The Riftbreaker News

Hi!

Ashley and Mr. Riggs have to be ready for a lot of surprises during their mission on Galatea 37. Apart from the fact that they are exploring uncharted territories inhabited by numerous alien creatures, they also have to face the risks posed by natural threats. The Galatean weather is often violent and not all biomes are welcoming, but those are things you can prepare for - you won’t jump into a portal leading to a magma biome without proper equipment. However, there are some threats you can’t prepare for - and they come from space!

Sometimes the best tactic to avoid something is to simply stand still…

Galatea 37 is located in a rather turbulent portion of the Milky Way galaxy. The conditions on the planet have been just right for long enough to allow the ecosystems to come to life, but it’s not exactly safe. There are many rogue objects flying around the planet and meteor showers are a common occurrence. However, they are much more intense than the ones we can observe on Earth - small chunks of rock reach the planet’s surface and explode with devastating force. Smaller buildings in your base might get destroyed when that happens, so you’d better invest in shielding technology for your precious equipment! There is a plus side to this: if a meteor shower misses your base, you will have plenty of biomass and other resources to collect.

You don’t want to be caught in the middle of nowhere, running out of ammo and with no way to teleport back home.

Not all astronomical events are so physically violent. The Ion Storm is a more subtle one. It’s just like an aurora on Earth, but with its intensity meter turned all the way up. The Ion Storm happens when the solar wind from Galatea’s sun reaches the planet and reacts with its magnetic field. The result is a beautiful display of lights and electric discharges. Normally, such a storm would instantly kill all electronics, but the Riftbreaker technology is well-shielded and prepared for such an event. The only things that stop working during the storm are radars and the Rift technology itself. No big deal, right? Well, if you get caught in an Ion Storm several minutes away from your base and an attack wave comes at that moment, you might rethink that! On the other hand, your power generators will happily convert all the ionized particles into MORE POWER!


Look! A shooting star! Make a wish!

The last ‘threat from outer space’ is the most spectacular one and also has the least potential to harm you or your base. Once in a while, a larger comet enters the Galatea’s atmosphere. If it flies over your head, you are in for a spectacle of light and shadows caused by the comet burning bright. Once it hits the ground, you will be able to harvest all the minerals that were inside of it. That is if you are lucky. If you’re more like me, your base might get blown up in the process.

https://clips.twitch.tv/AmorphousGlutenFreeRavenPanicBasket I wish that shooting star didn’t destroy my base…

All of these events may happen at random during your time in The Riftbreaker, either in the Survival Mode or the Campaign Mode. They may also be voted in by your audience to take place during your streaming session if you enable our interactive streaming mode. Once you do that, be sure to be on the good side of your chat, you don’t want to make them angry. If you would like to see what the system looks like, check out our streams - every Tuesday and Thursday, 3 PM CET at www.twitch.tv/exorstudios. Join our Discord for daily chats with the devs: www.discord.gg/exorstudios

See you later!

www.twitch.tv/exorstudios

Attention‌ ‌Riftbreakers!‌ ‌
‌
A‌ ‌couple‌ ‌of‌ ‌weeks‌ ‌ago‌ ‌we‌ ‌unveiled‌ ‌the‌ ‌results‌ ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌cooperation‌ ‌with‌ ‌AMD‌ ‌that‌ ‌allowed‌ ‌us‌ ‌
to‌ ‌bring‌ ‌the‌ ‌awesome‌ ‌DirectX‌ ‌12‌ ‌Ultimate‌ ‌features‌ ‌into‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌The‌ ‌Riftbreaker.‌ ‌If‌ ‌you‌ ‌
haven’t‌ ‌seen‌ ‌the‌ ‌presentation‌ ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌shiny‌ ‌new‌ ‌tech‌ ‌(or‌ ‌if‌ ‌you’d‌ ‌like‌ ‌to‌ ‌watch‌ ‌it‌ ‌again,‌ ‌I‌ ‌know‌ ‌
I‌ ‌did)‌ ‌here‌ ‌you‌ ‌are:‌ ‌
‌
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]‌ ‌
‌
Today‌ ‌The‌ ‌Riftbreaker:‌ ‌Prologue‌ ‌has‌ ‌received‌ ‌an‌ ‌update‌ ‌making‌ ‌all‌ ‌those‌ ‌features‌ ‌
available‌ ‌to‌ ‌you.‌‌ ‌As‌ ‌soon‌ ‌as‌ ‌you‌ ‌download‌ ‌the‌ ‌update‌ ‌you‌ ‌will‌ ‌be‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌experience‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌
next-gen‌ ‌features‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌talk‌ ‌about‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌video:‌ ‌raytraced‌ ‌shadows,‌ ‌raytraced‌ ‌ambient‌ ‌
occlusion‌ ‌and‌ ‌AMD‌ ‌FidelityFX‌ ‌Variable‌ ‌Shading.‌ ‌These‌ ‌options‌ ‌are‌ ‌available‌ ‌to‌ ‌all‌ ‌
raytracing-capable‌ ‌graphics‌ ‌cards,‌ ‌regardless‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌manufacturer‌ ‌(it‌ ‌works‌ ‌on‌ ‌AMD‌ ‌and‌ ‌
NVIDIA‌ ‌GPUs).‌ ‌ ‌
‌


We‌ ‌are‌ ‌aware‌ ‌that‌ ‌these‌ ‌features‌ ‌are‌ ‌not‌ ‌that‌ ‌common‌ ‌in‌ ‌games‌ ‌yet‌ ‌and‌ ‌that‌ ‌not‌ ‌everyone‌ ‌
has‌ ‌the‌ ‌hardware‌ ‌required‌ ‌to‌ ‌enable‌ ‌them.‌ ‌We‌ ‌have‌ ‌not‌ ‌forgotten‌ ‌about‌ ‌you.‌ ‌‌The‌ ‌Prologue‌ ‌
mission‌ ‌has‌ ‌received‌ ‌some‌ ‌gameplay‌ ‌updates‌ ‌as‌ ‌well.‌ ‌‌While‌ ‌the‌ ‌flow‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌mission‌ ‌
remained‌ ‌largely‌ ‌the‌ ‌same,‌ ‌we‌ ‌have‌ ‌added‌ ‌some‌ ‌major‌ ‌quality‌ ‌of‌ ‌life‌ ‌upgrades‌ ‌that‌ ‌you‌ ‌
have‌ ‌been‌ ‌asking‌ ‌us‌ ‌for.‌ ‌The‌ ‌map‌ ‌itself‌ ‌has‌ ‌been‌ ‌slightly‌ ‌altered‌ ‌as‌ ‌well,‌ ‌so‌ ‌even‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌have‌ ‌
already‌ ‌completed‌ ‌the‌ ‌mission,‌ ‌you‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌great‌ ‌reason‌ ‌to‌ ‌come‌ ‌back.‌ ‌
‌


There‌ ‌have‌ ‌been‌ ‌numerous‌ ‌optimizations‌ ‌done‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌game‌ ‌engine.‌ ‌You‌ ‌should‌ ‌expect‌ ‌the‌ ‌
game‌ ‌to‌ ‌run‌ ‌much‌ ‌smoother‌ ‌now.‌ ‌If‌ ‌you‌ ‌would‌ ‌like‌ ‌to‌ ‌check‌ ‌how‌ ‌the‌ ‌game‌ ‌behaves‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌
most‌ ‌difficult‌ ‌scenarios‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌also‌ ‌try‌ ‌out‌ ‌our‌ ‌new‌ ‌benchmarks,‌ ‌available‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌Steam‌ ‌
Library‌ ‌(select‌ ‌The‌ ‌Riftbreaker:‌ ‌Prologue‌ ‌and‌ ‌press‌ ‌‘PLAY’‌ ‌to‌ ‌bring‌ ‌the‌ ‌launch‌ ‌options‌ ‌up).‌ ‌
New‌ ‌benchmarks‌ ‌provide‌ ‌the‌ ‌results‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌form‌ ‌of‌ ‌an‌ ‌easy-to-read‌ ‌table.‌ ‌Show‌ ‌us‌ ‌your‌ ‌best‌ ‌
scores!‌ ‌ ‌
‌


We‌ ‌would‌ ‌also‌ ‌like‌ ‌to‌ ‌invite‌ ‌you‌ ‌to‌ ‌our‌ ‌Discord‌ ‌server,‌ ‌where‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌download‌ ‌
community-created‌ ‌mods.‌ ‌‌They‌ ‌range‌ ‌from‌ ‌simple‌ ‌UI‌ ‌changes‌ ‌to‌ ‌custom‌ ‌versions‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌
Prologue‌ ‌mission‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌form‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌survival‌ ‌map.‌ ‌They‌ ‌are‌ ‌definitely‌ ‌worth‌ ‌checking‌ ‌out‌ ‌and‌ ‌
can‌ ‌scratch‌ ‌the‌ ‌itch‌ ‌while‌ ‌you‌ ‌wait‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌full‌ ‌version‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌released.‌ ‌You‌ ‌can‌ ‌also‌ ‌apply‌ ‌for‌ ‌
Alpha‌ ‌testing‌ ‌there!‌ ‌Join‌ ‌us‌ ‌at‌ ‌‌www.discord.gg/exorstudios‌ ‌ ‌
‌




[h2]Features:‌ ‌[/h2]

• ‌DX12‌ ‌is‌ ‌now‌ ‌the‌ ‌default‌ ‌render‌ ‌system.‌ ‌If‌ ‌your‌ ‌PC‌ ‌does‌ ‌not‌ ‌support‌ ‌DX12,‌ ‌the‌ ‌game‌ ‌will‌ ‌
  
• automatically‌ ‌detect‌ ‌it‌ ‌and‌ ‌fall‌ ‌back‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌DX11‌ ‌renderer.‌ ‌
  
• ‌Added‌ ‌new‌ ‌graphics‌ ‌options:‌ ‌Raytraced‌ ‌Soft‌ ‌Shadows,‌ ‌Raytraced‌ ‌Ambient‌ ‌Occlusion,‌ ‌
  
• FidelityFX‌ ‌Variable‌ ‌Shading.‌ ‌Each‌ ‌of‌ ‌these‌ ‌will‌ ‌get‌ ‌its‌ ‌own,‌ ‌in-depth‌ ‌article‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌coming‌ ‌
  
• weeks.‌ ‌These‌ ‌options‌ ‌are‌ ‌available‌ ‌only‌ ‌on‌ ‌DirectX‌ ‌12‌ ‌and‌ ‌when‌ ‌using‌ ‌a‌ ‌Raytracing‌ ‌
  
• capable‌ ‌GPU‌ ‌(regardless‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌manufacturer).‌ ‌
  
• ‌Shadow‌ ‌penumbra‌ ‌set‌ ‌in‌ ‌all‌ ‌time‌ ‌of‌ ‌day‌ ‌events‌ ‌and‌ ‌biomes.‌ ‌
  
• A dedicated benchmark for the GPU has been added, now with results readable by humans.
  
• We added support for changing Mr. Riggs' appearance. Right now, you can choose from a couple of predefined skins. We will make more in the future, we also count on your creativity and hope you'll get painting soon!
  
• Localizations were added to all research items. If a string in a given language is missing, it will default to English.
  
• We added a stagger state for the player. Mr. Riggs will become staggered if it uses a melee attack on an entity that is resistant to physical damage. This is still very much work in progress, animations and effects are far from final.
  
• Planetary Scanner screen was changed to feature an actual 3D model of Galatea 37. It also displays your actual geographical position on the surface of the planet and indicates where the bases in other biomes are located. This screen will be your mission hub.
  
• New damage types were added, along with resistances. If an entity is immune to a given type of damage, you will see a highlight and a 'resisted' popup.
  
• We added tooltips! Hovering the mouse cursor over an icon or any other menu item will now open a popup box with a description of the item.
  
• We have completely reworked all the weapon models. Our goal was to make them immediately recognizable, without the need to look at the inventory screen or the HUD. The new models come with varying skins for each rarity level. They're also animated!
  
• Oh, we also changed models for other equipment pieces - the Detector and mines of all flavors.
  
• Missions now start with a fade from black. It gives a nice cinematic feeling (and hides the Matrix from you).
  
• We have tweaked effect attachment points for weapons, so that the muzzle flash actually comes from the muzzle.
  
• The settings menu screen has been slightly reworked to include a description box. Highlighting any option in the menu will display a short message describing what is affected by the highlighted option. This should help you choose the perfect settings for your setup.
  
• There's much more wildlife in the prologue mission now, including birds!
  
• Our super-cute drones are now even more cute, because they are animated!
  
• New options have been added to the settings screen, as well as the Launcher.
  
• Extended HQ upgrade level 1 attack timeout. Take a breath.
  
• All weapons now have an icon based on the actual physical model you can see in the game.
  
• CrashReporter: include configuration + version number in titlebar. Sometimes you send us screenshots of the crash reports. This will help us identify the version of the game you have problems with.
  
• Loot items are now pushed away from the dying creatures with more force.
  
• Last but not the least important - ENERGY CONNECTORS AND WALLS ARE NOW BUILDABLE THROUGH CLICKING AND DRAGGING. Praise Starbugs!
  

[h2]Changes:[/h2]

• The Prologue map has been changed a bit, but since the affected area was a secret, we won't tell you what we changed.
  
• New mech model and textures - Mr. Riggs is richer in polygons and more hi-tech now.
  
• New Mech Destruction System. There is no need for creating destruction level maps for each skin - they will be automatically generated.
  
• New wall models, that change on each upgrade level
  
• New Sentinel Tower models, that change on each upgrade level
  
• Mods are now more robust and should no longer disappear from your weapons and towers.
  
• Our creatures now use a completely new state machine, designed to be faster and much easier to use.
  
• If you minimize the game while loading, the icon on the Windows Taskbar will now flash once the loading is completed.
  
• Updated fonts - we added some missing symbols and modified illegible letters.
  
• HQ on higher levels does not consume power. It was a trap that turned many promising bases into piles of ash.
  
• Wind turbines give more energy - changed from 6/s to 8/s.
  
• Fixed the wrong value in Health Regeneration module level 1. It now restores 1hp/s.
  
• Piles of loot now scale according to the amount of resources they contain.
  
• New Resource Comet effect.
  
• Tweaked drop rates for loot from all props. Smaller props give less loot, while bigger ones drop quite a bit more.
  
• NodeCullerDesc deleted from all small props and some medium props. You can now move freely through small props.
  
• Big cleanup in effects for enemies - Canoptrix, Arachnoid, and Hammeroceros. We removed redundant entries and optimized many little things.
  
• Added render system to hud revision/TC info.
  
• RenderingState: add `r_max_fps` - thanks to this variable you can now limit the maximum number of frames per second without turning on v-sync. No more whining condensers!
  
• Decals, such as blood splats or scorch marks disappear gradually instead of just disappearing at an instant.
  
• The mouse cursor will now react to changes in the mouse sensitivity setting immediately.
  

[h2]Fixes:[/h2]

• Some missing lights were added to buildings.
  
• All props now have the correct materials assigned to them and should behave as expected when destroyed.
  
• Fixed crash in OnUnequipItemRequest.
  
• Fix crash in building base while building floors.
  
• Fix crashes from crash raporter.
  
• Added hardcore description setup.
  
• Fixed icons on interacitve screen.
  
• Fixed localizations and offsets.
  
• Possible fix for pause on steam overlay bug
  
• Fix lock on energy connector creation.
  
• Fix header display after loading game with streaming.
  
• Fixed sword attack timers.
  
• Fixed sword post attack glitch.
  
• Fix materials on building modified.
  
• Fixed dying after falling beneath the floor - now you will teleport over surface instead.
  
• EntityModSystem: listen for equip/unequip events
  
• Fixed research available when the HQ is destroyed.
  
• Fix dissolving buildings on destruction.
  
• Minimap: merge radar size fix, remove unused IsReady.
  
• Fix player and skin icon in inventory screen.
  
• Fix items after coming back to the main mission.
  
• Fixed missing icons on buildings.
  
• Fix vein missing effects.
  
• Fix crash in OnBuildingSellEvent.
  
• Fix reattaching bounds to building.
  
• Fix crash in CustomizeControlsMenuScreen.
  
• Fix crash in AugmentsMenuScreen.
  
• Fix crash in EnvironmentService if id passed is invalid.
  
• Fix crash in GuiControlsUtils if mech is dead.
  
• Fix resetting cooldown on shields.
  
• Fix crash in CustomizeControlsMenuScreen.
  
• Fixed TimeDamage initial interval timer.
  
• MinimapSystem: fix vertex sorting, fix for minimap markers randomly disappearing.
  
• GameplayResourceDef: fix crash when overlaying ent files with `CostDesc`.
  
• GameplayResourcePlugin: remove duplicated craft table loading code ( now only CostDescLoadPostprocessListener does it ).
  
• LevelEditor: support for removing % of entities from selection.
  
• RiftbreakerEditor: add EntityEditor & EntityModEditor modules.
  
• TreasureSpawner: optimize SpawnTreasure ( should not extend loading time anymore ).
  
• RiftbreakerApp: unregister crash handler OnShutdown.
  
• DirectoryWatcher: fix possible deadlock when exiting an application.
  
• Sound: fixed "enemies/canoptrix_move" gain and playback freqency, moved to "enemy_steps" group.
  
• Keyboard: reset special keys state on focus lost, update on focus gain.
  
• Fixed borderless problems.
  
• Fixed multi monitors problems on DX12.
  
• Fixed minimap after load.
  
• Fixed hammeroceros 'run' sound effects.
  
• Fixed animation graph freeze.
  
• Fixed resource icons display overlapping.
  
• Tweaked overrides in towers to fix bugs with multiple towers.
  
• Fixed cheat_god_mode - now it works every time.
  
• DestroySystem: fix empty frame between object removal and parts spawn.
  
• Fixed minigun projectiles (position), also made them cheaper performance-wise.
  
• SettingsMenuScreen: fixed 'reset to defaults' functionality.
  
• Fixed planet_surface shader for the Planetary Scanner menu screen.
  
• Tweaks for the grass (proper materials, more subsurface light). Gives it a more natural look.
  
• Prevent crash in RiftTeleportStates
  
• Fixed entering campaign if campaign is disabled. This one's mostly for those of you who like to change things around in the game files or use mods.
  
• Fix mining not decreasing resources from the vein. Happened from time to time.
  
• Fix crash when the mech dies while melee attacking.
  
• Fix crash when floor is being built.
  
• Fixed Exit Game crashes.
  
• Insert english localization variable if other language is empty - no more empty strings!
  
• Energy connectors are still all over the place.
  

[h2]Audio:[/h2]

• We have started grouping sounds into clusters to achieve a better 'herd stampede' effect and to override the instance limits. Massive hordes of enemy creatures will sound terrifying now.
  
• Lots of creature noise samples have been changed to give them individual identity and make them instantly recognizable.
  
• The sound system has also been optimized to have as little impact on the performance as possible.
  
• Our Granular Synth is finally working properly, which means we will be able to add dynamically changing sounds into the game, such as a Geiger counter.
  

www.twitch.tv/exorstudios

Hello!

As you probably know already, we are currently designing, developing and testing the Campaign Mode for The Riftbreaker. It’s a very exciting time for us, because a lot of the changes we introduce make a big, visible impact on the way the game is played. The best example of a ‘big impact’ change is adding a completely new Galatean creature into the mix. Today we would like to present to you a creature that could easily be described as the Gnerot’s weird cousin - meet the Krocoon.

It seems like biology works in a different way on this planet...

This monstrosity can easily hide among rocks and you wouldn’t even bat an eye - of course, until its giant maw opens and lets out a terrifying roar, and then proceed to smash you into pieces using its massive hands and the leg. That is one of the more bizarre things about Krocoon - it only has one hind leg and moves around using its front legs/arms, utilizing the back one only as a support for the rest of the body. That probably means the arms are pretty muscular (if this thing even has muscles underneath) and it wouldn’t be the best idea to fight the creature in close-quarters.

You wouldn't want to disturb anyone when they're eating, right? That's why Mr. Riggs' invisibility module works wonders.

Just looking at this creature is enough to tell it is unlike anything you could see on Earth. The Krocoon’s body looks as if it was made of metal or crystals. Such a strong body armor guarantees protection from most natural hazards, such as predators or weather events. The downside is that the creature is very heavy and is not the most agile. Luckily, it doesn’t have to chase its food - just like the Gnerot, Krocoon is able to sustain itself by consuming raw minerals from various deposits on the surface of Galatea 37. It’s not a picky eater, either - Carbonium, Ironium, Cobalt - anything will do, and you will encounter these creatures while looking for extra resources to expand your base.

Bringing a bullet-based weapon to a fight with these guys is a bad idea.

In the later stages of The Riftbreaker campaign, you will encounter Krocoons both as regular inhabitants of the Galatean wilderness, as well as base attackers. The thick armor formed by their skin gives them protection from many forms of physical attacks. You will need to work out what kinds of attacks work best by studying Krocoon samples in the Laboratory. How to get those samples if the creatures are resistant to attacks, though? Well, they may be resistant, but they are not invincible, and you will be able to pick single Krocoons off with conventional weapons to gather specimen samples. You can also try the stealth approach, scanning them while using the invisibility module (more on that in a separate article, stay tuned!).

Kill 1000 of them to unlock the golden skin! (not really)

How do you like our three-legged monstrosity? Do you have any ideas for new creatures that you would like to see in The Riftbreaker? Make sure to tell us in the comments and on our Discord at www.discord.gg/exorstudios, where you can also apply for Alpha testing. You can also see all the newest additions to the game during our streams - every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 PM CET, www.twitch.tv/exorstudios.

See you later!