Genre: Shooter, Real Time Strategy (RTS), Strategy, Indie
Out of Ammo
Hotfix 0.11.4 Released
Summary
Very tough week working on this update as we wanted to get it out on friday. We have been pushing very hard to resolve issues that players have been experiencing and make the game more solid. Adding cooperative multiplayer does make the game much more complicated and changes have to be tested thoroughly. We also have to address issues such as lag, and playing with someone with slow ping. We will continue this week with making the build more stable.
Known issues
Ping shows 9999 in server browser
Small graphical issue on DDay map shoreline.
General
ADDED: New parabolic teleport mechanic.
Bug Fixes
FIXED: Map polaroids are now much easier to place in the 'play' area.
FIXED: If a map polaroid is dropped it will respawn on the board after a few seconds.
FIXED: Teleporting in left hand mode causes the players current weapon to be offset from the hand.
FIXED: Bullet in sniper chamber getting hidden when it shouldn't.
FIXED: Medic healing particles not showing on clients.
FIXED: Engineers failing to continue building a structure if the original engineer had died.
FIXED: Ragdolls not getting bullet impact force applied on clients.
FIXED: Basketballs in main menu could get blown out of position by a grenade and would never respawn.
FIXED: Defence selection showing when it shouldn't.
FIXED: Exit button on gameover in mission Icarus not working.
FIXED: Not being able to use the server browser mouse in left handed mode.
FIXED: Tanks not spawning in Contact map.
FIXED: Mortars spawning to early in Contact map.
FIXED: Jets getting stuck below the world on Canyon map.
Next Update
Work continues this week on making the existing game more stable. Beyond that our Oculus have arrived, so we will start looking at what it takes to get the game working on that. We are also considering what the roadmap will be beyond 1.0. Sales have definitely slowed down (from about 150 a day, to 50 a day) so we will discuss in the forums what a good approach to post launch content should be.
Hotfix 0.11.2 Released
Summary
Work continued this week with bugfixing based on the response and reports from the community. We managed to fix a large number of issues, as can be seen below - thank you for all your feedback! Work will continue next week with stabilizing and optimizing the latest build.
Known issues
Ping shows 9999 in server browser
General
NEW: Added fancy new selection effect.
NEW: Large CPU performance optimizations to do with number of units and projectiles in the scene.
NEW: Basketballs now respawn 10 seconds after being dropped
NEW: Increased default resolution scaling from 100 to 125
NEW: Added option to toggle fog on and off. May increase GPU performance for some users. AMD users experiencing issues should disable fog using this.
Bug Fixes
FIXED: Units not getting into defences they were placed on slopes.
FIXED: Selection effect is visible when possessed.
FIXED: High scores not being recorded, even when in private mode.
FIXED: Shotgun not cycling rounds when you pump while having shells left.
FIXED: Shotgun showing pump helper when you finish reloading, now only shows when you dry fire with shells left.
FIXED: Rockets not colliding with defences.
FIXED: Significantly reduced network traffic for pickup objects.
FIXED: Significantly reduced network traffic for players.
FIXED: Projectiles hitting holograms.
FIXED: Targets not syncing correctly over the network.
FIXED: Deployable crates sometimes not being destroyed along with their corresponding defences.
FIXED: Floor offset setting not working correctly.
FIXED: Artillery designator not getting hidden when leaving artillery mode.
FIXED: "Alpine" showing as "Night" in scoreboard/server browser.
FIXED: "Show Tooltips" setting is not properly applied when loading MenuLevel
FIXED: Left hand not being able to pick up anything when in left-handed mode
FIXED: Left hand not being able to interact with some things in the main menu when in left-handed mode.
FIXED: Force feedback applying to wrong hand when in left hand mode.
FIXED: Selection cursor not being in correct position in left-handed mode causing awkward selection of units and buildings.
FIXED: Units still engaging enemies while you are possessing them as a client in multiplayer games.
FIXED: Precision shot projectiles often despawning before they hit their target.
FIXED: Abilities not causing cooldown if bought by a client.
FIXED: Fixed grenades in left hand being dropped if you release right trigger
FIXED: Sangar's grenade spawn locations
FIXED: Deployables not being constrained on clients
FIXED: Correctly hid 'PrevPage' button in server list
FIXED: Repair particles not being destroyed sometimes
FIXED: Deconstruct not giving correct deployable output
FIXED: Medics forgetting about dead friendlies when they get possessed
FIXED: Assassination projectiles not lasting as long as they should
Hotfix 0.11.1 Released
Summary
We identified a number of issues with multiplayer and the new menu that we prioritized for fixing and are included in this release. There are likely to be many more hotfixes this week addressing MP issues and general game issues.
Known issues
Ping shows 9999 in server browser
General
FIXED: Added "Friends" option to server browser, your games appear only to your friends
FIXED: Made server names more readable
Bug Fixes
FIXED: Units still active and attacking when client possesses them.
FIXED: Mortar teams not being synced across the network.
FIXED: Units only approach from trucks on in the Desert map
FIXED: Grenades left floating if defense is destroyed.
FIXED: Sometimes grabbing a full mag off back when attempting to unload weapon.
FIXED: If a building/unit is destroyed/killed while in its interaction menu, it will never close.
FIXED: Tanks can be briefly seen at 0,0 on high ping servers.
FIXED: Now much more difficult to accidentally select a commander ability when leaving possession.
FIXED: Graphics settings sometimes not saving correctly if you do not already have a save file.
FIXED: Can no longer connect to servers from a different version, these server will be labelled as such.
FIXED: No longer have to restart to join a different multiplayer game.
FIXED: Server browser buttons not working
Update 0.11 Released: Cooperative Multiplayer!
Summary
It's finally here! Cooperative Multiplayer has been released on the main branch. This has been in public testing for several weeks now and we have removed most of the bugs. One of the biggest issues remaining is displaying the ping correctly, at the moment this does not so if you find weird bugs and problems they are probably because the person you are playing with is a great distance from you. We also replaced the (very cluttered) main menu with an interactive menu level that we feel is better suited to VR.
Important! As we outlined previously a price increase for new people buying the game will shortly occur. This has been submitted to valve, and so will show live on the store at any time.
Known issues
Ping shows 9999 in server browser
Connecting to another server after leaving one previously requires restarting the game or hosting a private game.
General
NEW: Cooperative Multiplayer for Freeplay
NEW: Interactive menu level with shooting range
NEW: Teleport around the menu level by holding the non-master trackpad down and pointing where you want to go (same as for missions)
NEW: Missions and 'Contact' level added to high score display
CHANGE: Removed high scores list from game over screen
CHANGE: "Friends" toggle to server list to view only friends' servers
NEW: VOIP voice chat. Press the master trackpad to activate.
CHANGE: High scores have been disabled for COOP play.
CHANGE: Added extra button on floor height setting to decrease height.
Bug Fixes
FIXED: Teleportation not putting players in the correct position.
FIXED: Settings not loading correctly from file.
FIXED: Objects not being attached to hand correctly under high ping.
FIXED: Jets & Mortar teams not being replicated properly.
FIXED: Buildings disappearing when construction finishes.
FIXED: Player damage Vignette and headshot effects not being shown on client.
FIXED: Icarus mission high-scores not being uploaded.
Next Update
We have spent a long time on getting Multiplayer integrated which required modifying and revisiting many of the systems we had. This meant we had to stop the majority of our bugfixing, which can now return in earnest! We will be doing some performance profiling and working on bugs this week.
Once we have completed this "hardening" process we will look at what other additions we should make to the game. This means our key focus now will be on getting to "1.0", the real release of the game. This will have the game as a solid quality level with appropriate content. Once we have achieved that we will look at some additional content, both free (regular weekly updates we have been doing) and paid (DLC/expansion).
Multiplayer Testing Branch
We have prepared an initial testing build as part of our Cooperative Multiplayer development. This is a special build of the game that you can access through the instructions listed below. The build may have a great deal of problems and bugs, so please only access this if you want to assist with testing.
Access this test at your own risk. It is not a stable branch of the game and is only released for initial testing in a non-LAN environment
Accessing the Multiplayer Testing Branch
Right click on "Out of Ammo" in your steam library list
Select "Properties"
Select the "Betas" tab
Enter the password iaccepttherisk in the password area
Once this is accepted "multiplayer_test" is now available in the dropdown
Select "multiplayer_test" and the build will download
Hosting a game
Teleport to the level board (has photos of the levels on it) and pick up a picture. The board will flip over, attach the picture where it says "play" to start.
This process will change soon, for now in the Multiplayer Branch you can only play multiplayer. Later we will have lobby and other facilities.
Joining a game
This build also features the initial draft our new Main Menu. It is very basic with no tooltips or instructions. This will be improved over the coming weeks prior to a stable release. You can teleport around this menu like in missions, holding down and releasing the non-master hand trackpad. Use the computer to find and join games (use the mouse, just like in Job Simulator).
Bug and Experience Reports
Please post them here, or email them to enquiries@rocketwerkz.com.
Change for System Requirements
The store page previously listed the disk space required as 3GB, but due to the addition of new missions and content that is now above 6GB. The store page is now changed to reflect this. As the game grows and additional content is added we expect the disk requirements will increase further.
Update 0.10 Released
Summary
Work has been completed on the core of the Cooperative Multiplayer! However that is not released in this update as we have some additional steam integration to do. This week the release is of a new mission "Icarus"; which like the sniper mission is about giving a different experience in first person. This mission is completed using a desert eagle, where you have to manage your ammo and stay alive until rescue comes.
Upcoming Price Increase
After discussion on the forums and reddit, we have decided that the price for the game will increase slightly when Coop MP is released. We expect the first iteration of Coop MP at any time (within a few weeks). Note that this will (obviously) not affect those who have already purchased the game.
Known issues
Lower spec AMD GPUs may suffer framerate issues when sniper rifle is out. Note: this should be playable now for those with higher-spec AMD cards. We are working with AMD/Epic for further optimization at driver/engine level.
General
NEW: Mission Icarus. An entirely unique scenario played out in first person. Take note below of mechanics and new features as part of it. This is alpha and subject to balance.
NEW: Added new weapon desert eagle.
New Mission: Icarus
Your transport has been downed in enemy territory. You'll have to scavenge and hide long enough to be extracted
Regular reloading won't work, you'll have to find and stockpile magazines
Click and hold the left trackpad to activate teleporting for extended movement
Find the radio and follow the instructions for a successful extraction
Next Update
This coming week we will be starting some public testing of Cooperative Multiplayer and confirming that it is working correctly. We expect that we might be releasing this initially as early as the next update at the end of the week! Very exciting times for us here. Some thought is also being given to what the next mission will be, and we're beginning looking at our ports to other VR devices.
Hotfix 0.9.1 Released
Summary
Most of our work has been focused on Cooperative MP which is making excellent progress. We expect to deploy a version of this to experimental branch very soon to begin internal testing. We are also redoing the main menu world completely for a more seamless experience and to make getting into a Coop MP game much easier. This hotfix is released to fix a few serious issues that were discovered in the latest update; namely the giant hand in left-hand mode on the new overwatch mission.
Upcoming Price Increase
After discussion on the forums and reddit, we have decided that the price for the game will increase slightly when Coop MP is released. We expect the first iteration of Coop MP at any time (within a few weeks). Note that this will (obviously) not affect those who have already purchased the game.
Known issues
Lower spec AMD GPUs may suffer framerate issues when sniper rifle is out. Note: this should be playable now for those with higher-spec AMD cards. We are working with AMD/Epic for further optimization at driver/engine level.
Map Changes | Contact
FIXED: Various navigation issues.
FIXED: Silver texture to the UFO mesh.
FIXED: Rotation and placement of Mortar teams.
Bugs
FIXED: Giant hands in left handed mode on Overwatch mission.
FIXED: Reinforcement helo arriving at base even though it had nothing to deliver.
FIXED: Teleportation only working for on left hand even in left hand mode. Now uses off hand.
FIXED: Game over screen and credits now appear in the correct positions on Contact and Overwatch.
Price to increase with Cooperative Multiplayer release
We recently discussed a proposal to revise to our pricing with the community on the forums and on Reddit. The outcome was that we've decided to increase the price of the game with the release of Cooperative Multiplayer, which will be released in one of the next regular updates. This post will outline the reasons why and also give an indication of how we expect pricing for the product to evolve up to (and beyond) our 1.0 release.
The price will increase to USD 19.99 with the release of cooperative multiplayer in the coming weeks. And then possibly increase to USD 24.99 when the game fully releases. This will not affect existing purchases.
How we initially priced the game
Initially we set the price slightly below what we felt was a reasonably good price because we wanted players to get a sense they were getting good value from the product in relation to the content we had (four environments). We also made sure we were slightly below the typical price point of other VR games. Pricing for VR is very complex right now because:
The market is still extremely small
There have not been too many VR games released
This is our first VR game
Why increase the price?
We were very pleased with the reception the game received. As a result we committed to an extended development programme including:
Missions
Coop Multiplayer
Logistics
Left-handed support
More content
Much of this has been completed, and there is still much to go. However we now feel that the title is a little light on price. We're also not sure where the "cap" of the market is. In other words: how many people out there would (and could) buy this kind of game?
How will the increase work?
Hopefully it's obvious, but worth stating clearly: this does not affect those who have already purchased the game. The increase will be applied at the same time that cooperative multiplayer is first released to the community and will see the price increase to USD 19.99. Other currencies will be what the standard steam recommended prices are.
Will there be other price increases?
Once Coop MP is implemented we will continue with the bugfixing and updating at the same time as adding new content. Our current plan is to have the final price of the game at USD 24.99 but this might change as is just a guide at the moment. We may not change the price beyond the increase for the cooperative MP and we will announce any changes, like this one coming now, well in advance so nobody will be surprised.
Will the title go on sale?
We believe in setting a fair price and that customers should buy for a fair price, so they have a sense of investment in the title. We would rather have less players, but more invested players, who really want to play this kind of game. We then focus on working with these players to make a very specific game. When a title goes on sale or in a bundle you get many players who are very price sensitive and only bought the game because it was cheap. They may not care for the current direction and either be disappointed or demand different directions.
So unless there is a drastic change in philosopy at our studio, there are no plans to participate in any sale at any time. As the title grows older we will review and drop the price so that we're always charging a fair price.
Will the title support other VR hardware?
We are currently working towards supporting the Oculus Rift (with touch controllers) and also investigating Playstation VR. Where possible (for example, with the Rift), it will be the same game on either device so you will not need to purchase another copy. For PSVR we are not sure if this is possible. Other than PSVR, we have no plans to support non-steam integration. This is because it would be too much work to replace the leaderboards and other integration.
Will there be expansions or downloable content (DLC)?
We're discussing ways we can continue to expand on the game beyond our release. As noted earlier we plan on continuing to add (free) content to game up too and beyond the release of the game.
Additionally we are looking into at least two "themed" expasions. These would be total conversions of the game to another setting, with some additional features and also all new content. Pricing of these would depend on how extensive the changes required and also the number of units of the game we have already sold. Current expectation would be these would be USD 2-5. But they could be more if our plans for them become more extensive.
How can I help/get involved/provide feedback?
The most important thing you can do is provide feedback to us, both good and bad, through steam reviews and the game's forums here on steam. If you do leave a negative review - please do take this as an opportunity to outline what we could have done to improve your experience (and hopefully, be open to changing the review!). We have had some excellent feedback through the review system and made the game much better because of it.
Also help by getting the message out there! Share your experiences on forums and on social media. Currently we have decided to keep all the budget of the game focused on making it better. So help us get the message out there!
Will there be any exclusivity deals?
Currently no additional funding sources of any kind have been used to develop the game. We did apply for a few grants but none have been successful so far. While the game runs at a loss we're extremely happy with how things have gone and we're excited for the future. It is a huge learning experience and therefore an exclusivity deal would just be too restrictive for the title. We are, I suppose you could say, "room-scale exclusive" in that the game was designed specifically for this. So any VR device that does not offer something relating to room-scale will be very difficult for us to support.
Update 0.9 Released: Overwatch mode!
Summary
This update has the first of our new "modes" called overwatch. Read about it below! This is a step for us to get away from the endless wave model that has been useful for testing. Much of our work has been spent on Coop MP, which has been progressing extremely well. We now have the clients syncing and most things functioning properly. Testing will continue next week.
Upcoming Price Increase
After discussion on the forums and reddit, we have decided that the price for the game will increase slightly when Coop MP is released. An announcement will be posted advising this later, prior to the price increase explaining why we are doing this. Note that this will (obviously) not affect those who have already purchased the game.
Known issues
Game over screen position is wrong in contact map.
Lower spec AMD GPUs may suffer framerate issues when sniper rifle is out. Note: this should be playable now for those with higher-spec AMD cards. We are working with AMD/Epic for further optimization at driver/engine level.
New: Overwatch Mode
Protect your squad of 6 from enemy onslaught from an overlooking clock tower. Units will be extracted one by one. Save them all to successfully complete the mission.
New teleport mechanic for navigating in first person in missions. Left trackpad to activate.
Projectile speeds significantly increased for this mode.
In-game radio that can be re-positioned or smashed to mute.
Weapon switching mechanic; Intersect your weapon with the one you want to switch to.
Bugs
FIXED: Weapons would occasionally become invisible.
FIXED: Some defenses would be placed but the engineer would never build them.
Next Update
Another mission based on this new mode type will come in the next update with a small chance of Coop MP making it into the build as well. So a pretty exciting week planned for us!
