Ramshackle News

[p]With Steam Next Fest concluded, we've just reached the 10,000 wishlist mark on steam. Huge thanks to everyone who tried out the game! We have gotten a lot of great feedback and ready to dive into our next dev cycle. [/p][p][/p][p]The "Ramshackle Demo" app is planned to be deactivated and won't receive updates anymore, but the playtest will continue to be open for the rest of this week. Make sure to Request access on the steam page! For those new here a little disclaimer of what to expect from playtest to playtest: The game is, of course, in active development and therefore anything and everything is subject to change between each playtest. We find these playtests the best time to bounce ideas off the community before things get more locked down post-release. All while trying to streamline the core experience. Typically our dev cycle is about 1-2 months between each playtest.[/p][p][/p][p] Some of the pain points we need to resolve gathered from player feedback:[/p]

• [p]More tutorials and better tutorial presentation[/p]
• [p]Fixing a few strange crashes, disconnects and performance issues (most of which on vulkan)[/p]
• [p]General presentation polish (updating item descriptions, fixing UI oddities, etc)[/p]
• [p]General improvements to the designer[/p]

[p][/p][p]Our plans for the next playtest:[/p]

• [p]Updated matchmaker/battle management for a more seamless experience[/p]
• [p]New vehicle loadout system[/p]
• [p]Revised combat deploy screen with added features[/p]
• [p]Trialing some different gamemodes, some 'short-form'(15-20mins), others 'long-form'(1hr+)[/p]
• [p]Some new modes will take advantage of a new spawn location selector which favors different classes[/p]
• [p]Improved tools for hosting dedicated servers[/p]
• [p]Crew 2.0 - Complete refactor of how the crew interacts with your design[/p]
• [p]More AI units (AT guns, Artillery, static infantry, etc)[/p]
• [p]More utilities & QoL improvements to the designer[/p]
• [p]A long list of bugfixes[/p]
• [p]Much needed QoL for the designer[/p]

[p][/p][p]We also have a discord if you would like to stay up to date with development.[/p][p]https://discord.gg/4QZBNdcsnT[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Hello welcome back! This is going to be a mini playtest to coincide with Steam Nextfest. It includes new rank balance, battlemodes, emplacements, armor degradation, impact marks and much more. [/p][p][/p][h3]New Ranks[/h3]

• [p]Parts have been divided into 3 ranks, vessel rank is determined by the highest rank part in a design. [/p]
• [p]Parts costs have been adjusted to be a lot more 'flat' between ranks. As downranking a part isn't feasible anymore.[/p]
• [p]Classes Cost/Weight/Part-Count have been brought closer together and Increase in capabilities each rank.[/p]
• [p]The intent is to make each Rank feel unique and introduce new mechanics in finer steps.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Experimental 'Conquer' Battle Mode (PvP)[/h3]

• [p]Each team has a large base that must be defended.[/p]
• [p]Bases have a collection of AI emplacements; AT & Mortars that will attack enemies and can be destroyed.[/p]
• [p]Vessels are given a unique dollar cost based on its LC & Rank.[/p]
• [p]Each operator is given a starting amount of 'Cash' which they can spend on vessels[/p]
• [p]Vessels will depreciate in value as they are used, and can be traded back in at anytime. The depreciated value will be put back into the players cash pool.[/p]

• [p]First team to push and capture the enemy base wins, If a team runs out of cash it is an automatic loss.
  
  [/p]

[h3]Experimental 'Defense' Battle Mode (PvE)[/h3]

• [p]Similar setup to the 'Conquer' Mode, however the player team needs to just defend their base from waves of attacking AI vessels.[/p]
• [p]Player Team Capped at only 4 operators[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Armor Degradation, Impact Marks, & Reworked HitReg[/h3]

• [p]Impact marks are now applied to vessels, these are synced across clients and server and represent different projectile interactions.[/p]
• [p]Damage to armor is now voxelized and allows for specific sections of armor to weaken. Allowing for AP type shells to drill through armor with multiple shots to the same spot.[/p]
• [p]Shells can pass through created holes.[/p]
• [p]Degradation reduces material density and not Integrity.[/p]
• [p]Degradation amount is based on shells Kinetic Energy & Armor Damage stats.[/p]
• [p]Overhauled projectile management and hit syncing, should be faster, and more accurate.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Progression[/h3]

• [p]We've enabled a limited form of level progression for this playtest. [/p]
• [p]Different Rank battles and parts are unlocked as you gain experience in battles.[/p]
• [p]Unlocks coincide with Ranks.[/p]
• [p]Completing Tutorials grants experience.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]New Parts[/h3]

• [p]85mm D5T, Rank III[/p]
• [p]T34 Medium Track, Rank II[/p]
• [p]T43 Medium Track, Rank III[/p]
• [p]Meteorite V8 Engine, Rank III[/p]
• [p]Meteor V12 Engine, Rank III[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Random Stuff[/h3]

• [p]New testdrive map customization menu[/p]
• [p]Lighting changes[/p]
• [p]Saving fixes[/p]
• [p]New engine SFX for Kharkiv V12[/p]
• [p]Improvements to tutorials[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]

[/h3][p][/p]

[p]Welcome to Playtest 2! this playtest will be open for 2 weeks.[/p][p]This is the first "vertical slice" of the new tier system replacement, called Eras, with modules with a tech level around 1939-1943.[/p][p]As so much stuff has changed we will be activly pushing updates to stay on top of the balance. Aswell as adding staged features and content throughout the test as we get a read on things.[/p][p]We highly recomend archiving old scenerios and creating fresh saves.[/p][p]Expect all previous designs to break. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Backend[/h3][p]- Update to Unity 6[/p][p]- linux client now uses Vulkan instead of OpenGL[/p][p]- lots of serverside optimizations[/p][p]- new "Battle" channel for chat[/p][h3]Saves & Seam Cloud[/h3][p]- Vessel files are now `.blueprint`, with some compat for the old `.sterik` files (expect designs to be broken)[/p][p]- Added ablilty to save to steam cloud[/p][p]- Added workshop support* [/p][p] - *this will be enabled part way through the playtest until there are more designs[/p][h3]Designer[/h3][p]- Added Tutorials (WIP)[/p][p]- new Test Drive map (WIP)[/p][p]- Fixed undo/redo. Probably.[/p][p]- New measuring tape tool! access it with Mouse4. [/p][p]- Extrude direction editable in vertex-edit for armors[/p][h3]Shell Analyzer & Tools[/h3][p]- New advanced shell analyzer [/p][h3] Classes(Light, Medium, Heavy)[/h3][p]- Building point systems combined into Logistics Cost (LC) and Part Count (PC)[/p][p]- Threshold-based limits[/p][p]- crossing one of the many thresholds in the designer (mass, cost, part count, etc.) will move you to the next class up. All classes can be present in a battle, but they are limited by Deploy Cost.[/p][h3]AI Behavior[/h3][p]- Improved AI driving behavior[/p][p]- "Cancel Order" radial menu command[/p][p]- Added extra checks to prevent AI from getting stuck[/p][p]- AI can handle Assault gamemodes better[/p][h3]Gamemodes[/h3][p]- 7v7 Control & Assault gamemodes[/p][p]- 3v3v3, single-life KOTH gamemode [/p][p] - *this will be enabled part way through the playtest [/p][h3]Deploy & Respawn Systems[/h3][p]- Introduced a deploy budget system that varies per gamemode.[/p][p]- Added deploy cooldowns and a cooldown trade-in mechanic.[/p][p]- Fix insta-respawns[/p][p]- Implemented a minimum redeploy delay (10s)[/p][h3]HUD[/h3][p]- Added GUI scale settings for the battle HUD.[/p][p]- New bug reporter and feedback menu[/p][h2]Content[/h2][p]*Disclamer: More parts will be added during the playtest, the following is just a start point*[/p][p]- New starter vessels[/p][p]- New tracks: [/p][p] - A-13[/p][p] - KV-1[/p][p]- New collection of cannons:[/p][p] - 5cm kwk38[/p][p] - 7.5cm kwk37[/p][p] - 7.5cm kwk40[/p][p] - 8.8cm kwk36[/p][p] - 45mm F12[/p][p] - 57mm Zis[/p][p] - 76mm F34[/p][p] - 6pdr AP (Retooled)[/p][p] - 75mm AP[/p][p]- New engines:[/p][p] - Kharkiv i6 Diesel[/p][p] - Kharkiv v12 Diesel[/p][p]- New "2D" armor types[/p][p] - Riveted RHA[/p][p] - Bolted FHA[/p][p] - Steel RHA[/p][p] - Chainlink[/p][p]- New cannon SFX[/p][h2]Balance [/h2][h3]Physics[/h3][p]- All modules rescaled[/p][p]- Adjusted wheel traction and performed a traction balance pass.[/p][p]- track mass based on # of track links [/p][p]- Performed mass calculation passes on structure, armor, ammo, and components.[/p][p]- Updated part integrities and armor costs[/p][p]- turret traverse rebalance[/p][h3]Weapons[/h3][p]- reload, damage, penetration, shell velocity balance pass[/p][p]- New pressure damage system for shells[/p][h2]Known Issues[/h2][p]- Audio may cut out occasionally during lots of action[/p][p]- Player saves are based on steam name + ID, so don't change your steam name for now.[/p][p]- plates might extrude strangely with the new grab point system[/p]

[p]Ramshackle will be conducting a public playtest during Steam Next Fest, Oct 13-20.[/p][p]Click the "Request Access" on the store page to join![/p][p][/p][h2]What is Ramshackle? [/h2][p]Ramshackle is a vehicular building and combat game where you construct vehicles with point-placed struts and armor plates as the core structure, and populate the volumetric interior with modules and systems like crew, engines, ammunition, etc. Multiplayer testing will be the main focus for the week. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Platforms[/h3][p]Ramshackle runs natively on Windows and Linux, but on linux you may encounter some strange shader bugs we haven't tracked down yet. [/p][p]If the native Linux client is unreliable try using Proton. [/p][h3]Performance[/h3][p]We're targeting 60 FPS on the Seam Deck and are about halfway there. [/p][p]Lower-end machines should disable shadows to gain ~15 FPS. Singleplayer battles are more CPU intensive than playing on a server, because your CPU is running the battle AI.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Available Content [/h2][p]Note: we're still working on documentation for the game, some parts may be obtuse. We'll be updating the Ramshackle Wiki with additional articles throughout the week. [/p][p][/p][p]Designer [/p][p]A complex vehicle designer is included with the game, with a spread of starter vehicles to reverse engineer. Most UI elements have a tooltip that explains their function. [/p][p]Skirmishes [/p][p]A 5v5 PVP mode, where empty player slots are filled with bots. Deplete the enemy team's tickets to win. [/p][p]Missions[/p][p]A simple PVE wave defense style mission is available in the "Missions" section of the Deploy menu. More might be added during the week if we have time. [/p][h3][/h3][p][/p][h2]Servers [/h2][p]A couple of Official™ dedicated servers will be running throughout the week in the US. The playtest includes files to host your own server, which will be useful for playing with friends, or if you want to set one up in your region. [/p][p]https://github.com/Sterikworks/Ramshackle-Wiki/wiki/Dedicated-Server[/p][h2]
Feedback[/h2][p]Please use the in-game "Feedback" button at the top right of the screen to submit bug reports. You can also join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/4QZBNdcsnT[/p]