At long last, we're excited to bring The Ghost Update to the default branch! For a quick summary check out the trailer below (and sure to watch all the way through for a surprise!). It features ghost racing, a replay viewer, official HTC Vive support, an increased online player limit, a new stats system, and tons of other improvements!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFv2rA-y4DA
It's been quite an adventure reaching this build. The Ghost Update is easily our most ambitious update so far. Only took 17 experimental builds and 579 revisions to reach it! Thanks to those who braved the experimental branch and gave feedback over the past few months.
(race against your friends' ghosts, times near you, or the global best)
(the replay viewer allows for HUD-less viewing of any leaderboard time)
I'm keeping this post short but sweet for today, but soon I'll be emailing out a much longer devlog discussing The Ghost Update, Adventure mode, and future plans. If you'd like make sure you're not missing out, sign up on our website near the top left:
Although this is a major release, we don't expect everything to work perfectly and we still hope to hear your thoughts! Scroll down for the full changelog. We hope you enjoy all of the latest additions and changes!
- Jordan (@torcht for more frequent dev updates)
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THE GHOST UPDATE: BUILD 5070
New Replay/Ghost System
Added ghost racing
Added option to race against Local, Friends, Global, or Near Me ghosts by default when playing a level in Arcade mode
When using the "Near Me" option, ghosts are now re-downloaded if a new leaderboard place is obtained
Ghosts now fade in after the race start to hide outline during intro
When racing against selected ghosts, your current playthrough won't be added on restart
Added replay viewer
After completing a map in a solo mode, click View Replay to view your run
Switch to any camera view including a free camera (use +, -, 0 to adjust FOV)
Adjust replay speed from 1/16x to 16x
Toggle HUD to show / hide / hide and hide names
Pause, seek forward, or seek backward a few seconds
Click on speed slider to change speed of replays
Click or scrub along the time slider to jump to a point in the replay
Added blink effect when skipping time
SFX and music are affected by replay speed
Time and replay progress meter correspond to the replay in focus
Added a system to be able to upload and download replays for Steam global leaderboards
Added ability to view multiple replays or race against multiple ghosts from the leaderboard menu within level select
Changed wording in the level select menu to indicate where Ghosts and Replays can be found, as well as indicate that only your top 20 results are now stored locally
Added listing for ghosts in match results screen (so you can see how you directly compare)
Names of close cars now fade out in spectate and replays, to prevent name overlapping, especially at the start of a replay with multiple cars
Added "Replay" options menus which allows for choosing which ghosts are auto-downloaded, name visibility, whether or not playback speed impacts music, etc.
Gameplay Improvements
Added Arcade level progression system
In Arcade, levels must now be unlocked by earning medals
If you improved your time/score after completing a map a special screen will appear showing how well you did
If you already earned the necessary medals before this update, levels will be auto-unlocked
Added statistics system
We added a system behind the scenes to collect a wide number of stats about your play style
Added a Stats tab in the results screen so you can see the stats from that match
Global accumulated stats are visible in the main menu from the Garage button
Wheels can now be sliced like the rest of the car
Added "Grind" trick which calculates based on scraping without wheels contacting a surface
Updated the way points are displayed on the car in stunt mode, now it is more minimalistic and just displays the number
Updated the way points are displayed everywhere so that commas are displayed in the numbers (1,000 vs 1000) to unify the way they are displayed in the game
When failing a Challenge level, restart is now highlighted by default
Updated StartZone/EndZone Mesh to fix a few holes, and make the physics more closely match the visuals
FOV is now smoothed when changing between camera views
Graphics Improvements
Upgraded the stars in the skybox using real world data from 170,000+ stars
Rewrote Anti-Aliasing. Now there are three options: Off, Fast, and Quality
Anti-aliasing no longer affects stars or the car screen
Enabled fancy noise effect on car death
Removed distortion effect from lightning spawner, since it was causing graphical glitches
VR Improvements
Added initial HTC Vive support
Added a VR options menu, with ability to disable VR, and tweak many parameters for comfort versus immersion
Tweaked third-person camera modes in VR to be more usable. World appears smaller when in 3rd person
Added VR camera reset when the headset is put on
Modified camera shake in VR to be less intense; it can also be disabled
Greatly reduced camera movement on explode when in VR
Greatly reduced brightness of windshield effects when in VR
Camera resetting now persists between levels
Added various VR improvements under the hood
Disabled dirty lens effect when in VR
Disabled realtime-reflections when in VR
Removed Chaperone for SteamVR/Vive
Menu Improvements
Added Garage button in the main menu
Move the setting of car colors from Profile options to here
Added the ability to view Global stats here
Added the ability to set a main menu level per profile
Added Next Level button to the pause menu
Added a Units value to General Options so players can choose between Imperial and Metric units
Improved loading time of main menu
Dramatically improved Level Select Menu load times by rewriting underlying systems
Added ability to toggle Results Screen visibility
Added scrolling to match results
Now the standings text will update itself dynamically while it is displayed instead of it just updating when it first pops up
Made it so when viewing leaderboards in the level select it doesn't place your entry at the top of the list unless you are #1
Improved error text when a Steam Workshop file fails to download
Improved scrolling through global entries in Level Select leaderboard
Page up/down buttons are now disabled when not usable in the Level Select menu
Added input action in Controls menu for toggling results and replay menu visibility
Inverted black colors of Start and Select button prompt text
Refactored level loading so that Distance can still animate when loading a level
Updated the loading screen with a circular progress bar
Moved options menu so the bottom option isn't so close to the bottom of the screen
Added support for time to be displayed as days (e.g. the stats screen)
Level Editor Improvements
Improved performance of the editor (may see better framerate when editing large levels)
Improved the display names in drop down enum lists for the Level Editor
Improved the algorithm for generating medal times in Level Settings of levels being created in the Level Editor
Added the ability for WorldText to set the font that the text uses
Object centerpoints and names are now displayed correctly in orthographic mode
Updated centerpoints, names, and light icons to improve performance
EmpireBuilding3 now has a correct reflection map
Online Multiplayer Improvements
Max player count for online matches is now 12 players
Cars now all spawn in the same location in online play
Dramatically optimized cars so that many can be shown on screen without a performance drop
Added fade in to network car outlines
KillGrid now supports Net Cars for Online play
Misc. Improvements
Improved medal times on Official Sprint and Challenge levels
The last used spectator camera type is now saved
Slightly optimized level loading times
Added a new system for caching level information to improve initial startup time a bit
Changed min FOV on spectate/replay free cam to 30°
Spectate and track cams no longer have radial blur or chromatic aberation based on car speed
Improved awkward camera when failing a challenge level
Improved awkwardness when there is no player to spectate after finishing
Car colors are now clamped for multiplayer and replays
Added cap for global car sound effects to reduce clutter (i.e. only 6 of any car sound effect like boost, jump, jets, etc. can be heard at once)
Reduced memory leak in Logitech code for input
Reduced both CPU and GPU memory footprint
Updated Steam backend API to Steamworks.NET
Updated to Unity 5.4. This adds a possible optimization on the CPU side, so you might see better framerates
Bugs Fixes
Fixed Gravity Toggle issues in Aftermath
Fixed situation where car would sometimes get stuck halfway through the road
Fixed bug where particles could disable anti-aliasing on pixels they touch
Fixed bug where Linux wouldn't have working pulsing lights in level Negative Space
Fixed bug where cubemap on some golden simples were incorrectly set
Fixed bugs where splitscreen didn't work with Trackmogrify
Fixed bug where Distance was broken in Steam offline mode
Potentially fixed issues with Workshop level Update/Publish
Fixed zFighting on various objects (e.g. EmpireBuildingBlock003)
Fixed capitalization issue with Seed/Level text in Game Lobby
Fixed being able to switch between cars in spectate
Fixed bug where death messages were not being sent to all online players properly
Fixed bugs with trick text fading when doing tricks
Fixed bug where bloom was intense after leaving quarantine zone
Fixed bug where enabling motion blur disabled anti-aliasing
Fixed bug where Reverse Tag bubble collision wouldn't trigger when far away from the host player
Fixed many resource leaks that potentially caused crashes
Fixed bug with lens flares not being visible
Improved the way in which Cubemaps were rendered, which was causing a substantial memory leak
Fixed bug where particles preview didn't work in the level editor
Fixed bug where selecting all/no replays in the leaderboard makes the selected entry unreadable
Fixed bug where real-time reflections on the car looked too bright in many scenarios
Fixed quality issues on NoiseStorm skybox
Fixed bug when toggling the level editor with '~' in the pause menu
Fixed bug where TurnLightOnNearCar component was being affected by scale
Fixed bug where backing out of split-screen options could break the level select menu
Fixed bug where the Community Highlight section of the main menu wouldn't update after subscribing to a level in game
Fixed bug where extruding from a spline node attached to a group within the level editor would corrupt levels by not allowing that functionality
Fixed bug where after scrolling through several levels in the level select menu the Friends leaderboard would seem to lag behind the current selection
Fixed bug where global low pass was enabled after mode finish
Fixed bug where you couldn't hold Esc when connecting to Steam Workshop
Fixed bug where invisible network cars still had visible wheels
Fixed bug where a near network car could glow really bright when going through a checkpoint
Fixed issues with changing tabs in Garage (weird color changes were happening)
Fixed bug where the Steam Workshop update would fail to fully update all levels after a single file had failed
Fixed bug where deleting unsubscribed files after a Steam Workshop update would fail to properly clear all unsubscribed files
Fixed bug where the car's overheat sound could continue playing after exiting a replay
Fixed bug where reflections on car wheels were incorrect
Fixed bug where car reflections broke if shadow settings were changed during gameplay
Fixed bug where the game would cause SFX to low pass when the car screen is glitching out
Fixed bug where various music tracks would have broken MIDI sequencing (lights flashing at wrong time or not at all)
Fixed specific issues with MIDI lighting being incorrect on Mac and Linux for certain songs
Fixed bug where pause menu wouldn't open sometimes after an online match
Fixed bug where restarting a replay from the pause menu would soft lock the game
Fixed bug where anti-aliasing didn't work when motion blur was enabled
Fixed bug where EmpireEndZone wasn't being rendered properly in the Level Editor Library Tab
Tag Tournament Wrapup + DAC Week 2 Roundup!
(the arena used for the tag tournament, revamped)
Another seven levels have been released for the Distance Advent Calendar, which means it's time for another roundup! I've made a few maps for Distance myself, and I'm happy to share my thoughts on the latest tracks released this week. But first, the 2016 Distance Tag Tournament has recently concluded. For those of you who missed it, the vod is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVJh6VxA3ao
If you don't want to spoil the results, go watch the tournament before you keep reading!
Several of the players in the tournament recorded a first-person perspective of them playing, and I've compiled those videos into a handy playlist.
This year's tag tournament had upped production quality, including a new studio and intro scene that made everything flow together really well (when Krispy pressed start at the right time, at least). Thanks to Krispy, Splaysh, Skirmisher, and everyone else who helped organize and upgrade it. Also, special thanks to Refract for pushing out a special emergency build of the game, mid-tournament, to fix the spectator camera for the stream.
Twenty players showed up to compete, and over a hundred watched on the Twitch stream, making the tournament a great success. And after all that competition, only one player was left standing...
JaLK, your new Tag King and Tag Tournament 2016 champion!
After showing off his skill throughout the first two matches, an intense and highly competitive final match left PPPaul in possession of the bubble with only two seconds left on his clock. But JaLK's epic, last-minute steal won what was probably one of the closest games of reverse tag of all time.
Thanks to everyone who participated, and we hope to see you soon for more competitions--there's a rumor that tag tournaments might soon become more than just a yearly thing!
I don't want to give spoilers, but what PPPaul's done with this level is nothing short of magical. PPPaul's mastery of the level editor is obvious, and he's made some things in here that even the developers didn't think were possible. Particular Journey takes you through a variety of environments, including a glowing rainbow-neon forest, a lava lake, a forested hillside, and several others. Each is totally different than the last, offering new challenges and new decorations to be amazed by.
Wither is Jay2a's second addition to DAC, and it's quite a challenging one. Killgrids-as-obstacles is an idea that hasn't been explored before this track, and while it's an interesting one, they are certainly not easy to avoid. Some trial and error may be required, since the killgrids only appear when you get fairly close to them. Wither's visuals are within the standard Distance style, but the eyecatching red-and-white aesthetic gives this level its own unique feel.
Fzeroman has a penchant for remaking levels of other racing games in Distance, and this time he's made a tribute to Scrap Brain Zone, a level from the 1991 game Sonic the Hedgehog. Scrap Brain Zone is an industrial world, filled with unique moving obstacles, lightning towers, and many other dangers and decorations that mirror the original. But first and foremost, it's a great Distance track, with solid, challenging gameplay and a retro aesthetic.
I'm not sure what this factory is making, but it's certainly hazardous for cars. Plasmawario's level is an interesting fusion of Tron and industrial themes--bright lines contrast with dark walls, covered by wires and scaffolding. Look out for a few shortcuts to get the best time here.
This level could have been taken straight out of adventure mode, as it perfectly recreates the visuals and style of it. Although somewhat familiar at this point, the execution is so well done that this level is more than worth your time. My one quibble is the unexciting final stretch, but the rest of the level is intense enough to make up for it.
Disorientation is KnightBane's first offering, and although I might be a little biased here, since I helped him make it, I really love the map. It offers tight, transfer-focused gameplay, and a gravity-shifting mechanic borrowed from Xaiier's Directionality. Decorated with blizzards and icy roads, and all surrounded by an abstract, Tron-like mindscape, Disorientation is a treat for the eyes.
Snowstate's maps are always a joy, and Hard Light Transfer is no exception. Set in a starkly beautiful blue-grey world, Hard Light Transfer takes you through the decaying remnants of an advanced city. The namesake hard light bridges are extremely well done, and perfectly complement the transfer-focused gameplay of the map. Hard Light Transfer may be fairly challenging, especially to newer plays, but it's pure quality.
Keep up with the latest DAC releases on the Workshop! At least one new level daily!
BONUS GOODIES: TOURNAMENT LEVEL UPDATED
I updated and upgraded the map that was used for the tag tournament! It features sick new particles, an entirely custom skybox with stars, nebulae, and the moon, an ocean surrounding the arena, a redone color scheme, and a bunch of other minor changes to the visuals of the level. The gameplay remains almost entirely unchanged however, as what Krispy made was pretty much perfect. Check it out here, and enjoy!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=817970966
Grab some friends and chase them around, hop online and join a server there, and coordinate with other members of the community on our Discord!
-Ashamael
DEV NOTE: Thanks to Ashamael for putting together this great update. I highly recommend watching the whole tournament if you can. It's a real heart-pounder and was a blast to watch live. -Jordan
Watch the Tag Tournament! Distance Advent Calendar Week 1 Roundup
The sun has set on the seventh day of December, and a whopping nine levels have been released as part of this year's Distance Advent Calendar! Lots of talented community members have contributed to the event, and as a longtime player myself, I'd like to recap this week's releases, for those who may have missed them. You'll be hearing from a couple others in the next two weeks writing similar posts.
But, before we get to that:
DISTANCE TAG TOURNAMENT: THE FOURTH ONE
It's been a while.
After a lengthy hiatus, the community-driven Tag Tournament is back for another few rounds of competition! Players will be pitted against each other in an original level to be revealed at the event, eliminating each other until one is crowned Tag (King|Queen|Supreme Overlord). The whole thing will be streamed live on Saturday, December 10, beginning at 11 AM PST! Krispy and Splaysh are sure to crank out some extra-juicy production for this one.
WATCH HERE: https://www.twitch.tv/splaysh
SIGN UP TO COMPETE HERE:Inquire on the Distance Discord server.
Hope to see you there, one way or the other!
Did you know? Normally at this time on Saturdays, the community hosts a multiplayer event where everyone can join and play! It's called Speedy Saturday, and you can find out about it and link up with other players on the Distance Discord above.
The opener of this year's DAC is of a scale nothing short of stellar. Distance Galaxy is a massive level, spanning five unique environments across individual "planets". While the level is incredibly long (an average run is 20 to 40 minutes depending on skill level), it's very well-paced and definitely worth your time in my opinion. The interplanetary cannons are a bit fiddly, though.
#2: Today - Backgrounds'
As per usual with Backgrounds' levels, Today is quite thematic, with a backstory to match. It puts its gimmick to good use, combining it with an overall elegant track design and a detailed environment (including some sweet weather effects). It's a smooth ride, though it's possible to miss the checkpoints, so keep an eye out for them.
#3: Tomorrow - Jay2a
Though it hews closer to a traditional Distance track, Tomorrow retains its own aesthetic flavor. The wide, sweeping curves complement the buildings set against the cloudy sky, and the obstacles and occasional road transfers keep you busy...or, dare I say, engaged.
#4: The Day After Tomorrow - Siddey10
The Day After Tomorrow is centered around escaping a superstorm, and as such, it's chock-full of those gorgeous weather effects. The track neatly introduces the car's abilities and has you weaving around barriers, even throwing a couple oddball road transfers in there. Fortunately, this is the final track with the joke naming scheme devised on a whim in the ol' DAC planning chat.
#5: Natural Gift - Phimeek
Natural Gift is very much a nice present from Phimeek, letting you barrel through beautiful forests and caves at what feels like an alarming rate of speed. The track flows exceedingly well; there are several road transfers that feel amazing when you nail 'em just right. Plus it's got more rain and water. It's so pretty, I love it.
#6: Challenge Pack #1!
This year, DAC includes a couple of Challenge Packs, where multiple creators push out Challenge levels on the same day to breathe new life into the neglected game mode. Here's our first set:
Widening Transfersby MCrekna1 - A simple track executed elegantly. You're presented with many wall-to-wall road transfers, but the tracks keep getting farther apart! Use of the grip ability in midair is advised.
Cyberspaceby Mafn - A very tight track focused on numerous transfers in quick succession. There are many paths, but all of them require being very dextrous with the car. Not for the faint of heart.
Trapped Under Iceby fzeroman - A lengthy endurance level, in the classic fzeroman style. The titular ice-trapping comes across well through the environment design. Consists of many, many pop-up blockers, sometimes unfair ones; you'll crash several times attempting this one.
#7: Leviathan - StarHorder
StarHorder's debut Distance creation, Leviathan is the result of months of work, and it shows. The green-and-yellow color scheme permeates the design, defining the track and plentiful background scenery. And boy, does this level go wild on transfers. Be prepared; you'll make good use of the car's wings saving yourself from unexpeced falls.
Keep up with the latest DAC releases on the Workshop! At least one new level daily!
BONUS GOODIES: TRAILER MASHUP RELEASED
Since you've read down this far, I'll treat you to a little somethin'. Remember thosetrailers we used to announce this whole thing? Well, I'm pleased to say that an extended version of the pumping Distance/Nitronic synergy backing those trailers is out now! I don't want to toot my own horn here (I made this, by the way!), so I'll just leave you with the link.
Hope you all enjoyed this rundown of Exciting Content™ we've gotten/are getting this month! Catch you at the tag tournament or in the Discord :)
-Will (Skirmisher)
DEV NOTE: Thanks to Skirmisher for helping out by writing this update while we finish the major release! Also thanks to Krispy, Splaysh, and all of the community members helping to run the tag tournament. Can't wait to see who reigns victorious this weekend! -Jordan
Distance Advent Calendar is here! [Community Event]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt3_Une0z-U
What is this madness?
The Distance Advent Calendar (DAC) is a community driven event that started 3 years ago, back when the game wasn't yet publicly available on Steam. For the event, the Distance community has come together to make lots of awesome user created levels, which will be released during the 24 days before Christmas!
The Factory By Plasmawario, Neo Seoul 2144 By Ashamael, Radical Highway By Fzeroman
In addition to all the levels, the calendar also brings the annual tag tournament, where all the carkour masters will be able to duke it out for the title of Tag King, live on Twitch!
How can I keep up with all these DAC levels,
and how do I sign up for the totally rad tag tournament?
You can keep in the loop about all the awesome stuff we're doing for DAC, as well as sign up for the tournament, by joining the highly passionate Distance community on our Discord server!
Besides making it easy to keep up with DAC, the Discord server is also great for meeting other players, asking questions and setting up multiplayer games!
The DAC levels will also appear in a special section on the Distance Steam Workshop page!
Tomorrow and Wither by Jay2a, ????? by Krispy & Ashamael
Feel free to ask me anything regarding the event here on Steam or on Twitter. (@KrispyVG)
We look forward to see you all on Discord and in-game, and happy holidays from everyone behind this years DAC!
- Krispy (not a developer)
Exp. Build 5007, Question for the Community
(ridiculously epic replay showing the top times on Inferno)
Hi everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating! Today we released build 5007 on the experimental branch. It's essentially a release candidate for the major release (minus a few minor tweaks). Throughout November we powered through some exceptionally tricky bugs that forced us to rewrite a few areas of the game, but we're feeling optimistic about the stability finally being acceptable for a major release.
After this weekend we'll look at the experimental build feedback and determine if any last minute things need to be addressed. If you'd like to try this build early simply check out this thread for more info. See the changelog down below for everything that changed since our last Steam Announcement.
COMMUNITY QUESTION: LEVEL VERSIONING
(top replays for official level 'Dodge' with HUD toggled off)
The replay system is probably the most new complicated system we've added since entering early access. It touches most of the other systems in the game, and we have to ensure it's as complete as possible before launch so that we don't get into a scenario where some detail needs to change and we have to invalidate existing replays. Obviously this still could happen, but we doing our absolute best to avoid that scenario.
Along those lines, we've wanted to support level creators if they want to manually "clear" their leaderboards and invalidate replays for that track. Steam doesn't give us the power to delete or clear leaderboards from within the game, so we have to come up with something different. We're currently debating between two options, and before we commit to one or the other we'd love to hear what the community thinks. Please read both and see if you feel strongly either way:
Option #1: Leave everything it as is. If creators want to "clear" their leaderboards they'll need to upload a new version of their level. Upside is that no leaderboard entries and replays are lost (i.e. players won't be confused when they check the global leaderboards and see that their incredible sub-2:00.00 run was invalidated). Downside is that creators will have a harder time getting old subscribers to check out the latest version of their level (which is apparently quite a bit different).
Option #2: Add the ability on the creator's end to invalidate all previous leaderboard entries and replays. Upside is that creators will maintain subscribers if they change their level dramatically. The downside is that players will lose access to both the old level and any old replays associated with that track. We'd also need to add something in the leaderboard menus that makes it clear when your scores are no longer available (to reduce confusion). It's also quite a bit of work on our part, so technically that's a downside as well.
If you have an opinion either way, let us know what you think in the comments!
EXPERIMENTAL BUILD 5007
General Improvements
Added listing for ghosts in match results screen (so you can see how you directly compare)
Made it so when viewing leaderboards in the level select it doesn't place your entry at the top of the list unless you are number 1
Reduced memory leak in input code when a controller is connected
Improved error text when a Steam Workshop file fails to download
Added a new system for caching level information to improve initial startup time of Distance a bit
Levels will now be unlocked if you have achieved a local Bronze medal or better on them
Updated loading animation so second half of loading bar represents rendering of cubemaps
Disabled realtime-reflections when in VR
Improved awkward camera when failing a challenge level
Improved awkwardness when there is no player to spectate after finishing
Death camera fades to static slower now
When failing a Challenge level, restart is now highlighted by default
Made it so time display in the stats page supports days
Removed all Halloween features added to the previous build
Creator Version was removed from the Level Settings (it wasn't doing anything helpful at the moment)
Car colors are now clamped for multiplayer and replays
Replay System
Improved accuracy of replay playback
SFX and music are now affected by replay speed when viewing replays
Added "Playback Speed Affects Music" toggle in Replay options
Dropper drones are now supported in replays (Applies only to replays recorded after this update)
Can click on speed slider to change speed in replays now
Replay menu now shows the time within the replay
Opening/closing the pause menu now doesn't override replay speed when viewing replays
Ghosts are now re-downloaded if a new leaderboard place is obtained
Clicking the "Change Camera" button now changes the camera
Changed "Toggle Menu" to "Toggle HUD" when viewing replays
Fixed bug where replays would finish a little early
Flames and wing trails on ghosts are now affected by the ghost brightness option
Added Seek Forward/Backward buttons in the replay menu
Heat is now reduced any time you seek within a replay (fixes bugs with the overheat sound playing and too much camera shake)
Bug Fixes
Fixed bug where the Steam Workshop update would fail to fully update all levels after a single file had failed
Fixed bug where deleting unsubscribed files after a Steam Workshop update would fail to properly clear all unsubscribed files
Fixed bug where the car's overheat sound could continue playing after exiting a replay
Fixed bug where reflections on car wheels were incorrect
Fixed bug when toggling the level editor with '~' in the pause menu
Fixed bug where TurnLightOnNearCar component was being affected by scale
Fixed bug where backing out of split-screen options could break the level select menu
Fixed bug where Restart and Next Level were available to non-host players in online matches
Fixed bug where replay count in General settings wasn't working
Fixed bug where the Community Highlight section of the main menu wouldn't update after subscribing to a level in game
Fixed bug where extruding from a spline node attached to a group within the level editor would corrupt levels by not allowing that functionality
Fixed bug where after scrolling through several levels in the level select menu the Friends leaderboard would seem to lag behind the current selection
Fixed bug where global low pass was enabled after mode finish
Fixed bug where you couldn't hold Esc when connecting to Steam Workshop
Fixed bug where invisible network cars still had visible wheels
Fixed bug where a near network car could glow really bright when going through a checkpoint
Fixed issues with changing tabs in Garage (weird color changes were happening)
Today we released another build on the experimental branch as we inch closer to our major release. While the meat of the update is focused on bug fixes, we couldn't help but keep up the tradition of including some special Halloween features!
On top of the fixes, this build includes randomly spawned smashable pumpkins, an updated main menu, some small tweaks to the car's visuals, and a new experiment with the car's visuals. When driving into an area where your car's wings are disabled, your car's skin burns away to reveal a spooky secret... a skeleton lives within.
I also updated the main menu with some of our favorite dark, spooky, and/or creepy community-created levels. Check them out!
Check out the changelog below for more details. Hope you have a fun and safe holiday weekend!
EXPERIMENTAL BUILD 4920
Halloween Special Features
When the car enters a wing corruption zone, a skeleton emerges from within
Changed default main menu level to showcase Spooky Town (arena level)
Randomly generated pumpkins are dynamically placed on the tracks (can be disabled in General Options)
Replays and Leaderboards are not updated when pumpkins are in the levels
Added ghostly laughter sound effects when doing tricks
Added animated spider web to car's top screen
Changed car wheel rim image to feature a jack-o-lantern face
Car headlights now use spider flashlight "cookies"
General Modifications
The online match waiting screen now supports 12 players
The game can now be paused during the results screen or before an online match has started
Improved player/chat colors for 12 online players
Updated level unlock requirements to only require Bronze medal of the previous level
Toggling UI while viewing a replay is now done with "Back" on a 360 controller or "T" on keyboard
Improved multiplayer chat box position/depth in the menus
Multiplayer chat is now hidden when the game is paused
"1ST PLACE" text in results screen is now hidden when only one player is playing
Disabled non-working post-process effects when in VR (DoF, Motion Blur, Radial Blur)
Started work to improve support for 5.1/7.1 surround sound
Trimmed high end frequencies of boost sound effect
Level Editor
Disabled Ambient Change Trigger, use Biodomes instead
Removed brightness limits on lights in the Level Editor
Bug Fixes
Fixed bug where an error in the Steam download could cancel the rest of queued Steam downloads
Fixed bug where restarting a Trackmogrify level would return to the main menu
Fixed bug where tag bubble would sometimes not follow the player with the bubble
Fixed bug in the Level Editor where restarting from the pause menu would not work
Fixed bug where the Main Menu level couldn't be set in several cases
Fixed bug where outlines didn't display correctly in VR
Fixed bug where objects pop in was more noticeable in levels with lots of fog (e.g. Friction)
Fixed bugs with cubemaps not working in the level editor, and after losing window focus
Fixed bug where "GhostLaughEmitter" wouldn't stop playing between levels
Fixed bug in level select menu where viewing an empty menu (e.g. My Levels) would cause an internal error
Hey all! While I've been doing my best to post stuff on Twitter, I've been pushing off this devlog since I figured our next stable release was around the corner. I was off by a bit... but it's because this update is shaping up to be our most ambitious yet.
We've released eight experimental builds since my last devlog, and we're now tracking down the final bugs. When the stable release does eventually happen, I hope to dive deeper into some behind-the-scenes stuff. For now, here's a quick overview for anyone curious.
The Breakdown
For most of 2016 I've been consumed by Adventure mode. I'll go deeper in the next devlog, but let's just say it's been intense. Endless learning, iterating, re-designing, etc. I've having fun though. It just eats up almost all of my time. If you're dying for a preview, here's something I posted recently.
Jason is in a similar situation, except that he's been focused on Arcade mode. After revamping Distance's controls in the previous update he set out to create a fully featured ghost/replay system. It's been a monstrous endeavor. After months of work we now support uploading/downloading ghost replays from the Steam leaderboards that you can race against or just spectate.
To pull this off he needed to significantly modify several underlying systems, and while this resulted in some nice improvements across the game it's also been the source of many bugs. Balancing the system redesigns alongside the continual addition of new features is one of the reasons this stable release ended up being such a massive project.
Kyle has been bouncing around a bit. After wrapping up the stats system mentioned in the previous devlog, he helped Jason with several features (e.g. replay storage, ghost uploading to Steam leaderboards). For the past couple months I've pulled him onto Team Adventure to help create new level content.
Andrew has also been moving around. His focus is typically split between VR and the PS4 port, though (as always) he's finding clever ways to optimize the game. It's been especially helpful as our new Adventure mode levels are much more detailed than the publicly available versions. On the side he's done a couple cool projects. For example, he upgraded the skybox using data from 170,000 real stars. Looks amazing in VR.
Eddie and Laura had also been largely focused on Adventure mode, though recently they've shifted onto their own secret project. One way or another they're continuing to add content either in the form of new levels or level editor assets.
At this point the upcoming build is essentially feature complete, but there are some tricky issues in multiplayer that need to be addressed. We've been using the IGF submission (October 24th) as an internal deadline for our next Adventure mode candidate, so Kyle and I will be crunching like mad until then. After that it's likely we'll join in helping Jason and Andrew fix whatever issues remain in the build so we can get the stable release out the door.
If you'd like to try the upcoming stable build early, a release candidate is available now on the experimental branch. Here are some of the featured additions:
Major Upcoming Features:
Ghost/Replay System (race friends/global top times)
Arcade level progression system
Statistics system
HTC Vive support
VR options menu
Upped online player count from 6 to 12 players
More performance optimizations
It's been a lot to tackle both a story mode and arcade feature releases simultaneously, but I think we're making good progress on both fronts. Not sure when the stable release will be ready, but watch out for another Steam announcement coming (hopefully) soon with details on that build. Until then, back to work!
Edit: Credit to PPPaul for the level featured at the top. The new build also allows you to customize your main menu. Check out his level here.
Exp. Build 4581: Early look at replays, Vive support, arcade progression
Hey everyone! We just released another build on the experimental branch. It contains previews of new systems like replays, arcade mode level unlocking, the stats system, and more!
Once again this is an experimental build, so make sure to backup personal progress before updating. For the uninitiated: How to access the "experimental" branch
As always we're still pushing forward with Adventure mode behind the scenes, but we wanted to get some of these features out as soon as possible to see how the community feels about them. We'll be building on them based on feedback. Let us know what you think in the forums!
EXPERIMENTAL BUILD 4581
New Stuff
Added early preview of the Replay System
After completing a map in a solo mode, click View Replay to view your run
Switch to any camera view including a free camera (use +, -, 0 to adjust FOV)
Adjust replay speed from 1/16x to 16x
Added Arcade level progression system
In Arcade, levels must now be unlocked by earning medals
If you improved your time/score after completing a map a special screen will appear showing how well you did
If you already earned the necessary medals before this update, levels will be auto-unlocked
Added statistics system
We added a system behind the scenes to collect a wide number of stats about your play style
Added a Stats tab in the results screen so you can see the stats from that match
Coming soon: Steam Achievements based on stats
Coming soon: Global accumulated stats visible in the main menu
Misc
Added "Next Level" button to the pause menu
Added the ability to set a main menu level per profile (Options > Profile > Choose Main Menu Level)
Added "Grind" trick which calculates based on scraping without wheels contacting a surface
Added a Units value to General Options so players can choose between Imperial and Metric units
Improvements
Improved HTC Vive support
Camera resetting now persists between levels
Added 3rd person Copter Cam mode which makes you feel like a giant (works best with a small VR World Scale)
Added various VR improvements under the hood
Misc
Cars now all spawn in the same location in online play
Dramatically optimized cars so that many can be shown on screen without a performance drop
Slightly optimized level loading times
Updated the way points are displayed on the car in stunt mode, now it is more minimalistic and just displays the number
Updated the way points are displayed everywhere so that commas are displayed in the numbers (1,000 vs 1000) to unify the way they are displayed in the game
Now the standings text will update itself dynamically while it is displayed instead of it just updating when it first pops up
Changed min FOV on spectate/replay free cam to 30°
Spectate and track cams no longer have radial blur or chromatic aberration based on car speed
FOV is now smoothed when changing between camera views
Bug Fixes
Fixed bug where Distance was broken in Steam offline mode
Potentially fixed issues with random crashes due to Unity 5.4's Graphics Jobs feature
Potentially fixed issues with Workshop level Update/Publish
Fixed zFighting on various objects (e.g. EmpireBuildingBlock003)
Fixed capitalization issue with Seed/Level text in Game Lobby
We just put out a small patch to address some of the issues brought up by players this week. Check out the changelog below for details.
EDIT: Build 4491 is now live on the stable branch. I rolled back our Wwise implementation to a previous version which appears to have fixed audio/loading bugs for many players.
Level Editor
Improvements to Popup Blockers
Popup blockers now use their start position for checking distance to the car instead of their position below the road
Popup distance is now the same regardless of the blocker orientation
The popup and hologram distance can also now be previewed in the level editor
This will allow level creators to easily setup close range popups
Old levels may need to be adjusted for this change
Popup blockers now have a height multiplier so level creators can offset the amount the blockers will move
Improved Mouse Click selection (should be easier to select the desired object at close and far distances)
SelectObjectTool now correctly displays the name of selected object if it is using a custom name
General
Removed VSync (2x) option since it was never helpful
Bugs Fixed
Fixed bug where some levels may fail to load, then the game hangs when returning to the main menu
Fixed bug where golden simples had zombie material references, causing many visual artifacts
Improved bounds calculation so spinning objects are less likely to stop spinning when in view
Subdivided visual mesh on EmpireTunnel to fix issues where you could drive through it strangely
TWITCH STREAM: 9PM PT (MAY 13TH)
Tonight around 9pm PT we'll be streaming some of the latest community levels! I've already seen some impressive looking creations published since the Creativity Update release, and I've been holding off playing anything until we could stream.
Well tonight's the night, and I'm excited to finally tear into them. Follow on Twitch to get notified when we go live!
REFRACT ON TWITCH: http://twitch.tv/refractstudios
Today we're unleashing The Creativity Update on the stable branch! For a quick summary check out the trailer below. It includes 3 new levels, a new ability, improved camera, Oculus Rift CV1 support, new editor tools, and more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-OwcGtGkFk
It's been quite an adventure reaching this build, so thanks to those who braved the experimental branch and gave feedback. Though this is a major release, we still hope to hear your thoughts on everything. Scroll down for the full changelog. Also, if you make something in the editor, send it our way!
To celebrate, Distance is 33% off this week. If you'd like to download the patch simply fire up Steam and it should auto-download. We hope you enjoy!
Added new level Friction which teaches the new Grip ability
Added new level Amusement which shows off the new particle system
Added new level Uncanny Valley which shows off the new primitive shapes
Controls
Added Grip ability to the car. Gives a high downforce to help control jump timing and sticking to walls and ceilings. Hold the Left Bumper on a gamepad, or Q on the keyboard. Customizable in the Controls options
On gamepads the Left Stick now rotates the car while in air, or if the grip button is pressed. This allows for easier transfers, making the thrusters more accessible for less experienced players, and more convenient for all players
Improved default behavior for Steam Controller (it now acts like an XInput device)
Moved all default controls schemes to unified scheme (removed Advanced / Normal schemes)
General
Updated to Oculus SDK 1.3.2 with Rift CV1 support
Self-righting now works when jets are disabled
Added small animation when a car ability fails
Upgraded menu font to something cleaner
Upgraded car trick/stats text with a new font
Upgraded EmpirePosterDetourRightHologram visuals
Upgraded ability icons with new images
Added ability icon system on the car screen which shows which ability has been enabled in Adventure mode
Updated many early levels to not have jets enabled until the jets ability is unlocked
Updated Wwise to v2015.1.6
Added a General option for "All Abilities in Adventure Mode" to turn abilities on/off in Adventure mode (temporary solution until we have a system in place to unlock all abilities after completing Adventure mode the first time)*
The car screensaver now randomly chooses between several presets when going into "screensaver" mode*
Added support for level playlist saving/loading in the level select menu*
Reorganized buttons in level select menu for starting a level playlist or removing a level from a list*
Added "+enableMIDI" launch option which enables MIDI output for Arduino (e.g. +enableMIDI "Teensy MIDI")*
Graphics
Greatly reduced visual banding in the Ambient skybox and Vignetting graphics effect
Local cars now get priority on rendering the car screen (should make the car screen higher framerate in multiplayer)
Explosion colors are now tied to car glow*
Physics
Changed how the air drag force on the car is calculated. non-cardinal(diagonal) directions are now higher drag. This helps with countering the wheelie super speed, and also helps ramps be a little more consistent.
The car is also fastest while driving on the road, and the new grip ability allows you to more easily get back to the road after jumps and transfers.
Simplified thruster force depletion, now depletes equally, no matter the direction of gravity.
Removed hard landings and new drag (both were more problematic than helpful)
Added small delay between wheels leaving the ground and left stick rotation enabling (helps if steering when going off a jump)
Slightly lowered wing fade in time, and wing drag
Added spline smoothing to tunnels and other shapes
Added smoothing to camera pitch / upside-down effect
Tweaked car acceleration values
Adjusted jet and drag values
Made exploding on virus ramps less common
Car will blow up if it gets wedged between or under objects at high speed
Reduced car wiggle at high speeds
Camera
Changed how the 3rd person chase camera functions. It now orients slightly towards up with respect to gravity. This will hint the player which direction gravity will pull them if they leave the surface.
Level Editor
New Features
Added LevelImageCamera, for setting where the level's preview image is taken
Added "Change Track Tool" to change spline segments to a new type (press H)
Added ability to remove track segments from track calculation
Added KillGridBox and KillGridCylinder for custom kill grid positioning
Added tool for moving a track node along the track
Added support for multi-line string inspection
Added Track Extrude tool
Added Merge Track Node tool
Added "Move Node Along Track" and "Extrude" tools to the move gizmo
When creating a road piece while selecting a road piece, it will copy the colors of the selected road piece and add it to the end of the selected road piece
Added tool to mirror objects across cardinal axes*
General Improvements
The PulseAll component is now an addable component and it’s been tweaked to be a bit more user friendly
Track Manipulator Nodes are now transparent when bigger
MusicTrigger now uses the list of songs instead of an ID
Made it so the level editor now saves out the position and orientation of the cursor and camera with level files. When reloading files, users are placed right back where they left off
MoveCarSpawnerToStartZoneTool now adds a car spawner if it doesn't already exist
Inspector buttons now work with multiple object selected
Material color names are now a little more display friendly
Colors are now pickable on glass materials
Changed transform scale in the object inspector to use exponential step size*
Added Simples 2.0
Highly adjustable primitive shapes
Supports material and texture customization
Collision can be toggled
Added transparency support
Added bump map support
Added world mapping support to allow easy combining of simples to make a blob simple of the same look (like rocks and cliffs for example)
Added presets to help get started on certain a look
Added Randomize" and "Randomize A Little" buttons to help achieve interesting looks
Added ability to copy and paste settings
Open up and look at the new level Uncanny Valley in the level editor to see examples of the new simples
Added new particle system
Highly adjustable particle system that moves all calculations to the GPU
Example presets are in the Decorations->Particles folder (e.g. Snow, Rain, Sparks, DiscoDanceFloor, NeonTower, etc.)
Added the ability to use dynamic components TurnLightOnNearCar and PulseAll
Added Randomize" and "Randomize A Little" buttons to help achieve interesting looks
Added CustomName component so level creators can rename particle systems
Added particle acceleration
Added Solid, Alpha, and BlendAdd particles
Added a few more particle textures
Solid particles now are affected by lights
When attached to a spline, particles now scale when the road scales
Added ability to copy and paste settings
Open up and look at the new level Amusement in the level editor to see examples of the new Particles
Added new placeable objects
Roads/EmpireRoadCap
Buildings/Infected/VirusBuilding007
Buildings/Infected/VirusSpire002
Decorations/EmpireGear001
Decorations/EmpireGas_Pipe03
Decorations/EmpireGas_Pipe04
Decorations/EmpireHexScaffold
Decorations/RotatingEmpireHexScaffold
Decorations/Infected/VirusTriPillar001
Decorations/Infected/VirusArch002
Obstacles/TunnelCrossBarrier
Obstacles/TunnelCrossBarrierRotating
Obstacles/TunnelQuarterBarrier
Added TrafficPlane and TrafficTube in the Decorations folder
