We've updated the controller bindings to include the new Shield (Left Trigger), Dash (B / Circle), Weapon Cycle (Y / Triangle) Ascend (RB) and Descend (LB). We've also updated the bindings within the menu which were still referencing the old control scheme.
Controller Dual Zone Aiming
We've also replaced the old controller aiming system with a new Dual Zone setup. This separates the thumbstick into two zones, a steadier, more accurate inner zone and a faster, more sensitive outer zone. The inner zone accounts for ~90% of the thumb stick's area, while the outer zone accounts for the last 10%, allowing you to have greater control over your aim while also being able to turn sharply when you need to.
Version 2.23 is now available!
What's New in Version 2.23...
Weapon Cycling
As part of a move towards trying out some new gameplay formats and weapon types (LMG, SMG, Assault, Shotgun ...Sniper?), both the primary and secondary fire modes have been moved to Left Mouse Click and can be switched back and forth using either Middle Mouse Wheel or with 1 and 2 on the keyboard. Right Mouse Click now activates the shield added in v2.22, allowing you to activate it without interrupting your control of the drone.
Bug Fixes & Improvements
We reduced the default match settings to 2v2.
We fixed an issue preventing matchmaking from filtering version number.
Version 2.22 is now available!
What's New in 2.22...
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Energy Shields
The Defender's dream and a Striker's nightmare, the Energy Shield brings a new tactical element to the Axiom pitch!
Left Alt now brings up an energy shield in front of the drone which can be used to deflect the ball and player projectiles.
The idea was to create a new way to play defensively, whether that's defending the goal or defending your striker from opposition fire while they're making a run for the goal. It's a first iteration on the idea so Neal and I would love to hear your feedback on how useful you find it!
Bug Fixes & Improvements
We fixed an issue which prevented players from seeing another players drone rotations when playing online.
We swapped Dash and Descend round on the keyboard. Dash is now on Left Shift, and Descend is now on Left Ctrl.
Version 2.21 is now available!
What's New in 2.21...
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Dash & Roll
Increase your ball control with dash and roll, a new feature designed to give you a burst of speed when you need it most!
Tapping Ctrl now performs a single dash in whichever direction you're travelling, with an added roll when combined with left or right strafe. This is especially useful for switching from one side of the ball to the other when dribbling or for heading off a ball shooting towards your goal.
Bug Fixes
We fixed an issue which caused players to be loaded straight back into a match when trying to exit to the main menu.
Version 2.20 is now available!
What's changed in 2.20...
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Vehicle Acceleration
Somehow we both got our Covid19 vaccines in the same week, so we ended up having to spend a few days on the couch nursing our vaccine hangovers. But we still managed to make a few positive adjustment to the drone's manoeuvrability on the pitch, most notably doubling the rate of acceleration when moving in any direction. This is especially noticeable when switching direction quickly or strafing from left to right, something that felt pretty slow and cumbersome before.
Check out the update and let us know what you think!
What's coming up in 2.21...
Dash & Roll
We want to try adding a dash that gives you a quick burst of speed in any direction when used. Unlike the previous boost system which could be held until your energy ran out, this would be a single 'on-tap' action with an added roll on strafe, Star Fox style!
Quick Turn
Front Flip to Roll 180? Juicy Flick? Air Brake? We want to add a method of quickly turning on a dime with some added flare. Open to suggestions!
We've adjusted the range of the Primary (LMB) and Secondary (RMB) fire modes. The Secondary fire mode returns to being a shotgun-like close range weapon ideal for striking the ball, while the Primary fire's range has been focused on dribbling. To help judge your range, we've also added some new projectile VFX alongside an additional HUD indicator.
Bug Fixes
We fixed an issue that prevented a player creating a match with bots disabled.
Known Issues
A couple of players have reported being loaded straight back into a match when trying to exit a match to the Main Menu. XeNo reported the issue back in March, but up until today we had been unable to reproduce it. Please let us know if you come across this!
Version 2.18 is now available!
What's New in 2.18...
We're testing out a modified version of the original ammo system to reduce spam fire, but without forcing you to return to your goal area to reload.
The more powerful secondary fire (RMB / LT) now has an Energy System. Each time you fire, it uses energy. When you stop firing, it regains energy. Rapid fire will quickly drain your energy until the system is forced to do a full recharge, during which time you can't fire.
We've only added the energy system to the secondary fire for the time being to see what you think, so check it out and give us your thoughts!
This update brings significant changes to the drone's movement and control on the pitch, making it smaller, faster and more aerial, but still just as easy to control!
The drone now flies vertically in the direction the player is aiming, allowing the player to make better use of the vertical space on the pitch without having to use separate keys.
We've also added an acceleration curve with a higher top speed when maintained to make the drone faster and more agile to fly without boost.
Drone Size
We’ve reduced the size of the drone giving the player more space to move around and more screen space to play with.
Bots & Goalkeeping
Both bots and players can control the goal keeper by middle mouse clicking on where they want to move it to, but the bots were always a tad slow to react in the past. They’re now more effective at controlling the keeper making it more of a challenge to score against them.
So it's nearly 2021 and quite frankly most of us will be glad to see the back of 2020. But in amongst the doom and gloom we have some good news to share, and that is we're back!
"Oh, you were gone?"
Ah, well, yes. Quite. We ran out of money. Like, over a year ago.... But good news everyone! We have some more! And we're going to spend it on hats Axiom Soccer!
So what are you waiting for?! Download Axiom Soccer, check out what's changed below then let us know what you think over on our Steam Community Hub!
We'll be doing regular releases throughout each month so stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks!
Physics Engine - Our physics engine now uses a deterministic physics simulation (read predictable) rather than the non-deterministic physics simulation (read unpredictable) that it used previously. This allows us to have greater control over what the ball does when it’s hit, and allows players to more accurately predict where the ball is going to go.
Projectile Firing System - Projectiles now use a ‘bullet-based’ system to aim and fire rather than a physics-based arcing ballistic projectile. This ensures that where you aim is where you hit.
Projectile Parameters - Projectile speed, size & power parameters have been updated. We’re going to be continually tweaking these parameters to find a better balance of shot accuracy and ball control.
Projectile Power Decay - To reduce the ‘chaos’ element of player’s being able to hit the ball from anywhere on the pitch, we’re experimenting with a decay to the projectile’s power over distance. So the further you are from the ball, the less impact your shot will have when it connects.
Ball Physics Parameters - Again we’re going to continue tweaking these parameters to find a better balance of shot accuracy and ball control.
Weapons
We’re simplifying the weapons while we focus on improving the core gameplay experience.
Multiple Weapons - We've disabled the Shotgun, Machine Gun, Grenades and Deactivator - While the idea behind multiple secondary weapons was good, the shotgun was probably the only useful one, but even then it’s lack of a visible projectile paired with magnus ball curve made it difficult to predict where the ball would go.
Primary & Secondary Fire - We've replaced the weapons with a single shot, fire-on-click, primary and secondary cannon. The primary cannon (LMB) acts as a light shot for controlling the ball, while the secondary cannon (RMB) acts as a hard shot for shooting and passing. The secondary is probably a bit OP at the moment, but we have more tweaks to come...
Shot Cooldown - In a moment of madness we removed the cooldown between shots fired. This was to allow the player greater control of the ball as the quicker a player can fire at a moving target, the more accurate they will be and the more control they will have. But the down side is the player can obviously now spam fire, which isn't great. We're going to be experimenting with some alternative solutions to find the right balance between ball control and self control.
Gameplay Mechanics
Along with the weapons, we’ve disabled some of the game’s mechanics while we focus on improving the core gameplay experience. The following have been disabled...
Boost - While this was one of the only features implemented based on player feedback, we think that we need to reimagine the drone’s movement and control before determining whether a boost is still needed, and in what form.
Bollards - We’re focusing first on ensuring the player can defend using their drone before looking at what arena-based mechanisms we need.
Ammo - Resupplying ammo isn’t inherently a bad idea, but constantly returning to your goal pulled you out of the action at the worst possible moments. We’ve disabled this for now and will determine if it’s necessary later on.
Front End
Let’s face it, the front end is in need of a complete overhaul, but it’s lower on our priority list at the moment. In the meantime, we’ve disabled a number of screens and menus to streamline and simplify the user flow including the Garage, Player Profile, Local Play and some of the placeholder game options.
