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DevDiaries #57: DevFeeback
We recently wrote a diary about concealment. Almost always new mechanics change the gameplay and in order to maintain balance you have to revise and adjust some existing ones. Once we gave the camouflage ability to tanks and artillery, the life of infantry, which was never a pleasant one, became even more difficult. In order to compensate unnecessary pain, we proportionally increased the working range of viewports for each infantry type. In order to maintain the normal rate of AT-grenades and bazooka shells in the air - we reduced the circular viewports range of the most of SPG-s and tanks, and the driver's viewport width was cut from 90 to 60 degrees. The life of an infantryman did not become a beach resort, but the chances of their survival increased. Tanks firing from invisibility were still a serious problem, so we increased their concealment time so they take twice as much time to become green compared with cannons. The distortions began to level off, but in order to stabilize the situation it was necessary to revise the noise mechanics. Sometimes there were situations when several conditions stacked together (long range from the front line, small enemy presence, concealment, etc.), and the gun could fire without complacency and remain invisible to the enemy. Constant invisibility isn’t good, you know? Concealed units have become a moderately dangerous targets now, as it was intended.
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Fought with bugs, among which were, as always, funny, strange and even touching ones. For example, a number of problems with the behavior of infantry existed in trenches. Sometimes the infantryman, being in the trench, became possessed, stood like a salt pillar after taking a grenade in his hands, firing only with single shots from the machine gun (just to annoy the player, we suppose) and simply refused to dig further, apparently having decided that his mother had brought him to this world for something more than gymnastics with a shovel. At the same time over the heads of the immovable infantry in the trench, airplanes were colliding in the sky due to problems with navigation and uncoordinated routes. But the first place in the past couple of months’ bug ranking goes undoubtedly to a bug with a chicken-silencer. It so happened that the hens, which run all over the place on the Village map, were perceived as a conflicting party by the game. Hearing the sound of the first shot, the hen perceived it, processed it and ... silenced it, not letting it be heard by others. Because of this, some guns did not make the noise and did not come out of the invisibility. If only the chickens could talk, maybe they would tell how C–beams glitter in the darkness at Tannhauser Gate.
link After reading your comments under the last diary, we regretfully understand that players these days are too painful to perceive the fps drawdowns and the lack of optimization in games even at the stage of closed alpha. And it's not very important whether we did or didn’t promise high fps, next gen graphics or the best special effects ever. So we decided to postpone the start of the Early Access for a few months to complete a number of important works that were originally planned for later stages. This will shift the release date to the second quarter of this year, but we all get Soldiers: Arena more stable, optimized and with more content than we could have. And that’s all for today. Wish you all the best, guys.
[ 2018-03-01 19:01:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
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Hi, friends.
Here is the continuation of our constant rubric DevFeedback. How is the development going and how new features are tested, how many iterations of the seven circles of hell you need to go through in search of balance and what are we doing when we are not busy with making healthbars for household utensils and water lilies on a swamp - let's read today's diary
Conceal yourself.
We recently wrote a diary about concealment. Almost always new mechanics change the gameplay and in order to maintain balance you have to revise and adjust some existing ones. Once we gave the camouflage ability to tanks and artillery, the life of infantry, which was never a pleasant one, became even more difficult. In order to compensate unnecessary pain, we proportionally increased the working range of viewports for each infantry type. In order to maintain the normal rate of AT-grenades and bazooka shells in the air - we reduced the circular viewports range of the most of SPG-s and tanks, and the driver's viewport width was cut from 90 to 60 degrees. The life of an infantryman did not become a beach resort, but the chances of their survival increased. Tanks firing from invisibility were still a serious problem, so we increased their concealment time so they take twice as much time to become green compared with cannons. The distortions began to level off, but in order to stabilize the situation it was necessary to revise the noise mechanics. Sometimes there were situations when several conditions stacked together (long range from the front line, small enemy presence, concealment, etc.), and the gun could fire without complacency and remain invisible to the enemy. Constant invisibility isn’t good, you know? Concealed units have become a moderately dangerous targets now, as it was intended.
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Balance. Settings. Stuff.
- Made a tracking firing mode for the guns with plunged fire trajectory. After the aiming crew of the mortars, regimental guns and howitzers keep their eyes on the enemy and correct the fire, if it starts moving. If the target disappears in the fog - shooting will be conducted at the place where the enemy unit was last seen.
- The rebalance of the submachine guns characteristics according to their real features was carried out. For example, the PPSh is less accurate at long distances than the MP40, and the M3 has faster recharge speed than Thompson and so on.
- Added fragmentary shells for armored vehicles with 20 mm autocannons. The life of infantry and artillery became a bit sadder, and light tanks became more popular.
- Adjusted the chassis and the armor of some more vehicles and worked on the path search for them. Now each tank is manned by a special crew member who is able to pave the way using the cosmic constellation so getting stuck on complex routes and stopping in front of the ravine have ceased to be a problem.
- Modified the AI. Now he's clever enough to keep artillery away from the front line, entrench himself, conceal his positions and arrange tank retreat, but not smart enough to send Iron Arnie back to the past.
- Experimented with the optimal average session time, maps with hilly terrains and dense buildings from previous games. Adjusted the camera, so that at the maximum approach the picture was cinematic.
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. ©
Fought with bugs, among which were, as always, funny, strange and even touching ones. For example, a number of problems with the behavior of infantry existed in trenches. Sometimes the infantryman, being in the trench, became possessed, stood like a salt pillar after taking a grenade in his hands, firing only with single shots from the machine gun (just to annoy the player, we suppose) and simply refused to dig further, apparently having decided that his mother had brought him to this world for something more than gymnastics with a shovel. At the same time over the heads of the immovable infantry in the trench, airplanes were colliding in the sky due to problems with navigation and uncoordinated routes. But the first place in the past couple of months’ bug ranking goes undoubtedly to a bug with a chicken-silencer. It so happened that the hens, which run all over the place on the Village map, were perceived as a conflicting party by the game. Hearing the sound of the first shot, the hen perceived it, processed it and ... silenced it, not letting it be heard by others. Because of this, some guns did not make the noise and did not come out of the invisibility. If only the chickens could talk, maybe they would tell how C–beams glitter in the darkness at Tannhauser Gate.
link After reading your comments under the last diary, we regretfully understand that players these days are too painful to perceive the fps drawdowns and the lack of optimization in games even at the stage of closed alpha. And it's not very important whether we did or didn’t promise high fps, next gen graphics or the best special effects ever. So we decided to postpone the start of the Early Access for a few months to complete a number of important works that were originally planned for later stages. This will shift the release date to the second quarter of this year, but we all get Soldiers: Arena more stable, optimized and with more content than we could have. And that’s all for today. Wish you all the best, guys.
[ 2018-03-01 19:01:27 CET ] [ Original post ]
Soldiers: Arena
Best Way
Developer
Best Way Soft
Publisher
To be announced
Release
Game News Posts:
122
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
( reviews)
The Game includes VR Support
Soldiers: Arena will take you to the battlefields driven by the largest and bloodiest conflict of all time - World War II. This is the height of war, this is the time for real heroes.
Both new and already battle-proven multiplayer gamemodes to the original tactical gameplay are waiting for you. Interactive destructible environments and the ability to direct-control any combat unit. Steam support: matchmaking, workshop, steamcloud. Redesigned graphics, models and special effects. Conceptual new interface and convenient control, new battlefields and new opportunities.
Both new and already battle-proven multiplayer gamemodes to the original tactical gameplay are waiting for you. Interactive destructible environments and the ability to direct-control any combat unit. Steam support: matchmaking, workshop, steamcloud. Redesigned graphics, models and special effects. Conceptual new interface and convenient control, new battlefields and new opportunities.
Features:
- Revival of the “Men of War/Soldiers” game series. This multiplayer tactical RTS absorbed the best of the original series, favourite of players all over the world.
- Huge roster of units. Within a single game session, players will have access to a large number of unique units for every nation: tanks, vehicles, infantry and artillery of various types.
- The “Direct Control” mode. This mode provides the ability to play from the third person for any unit in the player’s army. The movement of the unit, firing the various guns, control of ammunition types, etc. all relying and directly controlled by player and thus the game conveys tactical action in it’s very essence.
- Destructible interactive environments. During the battle almost any object of the game can be destroyed or set on fire. Furthermore, all objects, including craters from explosions, may be used as cover.
- Atmosphere and realism. Even in large-scale game battles, it is necessary to take into account factors such as the supply of fuel and ammunition of each single unit. The precense of inventories for each unit limits the number and size of transported objects. Guns’ accuracy and penetration decreases with distance. Tired soldiers reduce the movement speed during long crossings. The influence of these and many other factors makes possible to reproduce the battles of World War II with a adequate degree of realism, most involving the player into the atmosphere of heated battles of the past.
- Modular realistic damage system. Any vehicle, regardless of its type, is composed of a set of modules that can be broken or destroyed. Types of ammunition, characteristics of guns, shooting distance, angle of armor, armor plate thickness and the threshold of material fatigue are taken into account, when calculating the piercing capability and damage caused to each of the component. Additionally, there are calculations of the probability of detonation of ammunition, engine fires, damage to wheels or tracks (which leads to immobilization of combat units). If a component is not destroyed, it can be repaired.
- Wide range of opportunities for infantry. Intelligence, combat, capture and repair of equipment, installation of anti-personnel and anti-tank obstacules of different types, construction of protective structures, health treatment, cover usage, ability to change through primary and secondary weapons, capture of buildings and territories.
- Great number of different types of weapons and ammunition. Pistols, submachine guns, machine guns, rifles and carbines, various types of grenades, dynamite, mines, knives and other items of equipment that are unique to each nation.
- Advanced Artificial Intelligence (Advanced AI). Infantry’s behaviour based on the feedback information from their own sensors (vision and acoustics), as well as allies’ signals. This allows the use of diversionary tactics, sending scouts into the enemy's rear, as well as to open the visibility with the help of special devices - observation towers, binoculars, telescopic tubes and sniper scopes. The morale of the infantry depends on the balance of forces on the battlefield - the soldiers may decide to advance or to withdraw from the fight.
- Conceptual new interface for convenient control.
- Enhanced game engine Gem2. Reworking of the game engine allows to provide a new level of graphics, the implementation of new and improvement already familiar to users game mechanics.
- OSX, Mac. Linux support.
- Full Steam support. Matchmaking, workshop, steamcloud, tradecards, achievments, steamstats, inventoryitems.
MINIMAL SETUP
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04
- Processor: 2 GHz Intel Dual CoreMemory: 4 GB RAM
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required - OpenGL 3.0 compatibleNetwork: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 5 GB available space
- OS: Ubuntu 15.04
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2.5GHzMemory: 8 GB RAM
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 1 GB VRAM or betterNetwork: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 5 GB available space
GAMEBILLET
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