Celaria News

Update 1.3.0 includes a new playable singleplayer map, visual adjustements, new features/enhancements as well as bugfixes.


Update 1.3.0 brings a new playable map called "Bridge".



It's one of the bigger maps and harder maps in the game, featuring guite a lot harder/more precise shortcuts which will require a fair bit of practice from the player.
The map was still designed to be beatable by less-experienced players but it's recommended to play some of the main campaign maps first before tackling this one. (Especially if you want to go for the medals.)



This map also has 5 collectable spheres scattered around the environment with little platforming puzzles/challenges for those of you who like to explore the map and go off the beaten path. ;)

You may have noticed a new orange colored element on the left side of the first screenshot. Those are new barrier objects which are being introduced in the 1.3.0 update and are first featured in this new map.
Barriers are not solid and can be run through. However, by doing so you loose temporary power-ups of the green and yellow block. (Passing through the barrier caps/reduces your running speed & jumping distance back to normal.)

They were mainly introduced for balancing reasons to give map-creators the ability to somewhat control in which areas of the map speed & jump boosts can be utilized.


Those barriers can also be placed in the map-editor so custom map makers can use them too. They can be either placed in a vertical orientation (like a wall) or a horizontal one (floor).



The new map can be accessed from the singleplayer menu in the new "Post-Launch Maps" option.
In the future all officially released maps will be added to this submenu.




[h3]Shaders[/h3]
Lighting shaders were further updated. Size of the (visual) sun was reduced and the volumetric lighting/godrays effect was adjusted.

[h3]Ghost format & player skins[/h3]
The ghost/replay format was updated to also store the player colors/skin set in the profile menu.
So the next time you race agains a newly created ghost you will be able to see the skin/color configuration of the recorded player.

[h3]Ambience Track[/h3]
To avoid repetetiveness in the soundtrack playback, a new ambience track (simulating a windy weather condition) will play in between regular music-tracks. (Essentially alternating between ingame soundtracks/music and ambience back and forth.) This feature is by default enabled but can be disabled in the sound settings.



[h3]Jump buffering[/h3]
An experimental jump-buffer of around 150 milliseconds was added so that pressing (&holding) the jump-key will still cause jumps to be registered after this small time period. (This can be adjusted depending on player feedback.) This buffer only works on jumps performed from geometry underneath the player. Walljumps are ommitted as it would interfere with the wallrun controls.

[h3]Game settings in the pause menu[/h3]
Now the sound- and control settings can be accessed from within the pause menu.
Video settings were ommitted for the time being as switching resolutions can cause timeouts in multiplayer modes. (This will be added in a future update.)



[h3]Internal updates[/h3]
Behind the scenes updates include several bugfixes and refactoring work.
One other noteworthy change is the update of the gamemap file format (.cmap and .ecmap files) which changed how coordinates are stored inside those files.
Update 1.3.0 also includes an important bugfix which fixes reduced framerates/CPU utilisation on some PC configurations since one of the recent Windows updates.



The intention is to release the source code of the multiplayer server to the public for modding purposes.
As of right now, the server has a relative simple game-structure/featureset (a time-trial round-based gamemode) so in order to allow more freedom on the modding side of things, additional code refactoring is being done to increase customisability. (To allow for example enabling/disabling roundtimers, additional servercommands to display UI elements on the screen, player teleportation, etc...)

Update 1.3.0 already has some of those internal changes built in in preperation for the open-sourcing of the server code. There is still work left to do but it's on a good path the be released with the next update.

There are also some unfinished maps in the works so stay tuned for new map releases in the future. (And maybe one or two other surprises.)


The game is still constantly evolving & being adjusted accoding to player feedback. So i hope to see you in the next update. :)

Version 1.2 of "Celaria" was released and introduces a highly requested feature by the community:
The speedrun gamemode.
In addition to that this update also adds a daily featured playlist as well as ingame maprating/mapvoting.

For a short overview over those features you can check the most recent video update of the game:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

So let's get into the details of each new feature.




The speedrun mode is a highly requested addition to the game and consists of not only one but two playstyles/submodes: "Any%" and "All Spheres"
Both speedrun modes have dedicated online leaderboards and support online replay/ghost as it is case in single-map runs.

Your whole playthrough of the speedrun will be recorded and uploaded as a ghost/replay to the leaderboards so that other players can download and run against your replay.


[h2] Any%[/h2]
The goal of Any% is simple: Run through all campaign maps in sequence as fast as possible. (All checkpoints have to be activated in the same order as they do in the campaign.)
Your time across all maps will be added together to calculate your total runtime.
No breaks/pauses are possible (this has to be done in one go.)



The speedrun mode also has predetermined medal-times (bronze, silver, gold and platin) which you can chase after.
Compared to the campaign and custom maps, the speedrun mode has unique looking medals and thus also unique steam-achievements for beating those times:




[h2] All Spheres[/h2]

"All Spheres" is a bit different compared to "Any%". You still have to run through all campaign maps in sequence as in "Any%". But in order to be able to advance to the next map you first have to collect all spheres (which are the collectables in the campaign mode) on the given map. (The goal/finish of the given map will not activate unless all spheres were collected.)

Spheres are marked with a red light beam similar to checkpoints. How or in what order you reach them doesn't matter. It's up to you to find the fastest/most efficient route.

Here an example how one of those spheres looks like:


And here an overview of one of the maps in the campaign:


This is definitely the harder speedrun mode and will require a fair bit determination to get through.

As it is the case with the Any% speedrun mode the "All Spheres" speedrun also has unique looking medals with its own Steam-achievements:






The goal of this new feature are:

1. Make custom maps easily accessible within a few clicks
   
2. Give players a daily goal to strive towards
   
3. Increase visibility of workshop maps
   
4. Bring the community closer together
   

Every 24h one community map from the steam workshop will be featured in the daily featured menu (which is accessible from the singleplayer menu).
Each map featured in the daily playlist will also recieve a daily leaderboard which will reset every 24h.
Playing the daily featured map will grant you bonus multiplayer experience points if you finish your run (once per day).

Also runs perfomed on the daily map will also be submitted to the global leaderboards. So in case you manage to pull of a world record, fear not as the game will also submit your run to the regular map leaderboards. :)

An example of the daily featured menu is shown here:



It displays the name of the map, the name of the map-creator, the day/number of the current daily map as well as a timer which displays when then next map-rotation will happen.

From this screen you can either Load the currently displayed map, open the steam workshop page (opens the steam browser ingame) or check the daily leaderboard from the previous day.

Opening the leaderboard in the daily featured menu will display two additional filter options (alongside the regular "Global" and "Friends" filter.)

You can easily filter between the daily (global), daily (friends), the regular global and friends (global) leaderboards.

This daily feature playlist will not only give players easy access to a new map to play/compete on every day but also increase the visibility of custom maps. A win-win situation for both players and mapcreators. :)


In summary:

• every day one map from the steam workshop will be featured (24h rotation cycle)
  
• the given map will have a daily leaderboard which resets with each rotation (every 24h)
  
• Participation grants multiplayer experience points (once per day)
  
• Runs performed on the daily playlist will also count on the global leaderboards
  

Previously if you wanted to give feedback to a workshop map you needed to open the workshop page of the game in the steam browser, navigate to the given maps steam-page.

Now vote submissions are integrated into the game. At the end of a run on either a workshop/custom map and/or in the daily featured map playlist a "submit vote" popup will appear at the bottom half of the screen:


Here is a close-up of those UI elements:



You then can either give the map a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
You can also open the steam-workshop page of the map in the steam-overlay in case you want to check out the map-creator and/or leave a comment there.

[h3]Full Changelog[/h3]
- updated look of platinum medal
- adjusted design of the platinum medal
- reworked visuals of the checkpoint counter during gameplay
- added map-leaderboard in pause menu
- added speedrun gamemode (with 2 submodes)
- added daily featured workshop playlist
- added the ability to vote on workshop maps ingame
- updated networking communication with masterserver
- various minor bugfixes on the client side
- minor bugfixes in the multiplayer server software

The 1.1.9 update brings further visual/stylistic improvements, a menu UI update, bugfixes and some underlying technical upgrades in preperation for upcoming features.

[h2]Menu/UI update:[/h2]
The Menu/UI was updated and now features unique icons for each menu-entry.
In addition to that those buttons scale with the ingame resolution so that they utilise most of the available space in the menu. This should help with navigation and make the UI more intuitive.


Furthermore the ingame visuals were also updated. For one, the skybox was changed to a perspective correct cubemap. (Previously it was a cylindrical projection.)
Outline rendering was also adjusted by doubling the line width (from 1 to 2 pixels) and reducing the outline transparency to increase contrast.


The small video-previews/animations in the tutorial were also replaced to be up-to-date with the current visuals. The framerate was also slightly improved to make them appear a little bit smoother compared to before:


Furthermore a new animation was added which is used while the player is in a falling state.
At some point the character will "stretch" the legs forward to prepare for impact. This animation tells you the point at which you have to initiate a roll.




The 1.2.0 update is already in the works and will introduce a new dedicated "Speedrun" gamemode as well as new features related to steam workshop custom maps. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement. :)



[h2]Changelog:[/h2]

• replaced/updated video animations in the tutorial
  
• updated ingame menu UI
  
• Outline rendering adjustement
  
• replaced/updated skybox and improved skybox rendering
  
• updated replay format
  
• added roll indicator to help with timing of the roll move
  
• removed Supersample Antialiasing (SSAA2X) from the video options menu due to bad performance scaling on most hardware/resolution configurations.
  
• fixed mouse button moveset toggle in the control options menu
  
• fixed the ability to enter a port number in multiplayer under DirectIP (example: IP "127.0.0.1" and Port "6510" being "127.0.0.1:6510")
  
• added additional confirmation step on exiting the game to menu in multiplayer to avoid accidental buttonpresses
  
• adjusted mouse sensitivity slider in the controls menu
  
• fixed/improved SSAO performance
  
• various minor bugfixes
  

Instead of trying to chase realism this patch further embraces the more colorful/abstract artstyle.
The rendering of outlines was adjusted (the intensity was increased) to make them more pronounced and further help distinguish between seperate objects in the scene and enhance the overall look of the game.




One of the big features added with this patch is the new multiplayer experience system.
Your experience points will be displayed in the top right bar on your screen (In the menu/pause menu):

Here is a close-up:


How does this system work?

• Playing on multiplayer servers with other players will grant you experience points.
  
• The amount of experience gained depends on your rank on the leaderboard at the end of a round, the number of players on the server (which have set a record in the current round) and your time spent in the given round.
  
• Depending on the number of experience you will recieve a rank with its own badge.
  

Here is a sample of the currently available badges:



In the future there will be community showcases (Videos as well as shoutouts via Twitter) which will show off some of the awesome maps created by the community.
The first one was released on Youtube:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Want to have a chance at being featured in a video and/or on Twitter? Create a map in the ingame editor and upload it on the workshop :)

[h2]Server update[/h2]
Due to some updates and changes to the way the server communicates with the client a new server update was released. (1.0.3)
Make sure to update your server if you want to connect with the latest version of the game client.



- adjusted outline rendering
- added new multiplayer experience system
- fixed crash related to lightmap corruption during the caching stage
- implemented the ability to load leaderboards and start a map from the menu without having to wait for the map-preview
- fixed potential connection error in multiplayer
- fixed duplicate UI sprites appearing in the leaderboard summary at the end of multiplayer sessions
- fixed wrong UI sprite in the map-editor
- fixed duplicate leaderboard entires which could appear on multiplayer leaderboards
- fixed incorrect sprite being displayed in the editor
- updated server to version 1.0.3. (Bugfixes and updates to the server-client protocol)
- fixed resolution/fullscreen bug which allowed the player to set a render resolution that was higher then the physical display resolution. (Which caused the game to be cropped on screen.)

NOTE: if you were affected by the lightmap corruption bug in one of the previous patches (game crashes upon loading a specific custom map) make sure to delete the "lightmapCache" directory in the localappdata directory of Celaria.
(C:\\Users\\\\AppData\\Local\\Celaria). This will delete potentially corrupted lightmaps and allows the game to regenerate them at runtime.

[h2]Known Issues:[/h2]
- Joining a server during a map-transition state can freeze the newly joined player in place without the ability to move even after the multiplayer map has been successfully loaded.
A temporary fix is to press "ESC" to open and close the pause menu which enables player movement again.
This will be fixed in the next patch / an upcoming hotfix.

Update 1.1.7 aims to bring improvements related to the UI, Quality of Life and multiplayer.

One of the improvements which might be noticed right away was a change to the look of the ingame-medal icons:

The lighting and material was upgraded to make them more vibrant and stand out more even if the images are scaled down.

Another improvement that was made is the checkpoint number and timer display at the bottom of the screen:

Here is a closer look at the UI at the bottom center of the screen:

Activating checkpoints now displays 2 times above the checkpoint counter.
On the left (on the darker background) you can see the total time which was achieved on the currently activated checkpoint. On the right (on the blue background) you can see your relative time difference. If you improved your time the background will be blue. Otherwise it will be displayed in red.

The checkpoint counter ("CP: 1/2") was also changed to exclude the last checkpont/finish.

You may also notice that the font recieved a white rim on the edge to help it stand out more from the enviroment.

The client also recieved a couple of bugfixes. Two of the more notable ones were a potential gameplay lockup in multiplayer and a replay offset/delay which caused downloaded replays to be delayed by a couple of frames. (Check the full changelog for all bugfixes.)


[h2]Multiplayer[/h2]
Multiplayer recieved UI and quality of life improvements.

The leaderboard in multiplayer was completely reworked to make it look and function the same as the leaderboard in the menu.
By holding the "TAB" key in multiplayer you can open the leaderboard during gameplay:

Holding "TAB" will disable camera movement and enable the mouse cursor so that you can easily click through the leaderboard with ease.

One new feature is that the multiplayer leaderboard also includes the ability to swap to the global- and friends leaderboards from Steam. So you can always check how your time compares not only with the local multiplayer party but also with the global playerbase as well.

Multiplayer already synchronizes your runs with the steam-leaderboards as it is the case with the singleplayer- and cutom maps mode. So now it's even easier than before to go on a record hunt while playing with other players over the network.

[h2]Server update 1.0.2[/h2]
For the first time since release the communication protocol which is used to transfer data between the server and the client was updated. This means that you need to update the server software to the new version 1.0.2 if you want to play multiplayer in the newest version of the game.
Attempting to connect older versions of the client with new servers might display "incompatible server version" errors.

Internally, the server recieved bugfixes especially with regards to error handling. So the overall server stability should be much higher.


On the UI side the console recieved a checkbox called "console autoscroll" on the bottom right corner of the window which is enabled by default. This checkbox is enabled by default and causes the console to automatically scroll down so that you can always see the most recent messages in the console.

This update also introduces the ability to change the port for the multiplayer server. (By default this port is set to "6510" for both TCP and UDP.)
This makes it now possible to host multiple servers from the same machine/ip-address. (By giving each server its own port.)

The port of a server can be configured by changing the

port = 6510

value in the "server.conf" file which is located in the same directory as the server software.

[h2]Future updates and features[/h2]
There will be more announcements with regards to upcoming updates and features made here on Steam soon. Some unannounced features are already in the works behind the scenes and will be revealed once the time is right.

[h2]Full Changelog:[/h2]
- replaced medal sprites/icons
- updated replay format.
- replaced checkpoint time indicator
- increased upload retry limit for steam-leaderboard runs
- added white outline around timer at the bottom of the screen
- replaced multiplayer leaderboard. Allows now to load local server- as well as global leaderboards
- leaderboards are now displayed at the end of a run in multiplayer
- loading process is properly displayed in multiplayer and displays additional loading steps
- updated server-client communication protocol. (Server update is nessecary and required to play multiplayer on the new version)
- improved precision of the collision detection in some areas (specifically wallruns)
- added smooth freecam movement
- adjusted checkpoint display to exclude the last red block and to display "-" instead of "0"
- added toggle to enable/disable autoscrolling in the server console
- added the ability to change the network port of the server application. This opens up the ability to host multiple servers from the same machine/ip-address.
- adjusted server tickrate to avoid unnessecary cpu workload

Bugfixes:
- general server bugfixes
- fixed replay offsets/delays.
- fixed bug in multiplayer which depending on the map and server configuration could freeze the player in place
- fixed occasional replay character transition bug on resets caused by improper handling of frame interpolation
- fixed bug where replay characters would use the same skin as the individual users.
- fixed fresnel and specular reflections of the character on the mirrored floor