Survivor
v0.3.1 - Beta Testing
Survivor v0.3.1 was intended to release today but due to various reasons with testing problems I cannot release it into the official public version.
HOWEVER.
I have posted the game into a private beta. I am asking those who are playing Survivor to assist in the game's development by testing the v0.3.1 BETA.
To access the BETA you must:
Go to Properties, then go to Betas. Type in the following Access Code:
betatesting123
Once you enter the code, restart your Properties and set privatetestingbranch as the BETA.
Please submit any bugs you find by going to the Discussions tab and putting bug reports into the BUG REPORT section as well as discussing the game in the General Discussions section.
Thank you to the community for helping to support this game.
v0.3.1 - One Day Delay
v0.3.1 will be launching on March 16th, 2023 at 9.30am NZT = March 15th, 2023 at 5.30pm EST
v0.3.1 - Announcement
For those of you who are wondering what is going to be added in this update:
- Animations have been replaced with new ones that more professional and better.
- Weapons consist of four now, the starting pistol and three rifles. However I have laid the necessary groundwork and foundation to build upon and adding new weapons will come in the next updates.
- SKINS HAVE BEEN REMOVED TEMPORARILY AND SO HAS THE TELEPORTER. Skins will be re-added in future and so will teleporter.
- Because teleporter has been removed, the teleporter path for Ruins has been removed reducing the maps overall size. Additionally Ruins has been reworked so it does not look the same from the previous version.
- The weapon workbench has been improved with the user interface (UI) that shows you 2D images of the weapons, the stats and description of each weapon, as well as the cost of purchasing it and its ammo. Additionally the player can now access their storage which is where purchased weapons go if you already have full on-hand inventory.
- On-hand inventory consists of two Primary weapon slots and one Secondary. When buying weapons you can choose which slot to put your weapons in and weapons you purchased are added to your collection which is your storage. Weapons can be moved out of storage and can replace your current weapon as you like.
- Improved camera animations for walking, running and firing. Animation mixing blends different animations together like being able to walk and reload at the same time, Animation cancellation has been implemented, as well, you can switch weapons while reloading and whatnot.
- New SFX and VFX implemented to improve the quality of the game, music and other soundtracks have also been added to the game.
- An in-game options menu that allows you to change options without having to leave to the main menu as well as a control panel that not only shows you what keys are set to what actions but you can also change key bindings to suit your playstyle and gameplay preferences.
Other changes include optimization, bug fixes and performance improvements as well as visual improvements with textures, lighting and shadows.
v0.3.1 will release on March 15th, 2023 at 9.30am NZT, March 14th, 2023 at 5.30pm EST
Thank you to those who continue to show support for the game, I appreciate all of you and am excited for the future of Survivor. Additionally updates will begin to be implemented much quicker once v0.3.1 has been released, so expect that regular updates will be implemented on a roughly weekly basis once v0.3.1 has been released.
Thank you again for your support and have fun playing Survivor :)
Survivor - Resuming Development
First thing is first, development of Survivor is resuming and updates will continue to flow. I will clarify later on in this post on how those updates will look.
Issues in my personal and family life have made it difficult for me to continue the development of Survivor and was the result of my hiatus.
Although I couldn't really continue development on Survivor reliably, I did however continue working in secret on several side projects in the theme of Survivor. In these projects, I tested out a variety of different code and features that I would plan to add to Survivor later on. I spent many months teaching myself how to code, studying courses and tutorials and now a year later, I have significantly increased my skill and experience.
For those of you who are wondering, I didn't post about my status as I did not know how long I would be gone for and I didn't want to make false promises.
It's time for Survivor to become a much better game and here is how it'll happen:
Stage 1 - Optimization and Performance
In the latest version, framerate issues, stuttering and jittering are several issues that I would like to address. Before development moves forward with the addition of content, I want to focus on making the game more playable and a much smoother gameplay experience.
This will involve optimization updates to improve performance, reduce lag and increase framerate. Other optimizations include an in-game menu and options screen that allows you to modify and change options without having to leave the game, various bugs left over from the previous version, and other qualify of life improvements.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO INFORM THAT THE TELEPORTER HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO SEVERAL CRITICAL BUGS WITH ITS MECHANICS
ADDITIONALLY SKINS HAVE BEEN REMOVED TEMPORARILY AS I HAVE PLANS TO IMPROVE HOW SKINS ARE SHOWN AND ALSO HAVE EVERY ZOMBIE HAVE SOME KIND OF DIVERSITY AND THAT THE ENEMIES DONT LOOK THE SAME AS EACH OTHER
Stage 2 - Gameplay Improvements and Overhaul
Smoother gameplay that comes with better animations, VFX and SFX.
Also new upgrades to already existing mechanics with mechanics like Aim Down Sight (ADS), Procedural Recoil and Advanced AI Behavior, are some of the changes I am planning further down the road.
Stage 3 - Visual Improvements
Zombies will look different, have varying attacks and better VFX and SFX. Additionally, music and various soundtracks will help the player feel more immersed. Additionally, the new tools with Unreal Engine 5 such as Nanite and Lumen will help to improve the graphics and the visual look of the game.
SURVIVOR HAS ALSO BEEN PORTED INTO UNREAL ENGINE 5
These are the initial three stages of development that I will follow over the next few weeks and months. I will add additional development stages as I make progress.
Thank you to everyone who played and still plays this game and I appreciate all of your support. I am looking forward to the development process for Survivor within the coming weeks and months.
As for the first update I am going to rollout, I will post a new announcement in a few days detailing what the update will be about and how it will improve the game.
v0.3b - Smallfix
- Fixed a bug where if the player switched weapons while throwing grenade it would cancel the animation and cause the grenade to appear in the players hand and prevent any other actions.
- Fixed a bug where the mage zombies would get stuck.
- Fixed a bug where the weapon workbench repeats "Key Has Been Acquired" message every time you
leave it.
- Fixed a bug where entering the weapon workbench would reset the teleporter charge.
Other Changes:
- Increased teleporter charge by two times.
v0.3a - Smallfix
- Changed damage screen effect to look more realistic.
- Changed brightness of shadows so that nighttime isn't so dark.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a bug where the grenade would leave behind an invisible wall that would block projectiles.
- Fixed a bug where the PLASMA wouldn't reload.
- Fixed a bug where attempting to purchase the Expedition Key with the required amount of credits would not work.
Optimization:
- Added a render distance to grass so that will only be rendered when the player is within a certain range.
MAJOR UPDATE - v0.3 - New Map + New Effects + Ruins Extension + Bug Fixes
- Added a level teleporter that the player will be required to collect three keys for in order to unlock and travel to the next level.
- Added new level 'Dunes' which is still in beta and work in progress with components changing overtime.
- Added blood effects to the zombies when shot by the player.
- Added death sound effects as well as random SFX for the zombies.
- Added new UI effects when a key is spawned, acquired or inserted into the teleporter.
- Added basic visual effects for teleporter when inserting keys.
- Added new Horde Mode that becomes active once the second key is inserted.
- Added a major extension to map 'Ruins' with forests surrounding the map and zombies coming from in-between the trees.
- Added new sound indicators when keys are spawned, acquired or inserted.
- Redid the options menu to include additional options as well to become tidier and more visually appealing.
- Added new and improved loading screens when travelling between levels.
- Added a Day/Night cycle.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a bug where the player could buy the shotgun again, resulting in a loss of credits.
- Fixed a bug where the mage zombie would not move after being spawned.
- Fixed a bug where the ammo crates would not provide ammo for the shotgun.
Teleporter:
- A new addition to the game is the teleporter which will now act as gate, allowing the player(s) to travel to the next level. In order for the player to travel through the teleporter they must acquire and insert three keys:
- The first key is called the Activation Key and is spawned in one of three random locations on the map at Wave 5. It must be inserted first and before the other two keys.
- The second key is called the Exploration Key and has a chance to be dropped by an armored zombie after its death. It must be inserted second and once put into the teleporter will activate Horde Mode where zombies will spawn faster, have more health and movement speed. A charge bar will also appear, indicating the amount of charge containing within the teleporter. The player must defend until the teleporter is fully charged at which point, Horde Mode ends.
- The third key is called the Expedition Key and must be purchased from the weapon workbench. It can only be inserted into the teleporter once the other two keys have been inserted and the teleporter has been fully charged. On being inserted, the player(s) will be teleported to the next map.
Multiplayer News
- In August of this year, I attempted to create multiplayer and allow for players to form lobbies, join them and play together against the zombie hordes. Due to the challenge of developing multiplayer and my lack of experience, I decided to put the project for later date when I felt more comfortable developing it. Well I have good news, I recently have been studying documentation and becoming more experienced, I am ready to take on the challenge of developing multiplayer again. The next major update for the game will be the addition of multiplayer.
Future Development
- For those of you who are wondering about the game's future development I will continue to make small updates here and there, adding minor changes such as some content, bug fixes and map changes/improvements. Multiplayer is now my focus and will be the next major update for the game.
Thank you to those who have to continued to stick by the game's development and continue to support it.