The build is now live – go and grab yourself some fun!
The following notes concern Steam Early Access Build no.0.5.364 (20161221):
NEW TRACK - Midtown. A new intro track that represents a new quality benchmark for the game.
Note: You will start to see tweaks and changes to the existing 4 tracks in the new year to balance the quality.
NEW FEATURES - replays
- craft and weapon upgrade slot/card system in the garage
- audio alerts
- haptic feedback added - toggle on/off
- motion blur added on max speed - toggle on/off
- chase cam added
IMPROVED FEATURES - physics and handling
- new offensive and defensive weapon options
- head up display
- shield has now been split to Shield and Health
- cockpit cam
- tail cam
- craft audio
- shield pickup now purple
- AI
IN MORE DETAIL:
THE GARAGE The Garage has huge changes namely the first outing for our card/slot based upgrade system.
WIP / PLACEHOLDER - Please remember this is EARLY ACCESS. The mechanic and UI are
wip / placeholder and not fully implemented but we wanted to let you see it now.
With the greatest of respect please don’t tell us the UI sucks. We know it does. It is purely functional right now and we are going to work with tDR to bring it up to the level of quality you would expect. For now please just play with it and HAVE FUN.
BALANCING – There are some obvious balancing issues with the card and craft systems but we have started to focus on this area. You will eventually need to pay for the cards with "Tech Credits” but right now they're free. For now please jump in and experiment with the various load outs.
Although it’s briefly explained in the on screen text, we’ll assume you’re like us and haven’t read it ;-) here’s what’s going on with the Card Upgrade system:
You have 7 slots on your craft and each can accept Behaviour Cards:
- Engine: 1 card
- Handling: 1 card
- Braking: 1 card
- Anti-Gravity: 1 card
- Defence: 1 card
- Defensive Weapons: 1 card
- Offensive Weapon: 5 cards
Choose one Behaviour card for each Slot (or 5 in the case of your Offensive Weapon), and then save your LoadOut. You can save as many LoadOuts as you want.
Go to Custom Race and choose your craft and pre-saved LoadOut. Then continue to choose your race track.
The only areas needing any huge explanation for now:-
OFFENSIVE WEAPONS: As you hit the button marked "Offensive Weapons” you’ll see you have a choice of 3 weapons:
- Energy Bolt
- Gauss Cannon
- Mine
Choose one of these.
"Might I suggest that sir tries the Energy Bolt first"
Then choose up to 5 behaviours for that weapon:
Ricochet = how many times your missiles will bounce of the walls
Spread = multiplies the number of missiles which are released at the same time
Cluster = a number of smaller bombs are released on detonation
Proximity = increases the range at which your weapon will detonate (and have an effect)
Ammo Multiplier = gives you twice the number of missiles
Area of Effect = aka blast radius
Armor Penetration = self explanatory ;-)
Constant Damage = slightly damages everything in its path within a radius - short lifespan
Fire Rate = self explanatory ;-)
Attract = pulls craft and other projectiles towards it disrupting racing lines or detonating
Damage = increases the amount of damage a weapon will do
Impulse = the force of the blast increases
Leech = a portion of the damage dealt is transferred to the shooter as Shield Health.
Tether = wip (no vfx yet) takes health from victim and adds to the shooters Shield
Sticky - missiles (not Gauss Cannon) will attach it to target and detonate 1 second later
Lifetime - increases lifetime of Energy Bolt or Mine
Projectile Speed = increases the speed of any missiles
Guidance = hmmm…oh yes…this is the one you want ;-)
DEFENSIVE WEAPONS Unlike their Offensive brothers these are INDIVIDUAL WEAPONS and craft upgrades which are not affected by Behaviour modifying Cards. here’s a quick explanation of them:
Cloak = wip but the opponents can’t see you (you see your craft as a sort of Predator effect)
Upsurge = when charged you can activate a mini BOOST
Tank = increases hull strength
Flashbang = errrr….flashbang, wallop
Energy Leach = wip (no vfx yet) needs to be touching other craft
Flares = fired from rear of craft to counter guided weaponry
Shockwave = short range "Gravity Wave” which violently shoves other craft and projectiles
REPLAYS This is very much a WIP feature. Some things to know about it:
- there are 20 slots available
- a replay happens when you’ve completed a race or 1 lap Time Replay
- once you’ve selected your race it will start in Cinematic mode
- you can select any pilot’s POV, switching between Chase, Tail
- exit via Escape key only
KNOWN BUGS - Weapons exist in multiplayer in the pure race. They need removing.
Note: We will attempt to push out an update out before we break for Xmas on Friday 23rd to fix any major bugs that may crop up through expanded play testing.
TUTORIAL - the Tutorial is gone for now. We’re working on a real one which will come out later.
KERS - is now referred to as “Boost” - its function is the same as in the earlier build:
- build up BOOST points by piloting without hitting anything
- lose BOOST points on collisions with anything
- use BOOST points for a big speed surge
WARNING VOICES - WIP - you can turn them off or down in Options/UI Voices level
MULTIPLAYER WIP - due to some tests we’ve been doing we’ve had to bring you a Multiplayer without weapons
- you should see some changes to the smoothness but overall it is very much still WIP
MUSIC WIP -All music in the game is placeholder. We are working with music artists right now to confirm the line up.
update coming
It's the Silly Season and R8 Games is working furiously to produce something special for our community before Christmas.
Firstly, an apology; despite our best intentions we've neglected to not only update the game regularly but also to keep you in the loop.
To recap; at the beginning of this year we managed to get a committed investor onboard and the extra funding allowed us to plan for the game we really wanted to make.
We turned our resources to creating what we believe is a reinvention of the anti-grav combat racing genre. All the good core stuff that we always wanted to feature together with the depth, quality and scope of a high end, big studio game; loads of options, multiple craft and weapon customisations plus social elements encompassing multiplayer, tournaments, leagues, video replays, and world class AI.
Essentially the funding allowed us to realize our ambitions and as a result Formula Fusion has moved far beyond its origins into something entirely more substantial than would have otherwise been possible.
Right now we are aiming to get a new EA build to you this side of Santa’s triple shift. You will see the progress that has been made since the last version. We’re not there yet and let’s not forget we’re in Early Access, pre-alpha. Formula Fusion is not a finished game but we believe you'll see we have not been sitting around.
In the background we’ve been working on a number of new tracks and craft but mainly features. Some of these we'll be bringing you a taste of while others have to remain in the studio as they're not yet ready for prime time let alone Early Access.
However, the new features we will be showing you, including the handling and physics, both vastly improved, are well worth the wait. It's been an often frustrating journey for everyone but there is light at the end of the tunnel now and we are looking forward to a 2017 release of Formula Fusion on PC, PS4 and Xbox One accompanied and followed by complete pledge fulfillment for our wonderful Kickstarter backers.
On another note, we're aware that Sony recently announced a 'remaster' of Wipeout. In relation to Formula Fusion we see this as a very positive thing. Firstly, judging by the reactions so far it strengthens our belief that there are large numbers of gamers itching to see the genre bought up to date, plus, we believe, there are a whole new generation of players waiting to be introduced to the excitement and challenge of AG combat racing. Last but not least it's no surprise that we're big WipeOut fans ourselves and can’t wait to see it on a 4K screen!
Thanks for your continued support and patience. Look out for the EA update very soon and we'll look forward to your valuable feedback which has always informed our development.
Team Formula Fusion
SPECIAL EVENT - 25% off - Test Pilot Recruitment Week!
Fri Aug 19th 1200h to Fri 26th Aug 1200h
25% off - Test Pilot Recruitment Week -
In a drive to recruit more Test Pilots and to celebrate the progress we have made we have decided to stage a one off reduction of 25% over the next 7 days (from Friday 19th August 1200h GMT to Friday 26th August 1200h GMT). This move is to help us increase active multiplayer users.
INSTRUCTIONS To join the Test Pilot Programme please email
testpilot@r8games.com
putting “TPP Request” in the subject line
and your name and Steam name in the body of the email.
We will then contact you with further instructions.
Anticipating some questions, please see below:
Why are you putting the game on sale? Formula Fusion is already on Early Access at a substantially reduced rate.
When the game is finally ready for release the price will go up to $39.99. We always try to be fair and are not planning to go from one sale to the next. The temporary reduction in price is to help us recruit more pilots during this critical testing phase. This initiative will NOT be repeated. When the 7 days are up the doors will be closed.
What do I get as a Test Pilot? Upon signing up you will receive a special code to allow access to our RedRoute prototype test tracks. You will also be invited to join our limited access Test Pilot forums which will be closely moderated by our QA manager.
I bought the game on Early Access, can I join up!? YES! If you bought the game on Early Access you can join the Test Pilot Programme - see instructions above.
I signed up as a Test Pilot in the early stages - how come this is being made available to everyone now!? We thank you and our amazing Kickstarter backersfor all your support. You have helped us get to the stage we are at now. We have not forgotten our commitment to you. You early adopters will still be rewarded with access to some amazing content (skins etc) that NO ONE else will have, so please don't think we are downplaying your contribution. We will be reaching out to you soon. If you are already active on the forums you will know that we have appointed a QA manager and we will be much more proactive from now on. Without your help and the extra numbers of Test Pilots we can't refine the game to be as polished as it needs to be.
update 20160819
hi all
We’ve been working very hard since our 20160725 build and are pleased to announce that as of Friday 0003h GMT you’ll be seeing an update which has numerous improvements, additions, changes and fixes:
- destruction sequence improvements - WIP
- multiplayer - lobby auto-refreshes - in-lobby text chat - player tag occlusion - optimisation - WIP
- aesthetic tweaks / changes to Trans Atol
- aesthetic tweaks / changes to Niagara
- aesthetic tweaks / changes to Mannahatta
- new pickup health and weapon icons - WIP
- SFX tweaks - still WIP
- multiple bug fixes
- weapons system tweaks and additions - WIP
- introduction of KERS system (see below) - WIP
WEAPONS: pick primary and secondary weapons in garage - pickup energy charges to fire with Right or Left shoulder buttons
KERS v1.0 - KINETIC ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEM - WIP:
- (see blue bar at base of HUD) deploy KERS by holding Left and Right upper bumper buttons together for a temporary speed boost.
- collect KERS Crystals during a race - harvest Crystals from destroyed craft - WIP
- KERS rewards perfect piloting; collisions reduce and achieving the perfect line accelerates collection of Crystals
More news to follow shortly re the re-opening of the TPP.
quick patch - not the update!
Hi all
Due to a software issue we’ve had to issue a patch on Steam. It’s a minor change that means when you select the track you won’t see a video preview of the track.
There are no fixes in this patch. The build with many improvements should be coming out later next week.
the Big July Update is now LIVE!! - read this later, just go and play out now ;-)
THE FUTURE IS NOW!
The new and improved BIG JULY UPDATE is now live on Steam, for your AG racing pleasure! As you may have seen over the weekend we had a couple of internal issues to resolve, unfortunately that meant delaying the launch slightly.
However, I’m sure you will appreciate the results of our hard work and hopefully it serves to clearly set out our intentions to deliver something really special (wipes sweat from brow). Hopefully the wait will have been worth it.
If you have approached us for keys please check your email tomorrow – we value constructive feedback so feel free to flood the forums with your critical appraisal and get the word out for others to do likewise.
If you intend to just flame the forums with vitriol, we tend not to be as responsive, but we do value your input and do take note (be warned).
The update we have given you, we feel, now justifies the £14.99 price tag, which is half the final RRP of £29.99.
Whilst still in Alpha it is roughly half the game in terms of content and game treatment. We will now retreat to the trenches and push on to completion generating new content and refining gameplay as we go.
DISCLAIMER: Because this is a big update, we want to stress test the game over the next week, so if you encounter a crash (multiplayer is a bit delicate) can you please provide details of the crash to team@r8games.com . Please put the words "CRASH REPORT" in the Subject line.
THAT’S NOT ALL FOLKS!
No no no…
To keep you satisfied we will continue to deliver monthly patches on Steam to fine tune the game experience, along with a few exciting new features. However - new content will be limited to TPP members who will have exclusive access going forward.
HOW DOES THE TPP THING WORK – IS IT EVEN A ‘THING’?
Yes. Admittedly we have been very quiet, but it was always going to be a big part of how we develop the game; we just needed to put the brakes on and create the right conditions. But now we want to take a step back and focus our efforts on you special people. Our QA Manager, Robert D will lead you by the hand through this important phase.
We will:
- Deliver the remaining RedRoutes to you, starting with the new track Terminus – an exciting track design with lots of new features. The plan is to deliver this mid-August.
- Set weekly QA tasks to gather feedback. This will be managed by our QA Manager!
- Interact personally with community QA leaders to discuss development particulars (this will be under NDA of course as you will effectively be part of the team).
I MISSED THE BOAT, CAN I BECOME A TEST PILOT?
YES! There will be two more recruitment phases to co-inside with major updates. Wait for announcements to go out through twitter and social media and then join up!
- The first phase will start next Monday and will last for 7 days. This is to bolster numbers so we can test multiplayer.
- The second phase will start 2 months before launch. This is to focus test game balancing.
LETS GET BACK TO THE UPDATE! WHAT’S THE DEALIO?
As mentioned previously – this update is important for a number of reasons. For a start it shows that we have not been idle twiddling our thumbs – it represents a lot of late nights, a lot of testing and a lot of trawling through forums for feedback (don’t worry, we have thick skins). We are proud of how it is coming together now and for the first time, to us, the jigsaw pieces are slotting together.
You will see (wip):
- Craft: F4000, F3000, F2000 – complete with team skins;
- Tracks: Niagara GP, Mannahatta, Trans Atol, Atlas Torres;
- Menu: tDR elements being interwoven without our previous placeholder work;
- Garage: The first pass version of the garage complete with basic upgrade nodes;
- Game Loop: Play tracks, win credits and try all the different the classes;
- Multiplayer: Host races and play with up to 10 friends;
- Weapons: Mines; Gauss Cannon; Rockets; Shockwave (basic implementation);
- AI Balancing: First pass AI behaviour trained and developed to fit each track;
- Game Lore: All team lore in place;
- Practice mode: Practice a race;
- Tutorial: Learn the basics;
- General: Loading screens, craft profiles, team profiles, speed boost and screen FX, optimisation;
- Craft behaviour: refinements to handling and collision friction;
Plus many many more...
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!! GO PLAY THE GAME!
THE BIG JULY UPDATE!
As you may or may not have noticed – we have been quiet on the various forums. That’s because we have been very busy preparing a significant update, which will be available through steam by the end of the week.
The update will include (along with lots of game refinements):
- Multiplayer
- Singleplayer
- Garage
- 4 Tracks
- 3 Craft
- 4 Weapons
- Better handling
- Better AI
Our intention is to justify the price on Early Access by giving you half the game (alpha) – the price represents 50% off the full RRP so you can still grab a bargain.
We will continue update the Steam build with general gameplay tweaks and quality refinements, but we are going to switch our strategy now to work much more closely with the TPP people – to refine remaining content (which will be available exclusively for TPP people) right up until release across PC & Consoles for early 2017.
We will be reaching out very soon to make sure the TPP are fully engaged with the plan and we will open up the doors to recruit more TPP members as early adopters of multiplayer shortly.
We need to get things right that’s for sure and we have grown the project organically from day one. Please be a little more patient as we move through the final stages, we are confident the game will be everything you have imagined and a whole lot more.
Much love R8!
EA build 20160520
EA build 20160520 (oops - posted posthumously)
most of what we've been doing is way way under the hood and will be seen in forthcoming updates - in this build we bring you:
- Mannahatta cleaned up - no more weird wall collisions
- TPP Menu issues now cleaned up
The latest TT competition will run until the final second of May 31st midnight GMT. Leaderboards
Same rules apply. Prizes:
1st - AMAZING 3D crystal engraved Trophy
2nd - T-Shirt - new batch
3rd - poster - will post image soon
All winners will be notified by email (prize delivery times may vary - we will keep winners informed). The ghost file is needed for verification.
The competition is TIME TRIAL mode on MANNAHATTA in the FF4000 craft…Flash, Flash, I love you, but we only have 14 hours to save the Earth!
find Leaderboards here
Meantime, here’s a WIP shot of some of the re-work we’re doing on Niagara. It’s still WIP but we think it shows the direction we’re heading.
Imgur [imgur.com]
20160507 - THE UPDATE IS OUT!
-new practice mode
-new track - Mannahatta
-floatier handling seen on Atlas
-3 dec points on clock
-boot cam - temporary removal of Cockpit Cam
-speed fx on/off - camera shake and chrom’ ab'
-ghost on/off/opacity
-d-pad control
I'll write longer later with more detail on all of these but for now please check this new build out. We plan to release another one in a few weeks for the next Time Trial competition.
Check out some more in game screenshots on FaceBook
https://www.facebook.com/R8Games/
NEWS: APRIL COMPETITION UPDATE IS NOW LIVE!
The competition will run until April 30th at Midnight. Same rules apply. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place: AMAZING 3d crystal engraved Trophy for 1st place, a T-Shirt for 2nd and a poster for 3rd. All winners will be notified by email (prize delivery times may vary - we will keep winners informed). The ghost file is needed for verification. The competition is for TIME TRIAL on ATLAS TORRES in the FF4000 CRAFT.
GOD SPEED PEOPLE!
Build tweaks:
-Tunnel refactor - providing more player control and fluid gameplay.
-Half-pipe feature on exiting the tunnel to support exiting at high speed.
-Speed pad feature upgrade. Providing a bonus on hitting 3 successive pads in quick succession.
-Bend indicators
-Camera shake at high speed.
-Heat trails/scrape from craft on collision with walls/floor
-Handling refinements
-General graphical improvements.
-Display mode support in the garage
-Sound balancing.
