The Withering
The Withering 2.0 - Development Update #11
I would like to share the development update with you and announce the next update estimated date.
The new free roam wilderness map is nearing a completion! I am currently working on finalizing the map locations and loot spawns. The next update is estimated to be rolled out by the end of this week and it will have a full scale free roam wilderness map for players to explore!
I will be rolling out an update the week after where I plan to fine tune the map looks and some additional spawns, both enemies and loot.
Once these updates have been rolled out, I will focus my attention on the community reports and suggestions.
Thank you.
The Withering 2.0.0.25f1 HotFix
The Withering 2.0.0.25 Update
The Withering Update 2.0.0.25 is now live!
Hello everybody!
I'm very excited to introduce with this update the new wilderness free roam exploration gameplay mode, that I was talking about for quite some time now! The new map is now available and can be accessed from the camp, in HUB vendors area.
Important Information
Players are strongly encouraged to provide feedback on the new map and gameplay. Please keep in mind that this is still a work in progress and some parts of the map and gameplay might be a bit rough on the edges.
The landscape has not yet been fine tuned and players might see some broken / rough terrain in several places. These elements will be addressed once the map is complete and I will be able to do the final fine tuning run across all terrain.
The draw distance settings have been adjusted for the new expansion. Please configure them accordingly for your systems.
I would very much appreciate the feedback on performance and memory consumption while playing on a new map. Please provide your findings in this post.
The Wilderness
The new map consists of a very large rural area, with multiple locations for players to explore and loot. Most of the locations have one or more active events, and equipment crates.
Currently about 50% of the map has been constructed and available with this update. Additionally, a map "M" by default, has been added for the new exploration expansion.
This update also addresses multiple issues that were reported by the community or discovered during internal testing.
What's Next?
I will keep working intensively on the exploration map construction, and with the next update I plan to have it completed 100% and available. I will be posting a development update with details and estimated release date soon.
Feedback
Please leave your thoughts, feedback and ideas in the following thread:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/427950/discussions/0/2741975115076574273/
Please feel free to ask questions in that thread as well.
Thank you!
The Withering 2.0 - Development Update #10
It's an end of another very busy week and I have good news to share! I will be releasing an update with the new free roam map by the end of next week and this update will include a much large section of the map that I originally estimated! The development is going very well and the construction is exceeding my expectations.
The new map that will become available will hold more than 20 locations to explore, including 2 towns. The playable area of the map will be span across half the full size of the final release of this free roam. So, half of the map will be fully playable by the end of next week.
Lots of different locations, abandoned cars, industrial areas, military, gas stations and of course towns. As I mentioned before, these locations will have a chance for an event and all of them will also have a chance to spawn an equipment crate with higher grade equipment that can be found on the city map. so, exploration will be rewarded.
I'll be posting a detailed breakdown at the moment of the release and will work hard to try and implement a map interface for this upcoming update.
Thank you.
The Withering 2.0 - Development Update #9
I would like to share the progress on the development of the new free roam wilderness map as well as talk about some of the features it will bring into the gameplay and a course of the development for the upcoming week.
Overall I am happy with the progress and internal performance testing is showing good results!
Over the last couple of weeks I was able to develop, design and build several location templates that will help with the construction process a lot and will also speed things up. Now, just to clarify what I mean by templates..
It does NOT mean that the locations will look the same, no. The templates I'm referring to are technical templates that allow me to easily create location layers. The locations will be different and I would like to show and talk about some of them.
In the screenshot below, you can see an example of an industrial type locations that will be available for exploration.
Here is another example of a rural location.
Players will often find abandoned cars and trucks on roads and highways.
And of course, gas stations and other service area locations.
Most of the locations will have one or more events with increased chance for higher grade loot.
I plan to continue working on constructing the free roam map for the next week and then start preparing the build for an update that will include a portion of the free roam wilderness map.
Thank you!
The Withering 2.0 - Development Update #8.5
As I was saying in my last announcement here:
http://steamcommunity.com/games/427950/announcements/detail/1676902965107679634
I wanted to show you the progress made, rather than just talking about it.
In the following screenshot you can see the smooth horizon transition that I was talking about. It was taken with maximum settings and a new maximum drawing distance.
This setting works well with the lowest drawing distance, more suitable for low end machines as well. You can see that happening on the next screenshot.
Additionally, if you look at the next screenshot you can see the new ground textures that I mentioned in my previous announcement and the amount of ground details that are now present on the new map.
If you look at the hillside on the right from where the character is standing, you can see how the new textures form a relief on the ground. This is being achieved by utilizing the shaders and new textures. Looking at the far hills, you can see that the amount of nature elements are almost three times more than the original screenshots I posted.
All that was achieved by utilizing a complex DirectX 11 technologies, and the great part about it is that it does not require DX11 at runtime, even if low end video cards will fallback to using DX9.
In this next screenshot you can see that enemies are being spawned at the location and the navigation system is working. The enemies will also dynamically load and unload with the location.
This last screenshot will display how players can see the locations from a far. You can see the buildings and the roads of this small town, however the rest of the details will gradually be loaded as players approach the location.
Some additional details were reworked, like skyboxes with better textures and more details.
Thank you, cheers!
The Withering 2.0 - Development Update #8
I would like to share the news on the free roam development. What was achieved so far and the short term development plan.
First things first, I have good news..and I have GREAT news! :)
During the course of the last couple of weeks, I was able to successfully develop and implement the new technical solution that will manage the free roam gameplay locations, by dynamically loading and unloading the assets. This mechanic was developed, tested and successfully implemented into the gameplay.
Additionally, I wanted to go a bit further. I was able to breakdown the locations into subsections and adjust the mechanic to gradually process these sections. This approach allowed for smoother transition in and out of a location and also ensure that no excessive loading is done on runtime.
Players will now be able to see the location from afar, but the details will only be loaded into memory if a player decides to visit that location.
Another success that I wanted to talk about is the navigation solution for NPCs. The navigation is now being dynamically loaded with the location. This will reduce the global free roam loading times and the required size on disk.
To top it all off, I successfully adjusted the existing visual properties of the player camera to allow for the new free roam features. The new visuals will ensure a smooth transition between the horizon and visible terrain / objects.
Additionally, I was able to adjus the free roam environment processing to allow for even more details. More rocks, stones, trees and grass which makes the new map look even more glorious.
Now that we have these mechanics in place, and I have successfully implemented a universal solution, I will be focusing on populating the new free roam map with locations, events and other gameplay elements.
I will update this announcement with new screenshots later tonight to show off the new mechanics and looks.
Thank you!
The Withering - Development Update #7
I just wanted to share the latest development update for the new free roam wilderness map. Overall I am very happy with the progress and development is going well and steady.
For the last week I have been working on and testing several technical solutions for the gameplay on a new map, and I plan to have finished testing these mechanics and processing approach by the end of this week.
The main goal is to ensure a steady performance from several aspects. Rendering, CPU and memory consumption. Currently I am working on developing a solution that will allow for dynamic loading and unloading of the components and models. This mechanic will ensure that a minimum memory will be consumed during the free roam play.
In addition, the mechanic will ensure that no excessive physics processing will be done in run-time. This will significantly reduce the CPU and in some cases GPU processing requirement and increase performance.
As you can see from the new screenshots, the new free roam will have new locations for players to explore. These new locations will have event spawns, general loot and enemies. Most of the new locations will have buildings that players will be able to explore and loot, with detailed interiors.
This phase of the development requires extra effort and dedication on my end, and I will be aiming for releasing a new update with a playable new free roam part of the map as soon as all of the critical gameplay and technical mechanics are in place and ready for testing.
There are many already existing components involved in this process, such as camera configuration, visual effects, audio, etc. Additionally, while working on the new free roam I was able to fix several reported issues, the fixes will become a part of the next update that I will be announcing the release date for soon.
Thank you!
The Withering 2.0.0.22 Update
The Withering Update 2.0.0.22 is now live!
Hello everybody! This update addresses the issues that were reported by the community as well as adding new features to the gameplay.
Minimap
As it was requested by the community, I am introducing the new Minimap feature with this update. The Minimap is now available on players HUD and it will display all nearby points of interest such as loot, map transitions, events and etc.
The new Minimap interface can be zoomed in and out by using the buttons on the HUD, or Plus and Minus keys on the keyboard.
Fixes
Fixed: Vendor interface scrollbars not visible sometimes
Fixed: Possible crash when transitioning between areas
Fixed: Mission reward item would get lost sometimes
Fixed: Additional technical performance fixes applied
Adjusted: Vendor interface panel has been adjusted for better view
Adjusted: Trinkets now provide greater stat bonuses for radio events
(Applies to new trinkets)
The Wilderness
As I mentioned before, I am now focusing my development on expanding the playable map. Based on community feedback, the main feature that is currently lacking in 2.x version is the free roam open wilderness map, and that is exactly what I plan to bring next into the new version.
The screenshot above is showing current rural area that is a work in progress. The new area that will become available with future updates is 5 times larger in comparison to it's predecessor in 1.x version.
I will be focusing my work on development of this new area over the course of the next several updates, and will be posting the development updates on a weekly basis.
Feedback
Please leave your thoughts, feedback and ideas in the following thread:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/427950/discussions/0/2741975115076574273/
Please feel free to ask questions in that thread as well.
Thank you!
The Withering 2.x Migration to Main Branch
The Withering 2.x Migration to Main Branch just went live!
Hello everybody!
As it was previously announced, the new stable Withering 2.x build is replacing the legacy 1.x build in the main branch!
Players who are opted to the default main branch will be getting the new 2.x build and all following updates. For players who want to gain access to the legacy 1.x build can do so by opting to the legacy branch. To opt to a legacy branch please follow the steps below:
1) In the Steam game library right click The Withering and select properties
2) In the properties window, switch to BETAS tab on top
3) Enter legacybranch in beta access code and click on Check Code
4) Select the Legacy branch from the drop down menu
Due to drastic differences in mechanics, the 2.x and 1.x builds are incompatible and the data will not be transferred. Please note that by opting to a legacy branch, you will not be getting any new updates.
The Withering 2.x new build information
With the new 2.x build, players will now have access to a brand new character system, inventory management, fluent camp management and other new features. The 2.0 update is focused on all of the new features we are introducing with it, please keep in mind that this is a work in progress and some of the gameplay elements are not yet implemented with this release.
The Camp
The 2.0 introducing a brand new camp gameplay with deep and fluent management system that is no longer a separate entity. In 2.0 players will dynamically move between the Camp and the rest of the world, while sharing the Camp features amongst all of the characters.
The new Camp is a living entity, with vendors, quartermaster and survivors populating it. The entire system is managed from a single menu directly from the character interface, which allows players to transparently switch between characters in world and still have access to all of the camp features.
The new interface allows players to manage all of the camp buildings, survivors and missions. Upgrade different structures and add-ons to gain multiple bonuses.
All of the camp upgrades, add-ons and other types of improvements are now managed directly from the character control, through our new robust inventory and stats management system. These elements have a verity of bonuses and stats, rarities and more. There are many ways for players to receive these upgrades, and one them being crafting.
New Crafting System
Crafting! Yes, in 2.0 players will gain access to a new deep crafting system that is easily managed through the new character interface. The system is based on several types of crafting categories like Tools, Armor, Weapons, Gear with recipes available in each of these categories.
More Crafting
2.0 also introduces the extended crafting mechanic that will mostly be used for constructing Camp upgrades and Add-ons, combine scavenged items into resource bundles or breaking down other types of items. This system will require players to assemble the recipe by dropping the items in appropriate slots. Different combinations will yield different results.
Players will receive the recipes by different means, like completing a mission and getting a recipe as a reward, or simply by finding one while scavenging the world with their character.
NPCs
In 2.0 players will now have access to the new types of NPCs such as a camp vendor and a quartermaster. With our new character system players gain access to the trading system, each items now have value and can be sold or purchased from different vendors throughout the world.
Some of these vendors will have specialty items that players will need for more advanced recipes or a special item bonus.
Another type of NPC introduced in 2.0 is the quartermaster. The quartermaster manages players storage, which is a shared repository available to all player characters.
These NPCs can be found in different areas in the world and players will be able to access their storage by interacting with them, so the storage is no longer limited to only Camp gameplay.
Player Characters
The new character system in 2.0 allows player to fully customize the character stats through gear, equipment and other means. Characters now have multiple stats that are used through the gameplay for different purposes, like interacting with NPCs, scavenging, combat, etc..
One of the most important changes in 2.0's character management is that players are no longer limited to the four characters defined. Instead, players will be able to find new playable characters through out the gameplay, by using the radio communication from the camp, running missions, exploring the world, etc.
Each playable character will have a background story and unique looks. Once players add a new character to their roster, they can take switch between the characters at designated spots in the world or in their camp at will, and customize the character stats to their liking with different equipment sets. This allows players to have different types of characters for different situations in the game.
One of such examples would be to have a character with high charisma and persuasion stats to use on diplomacy missions. And have another character to do the fighting.
Exploring and Scavenging
As it was mentioned above, players will now be able to fluently transition between the camp and the world map with any of their characters. This is done directly from the game world, by interacting with entry / exit points.
These points will allow players to cross between maps, Camp, missions and other areas throughout the world with their active character.
Withering 2.0 introduces a brand new scavenging system that will take the experience to the next level!
Everything in the world now becomes a part of this scavenging system, and players will be able to interact with the in world objects. The system automatically highlights the objects that are available for scavenging.
Different objects will yield different loot types and categories, such as components, resources, equipment and etc.
Scavenged objects will randomly respawn through out the world.
Feedback and Bug Reporting
Please leave your feedback regarding your gameplay experience and ideas in the following thread:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/427950/discussions/0/2741975115076574273/
Please feel free to ask questions in the thread as well.