[previewyoutube="ovEFo6ZoroE;full"] Designed to meet the specifications of professional skateboarder and Primitive founder Paul Rodriguez, the Primitive Skatepark is a private playground for Primitive’s elite team of skateboarders including Skater XL’s Tiago Lemos. The team at Easy Day have recreated the park to allow players to get as close as they ever might to skating this exclusive training facility.
Paying close attention to the fine details of the environment, the Skater XL version of the Primitive Skatepark replicates the obstacles and flow while optimizing the size and scale for gameplay.
The park has traditional skatepark features like banks, quarterpipes, flatbars and ledges, built around the centerpiece doubleset with a hubba and handrails. If you watched the Street League Skateboarding Qualifier event, you already know that there are no shortage of ways to skate this park.
To create a more dramatic look and give your footage a different vibe we have released an additional ‘Lights Out’ version of the park, with an overall darkened park and spotlights highlighting the park features.
Both versions of the Primitive Skatepark are available now in the 'Maps' section of the Mod Browser. Just filter by 'Newest' to see the listings and download.
Thanks as always for your support and contributions, and we'll be back soon with more news and map additions.
We hope you all enjoy these additions and shout out to creator Brookzee99 for his recent modded PC version of this park!
Multiplayer Free Skate is out of beta and available for all!
We are very happy to announce that Skater XL Multiplayer Free Skate mode is out of Beta and now available for players on all platforms! With this update, friends from all corners of the world can link up online and share a skate session together.
[previewyoutube="FjTFwUjqixE;full"] Skateboarding is more fun with friends, and there’s nothing quite like hanging out, talking shop, and vibing off each other. That essential experience inspired us to create Skater XL’s online Multiplayer Free Skate mode.
Multiplayer Free Skate mode is built to replicate the energy and hype of a real life skate session as closely as possible. No rules or barriers, you and the homies decide where to skate, what to skate, and how to skate it. Whether you want to match each other trick for trick, choreograph party lines, or just vibe off each other in a more freeform way, Multiplayer Free Skate provides the platform.
The social component of skateboarding has always been part of our vision for Skater XL, so we’ve given Multiplayer Free Skate players the capability to capture and save video of impressive lines and momentous trick moments using the in-game replay editor. Videos are a big part of the culture and we felt it was important to give players a way to share and rewatch their favorite moments long after the session is complete. A check of the Instagram #SkaterXL will give you an idea of the amazing content that is already coming out of the creative community.
Multiplayer Free Skate is our first step in opening up social modes in the game and features:
Skate with up to 10 people online - Join a random room or start your own private one and invite your friends to join using a passcode
Replays - Replay and save your group party lines, with the same replay editor functionality available in single player mode
Smooth frame rates and a lag-free experience are so important to Skater XL’s physics-based gameplay and, given the extra processing and complexity of running online multiplayer, we wanted to make sure this update would feel as good as possible for those on low end systems.
Alongside the development on the multiplayer features, work began back in January on optimizing many of the systems and assets in the rest of the game. A huge number of hours have gone into turning over every stone and reworking code, 3D assets, lighting, shaders, and more alongside the multiplayer systems themselves to squeeze out extra performance and FPS. The game now runs and feels significantly smoother on low-end gaming PCs even with many characters on screen during online play.
Also included in this latest update is a small injection of new character gear with shoes from New Balance and Es Footwear, as well as an apparel capsule from Dickies. As we continue to release regular updates, you can expect to see even more new gear hit the customizer.
Be sure to follow us on social media for more updates, event announcements, highlighted content, and news. Thanks as always for your support and we hope to catch a session in a multiplayer room with you soon!
Multiplayer Free Skate Open Beta - Minor Update
What is up guys? Over the last few weeks of the Multiplayer Free Skate Open Beta on PC we have been tracking usage, speaking to players and investigating a few key things hindering the fun of the experience and have made the following adjustments to the Open Beta Branch on Steam. We will be testing these changes over the next couple weeks, while we simultaneously continue to prepare the console Multiplayer Free Skate releases.
If you are already in the Open Beta Branch on Steam, these updates should download immediately upon opening the game. If the branch does not update automatically, close your Steam client completely and reopen it.
If you have not accessed the Open Beta Branch, follow the steps at the bottom of this post.
Pin Markers
We have found that it's sometimes hard to find where the action is or where other skaters are sessioning, particularly in big maps. Pin mode will now put an easy to spot colored marker above any skater's head, regardless of if they are in pin mode themselves making it far easier to find other skaters across a map. The markers extend into the sky to help find other skaters over, or from outside of buildings.
Public Multiplayer
Often you will be playing in a public game and want to play on a different map. The current experience forces you to join, leave, join, leave and hope that you load into a new map, also triggering repeated notifications on other players screens.
With the new system you can now push yourself straight to the next available room with the ‘Join Next Map' option, removing the problem of joining/rejoining in the hope of finding a new map. Map variation has been prioritized. If a room is full, the next room created will be different to the first one. In the current state of the game, this should produce more variation in which maps are up and running.
There is now also ability for you to invite a friend to join public rooms in addition to private rooms via the ‘Join specific room’ option. Like going to a skate park or spot in real life it’s a great way to hang out with your friend while also skating with a full room of other skaters.
Some insights into the new room logic (It’s a little complex, but perhaps interesting to see how the flow works..)
Exiting the game
We realize the escape button has worked until now in an unusual way, closing the game immediately when pushed. Pushing escape on the keyboard now takes you to the menu system and there is an added ‘Exit Game’ option to choose within this menu. A tiny QOL change to mention here, but we realize this has been frustrating enough for some players that a mod with 12k downloads was even created to amend it (shout out to M4cs and TrizlyBear). This change brings SXL in line with almost every other game ever made!!
Bug fixes
Significant across the board performance Improvements
Replay jitter fixed
Replay clip cutting bug fixed
Other players no longer disappear when leaving a room whilst filming / watching a replay
Other players are now hidden (if not in liveView) when joining a room whilst filming / watching a replay
Infinite loading for Replay, Maps and Character Menus fixed
Gear Update
Added new New Balance and éS shoes for Tiago Lemos, Brandon Westgate and Tom Asta pro characters as well as Male/Female Standard options.
Thank you so much for your valuable feedback and suggestions on the Multiplayer Free Skate Open Beta. Please keep it coming!
To open the beta, follow these steps:
Right click ‘Skater XL’ and open Properties
Select the ‘beta - Open Beta’ branch.
Steam should start downloading this version of the game. Once it has finished, you will be able to try the update. The game name in your library should now show “Skater XL [beta]”.
If you’d like to switch back to the regular commercial release branch of the game in future simply come back to this screen and select “NONE - opt out of all betas” in the drop down.
Free Skate Multiplayer - Now In Open Beta
IMPORTANT: Update features referred to in this post are located in the “Open Beta” branch of the game. This is a separate stream of development for us to publicly test early or experimental features in development.
You MUST opt in to play this version of the game by following the steps at the bottom of this post.
What is up guys?! We are happy to announce that today we have released an early beta version of an online Free Skate Multiplayer mode into the Open Beta branch on Steam.
[previewyoutube="cyvv9Dk9zoE;full"]
From the beginning of our development, we have always envisioned Skater XL to be very different from the linear content and challenges of skating games of the past, seeing Skater XL more as a sandbox style platform for creative expression and social interaction. Our support and facilitation of player created mod content was one step in this direction, with the next logical step being the creation of a multiplayer system.
Free Skate Multiplayer is our first step in opening up social modes in the game and features:
Skate with up to 10 people online - Join a random room or start your own private one and invite your friends to join using a passcode
Replays - Replay and save your group party lines, with the same replay editor functionality available in single player mode
This is being released first as a beta on PC to ‘stress test’ the system and servers at scale with a large variety of users, see what unexpected unknowns we uncover, gather data and player feedback and further develop some of features with a large user base before rolling the basic Free Skate mode out cross-platform.
There is a new item called “WebLinks” in the main menu with links to surveys and feedback forms we will be putting out over the next few weeks as certain things are tested, stay tuned for updated links here.
Please be aware that features in the Beta branch may change, be added/removed, and there are no guarantees that any particular feature will make it into the final release.
After a lot of work designing and refining the base for the multiplayer system in internal testing the gameplay is feeling very smooth, lag free and a whole lot of fun. The ability to just kick back and skate with the homies is a much needed escape from the tumultuous times we might find ourselves in, and the ability to connect with other people and skate is more important than ever.
We hope you enjoy Free Skate with other players as much as we have in testing and look forward to your feedback and to the further evolution of multiplayer in Skater XL.
Known Issues:
- Custom maps installed by copying files into the SkaterXL/Maps folder - when first opening the game these will each go through a one-time processing so the map can be identified by other computers running multiplayer. If this process is not yes complete you might have trouble connecting with friends in a specific custom map. If you have issues please give it some time and try again.
- Custom gear - on other players in multiplayer only items of gear which you have installed locally via the Mod Browser will show. Otherwise default items of gear will be assigned.
- Sometimes other characters from a multiplayer session show in the gear showroom.
Mod Disclaimer: While we make efforts to preserve existing mods with each update, we are not able to control exactly how updates to the official game code will interact with every one of them. If you are experiencing issues with the new update, please first try removing your mods and adding them back in one by one to see if the issue can be isolated.
To open the beta, follow these steps:
Right click ‘Skater XL’ and open Properties
Select the ‘beta - Open Beta’ branch.
Steam should start downloading this version of the game. Once it has finished, you will be able to try the update. The game name in your library should now show “Skater XL [beta]”.
If you’d like to switch back to the regular commercial release branch of the game in future simply come back to this screen and select “NONE - opt out of all betas” in the drop down.
New Map Alert - Embarcadero Plaza Now Available!
When it comes to landmarks in skateboard history, you’d be hard pressed to find more hallowed ground than San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza during the 1990’s era. Everyday, SF locals and skaters from across the globe would come to EMB to write new pages in the book of skate history on the red bricks, stairs, blocks, ledges and the infamous Gonz Gap.
[previewyoutube="hi1whp5ONIs;full"]
Our ode to the era, is a tribute to this iconic location, packed full of all of the features that made it famous. True to the original, but optimized with additional elements of gameplay, Embarcadero Plaza is now available on all platforms in the mod browser.
An original creation of Easy Day Studios, our art and design team has created an environment that will transport you to the 90’s San Francisco waterfront, from wherever you are in the world. Whether it’s technical ledge lines or Gonz Gap glory you’re after, Embarcadero is a blend of nostalgia and newness.
And our homage to SF wouldn’t be complete without a special drop of gear from FTC. Throughout it’s 25+ year history, FTC has kept the San Francisco skate scene thriving, sponsoring countless skateboard legends.. The capsule is now available in the mod browser on all platforms, sporting Bay Area colorways of the iconic FTC logo.
EMB is available now in the 'Maps' section of the Mod Browser, along with a new community gear drop. Just filter by 'Newest' to see the latest offerings.
Thanks as always for your support and contributions, and we'll be back soon with more news and map additions.
New Mod Map Alert - Fermenter Plaza Available Now!
Fermenter Plaza is the latest optimized map to drop in the Mod Browser and is certified shred ready! Created by mod map creator @FermenterGames, this plaza is a sprawling outdoor environment, built to make your skateboarding daydreams come true.
[previewyoutube="oyDZ_70wkMw;full"]
The Fermenter Plaza creator describes the map as ‘more like a stream of consciousness improvised flow of ideas. I dream of skateboarding a lot, and often have moments where everything just works perfectly. I land every trick, and the next ledge is perfectly set up for my line. I wanted to build a park that I could essentially daydream that same perfect flow feeling in. From techy line plazas, to giant gaps, this map was designed to help you stay creative with endless possibilities.’
Utilizing tile, marble, and granite textures throughout, this map has a unique aesthetic perfect for filming lines for your next video part. Diverse terrain including big rails, technical ledge sections, transitions, unique sculptural elements and skateable rooftops will have you finding new lines with each new session.
As part of the optimization process, Easy Day worked with the original creator to update lighting, textures, and small layout adjustments, along with reworking many technical aspects of the map so that it loads quickly, fits within system memory and plays smoothly on all platforms.
We are very excited to see the video parts that come out of this map. Don’t forget to tag us and @FermenterGames in your posts on social.
Fermenter Plaza is available now in the 'Maps' section of the Mod Browser, along with a new community gear drop. Just filter by 'Newest' to see the latest offerings.
Thanks as always for your support and contributions, and we'll be back soon with more news and map additions.
New Mod Map Alert - The Warehouse by Yaky
What is up guys?! We are stoked to present The Warehouse by Yaky as the latest addition to the Skater XL Mod Browser. With Yaky's history of creating incredible maps, both in their design and their visuals, this map is another banger.
Designed with an emphasis on overall flow, The Warehouse blends traditional street and park terrain, along with pumptrack-esque features, to create an indoor environment like none we've seen before. Lighting and textures have been remastered for this version, plus optimizations made for performance and memory use, but all other design elements and geo are straight from the mind of the creator.
[previewyoutube="LDrJaDnKQ7g;full"]
The Warehouse is available now in the 'Maps' section of the Mod Browser, with 50 new gear items added as well. Just filter by 'Newest' to see all the latest community created gear.
Thanks as always for your support and contributions, and we'll be back soon with more news and map additions.
A Message From Easy Day
Hi all,
We’ve been seeing a ton of chatter on our various social channels over the past few weeks, have been discussing internally and wanted to give you an update. We put together a Q&A that we hope provides some clarity on a few key points.
Q: Are you aware of the gameplay petition with 10k signatures? A: Yes, we’ve been tracking it since it came out. It blows our mind to see so many people care about the game and rally around proposed gameplay changes and features.
To note, we are present on all the main social channels and are connected directly to many players. We also know about, gather feedback on and have discussed just about every suggestion or feature request in public discussion or sent to us in DM (even ones we don’t find time to respond to), including requests for a stats mod, trick additions, multiplayer functionality, switch stance control options, sound effect improvements, the delayed Switch release, and many more.
We love what has grown around the parts of Skater XL that are in place currently and would like players to know we are aware of and discuss all these things at length internally.
Q: Do you consult players when making features? A: 100%. Although it is not always seen publicly, testing and player research is a core part of how we learn and make design decisions. We have a ton of contact with players when building features and content, and in figuring out our overall strategy.
How we do this is part of what we see as the secret sauce of the studio. As we move forward, we will be tapping players to help test and develop new features, participate in public events and provide one on one feedback. We hope you will participate.
Q: Will you implement modifiable gameplay stats? A: While we don’t consider the core mechanics at present to be complete, there is an intensive process we follow in making decisions about designing, player testing, iterating and refining certain parts of the game.
We understand and had suspected that dedicated players would hit a skill / depth ceiling after a certain number of hours and would have demands for added realism among other things. The existing mods allow players on PC to unlock some extra variety, control, realism and value in the gameplay, but they also break a number of design rules we established early on as well as opening other complex issues and challenges.
Implementing core gameplay customization matching the existing PC stats mod would likely provide some wins in the short term, but would not be in line with our approach to carefully crafting and shaping the core parts of the game and the bigger picture.
Q: Are you still working on the Nintendo Switch port? A: Yes. The release is delayed and TBD but still underway. Stay tuned for more info on this.
Q: Will you communicate more about future plans? A: This is something we have talked through and considered many times. In general, we aren’t a studio who likes to make empty promises and we try to avoid “fluff” answers, so there will be times we just aren’t ready to talk about particular features. Please stick with us. We’re heads down planning and working on new stuff that we will share with you as soon as possible.
The implementation of any feature takes a lot of work to determine if it fits with our bigger goals, needs adjustment, re-design or is even scrapped altogether. So please, try to be patient with us, but keep giving us feedback and we’ll involve you as much as we can.
We understand many people are accustomed to studios releasing road maps and release schedules, but we don’t think this is something that works well for our iterative development process. Rest assured, 2021 is going to bring a lot of new elements to Skater XL.
Some final notes:
Skater XL 1.0 is not the final vision of the game -- it’s a solid foundation for something bigger.
Coming into the new year we need to step back and rebuild some of our internal processes to allow for more efficient workflow, better quality control and focus on some growth within the team. Some of this work has already been completed and a new hire was made over the holiday break.
As for the near future, with the Mod Browser now available cross-platform, we are hoping to be able to start a steady stream of content drops to keep players engaged while we take some time to recalibrate the studio. The work that so much of our community has created deserves to be celebrated and giving players access to this content on all platforms is something we feel is very important.
Our goal is to move the skateboarding genre forward, so please stick with us while we give it a shot. We might succeed at this and we might not, but that’s part of what makes doing something new so exciting. It’s been a crazy ride to this point but we have a feeling the best is yet to come.
Most importantly, we want to thank you for engaging with us and caring about Skater XL.
Much love, Easy Day.
Skater XL 1.1 Update is Here! Mod Map and Gear Integration!
What is up guys! We are very stoked to announce the release of update 1.1, further deepening the integration of mod content into the core experience of Skater XL. We have always thought of Skater XL as a community driven game, and making user generated content as accessible as possible to players on all platforms is our next step in that direction.
[previewyoutube="cjbAXOenWvY;full"]
In this update we have integrated a Mod Browser into the main menu of the game, allowing access to browse, download, and install mods without ever leaving the game. And while some of you have been modding for years and find the current process easy enough, there is a large group of players that may still be intimidated or confused about the traditional modding process. This integration makes it easier than ever for new players to get involved in the community, but also streamlines the process for modding veterans in a way that we think will add real value.
Here’s how it works: [previewyoutube="h9swhRBN61M;full"]
In addition to remastered and ‘Optimized by Easy Day’ versions of Applewood Park, Quebec Skate Plaza, and Riverfern maps, players on PC will still have access to a select group of the existing mod maps through the Mod Browser. Mod maps and gear that do not appear in the Mod Browser, can still be downloaded from other locations and installed using the previous method. Script mods that affect gameplay can only be installed using the current method and folder structure.
We will regularly be curating drops of mods which are uploaded to the Skater XL Mod.io website, which will be vetted for copyright, quality and age rating, they will be made available on the browser, creating a steady stream of fresh content and endless reasons to come back and see what’s new.
New stuff is not just limited to community created items, and we have also added some new brands to the official gear lineup, that can now be found in the character customizer. You can now rock gear from Uma Landsleds (Evan Smith’s new board brand), Illegal Civ, Cariuma Footwear, Macba Life and Am Grip. We are very stoked to continue to grow our partnerships with some of the best brands in skateboarding.
This is a huge step for the game and future of content updates, but we are far from finished. We are very much looking forward to 2021 and continuing to update the gameplay and features with more big updates.
We again thank the entire Skater XL community for your continued support and contributions! We hope everyone has a great holiday season, and look forward to big things in 2021!
Mod Maps and Gear At The Push Of A Button - Coming Dec 16th!
[previewyoutube="vC0kRZ_Z6_Q;full"]
What is up guys?! We are very excited to announce that the first collection of mod maps and gear will launch on all platforms on December 16th! This integration further cements our commitment to the Skater XL community, and making user generated content available to as many players as possible.
We'd like to give a huge thank you to the entire Skater XL creator community for all your contributions, and bringing your own individual flavor into the world of Skater XL. We are very stoked to see you all continue to push the boundaries, as we further integrate community content.
While modding is nothing new to the PC crowd, the integration of mods directly into the game's menu is a huge improvement to the ease of finding and installing high quality mod maps and gear. No longer is it necessary to spend time downloading, checking file names, and dragging into folders. Now you can browse mod listings with images and descriptions, install, and use mods in seconds without ever leaving the game.
Thank you to the entire Skater XL community for your continued support, suggestions and ideas. We appreciate you and look forward to continuing to evolve Skater XL with more updates to come. Stay tuned to our social channels for up to the minute info.
