Zero Caliber devblog - Player customization, PvP and other goodies!
Hey everyone,
UPDATE 14/04/2020 (Original devblog below)
We are glad you are just as excited as we are for one of, if not the biggest update of Zero Caliber ever :)
We have been pushed back a bit by the virus (we are constantly improving our pipelines in order to be able to progress as efficiently as possible from home office).
We have also made the jump to the latest version of Unreal Engine, which is giving us a hard time as lots of unexpected bugs need to be ironed out - but it is still a necessary change that will make the development process of Zero Caliber more streamlined for us and the whole gameplay experience smoother for you.
We are doing our very best to push this out as soon as possible, hopefully still in April, but we are not able to say any exact date yet.
We are going to release the new build as soon as we are ready (albeit without the new PvP mode).
Don't worry, we will release the PvP mode on our private beta banch some time after the update to test with the community first, before pushing it to the live branch.
We are very sorry that you still have to wait some more, but the new build is going to be the most enjoyable and most stable one ever.
Please bear with us in the meantime, and stay safe out there! (Or more preferably IN there :) )
ORIGINAL: In our latest devlog we gave a little glimpse of what we are up to.
Now let's see what we have in store for Zero Caliber!
Disclaimer: these are the major things we are currently working on. That doesn't mean all of them will be in the next update - some of them will make it, some of them won't, depending on test results.
[h2]PLAYER CUSTOMIZATION[/h2]
You might remember this feature from one of our earlier blog posts.
We have been planning to add player customization to the game for a long time, and it looks like it will make it into the next update!
It works similarly to the weapon skin system - there will be special items hidden throughout all maps!
[h2]WEAPON SMOOTHING[/h2]
This feature is quite self-explanatory - it simulates the weight of an object, giving it a more realistic feel. This, combined with recoil makes using weapons butter smooth!
We still have to polish it a bit more - we'll see if it can be done in time.
[h2]PVP | DEDICATED SERVERS[/h2]
We have been successfully testing the PvP gamemode - on dedicated servers!
There are still a lot of work ahead, but it is shaping up nicely.
Currently we're planning to add four gamemodes. Here's a quick breakdown of each mode. More information coming soon!
[h3]Team Death Match[/h3]
This is the classic game mode we all love. 4v4, 5v5, 5-10 minute battles.
The team with the most points wins.
[h3]Capture The Flag[/h3]
Another classic, but with a little twist thanks to the possibilities of VR.
[h3]Capture The Area[/h3]
Two teams fight to take control of an area. Yet another classic.
[h3]PvPvE[/h3]
This is a unique game mode, mixing classic MOBA and FPS elements.
There will be an ongoing combat between NPCs on two lanes - additionally each team will have turrets on their respective lanes.
The goal is to destroy the enemy team's generator, after eliminating their turrets.
Battles will last 8 minutes. If neither generator is destroyed, the team with the turret advantage (most turrets eliminated) wins.
[h2]TIMBER REWORK[/h2]
The mission called 'Timber' is the oldest one in the game. We felt like it deserved an overhaul.
Every combat has been redesigned, the pace and environment will be far better than it currently is.
[h2]AI OPTIMIZATION[/h2]
This is something we're constantly working on. The next step is to pre-spawn AIs at the beginning of each map, thus reducing the CPU load during populated combat situations.
[h2]RENDER UPDATE[/h2]
We're changing the way the game renders the environment. As a result, everything will look much sharper, the gameplay will feel much smoother.
There are downsides to this method (mainly on the lighting side), but we believe the pros will outweigh the cons - if nothing else, the game will be more optimized without losing graphic quality.
This is difficult to demonstrate on 2D screenshots, so you have to take our word for it. :)
[h2]NEW HANDS | BODY IK[/h2]
We're changing the hand models - the fingers will be thinner, and will look completely different from the current gloves.
In addition, we're improving the whole body model.
---
Thank you for reading through the list!
We're not sure when the update will go live - we'd like to release it in March, but as we're working on these features and additions simultaneously, it's possible that we'll have to go with an early April date.
Bonus information: we have also updated our engine version - this makes our life easier. :)
Thank you guys for your continuous support!
-XREAL Games Team-
UPDATE 14/04/2020 (Original devblog below)
We are glad you are just as excited as we are for one of, if not the biggest update of Zero Caliber ever :)
We have been pushed back a bit by the virus (we are constantly improving our pipelines in order to be able to progress as efficiently as possible from home office).
We have also made the jump to the latest version of Unreal Engine, which is giving us a hard time as lots of unexpected bugs need to be ironed out - but it is still a necessary change that will make the development process of Zero Caliber more streamlined for us and the whole gameplay experience smoother for you.
We are doing our very best to push this out as soon as possible, hopefully still in April, but we are not able to say any exact date yet.
We are going to release the new build as soon as we are ready (albeit without the new PvP mode).
Don't worry, we will release the PvP mode on our private beta banch some time after the update to test with the community first, before pushing it to the live branch.
We are very sorry that you still have to wait some more, but the new build is going to be the most enjoyable and most stable one ever.
Please bear with us in the meantime, and stay safe out there! (Or more preferably IN there :) )
ORIGINAL: In our latest devlog we gave a little glimpse of what we are up to.
Now let's see what we have in store for Zero Caliber!
Disclaimer: these are the major things we are currently working on. That doesn't mean all of them will be in the next update - some of them will make it, some of them won't, depending on test results.
[h2]PLAYER CUSTOMIZATION[/h2]
You might remember this feature from one of our earlier blog posts.
We have been planning to add player customization to the game for a long time, and it looks like it will make it into the next update!
It works similarly to the weapon skin system - there will be special items hidden throughout all maps!
[h2]WEAPON SMOOTHING[/h2]
This feature is quite self-explanatory - it simulates the weight of an object, giving it a more realistic feel. This, combined with recoil makes using weapons butter smooth!
We still have to polish it a bit more - we'll see if it can be done in time.
[h2]PVP | DEDICATED SERVERS[/h2]
We have been successfully testing the PvP gamemode - on dedicated servers!
There are still a lot of work ahead, but it is shaping up nicely.
Currently we're planning to add four gamemodes. Here's a quick breakdown of each mode. More information coming soon!
[h3]Team Death Match[/h3]
This is the classic game mode we all love. 4v4, 5v5, 5-10 minute battles.
The team with the most points wins.
[h3]Capture The Flag[/h3]
Another classic, but with a little twist thanks to the possibilities of VR.
[h3]Capture The Area[/h3]
Two teams fight to take control of an area. Yet another classic.
[h3]PvPvE[/h3]
This is a unique game mode, mixing classic MOBA and FPS elements.
There will be an ongoing combat between NPCs on two lanes - additionally each team will have turrets on their respective lanes.
The goal is to destroy the enemy team's generator, after eliminating their turrets.
Battles will last 8 minutes. If neither generator is destroyed, the team with the turret advantage (most turrets eliminated) wins.
[h2]TIMBER REWORK[/h2]
The mission called 'Timber' is the oldest one in the game. We felt like it deserved an overhaul.
Every combat has been redesigned, the pace and environment will be far better than it currently is.
[h2]AI OPTIMIZATION[/h2]
This is something we're constantly working on. The next step is to pre-spawn AIs at the beginning of each map, thus reducing the CPU load during populated combat situations.
[h2]RENDER UPDATE[/h2]
We're changing the way the game renders the environment. As a result, everything will look much sharper, the gameplay will feel much smoother.
There are downsides to this method (mainly on the lighting side), but we believe the pros will outweigh the cons - if nothing else, the game will be more optimized without losing graphic quality.
This is difficult to demonstrate on 2D screenshots, so you have to take our word for it. :)
[h2]NEW HANDS | BODY IK[/h2]
We're changing the hand models - the fingers will be thinner, and will look completely different from the current gloves.
In addition, we're improving the whole body model.
---
Thank you for reading through the list!
We're not sure when the update will go live - we'd like to release it in March, but as we're working on these features and additions simultaneously, it's possible that we'll have to go with an early April date.
Bonus information: we have also updated our engine version - this makes our life easier. :)
Thank you guys for your continuous support!
-XREAL Games Team-