OUTBRK News

It's the off season chasers! While things calm down weather wise in real life, our development team has been working on the feedback we have received from our first multiplayer playtest.

With this feedback, we were able to identify some design issues in key gameplay elements, so we’re taking actions about this to make our gameplay approachable, engaging, and intuitive for veteran storm chasers and for people without any experience with severe weather. Our playtesters have been able to provide a lot of feedback on our balance choices between risk and reward, and while some games may reward you the most for taking the biggest risks, that won't be the case in OUTBRK. Our general gameplay philosophy is to reward smart behaviors that would be generally good in a real life chase, so we'll be using our different game systems like the probe and camera to assure that our reward system benefits players who are able to keep it safe while also still getting those great shots and probe data.

One major change we’ve done is to completely remove what we previously called the “car module” (a system rewarding how close the player was to an active tornado, justifying it as instruments on the car picking up data) and designed a new point-making system inspired by Spotter Network that we currently call the Chaser Network. In the Chaser Network, players will be able to report weather hazards for other players to see on the map and points will be awarded based on the accuracy of the reports to reward smart positioning and awareness. In addition to reporting, players will be able to see the live locations of other chasers in the world in that same module, so they will have to choose between remaining dedicated to their chase target or risk having to race to other areas for hazards that are already confirmed.

Our playtest was also the first big stress test of our multiplayer networking system, and we were able to identify some crucial issues preventing larger numbers of players from accessing the game at the same time. Our networking team has already started resolving most of these issues.

Lastly, we recently added a way to browse through past radar frames, and a new surface map. Here is some screenshot of our work in progress :






That's all for this month, don't forget to wishlist us on STEAM if you haven't already!
- The OUTBRK Team.

Hey chasers ! Our entire development update focuses on only one thing : PLAYTESTING !

Since our last development update, we’ve been exclusively focused on improving our gameplay systems and user experience when storm chasing in OUTBRK. After multiple rounds of internal testing, we’ve finally let a few select members of our community try the game for the first time to collect their feedback on the game.

Our focus for this round of playtest was limited to the different modules that convert smart chasing decisions into money to eventually purchase new chase cars and car parts. We want to observe if new players understand and like the direction we’re taking with our chasing gameplay systems, if it feels fair and offers the right risk/reward balance.

Here is a recording of our playtest session, please keep in mind that this is an extremely early playable version of OUTBRK, there are many very visible bugs that we haven’t fixed yet as we focus on our core game pillars in priority.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

All of this is very exciting, finally seeing other people playing our game is a massive step in the development of a game. We’ve learnt a lot from this playtest session and we’ll get back to work with this valuable knowledge to craft the amazing game OUTBRK deserves to be.

We are aware that all of you are probably wondering when you’ll have the opportunity to try the game yourself, and unfortunately, we don’t know the answer. Our current home-server setup only allows one multiplayer game to run at the time, so we have to control how playtests are conducted by limiting the quantity of players playing, and when they are playing. That being said, this is only the first playtest of many more to come. Until then… keep chasing !

- The OUTBRK Team.

OUTBRK Development Outlook (August 2021)

Welcome back chasers! This update will focus on where we're at with development, testing, UI design and a couple of other fun things!

Testing

The team has spent a lot of time going through the gameplay loops of OUTBRK and we encountered a few blockers preventing a complete multiplayer experience ready for the general public to test. With the help of our networking team, we’ve been able to identify and fix most of the issues and now we’re gearing up again to start community testing. This minor delay may come as disappointing news to players anxiously awaiting chances to get their hands on the game, but rest assured, we are as eager as you to start community playtesting sessions. Our Trello page has more information on some of the specifics of what we're working on.



Initial User Interface and Quality of Life Improvements

With our networking team hard at work on their end - David has begun our first pass of user-interface and user-experience intentions. One of the first impressions players get from a game, regardless of whether it's a AAA game or Indie game, comes from the UI. As we continue this work, we'll be integrating tutorials, loading screen tips and more into OUTBRK.



OUTBRK Shop

Our work has always been supported by the immense community enthusiasm and we wouldn't have been able to get to this point without it. There's been a ton of requests to create official OUTBRK Merchandise for our community - and well, we've done just that.

All of the profits will be exclusively used to support the development of OUTBRK, so if you want to support the team, this is currently the best way! If you chose to support us this way, send us pictures of your OUTBRK apparel on Twitter at @OutbrkGame.

Check out our new Redbubble Store


In closing, we're making plenty of headway and while our testing phase has kicked off to a slower start than originally expected, the pace we're at is one of necessity and one that the player-base will hopefully be able to appreciate!

Chase season is far from over, stay tuned!

OUTBRK Development Update : July 2021

Testing, testing! With our weather systems and first chase day scenario now essentially fully operative, we started developing, integrating and testing what makes OUTBRK a game - the chasing gameplay systems. The gameplay systems are what will reward smart chasing decisions with in-game currency to purchase new chase cars and customize your appearance. You can follow the internal review process by looking for cards titled “Gameplay Review” on our public Trello board .

The design of our gameplay systems is still too early to share, but we can share the high level philosophy of our design intentions. Chasers in OUTBRK will gather points through three different modules : The Camera, the Probe, and the Car Module.

• The Camera will be used to take pictures of storm formations and weather elements occurring during the chase. The more elements framed and captured with the camera, and the closer they are (in some cases), the more points awarded. Player’s position will have an impact since the camera is useless if the view is obscured by rain curtains or dense forests.
  
  
• The Probe, much like its real life counterpart, will be used to deploy in the predicted path of an incoming tornado. The better positioning, the more points collected. Don’t forget to get your probe back to cash-in your success.
  
  
  
• The Car Module is the main gameplay system that will drive most of the minute-to-minute decisions, and this is where we spend the most design time to really nail how it feels and engage players in realistic chase behaviors. The basic philosophy of this system is “the stronger winds the chase car is exposed to, the more points gathered”. This might sound simple, but being able to feedback that information into actionable gameplay decisions is a big challenge. We will be able to go more in depth once we’re happy with the design we’re currently iterating on.
  
  

As we get closer to having that system ready for next rounds of testing, we're also integrating a lot of new content, such as new chaser cars, menu flow, in-game user interface, network improvements of our dedicated server infrastructure, post-processing graphical upgrades and several quality of life fixes across the game. We want to make sure that our early players can have a complete, uninterrupted and accessible experience since making the game flow immersive is crucial in order to get high quality feedback.

Oh! We can't forget about the winners of our community “name a store” content : Mesomart and Weed Trimmer's! The two top favorite store names have made it into OUTBRK! Here's some artboard teasers for now - we'll show you what the final product integrated in a town looks like soon!




Stay tuned!

It's June and that means it's time for our next OUTBRK Development Outlook!

Last month, we left off nearing the completion of our first in-game scenario. Today, we've got the scenario integrated and playable, and our team recently premiered a reveal video to show off all of the incredible progress. If you missed it, or want to re-watch the action, we’ve included a link and a breakdown further down the development outlook.


With weather, networking, world design and basic game systems all having received a first pass of implementation, we're now starting to test the OUTBRK game loop internally and bringing all of our features to a level where we will be comfortable to start private public testing. While we can't quite commit to a timeline, just know that it's getting closer!

DESTRUCTION ELEMENTS:

Having a dynamic world with destructible elements is an essential part of OUTBRK. We’re not quite ready to show everything in action, but here is an example of a residential house at different stages of destruction.



Players in OUTBRK will be able to take in the world around them as it is influenced by the strength of approaching storms. Trees on the horizon will begin to whip, rain shafts will cross the horizon and if you’ve picked the right storm and a tornado develops - the danger will step up a notch, ripping trees from the ground and damaging structures!


WEATHER SYSTEM AND TORNADO REVEAL:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The world of OUTBRK is coming to life. In a world of immense size, watch the sky become turbulent as you gear up to go chasing. Load up the car and travel across varied regions, each with their own flavor of environmental touches as you make your way to your target. From rolling hills, dense forests as well as rocky and arid regions - the clouds above you will become volatile as storms develop.

Listen as the wind blows through the trees and rain shafts dance in the distance. You can see beautiful storm structures as the anvils shoot up and across the sky. Storm chasers know and love this look - and here it is, recreated in OUTBRK.

Chasers in-game will need to plan their chase and stay up to date with the dynamic environment. Check the models to see where it will soon be most likely to see a supercell eat up rich ingredients and perhaps begin to rotate. Make split-second decisions on what cell to target; will you be tempted to follow your chasing instincts or will you race to the active warnings? Whichever you choose, keep an eye out for all types of hazards including hail, strong winds, debris and of course... tornadoes.

From stovepipes to wedges and ropes, the tornadoes in OUTBRK will almost never be the same as the last and it's up to you to decide how much you're willing to risk to get the pictures and probe data of a lifetime. The storms in OUTBRK will have realistic structure and for trained eyes, you'll be able to identify clear landmarks in the sky to immerse yourself in the chase experience.

Play your cards right and you’ll be able to chase another day as the storms move out of the target area - those who make the right calls will be able to say that they were there when the OUTBRK happened.


Stay tuned!

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