Wow! Last night was very exciting for all of us here. It’s amazing watching a project you’ve been working on for so long finally get in the hands of players from everywhere! Everytime! Despite how many times we work on a game, and how trying it is to finally get it out the door, even in Beta, it’s such a thrill to watch players
We can’t thank everyone enough for jumping in last night and kicking off what we hope will be a lot of great Beta days! We have another one tonight, but of course, as expected during Beta testing you ran into a lot of issues we noticed, a few of which we wanted to do our best to address right away before testing again tonight. We took care of a few of those issues and put it in an update to the build (so be sure to check for that when launching) that go in today:
Multiple crash fixes for clients.
We have a few rendering-related crashes that will need further info, so if you run into a crash tonight, please be sure to report the info in the report form so we can investigate. The (small) good news is all the crashes are isolated to the client and we had no issue with server crashes.
We made a fix to a previously unknown matchmaking bug, that we only were able to discover with a large number of players added to this Beta.
This should help significantly for matchmaking tonight. This is one of the main reasons we need to do Beta tests like this because some bugs cannot be identified without lots of players to unearth it. Of course, we’ll continue to look for bugs like this as we continue each Beta testing period.
We temporarily removed motion blur.
We eventually would like to make this a toggle-option, but lots of players complained about it, so for tonight’s test, the faster fix right now is simply to remove it, and we’ll put the work in to add more options later.
Mouse sensitivity is in increments of 5 instead of 10.
Similar to motion blur, we want to make this more user-friendly, but adding custom numbers to type in, a mouse drag option for the number, or other options will take more time, so, for now, we’ve increased the option variable to allow for more fine-tuning by each player
Changed the base mouse speed, along with the min and max multipliers set in the settings
We’ll continue to evaluate these options and ask that you continue to provide feedback about what kinds of settings/variables and adjustment options you’d like to see
Fixed a bug where changing the mouse sensitivity multiple times would result in an unplayable mouse speed
Fixed a bug where mouse sensitivity and inversion settings were not loading after restarting the game
Added a new option in video settings to lock the framerate to 60 FPS
We’re planning on adding a host of more video settings, but could get this one in quickly so wanted to implement it for use in tonight’s test
Update new server list.
This will fix a bug where when we added new servers, player clients wouldn’t see them until they restart
Improved the backend server display info.
This gives us more insight into server capacity and usage and helps us monitor matchmaking results and improve your time getting into a match
We hope with the above changes we’ll see some better performance for more players tonight. Of course we still expect to run into issues for players throughout the whole Beta period and even in Early Access, but that’s kind of the point of launching now, so that we can fix things for you along the way, and be nimble enough in our game development process to make the desired changes you in the community would like to see. Thank you for your patient evaluation of our game in progress and be sure to submit feedback to our support form on our website, as well as in the game.
See you tonight at 6 p.m. PDT for more Fractured Lands!
Not letting us off easy
Robert
Closed Beta Checklist and Salute 6/8/18
Closed Beta Weekend 1 begins today, and all hands are on deck to help things run smoothly for everyone. Likewise, we have some info, tips, and guidelines to share with you today to help you prepare as well for your first time playing Fractured Lands.
This is what you can expect when playing
Fractured Lands is a last-one-standing game where to win, you need to be the last one alive. This means anything from avoiding danger to plowing into it head on. To do that you’ll need to grab essential items for survival, which include weapons to take out your enemies, attachments to improve your weapons and your vehicle, armor to keep you and your ride from taking damage, health items such as staple guns, and duct tape, and equipment to survive in the storm…
A massive apocalyptic storm bears down on you from the start, it delivers damage to your wastelander, and moves pretty fast. If you get a headstart you can escape it on foot, but its good to have your vehicle by your side to make a quick getaway as that wall comes your way. You can also find different levels of gas masks that stave off death from the storm for just a little while longer…
Our vehicles are weighty, with enough forward acceleration they’ll deal some damage. When they take to the air after boosting up an incline, don’t stand where it lands. And everyone starts each match with one. You choose one of 8 cardinal directions, rev your motor and take off (or take an especially dangerous route behind you through the STORMRIDER STRONGHOLD for lots of loot and lots of competition).
This is a Beta, and we need your feedback to improve
Our build for Beta is an early representation of the final product. There are definitely components undone, and that should be no surprise to anyone. It’s our intention that this game, a Closed Beta, in advance of an Early Access release, be a game in development that with your feedback and help will become a game you will want to play for years to come!
Please look for unfinished portions, wonky parameters, ugly things, and just anything that comes to mind you’d like to see changed! We’d love your feedback and created a form for you to submit said feedback right on our website. You can find it on the lower right under "SUPPORT"
Click it and select “Beta Feedback Form” and leave us a message about any particular issue you run into!
We’d like you to submit any issue you see, however it would save us a lot of time going through submitted forms if you were to confirm in advance if your issue has already been reported by our internal team, for that purpose we’ve provided a list of those discovered issues we plan on fixing in subsequent builds.
Here is the list of known bugs we will be shipping with for Closed Beta
Critical
Chance game freezing / black screen while loading into the pregame lobby
Major
First shot of a gun not consistently straight minus bullet drop off
Unable to hear footsteps from behind the player
Destroyed vehicles desync from server
Some players load into the beginning of the match before others
Player can get stuck on ledges in the main center pipe
Items temporarily disappearing when you get close to them
There is no way to split an item stack
Cannot use fuel or repair kits while they are stored in the trunk (and trying so causes a sound loop). Need to move the item to your satchel to use it
Map in spectator mode does not display the spectated player’s position
Quick reload attachments inoperable (do not reload guns faster)
Resolution option limited for some machines to 1080p
Minor
Sun icon showing up in pregame lobby
Invisible terrain collision in pregame lobby (most likely due to buildings not being streamed in)
Vechile driving awkwardly / slow when another player is standing on the hood
Can repair and re-gas destroyed vehicle
Can’t drive vehicle at the beginning of a match (a current workaround is to get out of the vehicle and get back in)
Item names in the inventory quick slot are over spilling out of the box
Sunken / floating: loot / foliage / buildings
Buildings are too dark
Missing / clipping textures on buildings
Some staircases with collision issues
Weapons clipping on walls
Baseball bat in the passenger seat of vehicle displaying incorrectly
Weapons SFX not aligned with reload animation
Incorrect SFX when damaging environment (i.e. Clubbing a couch sounds like clubbing wood)
Vehicle audio ends if a player exits a car before the vehicle comes to a complete stop
SFX persist while in loading screen when the match begins
Vehicle attachments not making equipping SFX
Missing visual and audio damage taken indicators
Pipes have awkward collision or are transparent when inside them
Equipping vehicle attachments are missing sounds or require normalization
Dead enemy player’s character models are displaying incorrectly
Enemy player’s movements on top of shipping containers give off dust SFX to player inside the container
Hitching due to levels loading / unloading
Player can pick up items while reloading
Kill feed displaying the duplicate message twice
Gun skins merging together in spectator
Minimap in spectator mode not aligned correctly
Players can hide on some windows / metal bar ledges
Last things to remember
We have recently lifted our streaming /content creation embargo, which means that if you were planning on streaming the game tonight, you’re free to do so, and we hope you enjoy playing while sharing the game with your friends! This is our first large live player pool for matchmaking, and while we don’t anticipate any major issues, should something occur that requires a major fix before players can continue it’s entirely possible we’ll have to take the servers down to fix it.
This first weekend is a limited Beta play window we know, but later days will be extended and with each day we play and test we’ll know more what needs to be tackled to get our game up to our standards, and likewise more of what you’d like to see in a game you want to play!
We’re sincere about our commitment to making this a Community Driven game and will do our very best to follow through on that promise. Thank you and enjoy Fractured Lands!
Do you think it’s getting weird around here? Absolutely.
Robert
Where Do We Go From Here 6/6/18
Previously on social media, we shared a photo of one of our designers who put some work together on a point of interest on our map. A couple of you caught a reference to our game’s full map, which led us to choose either to flat-out-deny it ever happened and call you, yes YOU, a liar! Or we could simply tell you more about the map for Fractured Lands that you’ll be playing on in the Closed Beta.
Wastelanders find themselves starting each match at the STORMRIDER STRONGHOLD seated in their chosen vehicle ready to peel out into the dangerous world ahead of them. Before each map starts, players can choose which cardinal direction they’d like to begin facing, which puts them in prime position to drive straight to the STORMWALL DAM, skid over the OIL FIELDS, try their luck at the RED ASPHALT ARENA, or compete in the SLAUGHTER FIELDS.
As the debilitating storm makes its way over the map, players will eventually be funneled at random into these key areas, but with more matches under your belt, the greater your familiarity of the landscape, and we don’t doubt that many newly formed strategies will be executed in these remnants of a world now gone.
Keep in mind, just like in the rest of the game, your community feedback can lead to changes, and map names and areas are likely to evolve as we continue into Early Access and beyond.
We’ll continue to reevaluate this map as we develop as well and make it more useful for players.
Be sure to sign-up for Beta so you can check out these Fractured Lands yourself!
If anything’s going to happen it’s going to happen out there
Robert
Here’s To You Beta Player – 6/5/18
Hello!
Beta begins, Friday–this weekend, and we’re extremely grateful to everyone for signing up and getting themselves ready to play Fractured Lands. As a thank you to everyone who participates we’ve put together our first couple pieces of cosmetic gear. Among our Beta players, everyone who plays 3 matches or more during the Closed Beta will receive a Red Fractured Lands Storm shirt they can use in Early Access.
Beyond that, anyone who wins a match during the Beta period will earn themselves a Black Fractured Lands Storm shirt they can use in Early Access. This is the make and model of different: Red and Black are certainly not the same color! The system will automatically recognize when 3 matches are completed for each Beta player, and when that same player wins their first match. More than that though, you win status, the recognition of downed enemies who can view and value you as the new ruler of the Wasteland! While the pieces will be earned during Beta, they first become usable when Early Access begins and we’ve implemented our character creation system, a feature you can expect later.
We hope everyone enjoys the Beta, and we are looking forward to playing along with you! If you haven’t yet signed up for Beta, be sure to click the “Join Our Closed Beta” button on our website and signup!
Destroying cars is easier than earning shirts
Robert
PS: Jimmy our Producer wants a red/white/black shirt, “That’s right Paul I want all three colors!”
Closed Beta Schedule – 6/4/2018
It’s been an amazing turn-out for our Beta Sign-Ups. We’ve been sharing access to the Beta through a few different routes, but through our website alone we’ve given out over 10,000 keys! We hope you’ll all be able to play on our first upcoming Beta weekend starting June 8th, but in case you can’t, we have even more opportunities to play the rest of June.
We also heard from many of you in Europe that the scheduled times were a bit too late for you--so while we can't make any changes to our first-weekend schedule we have added special EU times to later weekends. This applies to everyone of course, which translates to an additional four hours each day of the Beta starting June 22nd!
The Fractured Lands multiplayer servers will be initiated at certain dates and times, listed below (all times in Pacific Time):
First Beta Weekend*
Friday, June 8th 6:00PM-10:00PM
Saturday, June 9th 6:00PM-10:00PM
Special E3 Beta Hours*
Tuesday, June 12th 11:00AM-7:00PM
Wednesday, June 13th 9:00AM-7:00PM
Thursday, June 14th 9:00AM-6:00PM
Second Beta Weekend**
Friday, June 22nd 10:00AM-2:00PM 6:00PM-10:00PM
Saturday, June 23rd 10:00AM-2:00PM 6:00PM-10:00PM
Sunday, June 24th 10:00AM-2:00PM 6:00PM-10:00PM
Third Beta Weekend**
Friday, June 29th 10:00AM-2:00PM 6:00PM-10:00PM
Saturday, June 30th 10:00AM-2:00PM 6:00PM-10:00PM
Sunday, July 1st 10:00AM-2:00PM 6:00PM-10:00PM
Likewise, lots of players have asked if they'd be able to stream their gameplay sessions during the Beta. We're thrilled you'd be interested enough to share your gameplay with your regular viewers! We do have a preference though that no streaming take place until the 6/22 Beta date. This is because we're testing our matchmaking on a larger pool of live players for the first time on that first weekend. We're not sure of the performance with that many people involved, so we want to be sure the game is optimal for that experience first before players judge the game.
A few players with current access to their own Beta key have asked why the install isn't producing a lot of data, and when run, the game shows an error screen. Currently, Fractured Lands will not run properly outside of the Beta Hours. We'll be updating the build and sending that update through your Steam Library a couple days in advance of the Beta Hours. Until then, running the app outside of Beta Hours might result in a crash of the app, or other error, but this is normal until the update goes live.
Thank you, everyone, for the feedback on our schedule, and we hope this makes playing our Beta a greater opportunity for many of you.
* (No Player Stream) / **(Stream Weekend)
Learning the Rules of the Game
Robert
Guns in Progress – 5/30/2018
Hey all!
Since our announcement I’ve been sorely tempted to just sit on social media (ps like twitter.com/fracturedlands and follow facebook.com/fracturedlandsgame), and the steam forums, but I promise you I will not neglect writing blogs for this game in development! Here is one of those primary attempts!
One of our goals when making Fractured Lands was to give the world a post-apocalyptic feel in everything we could manage to do. Our weapons are no exception, and we have amazing people working on each and every one of them, including attachments for each to give it that flair of make-shift “do what you can to survive” style.
For example, we have an updated design to our “pistol” fitted out in a couple attachments.
Let us know what you think! As we enter Beta with this and other weapons, give us your feedback on the designs and what other weapons and attachments you’d like to see.
Now a quick update on Beta! We’re doing great with sign-ups and we are so thankful that so many people are looking to try the game out! If you have signed up, but didn’t get an invite, chances are you didn’t yet confirm your email address. You will need to do this before we can send the invite, so check your junk/spam folders and look for an email from Unbroken Studios that asks you to verify your email address. Then anxiously await that Beta key!
My future dream is a pistol scheme
Robert
Closed Beta 06/08/2018 v.0.0.1.0
Our first available Closed Beta Weekend, scheduled for 6/8-6/9/2018, will represent our first attempt at wide-audience participation. Since all of our testing has been in a Closed, invite-only environment, at fairly intimate numbers, we’re excited to see what feedback comes with a larger audience!
To give you a good understanding of what you’ll jump into in our first Closed Beta Weekend below represents the state of the game and a preview of the direction we’ve been exploring with development. Of course with your feedback, we’ll have lots of variations and fine-tuning to evaluate along the way.
Game Features
“Last One Standing” solo BR game mode, the first of many solo and team-based game modes
First person combat
Basic, alpha quality melee combat
Muscle car, the first of many vehicles available to drive
Vehicle fuel and repair pickups
Vehicle attachments that grant armor, alter driving performance and add utility to your car
Wastelander armor, gear, and gas masks to help you survive the storm
Player health and boost pickups
The first batch of 7 post-apocalyptic weapons, with many more to come in each category
Dozens of weapon attachments spanning all weapon types
Known issues
Scale testing – we will be starting closed beta with a smaller player count than we are planning for Early Access and increasing that count throughout the beta
Environment density and variety – we are still in the process of fleshing out the wastelands. We will continue to add more and varied locations throughout Early Access
Performance – we will be optimizing client-side and networking performance throughout closed beta
Weapon art – some weapons are not textured, and many weapon attachments are using temporary visuals
Inventory – some advanced features of the inventory such as splitting stacks, fueling, and equipping vehicle parts are in an unfinished state
Map – some basic map features such as zooming and pinning are under development
Sound – sound is still being implemented and balanced for the optimal gameplay experience
UX – much of the front-end is under construction, and much of the presentation is temporary, including all icons in the game
Early access features not yet implemented
Player progression, including vanity customization of your wastelander and vehicle
More vehicles and attachments
Tactical munition items such as explosives and traps
We here at Unbroken Studios are very excited to newly announce our studio, and it’s first game set for release: Fractured Lands! Check out its debut announcement trailer below:
https://youtu.be/MfCEdyNY5ME
Fractured Lands is an FPS Last One Standing game set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where vehicles are your lifeline, and survival is the goal.
Our game is still in development, looking at a Summer Early Access release, where players can help us shape the title all along the way, starting with our Closed Beta, June 8th! We’re giving out Beta keys leading up to our first weekend of play, and you can sign-up to receive one by clicking the banner on our site!
We look forward to the feedback you’ll share with us, and will regularly communicate on our announcement and dev blog, and on social.
From all of us here at Unbroken Studios, thank you for checking out Fractured Lands, we look forward to playing with you!
