Frontiers Reach News

This weeks patch notes encompass yet more preparation for a major update coming in the future. One centered around AI and Reloading. Additionally we have a number of small fixes, additions, and a couple of small changes that affect the game in a big way.


- Adjustments to thrust vectoring animations.

- Expansion of explosion models for each fighter to include all player controlled starfighters.

- Added debris explosions to Vo-33 Ostriye and Mark 6 Super Kunai enemy NPC fighters.

- Added preview art of coming changes for holo table.

- Fixed issue on the Jadha map kept player from being able to launch into the level.

- Changed music for Jadha missions.

- Adjusted lighting to address issues on Jadha Sector 42F map.

- Fixed no spacing on planet button names at the holo table.

- Adjusted portraits in main menu to affect better visibility.

- Added backend support for video playback as a part of mission briefings.

- Modified aiming reticle to increase target visibility when aiming and increased its size.

- Added in RCS and Stall mechanics into flight model.

-Stalling-

-Vectoring requires a minimum speed both in atmosphere with gravity and in the vacuum of space.

-When in atmosphere, airbrakes work the most pointing up and not the least pointed down.

-When stalled, your nose will push itself down when gravity is a factor.

-When stalled, torque applied to the craft is severely reduced as vector control is a factor of forward speed.

-RCS-

-The RCS thrusters can be activated on controller by holding both triggers down.

-RCS greatly increases the torque you can apply to the craft with a cost to speed.

-While RCS is activated, you have no control over the direction your aircraft travels. It continues as a
ballistic object.

-RCS can be activated while stalled to regain control of your craft.

-Ending RCS comes in the direction of travel results in control being regained instantly.

-Ending RCS facing the opposite direction to the direction of travel will result in control being lost until your engines can correct your forward speed.

-Ending RCS in any other direction will lead to slower recovery they facing the direction of travel.

-Holding boost before ending RCS and continuing to boost after will allow for near immediate correction of travel direction even when ending RCS facing the opposite of your direction of travel.

This weeks update sees more artwork updates and several fixes for lighting and shadow issues. Of the artwork changes made the Heliosiren has finally been optimized to infinity and beyond giving us back some more FPS as we continue to reduce draw calls across the experience. We’ve also taken some time to get some new engine art into the game as a preview of the coming module system update. Still much to do before it is ready but this is a taste. This week also marks the first of the month so we’ve also updated the demo.


- Numerous additions and tweaks to Heliosiren artwork.

- Numerous changes to lighting on the Heliosiren.

- Tweaks to cockpit glass refraction to avoid refraction blow out in some instances.

- More performance oriented art changes to Heliosiren.

- Added camera cuts when in paint mode.

- Added thrust vectoring animations.

- Fixed blown out portrait on main menu.

- Fixed an issue with missile sounds continuing to play when they weren't

- Added the Action Camera as a selectable camera mode when pressing down on the left joystick or hitting F5

- Slight performance fixes on a few levels.

This weeks patch notes are small. Mostly because there was a lot of focus put towards getting some artwork squared away for a major back end update coming in the months ahead. The biggest portion of this update is part one of a major overhaul of the artwork for the Heliosiren and it’s interior. This overhaul will continue into next week and possibly into the following week as there are a lot of changes going on in the back end to accommodate a much more robust scenario management architecture and level design tools. These tools will be vital on the road ahead and must be thoroughly fleshed out before we can really start to scale up.

- Part one of the Heliosiren artwork overhaul.

- Fixed an issue that caused missiles to continue playing their sound effect for thrusters even after they had exploded.

- Various tweaks to shader parameters to effect over all rendering.

- There is now a pilot posed in the cockpit of each fighter. This pilot is not currently animated but it is planned that there will be an IK rig integrated with arms and legs responding to player input accordingly.