fixed the Open Blueprint Folder button not working.
(Steam) Fixed the Open Mods Folder button not working.
(Steam) Fixed F8 not taking a screenshot.
(PlayStation) Fixed the correct first time user flow being present for a first time player.
Fixed some performance issues when playing the game in non-Latin languages.
Fixed an issue with some Decals mirroring offset.
Fixed the offset collider on the Crow's Nest Seat.
(Consoles) Fixed an issue that was causing the loading of the Gallery to hang on some connections.
(Xbox) Fixed the incorrect character limit on Blueprint Names and Descriptions.

Apr 15, 2023

Airborne Expansion 🔫 Combat II

Trailmakers - alexirons92

Combat plays a big role in Trailmakers: Airborne. So let’s talk about it.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2285970/Trailmakers_Airborne_Expansion/

The Airborne campaign will feature enemies for the first time in the history of Trailmakers - and with enemies comes combat.

Without revealing too much about the story itself, you probably already guessed that you start out without much power and gradually grow stronger through the campaign - you know, like any other video game.

You will have few tools to fight with in the beginning but you have to make the best of them because the Robot Pirates won’t go easy on you. They’ll be using different kinds of vehicles and formations so you will have to go full Bear Grylls and IMPROVISE, ADAPT, OVERCOME.

You will be tasked with taking down enemies on the ground and in the skies so you will have to constantly expand your vehicle arsenal to deal with the vast threats of the pirate invasion.

With the new aiming system you can adjust the auto aim to be as challenging as you want it to be. A true warrior will have auto aim turned off for the entirety of the campaign but we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t do that.

Read about the new weapons [[url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/585420/view/6385581887746050584]here[/url]]
Read about the different enemy types [[url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/585420/view/3664278558786800945]here[/url]]

Battling it out with your friends in multiplayer is nothing new but it’s about to get a lot more interesting.

Jump into a server with your friends, divide the teams, and start blasting.

The 1.6 and Airborne update focuses heavily on parts made for building aircrafts (duh) but why not put a rocket launcher on a tank? Or one, nay, TWO miniguns on a dune buggy? We trust the community to find a way to use the new parts to build ground-based war machines the world has never seen before - or slap some wings on your humvee and have a battle of the hybrids.

“This is where the fun begins” - Anakin Skywalker. High speeds, barrel rolls, Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” playing in the background. Life is good in the skies - so long as you don’t have your friends dismantling your aircraft with miniguns and missiles.

This type of combat is the mantra of Trailmakers: Airborne. We can’t wait to see what kind of agile death-birds the world’s most creative gaming community can come up with.

Airships fighting in an airborne naval battle is ridiculously fun. It’s more slow-paced combat but nonetheless intense. Inflate the balloons, load the cannons, and set sail (kind of) for a new and exciting battleground in Trailmakers.

But these are just a small sample of the possibilities. We are always surprised by what the Trailmakers Community comes up with and we have no reason to believe things will be any different when it comes to the revamped combat system.

Go out there and make us proud! (soon)
The Trailmakers Team

Mar 31, 2023

1.6 Update: Wings and Weapons features

Trailmakers - alexirons92

During the past weeks we’ve talked to no end about what the Trailmakers: Airborne DLC will include. But some of you feel left out under the impression that the extravagant update will only benefit people who pay for the DLC.

So let’s go over ALL the things that EVERYONE will receive for FREE in patch 1.6.

Is your plane tipping over? Are you having difficulty taking off? Well, now it’s going to be easier locating the problem. The Center of Forces visualization gives you clear insight into your vehicle's weight distribution, buoyancy, thrust and more. For the hardcore Trailmakers who would rather figure it out themselves you can easily disable this.

Get ready to have a balloon party You can now mount your vehicle with inflatable balloons for that direct vertical ascend. The balloons can be inflated and deflated at your will for precise altitude control.

The party balloon is… well a balloon. Use it for extra lift or make the house from Up. As always, your imagination is your limit.

Did you forget how you mapped your block inputs? Us too, sometimes. But fear not. In 1.6 you will be able to toggle Block Input Overview for a detailed overview on how to operate even your most complex creations.

In 1.6 you will be freed from the shackles of only 8 camera angles. Mount camera blocks on your vehicle to get a customized view of your driving, flying, sailing or diving.

Use it to look behind you to accurately fire in a dogfight chase, place it below for better view in your bombing runs, or whatever else you can think of!

We’ve already talked about this but many thought this was purely a DLC feature. Well, it’s not! Aiming receptacles with adjustable aim assist is coming to ALL players in Trailmakers, bound to make your brawls more interesting.

This is not an aim bot but an aim assist. It will vaguely predict where your enemy is and where they are going. But a skilled pilot will be able to dodge without issues.

Guuuuuuuuuns! Mini Guns have made their way into Trailmakers and their name is ironic because honestly they’re anything but mini. They’re fast and can quickly dismantle an enemy vehicle in a hail-fire of bullets.

Put Bomb Bays under your aircraft and drop early Christmas presents on unsuspecting ground enemies (or airborne enemies if your timing and aim can handle it). But if you prefer to bomb things in front of you the new Rocket Launcher might be the better pick.

And this is what it’s all about, right? Wings, tailfins, and ailerons with adjustable flaps to build an agile and stable aircraft. In a flying context, these parts are self-explanatory.

These are among the things coming for free in the 1.6 updates but not all. Keep an eye out for more news.

Happy Trailmaking!
The Trailmakers Team

Mar 17, 2023

Airborne Expansion 🔫 Combat

Trailmakers - alexirons92

Combat in Trailmakers isn't something new - we've introduced weapons before. These were focused on multiplayer fun and were not a fundamental part of the gameplay.

That changes in the Airborne Expansion, where in addition to giving them a purpose (you can check the list of enemies here), we introduce new weapons and a new aiming mechanic. And this new mechanic makes battles in Trailmakers a whole new thing.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2285970/

To complement the combat system we have added aiming reticles that will automatically lock onto enemies in front of. You can place your guns in different directions and fire at multiple enemies around you at the same time - or just surprise a pesky flanker who has lurked up behind you.

Guns will work the same way on all types of vehicles whether it’s planes, cars or boats. Take the fight anywhere! To give you some more sugar for this medicine the aiming system works to not only shoot at your opponent - it also anticipates where they are going and fires bullets ahead of them. So dust off your aviators and get ready for some serious dodging.

Need to take out tougher opponents on the ground? Well, why don’t you fly directly above them and unleash a barrage of bombs on them - or lock onto them with missiles.

All these mechanics will also be available in skirmish multiplayer so you and your friend can test who can build the biggest, baddest war machine.

Check all the info about Trailmakers: Airborne here: