Early September Update: Story, Content & Bullet Penetration
A build is now live on Steam for Windows featuring new content, story, a bullet penetration feature and more! A Linux build will follow soon.
Story Content
The existing sections of the game have been revamped with additional radio dialogue in chapters 1 and 2. This is something I have been wanting to add for a while, and will improve in future updates.
The shipping container radio scene has been removed, which provides a smother overall gameplay experience.
Chapter 3 Work
There is now more content to play in chapter 3! In addition, below is a sneak peek of the work in progress content coming soon.
Bullet Penetration
Bullets can now penetrate water, foliage, mesh and flesh, meaning that if you shoot through a fence, the bullet will continue travelling through up to 4 surfaces before stopping.
You may notice glass is missing from the list of surfaces - I would like to add this, but some elements of the game rely on treating glass as bulletproof. I need to improve those areas before enabling this.
Warehouse Horde Track
Elliot put together a new track for the warehouse horde mode! This perfectly augments the style of this game mode, and makes it feel more energetic overall.
Changelog
New: Bullets can now penetrate up to 4 surfaces before stopping
New: Max FOV is now 120 degrees
New: View Distance setting on Graphics menu
New: Added batteries to the mini gun turrets to allow players to disable them
New: Radio messages throughout chapters 1 and 2
New: Continual content work on chapter 3
New: Auto-save points for chapter 3
New: Impact particles when items are thrown into water
New: Held objects now push other physics objects out of the way
Fixed: Many LOD pop-in issues, tweaks many transitions and adds dithering to large objects
Fixed: Infected characters now use the same "can human throw this" check as the player
Fixed: Players can no longer pick up the lamp in the boat
Fixed: If rushing to end of prelude level, fade-out doesn't work
Fixed: Performance issues in the base due to two reflection captures being visible at once
Fixed: Held object shaking when colliding with other objects
Fixed: Navigation issues in chapter 3
Fixed: Crash in save/restore system
Fixed: Area in Prelude level allowing player to get stuck
Fixed: Shadow pop-in for emergency lights in chapter 3
... and localisation updates with many thanks to the volunteer translators!
I'd like to thank the folks that helped out with testing this build on Discord, which drove a bunch of the fixes you see above.
There is a known issue with a hang on load for certain machines - if loading chapter 3 hangs for over two minutes on your machine, please reach out to me using the details below as I am struggling to reproduce the conditions that cause this problem.
If you have any feedback or you just want to hang out with other players, join the Estranged Discord! discord.gg/estranged
Thanks for playing Estranged :)
Alan
Early August Update: Courtyard
A build is now live on Steam for Windows featuring brand new content!
The Courtyard
Continue to explore the Arque facility in the new courtyard content! Make sure you have your wits about you, and weapon equipped.
The cheat "map TheBase#sp02" can be used to start this content directly.
More AI Work
The guards now behave differently when trying to pursue an enemy, chasing the enemy down and moving towards their target. There are more improvements to do in this area, so as the combat surface of the game expands, so will the intelligence of the enemies.
New Prelude Track
Elliot added a new music track to the Prelude level! This track now plays as soon as you start a new game. Be sure to check it out!
Changelog
New: The M9 can now have 45 bullets in reserve, instead of 30
New: The vents in the office levels are now color-coded to help navigation
New: A small physics impusle is added to ragdolls on AI death
New: The pistol firing sound now has a close-by and a muffled far-away sound
New: Item spawners in post-capture content
New: Additional detailing for warehouse arcade
New: Adds musical hit to round starting in warehouse arcade
New: Armor movement sounds for guard AI
New: TheBase#sp cheat to jump to new content areas (n is currently 1, 2 and 3)
Fixed: Dynamic resupply can only spawn if ammunition can be accepted
Fixed: Concurrency limit preventing footstep sounds from playing
Fixed: Collision bug above elevator in cave level
Fixed: Windows in small mine office allowing props to pass through
Fixed: Getting stuck in mine level when traversing office blockage
Fixed: Ragdoll collision on death. AI now dies more convincingly
Most of the above changes were blueprint/asset changes. For those interested in code, the C++ changes are publicly available on GitHub - here’s a link to the diff
Pace of Updates
You may have noticed the pace of updates slowing down a little - that's because I haven't had as much spare time over this summer. Preparing a build for release is also increasingly time consuming, as I have to test the game from start to end (and certain features like save/restore) - but you can help! If you'd like to test builds early, see the Discord link below!
As ever, I'm available directly on Discord for bug reports, testing in-development builds, or if you just want to hang out! http://discord.gg/estranged
I hope you enjoy this update!
Alan
Late July Patch
This update includes bug fixes and stability improvements for Estranged: Act II.
Please note that a Linux build is making its way to the development beta right now (with a fix for foliage rendering), but I need help testing it - reach out to me on Discord if you have a Linux machine and would like to test!
July Progress
I have been taking a break from working on Estranged content this month - that will resume in August! Instead I have been tackling bugs, stability and immersion. Below is the full list of changes - thank you to everyone that helped test and translate this release:
Fixed: The window mode and resolution options on the Screen menu
Fixed: Forklift collision mesh
Fixed: Bullet decals for ivy and tree leaves, and the fan mesh
Fixed: The horde game mode now respects the “disable HUD” option
Fixed: Health and ammunition no longer spawns when in the player’s view
Fixed: Halo-like glowing around some bullet decals and barrel file effect
Fixed: Rabbits can no longer enter water
Fixed: Infected characters can no longer walk under water
Fixed: Blood impact effects are now darker in colour
Fixed: The music state in the sewer chase is now saved/restored properly
Fixed: Door colliding with drawers in the basement level
Fixed: Adds UI clipping for specimen input
Fixed: Enables more accurate collision for all objects in-game
Fixed: Bullet impact debris is no longer attached to the object
Fixed: Only one resupply item can spawn at a time in the same place
Fixed: Object position resetting when saving a previously loaded game
Fixed: Ammo count is now saved/restored correctly
Fixed: High CPU usage when infected could not move to its target
Fixed: Infected torso/legs impact effect is now blood, rather than cloth
Fixed: Collision of floor/rail section in capture level
Fixed: Standing on smaller objects caused physics instability
New: Accuracy of weapon now increases to 100% while aiming
New: Plastic, tile, cardboard, brick and rock impact sounds
New: The bullet tracer particle effect now traces the real path of the bullet
New: The guard AI shoot speed is now slower than the player’s
New: Impact particles for plastic objects
New: Impact sounds are now scaled based on the velocity of the impact
New: Updates Russian and Dutch localisations
New: Cheats box has a button to jump to Steam guides
Debugging: Added "-noloadingscreen" command line switch
Debugging: Added “unachieve” cheat
Debugging: Added “deplete” cheat
Debugging: Added “previous” branch on Steam
Most of the above changes were blueprint/asset changes. For those interested in code, the C++ changes are publicly available on GitHub - here’s a link to the diff
Thank you for your continued support. Reporting bugs via Discord has proven to be really useful, so if you’d like to see progress, post ideas and report problems, you’re more than welcome to join! https://discord.gg/estranged
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Alan
Late June Update: Horde
This update includes more content for the final level, various improvements and a new “horde” arcade mode.
Arque PR Offices
Find out what Arque are plotting to improve their public image with the addition of the Arque PR offices! This content comes directly after the capture sequence, and will be expanded in a future update.
Horde Arcade Mode
There’s a new “Arcade” option on the main menu, which includes a new horde game mode. This was born out of a map I created for testing combat, but I decided to open it up as a fun map to fight against hordes of infected.
This will be improved in the future - some folks who are watching the Steam development beta branch have already given some excellent feedback about how to make this more fun.
Open Sourcing Estranged.Core
Similar to Estranged: Act I, I have now open-sourced around 95% of the Estranged: Act II C++ source code on GitHub!
Whether you’d like to poke around to see how Estranged works, or you’d like to copy some code for your Unreal project, head on over to GitHub to check out the module: https://github.com/alanedwardes/Estranged.Core
Thank you to all of the translators that have contributed to this build - the German, Russian and Slovak localisations have been updated.
Thank you for playing Estranged! If you see any issues, the easiest way to report them is to head on over to the #bugs channel on Discord - https://discord.gg/estranged - there’s also an #ideas channel.
Thanks for playing!
Alan
Early June Update: Lockdown
This update includes more content, and allows you to explore more of the current final level.
Lockdown
Head over to the current last level on the new game menu to play the new lockdown content. This will be added as a chapter option to the main menu in the next update to make it easier to access this and the next set of content.
Lighting Improvements
There have also been some very subtle changes to lighting in the game, meaning that there should be less visible seams in modular wall and floor assets.
If you see any obvious seams in modular assets, it would be great to bring to my attention in the form of a screenshot. I can focus on ironing more out in a future update.
If you have any feedback on this build, email me at alan [at] alanedwardes (dot) com, start a thread on the forum, leave a review on Steam or head over to discord.gg/estranged to find out about updates first, and give feedback in person.
Thanks for playing Estranged: Act II!
Alan
End of May Update: Work on Final Level
This update includes a little more of the current final level, and hints at where it will continue.
I wanted to release the content this week, as I won’t be able to work on Estranged over the next week. The next update will likely land on the 3rd of June.
As ever, let me know if you have any feedback - hop on discord.gg/estranged, email me directly at alan [at] alanedwardes (dot) com or drop a note on the forums.
Thanks for playing!
Alan
Mid May Update: Bullet Tracers, More Content
This update (now live!) includes changes to the gunplay, and more work on the current final level.
More Content
I have been working on the current final level - this update fleshes out the content and adds a new scene to the level. This isn’t at all finished yet, but provides a glimpse of things to come.
Bullet Tracers and Aiming Improvements
I have added a first pass implementation of a bullet tracer - this adds a particle effect that follows the bullet direction. This effect isn’t actually simulated in the world so it will go through objects for now, but I will fix that in a future update.
Aiming has been improved too, meaning that when aiming with the pistol it will sit in the middle of the screen without moving around.
Development Blog Videos
There are 3 new development blog videos covering weapons and the rocks found in the current final level!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kNUQu-v_B8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYKu_W0CT-U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIefQbdE_gA
As ever, let me know what you think! Drop by the Estranged Discord server if you’d like to keep up to date with development, or just say hi: https://discord.gg/estranged
Alan
End of April Update: Iron Sights
This update includes iron sights and more work on the current final level.
Iron Sights
Estranged: Act II now includes a first-pass implementation of iron sights! This moves the weapon model to the centre of the screen, removes the crosshair and allows you to aim with the iron sights of the weapon.
Rolled in with this update are some changes to how the flashlight works when you are close to an object - it will now pull back to allow you to see it better.
More Work on Current Ending
I have been fleshing out the final level, which means there’s a little bit more to play.
There's also a new cheat - "noclip". This is the same as "fly", except disables collision so you can go through walls.
Let me know what you think - feedback is always appreciated!
Drop by the Discord server! https://discord.gg/estranged
Alan
Late April Update: Work on Next Level & Discord
This update includes a new ending point, and the release of a public Discord server for Estranged!
Next Level
This update includes a very small piece of content, something I’m going to expand on in the coming updates.
I also want to cut pieces of content that aren’t working (something that should be continuous but not something I’ve been doing enough). There are some candidates for that but any suggestions are appreciated!
Public Discord
Estranged now has a public discord server! If you’d like to hang out with me and others involved in the project (and of course the estbot!) head on over to the server.
Linux Foliage Bug
I found that the foliage culling bug the Estranged Linux build is seeing is actually an Unreal Engine 4 bug, a regression from the previous version. It’s too late for me to downgrade the project now, so I’m either going to fix it myself or wait until the next version of the engine. Apologies to the Linux players that this bug impacts - going forwards I will try to more vigorously test engine updates and only move when necessary.
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As ever, feedback is appreciated. Join the chat on Discord, the Steam forums or the in-game feedback to help shape Estranged!
Alan
Mid-April News: Concept Work on Next Level
Hi all,
There's no game update this week, but I thought I'd share a few development screenshots for level sections I'm working on for the next update.
I have been very busy with my day job over the past couple of weeks and haven't had as much energy in the evenings and weekends as I'd like to for Estranged. That said, below is the concept work I did manage to find time for.
Concept Work
It started with a few art tests, where I extracted a height map from a rock texture and used it to create a modular rock mesh portion.
I wanted to re-create the kind of art style found some levels of Quantum Break which features an underground facility cut into rock, with a mixture concrete and chrome.
This is the result of the first art test. You can see the repetition so it needs to be broken up by something, but the wall looks very real, and the light also highlights pointed sections in the ways you'd expect.
Next, I took to fleshing this out. The result of that further work is below - the repetition I spoke about above is very visible, so I'll be looking to break it up as the next step.
This work is in its very early stages, but I hope to complete it and push it in an update either next weekend or the weekend after.
I've also been looking into the foliage occlusion regression on Linux since the engine update, however I haven't had much luck pinning that one down. I'll push out a fix for Linux as soon as I have something there.
Thanks for reading, I look forward to you playing the next update!
