N0de: Machina Omega
Exodus is still alive and well!
I've been pretty quiet about the state of Exodus lately, but I wanted to take some time to post and let you all know that the game is still alive and it's in a much better state than previous updates.
Most of this time has been spent checking out everyone's feedback and seeing what I could do to provide an experience that everyone would be able to enjoy.
Aside from some mechanic issues and bugs, I noticed that most people tend to dive immediately in to the campaign.
Unfortunately, the original plan for the alpha was to release the multiplayer experience while I developed a campaign.
This led to a lot of people having a negative experience since the majority of the features in the campaign were not completed.
Therefore, I decided to spend some time developing a new campaign experience that you could enjoy while I build a team to develop a better story-driven campaign.
As a result, I've come up with a system that allows me to generate procedural solar systems!
This will make it easier for me to develop new maps for the existing multiplayer experience, while also giving everyone the ability explore new worlds without having to host an Exodus Game Mode server.
For now, planets are flat islands with skyboxes, but in the near future I plan to extend the space combat system and implement a solar system simulation so you can have a full space RPG experience.
I've also spent some time revamping the vehicle system to provide a more immersive experience.
This means that vehicles are being redesigned with full interiors so you will be able to actually walk around the inside of your space ship or your tank and interact with various modules inside.
I can't promise that this will become a MMO, but the system will always support multiplayer so you will be able to invite friends to your game and engage in different activities through your universe.
The original matchmaking system isn't going anywhere either, so you will be able to drop into a standard/extended FPS game modes whenever you're feeling bored in the procedural universe!
With enough interest I can also work on generating procedural foliage, factions, and NPCs as well!
The code is there to support everything I need to do moving forward, but I'm still in the process of designing new models, textures and UI assets.
This does mean some features will still be hidden until I can replace prototyping assets, but at this point it's just a matter of exposing all of the gameplay mechanics in a way that is cohesive and fun.
Thank you all for your continued support, feedback and interest!
This has been a long ride, but I promise it is going to be well worth the wait!
I can't wait to see you all in the Oculus!
- Behron
The Research Center is back!
The update is planned to drop tomorrow or the day after.
Stay tuned for more maps and bug fixes!
The Highlands are back!
The map that is featured in my favorite screenshot is back!
Arcadia Highlands (now known as Forest) is back in the lineup! The plan is to get the Research center back before the 0.5.7 Hotfix as well!
Stay tuned for more updates, maps and bugfixes!
Exodus 0.5.6 Feature Update!
The new update features a few additions to the Singleplayer experience!
You'll now be dropped in a prologue mission instead of going straight into a Singleplayer Exodus match. As promised, the Campaign is going to be a lot less linear and will be a lot more like a RPG style/Open world Campaign so don't get too used to the style of the Prologue! The purpose of the Prologue is to help you get acquainted with a few of the missions you'll come across.
Cinematic intros are a long way away, but I promise to get those loading screens removed as soon as possible!
This update also has a sneaky implementation of the space system. The implementation is extremely basic and will mostly be seen in the Campaign for the rest of Exodus' lifetime. The module wasn't going to be seen until Day Zero came out, but I wanted to reward you all for being patient with me!
While there won't be any major updates to the space system, I will fix any bugs that might come up and I'll be adding more weapons/modules for you all to customize!
I also fixed some more issues with the Main Menu and has a few fixes for some of the game modes.
Remember to keep up on the trello for the most recent features/issues!
https://trello.com/b/YHgxOmWf/n0d3exodus
Exodus 0.5.5 Hotfix!
I released a small hotfix to fix some of the bugs in the Main Menu.
You'll also find an option to give you the ability to skip the fancy parts of the Main Menu just in case you're having performance issues.
Thank you all for your support!
Just a little bit longer...
I'm going to have to push the release out a bit longer due to some changes that created some nasty FPS drops in the Main Menu.
The issue has been resolved, but Exodus failed the Steam review as the FPS drops created too many issues while navigating the main menu.
For now, the background level for the Main Menu has been removed and the drops have been fixed.
Unfortunately, I will have to resumbit the game for another review which will push the release for at least another five days.
While I'm confident that this next review should yield positive results, I don't want to say when the release will be.
The game will still be released on other sites, but out of respect for Steam I won't advertise through their platform.
Steam is, and will always be, the best platform to experience the online aspects of my PC products so I will be working out the best way to get Steam keys to users who have purchased the game through external platforms.
Thank you all for your continued support!
Exodus 0.5.4
I'm sorry for the delay. I wanted to squeeze in a few more features before getting this update out to you.
The new update includes the towing/loading system in it's full glory as well as a new interaction menu that allows you to unlock/lock and set a PIN for any vehicle that is purchased from the vehicle store.
Included are a few updates to the store system as well!
I've seperated the three types of stores into their own unique objects so now you can find standard item stores, weapon stores and vehicle stores during gameplay.
This should make it a bit easier to determine where you're going, while making the store list a little shorter for each type so it's easier to find items.
Included are a lot of bug fixes as well.
Issues that prevented certain objectives from detecting player collisions have been resolved. There shouldn't be any more issues with planting/defusing the bomb, getting points in KOTH, or any of those other weird issues that were coming up in testing.
The issues with Battle Royale have been resolved, so the game should end properly now and the bug that allowed you to take damage if you were in ragdoll mode or flying within the death circle has been fixed.
There were also a few minor tweaks to the leaning system. Leaning now starts at your hips to make it a bit more realistic and I've made another pass on fixing ADS FOV.
I'm also working on a few tricks to improve load times and prevent that frustrating FPS drop when loading into the maps.
You should expect to see some more optimizations and bug fixes in the next release.
Thank you all so much for your continued support!
Your feedback is what's going to make this one of the best shooters on the market!
n0d3 Modkit initial setup!
I just got the initial support for the n0d3 modkit complete.
The setup will only be distributed to testers with access to source for now so we can make sure everything's working, but it should be ready to go soon!
I've also just finished the loading system as well. After the build and upload is complete I'll get it out for testing!
Exodus 0.5.3 Feature Update!
I'm still working to get a few of these issues fleshed out before release, but I wanted to get the vehicle towing system out to the test group to see what everyone thought!
I'm also working out the crate/item loading system (should be done by tomorrow), but the towing system should be good to go!
To access the new interaction menu, hold Modifier 1 when pressing your bound interaction key (default F) and you'll be able to prepare a vehicle for towing.
After you have prepared the vehicle for towing, you can move to the next vehicle and repeat the steps to initiate the towing process.
This new interaction menu should be available for most interactable items. The plan is to give me the ability to add complex interactions to each interactable without adding more input events or conditions.
In the update you'll also find that seat switching is working (also accessable through the interaction menu), a basic bullet penetration system has been added, and there are a few updates to attachments and FOV for ADS.
I've also decided to move the armor loadout menus to the item stores that are located throughout each map.
The idea is to present more dynamic gameplay elements to games that don't use loadouts. During the game you will earn bounties for each kill, the money earned from each kill can go to purchasing better weapons during the 20 second buy period, or can go to purchasing stat upgrades/armor and other consumables within the store during gameplay.
I am still going to work on getting the armor loadouts setup for pregame/spawn scenarios so you can progress and earn armor.
Tomorrow's update should have some fixes for the interaction menu, the loading system,
Thank you for all of your support! I couldn't do this without you!
Exodus 0.5.2 Hotfix!
A new update is available contains a few fixes mainly surrounding the 20 second buy period before each round.
I also added a FOV change for player ADS to make it a little more realistic.
I'm currently working on the vehicle towing and loading system for the 0.6 update as well as some more bug fixes.
There were a few issues with the armor loadout so it's been disabled for now. I plan to have it back before the 0.6 update, but it might get pushed to later depending on issues that come up around launch.
Check the Trello for more details!
https://trello.com/b/YHgxOmWf/n0d3exodus