District Steel News

The engine upgrade to Unreal 4.27 has been completed and the patch has been uploaded to the Beta branch for public testing! Once it has been confirmed to be stable I will set it to the main branch. Since most of the game files have been changed due to this upgrade, this patch size will be quite large compared to the usual patches. I'm assuming version 4.27 will be the final engine update for Unreal 4, since Epic is probably fully focused on Unreal Engine 5 from now. So with this out of the way we can fully focus on developing the new content for the game!

We've started working on the next gun to be added to the game. It's a heavy revolver that can be equipped in the side-holster, instead of the default handgun. Its fire rate is slower, but the bullets really pack a punch, so accurate aiming is encouraged! You will need to unlock this weapon first, via a new progression system that I'm working on. This system will also add more exploration and replayability to the missions. Stay tuned for more info about this!

Sneak peek:



Beta branch v0.1.2 - preliminary patch notes:

Fixed:

• Upgraded game engine to Unreal 4.27
  
• Reworked Quick Save system
  
• Fixed a randomly occurring crash when loading a save. (FRenderResource Error)
  
• Fixed duplicate guns from spawning after loading a save from the main menu.
  
• Fixed a bug where the game could autosave while you were dead.
  
• Normalized HMD direction for HMD Oriented movement.
  
• Fixed a visual bug with the data upload terminals in Mission 04.
  
• Fixed a possible issue with the game losing focus when starting.
  
• Fixed the game sound being muted when not in focus.
  
• Fixed Arm Oriented rocket boost hand if the Boost input is changed to a button on the other controller.
  
• Fixed ‘Health Already Full’ display message on HUD.
  
• Fixed another bug where you could exit Map Mode without losing the green wireframe vision.
  
• Guns now start reloaded at the beginning of a mission, if the ammo is available in your pouch.
  

Known issues:

• Some visual effects behave differently in slowmotion in this engine version, I will manually fix these in the coming days.
  
• Previous Quick Saves will be lost because of the reworked system. You will still keep your unlocked mission progress in the Select Mission screen, but you’ll have to start from the beginning of the mission if you had quit the game half-way after your last play session. Sorry for this inconvenience!
  

Have a nice weekend all!

- AJ

Huge thanks to everybody for the amazing Early Access launch last week! Reading all the positive comments and seeing everyone's reactions put a big smile on our faces! We couldn't wait to start on the development for the new content and we've already started discussing plans for the upcoming levels and weapons!

This week I've been taking in feedback from the reported bugs and improvements from the community. I'm currently working on a big technical patch to fix a lot of these! The biggest one is the engine upgrade to Unreal version 4.27. I initially planned to tackle this one later, but I decided to give it a quick shot just to see how many issues it would bring, and to my surprise there were very few errors! In fact the upgrade is currently pretty much finished already, and I’m testing a build right now, playing the game from start to end and so far it all seems to be working as intended! Before pushing this patch to the main branch on Steam, I will upload it to the Beta branch first so others can test it out. Having done this early is really nice, because the longer I wait, the more work it would become in the future. This update should also give some nice engine bug fixes and performance improvements in VR!

I've also been looking into a bug with the saving and loading system. There was an issue with save files from the demo being loaded in the full game. This has now been fixed and the saving system overall has been improved.



For the upcoming weapons there should be some sort of loadout system in the game to allow switching of guns. I’m currently working on this loadout system to see what the most ideal way of handling this would be. So far I’ve got a mock-up in the ingame menu, but this might still change. The idea is to select which gun you want to have equipped in which holster. The side holder will be for small weapons, the waist holster for medium sized weapons and the shoulder holster for large ones.



That's all for now! For the complete list of bugfixes stay tuned for the upcoming patch on the Beta branch. Have a nice weekend everybody!

- AJ

Patch v0.1.1

• Fixed enemy colors in Map Mode.
  
• Fixed a bug where it would incorrectly exit Map Mode and you’d still have the green wireframe vision applied.
  
• Added more haptic feedback to punching enemies and smashing objects.
  
• Fixed a bug where sometimes levels would not unlock in the Main Menu mission selection.
  
• Added a passcode to the game to unlock all missions, see the FAQ on the forum.
  

(If you have issues with a new patch, you can always go back to an older one in Properties > Betas)

Hi everyone!

The wait is finally over! Check out the new campaign filled with a variety of missions in different environments and with new objectives to complete. Fight against an army of deadly enemies standing in your way and show off your skills in stylish rocket-boosting slow-motion combat!

Many thanks to everyone who has been following us for the past years and to anyone who gave us feedback on the demo! If you’d like to keep supporting the further development of the game, don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts, feedback and suggestions on the Steam Discussions page! Also consider leaving a review, every single one helps out a ton!

AJ & Arno