We're kicking off the year 2022 with the biggest update to date, which includes numerous improvements to how the game can be played. It also incorporates elements that should have been in the game but weren't a priority previously.
We worked hard for the last 5 months to add these features, make the game more engaging, and, most importantly, introduce fresh content that can be played for countless hours.
New feature – Grabbing players
Everyone can agree that grabbing other people and pushing them off a cliff is hilarious. Which is why this feature was always in our minds when designing the game. It has now been implemented and is functioning flawlessly. It can also be used to assist someone who is having difficulty climbing a wall.
We had a great time testing that feature, and we hope you will too.
New feature – Knockout by impact
What would a physics game be without the ability to be knocked out? We added that if you are hit in the head with enough force, your character would be knocked out for a few seconds and fall to the ground.
Each map has its own set of settings that determine what can cause players to be knocked out.
For example, in Box Run, only other players can do it, while in other modes, it may only be objects on the map or both.
Please don't hit yourself in the head too hard!
New game mode – Don’t Fall From The Platform (DFFTP)
It was about time we added a new game mode. Don't Fall From The Platform (DFFTP) is a game mode in which you must jump from one platform to another while avoiding falling down. The platforms gradually collapse, and your goal is to be the last one standing.
It is strongly advised to utilize the previously mentioned new features and combat other players in order to win.
Below is a short GIF from development builds demonstrating how the new features can be used to win.
New map – Middle of the sea
Middle of the sea was the first map made for the new game mode Don’t Fall From The Platform (DFFTP). It's a map with 25 wooden platforms in the center of what appears to be a beautiful sea. A little island and a large skull island full of mystery can be found in the background.
Oh, and there's a ship with a couple cannons firing at the platforms every few seconds, so pay attention!
New map – Neon Abyss
Take a trip to the void of Neon Abyss, a new Don't Fall From The Platform (DFFTP) map with a unique aesthetic design. The map has 37 neon platforms, giving you plenty of room to fight the other players.
This map may not have a cool ship that shoots cannons, but it does change colors over time. Isn't that absolutely fantastic?
Reworked – Spectator mode
The spectator mode has been in the game for a long time, but it wasn't up to standard. It had a lot of bugs and errors, but it's been changed in this update. The first thing we did was create new key binds for changing the spectated player because using arrows was inconvenient. You can now change it with mouse buttons as well.
Another change is that if you reach the end of the list of players, it will cycle to the first player in the list instead of refusing to spectate someone else.
A third significant change was the addition of a HUD that displays the name of the player you're currently spectating.
Aside from that, we optimized it and fixed the majority of the bugs we could find.
Reworked – Player Movement
The player movement system has been completely rewritten to operate as server authoritative. It means that it is now entirely server-side, which eliminates many different kinds of cheating. This change took the majority of our time as it was a challenging and time-consuming task, but it allowed us to add features like grabbing players, knockout by impact, and overall made the game more secure (you can no longer use Cheat Engine to fly through the air or walk at the speed of light).
It is still far from perfect, but we will actively work to improve it with each update.
Revamped – Winner screen
Last but not least, the winner screen has been enhanced. We tweaked the text animations slightly and added some eye-catching confetti.
Full changelog
- Remade player movement system to work as server authoritative movement
- Added a new game mode "DFFTP (Don't Fall From The Platform)"
- Added a new map "Middle of the sea"
- Added a new map "Neon Abyss"
- Added an option to grab players
- Added a knockout by impact when getting hit in the head with enough force
- Added brand-new Spectator HUD
- Added a way to change spectated player with mouse buttons
- Lobby Browser now displays server's ping once the data is available
- Added an option to unequip items
- Added Steam Inventory Service integration
- Added a thumbnail for Maze Escape maps
- Added a check when player joins a server, if the player has the equipped item in his Steam inventory
- Added a confetti to the winner screen
- Added a tooltip with some info when hovering over player in lobby
- Added a button to copy lobby's code
- Changed "Freeze" power-up icon
- Updated to Unity version 2020.3.25f1
- Updated hitboxes
- Spawnpoints on Maze Escape are now hidden
- Players no longer can spawn on the same spawnpoint
- Player names are no longer nicknames set on Steam
- Fixed possible error when launching the game when customization was never set before
- Fixed game start button being clickable after returning to lobby and not selecting a new map
- Fixed killing player on "Western" not working correctly
- Fixed boxes on "Western" being ungraspable
- Fixed player names not being set correctly
- Fixed annoying jitter on clients due to desynchronization
- Fixed non-steam items not being applied correctly
- Fixed host always falling at the start on Box Run map "Western"
- Fixed player still walking when balance is lost
- Fixed clients not being put in unbalanced state correctly
- Fixed changing spectated player throwing an error
- Fixed spawnpoints on Maze Escape not working correctly
- Fixed minimap elements being visible in normal view when game ends on Maze Escape
- Fixed SteamIDs not being applied correctly when 2 players join at the same time
Few last words
This year, we hope to make significant improvements to the game and prepare it for release.
If you've made it this far and are interested in the game, please consider adding it to your wishlist and following the community hub. It really helps, and we will be truly thankful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comments section, and we will respond as soon as possible!
Thanks for taking interest in the game,
Marjo
