RoVerse Development Newsletter #102

Hello everyone! Welcome to the 102nd issue of the RoVerse Development Newsletter, where we keep you updated on the progress we've made over the past week.

This week, we have some effects updates on turrets from Idyllic, some excellent system-crossing networking code from lordrex, and a very important bug fix on weapon systems for capital ships.

​We'll start with the best news first! Some of you noticed and pointed out that the turrets in the previous gifs posted in newsletters rarely fired directly where the cursor was apparently pointing, and you'd be correct. Idyllic has been trying for a month to figure out the bug in the code that caused the turrets to elevate twice as high as the cursor was aimed. He tried everything, from halving the elevation distance per step, to comparing the code to the (working) version where he originally coded turrets without the ship attached, to removing all but one turret from a ship to make sure it wasn't iterating over twice - but nothing worked. It drove him mad.

But good news, he was not driven mad in vain. The bug has been found and fixed, resulting in an excellent and 100-fold improvement in the accuracy of turret firing. Where the other turret types were inaccurate enough for it to not be noticeable, with the beam turret's impressive accuracy, the problem became readily apparent. With a few keystrokes and some changed variables, the problem was remedied, and turrets are in excellent shape.

With that bug quashed, it was back to the list of other important updates to weapons systems that have been on hold for a while, the most noticeable being locking turrets that are unable to point at the target to not fire randomly off in another direction.

With that highly-requested feature complete, Idyllic spent some more time improving the weapon effects, and creating important functions for delayed and charged weaponry, notably the beam and plasma turrets. Both weapon types have a 'charge up' delay after the player clicks fire, to charge up the weapons before energy is explosively discharged.

We're still waiting on a turret model for Capital plasma weapons, but they will function similarly to those available in the Dogfight Alpha. An energy burst projectile fired after a charging cycle, that wreaks havoc on any shields or undefended ships it manages to hit, which we hope to have ready for next week. Plasma weapons and flak turrets are the two remaining weapon types to be coded, both with unique and important functionality.

This week, lordrex has continued working on systems used to teleport players to a specific system, even though we're sending them to the same game file - one of the key features we've been looking forward to implementing.

Here we have the private server console showing an incoming connection from a new player, requesting system data for the system they just loaded into. A player can join the lobby, create a character save, give themselves a nickname, and jump into a randomly selected spawn system. We'll be working on loading in specific system maps in the coming weeks. Important and exciting work!


Each week we compile a Q&A section here whenever there are any new questions posted on the RoVerse Community group wall or in the Community Discord Server. Be sure to join if you have any questions about RoVerse:

ROBLOX Group: https://www.roblox.com/My/Groups.aspx?gid=2948290
Discord server: https://discord.gg/npxBGwJ

Q1: Will planets orbit around the star systems?

A1: We had hoped that we would be able to move planets around stars in a realistic orbit, and we have performed tests on the subject, but unfortunately the Roblox Engine does not like large numbers of moving parts or triangles. We'd either have to choose between pretty planets that give you an idea of the surface from orbit, or simple colored spheres that we could move around. That being said, I think there should still be plenty of gameplay involving proper positioning of stations behind and around planets and moons, as well as the asteroid fields full of rocks, that we couldn't move even if we wanted to.

Q2: Will there be a neutral system for faction leaders to meet and discuss politics, trade deals, or alliances? Would it be safe?

A2: Any significant communications between leaders will probably happen in Discord rather than in-game, where it's prone to troublemakers and assassins. Of course, we plan for a few neutral systems throughout the galaxy for new players to start at in a safe area, and we could add spaces to support leaders meeting in-person to discuss matters or just relax.

Q3: Will there be quests?

A3: Yes! For those that don't like mining or carrying cargo, players will be able to take on a variety of quests assigned by NPCs, as well as faction requests for items, for which they will be rewarded. Everything from hunting down a bounty to processing material to finding rare items is up for grabs packaged in little adventures.

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​​You can support us by joining our Community Group or Discord server! So far, the community has been absolutely amazing, supportive, and very friendly. We are very appreciative of all the support you guys show us!

If you want to catch any of our developers streaming, you can always follow our official Twitch channel here!

Remember, we are always looking for new, talented builders, scripters and artists! If you’d like to help us you can always get in touch with us through RoVerse_Official on the ROBLOX website, or by contacting an Administrator in the community Discord! Don’t worry, we don’t bite!