Heya everyone!
Sorry for the day-late post, was going to post it last night (hence why the post is dated to yesterday) when I realized I wanted to see if I could add various off-site links to this post such as to a daily-updating prediction to the 0.1.0 release of SHL4 (as of 9/7/2020 we’re thinking an October 7th release is most likely, this could get closer are farther away - hence why being able to link something would have been nice), as well as a link to the design documentation. Currently the rules say I cannot, so until the rules can be amended to include them I will not include them in this post. However if you do follow @Nightcycle_LLC on twitter you’ll find relevant links, as well as cool “daily” posts!
Summarizing This Week
The past week has been busy getting the backend of the LP3 working! And we have made a lot of progress. This week we:
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Fixed a custom physics issue preventing it from walking up hills.
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Fixed an input issue where the turning would get stuck.
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Fixed an animation issue that would cause some weird staggering when switching between animations.
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Imported the first character suit to be used in customization (gif coming soon)
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Spawned the first avatar using the new Mesh-Skinning Technology! (gif coming soon)
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Ran a bandwidth performance test on a custom multiplayer prototype, which helped us determine how many players we could have in the same spot without major lag (current limit appears around 50-70). This was a very rudimentary test, and we can probably double our performance over time. It’s more than enough to bring SHL4 to life.
We also made a lot of progress in the planning work for SHL4! This week we:
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Compiled a list of almost 300 assets (hairstyles, weapon meshes, emblem shapes) we plan on using for customization, as well as scoring them based on how likely they are to be used, allowing us to focus on the more popular ones first.
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Defined the path to the 0.1.0 release, including all that needs to get done for it. This allowed us to calculate the expected release date using the tool we mentioned earlier.
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Updated the design document to show a new direction for the game, one focusing much more on multiplayer fun, as well as a potential story-mode procedural generator mechanic called “Adventures”. More on that will be released once the game gets closer to full-release.
There was also some sadder news, as we had to put a promising game of ours, Nightships, on pause. Nightships was space-based game which included fun mechanics like:
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Making a custom spaceship (interior and exterior!)
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Exploring a potentially infinite procedurally generated galaxy
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Focusing on ship-interior experiences, such as a possible full VR port that would allow you to fly the ship with your own hands.
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Drone dogfights combined with capital ship warfare.
It was truly an exciting project, but it had to be paused for a few reasons. The biggest one being that it didn’t make it into the Fall Accelerator Program, of which it reached the final interview stage. The income being in the program would have provided would have been enough to offset the risk of making a new space game that tried to push the boundaries of what a Roblox game could be. Here’s a gif of what we feel really shows the potential this game had:
This game is only paused, however it will be for at least a year. This does mean we’ll be focusing on making SHL4 happen. If SHL4 does well then we’ll ideally have enough funding to be able to take on a riskier project like Nightships.
Plans for This Week
A lot of LP3 work:
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Rig and make customizable the new skinned-mesh body
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Create a class that tracks character circumstances, ranging from basic stuff like if they’re falling, to more high-level things like predicted chance of combat in the next minute. This will be useful for both internal calculations, as well as analytics to help balance the game and improve engagement.
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Begin implementing inverse-kinematics into the LP3. For those who might not know, inverse kinematics in game development is often the dynamic adjustment of joints to allow the character to react to unscripted input, such as moving its head towards the camera’s focus, lifting a leg when standing on a hill to not clip through the ground, rotating slightly when squeezing through a tight area - the possibilities are endless!
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Look into making a Patreon account to allow me to pursue less SHL4 related endeavors. One such endeavor is possibly making a game dev informational series. The purpose would be to allow players to make a successful game, focusing equally on design and production. It would be informed by my time as a game developer, as a game design major at IU, as a 2x Roblox Accelerator, and also from resources like books and other online series I’ve benefitted from.
Lots of exciting things ahead. I’ll talk to you all next week!