Ratz Update 2.0.8 - Announcing the Ratz Map Editor!
Hello Ratz fans!
It's been a while since the last update to Ratz Instagib but today, I'm happy to tell you about a whole heap of updates to the game that I hope you're going to love!
First, the big news…
Announcing the Ratz Map Editor!
Yes, it's finally in the making! The Ratz Map Editor will allow you to create your own game maps and play/share them with the community. Thankfully, the development of it doesn't seem as complicated as I first thought, but it's still too early to give exact details on when it'll be finished. Nevertheless, my goal is to provide simple tools to allow everyone to create nice maps, but at the same time give advanced users the full customisation options they need.
Check out these early screenshots:
Next up…
The new Rooftop map!
This mixes things up quite a bit, so I hope you enjoy playing on it…
New Customisation Items!
I've created 17 (!) new items, including one special item for everyone who supports Ratz while it's in Early Access – the Improved Jetpack! This item won't be unlockable once the game leaves Early Access next year, so be sure to grab it while you can!
And on top of this new content, I've made lots of improvements to the game too…
Tweaked Player movement – Lower Jump height and increased Gravity
Bigger Player Hitbox – Adjusted the Hitbox size of players to balance it with the player outline/equipped items
Precise mouse sensitivity – This should give more room for exact mouse speed settings
Zoom multiplier – Set how much the zoom should affect the mouse sensitivity
Improved AFK-System – It's now less aggressive and has some bugs fixed…
Pixel Beam looks improved
As always, I hope you continue to enjoy playing Ratz Instagib and look forward to the full release early next year!
Ratz Update 2.0.7 - The long-awaited network update!
Hello everyone!
Let's get straight on with today's update information, since I know you've all been waiting for it...
Network Update!
Yes, it's finally done! I've worked hard to improve the network code of Ratz, since it's been the top comment people have had about the game since it arrived in Early Access.
If you score a hit on someone, they will die at least 50% faster – especially if you have to play with high ping. It's also much more consistent, which should make the game much, much better to play! So, if you are one of those people who were getting a ping of 150+, you should give Ratz another try!
Please keep in mind that I had to rewrite some pretty sensitive code to get this updated networking going – as such, if you come across any bugs or issues, please let me know straight away.
I prepared some gifs for you (they should run at 30fps, i hope they don't slow down):
Zoom
I've also now added a feature that, to be honest, should have been already in Ratz from the start: you can set a separate Zoom FOV to your own liking with the option of toggling it on or off. I hope that helps some of you!
Even More Customisation!
Some truly explosive new cosmetics are ready for you to unlock!
Anti-Idle/AFK System Enhancements
Ever since the Customisation side of Ratz was launched, I've had a lot of complaints from players about people going AFK and idling in the hope of unlocking items without actually having to play. On top of the system that was there before, I've now improved the Anti-Idle System to weed out these AFK players – hopefully, this new update should solve the problem.
Remember, folks: idling doesn't unlock customisation items, it just annoys everyone around you!
Additional Fixes
Assigning Mouse Buttons 4/5, Shift and Alt in the Options menu works as it should now.
Item Unlock will no longer unlock the wrong item.
Have fun everyone!
Will you find a Golden Ticket?
So, today's a special day for Ratz Instagib...
To celebrate the massive addition of customisation options, we're running a promotion over this weekend with some prizes to give away! Plus, big discounts on buying the game!
First up, the competition. As you'll know by now, playing the game in most modes gives you the chance to earn special customisation items for your rat. This weekend though (and until the winners appear!), we've added a very special item: a Golden Ticket that, if found, can win you a prize!
The rules are simple: play the game as normal and keep your eyes open for a Golden Ticket drop in your inventory. If you get one, add the developer on Steam (Lizzard4000) and trade him the ticket item as quick as you can... if you're one of the first two people to do this, you'll win a signed Mad Catz R.A.T. gaming mouse worth £60!
Please note: only the first two people to trade their ticket to Lino will win. There are more than two tickets in the system, but the item will be removed once we have our winners.
On top of this exciting promotion, we're offering Ratz Instagib this weekend only (22-26 May) for 33% off! This discount applies to both individual and 4-pack key purchases so, if you want to introduce a friend to Ratz, now's your chance to do it for less.
Have fun everyone and good luck finding those tickets... we'll see you on the rat-tlefield!
Ratz Update 2.0.6 - Mac Support, new Cosmetic Items and Steam Marketplace!
Hello everyone!
I've been overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback I got for the addition of customisation! A lot of players have coming back to Ratz every day and the player count seems to be more stable as of late… that's great! Now though, it's time for another update.
Mac Support
Finally, Mac players can get into the enjoyment of Instagib action too! And even better, the Mac and Win builds are cross-platform compatible, so you can fight it out for supremacy!
New Customisation Items
I've added ten more new items for everyone to unlock including a pirate / pool party set and the super special 'Ster' Armor!. Ster helped me a lot to build up the Ratz community and if you're one of his fans, you can represent him in-game!
Also you can now access the Customisation Menu in-game – there's no need to leave the game to equip new items any more.
Steam Market
Got duplicates of the same item? Then sell them in the Steam Marketplace! Please note: this feature is still very new so if you experience any bugs, please let me know.
Please keep in mind that Item Drops are disabled in Custom Hosted games!
Ratz Update 2.0.5 - Customisation is here (plus other improvements)!
Hello everyone!
It's been a while since the last update, but that's because I've been working hard on the biggest one yet. And now, after almost two months of work, I can finally release it!
Customisation
Make your rat look fancy! Now you customise your avatar in four different places: one headpiece + three body extras.
But what to customise them with? Well, when a match ends, there's a chance you'll get a random customisation item drop with rarity ranging from Common to the super rare Legendary!
Currently there are 27 unlockable items, but I definitely want to increase that number a lot in the coming months. And I will!
Please be aware that the Inventory system is still beta and being heavily worked on by Valve. Steam trading of items you don't want/need should work in most situations, but Steam marketplace isn't working right now – this will be enabled in the coming weeks. Once it's in, you'll be able to sell your duplicate items to other players.
Freezetag
I've been working hard to make Freezetag better for a number of reasons.
The problems we faced in the original version of it were pretty obvious, as the teambased game types in Ratz had some issues.
Specifically, if the best players were randomly assigned to one team, the other team would have barely a chance… it just ends up in a slaughter,
with lots of demotivated players! Sadly, letting players decide to switch teams wasn't an option, as it could be abused (like switching in the last round to the winning team).
Thankfully, I've come up with some improvements and now if you play a ranked Freeztag game, some things will be different: • After every round, the teams get re-balanced so you get a new fair team composition every time.
• Because of this rebalancing, it's now not about which team wins but rather how many rounds YOU as a player win.
• Win more than 50% of the rounds in a match to improve your rating!
Other changes apply to both ranked AND custom Freezetag games:
• Now if a teammate is frozen, you will be able to see them even through walls. That way, you can always know where they are and be quick to help unfreeeze them!
• Preparation time at the start of each round has been reduced to three seconds.
• In Freeztag only, maps now have a lot of extra 'barriers' to hide behind. They can be used as cover and should make it easier to help you unfreeze teammates. But be careful!
If you rush forward alone and your team gets out of range, chances are that you will be in a position none of your friends can help you...
Mouse Input
Every shooter that is made in the Unity engine has the same problem with mouse input: it's not frame independent.
After a bit of thinking, I came up with a new experimental solution to capture the mouse position multiple times per frame!
This leads to much more responsive mouse handling. So, if you're one of those people who've been thinking that the mouse control doesn't feel quite right in Ratz, I'd encourage you to enable the Enhanced Mouse Input in the Options menu and see how it feels then!
With this, Ratz Instagib is now one step closer to full release. I hope you all enjoy these new improvements… please let me know what you think in the comments while I continue to make the game even better!
Some more images, in case you're curious:
Ratz Update 2.0.4 - new Map!
Hello everyone!
Pink Map Update!
Ratz Instagib will have it's own stand at EGX REZZED !
Therefore i think it's the perfect time for a quick Map Update!
See you at EGX REZZED !
Ratz Update 2.0.3 - Bots, new Map and Gametype vote!
Hello everyone!
A big update for Ratz today, with some things that a lot of you have been asking for.
The biggest new feature is the arrival of bots to play against. The implementation caused me some nightmares, but they are finally done and I think they’re pretty good! Host a private match (Deathmatch only at the moment), add up to eight bots, set the difficulty and test your skills against them. And if you’re familiar with the best Ratz players out there… well, you might recognize some of them!
Can't find any players in the matchmaking queue? Play against bots while you wait!
Next, a new map: the Classroom. It features a lot of obstacles to use as cover, and I can't wait to test this unique layout with you all!
Tired of playing Deathmatch all the time? Then hit ESC and click the ‘Vote Gametype’ button. After the vote has passed, the next match will switch to your desired gametype.
Also, there’s now an ‘Open Room’ notification next to the Gametype selection. This will let you know where to find a game, so you’ll never miss out!
On top of all these pretty massive improvements, there are also some minor fixes such as:
• Separate Mouse Speed X/Y Set individual speed for you mouse X/Y axis in the options menu!
• Hit Outlines Opponents’ outlines flash white if hit, makes it more obvious that they are about to explode (this feature was disabled by mistake in the last patch, but it works again now).
• Respawning You can now also respawn with the ‘Jump’ key (default: Space Bar). That way, you won't accidentally fire a shot upon spawning and revealing your position to the opposition!
Please be aware that there might be some bugs (especially with the bot implementation) so if you find anything weird, please tell me!
Enjoy!
Ratz OST - now available!
Hi everyone!
So, we've seen more than a few comments around the Internet about the Ratz Instagib soundtrack and, as a result, we've got a little treat for you. Check out the store page for Ratz and you'll see that the Ratz Instagib OST is now available for you to listen to, whether you're playing Ratz or not!
Created by our friends at Jazzsticks, every soundtrack bought supports the artists behind the music. If you love what you're listening to while you're playing, please grab it!
You can also check out more from Jazzsticks on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Facebook and Twitter!
So, the Ratz-Server software is included in this update! Using it, you can create your own private server on one PC that holds up to 100 players… perfect for LAN parties!
You find the files and instructions on how to use it in the installation folder of Ratz Instagib.
Also in this update, I added the other two prototype maps. I think they still hold up quality-wise… enjoy them!
Spectator Mode Now, you can spectate on matches as well as play them! Hit ESC at the start of a match before spawning and press the Spectate button.
Please note, only two people can spectate on a match at a time right now, and you can only switch to Spectator Mode before a match begins.
But wait… there’s more interesting stuff in this update too!
Custom Crosshairs Look for the "CustomCrosshairs" folder in your Ratz installation folder. The game will read all ".png" files in there and put them into the Options menu to choose!
Crosshair Colours Change the colour of your crosshair to anything you like!
Spawn sounds Other players now spawn with a sound effect, so you don't get surprised if someone spawns right behind you.
Tweak: Reduced the amount of wins you need to unlock the Freeze-Fragtype to 50.
<*>Access other players’ Steam Profile after the match
If you encounter any bugs or if you have any feedback, please let me know about it!
Rate us on IndieDB!
Hi everyone!
So, Ratz Instagib has been out a whole week now and from the looks of things, a lot of you really love it – that's brilliant news, and we're so pleased you're enjoying the game! As work continues on development though (the next update is already in progress!), we've got a small favour to ask… specifically, helping us on IndieDB!
Last year, Ratz came 81st in the IndieDB Top 100 – considering it was up against over 23,000 other games, we're really proud of that result. However, right now Ratz only has three rating votes for overall quality and, not surprisingly, we'd like to bump that up a bit. So, if you're enjoying Ratz and want to shout about it to the Indie community, now's your chance! Simply follow this link to find us on IndieDB:
then scroll down to the Community Rating box on the right-hand side and click in the You Say bar to register a rating. If you're not registered with IndieDB, you'll need to set up an account first but it's quick, easy and totally free. And if we get enough votes to push the rating high enough… well, maybe something good will happen!
Thank you for your support of Ratz so far and please stick with us as the game continues to grow… we couldn't do it without you!
