Patch 0.8.3 - New mission, new outpost, exploding frigates, and many other changes
Gameplay
- Added new standalone mission Menace
- Frigates are now fully destructible in many missions
- Increased muzzle-velocity on most projectiles
- Homing missiles are more damaging to fighters
- Slowed acceleration on all frigates
- Increased turret-count on OBA-freighters
- Loosened up fighter and gunship controls
- Created new OBA-outpost (currently visible in OBA-tutorial)
Visuals
- Improved materials on the Ishtar
- Improved materials on all OBA frigates
- Ishtar now more visible in Deliverance mission
- Added small/medium asteroids to most missions
Audio
- Muzzle sfx (and others) now properly vary slightly in volume and pitch
- Added gyro sound-effect to cockpit (heard when rotation rate changes)
Core
- Removed duplicated code among all spaceships
- Optimized joystick-polling
Bugs
- Fixed bug causing faster projectile-movement to cause less damage (not more)
- Fixed problem with AI refusing to form on spawned frigates
- Fixed problem with AI occasionally attacking targets with no LOS
- Fixed issue that caused erroneous detections in some rare cases
- Fixed issue with being unable to roll fighter with oribiting-camera locked
Patch 0.8.2 - New mission, new frigate, and custom key-mappings
Gameplay
- Added a new standalone mission Colonists
- Added a new Outer Belt frigate that comes in civilian and military variations
- Increased rail-gun ammo-capacity
- Reduced collision-damage significantly
- Spectator-cam now defaults to a random top-view when selecting ships
- Removed thrust-mode rings in both tutorials
- Tutorial dialog now dynamically shows current key-bindings
UI
- Rearranged the Controls menu to make room for new key-bindings
Input
- All keyboard-bindings (with a few exceptions) are now customizable from the Controls menu
- Added ability to choose from 3 different joystick-sliders
- Joystick-throttle now handles forward and backwards movement
- Added joystick-slider option for lateral-movement
- Default joystick-button-mapping changed to Thrustmaster Hotas X
Visuals
- New asteroids added to most missions
- Rearranged components on Korado freighter
- Created a habitable planet with rings
- Re-textured large Boreas-asteroid
Audio
- Gun and thruster sounds are now muffled (somewhat) when in 1st person view
Bugs
- Fixed several bugs causing campaign-progress to be lost
- Corrected issue with some frigates using the wrong thruster-sounds
- Fixed issue with muzzle-sounds not being attached to guns
Core
- Implemented DirectInput keyboard support
- Improved overall performance by minimizing controller-polling
Patch 0.8.1 - New mission, new music, and numerous fixes
Gameplay
- Added standalone mission Firefight with semi-molten asteroids
- Increased attack-distance on both 120mm flak and missile turrets
- Halved missile capacity in Phantoms
- Turret-placement on OBA freighters have changed
- Added broken statues as visual clues to Dante Guerrillas mission
- Re-balancing on most missions
Visuals
- Planet and moon appearance greatly improved
- Added blood splatter to dead pilots
- Asteroid-fragments now vary more in scale
- Glowing metal fragments are now scaled properly
- Reduced some select 4k textures to 2k
Physics
- Dead pilots now move with more mass
Audio
- Added new track "Rust and Concrete" to Minesweeper mission
- Added new track "Into the Jungle" for Firefight mission
Input
- Joystick-throttle no longer reverses ship
- Added option in Controls menu to bypass joystick-button mappings
UI
- Medic rearm-charge is now shown on the HUD as a greenish circle
- Added several more resolution-options
Bugs
- Initial comms can now be heard no matter how long the player waits to select a ship
- Selecting nearest enemy no longer selects frigates and outposts
- Fixed issue with Intercepors sometimes shooting themselves with their 20mm gun
- Fixed win-condition that allowed the Deliverance mission to be passed by just destroying the frigate
Patch 0.8 - Overhaul complete
Gameplay
- All campaign levels are back online
- Added a new standalone mission (minesweeper)
- Added medic-variations for the Ripper, Sabre, and Lancer fighters
- Implemented behavioral AI for medics
- Drastically increased the muzzle-velocity on several turrets
- Ranks within a squad are now properly ordered and handled so that 8 fighters can makeup a squad
- Kills are now credited for all turrets except small 30mm turrets
- Missions have been split into 2 types: standalone and campaign
UI
- Created 9 new in-game character portraits
- All missions are selectable from a new mission-screen
- Victories, flawless victories, and best-times are now shown for each mission
- Added input-key for medic-heals to the controls-menu
- Simplified in-game codes for fighters (F02, G05+1, etc.)
Visuals
- Added more asteroids, debris, and props to every level
- Replaced 4 large asteroid-fragments with new geometry
- Improved materials on all vehicles, asteroids, debris, and props
- Added a new solar-array prop to some levels
- Adjusted lighting in every mission to be more even
- Added new solar-array arm to OBA waystations
Performance
- Reduced many 4k textures to 2k to save on texture-memory and overall game-size
- Turned off shadow-casting on out-of-bounds asteroids
Bugs
- Fixed issue with turrets not receiving splash damage
- Fixed issue that caused turrets to accidentally shoot friendlies
- Fixed bug that caused spawned squads to spawn on the same point when a waypoint was set
- VR has been disabled to prevent auto-launching VR
- Guns can no longer be fired faster than normal by rapidly pressing buttons
2017 development schedule
The following is a tentative ASTROKILL development schedule. This will be updated and reposted over the next few months as progress is made.
Key:
Minus sign (-) = unfinished item
Plus sign (+) = finished item
Letter "o" = obsolete item
PHASE 1 (December 2016) - COMPLETE
Asteroids
+ replace all asteroid-fragments with more realistic models
+ add/replace all other asteroids
Turrets
+ introduce more complex, realistic turrets (based on the Phalanx system)
+ allow destruction of turret-components to reduce functionality (destroy pitch-motors)
Radar
+ create functional and destructible radar-dishes that broadcast enemy-locations at long ranges
+ allow player to see what friendlies see (share detections across team)
+ create separate visual-detection and instrument-detection systems to give radar strategic importance
HUD
+ simplify and rearrange HUD to give a military glass-cockpit feel
Radio-dialog
- make existing dialog less distracting (blend vocals with existing SFX)
SFX
- add in-vehicle reverb to muzzle-sounds
Campaign lock-down
+ temporarily lock campaign during overhaul
+ reduce price by 50% during overhaul to reflect fewer playable levels
PHASE 2 (February 2017)
Destructible Props
- create military containers, industrial equipment, etc. for senseless destruction
Customizable Fighters
- replace existing fighters with component-based fighters
- create fighters by combining engines, cockpits, fuel-tanks, gun-systems, and body-panels
- implement a variety of selectable body-panels and guns
- allow player to customize loadouts and specs of each ship
Dropships
- replace existing dropships using new ship-components
Supply Ships
- replace existing fly-through-hangars with simpler/easier system
- create supply-ships to provide new rearming capabilities
Space Stations
- replace existing depots with component-based space-stations
- create destructible windows that expel equipment and personnel when broken
- create centrifuges for artificial gravity
- allow capturing of space-stations and its affect on victory-conditions
PHASE 3 (April 2017)
Freighters
- replace existing freighters with industrial freighters influenced by real-world cargo-ships
Shuttles
- create civilian shuttles for assassination and escort-missions
Capital Ships
- replace Hammurabi with new component-based version
- create an OBA-styled capital ship
Campaign re-release
- re-purpose existing campaign-levels to accommodate new game assets
- add more strategic levels that make use of radar and other new features
PHASE 4 (June 2017)
Unreal Engine
- upgrade to the latest and greatest Unreal Engine
Gold Release
- publish full release on Steam
- buy bottle of brandy
Patch 0.6.2.0 - Phase 1/3 of major overhaul
Gameplay
- Added a new Phalanx turret system with destructible components (like pitch-motors)
- Added destructible and functional radar dishes (spots enemies at great distances)
- Added both a free-floating and anchored mount for turrets, radar, etc.
- All friendlies are now visible to the player at any distance
- Enemies spotted by friendlies are now visible to the player (shared information)
- Detections now require line-of-sight (hiding behind objects is now possible)
- All debris is now shootable and collidable
- New turrets have destructible components (like pitch-motors)
Visuals
- All asteroids and asteroid-fragments have been replaced by more realistic models (some directly based off actual asteroids or comets)
UI
- HUD has been rearranged to maximize readability and give a glass-cockpit feel
- Ship visibility is now shown on HUD (how many foes are currently detecting the player)
- Small components (like fighter-turrets) are now marked on the HUD
Input
- Fixed issue with pressed joystick-buttons not being displayed in the controls menu
New gameplay trailer
I just posted a new gameplay trailer to the Store page, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Let me know what you guys think!
Also, I have some new features in mind. I'd like to implement a customization system that allows you to swap out different kinds of guns, ammo, and armor. Each item will affect the overall weight of the ship, thereby affecting the flight characteristics. Such a large feature will require newly designed ships with swappable body panels and weapons. I think this will add some variety and replayability to the game.
Patch 0.6.1.3 - Bug fixes and explosion tweaks
Bugs
- Fixed major issue with some levels not being playable if cinematic shots were not skipped
Visuals
- Increased count and visibility of secondary explosions within fighter-explosions
Gameplay
- Explosive projectiles now explode when impacting dead pilots
Core
- Decoupled projectiles from other objects via a new projectile-interface
Patch 0.6.1.2 - Smarter auto-thrust and new collision sounds
Gameplay
- Auto-thrust now allows player to drift backwards or laterally (especially at low speeds) without switching to manual-thrust
- Fixed issue with auto-thrust pushing player back into an obstacle after colliding with it
- Increased spacing between wingmen to minimize collisions
UI
- Direction-reticles on navball (lower left) now flash to indicate backwards movement or manual movement in auto-thrust mode
Audio
- Added metal-scraping sound for cases when player scrapes against an object
- Added several metal-collision sounds for bumps and collisions
- Thud can now be heard when colliding with dead pilots
Bugs
- Corrected initial player-orientation in a few levels
Patch 0.6.1.1 - Improved muzzle flashes and GShield tweaks
Visuals
- Overhauled appearance of all muzzle-flashes (more volumetric and firey in general)
- Large particle-effects, like explosions, no longer disappear or appear when slightly off screen
- Fixed UV-mapping on most thruster-flares
- Fixed issue with thruster-flares not being animated in certain cases
- Added proper LODs to all thruster-flares
- Damaged thrusters are now much brighter and noticeable
GShield
- GShield spherical effect is now much more subtle and smooth
- Spherical effect is now the same size as the actual gravity field
- GShield is now more powerful and concentrated to prevent projectiles from slipping through
- Gravity-wells now update much faster if they are populated
Audio
- Door sounds on dropships can now be heard from greater distances
- GShield deflection-sound is now higher pitched and more noticeable
Core
- Spawners can now spawn any combination of ship-types
- Spawners now use wingman-sockets to spawn squads in formation
- Opponent skill is now numerical instead of enumerated
Input
- Added secret key-combos to spawn dead pilots in front of your ship
