We've just rolled out a set of server-side updates and AMP enhancements that mean that on our official Kaboom! servers, when a new match starts you can get a ping in the #looking-for-group channel in our Discord server appropriate to what region you're in.

This means you'll know when new matches are starting immediately, and can quickly hop into them by clicking the included link.

If you're not already in the Discord server, head to https://discord.gg/vewSfBDj8C to get LFG notifications and get in on the action!

This update has our much anticipated machine-learning powered bots to play against. Now you'll actually be able to play the game out of the gate while the player base is built up.

We've also done a lot of work with how things like spectator mode and mid-match joining work, so that servers can be configured to allow people to drop in-and-out mid match.

This will make it a lot easier to actually get matches going and play with other people more regularly.

We're particularly proud of our bots. They can clear space, collect power ups, and are entirely capable of hunting you down and trapping you in very inconvenient ways. They should offer a suitable challenge for people new to the game and give you some viable opponents to play against while you wait for more humans to join the match.

It's going to take a short while for the servers to update, but you should be able to play this within the next hour or so. Have fun!

One of the problems with an online-only game is making sure there are people to play with and that you can actually find a match. Right now we're seeing people join servers looking for a match, leaving immediately after only for someone else to do the same thing a few minutes later.

So we've got a few things up our sleeves to address this coming in a future update in the next week or two:

Improved matchmaking logic

We've changed the matchmaking logic to make it more likely that players will get matched up. It now allows more time for more servers to report their status before players are placed on a server rather than giving too much priority to those that simply happen to respond the fastest. The nature of Kaboom! makes it comparatively latency tolerant. You can still have a great time with up to 150ms of latency which is far better than not being in a match at all. Obviously the system will prefer lower latency but it'll pick something else in a pinch.

Drop-in Matches

Right now you can't join a match that's in progress, this will be changing so that you can join a match at any time. Obviously this won't apply to ranked matches down the line when we have them. This will also be paired with the new bots (see below) to maintain a minimum population in a match so you've got something to do.

AI Powered Bots

Bots will give you some semi-competent opposition to play against while you're waiting for a match. These bots are powered by high end machine learning systems that will be continually trained and improved over time.

Minimise and alert

If playing with bots isn't your thing, the other option we'll be adding will let the game minimise to the taskbar and run quietly in the background. Once more human players show up it'll notify you so you can continue playing.

Scheduled play times

We're also going to have regular scheduled match times that we'll be announcing in-game, on Steam and in Discord to encourage people to play at similar times to improve the odds of there being populated, natural matches.

In the mean while, I'd encourage everyone to join the Kaboom! discord server ( https://discord.gg/vewSfBDj8C ) and find matches in your region that way :) Thanks to everyone who has joined us in early-access so far and it's great to see you enjoying it!

This is a minor update that improves the server finding logic to match you with other players more consistently.

This is a minor update that improves the server finding logic to match you with other players more consistently.

We'll be streaming our first real world matches live to you all and I'll be here in voice chatting with you all while we lay down some bombs. This will also be your first chance to play the new 'Castle' map!

If you're not already, make sure you hop in our Discord where we'll be playing with you all live as part of our first play sessions. https://discord.gg/vewSfBDj8C

We're really excited to be launching. The game is in a really good place and there's loads of fun to be had already, but equally we're also looking forward to what content is going to come next. More maps, more game modes, and more mayhem!

For our enthusiastic users getting Kaboom! right out of the gate, there's also going to be a 10% launch discount during the first week.

GG everyone!

[previewyoutube=wGqQhUSkTos;full][/previewyoutube]

View on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGqQhUSkTos