Crunch Element News

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In this video, I'll be going over the roadmap for early access in great detail. Grab some snacks and buckle up, this is a long one. Believe me, your feedback has been HEARD and I'm doing everything humanly possible to get it done. As I state in the video, the priority is on fixes + quality of life updates for the next couple weeks.

Some critical fixes have also been pushed up and are now on the default branch
- Fixed issue with occasional spawning with two bodies in proc gen
- Fixed issues with menus not working as a spectator

There are plenty more updates coming this week so stay tuned! For specific concerns regarding issues + suggestions, please create a post at https://crunchelement.nolt.io/

Crunch Element is now out on early access! An incredible milestone for the project and the start of an exciting hands-on journey with the VR community! I've been working around the clock on some of the most pressing fixes in this hotfix update.

Below are the changes in the update:
- Added help hints to the sandbox for easier instruction
- Fixed lag issue that occured when joining mid game
- Fixed issue with objects spawning when joining in-progress
- Added music toggle + volume control
- Fixed issue with room listing items being displayed

After fixing a few minor bugs, the priorities for the next few weeks will be as follows:
- Rework barricades to sync better over network and be more satisfying to destroy
- Improve enemy AI behavior + positioning
- Update interaction to be easier + more forgiving
- General optimization

I appreciate your patience as I prioritize issues and plan out the roadmap going forward. Your feedback has been critical in improving the game, so keep it up!

Please submit bug reports to https://crunchelement.nolt.io/ to keep all information centralized so other people can add to it + I can easily check what the most pressing issues are. For back and forth Discussion about the game and the perfect place to find squamates, you are welcome over at the Crunch Element Discord

Stay tuned for more updates!

There are two core initiatives in making Crunch Element the best it can be: getting quicker feedback and storing feedback in an organized way.

[h3]Live updates straight from the development server[/h3]
Squashing the iteration cycle time is critical in making a game that players enjoy in the end, and a game that "just feels right" in every respect.

The feedback iteration cycle is the process of going from code/art -> playable Steam build -> tester feedback -> code/art (based on feedback). The faster this cycle takes place, the more Crunch Element improves and the more time is spent on effective development. In the last few days, a new solution has been set up to convert this process which used to be done by hand and take a good portion of a day, to a process that requires less than 60 seconds of developer time and moves project files to a playable steam update in about 30 minutes.

This means that testers will receive a constant stream of updates from the development server if they are on the 'experimental' branch on Steam (read how to access it below). In the Discord server, Crunch Element's trusty bot Changelogger will be jotting down the latest patch notes in the #changelog channel so testers never miss an update. By the time you read it there, a new update will already be going through the Steam pipes (if you are on the experimental branch).

[h3]A centralized place for bug reports and suggestions[/h3]
There is now a centralized place for feedback and bug reports! Please direct all suggestions, bug reports, and ideas to the official Crunch Element Nolt board! You can vote on suggestions and have discussion within posts. This will allow greater visibility for in-demand features and common bugs that surface. You will also be able to easily see the status of an idea if it's ever planned and implemented!

[h2]How to get access[/h2]
To access the experimental branch, right click on Crunch Element in your Steam library (if you have testing access), go to 'properties' -> 'betas' Then select the 'experimental' branch which will then download.
The default branch will periodically update with stable versions from the experimental branch. If you would much rather prefer to play on the latest stable version rather than testing the absolute latest version, it is recommended to stay on the default branch.

The explosives showcase is here! Destruction is now much more realistic, visceral, and of course... crunchy. Some feedback has been implemented from comments on the bullet destruction showcase, so wall debris is more realistic (although that is not the main design goal). All explosives affect the environment based on parameters such as radius, intensity, and falloff, as well as the types of materials damaged from the explosion.

We are one step closer to getting this new version into the hands of testers! All that remains is tweaking the enemy system to get everything integrated with all of the new stuff that's been added. Once that's done, I will be making an announcement about accessing the latest build via a beta branch for testers. This build will contain a simplified but "complete" single player game loop where all feedback will be welcome and considered on core mechanics.

For a more detailed look, check out the latest devlog below!
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I'm super excited to finally show off the new bullet destruction system and new building modules!

Obviously things can be tweaked later such as dialing down the effects, but I was having too much fun unloading chaos in the test compound. Different materials react differently when shot by bullets, and there are currently 4 material types: wood, drywall, concrete, and metal.

In the next update I will showcase the explosives rework, which allows explosives to utilize these new destructible components and much more!

For a more detailed look, check out the latest devlog below!
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