The demo is coming together nicely; I have made some changes to player mobility and a big change to the sword mechanic. Now basically the sword is not counting a standalone weapon but it is a player ability (along with the magic shield and the greneade) which can be upgraded by progressing through the game. Finally, I improved the graphics of the game by adding some post processing screen space effects

Our concurrent player record has been surpassed and we are now sitting at 4000 simultaneous players! We are confident that with every update we make the game better and more attractive to both our players and new players that may want to hop on. It is delightful to see the evolution of our community and our game, and increasing the playerbase is always a good sign for us. We hope that with Content Update 5 and Liberation we will be able to bring back players who want to get a fresh experience playing the improved game with the new faction and new content.


Don't miss this chance to get all our DLCs at a huge discount!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/400750/Call_to_Arms__Gates_of_Hell_Ostfront/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911520/Call_to_Arms__Gates_of_Hell_Talvisota/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2123890/Call_to_Arms__Gates_of_Hell_Scorched_Earth/

#Discussions_QuoteBlock_Author

Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
[...]
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2447590/Call_to_Arms__Gates_of_Hell_Liberation/

Our greatest DLC is less than one week away from release.

Spread the news, get your friends to buy the game at the huge discount and be prepared to enter the western front. The future of our game, the future of Europe in 1944, and the future of our ever growing awesome community, is about to unfold.






In the development update 136 we outlined some of our future plans. In 2024 we plan to add new gamemodes, new Mo-Cap animations, upgrade destructibility of our older models, continue evolving Conquest, and we will also be adding the second half of the critically acclaimed sound overhaul. and obviously we will be developing the next addition to the game. What will it be?

The game development industry is a fast-paced environment. It combines the elements of software engineering, art, and entertainment. All three of those fields are constantly on the lookout for innovation and new creative solutions. As a result, the game industry changes rapidly, and keeping up with all the latest developments is almost impossible. Still, we do our best to keep up with the news and are constantly looking for new tech to put in our games to improve your experience. In this article, we will show you what we do to stay up to date with our ever-changing industry.


The media in this article will serve as examples of techniques we decided to add on the basis of what we learned over time - either by playing or listening to what others have to say. Remember when rocks obscured the vision of your mech during gameplay?

The most obvious and the most important thing is playing new games. EXOR Studios is a team of fifteen people with wildly different tastes. There are no two people in our office who are exactly alike when it comes to gaming habits. Some of us have 8000 hours in Counter-Strike, while others prefer spending 200 hours grinding 100% in Starfield. Most of us have a dedicated gaming rig at home but only have the time to game on the Steam Deck. Some people jump on an opportunity to play the latest AAA titles as early as possible, while others wait for a few patches to come out first. The point is that our experiences vary wildly, allowing us to learn about new gaming trends from various sources.


We sought a solution in other hack'n'slash games. After all - Diablo and similar have been dealing with it for ages. The answer to our problems was a camera object culler that 'cuts out a hole' in props that you can see through. Most action RPGs use a similar technique!

While we obviously enjoy playing games, we try to learn as much as we can while playing. Naturally, we tend to focus on our area of expertise within the studio. Designers analyze the ins and outs of economy, combat, and other game systems. Programmers try to notice possible optimizations and techniques used by other developers that could work for EXOR games. Artists stop and analyze props, the composition of the scenes and try to understand what makes animations tick. By observing the work of others, we can learn what works and what doesn’t. We try to understand why developers make their choices and how they affect the overall experience.


When creating the destructible rocks of the Crystal Caverns biome, we took inspiration from the tried and tested voxel-based games that allow you to dig in the ground freely, like Minecraft. We divided the destructible walls into chunks. Then, we iterated on the size of those chunks and the speed of digging to allow a smooth experience. What you see above is a very early version.

Recently, we have been looking into changing the loot distribution algorithm in The Riftbreaker. We spent countless hours playing various parts of Diablo, Path of Exile, and Grim Dawn, among many other hack’n’slash games, to figure out what we could do better. We analyzed how often a player gets a chance to loot something valuable. We compared the crafting-oriented systems with trading-oriented systems, as well as those where no trading or crafting is present.


After hours of playtests and design meetings that totally did not involve any shouting and contravening examples from various games, we arrived at this version of rock-digging. Much better!

We’ve drawn a couple of conclusions from these observations. First - we need to give you as many chances to find something good as possible. For that reason, we’ve designed additional, smaller loot containers to work in tandem with our Bioanomalies. This will encourage you to explore the world since you will get plenty of rewards for doing so. Second - we probably shouldn’t worry about real-world logic as much as we do. If a rat can drop a Mighty Greatsword of Slaying +14 in some games, why shouldn’t you be able to find an awesome weapon in a bioanomaly? You will see the results of our work when we launch World Expansion III - we believe you will like it.


At times we work on cutting-edge techniques that do not have many examples to follow. When we introduced ray-traced shadows in 2020 there weren't many other titles on the market with this feature. Luckily, ray-tracing is not a new technique and we could learn from good, old analog books.

Sometimes, observation alone is not enough. Luckily, a lot of talented developers share their knowledge on the internet in the form of articles on various websites, their own blogs, or YouTube videos. While many sites aggregate such pieces, such as gamedeveloper.com or various subreddits, it is not always easy to find something interesting to you. That is why we often have to take a shot in the dark and simply google phrases such as “loot system in game X” or “raytracing implementation in Y.” You would be surprised how often it is possible to find a complex analysis of such topics on some obscure sites that see two visits per year. We treasure them!


Using what we learned, we not only developed ray-traced shadows, but also highly detailed, pixel-perfect raytraced ambient occlusion. It utilizes the same acceleration structure we prepare for RT shadows, so the additional rendering cost is negligible.

One recent example is our Volumetric Lighting implementation. While researching the topic, we supplied our own observations and past knowledge with publications found online. The first one was an amazingly comprehensive presentation by Bartłomiej Wroński from Siggraph 2014 entitled “Volumetric Fog: Unified compute shader based solution to atmospheric scattering.” Another useful presentation came from Sebastien Hillaire: “Physically Based and Unified Volumetric Rendering in Frostbite.”


Volumetric Lighting is exactly what we needed to 'glue' the world together. It allows us to simulate the way the light interacts with aerosols, giving the scene a much more natural look.

The authors of these presentations detailed how they achieved realistic Volumetric Lighting in the AAA projects they worked on. Thanks to the data and observations from these documents, we avoided many pitfalls and achieved great results. For example, we learned what kind of resolution we should aim for when creating the light scattering map, and that the quality increase is negligible above a certain point. We also learned efficient ways of getting rid of the aliasing artifacts using jitter - a solution that’s very simple but not easy to come across!


The new lighting method opened up a whole new world for us when it comes to map construction.

Doing your own research will only take you so far - not all knowledge can be shared as an article or a video essay. However, you can fill in the gaps during developer conferences. They are (usually) multi-day events during which people from various studios give talks about their games, the technology they use, or even the organization of work within their company. Listening to talks from both veterans and newcomers to the industry can be very inspiring and allows you to draw conclusions you can later implement in your own work.


One of the new, subtle improvements we're introducing for the new biome is the behavior of liquids and the simulations of waves on their surfaces. It's still work in progress, but you can see a nice wake behind Mr. Riggs that displaces the algae on the surface of this small lake.

Still, the most important part of attending industry events is networking. You can meet your old friends and trash-talk them for not having dynamic shadows in their game (cheers, Robert!). You can also make new friends and learn that they are facing the exact same issues as you - crucial software crashing, illogical technical requirements, trouble with implementing network play (wink, wink), etc. Getting to know these people gives you a chance to learn something you haven’t discovered yet and perhaps brainstorm a solution to your problems together. Such relations are truly invaluable.


Our new system takes into account individual vertices coming into contact with water, which means that each of Fungor's tentacles creates its own ripple and wake as it moves around.

If you are a developer or would like to start your career in game development, here’s the TL;DR:

• Talk to other people in the industry, learn what they do, and keep an open mind. You don’t have to go to conferences to do that - Reddit, Discord servers, and various forums can help you with that.
  
• Read technical articles and watch technical breakdowns of your favorite games. Not what you like, and challenge yourself to try new things in your work.
  
• Play—a lot. Nothing beats a hands-on experience with games, both old and new. Try to understand why they did things the way they did.

The waves are not physically simulated but still do a good job in creating an impression of movement on the surface. Here, there are dozens of Stickrid legs interacting with the surface and causing ripples and waves to appear.

It’s impossible to always be the first to know all the novelties in the game development world. However, you can always try to learn as much as possible about what seems interesting to you and hone your skills. It will pay off in the long run. You can always talk to us and ask questions about gamedev on our Discord - www.discord.gg/exorstudios - we’re always happy to share what we have learned so far on our 15+ years-long journey.

EXOR Studios

PS. We started streaming our tests of the multiplayer mode together with our viewers! Join us on www.twitch.tv/exorstudios every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 PM CET to watch developers being beaten at their own game!

Hey there, Duck Adventurers! Alex here with devlog 11

Within the flock, you'll be the caretaker of the most lovable virtual duck friends imaginable. These magical feathered buddies rely on your help to keep their spirits high and their feathers shining. But here's the real magic: these duckies aren't just waiting around for you to tell them what to do. They're smart, and they make their own decisions too! Watch as they play, explore, and interact with their world in the most delightful and surprising ways


Each duck has needs which must be kept. Your duck can start feeling a bit down when it’s been left alone for too long, needs a quick toilet break, it hasn't had a snack in a while or it hasn't caught some Zs today yet. If these needs are not maintained, it will start affecting your duck negatively. This can make traveling around the flock a bit trickier and completing tasks a tad slower.

While they are smart and make their own choices, they sometimes need help to decide which task is the best thing to do. So leaving them alone for too long can be detrimental. Remember, a happy duck is a quacking good companion!


Ducks are very social and love talking to one another. Maybe they had a tough day at the training centre, they’ve just met for the first time, or maybe they are lower levelled so they needed some guidance. You can follow these conversations in the thoughts tab of the Duck Menu. However, these disappear after a while, so do check in; otherwise, you may miss some of the excitement around the flock.

Unfortunately ducks don’t have access to the training centre without you so they are unable to train while you go off and explore the wilderness that is Featherhaven Island.


Even when you're out and about, exploring Featherhaven or engaged in training, your ducks continue to toil behind the scenes. They chop wood, educate, mine rubies, and engage in social interactions, only pausing for some much-needed rest during the night cycle. However, at any point, you can return and provide direction according to your wishes. As the player, you have the ultimate say. If you see your ducks socialising, you can send them back to work. If a duck is especially fatigued, you can let them retire early, ensuring they're rejuvenated for the adventures ahead.

That’s everything for now, but come back soon for more dev logs! We post here every two weeks. Join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page

Patch notes 0.23.1124

• Added combined growth rate stat to display final growth rate affecting each crop
  
• Updated visual design of widget
  
• Moved Beehive display to match other modifiers
  
• Increased size of crop status bar
  
• Added icons for each soil state for quicker reading

• Added additional growth rate information in guides
  
• Autohide the tractor cancel world widget after initialization

We’re thrilled to welcome you to this devlog. Especially so since the contents of this month’s devlog were inspired by the suggestions we’ve received from you! 🤩 We’d like to thank everyone who gave us their thoughts on the game.

The topic we’d like to talk about is the tablet. Many of you stressed that running from the enclosures to the office every time you want something is not convenient at all. We agree! 🖥️ Therefore we’d like to present our answer for this problem- the tablet.



That’s right, almost… To be able to adopt new animals you’ll still have to make your way to the office but to compensate for the lack of this feature, you’re given a nice map access and camera! 🔥 By the way, if you take a closer look at the screen, you might figure out the topic of the upcoming devlog! 🙂

It’s not the only novelty introduced to the game. Another one is a sledgehammer! ⚒️ Before you put finishing touches on the enclosures and let your animals it, first you have to get rid of some old infrastructure. That’s where the hammer comes in handy! 💪 Use it to safely remove the old concrete walls. Below you can take a closer look at your new tool. 👍



As alway we invite you to add the game to your Wishlists on Steam and to join our discord community! 👇

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2129220/Zoo_Simulator/



See you soon,
ZOO Simulator Team

Release "Cyber Avenger" 11/24/2023

Cyber Avenger is a top-down action game where you take on the role of a highly skilled covert operative on a dangerous mission to stop a group of terrorists who have obtained a groundbreaking invention with catastrophic potential.

Посмотреть

v 0.1.0
testing for demo

A small update related to localization bug fixes

Hey Shapers!

I'm thrilled to share that we've got a big and beautiful update for you! We're so, so, so excited to be able to bring more content to you in such a short period of time. Your feedback, bug reports, and general cheer has really helped us on our journey thus far. Let me give you the details on what you'll be seeing with this new update.


The Stormscraper is now ready for you to take on and cleanse the corruption! The Stormscraper was once the center of energy production in New Elysium before the tyranny of the Overlords. Work your way through the tower to liberate it from corruption and get one step closer to saving New Elysium. Fight a new enemy, explore new rooms and find new hidden ciphers to unlock!

NOTE: This will allow you to challenge three towers in a run, extending run duration and adding a new layer of difficulty to each run.


Our first throwable weapon is finally here, the Havoc Hammer! Cock back your arm to charge up and throw this huge kinetic hammer at enemy bots to knock them back. Use this weapon to deal big damage by slamming enemies against their surroundings or knocking them away from you to help give you space in a tight situation.


The Megaton is our new, flashy Kinetic rocket launcher. This launcher doesn’t fire an exploding rocket, that’s old tech. The Megaton fires imploding rockets that pull enemies towards the center of the implosion. Slam enemies together with the implosion and finish them off while they’re grouped up!


The last new weapon of our update, the Arc Flash! This burst-fire gun is truly in a class of its own. It fires out a slurry of Shock bubbles that stick to enemies then explode after a delay. It makes up for a shorter effective range by dealing massive damage to enemies caught in your horde of bubbles.


The Thermite Clusterbombs are our new Pyro grenade. But it’s not just one grenade, it’s five grenades. This ability allows you to throw five grenades at once to cover a massive area and set all of your enemies on fire. Alternatively, get up close and personal to throw all five at the same target to deal massive damage!


Have you ever found yourself annoyed by swaths of pest-like murderous robots? Well, we’ve got the solution for you: The Scatterblast Turret! This new ability places a turret that rapidly shoots small Vibro bullets in a circular wave-like pattern; use it to handle grouped up enemy bots like a pro.

• Magnetic Lock-On (Strike + Volt Duo)
  Hitting an enemy multiple times in rapid succession Magnetizes them.
  
• Windbreaker's Guard (Ada + Wind Duo)
  When your shield breaks you cause a Knockback explosion around you.
  
• Critical Reflections (Ada + Wind Duo)
  Level 1: Reflected projectiles have an additional 25% chance to inflict Critical Hits.
  Level 2: Reflected projectiles have an additional 50% chance to inflict Critical Hits.
  
• Cycle of Destruction (Ada + Strike Duo)
  When a projectile is Reflected it gains 1 Pierce. When a projectile Pierces, it gains 1 Reflect.
  
• Reckless Rush (Strike Core)
  Dashing through foes refreshes Haste duration.
  
• Magnetic Transference (Volt Core)
  When a Magnetized enemy dies, a nearby enemy becomes Magnetized.
  
• Magnetic Executions (Volt Core)
  Your Takedown explosions Magnetize enemies hit.

• Quickening Precision (Strike Core)
  Level 1: Every 10 Precision Hits grant you Rapidfire.
  Level 2: Every 5 Precision Hits grant you Rapidfire.
  
• Assault Dash (Strike Core)
  Added Level 2: Dashing temporarily makes your projectiles Pierce for a short period of time. (5 seconds)
  
• Polarity Amplifiers (Volt Core)
  Added Level 2: The range of your Magnetize effect is 100% larger.

• Added increased magazine size modifiers (25/50/100%)
  
• Added increased critical hit chance modifiers (10/25/50%)
  
• Added a modifier that grants 1 stack of Haste on a critical hit, capped at 3 stacks
  
• Added a modifier that grants 1 stack of Rapidfire on a critical hit, capped at 3 stacks
  
• Added a modifier that grants 1 stack of Surge on a critical hit, capped at 3 stacks
  
• Added a modifier that grants 1 stack of Fury on a critical hit, capped at 3 stacks
  
• Added a modifier that creates a Pyro explosion when you kill an enemy
  
• Added a modifier that creates a Vibro explosion when you kill an enemy
  
• Added a modifier that creates a Shock explosion when you kill an enemy

• Added a modifier that applies stacks of Weak on hit (1/2)
  
• Added a modifier that applies stacks of Slow on hit (2/4)
  
• Added a modifier that grants 1 second of invulnerability when you use your ability
  
• Added a modifier that recharges your dash cooldown when you use your ability
  
• Added a modifier that creates a Kinetic explosion around you when you use your ability
  
• Added a modifier that creates a Pyro explosion around you when you use your ability
  
• Added a modifier that creates a Vibro explosion around you when you use your ability
  
• Added a modifier that creates a Shock explosion around you when you use your ability

• Rooms that are a dead end now always have optional challenges
  
• Made player crosshairs more visible, it should be easier to keep track of your crosshair during fights
  
• Various optimization improvements throughout the game
  
• Improved the damage feedback on the player’s HP bar
  
• Added current run count to death screen
  
• We now show talents in the Cipher Cloud’s floating icons
  
• Added an emphasis animation to the Core Enhancement list being repopulated when you change your Core loadout

• Fixed an issue where explosion damage was not scaling correctly with gear level
  
• Fixed an issue causing players who were playing on controllers to be unable to confirm a language selection in the options menu
  
• Fixed an issue where Pyronauts and Juggernauts could appear in the same tower
  
• Fixed an issue causing Ada’s arm to sometimes be positioned incorrectly when entering and exiting the Cipher Cloud
  
• Fixed an issue causing players playing with a Playstation controller plugged in to be unable to switch back to keyboard and mouse icons
  
• Fixed an issue causing Strike Mantis’ drone to not be automatically destroyed after the player completes a challenge
  
• Fixed an issue causing the incorrect dialogue lines to play after failing a Shaper Rift challenge
  
• Fixed an issue causing the incorrect dialogue lines to play when the player was unable to open a Shaper Gate
  
• Fixed an issue where the fade out from Stage Selection was not covering ultra-wide monitors completely
  
• Fixed an issue causing mods that refund cooldown on critical hits to not work at all
  
• Fixed minor visual issues throughout Robotics Hub and Gravity Gardens

We've delayed the release of our next enemy, the Mistmantle, to the next update. We wanted to take some extra time to make sure it was fully polished and balanced before releasing it.

Thank you all for your support and we hope you have fun with all the new content!