Welcome back chasers! It's been busy as of late as our development team has been spearheading several large projects that are essential to our next steps. In our recent Outlooks, we've talked a lot about this work between vehicle models, UI development and most notably, the Unity 2021 engine upgrade.
Unity 2021 Update
While we've already talked about many of the benefits of the Unity 2021 upgrade, we're excited to share where we’re at in the update progress. As we’re writing this update, the core gameplay and the weather logic systems are fully updated. We’re currently working on updating the multiplayer servers and weather visuals to include all the new powerful technologies that we now have access to by updating Unity to the 2021 version. We should be able to share a visual comparison in the next development outlook.
Once the work on the engine upgrade is completed, we'll once again be back in a place where the game is playable end to end and we'll be looking into doing our next round of playtesting! A few months ago, we migrated our servers to allow for the capacity to have several active games, so we'll be looking to verify that this is the case and make sure the lobby system and matchmaking is working properly!
New Vehicle Accessories
On the modeling side, we've continued bringing vehicle customization attachments into the game. Including this cell phone signal booster and vehicle-mounted weather station! We'll have more to come in the future with this as well.
We are so excited to be where we are in the development process. While we are not in a place to announce specific timing, in terms of the development timeline, we are much closer to Early Access and eventual full release than we are to the start of development.
OUTBRK Soundtrack
In addition to the work on the game itself, we started working on the OUTBRK soundtrack. Here are a few pictures of a recording session for the game:
Podcast
Lastly, on September 21st, we will be recording a podcast episode for the Carolina Weather Group where we will be talking about the development progress of OUTBRK. We’ll let you know in our discord server when the episode will be available to listen to.
In this outlook, we're continuing to bring more vehicle models into the game, while also upgrading our editors and resources to Unity 2021! The migration process is a long and technical process, but very worthwhile!
NEW VEHICLES AND ACCESSORIES
We've now got our first hatchback sedan ready to head out for chase day! This inconspicuous grocery-getter might not be very hail resistant, but you can expect great gas mileage!
For those that don't care much about the gas mileage and want to bring a few friends, we've also got this passenger van well on its way into the game.
We're excited to be bringing these vehicles into the game. Each vehicle will have unique characteristics and will handle differently depending on road conditions and driving style. The variety of vehicles will suit different player strategies and intercept tactics out on the chase!
And how about protecting your new shiny ride from hail with one of these new roof add-on?
NEW GAME ASSETS
In the spirit of cars and bringing the world to life, we’re continuing to work on new assets to do just that!
UNITY 2021 UPGRADE
Outside of continuing to integrate new vehicles and props, we're also working on the aforementioned Unity 2021 upgrade. While this process involves some pretty time-consuming steps, we're excited to be able to take advantage of several things that Unity 2019 simply cannot do. There are many visual advantages - specifically with Real Time Global Illumination and enhanced capabilities for environmental lighting effects. Even outside of the visual advantages, the upgrade will make it much faster to deploy and work with game builds as we continue to work towards Early Access.
With many big steps being taken each week, we're getting closer to having our next playtests to help us prepare for Early Access.
As always, stay up to date with our Trello page! https://trello.com/b/nsBmMfIa/outbrk-game
Until next time, chasers!
-The OUTBRK Team
OUTBRK: Development Outlook (June 2022)
Welcome back chasers, we've got another round of exciting updates to share with you all for this month's OUTBRK Development Outlook.
Over the last few months, our team has continued to work on key components of OUTBRK and we've been integrating much of the player feedback we received from our most recent playtest.
Last month, we shared some conceptual designs for the new in-game mini-map and the enhanced design of the full screen map and accompanying UI. This month, we're excited to show off the functionality as seen in-game!
IMPROVED MAP NAVIGATION AND CONTROLLER SUPPORT
You'll notice a new "Inspector" tool that will help players know what the different in-game points of interest are with helpful hints that will be displayed alongside the map.
That's not all, we've also continued to enhance how players can interact with the in-game radar and forecasting products. This is a huge step forward in enhancing the realism of OUTBRK. Seasoned storm chasers will appreciate just how realistic working with these products will look and feel. New to chasing and weather? No problem - we'll have tool tips and tutorials in-game to help players of all backgrounds feel comfortable navigating the weather mapping tools in OUTBRK.
Playing on a controller? All of these in-game clips were captured from controller based gameplay! We know that even for experienced PC players, some will prefer to play on a controller and we're excited to integrate more and more controller functionality.
NEW CARS AND ACCESSORIES
While we've continued working on these in-game UI elements, our modeling partners have been wrapping up work on several of the vehicle models that will be in-game. Many of the vehicles in OUTBRK were a result of the phenomenal Kickstarter supporters, including well-known storm chasers like Daniel Shaw and groups like LiveStormChasers.com !
Each vehicle will have unique handling physics that reflect differing vehicle characteristics!
(LiveStormChasers car is a 3D render provided by texturing artist, not in-game capture)
And of course, we're continuing to create vehicle accessories that players can earn with their in-game credits.
Our most recent stretch has been very important for our next steps in OUTBRK and we're continuing to integrate the key components that we will need in order to get ready to move forward with additional Playtests and eventually Early Access. While we don't have specific dates yet, we're getting closer and closer to knowing each day.
Hey everyone! In this edition of our monthly OUTBRK newsletter, we’re giving a small update on the big indie contest we’re finalists in, and we’re sharing the results of the big playtest session we’ve had with some of our Kickstarter backers.
CATAPULTE
Last month we announced that we qualified in the top 5 finalists in a local indie competition called Catapulte. Ahead of the big finals that will take place on April 7th, we’re receiving weekly training in presentation skills and marketing strategies. These experts are helping us build a strong pitch and maximize our chances of winning, and we’re spending a lot of time refining our presentation to integrate their valuable feedback.
KICKSTARTER BACKERS PLAYTEST
This month was one of the busiest months on OUTBRK so far. We’ve held a big playtest session with more than 50 players among our kickstarter backers. They were able to play one round of OUTBRK each and give us their impression of their experience. We’ve also asked them to fill out a short form to gather more detailed feedback on our gameplay systems. We’re still compiling the results, but we can share two very promising stats; We asked player to grade on a note from 1 to 5 (1 being I totally disagree, and 5 being I totally agree) these following statements :
We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but these grades are showing we’re doing something right and it’s really encouraging. Some players that participated in the Playtest also sent us recordings of their experience, and we’ve put them together into a highlight video. You can watch it here :
That is all for this month’s newsletter! Stay safe, chasers !
-The OUTBRK Team
OUTBRK: Development Outlook (February 2022)
Welcome back to our monthly OUTBRK newsletter. In this edition, we’re talking about a big indie game contest we’re finalists in, and we’re finally announcing our first public playtest for kickstarter backers!
CATAPULTE
In the last month, we submitted our application to a few indie competitions and we got selected to be part of the 5 finalists in a local indie studio accelerator called “Catapulte” with prizes totalling more than 125k CAD$ in grants and external support for the winning team. By reaching this stage, we will receive training by industry professionals for the next few weeks and finally present our project in front of judges on April 7th. This is massive for us and winning this competition would enable us to truly deliver on our vision for OUTBRK much faster.
KICKSTARTER BACKERS PLAYTEST
On the game’s development side, we’re excited to share that after some preliminary internal testing, we’re ready for a second round of playtests, and this time, we’re inviting Kickstarter backers! Playtests are a very important part of our development and will provide an opportunity for us to begin laying out a more concrete release timeline as we validate our design and technical systems.
If you are a kickstarter backer, make sure you are a member of our Discord server by following this link - and then make sure you have the blue “Backer” role. If you don’t, contact David (MOARNial) in the OUTBRK Discord server and we’ll get it sorted out.
We will use Discord to coordinate everything related to this very important Playtest session, from planning to giving you access to the game and collecting feedback after players have had the chance to try the game.
That is all for this month’s newsletter! Stay safe, chasers!
The OUTBRK Team
OUTBRK: Development Outlook (January 2022)
Welcome back chasers!
Our team hopes that everyone's New Year is off to a fantastic start. Here's our January Development Outlook! Last month, we debuted our initial car customization system and previewed some of the Kickstarter Backer Content in the game. Of course, you can't have customizable cars without a garage, so our latest focus has revolved around the "Car Garage" experience within OUTBRK.
Purchasing new cars, skins and car parts being an essential progression point of the game, we want to make sure that the garage experience makes sense and is approachable for all audiences. Players will likely spend a good chunk of time in this menu - so we're taking out time to get this right. We'll also be continuing to integrate unlockable car attachments, vehicle models, and personalization options as we continue our work. For now, we've got a placeholder cheese flavored corn chip hail guard!
A couple months ago, we shared the evolution of our in-game maps and radar products following playtest feedback. It’s now time to show an early version of our in-game "Chaser Network" where players can report weather elements they’ve spotted on a map and all other chasers will see their reports on their map.We're excited to see how this feature will add another way for players to engage on OUTBRK.
Since that original round of playtesting, our network team has also been able to continue to improve the online experience overall and we're now expecting a much smoother multiplayer system. Their vital work has been pivotal in making customizable vehicles and other components to be visible to all players on a server, a foundational feature that is essential for replayability and community driven experiences.
Chase season is getting closer, stay tuned!
The OUTBRK Team
OUTBRK: Development Outlook (December 2021)
Merry Christmas and happy new year !
In this season of festivities, we’ve been working on integrating something really important for us : Kickstarter Backer Rewards !
Since the completion of our Kickstarter campaign, we’ve been regularly trying to get in touch with all of our Ambassador backers to integrate their Text, Image, Billboards, Town names and Vehicles in OUTBRK. If you backed an Ambassador reward or higher (you can check your pledge on kickstarter.com directly) and haven’t heard from us yet, please check your spam folder. If you still can’t find an email from us asking for your assets, contact us at contact@outbrkgame.com and we’ll sort this out.
That being said, here is a little preview of some kickstarter reward stickers integrated in OUTBRK :
One other massive recent news is that the entire OUTBRK world is now in “2nd pass” state, meaning that everywhere in the world has received at least some amount of details; cities are built, industrial complexes are constructed, farmlands are plowed… There are now plenty of things to look at, anywhere you might be in our 625km² world. To give an idea of how big this task was, it was started in February of 2021 and it was David’s main priority since then.
Our next focus is the car garage. Buying new cars and modifying them with different colors, decals and attachments will be a big part of OUTBRK, so at the moment we’re laying down the foundation of this entire system, how the player will navigate in the different menus, and how it will be synchronized on the network.
Until then, stay safe and happy holidays.
-The OUTBRK Team
OUTBRK: Development Outlook (November 2021)
It's the off season chasers! While things calm down weather wise in real life, our development team has been working on the feedback we have received from our first multiplayer playtest.
With this feedback, we were able to identify some design issues in key gameplay elements, so we’re taking actions about this to make our gameplay approachable, engaging, and intuitive for veteran storm chasers and for people without any experience with severe weather. Our playtesters have been able to provide a lot of feedback on our balance choices between risk and reward, and while some games may reward you the most for taking the biggest risks, that won't be the case in OUTBRK. Our general gameplay philosophy is to reward smart behaviors that would be generally good in a real life chase, so we'll be using our different game systems like the probe and camera to assure that our reward system benefits players who are able to keep it safe while also still getting those great shots and probe data.
One major change we’ve done is to completely remove what we previously called the “car module” (a system rewarding how close the player was to an active tornado, justifying it as instruments on the car picking up data) and designed a new point-making system inspired by Spotter Network that we currently call the Chaser Network. In the Chaser Network, players will be able to report weather hazards for other players to see on the map and points will be awarded based on the accuracy of the reports to reward smart positioning and awareness. In addition to reporting, players will be able to see the live locations of other chasers in the world in that same module, so they will have to choose between remaining dedicated to their chase target or risk having to race to other areas for hazards that are already confirmed.
Our playtest was also the first big stress test of our multiplayer networking system, and we were able to identify some crucial issues preventing larger numbers of players from accessing the game at the same time. Our networking team has already started resolving most of these issues.
Lastly, we recently added a way to browse through past radar frames, and a new surface map. Here is some screenshot of our work in progress :
That's all for this month, don't forget to wishlist us on STEAM if you haven't already! - The OUTBRK Team.
