Update 0.2.7 brings a complete re-write to the abilities, improving visuals, performance, audio and re-working some of the...lesser loved abilities in the roster! Gatling Gun, EMP Repeater, Swarm Missiles, Shrapnel Cannon, Seeker Missiles, Incendiary Darts and more have all received significant changes visually and the way they play in game. Also featuring new soundtrack!
Balancing/Tweaks
-Shrapnel Cannon now replaces Cryo Burst! Shrapnel Cannon has a longer range, tighter spread and less damage. It also bounces off obstacles once before detonating. Each projectile has a small explosive area of effect.
-Swarm Missiles now fire 8 missiles instead of 6, and have a far faster travel speed, lock on time, and the salvo can be fired in bursts. Each missile does less damage.
-Seeker Missile travel time is far faster, lock on time is slightly slower (in favour of a brief cool animation) with a reduced cool down period.
-Proximity Mine; 3 can be deployed at once. Trigger area is now visible on the ground.
-Drone Turret has been renamed to Sentry Turret, and two can be active at any given time, with a 5 minute lifespan.
-Gatling Gun now has tracers and hit sounds when successful hits have been made.
-EMP Repeater now uses ray casts, so projectile speed is instant. Fire rate and damage have been slightly reduced to compensate for lack of gravity effect and additional accuracy.
-New ability Decoy Flare! Distracts all incoming locked on missiles for a time. This takes over the default Defence ability from Barrier.
-AI behaviour changes, better target lock on and ability usage (this is being dialled down from ultimate potential because, well they were too powerful in testing!)
-AI are now smoother when turning and are better at overtaking. Some tracks require more work!
-Added more boost areas for AI, AI will boost more often on harder difficulties (some tracks)
What's Next
Arena environment overhaul with in-field tracks, new stadium, crowds, jumps, stunts and other fun stuff! Loads of new track layouts on the Arena environment. Also some split-screen preliminary work, let's see how we do!
Abilitiesv0.2.7
Aug 12, 2022
- Completely re-written ability handling
- Each ability and their hits/explosions/other are pooled
- All static abilities are generated and optimised in a similar way
- Refactored exit point handling
- Created a handler for weapons that use raycasts
- New Ability object tracks ability status, and objects within pool
- Completed switch over to new ability stat tracker
- Audio instances now switched over to loops to save audio engine load
- Improved various audio trigger and hit effects
- Improved Swarm Missiles, physics now completely different, faster firing, more missiles, less damage and far quicker flight time
- New model and textures for Swarm Missiles
- Improved EMP Repeater, now uses raycasts and has been completely rebalanced
- Improved Seeker Missile, faster flight time as well as a new trigger animation, models and textures
- Improved Gatling Gun, features tracer and sound FX when target hit
- Improved Helix Rocket tracer visual
- Holo finish line triggers x seconds after player starts last lap
- Added a new soundtrack by Ben Cooper, Neurowave!
- New ability, Decoy Flare, distracts any locked missiles targeting user for duration.
- Decoy Flare now default unlock for defense ability
- Added Decoy Flare to loadout screen
- Optimised Bouncing Bomblet trigger
- New ability icons for all 17 abilities
- Improved Incendiary Darts visual FX
- Added Incendiary Dart hit FX, slight flame burst at impact
- When a destroyed bike hits a respawn zone, no longer respawns bike before able
- Fixed a bug where boosting would not reset
- Fixed a bug where AI would awkwardly lean under braking or boosting
- Smoothened AI turning and handling
- Improved AI pathing for Split Overpass, these changes will be made to other tracks when tooling is created
- Fixed Spectator Mode not finishing under certain circumstances
- Split AI sensors between weapon triggers and obstacle triggers, makes for better target acquisition
- Completely changed Cryo Burst to Shrapnel Cannon, now a UT Flak Cannon style weapon with area of effect, bouncing projectiles and shotgun spread
- Fixed an issue where a player could launch a game multiple times from the menu
- Fixed an issue where eliminated pilots would sometimes not have their name crossed out
- Upgraded Drone Turrets to Sentry Turrets, projectiles now correctly change colour to team
- Added better visual FX to Sentry Turret projectiles
- Can now only have 2 turrets active at a time, life is not track dependant
- Added difficulty to boost zones, sometimes AI don't boost in some areas
- Optimised muzzle flashes for all abilities
- Fixed various benign logging bugs from 0.2.6
