Initiate jump protocol and travel in Hunternet's test universe
Accelerate to 27,000 km/h in Hunternet's dangerously efficient jump gate network
Dear pilot,
I'm happy to announce that multi-location support is now live and with it the technical foundation needed to build Hunternet's new open-world is complete.
I've also implemented our first long-distance travel mechanic, the jump gate network. BoxWeld and IvanGrozniy created the new beautiful jump gate art and helped refine this mechanic through their valuable feedback and ideas. Our community of brave test pilots has also risked their virtual lives to certify the jump gate network as ready for service.
In this video, I demonstrate travel between test locations via the new jump gate network. I also discuss plans for additional travel mechanics and a future update that will add static server meshing to Hunternet.
Multi-location Update - Demo
Sneak peek of new territories
Now that the foundation for the open-world is in place I will be focusing on open-world gameplay and art. Later, I will return to technical work to implement static server meshing to ensure that Hunternet can expand seamlessly as the community and universe continue to grow.
In the short term, I will finish integrating some additional VFX that IvanGrozniy has already created for us. His, recent weapon VFX and asteroid material updates are already live and are a feast for the eyes. I also plan on implementing a special bounty-hunting hunting side-mission that will make your forays in the test universe more interesting.
New Hangar Preview - by BoxWeld
Thank you pilot for your interest and support. Hunternet now rests on a solid foundation and I'm excited to build upon it, with the help of the startup team, our artists, and our community. Until the next update, stay frosty pilot.
Salute o7 Fernando Z
Mask your sensor signature in the new test universe
Persistence successfully implemented, tested, and deployed in Hunternet
Dear pilot,
Since the major networking update, I've been hard at work on the second technical update needed to support a single shared persistent universe. I'm happy to share that persistence is now live and you can try it out for yourself in the new test universe. But be careful, as promised, there are no safe zones and your ship's safety is your responsibility even while you are offline. The next technical update will be multi-location support. Once that is finished I'll be switching my focus back to gameplay and building the first open-world gameplay loops that these technical updates enable.
While my focus was on making sure persistence was fast, reliable, flexible, and extensible, it has been quite fun to test even at this stage. Not knowing what to expect when I reconnect to a universe that lives on without me and hunting down weak sensor signatures as I attempt to dispatch the shutdown ships of my enemies before they return to the hunt has renewed my excitement for how game-changing a single shared persistent universe will be.
Persistence Update - Demo
Hunternet has continued to improve in other areas. I worked with Antonio on a complete overhaul of cockpit ambiance and thruster sounds. The new implementation brings your ship to life with additional audio feedback for things like g-forces, damage, and thruster mechanics. I highly recommend jumping in and hearing this update for yourself. Next up in the audio redesign will be weapon and damage sound effects.
I also integrated a significant set of graphical updates from Box for all existing starfighters and a new set of gun crosses for the HUD. Our ships' interiors and exteriors have never looked better and the new graphical damage effects provide great visual feedback. The HUD mechanics have also been further refined along with the graphical update.
Ivan's explosion effects are now even more satisfying and eye-catching with new explosion details and physics-aware effects. Box captured this beautifully in his New Year's Fireworks video.
Hunternet - New Year's Fireworks
The community also helped refine new race ring mechanics and some related updates to the flight model. This led to skramz being the first pilot to complete a sub-two-minute lap while also hitting speeds of over 1,300m/s.
Top Speed Demon - 01:59.368
I also wanted to share with you two of my favorite clips from the weekly playtest since the big network update.
3 vs. 4 - Chickuns vs Ants
Combat Racing - Ring Boost Testing
Until the next time pilot, I'll be hard at work on multi-location support. I want to encourage you once more to continue to spread the word, getting the word out is not easy and every little bit helps. I'm more excited than ever for the future of Hunternet and look forward to searching for and dispatching your ship in the universe.
Cheers, Fernando Z
One step closer to a shared universe!
One step closer to a shared universe!
Dear pilot,
Hunternet's single shared persistent universe requires three major technical upgrades. Last Sunday, we successfully tested one of them. Improved networking with support for massive moving objects is now live. Next up are battlefield and war economy persistence and unique location instances with fast travel.
Network Update - Demo
While I have been focused on these core updates, other parts of the game continue to progress. Our sound designer, Antonio Coronato has begun work on the complete overhaul of Hunterent's sound design. His new alert and alarm sounds are already live. I'm working with him on cockpit ambiance next and you'll be able to preview them as they evolve.
Ivan's new explosion effects have made each ship destroyed especially satisfying. His asteroid test materials are a big improvement and his works in progress show a ton of promise. We are lucky to have his support.
New Explosion FX by IvanGrozniy
Behind the scenes, Box continues to do amazing work on the next generation of location art, ship updates, cargo containers, new carriers, hangars, and more. Our Galactic Wardens and Founding Orgs have seen some previews and I've included this sneak peek for all pilots. Thanks to Boxweld when the first universe location goes live not only will it be a big technical achievement but also an amazing sight to behold.
Unknown facility & resource containers by Boxweld
Other improvements since my last update include fuel mechanics, artificial nebulas, atmospheric drag for Harvester Station, the Legacy Fox's new railgun, dedicated Wingman instruments, improved salvage materials, and more.
That's it for now, dear pilot. I encourage you to join our discord for more frequent updates and please continue to spread the word it's a big help and much appreciated. Until next time, good hunting pilot!
Cheers, Fernando Z
Get your hard hat on Salvage comes to Hunternet!
Get your hard hat on Salvage comes to Hunternet!
Dear pilot,
One of the most exciting recent additions to Hunternet Starfighter is our salvage gameplay loop. With the addition of physical wreckages for destroyed starfighters now comes the ability to salvage them for resources.
In my many years of playing space and flight sims, I've been a combat focused pilot. Yet, thanks to the empahsis on core piloting skills and the significant room for impact, I have really enjoyed flying dedicated salvage builds. Skillfully executing cargo runs or mid flight resupplies has been really satisfying. This has me pumped for future salvage additions and asteroid mining.
To help demonstrate the new salvage mechanics, I recorded two new videos. These videos also showcase the iterative development process and the important role that our pilots play during our weekly playtest.
Part 1: How to Salvage
Part 2: Salvage 2nd Iteration
Thanks to the efforts of our community. This Sunday's playtest also marked the debut of a new competitive leaderboard! To join in on the competition drop by our discord.
That's it for today pilot, stay frosty and I'll see you between the stars!
o7 Fernando Z
Hey listen! First public reveal of Saturn region's soundscape!
Dear pilot,
I'm excited to share with you the first public reveal of a track from the Saturn Suite an original score composed by William Dodson for the region around Saturn in the Hunternet Universe.
Saturn Suite Soundscape - Composed by William Dodson
I'm very happy with how the suite turned out and I hope you enjoyed this preview as much as I did. I used some test footage I recorded with the first iteration of our spectator cam and set it to the Saturn soundscape. Will's track immediately elevated this simple video to another level. Will was a pleasure to work with and Ivan from our Startup Team deserves a lot of credit. He helped explain our vision for Hunternet and helped to direct Will, and it was a pleasure listening to them geek out on music.
Since my last email, our community held a Hunternet Big Guns Tournament. Some of our most talented pilots participated and the resulting videos are an absolute joy to watch. Congratulations once more to the victors but also to everyone who participated in this amazing display of space combat. Big thanks to the Chickun Squadron for organizing this competition!
Hunternet Big Guns Tournament - Matches
Hunternet Big Guns Tournament - Finals
That's it for today. Drop by our discord and let me know how you liked the new soundscape. Until next time pilot, I wish you good hunting.
o7 Fernando Z
Hunternet Starfighter, Tobii eye & head tracking launch!
Salute, pilot!
Tobii eye and head tracking is now available in Hunternet Starfighter!
After completing VR support Phase 1 I decided it was the perfect time to tackle Tobii support.
Tobii support phase 1 is now complete and I am very happy with how it turned out! Big thanks to Tobii for providing me with the hardware that made this possible.
Head tracking feels smooth and natural and eye tracking adds something completely new to the sim. Eye tracking is an excellent fit for Hunternet's emphasis on using your Mark 1 eyeball to maintain situational awareness and for our intense close quarters combat. It works so well that I hope VR headsets with integrated eye tracking support become the standard in the near future.
Witness what this great bit a kit has to offer for us virtual space pilots:
If you'd like to fly with us I highly recommend joining the official Discord community.
Good hunting pilot, Fernando Z
Patch Notes - 01/26/22 12:02 PM: - Tweaked Harvester atmosphere rendering parameters (basic & advanced) - Joysticks always auto checked even if primary input is not joystick @Zenchess - Added Tobii head tracking support - Ship menu > Cockpit > Head Tracking must be turned ON - Added eye tracking aware target preview (can be used with or without Tobii) - ship menu > HUD > Preview Target (On by default) - Improved auto targeting intelligence and responsiveness - Added Tobii eye tracking support to ship's targeting system - Ship menu > Cockpit > Eye Tracking (off by default) - Optional Eye Tracking button/key for easy toggle mid flight - Tobii Head Amplification Level setting (Main Menu > Settings > Cockpit) - Fixed: Boost would sometimes power burn even if PWB key was mapped @[CHKUN] BoxLunch @a s d - Target Preview marker now uses friend & foe colors - Fix: Missile explosion effect rendering issue - Fix: Ship menu > Cockpit > Audio Simulation was saving but not applying changes - Low Ammo alarm now uses Alarm Volume setting @[CHKUN] BoxLunch - Added Tobii positional tracking support - Added Set Tobii Starting Pose calibration to Settings > Cockpit - Auto set starting Tobii pose when first enabled - Added Main Menu > Settings > Cockpit > Prefer Tobii Head Tracking @$alteen - Improved Set Tobii Starting Pose feature - Some internal input code refactoring and cleanup - "VR Center" button renamed to "Set Center" and works for both VR and Tobii - A new shortcut, same as clicking "Set Tobii Starting Pose" in main menu - Added Start in VR to main menu Settings > Cockpit - Fix: Tobii head tracking was not being ignored while in VR - Added connecting to server indicator to VR main menu
