Mar 16, 2023

[Neolithic]To the End - orochi2k

English
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[Egypt]New location: The Path to the Black Pyramid.
[Butterfly]Added butterfly support to The Path to the Black Pyramid.
[Lost in the Sand]Story continues. (Variable from 820 to 825)
[Lost in the Sand]Added a chest that contains a new document "Professor Singh's Note #3" and some supplies in the other world version of the Desert of the Trapped.
[Battle]If a skill's damage is absorbed by "Spirit of Guardian" or reflected by "Spirit of Mirror," its state effect will not apply to its target.
[Effect]Spirit of Guardian will no longer automatically get removed after battles.
[Effect]Spirit of Mirror and Spirit of Guardian will no longer get removed by one single physical attack, they will now trigger one after another.
[Effect]Adjusted the effect display priority, the mirror is now always above the guardian.
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Added code support to make elemental-based reflection effects.
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[Pet]Fixed a bug that gives mummy water elemental bonus.
简体中文
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【埃及】新区域：前往黑暗金字塔之路
【蝴蝶】前往黑暗金字塔之路上可以使用蝴蝶。
【迷失于沙粒中】故事剧情继续。（变量820 -> 825）
【迷失于沙粒中】在异世界版本的被困者的沙漠中加入了一个箱子，其中有一份新文档【辛格博士的笔记#3】以及一些补给品。
【战斗】如果一个技能的伤害被守护精灵吸收，或者被镜之精灵反弹，则其可能造成的状态变化不会发生。
【状态】守护精灵现在不会在战斗结束后自动消失。
【状态】一次物理攻击不会同时消除目标身上的守护精灵和镜之精灵，会先后触发。
【状态】更改了状态现实优先级，如果同时存在守护精灵和镜之精灵，会优先显示镜之精灵。
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加入了基于元素属性的反弹效果的代码支持。
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【宠物】修复了一个造成木乃伊释放水属性技能会有加成的Bug。

Mar 16, 2023

Hotfix 1.10.7

Rail Route: The Story of Jozic - Mišo

NEW: Auto-save the current game (if possible & needed) when new game is started, not to loose any unsaved progress in case of accidental clicking NEW: Cutscenes skip button NEW: Station names can be localized (translated or transliterated) UPDATE: Back button on error screen now shows keybind and text "Back to menu" UPDATE: Close menu now bound to Close Panel action UPDATE: Ingame UI is hidden when Rush Hour or Timetable map endscreen is shown UPDATE: Loading screen between levels updated to match the screen on initial game load UPDATE: Localizations (cs: achievements, research, tutorials; de: tutorials, ui; es: achievements, ui; fr: tutorials, ui; hu: achievements; ja-JP: tutorials, ui; nl: all; no: ui; pl: all; zh-Hans: research, tutorials, ui) UPDATE: Localizations (zh-Hans: station names in stock maps) UPDATE: New loading screen upon game start UPDATE: Removed reset all button UPDATE: nl is now considered translated while jp and de in progress (fell below 90 % threshold) PERF: Start-up speedup - do not populate ResearchPanel in non-endless levels FIX: Black screen upon first game start FIX: Build button was not set interactable after failing or completing a Rush Hour map and loading another FIX: Close menu button did not properly start map on first launch FIX: Close panel button for some panels in editor did not work FIX: Closing modal when another is open will unpause time when it should not FIX: Controller support could break after moving analog sticks FIX: Current game page was not always refreshed when a save failed to load FIX: Debug menu could still be opened while main menu was shown FIX: Flying score elements where invisible on Rush Hour wave completion FIX: Keybind to reset ui scale did not apply the scale to the main menu FIX: Keybound buttons would trigger even when button was hidden FIX: Level would not load when last action was save but it was previously a finished timetable map FIX: Load button was not shown when new game was started FIX: Loading failed when a referenced station no more existed FIX: Localized station names caused sensor malfunction (configuration not loaded properly) FIX: Losing wave 3 in prague rush map takes you back to prague and finish the story FIX: Main menu would not show when error occurred on initial game load FIX: Map detail icons showed when map item on saves page was selected FIX: Map string field was not interactable FIX: Map voting buttons ingame where always shown even when already voted FIX: Menu could be closed when no level was loaded due to an error FIX: Menu scale was to small FIX: Menu would open when closing using escape to close build menu in editor FIX: Navigation could get lost in some cases and navigation highlighter did not fit properly on some elements FIX: Navigation would not work on some modals in the menu FIX: New game button closed menu instead of starting new game in some cases FIX: Perpetual route toggle could be set even when that upgrade was not unlocked FIX: Rebinding actions would still execute binded events while binding FIX: Removing all saves from active level while game over screen was shown would still show restart from last save button FIX: Save button was not visible when replaying finished Timetable or Rush Hour map FIX: Save loading failed for saves containing overriden routes from some signals. FIX: Save modal closable with escape FIX: Scrollbar on timetable maps page didnt work FIX: Second of music would play when starting game FIX: Starting new Rush Hour game would have time control keybinds non functional until clicked FIX: Starting the story would show the map before showing the illustration FIX: Station listings in stations panel in editor flashed white when opening FIX: Steam Deck controllers were not working FIX: Story didnt continue when save modal was opened and time keybinds didnt work after load FIX: Story save before Prague Rush story could not be found when another level was loaded before FIX: The background blur would be removed when the delete map dialogue was hidden while the menu was still shown FIX: The main menu was still shown after a level was restarted FIX: Time buttons had 3d sound instead 2d FIX: Time keybinds did not work upon continuing save after first game load FIX: Timetable panel was empty when returning to editor after a trial train FIX: Toggle UI keybind only showed UI FIX: Two menu pages could show at once when map failed to load FIX: Various UI elements had incorrect sorting orders resulting in incorrectly hidden or shown elements

Mar 16, 2023

THE FORGE: CORE GAMEPLAY

Steel Hunters Alpha Test Playtest - I_MirAI

As you read through our Recaps and Changelogs, you may come across upcoming versions that seem sparse in terms of content or not very important at first glance. However, the truth is that every update is loaded with various changes and innovations, even if not all of them are flashy or easily noticeable. Many crucial steps are taken behind the scenes by different team members. Join us as we explore the backstage of Steel Hunters and learn more about the challenges, creative decisions, and peculiar cases that we face during the development process.

This is where the fun begins

Core Gameplay is the beating heart of our project, as the name suggests. It defines the core principles of the game, such as what is possible and how every object and process works. This includes the position of the camera, the types of movement, physics, weapon variations, interactions players might have, and more. The Core Gameplay specialists work closely with other departments and dedicated teams (we call them "streams" in dev-speak) that focus on and develop specific facets of the game. Some of our streams include:

Core Stream: This stream defines the core principles of the game, such as what is possible and how every object and process works.
Hunter Stream: This stream focuses on defining what Hunters do, their abilities, weapons, and visuals, as well as their common traits and distinctive features.
Game Mode Stream: This stream is responsible for defining what players do in a match, how they do it, and what their goals, requirements, and missions are.
Level Design Stream: The Level Design Stream is responsible for blocking out and creating specific zones on the maps that serve different gameplay purposes.
PVE Stream: The PVE Stream works on AI logic, types of PvE enemies, their triggers, movements, abilities, and other related aspects.

While changes made by the streams above are often observable by players, Core Gameplay remains an obscure and somewhat hidden part of the game. With this article, we aim to shed light on their work and explore some examples of the tasks this team tackles as the development process continues.

Building blocks for a better future

One of the ongoing endeavors for the Core Gameplay team is to refactor the game systems. (Dev 101: Refactoring is the process of reworking code to improve it without changing its functionality.) A prominent example of this process is the Consumables rework. If you've played Steel Hunters, you may be familiar with Repair Kits, Energy Domes, or Colossus Kits. These are all Consumables that players can use for different purposes in battle.

But how are Consumables made? Initially, they were hard-coded (custom code was written for each one) to perform a certain action, such as healing, providing cover, or giving more ammo. While this was fine at first, this approach proved to be ineffective in the long run. As the number of distinctive items and Hunters grew, so did the amount of unique code snippets for them, making things even more complicated. For example, Trenchwalker's Hybrid Grenade and the Repair Kit both healed, and Prophet's Strike Vengeance and the Guard Drone Rocket Barrage both launched missiles, but each had different code to do so. This inefficiency made future development more challenging, so something needed to be done.

The Core Gameplay team has embarked on a mission to reorganize the way different objects and abilities work in the game by implementing a modular system. We now use different code pieces, known as "building blocks" or modules, that we can combine to create new entities or modify existing ones. This transition provides us with the necessary flexibility and significantly reduces the work needed to make changes to systems or build new ones.

While working on this change, we encountered quite a few challenges in the old code. For example, consumables and abilities have different ways of being activated or canceled. The Energy Dome just pops up the barrier, but the Ammo Restoration ability restores ammo over time. So, when the latter is canceled, you still receive some ammo, but if we interrupt the Energy Dome, we can't end up with a half a dome. As it turns out, each consumable can be deconstructed into even smaller modules.

In Update v0.22, you were already playing with the new, refactored Consumables. Although they may look the same, they are entirely different inside in terms of coding and logic. Finally, the knot has been untangled, and we will be able to expand on the consumables in the future having an improved architectural solution or system under the hood.

Burning issues

Another feature that will be introduced in upcoming updates is the effects system. The Core Gameplay team is collaborating with UI specialists on buffs and debuffs that can be applied to Hunters. This change has two important aspects. First, game designers want to increase the number of unique effects to introduce more variety to future Hunter abilities or new weapons. Second, the way these effects are applied and shown during the match also needs to be taken into consideration. We want to make it very transparent which effects are already on your Hunter or target.

The notion of effects is not new to Steel Hunters. You've probably seen many of them in battle. For example, in Update v0.12, we redesigned Ursus' Glacial Armor, which grants either a buff or debuff depending on the integrity of the ice shield. Another example is the burning DoT effect from Weaver's Hellfire Mod.

(UN)Limited Ammo

Let's shift our focus a bit from the current challenges and take a retrospective look at something that the team has already successfully rolled out, because weapons and ammo also belong to the domain of Core Gameplay. Some of you might even remember the change we're going to talk about next: the introduction of the Ammo Management system in v0.12.

There were many prerequisites for such a feature. Initially, all Weapons had an unlimited amount of ammo, which made learning the ropes of the game easy. You could get into the match and spam the fire button to no end. But would there be any difference between weapons if every player could go trigger-happy on everyone and everything? Shooting didn't require any effort or mastery, and we wanted our players to learn and adapt to each Hunter and their playstyle.

Ammo management has brought back the skill dependency to shoot-outs, but we couldn't just limit it. We had to change the system and provide a way to get additional ammunition when needed. So, one conscious change brought the creation of other features, such as the introduction of Magazines, the "T" Ability, and the Ammo Crate consumable. The task for the Core Gameplay team is to find the balance between all these features to ensure engaging but challenging gunplay.

Size matters

Developing a game involves a constant cycle of trial and error, and since Steel Hunters is currently in the Alpha stage, we have the opportunity to test different ideas and determine the best practices. As a result, there have been numerous instances where we thought something would work, only to scrap it after testing. Some of you may have even witnessed such experiments.

One challenging case that the Core Gameplay team had to figure out together with the Game Mode, Level Design, and Art teams, is the size of our Hunters. Initially, there were discussions about creating Hunters with drastically different sizes. Just imagine a giant 16-meter Colossus paired with a small 4-meter-tall Fenris for the entirety of the match. At first, such a variation seemed engaging, but it soon became evident that certain combinations of Hunters just didn't work together, and there was no way to build a solid game around those differences. As a result, we decided to keep Hunter sizes within the same 6-8 meter range.

However, the past still lives in the game in the form of a Colossus Kit, which summons that giant (albeit now 12m) back to the arena for a short period of time. Colossus is another core aspect of the game that we are planning to rework and improve in future. What does the Core Gameplay team have planned for him? Stay tuned to find out!

Under the hood

As you can see from the examples and cases mentioned above, Steel Hunters consists of much more than just visual and tangible content like new Hunters, objects on the map, or sounds. Every minuscule decision made by the Core Gameplay team changes the general way you interact within and with the game, even if you might not notice it at first. There's a limitless list of ideas and concepts that go through the rigorous process of selection, prototyping, the development cycle, and implementation. Even after that, they can be changed or scrapped altogether. But one thing remains unchanged: we are very passionate about the game and its potential, so we never stop searching for new solutions to make it better.