Hello there! Sorry about the delayed communication; we've all been severely heads down in working on the latest pack for Acro Storm.
In general, we've done some updates to the music and sound effects, tweaked a few values (meaning: done a ton of programming work), improved the Acro Stadium track a bit more, and we're currently working on a brand-new jungle track!
That last bit is really what's taking us so long- it's kind of a bugbear trying to get a new track set up and working well with the AI; we've made some advancements in the production pipeline, but some things just require a lot of man-hours.
That said, we got an idea from a certain lemony someone, and it may well be considered- having early early WIP tracks available to the public in order to test out and provide feedback on. We're going to discuss this, and we'd obviously like your opinions on whether we should do it or not- we're aware that first impressions are very important, even with Early Access, so hopefully you can understand why this'll take some debate. For example, the jungle level currently looks like this
,
and we're hoping to make it look kinda like this
only prettier. That takes a LOT of work.
We're also hoping to introduce online play sooner than later, so that's another thing we've been jonesing towards. That said, we've not abandoned the game at all, nor do we have any intention to for some time. We appreciate the concern, though!
...and we'll do better to keep you all in the loop, even before things are finished. Thanks, and hope to get your responses soon!
Patch 0.2.1
Hello hello! We've added a bit more content to Acro Storm, as well as made a a small modification.
General:
-Revised speed ratios between bike classes for balance purposes.
-Minor level geometry adjustments.
Bikes:
-Added Pocket Class bike: Starchaser.
Tracks:
-Added revised Acro Stadium. Current Acro Stadium removed temporarily.
There'll be a few more minor patches coming up throughout the month, hopefully, so keep an eye out! Be sure to report anything you might want to see adjusted, changed, or added, and we'll take it into consideration! Thanks!
Patch 0.2.0 Out Now! (Content Pack 1)
We're glad to announce that the first pack of new content and bugfixes has now been released! For more information, see http://steamcommunity.com/games/546610/announcements/detail/266110976600077871
And please note that ACRO Stadium Speedway is still under construction, but will be available hopefully very shortly. As always, please be sure to leave feedback and suggestions on the forums!
Thank you, and keep on racing!
On The Recent (Here and Gone) Update
Some of you may have found Acro Storm updating- unfortunately that was a slightly unfinished update; but, now that the cat's out of the bag, somewhat, we'll go ahead and tell you the details about how we intended to release it.
Put simply, it'll take us some time to test and release the new track in the full pack due to some last minute changes- the release that will come in a day (or two) is intended to have most of the new features in place, but sadly the track will be a bit longer because of them. Make no mistake, we ARE making progress on it, however, and it should be done before long. As this is the first pack, we're still ironing out development methods, and we intend on using this experience to adjust our content creation rate and timeframes so that everything can be delivered as planned.
Thank you for your understanding.
New in the Upcoming Pack!
Hey, all! So, it's been a month, and we hope everyone's been doing well, and hope that you've enjoyed Acro Storm so far! We've been hard at work with improving and updating the game, and it's high time we told you exactly what's coming!
<*>New UI/HUD- We've taken to improving the Menu UI and HUD, via changing the artwork, adjusting some features, and on the whole making it a bit more slick, compact and easy to understand. For the UI this lets us give you more details on the racers, as well as new information (see below). As for the in-race HUD, this will allow you to be able to tell more information at a glance, so you won't have to worry as much about taking your eyes off the race!
<*>Adjusted Turning Physics!- We've made some adjustments based on feedback on how turning functions. We're still hard at work improving it, so please be sure to continue to leave feedback, so we can get it just right for you!
<*>Vehicle and Character Stats!- That's right! Each bike and character are now set up to have specific stats. These affect a variety of things, such as acceleration, top speed, drift style, and more! Characters and Vehicles have different stats, and they are as follows:
Characters:
Edging- This stat adjusts how tightly or loosely the character drifts. Some characters can do better in certain turns or series than others.
Recovery- Some characters can resurrect faster after being destroyed! This can get you back in the race quicker!
Intensity- this stat functions like a 'guts' rating, if you play certain fighting games. What it basically means is that the lower your health gets, the more damage reduction will take effect, so it'll be harder to kill you. The higher your character's Intensity, the higher the health needed for the damage reduction to kick in.
Bikes:
Handling- this affects general turning rate. The higher the rating, the tighter they can turn.
Shield- this affects the base amount of health each craft has. The higher the better, of course!
Weight- This affects acceleration times- the heavier the craft, the longer it'll take to get up to top speed!
Top Speed- Naturally.
All of these stats mean that there's a great number of combinations available for you, and you're bound to find a great rider and bike combination that fits your style!
(Note: These stats are subject to changes and adjustments both in value and general purpose as development proceeds.)
But wait, there's more!
New Character: Michelle McHearten! You've likely seen her face already in SOME respect, but the champion is now on the track and ready to tear it up!
New Bike: Aero Plus Wildcat! The first of the Cruiser class of bikes, this beast is made to shove anyone and everyone out of the way! It takes a real master to bend this predator to your will, but once you do, you'll be a terror on the track!
New Track: Acro Stadium Speedway: This is a revamped Acro Stadium, with a bit more going on than just a simple oval! It's a wide, looping track that'll require you to hang on as you go full tilt through the curves and loops that make up the track!
We've also made general performance improvements, such as making the AI less CPU intensive, optimizing a bit of code here and there, and other such improvements.
All of this is coming in our first content pack, which will be arriving soon- we'll have further details in short order, so stay tuned, and keep on racing!
Hotfix- Patch 0.1.1
Just a couple of minor changes.
-Fixed an issue where repeated Grands Prix resulted in an error.
-Fixed an issue with static audio bursts in races.
Thanks!
First Patch Incoming
Okay, so some early issues should be solved here. This is the list of changes this patch should bring:
General:
-Fixed an issue where the audio would not play in races.
-Increased Start Banner size.
-Improved distinction of main menu selections. Should now be far easier to see what is selected in menus.
-Added 'View Controls' to Options menu. You can now see the controls for the game by selecting 'View Controls' from the Options menu.
-Increased hitbox size for power tokens. Tokens should be easier to collect now.
-Fixed a glitch where the race position counter would bug out, showing incorrect race placement. Race position should now be accurate from race start to finish.
Acro Stadium:
-Added Boost Pads.
-Added new Power Tokens, adjusted placement of old ones.
-Improved road texturing.
-Adjusted AI pathing. Should not slam into walls so much.
-Adjusted Preview Image in Course Select.
Batam Gorge:
-Fixed glitch where racers could fall through geometry by hitting a specific spot early in the track.
-Adjusted lighting and textures.
Treen Port:
-Fixed glitch where racers could fall through geometry endlessly by exiting the pipe near the end of the course incorrectly.
-Adjusted textures.
-Adjusted Preview Image in Course Select.
Thanks so much for the early impressions- keep it up and hopefully nothing too horrible will happen between now and the first pack release! Remember, there'll be a lot of quality of life improvements in it, as well as bugfixes and new content!
This patch should be going up tonight. Happy New Year, folks! May your 2017 be bright!
Edit: As of this edit, patch is now live!
The racing line going forward!
Hello! So, first off, thanks for anyone who's kept up with Acro Storm so far, and are looking to get into the game! Now, considering this IS Early Access, we feel it's only right to give you guys some heads up on a few things- namely, how we intend to move going forward, in terms of rolling out content, bug fixes, and the sort as we gun for that finish line called full release!
First, a couple of things we want to note:
We are always up for suggestions. They might or might not be used, but a large part of the time they're more than welcome to be had.
Things will, undoubtedly, change. If you have a problem with something like the physics or some of the weapons, or anything else, let us know! (politely, if possible) Chances are you'll see that concern addressed sooner or later.
We do have certain priorities in terms of what might get looked at sooner than later. That's not to say whatever your concern is will be ignored, but we're trying to make Acro Storm as tight an experience as possible. There will be bugs. We're already gearing up to squash them.
At the moment there's a lot of missing features. Obviously we intend to fix that as time goes on- Early Access, after all! At the time being, you guys will have access to the following modes:
-Grand Prix
-Arcade (Single Race for now)
-Time Trial.
We hope you'll have fun with those for now, and give us a lot of feedback, as we expect to improve upon these modes rapidly in the future. Arcade Mode in particular we intend on improving with a myriad of options.
Now, onto the general roadmap! Of course, as stated above, things are subject to change, and the timeframe is fluid, but in general, here's how we're looking at things to come:
Initially, we want to roll out content in 'packs' of one character + one track at a time. These packs will also contain bugfixes, and generally unless something absolutely gamebreaking is found (this is entirely possible) we'll restrict adjustments and bugfixes for these packs. This will allow us to have a more solid frame of time and general order to things- once a character and track are near complete, we'll generally give a heads up here/in forums, so that if there are any notable bugs you want looked at, there'll be a cutoff date, else they'll be moved to be fixed in the next pack.
Online functionality. This is a major thing, and we'll be working on it throughout content creation, but at a reduced pace...up until a certain point in time. After we've passed a specific threshold of content, we'll be putting more energy towards online functionality and making sure everything we want works as we'd like.
Story Mode will take some time, but we're already working on the basics of it. It's obviously intended to be a major part of the game, so expect things to move somewhat slowly here as we make absolutely sure it's up to our standards.
Graphical quality is important to us, but not quiiite as important as making sure the game runs, runs well, and is generally fun. We intend on giving Acro Storm a newer coat of paint as the days go on, to be certain, and chances are you'll see it happen at least once, but the final graphical improvement pass will likely come not long before full release, after all the (major) bugs have been ironed out and the game is content complete.
One more thing to note- the price. We'll be very up front about this- as Early Access goes on, we feel as though the worth of the game will increase, as content is rolled out, bugs are fixed, and things in general look better. So you can expect a price increase- ONE price increase- in the future before we release in full. We have a specific litmus for it, as well- once all 16 initial tracks have been released (as well as all characters) we will increase the price to $9.99. It will increase once again on full release, and that price is yet to be determined. So it's a good idea to look into buying it sooner than later if you want to get in on the ground floor!
Thank you SO much for your time, interest, and patience. Of course should you have any concerns, complaints, praises, fears, etc, please feel free to let us know in the forums, or by contacting us directly! Thank you for your time, and we'll see you on the racetrack!
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