https://youtu.be/OnI_4OHDnuM We have officially released the new Battle Mode! Challenge your viewers to a turn based animal battle in the new Dungeon or Fire Desert! Use power ups to defeat one another to become the last animal standing!
Mixer
We are also happy to announce that Stream Animals now works on Mixer!
New Animal Store Preview
Complete your collection easier with the new Animal Store Preview!
New Leaderboard Scoring
We now have tournament based scoring for Stream Animals. The point totals are customizable and scaled based on the number of players.
Patch Notes
- Fixed: Winner/Draw screen would hide and not return if you press Escape.
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Attention all personnel! We have recently added a new section in our Ban Policy.
The new section entails information regarding griefing and community raids. As well as a new section, some changes were made on already existing sections within the ban policy. A link to the ban policy has also been added to the EULA.
We have two, very very busy months behind us. As a result, we can proudly present Zero Caliber’s biggest, most packed content update since its EA release last year! We’ve brought you a new map - Lockup, a new weapon - Glock 18, the much-awaited loadout storing system, unlockable weapon skins, sharper graphics and a lot, lot more! Really, when i say a lot more, i mean A LOT more.
This update is a HUGE one, please read through all the patchnotes below to see the full picture. It’s impossible to summarize all the new content and improvements in a few words.
MAPS
New mission: Lockup. The Tlalokii have overtaken a maximum security prison. You're tasked with the covert mission of recovering sensitive prisoner lists.
NOTE: You can find a basketball court mid-mission with functioning basketballs. Because even soldiers have to relax mid-combat.
WEAPON SKINS | REWORKED LOBBY
Extended Armory: with the amount of weapons and skins we have, it was time to extend our armory with new weapon racks, and a shooting range (which is still WiP)
The new weapon racks contain all the available weapons, their skins, all the attachments and their skins and all types of magazines. And their skins. Yes. All of them. NOTE: You can choose which weapon skin you prefer and all the corresponding items will use that skin.
Unlocking weapon skins: each skin has a rank requirement you have to reach. There are also hidden mystery skins throughout all maps(if treasure hunting is your thing - yarr!); they can only be unlocked by finding them.
NEW LOADOUT STORING SYSTEM
Store your favourite loadouts! You now have access to 3 life-size mannequins to store your favourite loadouts on. You can manually suit up your doppelgängers with your favourite setups, OR you can just press the appropriate buttons (either to store or to equip) to make the process faster.
Store your gear, and they'll be waiting for you next time you launch the game.
WEAPONS
New weapon: the Glock 18, a legendary fully-automatic pistol. Did i mention it also has a drum mag? Brrrrt.
Tactical shield level-up: when using a pistol and shield combo, you can reload one-handed for that extra badass feeling!
Burst fire mode added for the following weapons: G36 (double shot), Glock 18 (triple shot) and the KRISS Vector (double shot)
Most weapons have multiple new types of magazines: extended, double, drum, etc.
All magazines have skinned versions and you can combine them with different weapon skins
Grenades now have indicator trails when thrown, with lights and sound effect
Shotgun clips can be used for easier reload: load 5 shells in at a time, then keep taking clips out of your ammo pouch instead of individual shells. NOTE: Why have shotguns without proper reload mechanics? Good question! Pumpable shotguns are finally coming in the next update!
The last 15 weapons you’ve grabbed won’t disappear within a ~32m radius
Revolver ejects bullets/casings correctly
Turret release by distance fixed
Stocks dynamically open or close depending on which state is closer (instead of always opening unless completely closed)
G36 stock now works as intended
ATTACHMENTS
Attention! The way of removing attachments has changed! Press and hold the trigger, then pull the attachment away (no need to use button combinations anymore).
A short trigger press (no holding!) without pulling your hand away will change the modes on the attachment if applicable. WITH UNDER BARREL GRIPS: Little bit different, you have to secondary grab the weapon (grip) - then press the trigger and pull the attachment away to remove it.
NOTE: Knocking off an attachment with another one still works!
Smart attachment interaction when pressing the corresponding button - action performed in this order: 1. Release slider IF backed 2. Activate side attachment IF there is one on the weapon AND the slider isn’t backed 3. Activate scope IF the slider isn’t backed AND there is no side attachment
Attachment optimization resulting in much better performance
Silencers can be removed from pistols
Flash suppressor now works as intended
GAMEPLAY | AI
Smarter AI behavior: the enemy will change states, run in and out of cover, run away or charge you depending on the situation around them NOTE: Friendly AI will get a rework soon!
AI spawn optimization resulting in better performance
Loading screen added
MULTIPLAYER
Holster improvement: can’t remove other players’ holstered weapons. No more stealing. :’(
Reviving other players isn’t instant anymore, it has a small (1 sec) cooldown.
Force pull sync improved
Improved weapon spawning to hand
PLAYER | CONTROL IMPROVEMENTS
Trigger/grip interaction: we've separated what the trigger and grip buttons can do: Trigger: ammo and attachment interaction Grip: weapon grabbing
Reloading while crouching: it is now easier to take out ammo from the belt while crouching (ammo pouch collider is around the player’s knees when crouching)
Wrist and lower arm positioning and rotations are reworked NOTE: It is much better than before, but still WiP.
UI laser beam improved: it is now independent from weapon length
Completely reworked Comfort Mode setting for players prone to motion sickness - it is much more pleasant now. Also we now have three intensity settings under Settings>Game
Comfort mode setup added to Lobby
Player doesn’t glitch anymore when pressing full locomotion immediately after spawning
Various force pull bug fixes
Menu and pointer now supports main hand setting for left handed players
NOTE: Index controllers are not supported officially. It's coming in the next update!
GFX
Sharpened image to reduce overall blurriness - MUCH more sharp graphics
No more head- and armless body after player death
POIs are now fading when the player looks towards them - less obstructing
Menu UI scaled down
Impact decals are now attached to dynamic objects
In the menu, after pressing Exit to Desktop, Cancel button now works
New map has an experimental GFX feature (on VR platform): lens flares (bless Michael Bay!)
‘Retaliation’ map got the 'american-night' filter: instead of pitch-black, it has a nice blue ambient atmosphere
Overall post processing FX improvements
SFX
Updated gun sounds
Burst weapon tail sound fixed, sound echoes after every burst even if the player doesn’t let go of the trigger
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Phew, what a list! As you can see, we went a little overboard with all the things we wanted to pack into this update. It took a little longer than we wanted to, but we made it! - well, almost made it. We’re aware this update isn’t completely bug free. Currently these are the bugs we know about, they will be fixed in a hotfix coming in the next few days.
PSO scope disappears from the weapon rack under the Dragunov
Co-op: if a squadmate finds a mystery skin then the whole squad recieves the skin
Reloading weapons which were taken off the mannequins: several magazines get stuck at the belt
End of 'Lockup' chopper scene shakes the camera unnecessarily
'Lockup' checkpoints: respawning at checkpoints takes a bit too long because of the map's loading time
Incorrect impact decals are displayed on walls when shot at from some weapons
Picking up random weapons and grabbing them in the secondary hand position makes the hand invisible in some cases
If you encounter any other bugs, please head over to our Bugreports section and report them - we read ALL the reports, even if we don't answer immediately.
We're eagerly waiting for your feedback about this update - please share your thoughts with us on either of the platforms listed in our Contact Us topic.
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That's all for now, go and have fun! :) And thank you for the continuous support and patience, it's really appreciated!
“[Bzzt] Paging Dr. Tess Tickle, to the ER, that’s Dr. Tickle to the ER please. [Kssht]”
>Doctor Tickle, thank god you’re here, we have a code blue! >Nurse, get the heart starter, stapler, and the colon cleanser, STAT!
What’s worse than a swarm of patient heads screeching at you? Enter: The Outpatient. A new enemy that is a coagulated, mutated ball of body parts, formed into a giant head. Nice.
Instead of crowding you, Outpatients will maintain a distance to launch their explosive projectile vomit. Once the vomit hits the ground, it becomes a pile of volatile bile that explodes on proximity! Gross...but also maybe useful for destroying any enemies that get too close to the explosion?
Thank you all who have bought the game and given good feedback. its been pretty intense so far, Ive had trouble keeping up with it all and Ive certainly lot replied to it all, but I have been paying attention.... Its been emotional sharing this game with the general public and has been tiring, but overall im pretty pleased with how things are going so far...
General plan
I've been working hard on the game and my initial focus is to try and get it working for all and cater for the different ways that people want to play. After that I will add some more features and content to the game - theres still areas of the galaxy that I would like to flesh out + I would like to add more to do for higher level players
In version 0.13.5
I've fixed a few errors and a few usability and UI things:
Can now bind mouse buttons (and wheel) to keys for those that want to fire with the mouse buttons.
Fixed the floating point NaN error that was coming up in stations
Moved "Prospector One" Augmentation blueprint to first star system (hack the pirate station to get it). This is an augmentation that colour codes asteroids on the radar, and ive moved it earlier as there are a few ore hunters out there wanting it
Bigger HUD sizes added - Some people finding things hard to read depending on their screen and resolution. I think i will have to redo all the HUD and screens later with a better bigger font. but this will take a long time, so use the option in the options menu (under video) for now
Made lots of tweaks to the shop UI to hopefully make things easier..
Fixing some VR issues
VR tutorials and tips should hopefuly now be correct for Vive, Oculus Rift and valve index. I would appreciate any testing/feedback from those with these systems...
Joypad should now work in VR, although as the hud is currently attached to the controllers, it is not yet ideal. I can see that playing with a joypad in VR actually feels pretty good. So my plan is to have an option to just have the HUD appear in a rectangle in front of you, more like 2d mode.
WMR headsets - i am hoping that when i have the above "joypad mode" hud working that the game will be playable on most WMR setups (with a joypad), as for other controllers e.g. samsung odyssey im not sure yet, but maybe in later versions
Plans
Someone suggested that it would be good to see your steam friends on the map, I think this is a great idea, so am going to look into it
Help Terminal - You'll see this in stations already, but its not yet active. I am going to put a few pages in here that will help explain. Let me know if something has confused you in game that you would like explaining
Co-op missions. I think this is going to work by inviting other players to join you on an existing mission. Missions sectors are currently single player only
PvP sectors/matches - Currently all sectors are can potentially PvP sectors. But I appreciate that this doesnt really focus players. So what i am thinking is that players could maybe set up a "match" via a station terminal and it would show up on the map for all players. These matches could have different options/restrictions
Reconnecting - Some players have experienced the occasional disconnection, which i know is frustrating. So what I am planning is that the game will attempt to reconnect you without kicking you back to the main menu. For those with no connection another plan is:
Offline Mode - This will not use the online database, and therefore will not use your usual characters. So will essentially be single player only. This will be handy for those on a laptop away from their internet, but also
Pointers - you currently get an arrow pointing at the closest enemy, closest friendly, closest asteroid etc, Im thinking maybe it would be cool to have mini arrows for all objects within 100su. Maybe just in top down view, or maybe in all. Will experiment
Other plans for VR:
I want to make the VR experience better for all and have been listening to feedback
I'm planning to add extra camera options, rather than just the 3 modes, i will have settings to move the camera position as well as scale things up and down.
I also plan to do a separate cockpit for VR so that its easier to see around you
There are of course loads of bugs to fix and loads of other ideas to put in. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask here, or use one of these other channels of communication:
PowerBeatsVR just got a huge fitness boost with our latest update: Besides lots of polish, some fixes, and new requested options from you, there is now an advanced calorie counter, player statistics, and unique support for heart rate monitors to track your fitness level and make the calorie counter one of the most accurate available in VR.
For more details about which heart rate monitors are supported, head over to our community post.
And here are all the changes in detail:
New Main Features:
Added a sophisticated calorie tracker based on age, weight, gender, controller movement, and heart rate as optional input. Burnt calories are stored for a single session, a custom period, and for the entire lifetime, and are shown during a challenge, on the endscreen and in the menu.
Added unique support for commercial heart rate monitors to show your heart rate in-game. The heart rate will also be analysed after each challenge and used for making the calorie tracker more accurate.
Menu:
Added the option to enable/disable hints
Added the option to adjust the playspace warning or even disable it completely
Added the option to reset the calorie count shown for the custom period
Added the option to enable/disable graphics beautification
Added saving to the visibility of the Options and Credits panel
Condensed the options and parts of the menu
Gameplay:
Fixed missing/low haptic feedback
Added Tracked Motion to statistics after each challenge
Added fitness and VR tips to loading screens
Enabled pause when system button gets pressed
Graphics:
Improved sharpness and contrast of graphics (beautification)
Changed the destruction effect of boulders to being shattered into lots of small pieces with enough force applied
Polished particle effects for touching the streams
Polished stream visuals
Made environments brighter and more friendly
Polished the space environment
Polished the feedback visualization
Added various skyboxes to the desert and medieval environment
Changed the start-up room to being a futuristic gym
Sound:
Added an alternative drum-like and more subtle destruction sound
Set default volume to 50%
Removed the sound that was played whenever the powerfist was fully charged
Performance:
Optimized the particle effects
As always, we would love to get your feedback on Discord community server about the update and the features you want to see next.
Comments and reviews on Steam are also much appreciated!
This is the fourth update for a new map, called Vessel.
Vessel is a small sea based map where the players are confined to three war ships in a part of a war fleet. This map is largely suited to short range weapons such as shotguns, pistols or machine guns.
The map offers an abundance of cover in the shape of containers, vehicles, props and shipping items. Maneuverability can be tough on the map but once you have the layout figured out it becomes allot easier to become very fluent here!
The map supports all the weather conditions, being - clear, rainy and snowy.
You can see all the stages of the dissolving process in slow motion.
In the last article, we touched on the subject of the system responsible for fire and burning effects in The Riftbreaker. The dissolve effect that turns the vegetation into burnt husks is one of the several that we have implemented, each with a different use case. In this case, whenever a piece of flora catches fire, we start dissolving it by gradually changing the texture from regular to burnt.
Grass + fire = ...?
The first texture you see is what you encounter in-game when the plant is in its normal state. By mixing it with the second texture, we get an imitation of the model being engulfed in flames. As it happens, the vertexes of the plant light up bright orange - simulating smoldering. We also attach some fire effects, chosen on the basis of size. After some time, all that is left is what you see in the third picture - a completely burnt version of what was there before the fire.
The parts of the tree model as they appear in the model editor. Note that all the leaves are separate parts, too!
That is, of course, not the only misfortune that can happen to the poor plants that stand in your way. Mr. Riggs has plenty of weapons that can end their existence, and we are prepared for that. The plant models are cut into a lot of smaller pieces which spawn when their parent model is destroyed. The direction in which the parts will fly after being spawned is affected by the direction of the attack that destroyed the plant to some degree, but there is also an element of randomness to it. Additional particle effects appear to imitate splinters and leaves. After all of these things take place, only a stump is left in the ground.
The parts do not spawn in the same order every time, which adds to the variety.
That’s all we have for you today. Remember to join our Discord server - you can ask us anything at any time and give us your feedback and thoughts. www.discord.gg/exorstudios
- Fixed bugs associated with joining the battle; - Added primitive bots to warming up players between battles; - There are no restrictions on the number of players to start a battle; - Fixed a number of other bugs.