Raiders Rise News

[p]Hi everyone![/p][p]Welcome back to another Raiders Rise dev update and this one’s a big one.[/p][p]We’re thrilled to announce that we hit our milestone for Build 0.3! A massive shoutout to the entire team for the incredible push to make it happen. Let’s jump into what’s new:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]⚙️ Meta[/h2]

• [p]Lobby Finalized – The new lobby layout is in and locked (for now).[/p]
• [p]Friends System Improved – Friends are now grouped into Online and Offline for clearer visibility.[/p]
• [p]Matchmaking Debug Tools – Backend updates allow us to fix matchmaking issues during play sessions.[/p]
• [p]Fight Flow UI – Our combat flow now has sleek new UI mockups![/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]💥 Core Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]Health Bar Update – Health bars now clearly show how your HP stacks up against others.[/p]
• [p]Skill Icons & Cooldowns – Passive abilities now show cooldowns, plus we’ve refreshed passive icons and skill upgrade headers.[/p]
• [p]Re-Deploy Damage – You can now damage enemies on landing when re-deploying.[/p]
• [p]In-Game Emojis – New emoji set was added! We’ve trimmed down the slots to reduce visual clutter and streamline usage.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]🧑‍🚀 Characters & VFX[/h2]

• [p]Character Portraits – Full-body portraits and icons for our first 5 characters have been added to the game.[/p]
• [p]Concept Art – We made progress on the adorable (and dangerous) Summoner enemy, and supported icon work for consumables.[/p]
• [p]3D Art – Jak’s model is shaping up nicely, and Nikky’s blockout is already in the works![/p]
• [p]Animations – Jak is fully animated and milestone-ready! Plus, mining animations got a polish pass across several characters.[/p]
• [p]VFX Update – Say hello to the explosive Kamikaze enemy. You’ll know them when you see them.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h2]🌍 Environments[/h2][p]All milestone levels are now in-game! Here are some standout improvements:[/p]

• [p]Bus elements[/p]
• [p]Sliding & drop-down doors[/p]
• [p]Vending machines (yes, they have sad faces when you can’t interact and happy ones when you can - our favorite detail!)[/p]
• [p]Crates galore – regular, military, destructible, energy[/p]
• [p]Exterior of the shop[/p]
• [p] Crystals[/p]

[p]Our world’s coming to life in big ways, and these environmental updates make each match feel that much richer.[/p][p][/p][h2]🎯 That’s a Wrap![/h2][p][/p][p]Thanks for reading and for being part of this journey. If you’re enjoying the ride so far, don’t forget to:[/p][p]➡️ Wishlist Raiders Rise[/p][p]➡️ Follow us for more updates[/p][p]➡️ Join the playsessions in our Discord![/p][p][/p][p]More fun, chaos, and surprises are on the way. See you in the arena![/p][p][/p][p]– The Raiders Rise Team[/p]

Hi everyone, welcome back to another sprint update for Raiders Rise! Every two weeks we share our progress, and this sprint was packed with big steps across systems, characters, and levels. Let’s dive into the highlights:

[hr][/hr]

[h2]🧠 Meta & Core Systems[/h2]

[h3]🚦 Sprint Status[/h3]

• ✅ Green: Objectives met
  
• ❌ Red: Delayed tasks — Not to point fingers, just to detect risks and prioritize next steps.
  

[h3]🚨 Next Big Milestone: Tournament Showcase[/h3]
📅 June 10 – Private event with a Raiders Rise tournament

• ~150 players including developers and investors
  
• Huge opportunity to secure long-term support (and possibly funding!)
  
• We must deliver a stable, polished, and impressive version
  

👉 Key goal: no crashes, no broken animations, no matchmaking bugs. Let’s go for the wow factor.

[h3]🧼 Polishing Initiative[/h3]
We’re officially dedicating up to 20% of the sprint (1–2 days per person) to improve:

• Art
  
• Code
  
• Design
  
• Gameplay feel
  

🛠 This will be planned per person based on feedback gathered before each sprint.

[h3]🔁 New Feedback Workflow for VFX and Animation[/h3]

• Pull Requests will now include early feedback from Elias and Damien
  
• Goal: detect changes or issues before merging
  
• Better alignment with style and quality from the start
  

[h3]🧪 Playtesting and UX Improvements[/h3]

• Improved feedback for connection errors
  
• Visible connection status and game version in the UI
  
• "Join match" button hidden if no match is active
  
• Ongoing internal testing and bug fixing (20% of sprint)
  
  

[h2]💥 New Content & Characters[/h2]

[h3]🗡 River is now playable[/h3]

• Assassin with piercing ranged attack
  
• Teleport dash: aim-based and wall-piercing
  
• Melee ultimate: high burst kill potential
  

[h3]🐦 Snowbird in development[/h3]

• Partially playable
  
• New VFX for:
  
  
  
  • Gerard’s ultimate
    
  • Maya’s stealth and ultimate
    
  
  
  

[h2]🧑‍🎨 Art & Characters[/h2]

[h3]✨ Key Character Progress[/h3]

• Final concept for the gorilla tank
  
  
• New concept: Nikki, a futuristic electricity wielder
  
• Updated versions of Corin, Jack, and Snowbird (done!)
  
  
  
• New animations in progress (e.g. River aging, Jack’s bomb)
  
  
  

[h2]🏙 Environments & Props[/h2]

[h3]🏢 Urban Elements Progress[/h3]

• New high-rise modular buildings
  
  
• Pushable doors updated for better integration
  
  
• Alien language signage and ads for immersion
  
  
• Garbage truck and other urban props added
  
  
  
  

[h2]📆 Next Steps[/h2]

• Short sprint ahead: ~1.5 weeks
  
• Watch out for regional holidays (April 17–21 varies by region)
  
• Flag any conflicts during Sprint Planning
  
• Upcoming milestones:
  
  
  
  • May 16 – Incremental milestone (more info Monday)
    
  • June 10 – HEFA tournament presentation
    
  
  
  

🎉 That’s all for now! Amazing work from everyone. Keep polishing, testing, and pushing forward.
🚀 Let’s raid the rise.

Hey Raiders!

Can’t wait to try Raiders Rise before anyone else?
Good news—we’re hosting weekly playtests every Monday at 17:00 CET, and you’re invited to jump in!

[h2]🎮 What’s a playtest?[/h2]
It’s an open test session where you can play the current version of the game, face off against other players, try out new (and sometimes chaotic 😅) features, and give us your honest feedback.

[h2]🔑 How to join?[/h2]
All you need is an access code, which we post on our Discord server shortly before each session.

1. Join our Discord (link in the game’s store description)
   
2. Head to the #playtest-code channel
   
3. Grab the code and launch the game
   
4. That’s it—you’re in!
   

[h2]👾 What to expect?[/h2]

• 3v3 PvPvE battles full of action and betrayal
  
• Angry aliens, unstable crystals, and... questionable teammates
  
• Direct feedback: if you see it, say it, or break it—we’re listening!
  

[h2]📅 Save the date:[/h2]
Every Monday at 17:00 CET
Mark your calendar, bring some friends, and get ready for galactic chaos!

See you on the battlefield,
— The Penguin Armada Team 🐧🚀

[h2]🎮 Core Features & Systems[/h2][h3]✅ Battle Pass Fully Integrated[/h3][p]The Battle Pass UI is up and running! Players can now:
View milestones Track progression Claim rewardsAll fully connected to our backend systems via Metaplay.
Next sprint, we'll finalize the AT2 and polish the experience even further.
[/p][h3]🧪 Major Stabilization & Versioning Pass[/h3][p]We've spent a good chunk of this sprint making sure the Quantum version of the game is stable and ready for external playtests. Here’s how:
We created a dedicated release branch (v0.1) for bug fixing only—no new features, no distractions. Meanwhile, all ongoing feature work continues in main, including new characters, animations, and VFX.This setup lets us iterate fast without breaking everything. Expect more clean versions like this in the future!

[/p][h2]🧝‍♂️ Characters & Animation[/h2][h3]✨ New Characters Incoming![/h3][p]
Korin is in progress and already in blocking stage. A brand-new tank is in the works, inspired by the iconic albino gorilla from Barcelona Zoo (yes, really).Atabusk is fully modeled and now animated with a strong, aggressive idle pose. [/p][p][/p][h3]🐧 The Penguin is Alive![/h3][p]The Penguin character is now fully animated with:
Idle, attack, jump, and movement loopsPlus a hilarious inflate-and-pop ultimate in the works.
It’s one of our most expressive characters so far!
[/p][h2]💥 VFX & Combat Polish[/h2][p]Maya’s attack and ultimate animations are looking slick with some flashy new VFX from Alex. We're pushing for every character to feel distinct and powerful in battle.

[/p][h2]🏜 Environment & Tools[/h2][h3]🌵 Desert Biome Progress[/h3][p]We’re working hard to lock down the visual style of the desert biome. Highlights:
Unique materials tied to the desert’s lore Level dressing tools to speed up iteration Deeper, more layered layout designs
In-world animated signs and visual storytelling elements[/p][h3]📢 In-World Advertising Concepts[/h3][p]
We’re also exploring how in-world signage and ads can tell stories and build immersion. These aren't just decoration—they tie into the lore and factions.
[/p]