World Boss News

Gladiators,

Let’s get ready to rumble! You asked for it and we’re delivering, so it’s time to assemble your crew and go head-to-head!

WORLD BOSS 1.0 will be bringing Party Join to the game, giving players the ability to invite their Steam friends into a server and duke it out. There’s nothing better than a bit of friendly competition, right?

BETTER WITH FRIENDS

Party Join is easy:

Step 1: Find up to three other Steam friends.
Step 2: Invite them to your Party via the main menu.
Step 3: Join a game and fight each other!!



With 20,000 fans already on the WORLD BOSS Discord, finding friends to play with is a cinch.

Let’s be honest, it’s hard to resist bragging about what epic build you’ve created or gloating about the obliteration of a friend's digital existence! So it’s time to let everyone know in real time about how you are a true gaming legend.

READY, SET, DELETE

We’re done firing only from the hip. It’s time for Aim Down Sight (ADS) to improve your already killer skills.



A common feature of shooters the world over, ADS lets you look down the sight of all weapons (except the Rocket Launcher) to give you increased control and precision. Additionally, it can decrease the spread of bullets as well, helping tame that unruly weapon recoil and hold your aim more steady. Players will notice an increase in effective range across the board as an added bonus.

Sorry to tell you though, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. ADS provides some glorious rewards, but also adds some calculated risks. As you utilise ADS, it will slow down your movement speed, making you a slightly easier target. So tread carefully as you balance that tricky decision and strategise the best times to use it.

But it gets better, because your Perks will impact ADS. Enhancing your experience, the Perks you choose, Hover and Quick Scope for example, can improve some of the risks that come with using ADS. Any Perks that affect spread, recoil, aim speed and movement speeds now have a delicious new layer of strategy to them. Use your tactical brilliance to craft builds based on what areas of the Arena you prefer to fight in and how you use your weapons.

Psst! Here’s a pro tip for you: medium- to long-ranged weapons like the Assault Rifle and LAZARBEAM synergise beautifully with ADS. Lock and load, and let the devastation commence!

But wait, there’s more… It’s time to get speedy with it!

The new Sprint function will help you get to where you need to be. Press SHIFT to toggle sprint and close the distance to your enemies. With the all new Arena coming in 1.0, WORLD BOSS now includes a much greater variety of close quarters and long-ranged spaces, so Sprint will be your friend.

So, line up your friends and show them who’s boss with some next level shooting as you enter a heated battle for the title of World Boss!

WORLD BOSS 1.0 is coming on 27 June 2023.

Where possible please ensure all drivers are updated to ensure the best and smoothest performance.

Have a bug you want to report? Head on over to our Discord server. For Player Support issues, please contact us via Zendesk.

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Gladiators,

In October 2022, PlaySide Studios excitedly launched WORLD BOSS into Early Access in partnership with two of the world’s biggest content creators, LazarBeam and Fresh. Since then, the talented development team have been hard at work, taking onboard the feedback of our passionate community and LazarBeam and Fresh themselves, to deliver countless tweaks and changes, and refining the gameplay experience for all of our players.

We're committed to making WORLD BOSS the best it can be, and we're not stopping until we achieve our ultimate goal – our crowning jewel and completed vision: the full v1.0 release.

Guess what? It's coming sooner than you think! You heard it here first, folks… put it in your calendars and get your weapons ready, as 27 June, 2023 will see the official release of WORLD BOSS v1.0!



THE ULTIMATE WORLD BOSS

Early Access has been indispensable for us. We’ve been able to experiment with some really entertaining and unique ideas as well as different mechanics to create a game that we believe is truly unique.

The team has put in a massive amount of hard work to bring you our fully realised WORLD BOSS experience.

Here’s a little taste…

• An all-new Arena with diverse biomes, new gameplay options and enhanced graphical fidelity
  
• ADS for most weapons for enhanced accuracy
  
• Total Perk overhaul alongside new Perks including Boss Killer, Airborne Aggression and Ratman
  
• Party Join allowing players to join up and fight against up to four of their friends
  
• The ability for dominant World Bosses to plant Corruption Bombs and destroy areas of the map and even end the match…
  
• And post-launch, players can expect a new way to earn Boss Bucks via in-game challenges
  

BATTLE PASS COMING TO AN END

It’s been a wild ride, but as of 27 July, 2023 our Early Access Battle Pass will come to an end.

The Early Access Premium Battle Pass will continue to be for sale until 27 June, 2023. This is your last chance to grind the exclusive cosmetics from the Early Access Battle Pass before this feature goes away forever – and is replaced by a new rewards system.

Therefore, the end of the Early Access Battle Pass will see the end of Battle Points, but don’t be alarmed. Any Boss Bucks that have been purchased in Early Access will carry over into v1.0 and players will now be able to earn these Boss Bucks in-game from 27 July, 2023.

Similarly, the Fresh and LazarBeam Founder’s Packs will be changing. The skins will be still available in 1.0 with new pricing without the inclusion of the Early Access Battle Pass and XP boost.

CORRUPTION DETECTED

We want to keep some things under lock and key… for now. So, keep your keen eyes peeled over the next month for an information extravaganza as we delve deeper into all these amazing new features.

So, buckle up because this upgrade is set to be absolutely epic. The game you’ve grown to love is about to be turned up to a whole new level! Every aspect of the full release has been given a lot of TLC and we can’t wait for you to experience it for yourselves soon.

Until then, Gladiators, get hyped and be ready to immerse yourselves into WORLD BOSS v1.0. The battle for the crown is approaching fast.

Where possible please ensure all drivers are updated to ensure the best and smoothest performance.

Have a bug you want to report? Head on over to our Discord server. For Player Support issues, please contact us via Zendesk.

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Gladiators,

Roll up folks, because it’s time to unveil the latest weapon for you to use in your pursuit of the World Boss crown! Named after the lord of lazars himself, the LAZARBEAM is set to send shockwaves through the Arena with its incredible destructive power.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

‘Our players have been asking us for the ability to “romance the LazarBeam” for months. Our design goal was to have a LAZARBEAM players could have and hold, forever and ever. Amen.’

- Game Designer Ben C.

With 50 Damage per shot, double the fire rate of the SMG, a whopping 75 rounds per battery pack, near-perfect accuracy and a very long range, the LAZARBEAM is a deadly precision instrument in the right hands.

‘What’s the catch?’ You ask. The LAZARBEAM rewards those who are a cut above with their aiming and can keep the beam trained on their enemies for those big damage ticks. The LAZARBEAM is a great tool to use while you close distance on your opponents, and then finish off them with melee or a Shotgun.

Perkswise, this weapon works almost too well when partnered with some of the Epic perks, such as Super Charge and Explosive Shots, giving you even more opportunities to shred your opponents.

If you’ve got the skills, then the LAZARBEAM is the tool for you – but watch out for players who’ve invested in movement perks, as they’re going to keep moving and keep their distance, where the LAZARBEAM’s considerable damage drop off takes effect…

ART ATTACK

The art creation for any new feature is always a two-pronged fork – is two prongs enough? Absolutely!

The first stage of art is concepting, which is where the fantastic Nick Y. comes in, and this is where the magic begins. The weapon needed to feel futuristic – I mean, it fires a friggin’ laser beam! This is why you’ll notice that there is a lack of mechanical parts compared to our other base weapons.

Many ideas were painstakingly created, however, some drifted a little too far away from the initial concept. Banana laser gun? Sadly it was a no from the judges on this one.



Real world inspirations were blended together, along with pop culture references of laser guns to create the perfect blend of believable fiction. Fun fact, that’s called verisimilitude. Who said learning can’t be fun?!

From the concepting phase, it’s then time for the weapon to be brought to life by our awesome 3D artist, Kaye! Going from 2D to 3D is always a fun and iterative process. Changes are made to the 2D model to get to the final version, but still keeping the essence and appeal established in the initial concept.

In this case, Kaye modelled the gun and found that the ammo counter was difficult to read with the dedicated display, and the white colour palette from the concept was making UI unclear.

Huddle up, because our devs are team players! Sometimes, the only way to win is to team up… are we hinting up something here? Who knows… anyway! To help reduce the workload in other departments such as technical art and animation, the team were able to utilise and rework rigs and animations that already existed. The LAZARBEAM was designed and modelled around the DMR. This meant keeping the key features in the same place such as the trigger and grip positions. Smart, right?!

You know how they say if you see a bright coloured animal, don’t touch it because it’ll probably kill you? Well, the LAZARBEAM started off the same way. As the colours were much lighter than other weapons in the game, it stood out quite a bit when comparing it to the existing weapon lineup.

The bright tones conflicted with important UI, so muting the colours into darker tones was a way to bring it back in line with the other weapons which helped it feel visually balanced on screen. Initially, the colour of the beam was blue, not that you needed any more hints at the fact we love that colour, but with the new visual changes to perks, the colour pivoted to a warmer yellow/orange.



Although the model may look perfect already, regularly testing the 3D model in game is essential, so the weapon can be visually readable in both first and third person – making sure the ammo counter, for example, was super clear. Essentially, we want to make sure you can see your impending doom, or on the other side, weapon of mass destruction, very clearly.

So, stick a fork in me, I’m done!

PEW! PEW! PEW!

We like making dreams come true here at PlaySide, setting to work on the sound for a laser gun is every Sound Designer's dream! Audio wizard, Zach, was excited to work on the LAZARBEAM, as it gave him a lot of opportunity for creativity and exploration.

The audio needed to be as loud and as special as the LAZARBEAM’s visual design, so this was supported audibly by using a mixture of electronic hums, spot welding arcs and earthquake sounds as a starting point. Otherworldly audio modulations were then mated to these sounds which quickly changed the pitch of the otherwise consistent bed of original assets.

No boring audio allowed!

Despite the LAZABEAM being futuristic, at the heart of it, it’s still a gun. Player feedback when pulling the trigger is still important, so transient heavy "pull the trigger" sounds were added.
How did Zach achieve this masterpiece? This consisted of many sound layers such as real gun shots, kick drums and 8-bit arcade beeps running through some heavy overdrive effects. Having all of these elements pitch down really quickly when the sound starts gives it that classic Hollywood Laser Gun sound that everyone knows and loves!

Once the building blocks had been cemented together, the audio was then put into the audio implementation engine middleware Wwise. This allows our Sound Designers to tweak things like pitch, volume, overdrives and delays.

Great audio can level up any gaming experience and the LAZARBEAM sound effects have hit the nail on the head.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Get ready to disintegrate anyone that stands in your way with this new weapon… See you in the arena, Gladiators!

Where possible please ensure all drivers are updated to ensure the best and smoothest performance.

Have a bug you want to report? Head on over to our Discord server. For Player Support issues, please contact us via Zendesk.

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Gladiators,

Our latest content update is live and jam-packed with exciting new things to play with. We’ve got a brand new weapon styled after one of our IRL World Bosses, the rollout of Controller Support, the new Lives System, a main menu overhaul, and much more.

INTRODUCING THE LAZARBEAM

We just couldn’t miss the opportunity to name this gun after the legend, LazarBeam – Genius right?!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Packed with plenty of damage, insane range and near perfect accuracy to boot, this high impact weapon is sure to be a new fan favourite.

Keep your eyes peeled for a blog dedicated to this epic new weapon – but for now, jump in game to experience its power!

GETTING A LIFE

Say goodbye to the old Demotion System and hello to the new Lives System. This new system introduces a fast-paced, risk vs reward dynamic that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

We saw that high level players had limited incentive to prestige, and that the Demotion System was not as clear as we would have wanted. With the new Lives System, dying has consequences, so watch your health!

Each progression level has a certain number of lives to help you survive the battle for the crown. But be careful, because each time you die, you'll lose a life from your total count.



If you manage to level up and reach a new bracket, all of your lives will be replenished. The catch-22 is that the capacity of your lives will be lower than before, so be sure to strategise before running head first into battle.

• Levels 1-4 = Infinite Lives
  
• Levels 5-9 = 6 Lives
  
• Levels 10-14 = 5 Lives
  
• Levels 15-19 = 4 Lives
  
• Levels 20-25 = 3 Lives
  

If you run out of lives completely from level 5 onwards, you'll be sent back to level 1 and lose any perks, weapons, or equipment you had until your next level up.



But don't worry, there are ways to increase your lives count. To help you stay in the game, keep an eye out for health pickups scattered throughout the arena – these are set to a lower drop rate than health packs, so you need to grab them before another Gladiator can!

Are you ready for an adrenaline rush? With each life at stake, you'll have to make split-second decisions and take calculated risks to progress through the game. But fear not, the fun doesn't stop there! The Lives System also creates emergent gameplay opportunities, allowing you to capitalise on other features in the game like perks and equipment.

So gear up, strategise, and get ready to take on the challenges ahead. The Lives System is about to change the game and create so many more variations in your gameplay style and experience.

EVEN MORE PERKS AND BONUSES!

*breathes*

We’ve got even more cool stuff in this update.

In our previous update, you may remember how we added in multiple new perks in the game. As an update to that update, we have made some visual changes to help with readability. Every player will now have an aura based on whichever perk type that makes up the majority of their build. Depending on your selected perks, you’ll now have different coloured muzzle flashes, tracers, impact and player aura. Flashy, right?



CONTROL HOW YOU PLAY

Did I hear you say full controller support? Well, if you didn’t that’s what you’re getting! Update v0.2.0 brings full controller support to the game and a revamp of all the menus. This will continue to be enhanced so let us know your feedback.

The main menu has received a major facelift, with an all new 3D background. It's now sleeker than ever and ready to impress.



Alright, Gladiators! The competition’s fierce and it’s time to put your skills to the test and steal that crown… or die trying. Good luck!

As always, where possible please ensure all drivers are updated to ensure the best and smoothest performance.

Have a bug you want to report? Head on over to our Discord server. For Player Support issues, please contact us via Zendesk.

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Gladiators,

Get ready to rumble, because we’re bringing you another huge update. New features for everyone!

The most notable new feature in this update is the new Lives System. Move over Demotion, no one wants you here. The Lives System gives our players a heightened sense of risk vs reward – with each level (above Level 5) you are given a certain amount of lives, lose them and your luck will run out, sending you back a notch. Being strategic is more important than ever, so don’t lose your head.

With all the sweet perks we gave you last time, we decided to sweeten the deal even more. Now, depending on what perks make up the majority of your build, you’ll now have different coloured muzzle flashes, tracers, impact and player aura.

But wait, there's more behind door number 3! Full controller support is now here, providing our Gladiators with even more tools to be at their best. Along with this, menus and plenty of UI have been updated and elevated to feel extra slick when navigating through them with your controller.

As always, we’ve sprinkled in plenty of bug fixes to keep your game running as silkily as smooth peanut butter… no crunchy bits here to mess up your gameplay.

Read about all the new features in an in-depth blog coming later today!

The crown is yours for the taking, careful not to lose a life and all your hard work while you fight your way to the top. Until next time, Gladiators…

[h2]Release Notes[/h2]

[h3]Features and Content[/h3]

• New: Updated Main Menu
  
• New: Lives System to replace the Demotion System
  
• New Weapon: LAZARBEAM
  
• Perk Visual Update
  

[h3]Controller Support Updates[/h3]

• Full Controller Support
  
• Controller Glyph Icons
  
• Refine Aim Assist for controllers
  

[h3]Melee Updates[/h3]

• Refinements to when you are about to make an action, have made an action, and missed an action
  

[h3]Perk Update[/h3]

• Impulse punch proc on each successful melee
  
• Jetpack model is now visible when the player has the jetpack perk equipped.
  

[h3]Weapon Update[/h3]

• Sniper Glints to better visualise where players are shooting from
  
• SMG max range is now 50m from 75m
  

[h3]Miscellaneous Updates[/h3]

• Jetpack FX readjustment
  
• Adjusted death screen character pose so male and female skins are different
  
• Pre Game Loadout Panel
  
• End Of Round Progression Panel
  

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

General

• Health Ping remains on the player even when not selected when prestiging
  
• Fixed an issue where World Boss gems rain from the sky when making contact with the player
  
• Fixed an issue where the kill notification icon for rank 1, 2 and 3 players are all the same
  
• Fixed a range of inconsistencies in the Banner Stats
  
• Fixed an issue when joining a new game caused the pistol to float behind the player
  
• Fixed an issue where the world boss crowns don't sit correctly on the characters head
  
• Fixed an issue where players couldn’t melee mid-slide
  
• Fixed an issue where the player loops mantling when walking into cardboard boxes in the Plane Hex
  
• Fixed an issue where the back button text is didn’t fit in the button
  
• Fixed an issue where the localised purchase price was different price on the payment screen in Steam
  

Server

• Fixed an issue when disconnecting from a game while in the loading screen brings the end of round orbit cam to the main menu
  

Weapon Fixes

• Fixed an issue where destroying reactors with AK not 100% accurate
  
• Fixed an issue with the RPG not playing correct audio or PFX when fired
  
• Fixed an issue where the Mega Soaker RPG skin didn’t get PFX from fire rate increase or damage increase perks
  

Equipment Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the Teleporter was invisible when thrown back against a wall
  
• Fixed an issue where the Bubble Shield did not change colour as it took damage
  

Where possible please ensure all drivers are updated to ensure the best and smoothest performance.

Have a bug you want to report? Head on over to our Discord server. For Player Support issues, please contact us via Zendesk.

World Boss Discord - Join our official Discord server World Boss Website - Official Website Twitter - Follow us at WorldBoss_io Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page Reddit - Join the r/World Boss community
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