Hey everyone! Today's the day. The Radical Update is now live on Steam!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4jhRr3We_c
We've decided to release our latest batch of experiments on the default branch for everyone to check out! In short, The Radical Update (build 5450) includes:
Fully implemented v1 of the trick announcer (like in Nitronic Rush)
Completely reworked Stunt mode
One new Stunt level (Neon Park)
Two new Challenge levels (Red Heat, Disassembly Line)
22 Steam Achievements
New editor features like an animator component, force zones, etc.
Workshop level data is now cached (no more long update on startup)
Main menu usability improvements
And more listed below...
As promised below is the full changelog for this build. If you follow the experimental branch I also created a proper thread to reflect the latest changes. If you have feedback for this update that's probably the best place to post it: http://steamcommunity.com/app/233610/discussions/4/2592234299529027091/
THE RADICAL UPDATE: Build 5450
GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS
Fully implemented v1 of the trick announcer (like in Nitronic Rush)
Triumphiantly announces says what trick you performed (Barrel Roll, Back Flip, Wall Ride, etc.)
Praises you with random celebratory phrases for performing a "Freestyle" trick
Makes fun of you with a random failure phrases upon car explosion
Also announces the end of Stunt matches, checkpoints, etc.
Completely reworked Stunt mode
Added the ability to perform and discover specific tricks by repeating specific combinations of flips
Added eV multiplier system to create more dynamic gameplay. Gain multipliers by performing specific tricks, Freestyle tricks, or by collecting x2, x3, and x4 multiplier orbs in the level
Updated all stunt levels with multiplier orbs
Updated medal point amounts and difficulty labels for all stunt levels
Added a notification when a new trick is discovered
Added bonus for clean landings and penalty for sloppy landings
Reorganized ordering and display of trick text (points, clean/sloppy tricks, cool down, etc.)
Adjusted priority of various trick texts so when landing a trick the text is more visible
Added sound effects for collecting multiplier orbs, gaining a combo multiplier, losing your combo multiplier, etc.
Scaled up eV amounts across the board
Improved how the eV printout fits on the car screen
Added multiple spawn locations to each Stunt and Reverse Tag level
Added three new levels
Added Stunt level "Neon Park"
Added Challenge levels "Red Heat" and "Disassembly Line" (added as examples for the new animation system)
Added 22 new Steam Achievements
Added new achievements with new art for each one
See them here: http://steamcommunity.com/stats/233610/achievements
Improved Workshop content downloading/updating
Workshop level details are now being cached, saved, and loaded to remove the long Steam loading times from game startup
Now instead it automatically updates each level when playing it
Since we're caching the data in a new way, existing players must let Distance perform one big update on start to collect missing data
Fixed issue where Workshop updating would keep attempting to download files with "Access Denied" error
Improved custom music support
Custom music now supports sub-directories when choosing a path
Custom music "Shuffle" now behaves more predictably when moving through your music collection
Added reflection self-occlusion effect to car
Added animation for back lights in menus
Added "Show Trick Text" option to General options which allows you show/hide the car's trick text
Added "Detailed Lighting" graphics option which enables/disables lights marked as "Detailed" in the editor
Updated Reverse Tag arrow to improve clarity
Updated jump effect on car
Updated EmpireLogoFan to be actually circular
Improved overall track Wrong Way generation (fixes a few Workshop levels)
Improved player name visibility by limiting it to only 3 being visible at a time
After finishing an online match you're now prompted to rate Workshop levels
Disabled adding skidmarks on moving objects
Removed jump effect from ghost cars
Teleports can now teleport to themselves
Soccer and Speed and Style modes have been removed from the game. They may return if we have time to improve them, but the moment quality-wise they don't meet the minimum standard we aim to achieve
Removed Refraction from Stunt, and removed Space Skate and Stunt Playground from Reverse Tag since those levels just didn't make sense in those modes
MENU IMPROVEMENTS
Adjusted main menu and level select menu elements to make a better use of the space
Added Overall Completion stats to Global Stats
Added "new" status markers in the main menu (helps to discover downloaded and unlocked content)
Added Workshop sub-menu with options to Visit Workshop, Download New, Update All, and Unsubscribe All
Added info about Workshop votes in level select menu
Added social buttons to main menu
Improved mode descriptions in the main menu
Improved visuals of subscription checkmark in main menu workshop highlight items
Tightened up the positioning of the Workshop Highlight and News feed
Several little tweaks to workshop highlight and news items menu visuals (highlight colors, etc.)
Adventure mode now has a simple level select like Arcade modes
Moved Multiplayer to its own category in the main menu
Shunk down build number info in upper right corner
[Level Select Menu] Improved double click support
[Level Select Menu] If "View Replay" or "Race Ghosts" is clicked, and no replays are checked, the currently highlighted replay will be picked
[Level Select Menu] Added ability to select and watch local and online replays simultaneously
LEVEL EDITOR
Added "Animator" component which can be added to most objects in the game. This allows for animation of translation, rotation, and scale of any object that supports it. Add it using the "Add Component" menu at the bottom of the Properties tab.
Added "ExampleLevels/animator examples.bytes" which demonstrates a few ways to use the Animator component
Added "red heat.bytes" and "disassembly line.bytes" as additional examples of what's possible using Animators
Added "Golden Animator" component which animates Golden Simple textures
Added support for Event Listener to trigger Animators. Add it using the "Add Component" menu at the bottom of the Properties tab
Added support for using Event Listener to trigger particles, Just make sure to have "OneShot" enabled on particles
Added ability to expand and collapse components in the Properties Tab
Collapsing components now hides their debug draw
Added animated lines to show connections with events and teleports
Added ability to copy and paste component values
Added "ArenaCarSpawners" object
These can be placed in the level editor like the normal LevelEditorCarSpawner
In Stunt mode cars will reset at the closest spawner that they blew up near
In Reverse Tag mode cars will reset at a random spawner after they blow up
Added ability to select how child objects of a group are inspected
Added option to Editor Tab to display frame rate while testing the level
Added ForceZone: A zone capable of simulating wind or gravity for the car
Added tool to move objects from one layer to another (hotkey: L)
Added more light flicker settings to BrightenCarHeadlights
Added InvisibleSpline for animation paths or fixing track wrong way troubles
Added new object "EmpireSpineGate002", a wingless version of the original
Added popup to the level editor to inform level creators if their levels have invalid file names on saving
Added hemisphere simple
Added checks to prevent duplicating or grouping the LevelEditorCarSpawner
Added new object "EmpireGas_Pipe05", which turns 45 degrees
Added ability to animate groups
Level preview image is now super-sampled, resulting in a crisper image
Numeric Field: Can use 'r' to insert a random value between 0 and 1
Numeric Field: Can use 'R' to insert a random value between -1 and 1
Numeric Field: Can use 'i' to insert a number representing the order this object was selected
Adjusted colors of some light prefabs so the default color is white
With more than 10 unique events, the properties window will use a special selection with scroll and search
Can now group a single object
Refactored the Pulse component (previously named PulseAll)
Can now choose to pulse materials, lights, and/or particles
Added Interval option for fading in/out at a certain frequency
Improved interface in the level editor. Certain values are now only adjustable when applicable
Can now copy component values when multiple are selected
Checkpoint spawn position is affected by animation
Level Editor: Added cap to max components inspected to prevent massive slowdown
Improved the naming convention on file names to avoid issues with invalid names on future Workshop Levels
Moved KillGrids into a folder
TurnLightOnNearCar now supports EventTriggers/EventListeners
Lights can now be flagged as a "Detailed Light" in the editor via the Light component
Removed "Toggle Skybox Display" tool in level editor
Improved naming of child objects in property tab
Teleport Entrance can now be removed from track calculation
BUG FIXES
Fixed bug where reflections could break on alt-tab
Fixed linear cost to Golden simples, and all other objects that have reflections
Fixed issues on several prefabs that weren't reflecting cubemaps properly
Fixed bugs with World Text font getting jumbled or not using the right color in Arcade
Fixed bug where car laser cuts were dim in VR
Fixed bug with TurnLightOnNearCar where sometimes objects without that component would be affected by other objects with that component leading to weird color setting on some objects in levels
Fixed bug where objects like VirusShardGiant_Static would play popup sound when boosting past
Fixed several internal errors which may improve multiplayer stability
Fixed bug where older Workshop levels would be missing roads
Fixed bug where Trick Count in the end-of-match stats screen would display as a time
Fixed bug where upon the window gaining focus Pulse would stop working
Fixed bug where pulsing lights wouldn't work if you were not using a PulseCore with it
[Level Editor] Fixed potential bugs that could arise when working with objects that were in an invisible layer in the level editor (the subdivide tool on roads that were invisible would break, that's fixed now for example)
[Level Editor] Fixed issues with copy/paste on materials in inspector
[Level Editor] Fixed possible Hang when testing a level.
[Level Editor] Fixed bug where ghost replays could spawn when testing a level
[Level Editor] Fixed bug in level editor where centerpoints and light icons would appear when making groups when the setting for them is off
[Level Editor] Fixed bug where track pieces in Groups could cause levels to not load properly if the track piece was removed from the game (only affects levels created with older builds)
[Level Editor] Fixed weirdness when entering the level editor from the pause menu in play test mode
[Animator] Fixed some incorrect positions when following a track
[Animator] Fixed bug where changing animator values while testing could change positions of connected tracks
[Animator] Fixed bug where physics and graphics could glitch when resetting an animation
[Animator] Fixed debug draw when grouped
[Animator] Fixed bug where fast animations wouldn't end in correct spot
- Jordan (
Saturday Twitch Stream, Exp. Build 5389
Hey everyone! This Saturday during Speedy Saturday (11am PT / 2pm ET / 8pm CEST) we're doing a special Twitch stream to celebrate Distance's Workshop hitting 2,000 published levels! We'll play/discuss some of the Workshop's oldest levels, then take on some of the most recent uploads. See you on Saturday!
Special Twitch Stream: 2,000 Workshop Levels!
Time: Sat. June 10th, 2017 (11am PT / 2pm ET / 8pm CEST)
Place: http://twitch.tv/refractstudios
EXPERIMENTAL BUILD 5389
Our collective focus over the past couple months has been on Adventure mode (and some other secret stuff). We had to take a break from experimental updates for a bit, but now that MomoCon is over we're getting back into the "Arcade" groove. Today we're releasing experimental build 5389 which features several a wide array of improvements. Check out the changelog on the forums for more details.
As Adventure mode development has accelerated forward it's been challenging to publicly discuss what we've been cooking up. We've been continually refining the visual cohesiveness of Adventure mode, how new mechanics are taught, and the overarching pacing story-wise.
A couple weeks ago we travelled to Atlanta, Georgia to take part in MomoCon which was an adventure of its own. Refract was given booth space since we were finalists in MomoCon's indie awards, and we figured why not give it a shot. We demoed a completely new demo, and the response to the new content was resoundingly positive.
On top of that we were even selected as one of the 5 winners in the MomoCon Indie Awards ceremony! Check out Mike Fahey (Kotaku) talking about the game and collecting the award here: https://twitch.tv/videos/147697061?t=20m25s
While MomoCon was a solid "marketing" event for us, I think the playtesting side of it was actually the most productive part. We still could a do a bit better in terms of teaching new players mechanics (which is half of the point of Adventure mode), but I'd say that our latest experiments certainly demonstrated an improvement. Somewhat ironically as we add more detail and intention to the environments, we're distracting the player from the task at hand. Finding that balance between gameplay and story is probably the trickiest part of creating Adventure mode. Testing with fresh players really is the best way to ensure we're riding the line as best as possible.
Thanks to all of the Distance and Nitronic Rush players that came over to say hi and chat! We had a lot of fun. Now it's back to the lab to evaluate the latest round of feedback.
June Workshop Highlight
You might have noticed that before MomoCon I updated the Workshop Highlight feature a specific creator, fzeroman. Moving forward I'd like to continue this trend with a wide variety of creators who have put out several great levels.
For today I've switched back to a more traditional highlight, but if you have a specific creator you think should be highlighted in the future please let me know in the comments below! Here are this week's highlighted levels:
EDIT: This was a joke for April Fools. Glad many of you got a kick out of our shenanigans ːsteamhappyː
In light of recent feedback from the community, we've decided to take Adventure mode in a radically new direction. We're calling it The Travels of Distance, and it's a completely fresh and original way to experience survival racing. With your sword and shield equipped, explore the world in any way you see fit. You can climb anything, go anywhere, and smash all the pots you like!
Today we're enabling you to preview The Travels of Distance in our latest experimental release (build 5250). Check out these GIFs for a closer look, and let us know what you think of experimental build 5250 after reading the changelog on the Steam forums!
Exp. Build 5221, March Devlog
Hey everyone! It's been a wild month balancing Adventure mode, Arcade mode, PAX East, and everything in between. Today I can finally unveil what we've been creating in the Arcade mode branch of development via Experimental Build 5221!
STUNT MODE REVAMP
Stunt mode has needed some serious love since the initial release on early access. We figured that we either needed to improve the mode dramatically, or cut it entirely. This experimental build features a wide variety of changes to the mode and trick detection in general. Instead of describing the changes we made in great detail, we figured it was better to see how much of it comes through if we don't explain anything. If you're not picking up on the changes then one way or another we probably need to make things more clear or intuitive.
Kristian and Brent (a.k.a. Krispy and Ashamael) took a short break from Adventure mode work to design and decorate an entirely new level for Stunt called Neon Park! I highly recommend checking it out for the best experience when playing the new mode.
I've also thrown in an early version of the Distance stunt announcer. To be honest I'm not entirely satisfied with the direction thus far, though I figured it was better to have some version in rather than nothing for this first experimental build. I'm very curious what others think of this version and I do hope to continue iterating on the feel and implementation of the new voice.
THE ANIMATOR COMPONENT
The other major feature we're including in this update is the Animator component! Just how Golden Simples and Particles dramatically changed how level creators decorate their levels, the Animator is another level of power, enabling motion in your levels. It allows most objects in the game to moved, rotated, or scaled through a variety of animation settings.
On top of that we've connected the Animator to a new trigger system to allow for things like doors or whatever you can imagine. Check out ExampleLevels/animator examples.bytes in the level editor to see a few examples.
For the full changelog and to share feedback, check out the latest experimental branch Steam forum thread:
As I mentioned previously, development this month has really been all over the place. For the most part I've been working with the newly formed "Adventure Crew" (Kristian, Brent, and Galen) to ensure they have what they need to iterate on Adventure mode. That includes quite a few bug fixes and revamps to existing editor tools and objects. Aside from tools, my focus has been largely on production planning and providing creative direction for the story. It's been quite refreshing to take a step back from level design, be continually presented with new level content, and focus on how the pieces all fit together.
Kyle has been largely focused on Stunt mode, figuring out how to simultaneously make the mode more engaging for new players and complex for experienced ones. He started by taking some old Stunt gameplay experiments of mine and heavily refined them until he ended up with the system we have today. It's the classic challenge of creating a mode that's both intuitive and complex. We're very excited to read what others think of the progress so far.
While Jason had been bouncing between various projects over the past couple months, he ended up zeroing in on the Animator component after Kristian provided a concrete outline of would be expected in that feature. In an impressively short amount of time he's added a lot of complexity to the component, and I feel like we've barely scratched the surface in using it ourselves. Not only can you create just about any obstacle using golden simples, Jason revamped our trigger system to allow for all sorts of interesting behavior. As with any new editor feature I can't wait to see how creators push it to the extreme.
As a sort of middle-of-the-month milestone Ellie and I travelled to Boston for PAX East. Once again we were a bit ambitious with the booth design, mostly in that we had to get so many wires and LEDs to the venue and somehow assemble them. Andrew as usual did an amazing job setting everything up, and then it was down to me and Ellie to figure out how to actually put it all together. In the end it an intense amount of work to pull everything together, but I was really happy the final product.
(mockup of the booth made in Distance's level editor)
(the actual booth at PAX East)
For this expo we did something different and attempted to show the new Stunt changes, partially just for playtesting, but also to show press the latest changes to the game. Kyle did an amazing job pulling together everything tech-wise we needed for the demo build that week, and Kristian and Brent did a great job finishing a version of Neon Park to show off.
We met with a truly surprisingly number of existing Distance players, introduced the game to plenty of new players, chatted with the press, and even organized a few tournaments. It was a fun weekend overall. Finally, a super special thanks to Trace Evans who was incredibly generous and helped out at the booth during a huge chunk of the weekend. Our success at PAX certainly wouldn't have been the same without his help!
All month long the Adventure Crew have been developing massive improvements to Adventure mode, both in story and gameplay. As usual I can't yet reveal exactly what they've been adding and changing, but I can say that they're doing an excellent job of making the publicly available Adventure mode feel like an ancient relic.
(thanks to all of the DigiPen testers that played and gave great feedback!)
This past weekend we were offered the ability to playtest at DigiPen during their Spring LAN party so we used that milestone to clean up the campaign as best as we could. We crunched like crazy to pull all of the new pieces together, and it was fantastic seeing how the package is coming together. We learned quite a bit about what weaknesses exist in the campaign. Moving forward we need to cut a bit deeper to hit our story goals, but fortunately it seems that new players are finding plenty to enjoy in the current experience.
The rest of the team have been hard at work with secret projects, so there's plenty of cool stuff in the pipeline to be announced. We can't wait to see what everyone thinks of the latest stuff on the experimental branch. If you check out today's build let us know what you think via the Steam forum thread!
Ellie and I will be heading out to Boston for PAX East next week! We’ll be showcasing a preview of our upcoming beta update at Booth #23131. This update features big changes/additions to Arcade gameplay including improvements to Stunt mode, a first version of the announcer, Steam achievements, and a few other surprises!
Of course it wouldn’t be a Refract booth without some ridiculous over-the-top booth lighting. See above for a mockup of the booth I created using Distance’s level editor. I’ll also be posting previews of the lighting tech on Twitter leading up to PAX.
It’ll just be me and Ellie at this year’s expo, so if possible we’re looking for volunteers to help run the booth. If you’re passionate about Distance and are interested in volunteering some time in exchange for expo access, please contact us at ellie@refract.com.
NEW TEAM MEMBERS
Today I’m excited to announce that Refract has added three new developers to our team! Please join me in welcoming Brent Potter, Galen Heninger, and Kristian Larsen to Distance’s development!
If you’ve been keeping up to date with the Distance community you might know them better as Ashamael, snowstate, and Krispy. They’ve contributed greatly to Distance’s community over the years (on top of creating some incredible level content). We’re excited to now bring them behind the curtain to help complete Distance’s Adventure mode.
(check out Forsaken Shrine for a collaboration between all three creators)
While I can’t yet show the content they’ve been creating for Adventure mode, I recommend checking out their previous works on Steam Workshop. Trust me when I say that the new stuff they’re creating for Adventure mode will be worth the wait.
If you’ll be at PAX East we hope to see you at Booth #23131! Watch out on Steam for news about upcoming experimental builds. Otherwise stay tuned for more info about our upcoming major update!
Hey everyone! Want to put your Distance skills to the ultimate test? Tomorrow (Saturday Feb. 18th) the community is holding another tag tournament! Starts 11am PT during the normal Speedy Saturday timeslot.
Check out a preview of Ashamael's new tag level created specifically for this event:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=866881502
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Use the community Discord to sign up. Simply enter the #tournament_sign-up channel and voice your interest. More thoughts from the organizers below.
SIGN UP: https://discord.gg/aGXYCBB
Tournament starts at the usual SS time on Saturday, February 18th. We're hoping for at least 16 participants. Stream is here: https://www.twitch.tv/splaysh
- Only sign up if you're sure you can make it
- Please only use this channel to sign up
- Be clear when you sign up (no "maybe", "might make it", etc. )
- We'll close registrations a few hours before the tournament, or earlier if we get too many.
Organizational and technical difficulties are to be expected.
We hope you'll have fun and GL to all the players.
WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHT
I also updated Distance's main menu to highlight 12 new Workshop levels! Some new releases, some older tracks that you might have missed. Check them out!
Hey everyone! At long last I've completed and posted the massive devlog I mentioned previously. If you weren't notified by email, you can still read the entire thing on our website.
This month's devlog includes answers to all of our frequently asked questions (e.g. the launch window, PS4 release) as well as thoughts on Adventure mode, new music, and more. Hope you enjoy!
EDIT (1/7): Removed Christmas features and fixed a couple bugs in build 5081, now available on the default branch. Build 5081 changelog:
Reverted all holiday features (reindeer car decorations, main menu, loading screens, etc.)
Reverted file names and preview images for main menu levels
Renamed "main menu horror.bytes" to "main menu halloween.bytes"
Fixed bug with the Level Editor not allowing updating of a level if you were subscribed to it
Fixed bug where main menu levels weren't being properly tagged on Steam Workshop
Removed VJPoster from game (had broken logic on it and wasn't being used anymore)
Merry Christmas to all celebrating today! I couldn't let this year pass without putting together another holiday-themed patch. Nothing too wild, just a main menu update, reindeer antlers and a red nose decoration for the car, plus a couple requested additions.
Check out the changelog below. We hope you're having a enjoyable and fun filled holiday season!
- Jordan (@torcht for more frequent dev updates)
___________________________________________________________________________
THE CHRISTMAS UPDATE: BUILD 5073
Christmas Features
Added a couple small Christmas decorations on the car (reindeer antlers, red nose, and snow on the screen)
Loading screens once again have been reskinned in a Christmas theme
The default main menu has been changed to the Christmas main menu
Added General settings option to enable/disable Christmas decorations
General Improvements
Added "Shuffle Levels" option in the General options
Shuffles both playlists and regular level selection
Playlist shuffle picks random levels from a set as expected, regular level selection loads the selected level first and subsequent levels will be randomized
Checkbox is in a temporary location, will likely be moved to level select menu
Added Main Menu level tag in the Level Editor and modified Garage level selection to only show main menu levels
Slightly improved the visuals of "Main Menu (Christmas)" and "Main Menu (Horror)"
Added "Main Menu (Traditional)" in case you want to move back to the old main menu
As 2016 draws to a close, the Distance community is celebrating the completion of another successful Distance Advent Calendar! The third iteration of this annual Distance tradition is inarguably the most impressive one yet, and I think all the participants will agree it's been a blast. We hope you've enjoyed the festivities as much as we have!
Skirmisher: Traditionally, fzeroman has been very good at building levels that evoke a sort of PSX/Dreamcast vibe, graphically speaking. Here, he's tried his hand at a Sonic Adventure 2 level straight out of that era, and it fits Distance like a glove, while retaining its Dreamcast nostalgia. If his rendition of Scrap Brain Zone was the Distance equivalent of a Sonic Generations remake, Radical Highway is almost a straight-up port as far as the looks go!
Siddey10: This level sees players put behind the wheel of a mouse-sized Refractor. Race along the narrow toy roads, through a vent and into the attic. Watch out though, as normally small insignificant objects become a very real threat at this size!
Plasmawario: Automobile Annihilator is a track that differs from fzeroman's usual designs. Much like Car Crusher, it is purely a destructive and merciless track that is certainly not for the faint-hearted! While it is almost absent in aesthetics, its abundant use of obstacles and advanced transfer/maneuver techniques makes it quite unsuitable for beginners, but it should offer a nice exercise for the more veteran/experienced players out there. If you’re looking to test your skills and/or just want to torture yourself for a bit for whatever reason, then this track will suit you nicely.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
To mix things up a bit on this, the 24th of December, we thought we'd gather up a few folks who took part in the 2016 Distance Advent Calendar and see what thoughts they had on the whole thing.
I participated in the DAC last year with Pathogen. Looking back, I would put my best effort on the new simples if the Creativity update came out earlier. But all good things requires more time. I decided to challenge myself by making 2 levels this year but I got too lazy that I finished the two levels just before it was due. I did put my best efforts on it and it paid off with Natural Gift as it was well received in the community. I may be too burnt out to continue work on levels for a while, but when the annual DAC event comes around every year, I would love to contribute again. It’s a good event and you should participate in it every year to show that you love this game.
Being able to participate in DAC, for the first time, this year was indeed an honor. Watching as all these truly outstanding tracks being uploaded by amazing/talented people daily, and even forging a track myself, was an exciting yet semi-stressful experience. Being able to witness some of my top-favorite track creators upload masterpieces sort of intimidated me a little. Nonetheless what came up certainly baffled me across multiple levels. On top of that, I'd also like to take the time to compliment the Tag Tournament. As it was the first one I was around for, the fight for victory was, needless to say, adrenaline-pumping and truly a battle-of-the-ages. The tag arena itself was grand and clearly showed that it had heart and soul poured into it. To wrap it all up I am blessed for being apart of this outstanding community. I look forward to next year's DAC and Tag Tournament as well as any future events that may take place.
Being a part of DAC this year was a blast. It was certainly fun work on a level for you guys to enjoy, and battle for that top time. I’d certainly suggest going and playing PPPaul’s level Particular Journey though if you haven’t already done so. That track has inspired me to work more on learning the particle system for future creations.
I’d also like once again to thank those who worked on the tag arena (Tournament 2016 Neo) for the tournament. It was an amazing arena to battle on, and I certainly can’t wait to see what they have planned for the future.
This was the first DAC I’ve been around for, and it was a pretty awesome first one to be around for! The tag tournament was loads of fun, and extremely well put together. There were so many amazing tracks created by the community, and I made my first track ever to try to help out. It was a lot of fun! Though making a track can also be pretty stressful. But I think all my hard work was worth it in the end for the masterpiece, if I do say so myself, Lamp Realm! (timawesomeness approved.)
In all seriousness though, thank you all for making my first DAC a great one! I hope there will be many more just as great as this one.
(p.s. Lamp Realm wasn’t actually my DAC track)
I started playing Distance shortly before last DAC, and lacked the level editor experience to actually participate. I’m glad that this year I was actually able to be a part of it and put something out. Although I didn’t contribute much in terms of levels, Widening Transfers being the only thing, I have always managed to help others by testing their levels. I am glad I was able to contribute to DAC this way and make it all the more memorable by helping to improve others' maps.
Working on the calendar this year has been extra special for me. My Christmas this year has involved vacation planning and being all over the place. And that's why. Because even in my absence and lack of publishable levels, the calendar has pretty much run itself. Through the very passionate community. This event has become tradition. And as someone who has stuck around for a while. And as the founder of DAC. That's all I could ever hope for from the Distance community. Stay awesome people! Stay awesome Distance.
Skirmisher(oops, I didn't release anything this year...yet)
This year has been a wild ride for me in general, but the Distance community has been a constant throughout it, and DAC was a great reminder of the community's continued presence. I had to take care of DigiPen final projects and exams during the event, but I squeezed in a good amount of time for Distance stuff, and I had a blast writing cool things about DAC levels in my post a couple weeks back. Speaking of which, there were so many cool levels this year!!! I continue to be blown away by all the creative minds at work uploading things to the Workshop. Last but not least, shoutouts to Refract for saving the day with the emergency tag tournament build, and for completing what seemed like an impossible task by publishing the Ghost Update :D I'm very happy that this December has gone so well for Distance!
'TIL NEXT TIME...?
That's pretty much all of Distance Advent Calendar for this year! I say pretty much, because I believe there will be a couple presents waiting come Christmas morning...
As far as future plans, the tag tournament will definitely become a more frequent thing (again...). I can't make any promises yet (the resident tournament planners Krispy and Splaysh are busy with holiday things), but the best case is that we get another one in a couple months! We'll see.
To keep in touch with the community, join the Discord server! Every Saturday at 11 AM PST, we have a little thing called Speedy Saturday that's basically a free-for-all 2-hour multiplayer session. Drop by sometime!
That's all of the community correspondence you'll get on here this year. Keep an eye out for the Distance devlog that Jordan's been working on at Refract; it should drop any day now! Be the first to know about it by signing up for email updates at survivethedistance.com.
However you're spending it, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the year!
-Will (Skirmisher)
DEVNOTE: This was an incredible month. Equally impressive and inspiring. Thanks again to Skirmisher for wrapping things up so nicely. Those closing thoughts were quite touching. Seeing the community come together creatively is absolutely my favorite part of creating Distance, so I can't think of a better way to end the year. Phenomenal work to everyone involved! -Jordan
Hi all! I hope everyone has been enjoying The Ghost Update. If you're joining us after a bit of a hiatus, welcome back! Obviously the update was a long time coming (and a bit overly ambitious), but seeing the positive reaction to all of the new stuff has been exciting.
After shipping the update, getting the word out, and putting out a couple tiny fires I had to take a couple days to catch my breath. My next project has been to wrap up (and trim down) the stupidly long devlog/newsletter I've been writing. It discusses our thoughts on Distance's release timeline, Adventure mode experimentation, PS4 development, and more. It'll be out as soon as it's ready, but I'm trying to get it out ASAP.
Of course the update is not the only fun thing happening this month. Distance Advent Calendar (DAC) is entering its final few days! Thanks to Krispy, Skirmisher, and Ashamael for writing the last three DAC posts. Now it's my turn to give some thoughts on the latest DAC releases.
Another classic Backgrounds level, employing an incredibly imaginative use of in-game assets to create a hostile, alien environment. A bit brutal gameplay-wise which forces you to slow down quite a bit, but as a side effect it's easier to take in the detailed visuals. I'll be excited to examine of the various sculptures up close in the editor at some point.
A really cool concept and great execution from Phimeek. Instead of remaking a level from F-Zero GX, this level is an attempt to create a snowy environment as the GX designers might have created. Great high-speed gameplay with an intense sense of speed, solid consistent visuals, and the snowy feel is icing on the cake.
To focus on the Ghost Update launch, no level was released on day #17. Quite a magical day for me seeing 7 months of work finally released an official package. Thanks again to everyone that has been cheering us along all year as we took on the ridiculously most ambitious projects in this project yet. It was great to finally celebrate a proper release with everyone.
Impossibility was an escalating nail-biter. Far from the hardest Challenge level I've played, but I did start to sweat as the difficulty continually ratcheted up. Quite a bit more tame in Sprint mode, but once you've got it down optimizing a ~1 min run in Challenge is quite fun.
Super Super overall contained an intriguing idea: fusing high speed flying with a key/unlock puzzle level. The downside of course is that our level editor by doesn't really support puzzle logic, so Backgrounds was forced to be creative. Admittedly I struggled to solve the puzzle myself, but thanks to the replay system I could find a solution. In any case the visuals were mysterious and impressive once again.
Tons of great experimentation to be found here. I loved how the visuals kept changing, keeping you on your toes throughout. I struggled a bit with the narrow/sideless road sections, as well as a few tight, obstacle areas, but the ending made up for any struggle I endured.
Minimalist yet really fast and intense. Great level to race ghosts over and over again to get the perfect time. Hard to beat the sunset feel in a level that constantly flips you around. Gives a great sense of up and down perspective.
I was really caught off guard by the great dynamic city feel in this level. Simple yet extremely effective environmental effects. Also loved the "casual drive" gameplay. Plenty of speed, yet it feels like a Sunday drive at the end of the day. Another great one for a player like me to play again and again versus ghosts.
Keep up with the latest DAC releases on the Workshop! At least one new level daily!
I can't wait to see what few levels get released this week. I challenge you to take on my ghost for each of these levels and see how bad you can crush my times. See you (hopefully) soon with this month's devlog!
