Terrordrome - Reign of the Legends News

[h2]This past month, the team had to delay our next major update for a short while due to a major bug discovery. Thankfully, we can say our next major update release will be next week! Here's the details![/h2]

[h2]Coding[/h2]

[h3]Major Bug Fix[/h3]

Initially, we had planned to release the Spring Heeled Jack update August 22nd until we discovered a major game breaking bug. Since then, our lead programmer Brad had been hard at work to overcome the bug. We are happy to say Brad's work has proven fruitful and this issue no longer persists in the game. As a result, we are now cleared to move forward with our plans for the next update! We are always looking out for any bugs, so please feel free to submit any findings to the discussion thread or our discord server.

Of course, there is also work going towards connection stability for online play and memory usage. We are still investigating other issues in game at this time.

[h2]Characters[/h2]

[h3]Spring Heeled Jack[/h3]

Spring Heeled Jack is ready to launch into the Terrordrome! You can expect to get your hands on this character Thursday, September 7th, 2023! Due to the delay and for a lack of news this month, we decided to show this character off sooner. Here is our early access character trailer for Spring Heeled Jack!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]The Invisible Man[/h3]



With Spring Heeled Jack ready to launch, we have finally begun implementing the Invisible Man into the game. We have started with basic attacks and reactions for The Invisible Man. He currently has a few special moves implemented as well. There is still a lot of work to be done here, but we can say that this character is performing very smoothly in game. Here are some previews of him in engine!

In our next development update, we will explore more of the Invisible Man's powers and gameplay. We believe that this fighter will be a trickster, capable of some deadly mix-up potential both visible and invisible.

[h3]Final Three Fighters[/h3]

As of writing, we have began implementing the first of the final three fighters. Fighter #1 currently has basic reactions ready. Animations for the first two fighters are complete. Fighter #3 will begin to receive animations soon. We still are not ready to reveal these fighters just yet. These bonus fighters have evolved in concepts the most throughout this development process. We are excited to include them to the roster, and we believe they will be great additions to the game.

[h2]Other News[/h2]

[h3]Release Date of Next Update[/h3]

So to confirm, the Spring Heeled Jack Update will release September 7th, 2023. Alongside Spring Heeled Jack, the Erase Warehouse and Frankenstein's Sanctuary stages will also release. We will finally launch the game on the Epic Games Store for Early Access with this update.

[h3]October Vlog[/h3]

Our next development update will be in the form of a Vlog entry to our series of development vlogs! We have some more exciting details to share, most of which consist of Invisible Man details, some teases, and more!

We are working hard to bring you a better game each day. We're excited to be nearing the end of our roster, as it gives us more time to focus on improving other aspects of the game before launching next year. It has been quite the journey, and we still have a long path ahead of us. Thank you all for supporting us and continuing this journey with us.

- The TerrorTeam

Fixed an issue not allowing Tutorial Mode to load.

Fixed a frame drop issue when fighting Wendigo's AI.

Fixed an issue where the pause menu won't display.

Fixed an issue not allowing Arcade mode to work.

Included in this patch are changes to character hitboxes, fixes to end of round features, game state changes to inputs offline/online, adds a new Invite system to Game User Interface, and improves online match connection/netcode.

[h2]General Changes/Fixes[/h2]

1. Moves will continue and not be interrupted when the opponents health reaches 0 on the final round.
   
   
2. Fixed an issue causing certain Unleashed moves to be cancelled on Time Over, these moves will continue to the end. Time Over will be shown once the attacking player is back in idle pose.
   
   
3. Game invites are now possible no matter if you have a linked Epic games account, a new User Interface is used in order to invite friends to a match. If you do have a linked Epic games account, your friends on this platform will also populate here. You can also accept game invites without having to leave the game using an in-game invite notification.
   
   
4. When hosting an online game, the connecting to match screen will display when an opponent joins, with also a potential fix to initial sync/connecting.
   
   
5. Potential fix to memory issues. The game will now load at roughly 600 megs, while the highest usage the game might reach is at least 6 gigs. We are still looking into these issues and will see if we can reduce this usage more. This may be a potential fix to the crash issues on Steam Deck, a previous test used Proton GE as the compatibility layer. With this layer set Arcade mode was able to be completed.
   
   
6. Character AI has been updated, they won't be doing much standing around any more!!
   

[h2]Characters[/h2]

[h3]Frankenstein[/h3]

1. Change made to Frankenstein's Command Grab, Normal version will now cause a knockdown while the EX version is now a Raw Damage Command Grab including a previously unused animation.
   

[h3]Sasquatch[/h3]

1. Fixed an issue on Sasquatch's Air Grab special move not able to hit certain air borne opponents, this move is now also upper body invulnerable within the start up.
   
   
2. Reduced the hit stun on Sasquatch's Jump Strong in order to remove an unintended loop.
   

[h3]Bloody Mary[/h3]

1. Bloody Mary's EX Dash n Stab move no longer regenerates EX Meter.
   

[h3]Mr. Hyde[/h3]

1. Increased the upper body hit box of Mr. Hyde, now allowing him to be hit properly against certain characters.
   
   
2. Mr. Hyde's EX Hulking Throw Command Grab now has reduced damage.
   
   
3. Mr. Hyde's EX Hulking Throw Command Grab now has proper damage scaling when used during a combo.
   

[h3]Wendigo[/h3]

1. Increased the hit box size on Wendigo's lower body in order to allow certain moves to hit him.
   
   
2. Fixed certain characters' positions when grabbed by Wendigo's command grab.
   

We know most may be wondering when our next content update is, Spring Heeled Jack will be releasing very soon, but we wanted to get these fixes and updates out before EVO. We are still finalizing the last assets for Jack so keep an eye out for him around the middle of August.


Any issues that have been found within this update will be addressed within the next content update with Spring Heeled Jack.

- The TerrorTeam

[h2]This past month, we have been preparing for our next major update. We are also looking to release a small patch this week prior to the major update. Extra details below!
[/h2]

[h2]Coding[/h2]

[h3]Memory Usage Improvements[/h3]

One of the recent known issues with Reign of The Legends is an excessive amount of memory leakage and usage. This has been responsible for stuttering and poor performance on most machines. Our lead programmer Brad has been investigating the source of the memory leak, and he has found solutions to help reduce the amount of memory usage. There are still more steps to take to further improve this in the future as well. We will continue to combat against this and allow for a better experience in game. This may help those users who have been struggling to properly run the game. This will be present in the new patch later this week.

[h3]Netcode Improvements[/h3]

The team has been testing netcode performance, and we are excited to release improvements to our online experience. This includes better connections when connecting to opponents, a new user interface for invites, and a universal invite system for online that does not require linking an Epic Games Account. This will be featured in the new patch this week.

[h3]Character Balance[/h3]

In the coming patch, several characters have been looked at and will receive changes. Some notable examples include reworking existing special moves, removing unintended loops/infinites, adjusting hitboxes, and adding proper damage scaling to certain moves. More specific details will be available in the next patch's notes. This will be available later this week as well.

[h3]CPU AI[/h3]
One of the bigger achievements in this coming update involves CPU artificial intelligence and difficulty. We have noticed some fighters do not perform to the expectation we have for them in certain difficulties. The team has improved upon and tested the CPU intelligence in recent weeks and have found greater results. Namely, higher difficulties will now feature more competent computer opponents. You can expect some more engaging combat from CPU opponents in the coming patch this week!

[h2]Animations[/h2]

[h3]Final Three Fighters[/h3]

With the Invisible Man's animations complete, animation work has been steadily focused on our final three members of the Roster. We are still holding off on the identities of these fighters for the time being, but we are approximately a little over halfway done with animations for these fighters. We plan to have the final roster implemented before the end of the year, though it may slip into January at the latest.

[h3]The Invisible Man[/h3]



As stated previously, the Invisible Man has all animations complete. After the Spring Heeled Jack update, we will begin implementing this fighter into the game. This fighter may take the longest to implement due to some unique abilities he possesses. You can expect more news about this fighter in Next Month's Dev Blog.

[h2]Other News[/h2]

[h3]Epic Games Store[/h3]

The team has officially confirmed that the Spring Heeled Jack update will mark the official release of Terrordrome: Reign of The Legends on The Epic Games Store! This is an exciting step for us to expand the game's reach and audience.

[h3]The Madman[/h3]

The Team has looked into a new announcer for the game as stated in last months Development Vlog. We are happy to say we have found a new voice, and this new announcer will be featured in the Spring Heeled Jack update. We are dubbing this announcer "The Madman" as a nickname for the voice. We are looking to implement this new announcer very soon as all dialogue has been recorded.

[h3]EVO 2023: Indie Fighting Game Showcase[/h3]



As mentioned last month, Terrordrome: Reign of The Legends will be participating in EVO 2023's Indie Fighting Game Showcase. Tune in to twitch.tv/evo1 on Friday the 4th at 5PM EST to view our new trailer! In this trailer, we will be revealing a small tease for Spring Heeled Jack's gameplay, alongside a preview of the Madman as an announcer. We will also be posting the trailer to our YouTube Channel as well!

With that all said, we greatly appreciate the continued support! We are working each day to have the game grow into a greater experience for our followers. Be on the lookout for these coming updates this month, and we will see you again in September! Thank you!

- The TerrorTeam