Apr 29, 2024

Task Force - Tracer Interactive

This update changes the default renderer from DirectX 12 to DirectX 11. We're making this change because after extensive testing we've determined that the game runs smoother this way without really losing too many new UE5 features that we don't necessarily need right now. That's because we value performance much more than graphics, even though we want to make a game that still has good graphics. So until we update from UE5.2 to UE5.4 later this year for some extensive performance updates to DirectX 12 in UE5, we plan to keep everything defaulted to DirectX 11 until then.

If you would like to test the game on DirectX 12 then you can use a special command line parameter via a desktop shortcut in order to launch the game in this graphics mode:

There are still some significant benefits to DirectX 12 along with many optimizations that save developers time so they don't have to optimize their assets as much. So by falling back to DirectX 11 you do lose some of these newer benefits, and it's worth trying out which mode works best for your current system. But again based on all of our tester feedback it appears that DirectX 11 was the preferred renderer a majority of the time, with players noticing very little change in how good the graphics actually looked.

This update also overhauls the entire audio system with some very significant optimizations and reorganizations. We've setup audio priorities for every single audio sample in the game so the engine can know which sounds are most important in order to prioritize them over others to ensure they always play. This is because audio engines are limited by a certain number of channels that they can mix together before the engine has to start choosing which sounds to play and which sounds to drop.

The weapon optimizations are very significant as we're no long spamming the game world with audio and particle components to simulate weapon fire. Instead we now have a much more robust system that properly cycles through preallocated audio and particle effects that repeat in order to simulate the effect of constant firing. This should make the shooting feel a bit snappier as the entire system is now using a lot less resources. We've also added new "dry fire" sounds to the weapons which should trigger when you try to fire the weapon when it's out of ammo.

We've included accelerated paint support for DirectX 12 now as well. This means the DirectX 12 user interface will be just as snappy and quick as the DirectX 11 user interface after our previous update last week. This means accelerated paint mode is being officially rolled out across both rendering platforms and ensures that your web-based user interface (a web browser floating on top of the game engine) works at full 4K 60FPS. That's because the underlying system is now sharing a live texture from the web browser with the game engine, which allows for instant graphics copying rather than the extremely slow process that previously had to go through the CPU. Now that everything stays on the GPU the entire user interface system is extremely quick and snappy compared to before, and will work just as fluidly at 4K resolutions.

This also means we've removed the temporary 90 FPS cap in the game, which was in place to prevent the game engine from overloading the web browser and causing the entire user interface to lock up. Now with accelerated paint we no longer have to worry about the game engine and the web browser fighting for CPU power, and you can run your entire game now with a completely uncapped FPS if you'd like.

We fixed a critical issue with workshop blueprints breaking between map changes. This caused doors and other workshop components to glitch out and have multiple copies on the map, because the "fake" ones that are used in-editor to place around were accidentally showing up in-game when they shouldn't. This also made it difficult to pick up the bomb at times as it would appear that there were two different bombs on the ground. The grenade arc has been fixed up as well and should now no longer appear overly dark or create any kind of "glowing" effect in the game world. We've also disabled all post processes on workshop maps which should prevent custom maps from using undesired features such as motion blur, film grain, vignettes, auto exposure, and more.

This update makes some very significant performance optimizations for Steam Deck. We've completely reconfigured the entire graphics system in UE5 for Steam Deck with automatic detection of the platform and implementing default settings that provide a smooth gameplay experience on Steam Deck. There's even special graphics modes that we're using to provide the best performance possible which would normally not be necessary on PC, so hopefully these updates really help to provide the best experience possible on Steam Deck.

A small issue in the training map was corrected where you'd keep your weapon from the previous round. This should no longer be the case in the training map anymore. Another bug was also addressed regarding the HUD completely freezing. This was not because of any user interface issues, but because of a certain data connection breaking between the server and your game client. However there's still some extensive testing required for us to confirm this issue is indeed fixed, as there might be more to it depending on how testing goes.

The "map" command has been fixed so that it will now look for existing maps in the maplist prior to loading the requested map. This allows the command to maintain the existing round timer and total rounds from the maplist rather than using the default 3 rounds as was previously happening. It's also very smart in that if a map appears on the maplist multiple times but with different game modes, it will actually pick the proper settings from the maplist that match the desired game mode rather than picking the first match in the maplist.

Finally this update overhauls the entire collision and physics of the third-person camera. We've added an entire "smooth gliding" system that prevents the camera from stuttering or glitching out for quick instants, which especially happens when running through doors or underneath other objects. Now the camera will pop forward but slowly slide outwards to create a very subtle effect that allows the player to focus more on their aiming and less on their camera collision.

Apr 29, 2024

Patch 0.1.31: Improvements to the controls, changes to the Bow and bug fixes

Bloodthief Playtest - blargis3d

Greetings Bloodfolk! Just pushed the latest patch - this one has some movement / controls changes that I think will make things a little tighter and more intuitive, as well as bring some critical mechanics a little more to the forefront.

Here are the notes:

Movement and Controls changes:

- Buffed slide:

- Now if you don’t have blood, instead of doing nothing, you will crouch. If you're moving, you'll slide in the same way that crouch/ctrl slide did originally
- If you do have blood, slide still gives you that same speed boost. However, slide now has all of the momentum preserving properties that crouch slide had.
- Vanilla “crouch” has been removed since slide above does everything crouch does and more.

- Default button mapping for ground-slam has been moved from Alt to Ctrl.
- Made it so you can “buffer” the air dash input while air dash is charging. As long as you are holding the input when air dash becomes fully charged, you will dash
- Increased jump coyote time from .1 to .2
- Tweaked explosion / rocket-jump tech to allow you to gain more speed with proper explosions
- Slightly increased the player controller’s pitch min and max values. Now you can look all the way up and down.

Other Changes

- The “bow” has been changed to something slightly different. Let me know what you think!
- Added arrows to the practice map
- Increased sword swing hitbox active time by .1 seconds
- Water is more transparent now

Bug Fixes

- Fixed issue where enemies would run in place if they couldn’t find a path to you
- Fixed bug where spikes didn’t smash you or enemies sometimes
- Fixed issue where player could escape the final battle sequence in Tutorial by climbing up the hole (The hole is blocked now)
- Fixed bug where change weapon buttons couldn’t be remapped
- Fixed bug where the sword slash flickered on screen for an instant sometimes right when your swing started
- Fixed bug where you couldn’t quick-restart while air dashing

A note about patch 0.1.30

If you've noticed that I skipped patch number 0.1.30, that's because this version was made publicly available via Bloodthief's FPS Fest Demo. Now both the Demo and the Playtest should be in sync.

EDIT:

I also just pushed patch 0.1.32 which just updates the tutorial to reflect the new ground pound changes.

Have a great week!

Apr 29, 2024

Maple Memo: GMS Roadmap Q2 2024

MapleStory - Jade

Hi Maplers,

We apologize for the delay in the Q2 2024 roadmap and appreciate your patience. We will do our best to make sure future notices are published at the expected time.

As always, please be mindful that it will list the notable updates but not everything that will be included in each patch. We recommend waiting for the respective update’s Patch Notes post for details.

v.250 Update (early May)

Happy 19th Anniversary, MapleStory!
New Job: Forest Child Lynn
Mayple Island

v.251 Update (mid-June)

Angelic Buster Remaster
Legion Artifact
Epic Dungeon: High Mountain
Dreaming Lachelein
Midnight Party
Hyper Burning & Tera Blink
QoL Improvements
Special Event

v.250 - Happy 19th Anniversary, MapleStory!

The 19th anniversary of Global MapleStory is coming up on May 11th! It’s crazy to think that we’ve been on this adventure with you all for 19 years. To celebrate, we’ve prepared special events as a thank you for being part of this community so be on the lookout for some sneak peeks!

v.250 - New Job: Forest Child Lynn

The arrival of Forest Child Lynn is finally here! Lynn is a magician that uses a Memorial Staff weapon and the power of the forest to summon Spirit Guides to help her defeat her enemies. While she can do strong damage with her Spirit Guide skills, she also has a variety of healing skills and buffs to help her party, so she will be very helpful as a support. (Also since players have been asking, yes, she will be released on the day of the v.250 update!)

We know many of you are curious about the conversion details from Beast Tamer to Lynn. Please wait until the patch notes have been released as it states all the information related to this topic.

v.250 - Mayple Island

Welcome to Mayple Island! Yes, we named it [/u]Mayple because it’s occurring in May! Mayple Island is a place that was created from the sparkling memories of Maplers. Meet those from your memories and receive abundant gifts by filling the Wish Orb that contains the dreams and hopes of people. The more you fill the Wish Orb, the better the rewards you’ll receive! Plus, there will be fun mini-games, photo booths, popularity contests, and other unique experiences throughout the event, including a museum exhibit where you can win OG Maple items. Don’t miss out and experience them all!

v.251 - Angelic Buster Remaster

Our queen of music, Angelic Buster, has blessed us with her return! In addition to her new look that is cuter and lovelier than ever, check out the newly changed skills. She’s also releasing her first mini album for you loyal fans, so we better see Angelic Buster as one of your top listened to artists in your 2024 Wrapped!

v.251 - Legion Artifact

After Monster Life ends, a new growth system called ‘Legion Artifact' will be included. Through various gameplay, players can naturally complete the missions and get time-limited stats that can be applied to all characters, introducing a new integrated character growth system.

v.251 - Epic Dungeon: High Mountain

Introducing MapleStory's first epic dungeon for characters level 260 and above! Dive into the story of the awakened sun god Mitra who has returned to the High Mountain after a long slumber. Defeat numerous enemies and get plenty of EXP and rewards.

v.251 - Dreaming Lachelein

We invite you to Lucid’s happy dream! Aren’t you curious about Lucid’s dreamy festival that isn’t a nightmare but something everyone can enjoy? Not only can you get LOADS of EXP, but there is a special reward shop, and content and mini-games for rapid leveling waiting for you. Explore all the exciting and special events that Lucid has prepared!

v.251 - Midnight Party

Welcome to the Midnight Party! It’s not a real party without goodies, so participate in the daily and weekly parties by defeating monsters to earn unique rewards, such as custom Lachelein outfits and backgrounds. After you’re done partying, you can earn your very own Lucidroid to accompany you on all your future endeavors.

v.251 - Hyper Burning & Tera Blink

Spiegelmann prepared a special map this time for Hyper Burning called Tera Blink! If you’re designated as a Hyper Burning character, you’ll be 200 with a blink of an eye in Spiegelmann’s ‘World Inside the Hat.’ Helpful rewards will be given every time you complete missions to help you progress even faster. So if you haven’t leveled your Legion yet, take this chance!

v.251 - QoL Improvements

Character Presets

Equipment presets have been added.
Ability presets have been added.
The cost to change Hyper Stat presets has been removed.
The default Legion Preset slots are now all permanent and will be increased to 5.

Boss UI

You can now view Character Info in the Party Recruitment tab.
An exclusive UI for accessing bosses has been added.
You can now set Combat Power as a condition in the Party Recruitment tab.
Monster Park Extreme has been added to the Boss UI.

Boss Entry Limits

The entry limit for all weekly and monthly bosses has been removed.
The daily limit for Balrog has been removed.
The quest requirements to unlock Lotus and Damien have been removed as long as you meet the level requirement.
A Practice Mode exclusive buff has been added, allowing you to apply buffs without actually consuming them for skills or items and without any restrictions.

V Matrix Improvements

You can now open multiple Nodestones at once.
You can now easily enhance all of your equipped Nodes by clicking the new ‘Enhance All’ button.

v.251 - Special Event

Inkwell and Dr. Lim are preparing a special event for all of you. Please stay tuned for more details!

We hope you’re excited by this high-level view of the content and events arriving to GMS in v.250 - v.251 2024.

As always, our goal with these roadmaps is to provide information that players may be curious about and assist players with advanced preparation. Please keep in mind that there is more content on the way in addition to those listed above, so we advise players to refer to the Update Preview post and Patch Notes post for the finalized details for every game update.

Thank you,

Mjollnir and the MapleStory Team