SpellShokked!
SpellShokked Alpha 7 (December 2018)
We also continue to be under attack from asocial elements, averaging some 2'000 hack attempts per day, most of them automated, and most of them originating from Russia (that's not to say that the Russians are attacking us, but there sure are a lot of machines located in Russia that are targeting us). This, unfortunately, has also been a drain on our ability to add more levels ans spells to SpellShokked.
Finally, we are looking at a replacement network infrastructure for our current UNet layer, as Unity (the engine we use to develop SpellShokked) has announced that they are discontinuing their service within the next four years. So we thinks it's better to start looking now and migrate within the next 12-18 months, rather than being left behind.
SpellShokked Alpüha 6 (Novemer 2018) released!
The good news is that we deliver the November release on schedule. The bad is that we weren't able to add all we wanted, nor in the quality we usually ensure.
The November update is a purely graphics update: we have spent almost two entire months on two major improvements:
- Anti-Aliasing
- Ambient Shadows
Anti-Aliasing is especially important in VR because we move our heads in minute ways, and horizontal or vertical lines that only change slightly begin to shimmer noticeably. Anti-Aliasing technology has matured lately, moving onto GPU and providing decent relief at reasonable performance cost. Unfortunately, traditional Anti-Aliasing doesn't much help in VR, so the newest solutions rely on a relatively new technology called 'Temporal Anti-Aliasing' (or TAA for short). We have started integrating TAA into SpellShokked, and the PC version now can opt to turn on TAA.
Ambient Shadows (or 'Ambient Occlusion', AO) is a technology that improves the scene by implementing something that we all know happens, but isn't currently supported by standard rendering: the fact that shadows in corners are deeper than on normal surfaces. This is because in corners shadows tend to overlap each other. Spellshokked now has optional support for AO.
And here is the bad news: Our SpellShokked domain got attacked and still is under attack from anti-social elements that look for ways to peddle their usual trash: child-porn, pen*s pills, MAGA hats. We had to nuke and reinstall our entire main site, and constantly defend (clean out, improve security, maintain IP blocks) both our main and game site. This took so much time out of our normal schedule that we weren't able to ensure quality on TAA and OA, nor were we able to test it sufficiently with networking.
Furthermore, we know that TAA on the Mac is broken, so please don't turn it on if you are on a Mac. The fix is planned for the December update.
Alpha 5 (October) released!
Alpha 5 also adds a new tutorial level that doubles as a shooting range, and comes with a host of smaller additions. Invisibility is enabled in all network levels, but may require some additional debugging before it fully works as intended. Also, due to the nature of Invisibility, we may need to re-balance some of the duel levels.
Alpha 4 (September 2018) live
The new (September) release of SpellShokked is now live on Staem - update now.
This release contains lots of small improvements (bug fixes, additional ambient audio, upgraded graphics for spell casting in solo levels, in-betwen level loading), new achievements, and a completely new network level ("The Bridge", titled 'though shall not pass" for reaons some people might understand). The new network level is adversarial with a new twist: standing close to the center of the bridge will start conjuring allies for your that start attacking the other player's bridge head. Player dynamics are very complex in this game, and we need to properly balance it. Also, there are some lingering bugs on the client side, but it's enough for a first peek.
This build is for Mac and PC
Alpha 3 (August) has been released!
The new release delivers tons of tweaks to the network versions of the channeling spells (as you may have found out, they were a bit erratic). We've also added a new network level, with a new twist: it's co-op. You don't try to off each other, but prevent the skeletons from reaching the door. Yeah, 'hold the door!'.
We've also included an number of quality of life improvements, mostly under the hood, but you'l notice general increase of responsiveness when not in combat.
And if you make your way to the library, you can try out the new glyph generating visuals that we are about to bring to all combat levels. No longer chunky lightnings, but smooth energy flows. The new visuals look absolutely great, but require some performance tweaking, and need to be integrated with network code, which will take some significant changes.
Alpha 2 available now!
- 3 new spells: guided missile, channeled shield, lightning
The new spells are available in network (requires more extensive testing), library, and the new ‘darkness’ level - 2 new levels: Channeling Tutorial and ‘Darkness’
The new level and tutorial are available once you complete the ShokkRange, or check the relevant override in the Game Settings menu - Additional Audio and animations for spellcasting
- Numerous bug fixes, enhancments to the tutorials
- spell mechanics: fire balls can be shot down
- tweaks to light quality in many levels
The new release is live on steam