Modbox News

Our last update had a lot of issues! Adding online editing was a massive change - so we should have waited longer to release it and stayed on the Indev branch to fix more issues. This update should address the online issues players were having

You can keep track of what we are working on our public bug tracker here: https://trello.com/b/mrZrNwx6/modbox-public-bug-tracker . We also have a Discord to discuss development: https://steamcommunity.com/linkfilter/?url=https://discord.gg/2cNnWjb

The big fixes:
- Fixed error online after killing a NPC
- Fixed long bows not working online for clients
- Fixed Spawners not syncing with other players when creating them in edit mode online
- Weapons in hand now move with player locomotion better, even when moving very fast
- Editing entities is better sync: will update modifier settings, and edit window of other clients if theirs is open

Changes \ Other fixes:
- Changes to camera effects / tone
- Fixed some textures not updating properly - after going into edit tools / other things
- Getting off a platform now keeps the speed you were going on the platform
- Added filesize display to creations / mods
- Now player will still stay at ground height when using handheld jetpack
- Increased climb grab distance
- Fixed error after deleting saved local creation
- Fixed choppyness when on a fast moving platform
- 'Platform Options' now its own modifier, outside of 'physics options'. This is because we plan to expand this
- Added 'fade away body' option to entity npc edit window
- Fixed being able to grab toys out of NPCs hands with the pickup tool
- Fixed error on deleting rope entities
- Fixed radial menu closing slowly when in a slowmo creation

Let us know any feedback on the Steam forums / Discord!
thanks,
- Lee

The biggest update we've ever done is now live! Main new features:

- Online Edit mode. Build games / experiences with friends, and switch between edit and play at any time
- Terrain Sculpting and Skybox editing, for actual world building
- Completely new radial menu based UI, used for both edit mode (selecting tools / changing entities) and play mode (putting items in a Holster, using items like health, and switching to play mode tools like the Pickup Tool)
- Physics based Locomotion system: By default play mode locomotion is now Directional movement - other options include Touchpad / Teleport / Flying. All Locomotion systems can now climb 'Climbable' entities. They can now stand on (and move with) any 'Platform' entity (good for making moving vehicles / platforms). Setting a Entity as Climbable/Platform is done by assigning a material. We've also added 'Water' and 'Lava' entities, for swimming.
- New Avatar System: Play mode avatars now use the same avatar props as edit mode, with a Robot style body. Avatars can then change based on creations (Like the Gunslinger avatar for WildWest creations)
- A large amount of network fixes / optimizations / smoothing
- Ingame Tutorial videos - watch our new editing tutorial videos ingame (10 in total so far, more to come). All 10 Tutorial videos are now on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24tlljmob10&list=PLOupiHHdKWyyPY4klZGxVzlQT8oKZMhZ3&index=7
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOupiHHdKWyyPY4klZGxVzlQT8oKZMhZ3

We also have a active Discord! To find players / give us feedback / let us know of any issues. Use the invite here: https://discord.gg/2cNnWjb
You can track our current bugs / indev items with our public bug tracker here: https://trello.com/b/mrZrNwx6/modbox-public-bug-tracker

New Alientrap Creations
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=960273957 - Temple Climb, showcasing the new Locomotion options and terrain sculpting
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=960166433 - Asteroid Zero G Defense - Showcasing new zero g locomotion, terrain sculpting, new AI target options
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=960151865 - Old Church: Climbing level using the 'climb anything' option, could be used for deathmatch also

New Featured Community Creations
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=962686593 - Ferris Wheel by Shadowqiller, a great example of complex physics

Other New Features
- Voxel Terrain Environments for Dungeon and Wild West mods
- New 'Nature' mod featuring a large amount of new plants / tree options
- 'Height Calibration' screen when selecting avatar, to better scale play mode avatar to match current player.
- Large performance increases for editing/playing creations with a lot of entities
- Creations by us are now a separate tab on the loading screen - 'Alientrap Creations'. 'Featured Creations' will now be used for community picked ones.
- Local Entities added, letting you add entities just that you can see / interact with (and stay with you while moving through creations / servers). At the moment there is just a spectator camera option - but we plan to keep adding local entities and options (some ideas are a twitch chat window, a music player, etc)
- New UI for selecting Entity Modifiers, AI Systems, Entity selection (for things like starting weapon on a NPC),
- Graphic Options: Can now select graphics quality in the options menu, to remove shadows and other things for better performance.
- Health Pack Entities
- 'Checkpoint' Entity. Place in Levels so that the player will respawn at the checkpoint (after the checkpoint has been reached). They can also always go back to last checkpoint with their radial menu. Good for climbing based creations!
- 'Handheld Jetpack' toy in the Sci Fi Arsenal mod
- 'Pick up Tool', for picking up entities in play mode, good for not having to bend down
- Play mode Tool Selection for edit mode: Select what tools players have access to while playing. Right now the options are Spawn Menu and Pickup Tool (both on by default)
- Force option for Hinge Joints

Minor Changes
- AI Target Entities + Modifier: Add the AI Target entities to have AI attack them while attacking the player - or ad the 'AI Target' Modifier to set this on any entity
- 'Damage Collider' Modifier: Make any entity into a collider that can damage players / other entities
- Added 'Update News' screen when launching Modbox with a new update (shows only first time)
- No fade away body option on NPCs
- Crashtest Dummy NPC model in Basics mod
- 'Comfort Grid On Movement' now a single comfort option
- Fix for SteamVR Knuckles controllers
- Now gives warning message about how many entities from mod are in the world when disablinga mod

Thanks!
- Lee

The biggest update we've ever done is now live! Main new features:

- Online Edit mode. Build games / experiences with friends, and switch between edit and play at any time
- Terrain Sculpting and Skybox editing, for actual world building
- Completely new radial menu based UI, used for both edit mode (selecting tools / changing entities) and play mode (putting items in a Holster, using items like health, and switching to play mode tools like the Pickup Tool)
- Physics based Locomotion system: By default play mode locomotion is now Directional movement - other options include Touchpad / Teleport / Flying. All Locomotion systems can now climb 'Climbable' entities. They can now stand on (and move with) any 'Platform' entity (good for making moving vehicles / platforms). Setting a Entity as Climbable/Platform is done by assigning a material. We've also added 'Water' and 'Lava' entities, for swimming.
- New Avatar System: Play mode avatars now use the same avatar props as edit mode, with a Robot style body. Avatars can then change based on creations (Like the Gunslinger avatar for WildWest creations)
- A large amount of network fixes / optimizations / smoothing
- Ingame Tutorial videos - watch our new editing tutorial videos ingame (10 in total so far, more to come). All 10 Tutorial videos are now on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24tlljmob10&list=PLOupiHHdKWyyPY4klZGxVzlQT8oKZMhZ3&index=7
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOupiHHdKWyyPY4klZGxVzlQT8oKZMhZ3

We also have a active Discord! To find players / give us feedback / let us know of any issues. Use the invite here: https://discord.gg/2cNnWjb
You can track our current bugs / indev items with our public bug tracker here: https://trello.com/b/mrZrNwx6/modbox-public-bug-tracker

New Alientrap Creations
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=960273957 - Temple Climb, showcasing the new Locomotion options and terrain sculpting
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=960166433 - Asteroid Zero G Defense - Showcasing new zero g locomotion, terrain sculpting, new AI target options
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=960151865 - Old Church: Climbing level using the 'climb anything' option, could be used for deathmatch also

New Featured Community Creations
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=962686593 - Ferris Wheel by Shadowqiller, a great example of complex physics

Other New Features
- Voxel Terrain Environments for Dungeon and Wild West mods
- New 'Nature' mod featuring a large amount of new plants / tree options
- 'Height Calibration' screen when selecting avatar, to better scale play mode avatar to match current player.
- Large performance increases for editing/playing creations with a lot of entities
- Creations by us are now a separate tab on the loading screen - 'Alientrap Creations'. 'Featured Creations' will now be used for community picked ones.
- Local Entities added, letting you add entities just that you can see / interact with (and stay with you while moving through creations / servers). At the moment there is just a spectator camera option - but we plan to keep adding local entities and options (some ideas are a twitch chat window, a music player, etc)
- New UI for selecting Entity Modifiers, AI Systems, Entity selection (for things like starting weapon on a NPC),
- Graphic Options: Can now select graphics quality in the options menu, to remove shadows and other things for better performance.
- Health Pack Entities
- 'Checkpoint' Entity. Place in Levels so that the player will respawn at the checkpoint (after the checkpoint has been reached). They can also always go back to last checkpoint with their radial menu. Good for climbing based creations!
- 'Handheld Jetpack' toy in the Sci Fi Arsenal mod
- 'Pick up Tool', for picking up entities in play mode, good for not having to bend down
- Play mode Tool Selection for edit mode: Select what tools players have access to while playing. Right now the options are Spawn Menu and Pickup Tool (both on by default)
- Force option for Hinge Joints

Minor Changes
- AI Target Entities + Modifier: Add the AI Target entities to have AI attack them while attacking the player - or ad the 'AI Target' Modifier to set this on any entity
- 'Damage Collider' Modifier: Make any entity into a collider that can damage players / other entities
- Added 'Update News' screen when launching Modbox with a new update (shows only first time)
- No fade away body option on NPCs
- Crashtest Dummy NPC model in Basics mod
- 'Comfort Grid On Movement' now a single comfort option
- Fix for SteamVR Knuckles controllers
- Now gives warning message about how many entities from mod are in the world when disablinga mod

Thanks!
- Lee

Update video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIP9wudbwTI&feature=youtu.be

We've lowered the price to $15 dollars instead of $20. For the players who just want to play the game and not create content I think the $15 price point makes sense for now


http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=909664966
Mannequin Hunt - One team are hunters trying to find the other Mannequin team, in rooms full of mannequins. Definitely the most fun I've had online in Modbox, even with 2 players

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=908950345 Hell Bridge - Waves of Skeletons and flying skulls.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=909478569 Monster Hunters - Online game mode where one team are hunters trying to kill a single person on the other team, the Monster, with 10x the health and 3x the size


- New 'Melee Fighter' AI System - can fight with any sword/shield toy. Right now this is used by the 'SwordFighter' NPC in the Basics mod, and the Skeletons in Dungeon mod. This was the first use of attaching toys to NPCs, we will expand on this to add gun support. Also new NPC options like Team.
- Class Manager Entity - Adds class options for multiplayer. Player Classes can set the player's model, starting weapons in Holsters, locomotion speed, scale. We will be expanding on this system for the next update also
- Horror Enviroment mod, and Horror Props mod. With over 300 new entities for creating Horror style enviroments
- Fast Mod Loading - it now only loads the parts of mods used in the creation. Which really speeds up loading creations using large mods like the Horror Environment mod
- Undo System - We finally added a Undo button in the build menu.
- Network optimizations and a lot of bug fixes. Fixed a lot of issues people were having with Holsters. And decreased bandwidth usage. We also fixed a lot of possible bugs when joining a game mid game


- Only shows level bounds when using locomotion
- New holster options: set max respawns, respawn time
- New option to have the comfort cube always off
- Upgraded Morph3d avatars to version 1.6, which comes with some speed boosts
- 'Allow Scaling' modifier to scale any entity
- Fixed issues with Entity category icons not updating
- Option for Timer to beep every second and buzz when over

As always let us know if you have any issues / ideas / comments - Thanks!
- Lee

Video + Quick Tutorial on making a Shotgun mod:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9M1fsQO5E

The ModboxSDK is finally out! It took a long time since making a Unity game fully moddable is insanely hard.

Modders can use it to make any content to upload to Steam Workshop - new entities, environments, avatars, game modes, anything. Along that with you can run the full Modbox game in the SDK, and see all gameplay source code. Later on we will be launching a public Github repo to submit code changes for Modbox updates.

Online Mod Wiki/Guide: http://www.modboxgame.com/node/46

From the start of Modbox development the goal has been to make a fully moddable game from the start - so this SDK has always been a main focus.

If you don't have Modbox and you are a Unity dev wanting to try the SDK - Fill out this sign up form here and we will send a free key: http://www.modboxgame.com/node/766

If you have any questions on using it we have a SDK discussion forum on our Steam forums:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/414120/discussions/5/
Also a Slack group with a #sdk channel, which you can sign up for here:
https://modboxslack.herokuapp.com/

Thanks!
- Lee