It’s almost impossible to think about Hawaii and not think about its beautiful blue waters. Getting just the right color, perfecting the way the light reflects, and the interaction between the waves and the shore are things we’ve tried very hard to make as realistic as possible.
This week we updated all those aspects of the water and worked on player/water interactions too, adding splashes and ripples to the ocean and streams to make them look and act like the real thing.
Whether it’s the middle of the day:
Or approaching dusk:
Players can make a big splash on the beach or in one of the rivers that flow through the jungle.
Exploring one of the many wrecks along the shore is a great way to appreciate how much dev time we’ve put into making the water, weather, and lighting look great.
It’s looking good even from under the waves.
Fighting the Good Fight
With the help of your input we made another pass on our sieging system and made a few more improvements. We fixed a few bugs including one that would allow a siege to be started on a base that was already under siege, and mutants can now occupy a base instead of just tearing it apart. We also activated random sieges. So any base now has a chance of getting unexpected visitors knocking down the front door when a player is online.
We also added a trailer mark to the rotting heads thrown by the trophy collectors making it easier to see where the putrid missiles are coming from in the middle of a chaotic battle
Community Spotlight
Many of you have been posting your screenshots and pics of your Badass Bases in the #badassbase channel in discord. We appreciate all your hard work!
Remember you don’t have to wait for the weekly playtest to travel to Lahaina, our servers are up 24/7! Here’s a look at some of the new construction that went up this week. Keep them coming!
Here’s a great shot of the same base taken at different times of day.
Here’s a compound that sprung up in the neighborhood
And this platform @spitfire built to take screenshots.
Calling All Streamers!
If you’re a Content Creator and want to stream Fractured Veil, say Aloha!
Those of you, following us on the forums, twitter and Discord might already have seen a few of the additions, update 1.2 will add to the game. But as this patch has been growing a bit more into an intermediate version, there is a lot more to be found. Some additions might only seem to be visual changes, like the new Asteroid rings (which are now visible from planets as well) and other entries of the changelog below might sound like technical shenanigans, but both will prepare some of the groundwork we will iterate on for this years ‘Christmas update’.
While you venture through the world of v1.2, also mind the new behavior and attacks of the ‘Otyugh’ land predator, check the loot boxes closely for a new fire-spitting weapon and enjoy all the new POIs.
A note for builders: In case your structure or vessel suddenly loses oxygen, check your slant, half and irregular blocks, tilted windows and other elements that worked to ‘seal off’ an area before! The O2 distribution is now calculated on 0.5m scale and will be able to fill in and pass through tighter areas!
Check out all the changes and additions in the changelog below!
Have fun exploring the v1.2 Experimental! Empyrion Dev Team
== CHANGELOG ==
UPDATE Patch 07-10-2020 v1.2 (Build 3129)
Changes
Renamed the new asteroid rings around planets from AsteroidFieldRing to AsteroidRingPlanet, keeping the old AsteroidFieldRing instance
GrassV2: better check for abrupt steep slopes
Fixes
Fixed: Respawning at the tent will kill the player
Fixed: Sun flares not showing up on planet playfields
Fixed: AI patrols vessels can continue to rotate & turn at the location they were stopped
Fixed: AsteroidRings > fixed collider being positioned wrong in MP when changing from planet to space
Fixed: CoQ spam with Multiple AsteroidRings in a playfield
Fixed: Some AI patrols vessels can continue to rotate & turn at the location they were stopped
====
UPDATE Patch 01-10-2020 v1.2 (B3124)
Changes
Asteroids Rings: adjusted ring texture slightly, supporting now color grading (in yaml specifiy either "color1" or "color1 - color2"), visible from planet (position is still wrong!), playfield server now generates correct colliders around all players
Asteroids Rings: bigger size, allow to specify the color in the playfield.yaml under Properties, default color is grey
AsteroidRings: slightly higher distance to planet of inner ring, taking two random colors if nothing specified in yaml
AsteroidRings: desaturized random ring colors a bit, increased visible near distance of dust from 50m to 150m, improved fade in of asteroids
AsteroidRings: tinting asteroids according to ring color, asteroids got a bit bigger to avoid vessels getting stuck on colliding
AsteroidRings: increased visible near distance of dust even more from 150m to 200m, asteroids get now position above or below dust to not cut into it, higher visible distance for smaller asteroids
MP: structure updates are now sent every 3s instead of only 5s to show f.e. shield update state in MP faster
Optimization: all turrets in all structures don't do any target raycasting any more if they are switched off in CP
GrassV2: allowing now Flower01 and other cross planes in a much higher number, scaling xz also with half y if specified
GrassV2: increased number of possible instances from 2.5k to 30k
GrassV2: set internal buffers for custom mesh grass to 1000 each as they don't occur that often (performance optimization)
GrassV2: Added: custom meshes, improved probability backward compatibility
Added option to disallow spawn nearby in PvP
Land predator "Otyugh" improved behavior. Added: fireball and flame breath as attack options
Add INFO button + popup to constructor, furnace and deconstructor UI's
Modders can now put changed configuration files for the default scenario (.ecf files in Content/Configuration) in Content/Mods => no more need to touch the originals which will be overwritten with each update
Console command 'prefabinfo': Added: description for two parameters
Added: Structure Attack and Defense values to allow assessing / comparing different structures in regard of combat strength
Added: +PlayfieldDOKU folder to playfields and Added: Playfield Ambient Sound and Soundtrack files there.
O2 calculation is now done on 0.5m voxels instead of 1m voxels. With that change, structures will get oxygened in much more detailed areas.
ModAPI: Added: some requested properties to IStructure
ModAPI: Added: some requested properties to IEntity
Solar Panel : new console command "spanel sf Parma1 Param2" will add energy = Param1 to the solar battery. Param2 is optional and is the entity Id targeted (it must be a spawned base) without Param2 the closest base to the player will be targeted.
DialogueSystem: Added: new variable types (dbglobalpf_int and dbplayerpoi_int)
Creative mode: default-deactivated CPU (CPU and m/v can be activated via console > use 'help gopt' for more info)
Added: to /content/playfields folder: text file each with list of soundtracks and ambient sounds (for builders and creators)
Added: Flamethrower and Ammo to some Traders and Loot Tables
Added: error message when a playfield.yaml is of 0 bytes (reported by a server owner)
Internal optimization: normal data for planets is now saved in cache folder instead recreated every time on load
Removed internal workaround that planet needed to get rotated by 90°
Updated: Zirax Gas Refinery (Kaeser)
Added: New variant for Tribal Burial Chamber (Kaeser)
Added: AbandonedOutpost and AbandonedWorkshop (new T1 starter planet POIs; Not yet deployed; thx to fractalite & vermillion)
Added: Temple of the Lazpereis (9oo9oo; POI has pre-damaged admin core)
Added: Civil Transport Hub T2 (by Kithid)
Added: dedicated HP to CV Warpdrive
Added: Kriel Space Drone Base ( by Escarli)
Added: Zirax Dreadnought (by vermillion)
Updated: RadosMissileBase (thx to vermillion)
Updated: Kriel BAO Caenum Platearum (by Escarli)
Dialogues.ecf and Dialogues-config-and-examples.txt: Added example for Traders to have dialogue with the choice to go to their offers
Trader dialogue is now saved into blueprints as well
Sun light color is now applied to rings and distant objects as well
Updated Main Localization
Partially updated Localization of Default Scenario (PDA and Dialogues)
Partially updated Localization of Tutorial (PDA); Note: Empyriopedia has been removed from Tutorial PDA until updated/restructured
Ring asteroids: adjusted rotation to fit the old rings better, adjusted radius to fit the old rings better
DialogueSystem: allowing now 30 items for all lists (f.e. Next, etc), allowing now max. 12 results (old was 7), added possibility to jump to a state defined in a string variable
Set back device textures to 2k (from 1k). Use texture resolution "Half" to save memory on low end computers
Adapted Constructor-like devices help text's loca keys
Added randomized dialogue quotes to walking civilians and guards in the polaris planetary trading station (Starter planet) as a first test
Added back old Empyriopedia to Tutorial scenario for EXP v1.2
DB: added index for discovered POIs to speed up query
DB: added index for entities to speed up query
Fixes
Fixed: Vegetation showing in POIs
Fixed: [MP] AI Turrets sometimes continue to shoot at dead NPC's that are not rendered
Fixed: Slow / bugged terrain rendering around POIs in MP
Fixed: Ultra Rare Alien Containers sometimes do not have loot
Fixed: Cruise Mode with thrusters off does not let ship come to a full stop
Fixed: Vessels can get stuck inside other vessels when the parent vessels "rolls" after undocking
Fixed: NPC spawn on Waystation 04
Fixed: Food Processor is always on when spawning a blueprint in
Fixed: Salvaging ventilator blocks did not give back materials
Fixed: issue with turkish loca on some occurences
Fixed: ZiraxCommander (old AI) can shoot through windows/walls/blocks
Fixed: Ammo missing message displaying when ammo type is available in the ammo box
Fixed: Certain blocks/devices get wrong block picked up with SI-collapsed parts
Fixed: A face of the block shape "Cube Stepped Edge" can go invisible when placed next to another block
Fixed: "Cut corner e" can get a invisible side with concrete stairs
Fixed: [MP/Co-op] No sound from doors or ramps which are setup to be controlled by motion sensors
Fixed: [Co-op] A CoQ can trigger when trying to join a Co-op game that has a password setup
Fixed: Drones randomly spawning in 1 location
Fixed: StationServices take money from player although repair area blocked / no repair happened
Fixed: Logistics window shows too many item cells and 'connected color' overlay stays on screen in these surplus cells (e.g. when changing to a repair station)
Fixed: Planet patrol vessels will not respawn
Fixed: O2 does not pass through doorframes and through certain arrangements
Fixed: Exiting a planet or moon's atmosphere into space will result in you being kicked backwards back into the planet
Fixed: Pirates Raider Base
Fixed: CoQ after removing the container assigned to deconstructor
Fixed: Auto level for players & vessels when within 6.25km of a planet is not the same
Fixed: problem that .bin file was always regenerated on first load of the game
Fixed: rolling prevents (shield) damage
Fixed: Thrust projection for "Thruster jet M" & "Thrusters L" not centered
Fixed: prefabinfo does not find blueprints in Stock folder
Fixed: Stopped AI Vessels can continue to move if the player moves far away
Fixed: "Discovered by" dates are not progressing & stuck at 01/08/2474
Fixed: Players with to high ping dont get kicked (=> on client side there is now a popup shown if the ping is 10s higher than the limit)
Fix for regression that player died again when he respawned at medic station and the BA with the medic station was DSL'ed
DialogueSystem: potential fix for losing variable content if there was a connection timeout when starting a dialogue
Update 0.18 is the biggest update for Evospace to date.
The game engine has been completely overhauled to support mods, as well as to improve performance and ensure the operation of bases that are larger than the range of sight. Fps should improve dramatically for all users, especially on large bases. Now you can expand them not only in height, which will further increase productivity.
Updated UI and building hologram
Robot arm confguration
Most of the blocks have lost theinputs and outputs for items, instead of them, robotic arms are now used. This system has proven itself to be much more flexible and versatile.
Flywheels and pumps
Inputs/outputs for liquids are also removed from the blocks. Pumps are used to manipulate fluids. Flywheels appeared to transfer kinetic energy.
Automated mining
Mining drills appeared for the extraction of ore and stone. At first, the resources in them will be infinite, but later there will be an option.
Researches
There were computers producing research points. The research system uses as a replacement for the old quests system. In the process, new machines and decorative blocks are unlocked.
Nuclear reactors, heat pipes
The way machines consume energy has changed. As before, the speed of their work depends on the level and is 1.5^level, the energy consumption factor now is 2^level. To ensure the consumption of energy, such advanced sources as a nuclear reactor appeared. Others will appear in the future.
Plastics and petrochemicals
World map
Updated graphics and world generation
This is an incomplete list of all the changes introduced in 0.18.
We know there was some confusion surrounding why we're delaying the wipe, and we wanted to answer some of the questions we've seen.
Q: WILL THERE STILL BE A WIPE? A: Y E S. We are still planning on wiping the game, just not in October like we originally stated.
Q: OKAY BUT WHEN IS THE MAIN BRANCH WIPE GOING TO HAPPEN? A: We don’t have an exact date yet for the main branch wipe. We want to open up the beta branch first and see how that goes before we set any date. Once we do know when we want a wipe to happen, we’ll give plenty of heads up.
Q: WHAT IS THE PTR AND HOW WILL IT WORK? A: We’re going to be calling it “BB” for Beta Branch instead of “PTR”. The main difference is that this branch will be active for a longer duration than PTR, which would run only for a few days, and also that BB will be getting periodic updates up until it becomes official with a wipe. It will also have a full-sized dynamic realm just like the official one.
You'll be able to switch the branches at any moment and play either on the official realm with your current character or the BB realm with a new one.
Q: WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH PRIVATE SERVERS? WILL THEY GET THE BETA BRANCH UPDATES? A: We don’t have a concrete answer for this just yet. Once we do, we will make sure to post about it. Q: IS THE BETA BRANCH PERMANENT? A: It's permanent in a sense that we do not expect it to be wiped. However, at the moment, we don't plan to have it running in parallel with the official branch once that one gets updated and wiped as mentioned last week.
Q: HOW OFTEN WILL YOU WIPE THE MAIN BRANCH / INTRODUCE THE CHANGES MADE IN THE BETA BRANCH TO THE MAIN BRANCH? A: As of now, we're mainly considering the Beta Branch as the testing ground for the Commerce Update and all the core game changes that are coming with it. The idea is that we'll continue iterating on those changes within the Beta Branch until they're fully ready and then put them all together on the main branch in the end.
We don't have any specific plans for wiping the main branch afterwards, but, considering the nature of Early Access, if there will be large changes that affect the core of the game, a wipe might be a necessity.
DEVELOPER SPOTLIGHT: LUCAS
Hello, fellow members of the Last Oasis community! My name is Lucas, but you can call me Stannis. I am a producer here at Donkey Crew, working with the amazingly talented team behind the development of Last Oasis.
I’m glad to share with you my thoughts on one of my favorite subjects: Game Production! That’s right. So, let’s get to it.
Game Production is a field of work in the games industry which is formed by professionals dedicated to lead and oversee the development process of a game, from the earlier ideas to a shipped product that players will love (or not...).
Producers deal with and manage all kinds of resources that a studio has available to invest in the development of a game project, from money and time to hardware and software. The Producer is a bridge between the creative process and the business objectives. The Producer is a facilitator of the development process, helping developers and team leads to make decisions that are aimed at making the game the best it can be, taking into account the limitations in place and, a lot of the times, working with the teams to remove those limitations.
That all sounds interesting (well, to me at least), right? But most importantly, Producers work with People. People which are creative, passionate, driven. People that want to leave a mark through their creative work, people that want to make a game that brings a smile to someone’s face, or maybe some wrinkles of excitement. People that want to create an amazing experience that will be remembered. People that love what they do. So, in my humble opinion, the Producer's biggest and most important role is to empower those and help them do their best work. That’s what I like the most about it. Driven people aiming to do their best alongside their teammates. I like to help people like this.
Being a Producer in a project as big and ambitious as Last Oasis is a challenge, but what I love about it is the ability to work with an international team of individuals on a unique setting, with a lot of novelty features that brings us a lot of excitement (and also some trouble, to be honest). I also love the fact that Last Oasis is being followed by a passionate community that cares about the future of the game. Both positive and negative feedback helps us a lot in shaping our discussions on how to tackle the biggest issues the game has, but also to bring new and exciting gameplay. I always like to say that Game Development can get incredibly emotional. Well, as I’ve said, we’re driven people trying to make the best we can to deliver a memorable and fun experience. A lot of times, we succeed, and it’s amazing. Sometimes we don’t, and it can be very frustrating. But that’s part of the road of an Early Access game. It’s nothing but a blessing to help lead this project and have you all as companions while we work on polishing the rough edges.
I guess that’s it, everyone! That covers a lot of my thoughts on producing games and producing Last Oasis. Thanks to you that read and to sum this up, I would like to take this opportunity to give two big shout-outs. The first one to my fellow Production Team colleagues Chris, Marcin, and Victoria and all our Development Team amazing people. And the second one, of course, to our amazing community at our Discord Server.
See you next time! :)
COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Don’t forget to check out our{LINK REMOVED}Living FAQto see what we’ve answered in the past! If you have a question you want to ask the devs, join our Discord. A new question form will be posted in #announcements tomorrow (Friday)!
Q: Will there ever be a way to track player and walker kills? Maybe a way to know player "reputations" based on players always attacking first or something like that? A way to back up some trash talking would be nice. There are steam achievements that track some of that, but having in-game numbers and a maybe a kill/death ratio would be really fun. A: We’ve briefly mentioned things like titles before, and stats or leaderboards would fit perfectly with those! Reputation system is quite tricky, as it would likely turn into a griefing simulator until the enemy has enough of it and attacks first, but tracking various types of kills and other things is something we’d like to explore.
Q: Are you thinking about adding a dyeing system to the game? A: We’re a bit on the fence with dyeing, since it would overlap with the clan coloring system, but we’ve had some ideas already for how to implement it. Will definitely be considering it for one of the future updates.
Q: How’s development on Commerce and future themes going? A: Commerce is almost here! We’re finishing up the last bits and pieces, and doing some balancing and internal tests before putting it out on the Beta Branch for you to help us test all the core gameplay changes. The next theme is currently being planned by our production team (like Lucas ♥) and some of the features are already being prototyped in parallel.
Q: Will we ever be getting a place to show off wealth? A place for players to meet in safety and either show off walkers or gear or just hang out a little while taking a break from the PvP? A: That's generally what we imagine the Flotilla to be. A peaceful place for Nomads to meet, trade, participate in events, fight at an arena, and just relax away from the dangers of the outside world.
Our video producer, Jakub, is working on another one of his side project narrative videos! Enjoy a little tease of what’s to come at the end of the month 🎃:
*remember: these videos are things Jakub makes on his own in-engine, and are not meant to show anything related to the development of the game. This video will be a little Halloween treat!
I'd like to take this opportunity with this update to get straight to the point.
Shifted Release Date
Right now we're looking at late November for the release of Maid Mansion. We were shifted back a couple weeks to make a little more room for other game releases that were already planned before us. So to be clear: we were on track for our initial release, but had to shift our timetable slightly.
If anything, this isn't a bad thing for us, and gives Belgerum a little more breathing room to add additional polish to the overall game, which is shaping up to be better and better with each passing day. As mentioned before, it's been great getting to test and play it along each step of the way. Which leads me to my next point...
Steam Games Festival
As of right now, Belgerum and I have made plans to participate in the Steam Games Festival with Maid Mansion. Since the game's demo is already completed, we will be showcasing that off during the event, and have made preliminary plans to have a date set for streaming where the two of us will chat about the game, likely with some game footage playing in the background. We don't have any plans to be on-camera at this time, but will be there for the full duration and would happily welcome anyone that should stop by. We plan for this streaming event to last about 3 hours and will let you know the exact date and time as we get closer to the event itself.
Some Final News
We've pretty much wrapped up with updating some CGs in the game, we've continuously made edits and proofread the script over and over, are planning some additional social media previews, AND are set to start development on our new full-blown trailer starting in a few days. I'm pretty excited for that last part myself, and am really looking forward to seeing the kind of new trailer Maid Mansion will have.
The Pet Cemetery is an exciting pet monster-themed tabletop board game for 2 to 6 players that is easy to learn, family-friendly, and is great for parties and game nights! Players use strategy, planning, and educated guesses to outwit their opponents and be the first to capture the Professor.
Players start at the edge of the cemetery with 3 cards in hand. On their turn they can move one space toward the end, play a card, or draw a card from the deck.
The game board tiles and game cards include a variety of actions that allow players to spawn and move pet monsters into the path of their opponents, search for treasure, keep themselves safe from attacks, jump over obstacles, skip opponents turns, and cheat as they navigate their way across the board and attempt to hinder the progress of their opponents.
Cards can be chained together to create amazing combos that allow players to maximize each turn. The first player to find a set of handcuff cards in the deck and cross the finish line wins the game.
Additionally, each player is randomly dealt one of the 10 unique character cards. Each character has a unique ability that players can use during the game to give them a unique advantage over the others, so pay close attention to what each player can do so you can plan ahead!
Do you have what it takes to win The Pet Cemetery?
We have some difficult news to share with you today. The HEX team has put every ounce of our beings into crafting and supporting this truly special game, but we are required to close HEX: Shards of Fate on December 31, 2020.
HEX has been our dream for over a decade. As a community, your passion and support helped us realize parts of that dream for over 5 years. For this, we are incredibly grateful. Your support all these years allowed us to create the kind of card game the team has always wanted to play and to bring the world of Entrath to life. We will always remember this time we were able to enjoy HEX.
For these last few months, we want to do something special for those of you who continue to play and appreciate HEX. First, as of right now, we have consolidated our queues to make it easier to find a game. We are limiting our tournament offerings to the following:
Standard Constructed Ladder
Corinth Merry Melee
Evolving Sealed Gauntlet
Draft Gauntlet
Our remaining CCS tournament on November 21st
Next, we have removed all barriers to entry. All tournament entry costs (except our remaining November 21st CCS, which you still need to qualify for) have been reduced to 0. You can play as much as you like at no cost (no boosters, no platinum, just click and join!). As part of this change, we are closing down HEX currency purchases and putting all booster packs into the store so you can celebrate the full span of HEX’s content. We have always wanted everyone to feel like they are getting great value for supporting us, and, for these last few months, that means playing and enjoying the game as much as you like with our community.
For those without a lot of platinum stored up, we are also granting daily login boosters for the remaining time we have left. Each day, players can log in to receive two of each of the standard legal boosters (Herofall through Doombringer) to build and play with as they wish. We have also changed the rewards of our Draft Gauntlet so anyone can play and win older sets to build with as well. These new rewards are:
3 match wins = 2 Shards of Fate / 2 Shattered Destiny / 1 Armies of Myth / 1 Primal Dawn
2 match wins = 1 Armies of Myth / 1 Primal Dawn
1 match win = Random Rare
Finally, as of this posting, we have also taken snapshots of your collections so we can honor our promises regarding possible future projects in the HEX universe. We cannot say when that might be at this time, but we remain committed to the value of the collections you have made by supporting us this far.
TRAVEL TO THE 31ST CENTURY THIS NOVEMBER IN "LONG LIVE THE LEGION"
DC Universe Online's next episode features the future's bravest team, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and a time-traveling adventure into the 31st Century. The new episode LONG LIVE THE LEGION will launch in November 2020.
Legion of Super-Heroes #4
NEW EPISODE: LONG LIVE THE LEGION
In the future, the founding members of the Legion of Super-Heroes take inspiration from our present-day heroes to form a new team and face their 31st Century threats. Chief among those threats is their oldest and timeless foe, Mordru!
Having so far failed to defeat this stellar team, Mordru concocts a new plan: use his eldritch-enhanced powers in the 31st Century to destroy history's heroes. His logic? No past, no heroes, no inspiration - no Legion of Super-Heroes.
In LONG LIVE THE LEGION, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Lightning Lad uncover Mordru's plot amidst exploding chaos in 31st Century Metropolis, and then have a clever thought: who better to help protect their past and future Metropolis than the 21st Century heroes themselves?
Players must travel forward in time with the Teen Titans - the Legion's most direct inspiration - to set things right before they and their legacy disappear.
SJ'S TAKE: "Players have been asking for a Legion of Super-Heroes episode for as long as I can remember. Well, the future is now! I'm not sure if I am more excited for 31st Century Metropolis or the new Legion characters. Both bring something completely new to the game." - SJ Mueller, DC Universe Online Creative Director
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LONG LIVE THE LEGION:
LONG LIVE THE LEGION will offer standard and elite versions of the content, with level-agnostic event versions of the content available free to all players for a limited time.
The episode will feature new and returning allies and adversaries, including founding members Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Lightning Lad as well as their foes Mordru, Emerald Empress, and Validus.
The storyline will include adventures set in the distant future, featuring 31st Century Metropolis, the Legion's HQ, and more.
The open-world 31st Century Metropolis will feature improved World Boss encounters, rewards, and mechanics.
The episode will launch new player rewards, including gear, artifacts, styles, base items, and feats.
EPISODE 39: LONG LIVE THE LEGION will launch in November 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.