Liftoff: Micro Drones News

Presenting you with a long list of improvements and fixes, the new Liftoff: Micro Drones update is finally here! And while it only took us 7 years, for the first time in the history of liftoff games, your virtual lipo is finally connected to your drone ;) But hold on tight, because there's more to come, including exciting new content. Stay tuned for future updates!

• Added: voice chat to multiplayer.
  
• Added: French as a supported language. The language can be changed in the game settings.
  
• Added: support for custom music playlists. Supported file formats are mp3, wav and ogg.
  
• Added: save, load and delete profiles for your rates. Rate profiles are available in the flight controller settings from the pause menu.
  
• Added: report function in multiplayer.
  
• Updated: blocked players through the Steam platform will not be able to enter a multiplayer game with you any longer.
  
• Updated: entering a multiplayer game when a blocked player is present in that game will now ask you whether you want to enter the game or not.
  
• Updated: switching game modes or drone configuration while in-game doesn't require a reload of the whole level anymore.
  
• Updated: the game engine has been updated. This should increase performance somewhat. This fixes some input latency issues on Linux while using Vulkan rendering.
  
• Updated drone visuals: lipo batteries now have cables. This is done procedurally.
  
• Updated: added more race A.I. opponents for all races.
  
• Updated: multiple smaller memory efficiencies during multiplayer to reduce potential stutter.
  
• Updated: race checkpoints and other in-game triggers now show their outline clearer when touching other objects.
  
• Updated: improved level loading process so it should be a bit faster. The loading speed improvement depends on the level complexity.
  
• Updated: Liftoff: Micro Drones now runs natively on Apple Silicon.
  
• Fixed: several audio sources would not be linked properly to their respective volume category.
  
• Fixed: several small memory leaks with requests to the Liftoff Pro service.
  
• Fixed: Liftoff: Micro Drones should not start with a resolution of 0x0 anymore.
  
• Fixed: the Liftoff Pro credentials file could sometimes get corrupted and cause connection issues when trying to enter the multiplayer.
  
• Fixed: throttle issue that could result in inversed thrust when going down.
  
• Fixed: replays for item collection and hover drones should be properly displayed in the replay selection screen.
  
• Fixed: adjusting the target frame rate from the pause menu now is applied immediately upon change.
  
• Fixed: scroll speed issue on UI elements. Several UI elements should now react snappier when scrolling through them.
  
• Fixed: several UI elements now show properly on Mac.
  

Our favourite level Sawdust Inc. finally gets a night time version and it's a complete visual redesigned that doesn't just change the look and feel, but also the layout and gameplay. Make sure to bring your boots.

Sawdust Inc. has seen better days. A once thriving store, now a decrepit and abandoned building, left to crumble under the wrath of nature. The sky pours down rain relentlessly, flooding the old store and causing the water level to increase by the minute. As you race through the area, steer clear of the barricades that are holding back the deluge, you have been warned!

2023 is finally upon us! Our goal for the year is that with a little hard work and a lot of coffee, we'll have this project wrapped up this year. And like any good wrapping, there's good stuff to be found inside!

[h2]The road to V1[/h2]
The end of the road towards an official release is in sight! The following things are planned and in the works for the release version:

• A scripted in-game tutorial system for new pilots.
  
• A night-time variation of Sawdust Inc.
  
• A track builder and Steam Workshop integration. Build and share racetracks with other players!
  
• Empty versions of the existing environment for you to build in, including a "Drawing Board" style space.
  
• A brand new environment, being teased in the blogpost banner ;)
  
• General polish and fixes

[h2]When?[/h2]
The items on the roadmap will become available as part of a few updates. As for the actual launch version, announcing a release window is like jumping off a cliff and hoping you'll fly... or at least that's what it feels like. But we feel bold and brave and will make a reckless "we hope for spring" statement.

More importantly, the V1 release is far from the end of the project, it's actually just the start really. We fully commit to supporting and updating the project after this V1 release, as we have done with our other Liftoff simulators.

We want to thank you all for supporting the Liftoff simulators. When Liftoff: Micro Drones launched in Early Access just over a year ago, we would not have imagined such a great and supportive response from the community. Thank you for being awesome!

This update is another love letter to the community, every single point in the changelist was requested by you! Enjoy :)

[h2]Changelist[/h2]

• Added Fractal 65 and 75 Ductless frames.
  
• Updated flight physics: The Experimental Branch physics are now released to the main version of the game.
  
• Quick rates, Actual rates, Raceflight rates and KISS are now available in the flight controller settings.
  
• When changes have been made to the camera angle and/or flight mode during flight, you are now asked whether to save these changes to the drone configuration upon leaving the game session.
  
• Updated the order of levels in the level selection screens. San Lipo Drive has been moved back so that it's not the default environment due to its perceived difficulty flying in it.
  
• Fixed issue with multiple labels in the flight controller settings all showing 'MID'.
  
• Fixed issue with not saving the 'Start' and 'End' values of the throttle settings in the flight controller settings.
  
• Updated the pilot position in Hoverton High daytime and in the In Transit daytime and night time versions so that there's more room to trippy-spin the pilot ;)
  
• Slightly reduced the forklift horn volume.
  
• Fixed issue in the manual calibration menu, where the 'Invert' axis toggle would something apply the wrong value.
  
• Fixed issue with the 'Disarm' command not working.
  
• Fixed multiplayer connection stabilization issue.
  
• Hidden some extra secrets in some levels ;)
  

[h2]FPV Gnomes[/h2]
Those who have explored the Liftoff: Micro Drones levels In great detail might have found the occasional hidden FPV gnomes in each level. Now you can win a real life FPV Gnome and all you have to do is follow us on Twitter and retweet our contest tweet that's it!.

We will announce the winner in exactly a week. We will use a random number generator to pick the winner. Good luck! :D

The Liftoff team is at Gamescom to celebrate the Liftoff franchise and its amazing community. To share the celebration, we have activated a double XP week!

Playing any Liftoff game available on Steam will earn you double the amount of XP points in-game.

Note: A free Liftoff Pro Account is required to earn XP. XP points are shared between Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing and Liftoff: Micro Drones, so gathering XP in Liftoff: Micro Drones will help you to unlock gift boxes in classic Liftoff much faster!