Zero Caliber VR News

How's it going y'all?

In our latest "State of Dev", I've more or less layed down the basics of what you can expect from us in the coming weeks. Just to recap:

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
   

The 1st part of this huge update pack will contain 1) and 4), and it's still scheduled for November (so it's coming within weeks, whoopwhoop)!
While testing the RC build, 2 blocking issues popped up out of the blue: one of the overhauled maps started to crash 2/5 times in Co-op, and there's something fishy with the save files. These are the only major things that we have to fix, but since we've changed so much stuff under the hood, debugging them takes a bit more time than usual - we have a few leads though, so no worries!

Once the update is out and you start to get used to the improved mechanics and new weapons and their rebalance, we'll jump right into testing the PvP- and mod support builds.

Speaking of mods: WE NEED MODDERS! If you, or someone you know would like to experiment with PvP- and/or Single/Co-op missions for Zero Cal, shoot me (Dan.) a DM on Discord, or leave a comment in this topic: https://steamcommunity.com/app/877200/discussions/0/3495383439599909937/ so we can get back to you once the time comes! You might be able to get your hands on the mod support build early on so you can start realizing your wildest Zero Cal dreams before the update drops. ;)

Now, I compiled a far-from-complete, PRELIMINARY patch notes so you can feast your eyes upon what's coming!

[h2]PRELIMINARY PATCH NOTES[/h2]

[h3]MULTIPLAYER[/h3]

• Switched from P2P connections to dedicated servers for Co-op (better sync and perf)
  
• Added native voice chat with a muting option
  
• Fixed countless connection issues
  
• Vastly improved netcode
  

[h3]WEAPONS | ATTACHMENTS[/h3]

• Added 11 new weapons (Sig SG552, Beretta CX4 Storm, Famas, M249 (LMG), Barrett M82A1, M590 Shockwave, Thompson submachine gun, M1 Garand, Luger, Mp40, Ppsh-41)
• Added 7 new melee weapons (Tactical knife, Bayonet as an attachment, Machete, Small axe, Crowbar, Baseball bat & Baton)
• Added a new melee holster where your tactical knife will hang out at all times
  

[h3]GAMEPLAY | CONTROLS[/h3]

• Added a melee feature (including throwing, stabbing & cutting)
  
• Vastly improved weapon handling
  
• Polished body IK that can now be turned off optionally (leaving you with hands only)
  
• Improved climbing mechanics (it's much more polished now)
  
• Improved 'step up' to the top of climbable objects
  
• Added single handed “akimbo” reload for pistols
  
• Vastly improved magazine grabbing
  
• Added a much more intuitive weapon-, item- and interactables highlight system
  
• Added a height measurement system (auto calibration & sitting mode)
  
• Added holster position calibration
  
• Added controller offset calibration
  
• Improved weapon balance
  
• Improved left hand mode
  
• Locomotion side selection added to settings menu
  

[h3]AI[/h3]

• Improved enemy behaviour: they're more sharp and they react/switch targets much faster
  
• Improved cover usage: enemies can now shoot from different sides and angles when behind a cover
  
• More realistic head movement: enemies now look at their target
  
• Improved existing- and added new NPC animations
  
• Enemies now get to cover much faster by sprinting
  
• Enemies are actively looking for targets, they patrol and move tactical in combat
  
• Enemies now have a melee ability (kicking and smashing), if you get too close to them
  
• Improved aiming (more accurate and quicker)
  
• Enhanced decision making
  
• Added range dependent attack modes
  

[h3]CAMPAIGN MISSIONS[/h3]

• Reworked and improved combat on all missions, by a lot
  
• Overhauled gameplay all around
  
• New objectives on several missions
  
• Rebalanced difficulties
  
• Added more VR interactions
  

[h3]GRAPHICS | UI[/h3]

• Reworked and greatly improved environment on several maps
  
• Improved VFX effects
  
• Added a better, more precise self-hit indicator system
  
• Added a region selector popup window to make selecting the appropriate server region easier
  
• Replaced the world map with a new mission selector in the lobby
  

[h3]SOUND[/h3]

• Improved bullet flyby sounds
  
• Improved bullet impact sounds
  
• Added more ambient sounds on open maps
  
• Improved headshot audio feedback
  
• Added different, satisfying sound effects for headshot hits and kills
  

[h3]MISC[/h3]

• Fixed and improved so many things we've honestly lost count
  
• Vastly improved performance all around
  

(I'll update this list and spice things up with pics and gifs once the update goes live.)

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It's happening boys!
Thank you all for bearing with us, we appreciate all your support and patience!
Cheers,
-Dan & the XREAL Games Team-

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-

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-

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 -

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! 🤞

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