Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.1.000 has been released!

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.1.000 has been released. This small patch addresses some open bugs. The change log is below.

Change Log

Sky flickering issue on octagon map is fixed.
Lighting is now blocked from bleeding through in spawn areas on octagon map.
Fire group 1 now says Fire Group 1 in keybindings menu instead of Set Group 1.
The holograms now should always be in a default pose instead of the animation they were showing when targeted.
Targeting and missile lock are now lost when a target goes out of sight for 3 seconds.
Bots should now stop firing when losing line of sight or losing target.
Gatlin weapons now are able to fire after you use all your ammo and then refill it.
End of game board should no longer show duplicate entries.
Fixed a bug where if you had F3 screen up when end of game happened and it would not let you have your mouse cursor back.
Fixed the UI scale slider so it zooms in when going above 100% and zooms out in the other direction.
Fire Group binds can now fire while others are firing. You should however not mix selection group firing and Fire group or they can cancel each other.
Countermeasures no longer get stuck in a visual reload loop.
Fixed a bug that was making targeting mechs difficult, specially at a distance.
Fixes for some various errors we got during testing.

[ 2024-11-17 20:42:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.025

This is just a quick patch for testing a fix for end game not ending when there are at least 2 players on each side.

[ 2024-11-15 18:44:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.024 is now Available.

New build 0.2.0.024 is now available. This is a small patch with some bugs found in 0.2.0.023 as well as some changes to the hangar, UI, camera, and some other changes. We are still working on the campaign in parallel and wanted to push this patch out to fix some issues in the meantime. Full change list below. Change Log

Upgraded Unity to release build to fix crashing with some video cards.
Delay when landing is now only if you fall a certain height. This is to fix issues with small falls down hills, etc
Fix for mechs walking half speed in the spawn areas of octagon map.
Fix for sometimes seeing snow spawn around mech on test range.
Quad Juggers Adjustments - Direct Damage increase from 1.5 to 2, Spread decreased from .5 to .125, Overload slightly increased from .4 to .5
RFX Gatlin Adjustments - Spread decreased from .3 to .1
Leaving Test Range loads back to the hangar instead of the main menu.
Weapons that are not explosives no longer play hit fx if you dont hit anything.
Changed 3rd person cameras
Added distance display under cross hair
Updated weapons UI with a new layout and added weapon ranges and removed the "zoom" on the current selected group so it just highlights color only now.
Added manual key bind firing. Fire Group 1 through Fire Group 5 are now available for binding. This will fire the group without modifying the selected group. Bound by default to Shift+1 through Shift+5. This gives you the ability to use manual firing or selected group firing or both depending on your controller setup.
DPS and Rate of Fire (previously called Cool down) are now calculated by the game to prevent hand edit issues
Rate of Fire (previously Cool down) now shows red in the old vs new comparison view in hangar if the rate of fire is higher on the new weapon.
Stats no longer get remainder chopped off and now display up to 2 digits of float precision.
Added a third person camera mode that lets you switch between multiple 3rd person cameras. (Default bind Ctrl + Tab)
Rewrote how damage is stored and sent over the network to fix issues with health updating improperly for you and targets of you.
Changed a previous AI fix since it caused a new worse bug.
Test Range has doors again for the wall.
Removed broken visual fx from ships in the bases on badlands arena.
various small weapon balancing changes

[ 2024-10-25 23:58:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.023 is now Available.

New build 0.2.0.023 is now available. This patch adds a new lightning based weapon called a Disruptor Cannon and a new internal that is an energy shield (converts damage to energy loss til you run out of energy and it fails). The misc tasks and known bugs we had in tracker were also fixed in this patch to prepare for development of the Campaign for the next major patch. Change Log

New Weapon Disruptor Cannon is now available.
New Internal Energy Shield is now available.
Upgraded unity to the latest version of Unity 6. This can provide higher framerates on some systems.
MP games now have continue and leave server options on end game screen. Continue will send you back to the lobby if the host uses continue.
Default zoom keybinds is now mouse wheel click for hold zoom and Z for toggle zoom. You may have to reset to defaults or manually set up these binds if they are not showing cause you already have a custom keybinds profile.
Redid all of the animations for the mechs and fixed several bugs in process including a working land animation now.
Fixed the sounds not playing on power up and down.
Fixed bug where it would say you had unsaved changes in settings when you did not change anything.
You can now invite people to squad by typing in their steam name via a new option in squad panel so you can invite when they are offline.
Objective health displays now also update gradually like mechs
Fixed a bug where the throttle was not increasing linearly
Changed loading from percentage to random text that updates
Fixed a bug where level and credits do not update after match if you are client unless you go into hangar
Fixed a bug where if you change weapon groups while zoomed in it would not update zoom levels
Fixed a bug where client auto center is not smooth
If you build a mech with an existing name it would cause weird overwrite issue. it now blocks saving and warns you.
Pressing enter after typing in the input field of saving a mech or searching for a user to invite to squad now auto accepts the popup.
Fixed a bug where if you didn't have enough credits to edit a mech, but the editing gives you enough it would fail.
Fixed a bug where it was taking the wrong amount of credits from you when building a new mech.
Updated targeting so Q and E only work on enemies, and new keybinds Shift Q and Shift E only work on teammates
Hooked up explosion sfx for all of the projectile explosions, adding variations for a few as well. Also did a pass on 3d sound settings to make the sound falloff better at a distance.
Fix for weapon fx showing up in the health holograms in cockpit
Fix for radar not removing dead mechs that don't despawn
Fix for issue where AI can sometimes rotate in impossible ways
Fix for AI turning torso too fast
Fixed a big where editing a default did not charge you the correct amount

[ 2024-10-07 17:00:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.022 is now Available.

New Build 0.2.0.022 is now available on steam for Windows and Linux. Mac support has been deprecated due to poor performance on arm processors that do not perform well enough with our engine. ChangeLog

Squads feature is now available (similiar to guilds in an MMO)
Leaderboards for users are available in pilot profile.
Squad Leaderboards are available in the Squad page.
Achievements now have a hover tool tip that tells you the name and description of each.
Settings now has the ability to choose between FullScreen (Exclusive), borderless full screen window, and window mode
Settings now has a target framerate slider
Settings now has a ui scale slider
Removed bird sounds from test range
ACs restricted to only 2
All ACs produce more heat and have a reduced range
BP points reduced on internals
Removed hours played and contracts from pilot profile since they are no longer valid.
configs are now validated on load and illegal mounts are removed.
Test range now always spawns tanks as enemies (red names)
Added a close button to the input mapping screen to allow for easier closing.
Observer camera text now updates when only 1 teammate is left to no longer tell you to press A or D.
Added some code to hopefully fix the bug where radar dots in cockpit are rotated sometimes. (needs verified since hard to reproduce)
resized and position weapons display in the cockpit to better fit the area and added a hologram background like the others have
Fixed a hangar bug where equipping from inventory was reducing by 2
Fixed a hangar bug where equipping from inventory or removing to inventory when the count is 1 was not updating the text to reflect it.
Fixed a hangar bug where removing a mount was resulting in the no mount circle missing.
Fixed a bug where switchblade had a white torso in hologram
Changed how local respawning is handled to fix a rare bug where you cant respawn when you should be able to sometimes
Fixed a bug that could cause de-cloak to fail midway

[ 2024-08-25 20:06:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.021 is now available.

Patch 0.2.0.021 Notes:

New Instant Action mode that lets you play Multiplayer maps offline against bots.
Added new Internal System for calling down orbital strikes.
Added new Internal System for Targeting Laser which lets you highlight specific areas, mechs, or destroy-able / objectives for all of your teammates to see.
Increased number of internal slots to 2 for scout class and increased number of internal slots to 3 for Heavy class.
Fixed a bug where the internals hud was showing on observer hud.
Improved AI searching for enemies.
Improved AI weapon selection.
AI now will avoid destroyed mechs that are left til the end of the match.
Removed AI Diff from MP menu since we decided on one
Modified the AI aiming to use torso lag correctly and adjusted their aim.
Fixed some issues in the AI where it was working off the wrong targets.
Fixed issue with targeting going through things sometimes and fixed a bug where cycle targeting could target behind you. Targeting now checks line of sight for both types of targeting.
Enemies only show on radar and hud when you or a teammate has line of sight to them.
Updated AI weapon configs
Various tweaks to the AI logic
Fixed a bug where projectiles will explode on the ground instead of above it.
Tweaks to arc shot weapons (yellowjacket, LARB) so that they don't get stuck in the air when hitting certain targets

[ 2024-08-02 20:39:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.020 is now available.

Patch 0.2.0.020 Notes:

New Mech Internal Slots available
Extra Armor was moved from Configuration to new Internals window in hangar.
Configuration was renamed to Weapons Grouping in hangar.
Weapons and Equipment now show BP and Cost on icons for quick comparison.
New Internal Equipment - Cloaking Device.
AI has a random chance of seeing you if you are cloaked.
Trees can now be destroyed instead of walking through them.
Fixed a bug where weapon fire would sometimes go in weird directions including behind you.
Fixed a bug where global chat would not work after returning from a match.
Fixed a bug where equipping a weapon from inventory had issues.
Removed bird sound from sector7.
Armor has been updated to be 50 ticks of 5 instead of 10 ticks of 25.
Cool downs on rockets and missiles adjusted.
Proving Grounds missions renamed to arenas.
Global chat is open by default now.

I am hoping to have new AI updates next patch after this one.

[ 2024-07-19 12:47:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.019 is now available.

Patch 0.2.0.019 Changes:

New Map The Octagon Proving Grounds
Global chat now functions correctly and no longer uses steam group.
Fixed bug where thunder in the newer levels did not respond to changing the audio sound volume.

We are continuing to work on the new AI in parallel with these smaller builds.

[ 2024-06-11 20:29:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.018 is now available

New Build 0.2.0.018 is now available on steam for all platforms. Changelog

Damage score and assists no longer increase when damaging teammates
Scoreboard should be accurate now
Game should always end now under skirmish conditions even if someone leaves
Rapidly clicking on mechs in hangar should no longer cause issues with multiple mechs showing
Added a 3 second delay on end game coming up to insure all stats are logged before it does
Observer camera fixes
Dying while jump jetting should fall back down instead of getting stuck in air now.
Unverified fix for bots rarely not spawning
Assault and Heavy tags on chassis selection are now correct
Added a discord button to main menu
Lowered the field of view of homing when looking for flares
Fixed places on sector 7 that had incorrect AI and IK rocks.
Updated lighting in all of the missions, badlands now has thunder and lightning
Homing lock now resets as soon as you fire
Homing rockets and missiles now have an arming delay for the homing so they do not try to curve out of the weapon.
Homing rockets and missiles will no longer show locking when out of range
Unverified fix for extra polygons showing in the mech holo health displays in first person
Fixed holograms to not render the engine housing and engine white (now part of torso)
Changed green ready to green Not Ready in Lobby to be less confusing.
Q (cross hair targeting) now picks closest to the cross hair so you don't have to be exactly on top of them anymore as there is a cone around them.
In lobby changed active squad text to reflect what to do and that your choice is locked in when you click ready.

[ 2024-04-29 18:17:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.017 First Re-Release is now available.

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps 0.2.0.017, Our first formal re-release to current owners, is out. This version cleans up the old version of the game and works towards finishing the upgrade to the new engine. It includes 12 chassis to build your own custom mechs as well as 3 maps in our skirmish game type. We will be releasing more information on whats to come with the game as well as any known issues soon. Join us tomorrow on discord for LoreCon 2024. It will cover more information on games in the Dark Horizons Universe as well as this game. More information on LoreCon 2024 is available in the game's forums.

[ 2024-04-20 01:27:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC News Update

Hello Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps players. I am reaching out to all who have supported this game. We understand theres been a long, quiet period with no updates, but we want to share what is happening with the Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps project. In the last couple of months, a small team(2-3 people) has been working on finishing the game transition to the new engine that had already been started. While were not setting exact due dates - to ensure we do not over-promise and deliver quality updates - we are working on finishing the initial phase of redevelopment in the new year. Once this is completed, all current owners of Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps will have access to the game to provide feedback before we consider re-launching into early access. If you would like to ask questions or see more frequent updates, we invite you to join the Dark Horizons Universe Discord channel, which supports both the Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps tabletop war game and this Steam game. https://discord.gg/btfr5mTp8R https://www.dhuniverse.com Best, Adrian Jrah Executive Producer/Creative Director X10 Game Studios

[ 2023-12-29 23:32:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Project Status and Updates

Hello Everyone, It has been awhile since we have posted an update, and I know there has been a lot of grumblings going on (rightfully so). As many of those who read our posts know, we disabled sales on this project a couple months ago because we did not feel we should continue selling something that isn't close to a finished state. While that doesn't help those that have already purchased the product, it was to give us time to re-evaluate the project, see where we are and what we could realistically accomplish for a first release of the game. So over the past couple of months we have gone through the process of stream lining what we can off as a first release and while we cannot make any promises at this time when this might occur, we are hopeful that this will be around the end of this year (2019). Things we are currently working on: - Updated game engine (Almost complete) - Updating networking - Adding better Steam integration - Updating UI and game flow - Updating economy and progression - Balancing Mech chassis and Weapons - Adding new Chassis "skins" (looking to have 2 additional options per 4 different chassis types for first release) - Updating back-end services Currently our intended road-map is as follows: End of Sept - Release the new game client to current owners to begin testing Multiplayer functionality. End of Oct - Start testing new Squad system and MP matchmaking facilities End of November - Beta Testing End of Dec - Initial MP Release *Note that when we open the game back up for new players, current owners will be moving to what we will call the "Founders Edition" of the game. For us this means that all current owns will receive all future updates and content for free, as well as some other in game bonuses and perks. We are still determining what this looks like, but there will be more announcements in the coming months.

[ 2019-09-03 17:39:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Status Update December 2017

Hey Everyone! After a long wait we were able to finally release last month BETA 2 (you need to opt into the public beta), Yay! BETA 2 focused primarily on getting our Multi-Player networking tech working. So far it looks like things are working fairly well. Over time we will continue to look at ways to optimize and make sure game play is smooth, even at higher pings. Utlimately we will be working towards and auto-scaling server infrastructure that will allow us to spin up servers regionally to reduce ping times for players. SOOO What are we working on next? First I will say that our goal will be to release a new update to the BETA every month until it is far enough a long to replace the current live EA offering. For this month we will be focused on balancing some of the weapons, Improving AI, and general bug fixes. Other projects that we are working on that will probably not be released until end of January include additional mission environments, a new multi-player mission type, and UI updates. For those interested in a Single Player Campaign, this is a longer term goal, but understand that everything we are currently working for general game play for our Multi-Player component also applies to things we want to do with the SP Campaign. Currently we are doing SP Campaign design and planning, but MP will come first. That is all for this update, if you have any questions or general thoughts you would like to share we strive to be as open and honest as possible! Thanks for your continued support! For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames http://twitter.com/mgtgames To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2017-12-06 05:40:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Status Update December 2017

[ 2017-12-06 05:40:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC - BETA 1 Live!

As promised we have released the BETA 1 build into the beta channel for PC, MAC and Linux. They are available only thru the BETA opt in screen. Instructions can be found: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/4/135513901709201653/ The goal of this first BETA 1 release is to look at resolving any issues with three platforms in as efficient manner as possible. This first release has limited functionality and you can find detailed information in the BETA forum. http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/4/135513901709191397/ NOTE: You must own the game in order to download the Beta. We are excited to finally be able to start sharing with you the work we have been doing, and over the next weeks and months look forward to bringing the game to its potential. For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames http://twitter.com/mgtgames To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2017-04-10 21:08:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC - BETA 1 Live!

As promised we have released the BETA 1 build into the beta channel for PC, MAC and Linux. They are available only thru the BETA opt in screen. Instructions can be found: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/4/135513901709201653/ The goal of this first BETA 1 release is to look at resolving any issues with three platforms in as efficient manner as possible. This first release has limited functionality and you can find detailed information in the BETA forum. http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/4/135513901709191397/ NOTE: You must own the game in order to download the Beta. We are excited to finally be able to start sharing with you the work we have been doing, and over the next weeks and months look forward to bringing the game to its potential. For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames (twitter.com/mgtgames) To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2017-04-10 21:08:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC - BETA 1 Announcement

As promised in our PAX wrap up post, I bring news of our up coming BETA release! Two weeks from today, April 10th, we will be pushing up PC/Mac/Linux builds to the Steam beta channel making it available through the BETAS opt in screen. We will provide more instructions the day of release.
Please understand in our efforts to manage the BETA process and make sure we can resolve issues across the three platforms in as efficient manner as possible, this first BETA will have some limited functionality compared to the live Early Access version. So what can you expect from BETA 1? We are focusing on ensuring that the new tech works properly across the three platforms. We want to ensure that the game downloads and installs correctly and that the game launches and plays without crashes.
Since this build is a developmental build, it does include some additional debugging, so we expect the frame rate to be a bit slower than it would be otherwise, but we do recognize that we will still need to do some additional optimizations based on the data we collect. From a gameplay perspective, we are limiting functionality to only a few single player missions. We will not be enabling multi-player for this pass. We also have the first batch of Pilot Training missions to help new players learn about the game and how to control their Mech.
We will also have a new hangar and mech build process for you to play with. Our hope is that the process of building and customizing mechs will be more intuitive and allow us to expand it as we go a long. When the beta is released we hope to have some tutorial videos in place to help understand the new process until we can add ingame help and tutorials.
Again, the primary goal for this BETA is to resolve any platform issues that we run into. Once we get passed any major hurdles, we will roll out additional functionality, such as multi-player. Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to April 10th! For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames (twitter.com/mgtgames) To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2017-03-27 21:33:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC - BETA 1 Announcement

[ 2017-03-27 21:33:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

PAX East 2017 Recap

WOW! What a great time we had showing off DHMC at PAX East in Boston. It was great to meet so many Mech fans out there and even a few of you that either own our current game or have played one of our previous Mech games. At PAX East, we showed off out latest demo that runs on the new game engine and updates we have been working on for the last year and a half. Our main goal was to show off our accomplishments to date with the new build, and garner more feedback on the direction of the game. We also wanted to get a better idea of where we were with the demo build so we could start gearing up for our first BETA release!
Based on feedback and play testing, our next goal is to spend the next 3 to 4 weeks polishing up some items and doing some additional optimizations. This should put us in a good place to launch a build on the BETA channel around the end of this month or first week of April.
We will make another announcement in a couple weeks of what all the BETA will entail, but you can expect it to be a limited play set with a first pass on the new Mech hangar, a single player mission or two, a basic first past tutorial and be available for PC, Mac and Linux. Again we really want to thank everyone who came out to PAX East and tried out the game. We met a lot of awesome Mech fans that gave us some great feedback!
For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames (twitter.com/mgtgames) To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2017-03-15 06:19:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

PAX East 2017 Recap

[ 2017-03-15 06:19:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Status Update - January 2017

Hey Everyone, We know things have been a bit quiet around here as of late, but rest assured that we are working hard on the new version of the game that is a total rebuild from the ground up. These past few weeks we have been working on several aspects on the new version with the goal of bringing it to open Beta by March to coincide with us packing things up and showing the game off at PAX East in Boston the weekend of March 11th 2017. Things we want in place before then that we are working on: - UI overhaul to make things more user friendly and visually updated. At minimum for Beta we want to implement our new design for the Hangar to make things easier to customize mechs. - First time user experience improvements including a new pilot training program (tutorial) - Optimizations! Right now our FPS for the internal version is not where it needs to be for players to host multiplayer games, but we are working on this. - AI improvements, having bots to play with and against are an important part of what we do! AI won't be perfect in the initial Beta release, but we want them to work as well as possible in the time frame. - For Beta we want to have a hand full of single player missions available plus a front line skirmish mode multiplayer mission. If you have not been following us over the past several months then you might not know what we have been up to. We have taken the past year or so and have worked on rebuilding the game form the ground up in an update game engine (The live game uses the old Torque 3D engine...). We have all of the ground work in place to start polishing things off and adding fun game play elements. With the new version you can expect vastly improved visuals including revamped weapon models, new Mech shaders, effects, environments and much more. We also hope to build out a much deeper game play experience as this year goes on. As always, thank you for your support!

[ 2017-01-12 18:18:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Status Update - January 2017

[ 2017-01-12 18:18:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

GDEX 2016 Recap DHMC

The weekend of October 29th we had a great opportunity to partake in the local game development exposition TheGDEX at COSI in Columbus, Ohio. For us, it was an chance to get a lot more people in front of our new version of Dark Horizons : Mechanized Corps (DHMC) for some play testing. Shows like this really gives us a great insight into where we are with the product and how well it plays for players experienced with the geand newcomers a like.
Many of the attendees that we spoke to had remembered playing a lot of the old school Mech games of the past, and were excited to see a new entry in the genre. Even speaking to the younger crowd that have not had a chance to play a Mech game before, the impression that we have come back with is that they are pretty excited about our game and what we were trying to do. Feeling their enthusiasm is refreshing to hear and really gives a sense that, yes there is still a market for mech combat simulators. It should be noted that the version of the game we demod at TheGDEX was an early Alpha build that contains several new features and enhancements and is not the same version that is currently live on Steam Early Access. As many of you know from our past posts, we have been revamping the entire game (art and code) to bring the visual quality up to where we expect todays games to be, and to add in some cool gameplay ideas and features. Our hope with demoing at TheGDEX was to get a feel for where we are with the new version, start laying the groundwork for planning on a BETA release on Steam to let those of you who already own the live game a chance to help us play test and be more involved with the process.

Overall we thought the feedback that we received was phenomenal. The biggest compliments that we received were with the new art and environments that we had available to play (we had 3 new levels in this build for TheGDEX). People also loved many of the features that we already have in the live version that is currently up on Steam right now, such as Mech customization and opportunities for strategic gameplay. Overall though to our team, the biggest and most telling set of feedback that we got was that people had fun playing the game, despite many features not being fully implemented yet.
So where do we go from here? Now that we have a solid pool of feedback, we are back in the office and getting back to work so that we can get a BETA release on Steam in the near future. We have a long list of bugs we compiled during the show and have already fixed the major ones we ran into. The goal for BETA 1 is to ensure that the game is at a similar state from a functionality standpoint as the current live version on Steam. Then we can begin optimizing, fixing issues found in BETA, and begin implementing many new features that we want to put in the game, including implementing a tutorial system to help players that are new to the Mech genre get into the game and succeeding faster. Internally we are aiming to release a BETA version of this new overhaul to the game onto Steam in January 2017! So keep an eye out for some additional information as we get closer to the end of the year. As always our team would like to thank each of you for continuing to support us and being patient while we go through this long process of updating and enhancing DHMC (much of which requires some core system and engine upgrades) . We hope that o you will be proud and excited for the work we have put into it and will understand the amount of work and effort that we have done over the past number of months. It is always a challenge for a small team to put together a game of this magnitude and we couldnt do so without your help. Thanks from the Max Gaming crew! For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames (twitter.com/mgtgames) To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-11-08 21:18:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

GDEX 2016 Recap – DHMC

The weekend of October 29th we had a great opportunity to partake in the local game development exposition TheGDEX at COSI in Columbus, Ohio. For us, it was an chance to get a lot more people in front of our new version of Dark Horizons : Mechanized Corps (DHMC) for some play testing. Shows like this really gives us a great insight into where we are with the product and how well it plays for players experienced with the geand newcomers a like.
Many of the attendees that we spoke to had remembered playing a lot of the old school Mech games of the past, and were excited to see a new entry in the genre. Even speaking to the younger crowd that have not had a chance to play a Mech game before, the impression that we have come back with is that they are pretty excited about our game and what we were trying to do. Feeling their enthusiasm is refreshing to hear and really gives a sense that, yes there is still a market for mech combat simulators. It should be noted that the version of the game we demo’d at TheGDEX was an early Alpha build that contains several new features and enhancements and is not the same version that is currently live on Steam Early Access. As many of you know from our past posts, we have been revamping the entire game (art and code) to bring the visual quality up to where we expect today’s games to be, and to add in some cool gameplay ideas and features. Our hope with demoing at TheGDEX was to get a feel for where we are with the new version, start laying the groundwork for planning on a BETA release on Steam to let those of you who already own the live game a chance to help us play test and be more involved with the process.

Overall we thought the feedback that we received was phenomenal. The biggest compliments that we received were with the new art and environments that we had available to play (we had 3 new levels in this build for TheGDEX). People also loved many of the features that we already have in the live version that is currently up on Steam right now, such as Mech customization and opportunities for strategic gameplay. Overall though to our team, the biggest and most telling set of feedback that we got was that people had fun playing the game, despite many features not being fully implemented yet.
So where do we go from here? Now that we have a solid pool of feedback, we are back in the office and getting back to work so that we can get a BETA release on Steam in the near future. We have a long list of bugs we compiled during the show and have already fixed the major ones we ran into. The goal for BETA 1 is to ensure that the game is at a similar state from a functionality standpoint as the current live version on Steam. Then we can begin optimizing, fixing issues found in BETA, and begin implementing many new features that we want to put in the game, including implementing a tutorial system to help players that are new to the Mech genre get into the game and succeeding faster. Internally we are aiming to release a BETA version of this new overhaul to the game onto Steam in January 2017! So keep an eye out for some additional information as we get closer to the end of the year. As always our team would like to thank each of you for continuing to support us and being patient while we go through this long process of updating and enhancing DHMC (much of which requires some core system and engine upgrades) . We hope that o you will be proud and excited for the work we have put into it and will understand the amount of work and effort that we have done over the past number of months. It is always a challenge for a small team to put together a game of this magnitude and we couldn’t do so without your help. Thanks from the Max Gaming crew! For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames (twitter.com/mgtgames) To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-11-08 21:18:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC DEV UPDATE - Gameplay footage 9/29/16

Over the last couple months we have been showing the Alpha version of the next major release at small shows and festivals to get feedback and some play testing. We also have shared screen shots and various notes from those shows and now we wanted to share with you some in-game video of our latest internal build. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZJLPQGa80I&feature=youtu.be This video shows new environments, gameplay against improved AI for the persistent campaign system and some new visuals. Whats next? At the end of October we will be attending a larger conference in Columbus, Ohio call The GDEX (www.thegdex.com). At the conference we will be making some announcement, including projected date for this new version of the game to hit Steam as a beta. For more news follow us on twitter @mgtgames (https://twitter.com/mgtgames) To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-09-29 19:47:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC DEV UPDATE - Gameplay footage 9/29/16

[ 2016-09-29 19:47:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dev Diary 8/24/16 - Weapons Development

Max gaming has been steadily improving its weapons over time, because we know how much you love customization. A big part of any mech game are the weapons and we want to make it right.
Scott is the one responsible for creating unique and functional weapon designs. In 2007, he downloaded 3DS Max and taught himself how to create models, he started modeling stuff for Max Gaming soon after. While modeling Scott became frustrated with the limits of Photoshop and decided to learn Substance Designer and Painter. "I use Substance Painter and Substance designer exclusively for all the DHMCweapons models. Substance Designer lets me create completely custom PBR materials that I can then import into Substance Painter and with its ondestructive workflow and its ability topaint full materials in real time greatly reduces the time that the texturing process takes. I begin byimporting the model a setting the project size to 4k. Then I will paint in details just in the height channel with the symmetry mode on. Once I have the height information painted on I will export the data with a custom configuration that exports as Normal DirectX (RGB). Ill then bring the exported texture into painter, use it as my normal map, and disable the height map. Next Ill bake the ambient occlusion, curvature, world space normal, position and thickness textures using the normal texture. Ill then begin painting across the color, metal and roughness channels at the same time using full materials I created in Substance Designer and imported into Painter as part of a custom DHMC smart material. Finally, I add in and paint the emissions, increase the level of the ambient occlusion slightly, paint in small details like burns or added wear with a particle brush, and export the textures using the Unity PBR metal configuration at 1k.-Scott"
Scott has always liked weapons, ever since he was a kid, he really cares about the function of the weapons. Scott doesn't want to be influenced by other games, like mech warrior online, and tries not to look at google images for various weapons. He wants to be innovative with his weapon design, trying to create an original look and feel for each one. Types of questions he asks himself as he works on a piece: - Would you face it in battle? - How would it mechanically work? - How would it animate? - What parts does it have? Nuts, bolts, access plates, switches etc. Dark Horizons takes place in a dystopian future, where nuclear war has ravaged the land and greatly disturbed our way of life. This means that Scott is not designing weaponry of an alien species, and instead of designing over-detailed glamorous animations or weaponry with lots of particle effects and moving parts. Dark horizons is more focused on a western vision of what mechs would be like with most of our inspiration coming from modern day real military hardware. Scott's process for designing weaponry: Scott brainstorms and comes up with a concept that he wants to pursue, he begins work and settles on a basic design. Scott will then take it to the rest of the team to get design feedback, he works closely with the artists trying to give the weapons and other art continuity. Scott will discuss the concept and function of the weapon with the lead artist.Scott will use the feedback from his colleagues to refine the design and eventually create a final product. The process may seem simple but it can be quite complex and require many iterations before the everyone is happy with the final product. For example, The lead artist and Scott had to design versions of the port turret, requiring a great deal of interaction before they came to a decision on the look and animation.

"As far back as I can remember I have always being obsessed with weapons. How the function and what their role on the battle field is. As I got older my passion for weapons turned to the future of weapons and mechs and lets face it, thats the way the we are heading. Being in and around military families and playing games like MW2 and Chrome Hounds just to name a few fueled the fire. Add in my experience of drafting, mechanical design, and being a former architectural model maker and it is a perfect fit for DHMC. Being on the DHMC design team lets me fulfill a passion of creating futuristic weapons as well as using them to wreak havoc on the battlefield." Check out some more of the side-by-side comparisons!
To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-08-24 16:27:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dev Diary 8/24/16 - Weapons Development

Max gaming has been steadily improving its weapons over time, because we know how much you love customization. A big part of any mech game are the weapons and we want to make it right.
Scott is the one responsible for creating unique and functional weapon designs. In 2007, he downloaded 3DS Max and taught himself how to create models, he started modeling stuff for Max Gaming soon after. While modeling Scott became frustrated with the limits of Photoshop and decided to learn Substance Designer and Painter. "I use Substance Painter and Substance designer exclusively for all the DHMC weapons models. Substance Designer lets me create completely custom PBR materials that I can then import into Substance Painter and with its ondestructive workflow and its ability topaint full materials in real time greatly reduces the time that the texturing process takes. I begin by importing the model a setting the project size to 4k. Then I will paint in details just in the height channel with the symmetry mode on. Once I have the height information painted on I will export the data with a custom configuration that exports as Normal DirectX (RGB). I’ll then bring the exported texture into painter, use it as my normal map, and disable the height map. Next I’ll bake the ambient occlusion, curvature, world space normal, position and thickness textures using the normal texture. I’ll then begin painting across the color, metal and roughness channels at the same time using full materials I created in Substance Designer and imported into Painter as part of a custom DHMC smart material. Finally, I add in and paint the emissions, increase the level of the ambient occlusion slightly, paint in small details like burns or added wear with a particle brush, and export the textures using the Unity PBR metal configuration at 1k.-Scott"
Scott has always liked weapons, ever since he was a kid, he really cares about the function of the weapons. Scott doesn't want to be influenced by other games, like mech warrior online, and tries not to look at google images for various weapons. He wants to be innovative with his weapon design, trying to create an original look and feel for each one. Types of questions he asks himself as he works on a piece: - Would you face it in battle? - How would it mechanically work? - How would it animate? - What parts does it have? Nuts, bolts, access plates, switches etc. Dark Horizons takes place in a dystopian future, where nuclear war has ravaged the land and greatly disturbed our way of life. This means that Scott is not designing weaponry of an alien species, and instead of designing over-detailed glamorous animations or weaponry with lots of particle effects and moving parts. Dark horizons is more focused on a western vision of what mechs would be like with most of our inspiration coming from modern day real military hardware. Scott's process for designing weaponry: Scott brainstorms and comes up with a concept that he wants to pursue, he begins work and settles on a basic design. Scott will then take it to the rest of the team to get design feedback, he works closely with the artists trying to give the weapons and other art continuity. Scott will discuss the concept and function of the weapon with the lead artist. Scott will use the feedback from his colleagues to refine the design and eventually create a final product. The process may seem simple but it can be quite complex and require many iterations before the everyone is happy with the final product. For example, The lead artist and Scott had to design versions of the port turret, requiring a great deal of interaction before they came to a decision on the look and animation.

"As far back as I can remember I have always being obsessed with weapons. How the function and what their role on the battle field is. As I got older my passion for weapons turned to the future of weapons and mechs and let’s face it, that’s the way the we are heading. Being in and around military families and playing games like MW2 and Chrome Hounds just to name a few fueled the fire. Add in my experience of drafting, mechanical design, and being a former architectural model maker and it is a perfect fit for DHMC. Being on the DHMC design team lets me fulfill a passion of creating futuristic weapons as well as using them to wreak havoc on the battlefield." Check out some more of the side-by-side comparisons!
To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-08-24 16:27:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC @ GDX Edmonton

This year we have had the opportunity to show DHMC off at local game development conferences (such as COSI Game Masters Series, and GDX Edmonton), as well as trade shows and games events such as K Days and ReplayFX. The benefit of demoing DHMC at these events are immense. Not only does it allow us to show DHMC to new sets of eyes who might not be aware of it (after all Indie teams such as ourselves do not have much in the way of marketing budgets to promote our games), but we are also able to show off "in development" content that we haven't put live, and most importantly we can gather feedback first hand as we witness and interact with totally new players trying it out the game for the first time.
While we totally appreciate all of the great feedback that our community does for us here on Steam, there is something uniquely special about being able to watch people play a game that you have made and see the immense smile on their faces from the enjoyment that they get from playing DHMC. Some of the best examples of this that we witness are when parents and their children sit down and play DHMC together at these shows and get to experience the game together (sometimes at the same screen if the child is very young, but often they would play at different stations at a networked setup we have had at these shows).
Obviously having hundreds of people a day check out DHMC and potentially creating new fans is a huge boon for us, however what is most valuable towards the future development of DHMC comes through our observations and interactions with these players (either online through forums like Steam, or in person at these shows). This, combined with analytics data, allows us to get a clearer idea of where our "pain points" are and what we need to do more of to craft DHMC to be a better experience right out of the box.
Some of you might be curious what type of information a casual player shares with us. Here are some snippets of the data that we collected from the last event we were at.
As you can guess people really want customization in DHMC with the majority wanting at bare minimum what we have now in the game, and many asking for even more levels of customization beyond that. This is something that we have talked about at internal meetings, but we feel is certainly worth more discussion from the community as a whole.
We were a bit surprised by this level of feedback, as we would have expected players to want more unique controllers. But it looks to be that keyboard and mouse are still the dominant input controls that people want.
Not a lot of hatred here for the 3^rd person controls, although interestingly enough we didnt get any feedback on whether the cameras were too close to the mechs (something that we have sometimes internally discussed at our meetings).
In this question sample, we were somewhat surprised to find out that people at these shows didnt even bother to look to see if there was a 1^st person camera option, but that is likely the difference between a casual player who just picked up the game, and a hard core stompy bot mech fan. So what does this all mean? Well it means these live events are important for us to attend (obviously) but it also tells us that we have been going the right direction with DHMC, and that we also have to go further in that direction to deliver more of the experience that players want to see in DHMC. If you have an opportunity to see DHMC at an event near you (or really any other independently created game), please stop by and let us know what you think. If you don't get the chance to see us live that is okay too. What is important to us is that we interact with players and learn your thoughts and feelings (both positive and negative) about the game so that we can craft better experiences. We are also appreciative of your input and thank you for being fans of DHMC. Stay tuned for more upcoming insight into the next release. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc Logan Lfoz Art director Max Gaming Studios

[ 2016-08-05 19:39:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC @ GDX Edmonton

This year we have had the opportunity to show DHMC off at local game development conferences (such as COSI – Game Masters Series, and GDX Edmonton), as well as trade shows and games events such as K Days and ReplayFX. The benefit of demoing DHMC at these events are immense. Not only does it allow us to show DHMC to new sets of eyes who might not be aware of it (after all Indie teams such as ourselves do not have much in the way of marketing budgets to promote our games), but we are also able to show off "in development" content that we haven't put live, and most importantly we can gather feedback first hand as we witness and interact with totally new players trying it out the game for the first time.
While we totally appreciate all of the great feedback that our community does for us here on Steam, there is something uniquely special about being able to watch people play a game that you have made and see the immense smile on their faces from the enjoyment that they get from playing DHMC. Some of the best examples of this that we witness are when parents and their children sit down and play DHMC together at these shows and get to experience the game together (sometimes at the same screen if the child is very young, but often they would play at different stations at a networked setup we have had at these shows).
Obviously having hundreds of people a day check out DHMC and potentially creating new fans is a huge boon for us, however what is most valuable towards the future development of DHMC comes through our observations and interactions with these players (either online through forums like Steam, or in person at these shows). This, combined with analytics data, allows us to get a clearer idea of where our "pain points" are and what we need to do more of to craft DHMC to be a better experience right out of the box.
Some of you might be curious what type of information a casual player shares with us. Here are some snippets of the data that we collected from the last event we were at.
As you can guess people really want customization in DHMC with the majority wanting at bare minimum what we have now in the game, and many asking for even more levels of customization beyond that. This is something that we have talked about at internal meetings, but we feel is certainly worth more discussion from the community as a whole.
We were a bit surprised by this level of feedback, as we would have expected players to want more unique controllers. But it looks to be that keyboard and mouse are still the dominant input controls that people want.
Not a lot of hatred here for the 3^rd person controls, although interestingly enough we didn’t get any feedback on whether the cameras were too close to the mechs (something that we have sometimes internally discussed at our meetings).
In this question sample, we were somewhat surprised to find out that people at these shows didn’t even bother to look to see if there was a 1^st person camera option, but that is likely the difference between a “casual” player who just picked up the game, and a hard core stompy bot mech fan. So what does this all mean? Well it means these live events are important for us to attend (obviously) but it also tells us that we have been going the right direction with DHMC, and that we also have to go further in that direction to deliver more of the experience that players want to see in DHMC. If you have an opportunity to see DHMC at an event near you (or really any other independently created game), please stop by and let us know what you think. If you don't get the chance to see us live that is okay too. What is important to us is that we interact with players and learn your thoughts and feelings (both positive and negative) about the game so that we can craft better experiences. We are also appreciative of your input and thank you for being fans of DHMC. Stay tuned for more upcoming insight into the next release…. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc Logan “Lfoz” Art director Max Gaming Studios

[ 2016-08-05 19:39:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC @ Game Masters (Columbus, Oh)

On June 18 Max Gaming came to COSI (center of science and Industry) to show off Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps! COSI is having a exhibition called Game Masters that shows games throughout the years including bios of famous game developers including concept art and game design documents. If you're in central Ohio go check it out! COSI was looking for local game developers to join the exhibition and to get some hands on feedback on the unreleased version of DHMC, we happily agreed.
On site where Jillian (Community manager) and Steve (Designer and programmer), and before they could finish setting up- there was a crowd of people gathering excited to see the game especially after seeing it was a Mech game. Once everything was open it was a consistent stream of people sitting down to try out the latest build. This was a very exciting day for us, as it was the first time anyone outside of the development team that had played and reacted to the game in its new engine. The players mostly consisted of parents with their children. Lots of the dads nostalgic and commenting on how they havn't played a mech game for a decade. Even though the build is still in alpha, everyone who played it had a great time fighting against our new AI opponents.
There was a lot of people who signed up for a chance to win copies of the game and are ready to jump into action again. Overall it was a fun show and we're glad to get new fans and to people loving the game as much as us. Stay tuned for more upcoming insight into the next release. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-06-24 19:33:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC @ Game Masters (Columbus, Oh)

On June 18 Max Gaming came to COSI (center of science and Industry) to show off Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps! COSI is having a exhibition called Game Masters that shows games throughout the years including bios of famous game developers including concept art and game design documents. If you're in central Ohio go check it out! COSI was looking for local game developers to join the exhibition and to get some hands on feedback on the unreleased version of DHMC, we happily agreed.
On site where Jillian (Community manager) and Steve (Designer and programmer), and before they could finish setting up- there was a crowd of people gathering excited to see the game especially after seeing it was a Mech game. Once everything was open it was a consistent stream of people sitting down to try out the latest build. This was a very exciting day for us, as it was the first time anyone outside of the development team that had played and reacted to the game in its new engine. The players mostly consisted of parents with their children. Lots of the dads nostalgic and commenting on how they havn't played a mech game for a decade. Even though the build is still in alpha, everyone who played it had a great time fighting against our new AI opponents.
There was a lot of people who signed up for a chance to win copies of the game and are ready to jump into action again. Overall it was a fun show and we're glad to get new fans and to people loving the game as much as us. Stay tuned for more upcoming insight into the next release…. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-06-24 19:33:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

DEV Diary 5/23/16 - AI Update

The original AI in DHMC was structured in a way that made things difficult to make it smarter and harder to predict. We decided a full rewrite of the AI was in order to address these issues.
We have chosen to use a couple of approaches to fix these issues. The first issue causing difficulty in the live implementation is the overall structure of the coding, which was very difficult and time consuming to implement new features. This has been replaced by something called a behavior tree. Behavior trees allow you to break up the AI into tasks, for instance a task to go from where the AI is standing to a position on the map somewhere. Then from there you can build a tree structure based on logic nodes and these tasks to create the AI. Not only does this allow for easy addition of new tasks the AI can perform, but it also simplifies making multiple types of AI (patrol, sentry, etc.) The other benefit this provides is we can create simplified trees that do certain things to test the parts before testing the whole tree. The other issue of predictability we are working on is to create a maneuver system. You could think of this like plays in football. Basically the AI chooses a strategy when engaging in combat like a circle maneuver where it circles the target while firing at them. By creating a lot of these maneuvers for the AI to choose from, it can make the AI less predictable vs the current AI in live which always uses the same tactics. These things form the basis for a simple AI like we had before, but gives the ability to add on more complex things like squad based AI. We will have more footage and information in a later update on the AI system, but I will leave you with a screenshot of the AI firing at other AI. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-05-23 17:49:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

DEV Diary 5/2/16

Hot off the presses of our last update, the team wanted to share some info and screenshots of the new mech appearance and customization. We have been working to revamp the look of the mechs with a new material setup and some texture tweaks. Bare metal and damaged paint should now look much more convincing, and the mechs as a whole have a more battle-worn feel to them.
Additionally, customization is now back in full swing, with the ability to change primary and secondary color (including alpha), as well as camo once more. The way camo is handled has also been changed to better bring out the true color of the mechs. Our next step will be to reimplement grunge using some new shader techniques, and tweaking the decals so they better blend in with the underlying armor of the mechs. As promised here are a few shots of the new changes in the hanger:

To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-05-03 06:02:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

DEV Diary 4/10/16

The next Dev Video Diary is still coming but we wanted to do a normal dev diary for a status update today. We are in the process of finishing up a first build for the new patch to release in the beta channel for testing and feedback. We are working on a rewrite of the AI in the game, polishing up the first 3 levels available, polishing up the UI, polishing up the weapons/equipment, and ironing out any major bugs. This first release will allow you the players to try out the new patch in a pre-release state as well as provide feedback to us. It also helps us find major bugs we missed out on our systems as well as better testing on linux and mac clients. We took the game to GDC 2016 and it was received well by those who saw the new patch content. We are excited to release it to you guys as well as soon as we can. We however do not have a release date for it yet, but will update with more information once we get closer to release. That is it for the update today, if you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments section. We will end this post with some updated screenshots of the game in Ubuntu Linux.

To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-04-10 17:16:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

DEV Video Diary 3/11/16

The staff thought we would start doing something a bit different with our update posts going forward in 2016. This first DEV video diary is a bit longer than we will be shooting for in the future, but since we have been heads down since the end of the year there was alot to catch you up on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjkcSjb7EdY NEXT TIME...... Review of new weapons FX and some more detail around how single play and multi-player campaigns will co-exist in the Faction Wars system. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2016-03-12 07:56:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC Dev Diary 12/22/2015

First and foremost the team wants to wish everyone a happy holidays and thank you again for your continued support. That said we have a few updates we would like to share with you on the state of development. Winter Sale! DHMC is on sale during the Steam Winter Sale. Upcoming update - We will be posting an update sometime this week to the current live version of DHMC. This update will be solely focused on adding some more single player scenarios to the current game as well as a slight update to the 1st missions. The update to the 1st mission adds an additional success criteria to the mission. After destroying the Radar array the player will also need to travel to an extraction point in order to successfully complete the mission. The team will post more detailed update information the day it is released. Road to next major update - The team is continuing its major update/upgrade of the game and is making great progress. The hope is to share this progress with you in a playable version in the first of of 2016 when we will be moving from an alpha state into a beta state of the game. Among the changes we have talked about in previous posts to movement, animation and physics of the mech we are also working on upping our visuals in all facets of the game. Below are a few pictures on new things to come in the first part of next year. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

UPDATED animated mech hanger
NEW - Ambient battles action (Above is a battleship battle)
NEW - updated urban gameplay environments. Improved visual, improved navigation.

[ 2015-12-22 19:22:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC Dev Diary 11/1/15

The month of October has been another great month for development of the game. As our designers are making progress on new mission environments, the programming staff has been working on some retooling and cross platform testing. The team is working to make sure the next major release will include support for not only windows but also Linux and Mac platforms via steam, hopefully with support for a wider range of hardware. No release date yet for the next major update. As a quick sneak peak we thought we would share a few pics. (NOTE: These pictures were taken in and unfinished environment)

As you can see the Windows and Linux clients have similar graphics quality
The Mac client is running on a lower Intel graphics card, and though there are some noticeable differences the game is still playable on the card. Stay tuned next week for some more of the new visuals from the game, plus info on an upcoming minor patch to the current client with some new missions. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2015-11-02 08:28:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC Dev Diary 9/28/15

The staff wanted to share more of what we have been working on over the last month. The team is focused on making some major improvements to the game including SP/MP campaign re-envision, networking improvements, IK/animation updates, new AI, and overall improvements visual quality. Last Dev Diary we showed some of the work adding IK to the mechs and animations, so this update we wanted to make it short and just share some screenshots of new environments we are working on.

The design team is very excited about the way the new environments are turning out, and are working on several new missions for release later this year. We will work on giving development updates more often and we appreciate all the continued support for DHMC. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2015-09-28 21:35:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC Dev Diary 8/28/15

Been a very busy month behind the scenes for the team as we work on more Contract missions, internal redesign of how SP and MP will converge to fuel the Faction Wars campaign and some major updates to the games graphics and animations. We are not ready yet to share the vision that the players have help shape for SP and MP, but we are at a point with some of the new updates to the game graphics, animations and physics. No more floating mechs! One legacy issue, we pulled in from Aftermath, was that it was built on a platform made for FPS and lacked the ability to do cool things like IK (Inverse kinematics). We are now in process of implementing IK which is being combined with our animations. This is a big change that will really affect the way the chassis moves and reacts to the environment, including giving them a much more sense of weight. Example 1 (Viper standing on uneven ground)

Above is old vs new IK on mech Example 2 (Abolisher)
As you can see the feet and legs of the mech chassis now conforms to the ground instead of floating above the ground. This may seem like a simple thing, but in our next Dev Dairy we will share some video and these changes will become very apparent in how the mechs move. Higher Fidelity environments Another part of what we are working on are higher fidelity environments. This includes more detail to the terrain and the objects in the levels, along with larger environments more similar in size to the Arctic Battlefield. Speaking of that battlefield, here is a shot with the new terrain which really bring to life the feel of being in more of a glacier type environment.
Other larger environments are in the works
Coming next The above changes are still a bit away from being released, and in the next Dev Diary we will share all the some more of the behind the scenes happenings. Coming in the near term we are focusing on providing more SP contract missions and improvements to current MP missions. Next Dev Diary will coming in about a week! Look at for shots of the work we are doing behind the scenes, and we will also share with you the player inspired re-envisioning of Faction Wars! To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2015-08-29 18:57:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC Downtime this coming Sunday 8/9/15 - and patch.

We are in process of moving to a new backend server setup this week, and this Sunday we will have a short period of downtime while we switch to the new environment. With this we will be pushing a patch for the game that will need to be downloaded, this patch will include same fixes and new features for the game. It will also include some more weapons balancing from the last build and some other goodies people have been waiting on. For questions please go to the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/0/541907867764472758/

[ 2015-08-04 21:22:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

New Tutorials by DHMCs Community Manager

As several of you know DeMyztikX has joined the team our not only our community manager but really as community evangelist to make sure we hear what you all are saying. Please when you see him online, feel free to ask him questions or even challenge him to a pick up game! With all that, he put together some great started tutorials for new players recently so we wanted to make sure to share. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=468565749 http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=469170058 http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=470005886 To request new tutorials please visit the forums at: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/0/530645446309072126/ To stay up to date with the latest updates, please join the official game group here on steam at: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2015-07-25 19:37:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

DHMC - State of Live Development 6/26/15

Where we've been We launched in July of last year, and started development on the Steam project a bit over a year ago once we received Greenlight support. The game was based off a project that we had started developing on and off in 2010, but since we launched on Steam, players have been seeing a game being build pretty much from the ground up. Doing Live development was not new to us, but this was the first time we started it so early in the process and we have to say that it has been very rewarding for the team. Though we have had a couple moments where we have been slow to get new updates, the response we have gotten both positive and constructive criticism is exactly what we were hoping. The Present We have the core game elements now functional for our Faction Wars system, including base mission mechanics, economy system, mech customization system, persistent balance of power map, squad management systems and our core mech functionality, and basic AI functionality. The game has come a long way, but we know that some of the systems are still rough (i.e. Mech movement, AI functionality for SP and online support, and visual fidelity). So for our next part of the journey and to live up to expectations set by ourselves and all those whom have and continue to support us we are taking steps to improve in these areas. The Road map Though we are not putting dates on the roadmap at this time, we can tell you we are already working on several of these items. As we get close to implementation we will be sharing details. - Updated AI systems and Single Player -- The current AI system is receiving updates in the next couple patches to make SP and MP games involving AI bots a more competitive experience. -- We will be updating to a new AI system that allows us to bring to the game a more compelling SP experience, along with bolster AI support of Faction Wars missions. - Engine updates -- Updates to visual Fidelity to bring in line with modern game engines -- Physics and animation system updates -- Updates to hit detection - New Gameplay modes for MP and SP missions - New customization's -- New equipment pieces (repair bots, ammo stations, radar jammers, etc...) -- New ammo system allowing you to purchase ammo per weapon -- New torso and legs combos - Cross platform support. We will still be pushing a Linux branch client out that does not support the Steam overlay. As we work toward updating our visual fidelity and adding more AAA features we will be working also toward a fully functional Linux and then Mac Client. The Team Many do not know that Max Gaming is a fully functional game studio whom has been part of development of well over 50 titles across mobile and PC games over the last decade. We are mainly funding development of DHMC ourselves with help from EarlyAccess. With the focus now shifting to bringing more Polish to all aspects of the game we have been able to add more resources. Outside of adding a couple more programmers and a art resource, we have also asked one of our long time community members to join as to help with the community. We would like to welcome DeMyztikX to the team, whom will be helping us get the word out, be the point person on setting up community events and available to answer question on the forums. You should still expect updates to the game every 2-4 weeks, and we will be ramping up our community and public relations output over the next couple months. To join the conversation hit the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions To keep up to date join the official game group: http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc

[ 2015-06-26 20:51:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch 0.0.8.1 is now Live!

We have started work on AI improvements in this patch and will be working on further AI improvements over the next couple patches. For this build we worked on making the AI bots a bit more competitive, included in the patch are the following. Patch 0.0.8.1 Notes: -All new AI Configurations -Improved aiming for AI -AI will now only fire at a target when it has a shot -AI will now lose target if they lose LOS -AI now will switch weapon groups correctly and make use of all of their weapons -AI will now try a suicide run if they run out of ammo and there is no repair bay -AI will now try to navigate around players and other AI to avoid getting stuck on someone -AI will now only go to capture pad if no one is on it -Other misc tweaks to AI combat behavior -Tweaks to Canyon Assault to improve AI on that map -Pacific Station map redesigned -Bug Fix: fixed an issue where you could lose credits when building/editing a mech. -Bug Fix: Abolisher second top mount can now use seeker missile/rockets correctly. -Bug Fix: Fixed a bug where launching with an illegal config in SP would cause issues. -Changes to powerplant energy settings -Changes to jumpjet settings If you have comments or suggestions please feel free to post in the following discussion: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/0/598198173701741165/ To get info on organized community fights join the official game group. http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc More info on the State of Development on the games roadmap will be posted soon, we look forward to sharing with you whats coming.

[ 2015-06-11 14:07:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Faction Wars Test is LIVE!

Alpha Patch 0.0.8.0 is now on live! The first iteration of Faction Wars is now available to play on live. We will be holding a few events over the next two weeks, and publishing patches to resolve any issues as needed. Join us for the first event tonight as the FS and EC battle for MARS! at 7pm EST/4pm PST. Demy will be presenting the game via Twitch - http://www.twitch.tv/demyztikx http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc/events/191746403284300696 Checkout the live map here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=447877579 Patch 0.0.8.0 Notes:

Faction Wars is now Live!
While you may still use the server list to access games still, the new and preferred way is the faction wars map, just click on an activate sector to see live games running and join an active battle.
Earn credits in battle and purchase new mechs, weapons, and equipment with credits.
Sell your old mechs for credits or place items in your inventory for later builds.
Access inventory from the inventory button on the hangar screen to view and/or sell items in your inventory for credits.
Each player starts with 5 million credits in their account.
Every 24 hours you login to the game you earn a daily bonus of 50,000 credits
New Mars map Canyon Assault
More weapon balancing
AI tweaks to make them use torso twist and avoid side stepping
Ghost Town has been updated for a larger play area.
Redesigned lobby UI
Redesigned end of game UI with additional info on your player stats. Screen now stays up twice as long too and has the option of exiting the server early.
You now get a scrap Credits bonus for total kills.
You now get XP and Credits based on how much damage you deal out in game.
Default new mech color is now white and grey
New Spectator system on no respawns that follows the mechs still in play and lets you switch between them.
You now get XP and Credit percentage bonus based on which faction you fight for. The current bonuses can be viewed in the factions tab.
If you belong to a faction you now spawn on that factions team initially. If you are a merc then it auto chooses like before.
Team spawns are now dynamic in faction wars. If EC owns a sector, then EC will spawn as the defender not the attacker and vice versa.
New server rotations for FW
Attrition Game Type now has a 16 ticket option for faster games.
Bug Fix: Stability fixes
Bug Fix: Fixed issue where steam cloud could get corrupted and cause the game to not load
Bug Fix: in SP you can now spawn up to 15 AI.
Bug Fix: Fixed bug where Nuclear Fusion Cannon beam is now destroyed if the weapon is destroyed while firing.

[ 2015-05-23 19:50:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

DEV DIARY - Faction Wars PT. 2

This last week and for the next few days we are putting the finishing touches on the next release of Faction Wars functionality for DHMC. This release will put into place the persistent online war between the two online factions. At the heart of the system is the balance of power map that shows the current state of the war. Balance of Power Map Derived from DHMC’s predecessor Lore: Invasion the balance of power map allows players to see what the current state of the war is in the universe in real time. As sector battles take place the sectors will gain a battle icon and allow you to join the battles that are in progress. As shown in the following image, players will also be able to see at a glance what the current status is of the sector, how close the attacker is to taking over the sector, and how close the defender is to defending the sector. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=436926286 http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=436926515 Once either the defender or attacker reaches 100% on the sector it is successfully defended or taken over. If taken over the sector will change ownership and the attacker will now spawn as the defender in future conflicts. In the future, contract raid missions will also show up in the missions select but for now only attrition and team death match style missions will be part of Faction Wars. Faction Bonuses As a reward for owning sectors, each faction player will receive a XP and credit bonuses based on which sectors they own. The bonus information will be displayed on the sector information and a player's total bonuses will be displayed in the player profile.. For mercenaries, they will get the bonus based on the missions they fight for each side in the current iteration. In future interactions mercenary units will earn bonuses based solely on their reputation with each faction. The plus for a unit is that their bonus will persist and not just be based on the mission at hand. Mercenary reputation will be based on how successful the mercenary unit has been in its missions for each faction. New in-game Lobby To help make the in-game lobby more information, we have been working on a redesign of the lobby as seen below. This lobby may not be available until 0.0.8.1 but we will attempt to have it in for the 0.0.8.0 build.
In the future, Faction Wars battles will limit players to only 5 mech configs they can take into battle, so we will update the lobby to support this selection in the future. AI Updates AI will be continually worked on to help enhance both single-player and multi-player gameplay over the next several releases. In the upcoming 0.0.8.0 Alpha release the AI will sport new configurations to help increase their effectiveness in battle. We are also working on trying to fix some of the AIs movement issues that we hope to have in 0.0.8.0 or 0.0.8.1, Next level of AI improvements will be around working with its player controlled teammates more effectively. We will be updating some of the functionality of the laser targeting system to also give commands to AI from the player to attack specific targets. Other Updates Linux client - We are still trying to troubleshoot with Steam an issue with the steam overlay. In interim, right after the 0.0.8.0 release we are going to look to release the current Linux client in the beta channel. To NOTE, this beta channel release will not support the Steam overlay or SteamOS until we can rectify the issue with Steam. New Missions - Faction Wars 0.0.8.0 update will ship with 2-3 news missions, with an additional sector mission available about 2-3 weeks after the launch of Faction Wars. To ask questions on this DEV Diary please post on the following discussions: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/0/620712364038235875 To be kept up to date on scheduled events we encourage you to join the OFFICIAL GROUP at http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc .

[ 2015-05-03 20:51:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

APRIL DEV DIARY Part 1

March was a great month for Dark Horizons Mechanized Corps, not only did we add a lot of great players but we began to finalize and implement one of our persistent online multiplayer features of the game which we are calling “Faction Wars”. We were also able to make some progress toward cross platform play. Because Faction Wars is such a huge addition to the game we are going to post a 2 part DEV DIARY for April leading up to the 0.0.8.0 release which will have the next big phase of Faction Wars. For part 1, we are going to discuss some of the systems we are adding that will tie both Faction Wars and single player aspects of the game, this focuses around earning and spending Credits as part of the game experience. Credits and how you earn them. Credits are a currency that you can only earn by playing the game, you cannot buy them with real money, via the persistent multiplayer portion of the game (Faction Wars), online play, or through playing offline (single player) missions. Players will earn credits based on both their performance and their team’s performance in-game. This includes factors such as number of kills or assists the player gets, whether the player’s team was successful, credits for salvage for the winning team (a credit bounty for each enemy mech destroyed by your team) and amount of damage inflicted. (Mockup of new results screen below).
(note: this is purely a mockup, though its close to the final in-game layout) Will there be other ways to earn credits? The answer to this is yes there will be a couple other ways. All players will begin with enough credits to build out a couple of custom mech configurations which will help them get started. Players will also earn credits each day that they log into game (as a stipend from the merc guild or your selected faction that you fight for in Faction Wars). There were also be other additional method for earning credits in future releases (beyond release 0.1.0.0) which include, but are not limited to:

Player market (the ability to sell parts and builds)
More complex salvage system

Spending Credits As we previously mentioned one of the uses for the player to use Credits on will be building mechs! Currently in-game you can build as many chassis as possible with no limits. As a planned feature, with the implementation of Faction Wars, players will now earn credits and then spend those building out their mechs. The following item categories will cost credits:

mech chassis
weapons
equipment (targeting laser, ammo deployer, jumpjet, etc…)
engines
extra armor
additional ammo (future feature)

So essentially every component used in building your mech out. Future updates:

Squad upgrades
Custom mech builds
Additional mech slots
and more...

Can you try out a config before purchasing? This feature will come in a future release, but until then we will allow players to sell back the build at full price for an unspecified time period while we pull in analytic data to ensure that your credits earned is balanced with your credits spend. With that said you also can sell just the base chassis of a build and strip the weapons and put them into your inventory (for use later on a future mech config that the player will want to create). A mockup of this functionality is as follows: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=431133920 http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=431133566 Once an items is in the player’s inventory it can be used in future builds without any additional costs, or the player can choose to sell the item on their own. In Closing So that is the credits and inventory systems at a high level. Please feel free to post questions or make suggestions in the forums . http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/0/618460171315113977/ Tune in next week, we will be posting details on the rest of the upcoming 0.0.8.0 patch including:

Faction Wars, Balance of Power map
Faction bonuses for territory control (XP and Credits bonuses)
New in-game lobby layout
New AI and default config layouts
Status on some other items
New battlefields
Linux update
New team member introductions

Upcoming events May Faction War Fridays! We will be hosting Friday events again focused on the start of the 2nd Machine Wars. We will also be looking to host more events on Sundays also. To be kept up to date on scheduled events we encourage you to join the OFFICIAL GROUP at http://steamcommunity.com/games/dhmc .

[ 2015-04-24 23:56:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

DEV DIARY Patch 0.0.7.4

The team continues to make progress on updates to the game, and we will be pushing patches more frequently now that the engine update is completed. Updated gameplay video and screenshots We wanted to thank everyone who helped us grab some new gameplay footage and screenshots for the store page on steam. Here is a link to the new Alpha gameplay footage. https://youtu.be/LRQFd8KqJak We will be making some new videos over the next couple weeks to go thru some tutorials on building out you chassis, setting up squads, and of course Faction Wars functionality as it arrives. Latest patch notes for build 0.0.7.4 released 3/15/15 : Redesigned UI

Games now opens up into Hanger
Play now button will let you access SP and MP games
NOTE: The FW Map is not in this current build, will return shortly as its being redesigned.

Weapons rebalance

Removed energy as a weapon restriction
Added extra info to the weapon/equipment popups in the hangar
Beam lasers changed to burst fire weapons like the Nuclear Fusion Cannon

Hanger Updates:

Illegal parts are now removed automatically when switching chassis on a new build and when editing an old illegal configuration.
Added addtional info to Weapons/Equipment tooltips

Misc BUG Fixes

BUG FIX: Music slider in options now saves correctly
BUG FIX: Deployable turret now shoots one laser bolt instead of two.
BUG FIX: Fixed bug where it would go completely dark in the hangar when you alt tab in fullscreen.
BUG FIX: Chat no longer clears when opening the hangar.
AI now waits until countdown is completed to start spawning and they now spawn in 5 second intervals instead of 10.
AI now switches configs on respawn.
AI will now rebalance teams on respawning.

Key Features from patch 0.0.7.3

Faction Wars - You are now able to join a faction, including joining a squad to a faction.
Squads can now promote and remove members from their squad.

Whats up Next?

SteamOS/Linux we are still working to resolve some issues with the Steam overlay. Please keep a tab on forums for more info.
AI updates. Working toward better AI of SP modes and Online modes.
Faction Wars. Along with AI updates we are continuing to work toward fully functional online campaign system.
New missions and mission types.
BUG Fixes

[ 2015-03-16 15:53:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch 0.0.7.3 Live

We have released an update to the DHMC, though you can expect another one in the next week or so this patch fixes some bugs in the previous patch, along with adds some more Faction Wars functionality (FW). Here is the detail: NEW FEATURES: -Faction Wars Update 1 Phase Features: Squads can now promote and remove members from their squad. -Faction Wars Update 2 Phase Features: You can now change your faction from Overload Mercenaries Guild to Eastern Confederation or Federated States. If you create a squad it will make the squad's faction the faction you were using at time of creation. Once you are in a squad you have to be the squad's faction. When you join a squad it will automatically switch your faction to the squad's faction. The Squad owner can change the faction which will change everyone in the squads faction to the new squad faction. Currently the factions do not affect gameplay but this will be in the next patch. -Factions Tab now shows info on all 3 factions currently in the game. UPDATES and BUG FIXES -Flak cannon has be updated to be top mount only, reduced direct/splash damage and updated battle points cost. -Nuclear Fusion Cannon has splash damage removed and battle points cost updated. -Larb and Sniper Rifle also have had their Battle Points cost updated. -Fixed a bug that was causing some shadows to disappear at angles. -Fixed bug causing Squad Stats to not display. NOTE: more weapons balancing will occur in the next couple patchs as we tweak the new weapons and add in new equipment. Discuss the patch here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/266470/discussions/0/617329150710430853/ Coming Soon - Faction Wars Update 3 - squad listings, battle bonuses, sector ownership - New Equipment - Ammo deployer, Nano repair station, Radar jammer - New battlefield - Weapons Matrix (all the stats!)

[ 2015-03-03 18:27:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dark Horizons: Mechanized Corps
Max Gaming Technologies, LLC

Developer

Max Gaming Technologies, LLC

Publisher

2014-07-22

Release

Action Indie Simulation Singleplayer Multiplayer EA