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Zero Caliber VR News

Zero Caliber - State of Dev #1

Hey everyone,

We're getting closer and closer to the long awaited huuuge update - and we're still aiming for a fall release!
We now have a -more or less- stable and playable build, so we can start showing you stuff!

As you may be aware, we have 4 major things we're working on:
  1. Code- and feature merge, bringing all the new fancy features and optimization of the standalone version back to PC without sacrificing graphics
  2. PvP (with cross-play if everything goes as planned)
  3. UGC/Mod support (for PvP maps at first, and potentially single player/co-op missions later)
  4. Graphical- and gameplay enhancements on a good chunk of the existing maps




To avoid introducing unexpected bugs (and to let you all get accustomed to all the changes, new mechanics and improved gun handling), we might split these into several updates - we'll probably release 1. and 4. together first, then 2. after that and 3. at last.*
This will also speed up the process as we'll have more time to thoroughly test things out.

*Disclaimer: the order might change if unforeseen technical issues start popping up along the way.

Not gonna lie, we're a tad bit afraid as these updates will be huge (thus not void of risks), but we're extremely excited at the same time to push our beloved Zero Caliber to the next level!

Now, to show you some gameplay: one of those new feature will be the melee, which comes with a bunch of melee weapons, like the machete...



...or the knife which will be your trusty companion at all times:



As part of the spiced up gameplay, you'll encounter new scenarios...



...and new hoops to go through in order to advance in missions:



And btw, don't worry about the missing full body, it will be optional. ;)
We're also touching up a few maps - we're about to start the final performance tests so the final look may vary, but we're doing our best to make them prettier:



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It feels sooo good to finally be able to show you all these cool stuff, we can't wait to release the update(s)!
We're going to show you even more sneak peeks as our build gets more and more polished, so stay tuned!

And thank you for bearing with us, we appreciate all your support and patience!
Cheers,
-Dan & the XREAL Games Team-

Zero Caliber progress update & survey

Hey everyone,

Just a quick update on the huge update coming this fall - we're testing cross-play stability between the PCVR and the standalone PvP!

We still have a few glaring issues to fix so we can guarantee the smoothest of gameplays, but the code merge is more or less done. We're now in the process of fine-tuning the maps and combat so new gameplay elements can be incorporated into the campaign maps we all know and love. That, and we're working on the PvP maps so we can keep the PCVR-grade visuals once it drops.

We've been collecting and using user feedback over the years to make the game better, and have a pretty good list of fixes and improvements already. That said, we'd like to hear YOUR feedback once again - what should be fixed, improved or added to the game? Please let us know in the comments below! We're reading EVERYTHING, even if we can't get back to everyone.

Even though your, and our list of fixes and improvements are probably pretty similar, we'd still like to catch a few extra ideas, forgotten bugs and other things - we might be able to squeeze some of them into the update. ;)

Thank you guys and gals!
We'll soon be back with more details about the update itself.

Cheers,
-XREAL Games Team-

Zero Caliber progress update - Giga Update soon!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to let you all now where we currently are with the gargantuan task of merging our projects together and bringing Zero Cal to the level we want it to be on.
First of all, sorry for the lagging updates regarding our progress concerning Zero Cal's next update - we wanted to make sure that what we promise now we can 100% deliver later on.

You might be aware that after Zero Cal's standalone release, we've started to dissect the game's code to pieces in order to merge the two projects together and bring all the goodies back to the OG version.
All our efforts, blood, sweat and tears are starting to yield tangible results - we now see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Due to the delicate nature of the process, we've decided to compile all the progress into a big steaming pile of a giga update - we're expecting it to be ready for release towards the end of fall, 2022.

[h3]What's gonna be in it you ask? [/h3] Well, where to start...
Besides all the optimization and under the hood changes, we're going to add:
  • Melee weapons: a knife, a bayonet attachment, a machete, a crowbar, a baton, a baseball bat and an axe



  • Cross-play PvP with plenty of maps



  • UGC (mod) support for PvP maps
  • Rebalanced and spiced up combat on all maps


These are only the most eye-candy additions but rest assured, there will be many more! There's a reason we're referring to it as a "giga update". ;)
Oh, one more thing: the PCVR-level graphics won't be affected.

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That's it for this super-quick update. We're going to show you sneak peeks and provide you with consistent updates as we get closer to the giga update - watch this space!

Cheers,
- XREAL Games Team -

Road to THE update - Zero Caliber devblog I.

Hey folks,

As you might be aware, we took it upon ourselves to get Zero Caliber in shape a while back (quite a while back actually).
I've talked about it in past devblog posts, hell, even sounded like a broken record at times (and I still do I know), but I'm gonna repeat myself anyway:

We're currently working on the dreaded code merge to bring all code optimization and most of the new features from the game's standalone version back to PC.
As it turned out the merge is a one-man show, meaning that the task can't be parallelized (is that even a word?) - only one person can work on it at the same time. This greatly increases the time that has to be dedicated to the process. Merging something, making sure it clicks with the rest of the code, testing, fixing, testing again then moving onto the next thing.

Current estimates show that the merge itself will be concluded in 1.5-2 months, then our GD and GFX teams are going to fix up the maps/weapons and then we'll be good to go! đŸ€ž

As we're getting closer and closer to THE update, we thought it'd be a good idea to go through ALL the stuff that is going to change to refresh our enthusiasm. ;)

[h3]#1 - HANDS | WEAPON HANDLING[/h3]

One of the not-so-perfect parts of the current version is the hand model and the weapon handling. The new weapon priority system and the new hand model will make everything so much better! Different as night day I tell ya.
The game will predict what you want to grab or interact with on your weapon.
No more “clunky” controls!



[h3]#2 - 4.24 -> 4.27[/h3]

If the code merge wasn't enough, we're also upgrading the game's engine version. This mostly affects background processes, but you'll also notice its effects, mostly on the performance side of things.

[TO BE CONTINUED...]

Stay tuned for the next part of this EPIC devblog series leading up to THE update of all updates!

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We had internal discussions about the closed PvP build we have lying around on a private branch.
We were thinking about opening it up while we piece THE update together - is that something y'all would enjoy? Should we do it? Let us know!

Thank you all for sticking around!
On behalf of the whole XREAL Games Team, Daniel Nyirfa lvl100 Chief Comms Officer

Zero Caliber Update - 2 new maps!

Hey all,

You might have noticed a 2-3GB worth of update popping up yesterday - don’t worry, you’re not hallucinating, it’s an actual update! I know, right?

2021 was an... interesting year. Some things went as planned, some things didn’t here at XREAL. One thing that didn’t go as planned was the infamous code merge/optimization process we’ve been talking about recently.

That’s still happening, but more time is needed. (I’m not saying it’s a chaotic and messy process, but it is.)

We dusted off the game’s old codebase however, so we could release a content update for y’all in 2021 while the new code and features are being worked on in the background.
So, here it is. A content update containing 2 new maps: ‘Night Shift pt2’ and ‘Waterbase’.



Disclaimer: while testing the build, we couldn’t get our WMR headset to work so we couldn’t run a functionality test on it. We got a few reports of the turning being messed up, sorry for the inconvenience!
We also stumbled upon a few floating AIs on one of the new maps - just shoot them until they notice themselves. :)

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That’s all for now folks, we hope you’re enjoying the new maps!
We’ll be back with more news in January.

We wish you all a very Happy Holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year! -Dan & the whole XREAL Games Team-