Almost exactly one year since Retro Tank Party v1.0 was released, we have the 3rd major update!
Here's the highlights:
Three new art styles by Ross Klettke from Whatnotory! You can select the art style in the game Settings before entering a match. I love them all - it's like playing a brand new game :-)
Updated to the latest version of the Godot Rollback Netcode addon and SG Physics 2D. There have been LOADS of wonderful contributions from the Open Source community since we released the first alpha versions of these components, and I'm super happy to be able to showcase them here in Retro Tank Party!
A few small bug fixes. Not even worth getting into the details!
I'm super excited to finally get this new art out! I hope you like it as much as I do :-)
It's been almost two weeks since the first Community Update blog regarding the April playtest went live, and we know the biggest question you likely have is "when can we play again". So to keep things simple and straight to the point, check out the TL;DR for the info you need. Development progress has been great, so there's good news, and unfortunately some not so good news. Read along with the Full for more.
TL;DR [expand type=showmore]
Early Access still planned for 2022
Scaling Test process went well and produced great results
Timeouts reduced to rare occurrence that affect small number of players
Large Stress Test, very stable, not many minor bugs, no major game issues.
480 gigabit DDoS attacks on game servers and master server on April 10th + Stress Test (April 21st)
Playtest delayed until we can implement further protection from such attacks
Testing format will change, next playtest is not the "Final". Public tests will be more frequent
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Full [expand type=showmore]
First, I'd like to clear something up.
Our plans for BattleBit Remastered to release into Early Access in 2022, have not changed. It's something we work towards every single day. The multitude of playtests we conduct play a very large role in helping us gauge our progress, and identify further challenges we must solve to achieve a stable Early Access experience. We're learning as we go, and doing our absolute best to step up to all of those challenges as they arise.
Now, let's talk about what we've been up to.
As stated in the previous blog, there's a multi-step process we were taking to lead back up to a major public test. Small single server tests continued as usual, making way for small multi-server tests to bring more players in and widen our data set. In short, game and server stability has seen considerable improvements across the board. The issue of players timing out in regular conditions has been reduced to a rare occurrence, and we are still working to eliminate those edge cases. Bug fixes and improvements have been made across all areas of the game, not just issues apparent in the playtest. A huge thank you to our Discord community for their part in this!
So the smaller community devtests went well, now what?
We reached a point where we needed to put all these changes up against larger numbers, so we ran a stress test and reached over 4,000 concurrent players even though it was unannounced. Things were looking great, none of the problems from the April 8th test seemed to be showing up. It was a sign that maybe we would be ready for a major public test very soon.
That is until our US & EU game servers, along with our master server, became the target of a 480 gigabit DDoS attack. A similar attack took place on April 10th, that we were previously unaware of. Our providers have anti-DDoS protection, but that alone is not enough and we are looking into further methods to strengthen and protect our servers and our players. It is unfortunate to be the target of such an attack, but on the bright side it seems to be our only major hurdle before we can launch another public playtest.
So while we know you will be disappointed to hear that we will not be able host a playtest this month as intended, we hope you find some satisfaction in the improvements we have made to remedy the issues that plagued the April 8th test. Not to mention that we will revisit our testing plans as a whole, so there's no longer a "Final Playtest", but more of them and with much shorter wait times between.[/expand]
We thank you all for your continued support. If you're interested in the smaller devtests make sure to check out our Discord! Below this section you can find the results of all of this testing if you'd like to have a bit more detail.
Development Changelog since April 13th Community Update
Additions & Updates
[expand type=details]
News section added.
Rewrite of entire network transport layer.
Steam verification finished.
Server ticketing update.
Server Deployment Tool update.
New Water shader.
Different shader for map borders.
Discord verification API update.
Discord user ID caching in master server.
Network stability improved.
Spawn protection tweaks.
District, Eduardovo, River, Azagor now support 128v128 INF CONQ gamemode.
Map rotation is properly shuffled now.
[/expand]
Bug Fixes
[expand type=details]
Clamped play area positions. this was a major bug before causing some physics objects to bug out and break the entire physics of server and client until the spawned object disappears (Randomly falling under the map while just standing - unable to ads just from nowhere, etc)
Fixed a bug where players would use cached packages from previous round and causes tons of weird bugs.
While connecting to server, if a player disconnects and another reconnects, the IDs overlap and overwrites causes game to bug out fixed.
Fixed an issue where the User's Steam token fails to be verified while server is refreshing token verification keys.
Client socket reset (different NAT port) while reconnecting to server.
Various Server Browser bug fixes (Already requesting, server version doesn't match while server restarting etc)
Even if user's reserved slot expires, if server has empty space, server will accept it.
A bug in voice chat batching (networking) fixed.
Map player icon rotations not being interpolated has been altered.
Improvements to reviving through walls.
Water impact particles were not visible fixed.
Pistol running animation fixed.
Various Party System bug fixes.
Various bug fixes on multiple maps.
Unable to leave JetSkis fixed.
Unable to swim fixed.
Squadmate spawns on top of player fixed.
Climbing sometimes desyncs with server fixed.
[/expand]
Stay up-to-date and in touch with us on Discord and Twitter. If you're interested in watching live development, check out TheLiquidHorse on Twitch. If you'd like to further support the development of the game, check us out on Patreon
In this upcoming update, we are separating our three heroes – Edwin, Vizargo and Aelis – into three distinct factions – The Order, The Volatists and The Rebellion respectively. We’re creating these factional divisions both to serve some very exciting future content (which, as much as we want to, we can’t talk about quite yet!) and to create much more replayability in Survival. Each faction’s strengths and eventual weaknesses will mean that playing the Order and struggling through those early Death Nights will be a very different experience to playing the Volatists and gaining as much ground as fast as you can to fuel you later when you really need it.
Let’s go over what this update is bringing for each of the three factions, as well as what their identities are and what kind of changes you can expect longer-term.
The Order, the faction to which Edwin Everard belongs, is ancient. They’ve learned through experience that one way to conquer is simply to outlast. This manifests through where they gain the majority of their benefits:
Siege units train faster
Siege units cost less
Siege units deal more damage.
To get them to the late-game in good health, ALL of their emboldened units get:
More health
More health regeneration
Their starting lineup becomes a well-rounded pair of archers, pikemen and soldiers.
What you WON’T see in this update are some of the economic requirements and benefits. Those are still being tested and implemented, but will broadly feature:
Higher unit costs than other factions
Slower early economic development
Better defensive structures
Much higher power cap
Less reliance on expansion
Aelis Syren is the leader of the Rebellion, a group of underdogs facing overwhelming odds. To survive, they must be mobile and tactical. To that end, Rebellion Archers and Arbalests get:
More damage
More movement speed
More range
Lower upkeep.
To ensure they can press the advantage, ALL emboldened Rebellion units get:
More movement speed
More damage
More health regeneration (but not as much as the Order)
In this update, they’ll also start with an additional archer. In future updates, you’ll see changes to the economic and infrastructure side. Broadly speaking, the Rebellion will:
Be more reliant on expanding their base
Require more houses
Get greater benefits for exploration
Get better use of the Trade Bazaar
Have some of the most tactically versatile units
The Volatists, led by Vizargo Oriah, are all about aggression and rapid expansion. Their melee units get:
More attack speed
More movement speed
Lower upkeep
Lower training time
Though the Volatists are human, they don’t let fear control them – they embrace it. Horrified units get:
Much more damage
Less movement speed penalty.
Their two starting archers are being swapped out for three pikemen. With these troops and the benefits they receive, you’ll be surprised just how fast you can tear across the map in those first few nights.
In a future update the Volatists will:
Become reliant on Dark Essence for the core of their economy
Favour unit quantity over quality
Treat units as disposable.
Have greater access to Dark Essence and units, structures and mechanics that require it
While this next update makes the game easier across the board, you should enjoy it while you can. We have a lot of changes coming for these factions that we couldn’t quite get in. This is just a taste of what’s to come.
Also a reminder this patch will be incompatible with previous saves. So if you have any games you want to complete make sure to do so before the patch comes out in the next few days!
In the meantime, we really hope you enjoy experimenting with new builds and unit setups. Keep your eyes on the horizon, though… the Darkness encroaches.
Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server.
MAGLAM LORD is a vibrant action JRPG straight from the depths of hell! Boasting exploration, real-time combat, weapon crafting and relationship building. MAGLAM LORD is an unexpected combination that truly has no equal.
Only for the first week after release, you can purchase the game at a 20％ off price. DLCs + Original Sound Track will be ready! Great value bundles will also be available! Don't miss this wonderful opportunity!
The maintenance will be at 23:30 (Los Angeles Time) on April 27, 08:30 (Paris Time) on April 28 and lasts approximately 120 minutes! In the next few updates, we will also optimize the game according to the player's suggestions. Thanks for the company and support of new and old players!
Time-limited Event: Raising Dragons
The event starts after this update and lasts for 14 days During the event, player will get several baby dragons, player can invite them to play together, or feed them to make them grow into Necrodragon. By completing achievements, you can get various rewards and dragonscales that can be exchanged for other items in the event store, and you can also get "Nirvana Stone" and "Baby Dragon Emoji"! *For details, please check the rules in the event.
Holiday Benefits: Daily Login Rewards
The event starts on April 29th (server time) and lasts for 14 days Log in every day to get rewards. There are also Labor Day Sale.
Major Optimization
1. Reduced the number of summons of some heroes, increased the strength of a single summon, and reduced the situation of game lag 2. Fixed the problem that players were stuck in the battle state during the cross-server devil battle 3. Optimized some rules with incomplete or incorrect descriptions
There are actually 12 baby dragon emoji. This version only 6 are displayed. The next update will add to 12.
As we all know, items are very important in Overprime matches. We'd like to share some item information in advance so you can plan ahead for fierce battles on the planet Prime!
Study these items and be ready for battle during the 2nd CBT!
* How to View Item Information
1. Item name 2. Item price 3. Item description 4. The maximum quantity you can own 5. Preview item equip effects
<2nd CBT Item Information Guide>
Starting Items
Consumable Items
Normal Items
Rare Items
Legendary Items
Notes:
💡 The current item information is based on the 2nd CBT build. Item descriptions, effects, and balances are subject to change in future builds.
Get ready for battle on the planet Prime, and enjoy the 2nd CBT to the fullest! Thank you.
