Calling all testers! The new operations mode is out on the test_interaction branch! It’s so experimental it’s not even on the experimental branch! Sit this one out if you’re not feeling so “experimental”. (Note: Some people might have issues with bindings if they are going directly from the default branch. To fix this, use a custom Steam binding until the default branch is updated. Ask around in #testing-discussion Discord channel)
Check out a detailed discussion in the latest devlog! https://youtu.be/sUDsj0L3CtQ
What’s the big deal? It’s the first community testing of handmade levels, inventory persistence, multiple objectives, new attachments, economy, loot, and much more!
For back and forth troubleshooting and general discussion of the new build, head on over to the Discord server!
High level plan 1. First, find out what breaks and fix those issues. Performance and enemies are known improvements and will be the highest priority fixes! 2. Once the major game-breaking stuff is fixed on the test_interaction branch, update the experimental branch and do even more comprehensive testing. After this, the experimental branch will be used for testing going forward. 3. Finally, update the default branch once everything is relatively stable and get back into the rhythm of frequent default branch updates!
Winter Roadmap - Immediate fixes based on tester feedback - Enemy performance + quality update (high priority)! - Balancing economy based on feedback and adding difficulty parameters - Dedicated moveable barricades - More stages - More attachments (and attachment balance) - End of session stats - Global progress (making guns, attachments, and challenge stages unlockable) - Polish, polish, and polish!
Changelist (for the test_interaction branch) Added Operations mode (persistence health and inventory) Added recycler truck module for Operations mode Added truck shop for Operations mode Added credit system and transaction display in truck for Operations mode Added loot spawning randomly in Operations levels Added enemy loot drops in Operations Added Stage 0 Added Stage 1 Added Stage 2 Added Stage 3 Added Stage 4 Added Stage 5 Added new props for Operations stages Reimplemented procedural mode with settings for different biome selection Added meal bar (first health item!) Added red dot optic Added reflex sight Added iron sights option Added espionage objective Added sabotage objective Added extermination objective Added quick drop system for backpack (just drop items on your back) Improved lighting performance Added proximity voice chat with mute options and talking indicator Added end of round screen placeholder where stats will be Added objective complete and mission complete sounds and text effects Added objective indicators Added brick wall module type and paint variations Fixed issue with AO settings not actually applying Fixed issue with 40mm round collider, so now it reliably explodes on barricades Fixed tile seaming issue that occurred with flashlights Fixed issue with being able to hear many sounds when transitioning scenes Fixed clanging sound bug with other players Fixed rendering issue with bullet holes looking orange Fixed issue with rare enemy muzzle flashes remaining after they have been killed Updated remote player inventories to be visible Updated holographic sight to be more visible Updated wall charge to use clacker Made props immovable (pending new moveable barricades)
Progress Update!
Hello everyone!
It's been a while since the last Steam announcement, but that doesn't mean things have been quiet behind the scenes. Far from it in fact. Throughout this year, many prototypes were made, ideas tested, and systems developed all with the purpose of making Crunch Element all it can be.
In short, Crunch Element is going back to the basics, focusing on what makes it unique: destruction in a CQB setting. What does this mean? Higher fidelity interaction, a bigger focus on gear + attachments, and handcrafted levels that enable consistently enjoyable gameplay. See the latest devlog for an in depth discussion about progress this year. Some ultra-experimental stuff is on the test_interaction branch which is used for testing these new systems. A top priority for the end of this year is getting everything synced up and rock solid on the main branch. If you want to put your testing hat on and get down to business tracking bugs and providing feedback, then jump in the Discord server here.
[previewyoutube="7itIJSbENQU;full"]
Now onto the exciting bits. What has already been implemented and currently in testing?
A New Interaction System
In order to lay the foundation for the many exciting things on the roadmap, a new interaction system was a necessary component to unleash Crunch Element's potential. Everything including the player rig, items, and weapons were reworked to use this system. This results in a higher fidelity of physics interactions with the environment, new items that take advantage of this, and new quality of life features like force grabbing!
A larger focus on items and gear
To bring out more from Crunch Element and pave the way future game modes, there's now a stronger emphasis on items. The introduction of the new inventory system will allow for a more in-depth management of items which will include things like weapons, individual magazines, health items, and more. For quick access, there are slots on the player's "hotbar" which is always in front of them. For longer term storage and collecting items, players can utilize the new backpack.
Attachments and customization
A brand new attachment and weapon modification system has also been implement and currently in testing! Player's can customize their weapons before heading out on operations with various types of attachments such as muzzle devices, grips, lights, optics, and more. Eventually, both weapons and attachments will be unlockable, but for now they are all available for testing purposes.
New objectives
The following are the objectives currently being tested. Each stage will contain one or more objectives, which will be strung together to make an "Operation" (more on that later).
Intervention
Defuse the Scavenger explosives before they destroy Enterprise equipment.
Sabotage
Players must destroy the signal relay and escape back to the vehicle.
Espionage
Locate and retrieve the intel located in the compound, and return to the vehicle safely.
- A new flagship "Operations" mode with roguelike progression - Many more stages - Consumable health items - More attachment types and weapon parts - Global progression (item and attachment unlocks) - Enemy improvements - Various enemy types
Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone for their patience. Striving to build something people enjoy isn't always quick nor seamless, but it's extremely rewarding to see all of the long term work of the past year finally come together. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback about the new systems and I hope you are excited as I am for the what's to come!
If you'd like to stay up to date through smaller and more frequent updates, consider following Crunch Element on Twitter.
- Blake
Claymores, shields, and AI improvements!
Hello everyone!
Your feedback has been super valuable throughout the whole process so thank you! Quite a bit has been added over the past few weeks including a riot shield, claymores, AI improvements, and much more! Check it out now on the default branch. For specific bug reports and feature requests, please use the feedback board here.
Features
- Added Claymore mines - Added riot shield - Added enemy ambient barks - Added chance for hostile claymores to spawn - Added credits in hideout - Increased enemy awareness to player footsteps - Updated enemies so that they hear player footsteps when close - Updated enemy corpses to stay - Added new enemy headshot sound - Added new enemy hit sound - Updated claymores to explode when damaged - Added a select fire switch to AK-20, MK18D, ISR-556, and MPZ (activate with left dpad or double tap detonate on Oculus) - Added bolt release for slide-lock weapons - Updated enemies idle aim direction to guard doorways and dangerous angles
Fixes
- Made enemies less janky when dying - Fix issue with leg shots not doing damage due to collider positioning - Updated team death sequence to restart the mission instead of automatically returning to hideout - Made the ammo easier to grab - Fixed issue with the wrong ammo type being grabbed after holding two weapons - Fixed issue with the 40mm round occasionally going through barricades - Fixed issue where enemies would die when they melee attack - Fixed issue with enemies looking in the wrong direction after breaching - Fixed sync issue where explosions caused by 40mm grenades wouldn't breach exterior walls for everyone - Fixed issue where players would receive additional damage in coop games
High Level Roadmap
Interaction update This will introduce a new high fidelity interaction system that will resolve many symptomatic bugs, and make it easier to add interaction-based features like item stacking and distance grab.
Procedural mission update This will introduce procedurally generated terrain, new area types, and new game modes.
Weapon update This will introduce weapon attachments along with two new weapons.
Bug fixes, performance, and quality of life updates will continue to be rolled out along the way. There are also plenty of smaller roadmap items like enemy AI, progression, and more that will be getting done as well. I appreciate your patience and I hope you're just excited as I am for the future!
- Blake
Want to get more engaged with the Crunch Element community? You are more than welcome over at the Crunch Element Discord Server. See you there!
Enemy breaching, barricade rework, and a new explosive item!
Hello everyone!
Things have been busy as the most pressing roadmap items were being tackled. Enjoy this new update which includes many fixes, but also some exciting additions such as enemy breaching, the new impact grenade, and more! Check it out now on the default branch.
Features
- Added the new impact grenade! This is the perfect sidekick for swiftly busting through barricades and interior walls - Reworked the barricades and added door barricades! Barricades are much more polished and sync properly over the network - Enemies now breach through barricaded doors! Thing twice before you activate the objective...
Fixes
- Reworked how destruction is handled over network - Fixed issue with enemies grouping up and meleeing - Updated truck rotation to be level so that the play area is never tilted - Increased door frame height - Updated hand poses on grenades to feel more natural - Balanced grenade launcher and impact grenade destruction to keep exterior walls intact, making smaller killholes - Fixed issue with the SteamVR overlay pausing the game and causing sync problems - Fixed issue with alt-tab causing sync problems
Want to get more engaged with the Crunch Element community? You are more than welcome over at the Crunch Element Discord Server. See you there!
The Crunch Element Discord has been updated!
Hello everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that the Discord got a complete overhaul! Come drop in to participate in giveaways, give feedback, squad up with teammates or receive help on a problem! Hope to see you there!
https://discordapp.com/invite/vutD5y4
First week update recap!
Hello everyone!
It's been just over a week since the initial early access release, and I'd love to take the time to go over the changes that have been made so far. I'd also like to thank everyone who has been giving quality feedback on the feedback board. Your feedback has been instrumental in making sure the right tasks are being worked on, and I appreciate your patience as I tackle the most pressing items while still keeping things exciting and on-target in accordance with the early access roadmap. Most of the changes so far address the most common feedback which is performance, gameplay, and quality of life (settings). Performance has been significantly increased and will be constantly improving down the line.
Performance Updates
Average CPU frame time in compounds has been reduced by 25%! This breakthrough now allows huge compounds to be made with little performance hit, making the new CPU bottleneck the number of active enemies. Comparative GPU optimizations have also been made by means of GPU instancing, static batching, and distance-activated realtime lights.
Gameplay
As stated in the roadmap devlog, intensifying the attacking/defending moments is critical to enabling exciting and memorable gameplay. This week, enemies now hold their ground on defense and spawn based on the objective's location. Most of the future updates will be dealing with further improving the enemies and their role as defenders.
Quality of life
Quite a few QoL updates have been push out and many more are on the way! Thank you for your patience as I do my best to implement these requests in the best way possible.
Change List since 12/19
Features
- Updated recoil on all weapons! - Replaced fence with breachable border walls - Added randomized truck spawn - Increased the size of compounds - Implemented enemy crouching and more defense-oriented behavior
Quality of life/Polish
- Added help text in sandbox next to monitors - Added music toggle and volume control - Removed auto eject when placing magazines in a gun that already has a mag - Added ghost sights to PPK - Added world boundary that teleports player back to map if they fall off - Updated snap turning to rotate around HDM instead of play area (fixed issue with snapping through walls) - Updated player to automatically step over debris so jumping is no longer needed to enter a breach - Updated pose on rifles to reduce front hand angle - Updated enemy ragdoll to be less agressive on death - Updated enemy spawn points to be closer to objective
Fixes
- Fixed issue with spawning in with two right hands - Fixed issue with menu not being usable on spectate - Fixed issue with aks spawning in corner of compound - Fixed issue with lag spike when joining mid game - Fixed UI issue with room listings not being masked - Fixed issue with magazine being detached from hand if reloading too quickly - Fixed issue with failing to spawn in procedural after playing sandbox - Fixed issue that made the objective countdown run faster the more players there were - Fixed issue with magazines not being able to be grabbed after holstered - Significantly improved performance of destruction + combat - GPU performance optimizations
Want to get more engaged with the Crunch Element community? You are more than welcome over at the Crunch Element Discord Server. See you there!
The Crunch Element early access roadmap is here! (+ more fixes)
[previewyoutube="J_npwRKTDuc;full"]
In this video, I'll be going over the roadmap for early access in great detail. Grab some snacks and buckle up, this is a long one. Believe me, your feedback has been HEARD and I'm doing everything humanly possible to get it done. As I state in the video, the priority is on fixes + quality of life updates for the next couple weeks.
Some critical fixes have also been pushed up and are now on the default branch - Fixed issue with occasional spawning with two bodies in proc gen - Fixed issues with menus not working as a spectator
There are plenty more updates coming this week so stay tuned! For specific concerns regarding issues + suggestions, please create a post at https://crunchelement.nolt.io/
Crunch Element is now available on Early Access!
Crunch Element is now out on early access! An incredible milestone for the project and the start of an exciting hands-on journey with the VR community! I've been working around the clock on some of the most pressing fixes in this hotfix update.
Below are the changes in the update: - Added help hints to the sandbox for easier instruction - Fixed lag issue that occured when joining mid game - Fixed issue with objects spawning when joining in-progress - Added music toggle + volume control - Fixed issue with room listing items being displayed
After fixing a few minor bugs, the priorities for the next few weeks will be as follows: - Rework barricades to sync better over network and be more satisfying to destroy - Improve enemy AI behavior + positioning - Update interaction to be easier + more forgiving - General optimization
I appreciate your patience as I prioritize issues and plan out the roadmap going forward. Your feedback has been critical in improving the game, so keep it up!
Please submit bug reports to https://crunchelement.nolt.io/ to keep all information centralized so other people can add to it + I can easily check what the most pressing issues are. For back and forth Discussion about the game and the perfect place to find squamates, you are welcome over at the Crunch Element Discord
Stay tuned for more updates!
The experimental branch is here!
Calling all testers! It's your time to shine
There are two core initiatives in making Crunch Element the best it can be: getting quicker feedback and storing feedback in an organized way.
Live updates straight from the development server
Squashing the iteration cycle time is critical in making a game that players enjoy in the end, and a game that "just feels right" in every respect.
The feedback iteration cycle is the process of going from code/art -> playable Steam build -> tester feedback -> code/art (based on feedback). The faster this cycle takes place, the more Crunch Element improves and the more time is spent on effective development. In the last few days, a new solution has been set up to convert this process which used to be done by hand and take a good portion of a day, to a process that requires less than 60 seconds of developer time and moves project files to a playable steam update in about 30 minutes.
This means that testers will receive a constant stream of updates from the development server if they are on the 'experimental' branch on Steam (read how to access it below). In the Discord server, Crunch Element's trusty bot Changelogger will be jotting down the latest patch notes in the #changelog channel so testers never miss an update. By the time you read it there, a new update will already be going through the Steam pipes (if you are on the experimental branch).
A centralized place for bug reports and suggestions
There is now a centralized place for feedback and bug reports! Please direct all suggestions, bug reports, and ideas to the official Crunch Element Nolt board! You can vote on suggestions and have discussion within posts. This will allow greater visibility for in-demand features and common bugs that surface. You will also be able to easily see the status of an idea if it's ever planned and implemented!
How to get access
To access the experimental branch, right click on Crunch Element in your Steam library (if you have testing access), go to 'properties' -> 'betas' Then select the 'experimental' branch which will then download. The default branch will periodically update with stable versions from the experimental branch. If you would much rather prefer to play on the latest stable version rather than testing the absolute latest version, it is recommended to stay on the default branch.
Explosive Destruction Showcase!
The explosives showcase is here! Destruction is now much more realistic, visceral, and of course... crunchy. Some feedback has been implemented from comments on the bullet destruction showcase, so wall debris is more realistic (although that is not the main design goal). All explosives affect the environment based on parameters such as radius, intensity, and falloff, as well as the types of materials damaged from the explosion.
We are one step closer to getting this new version into the hands of testers! All that remains is tweaking the enemy system to get everything integrated with all of the new stuff that's been added. Once that's done, I will be making an announcement about accessing the latest build via a beta branch for testers. This build will contain a simplified but "complete" single player game loop where all feedback will be welcome and considered on core mechanics.
For a more detailed look, check out the latest devlog below! [previewyoutube="AMmfkpaWffA;full"]
