RoVerse Development Newsletter #186

Hello everyone! Welcome to the 186th issue of the RoVerse Development Newsletter, where we keep you updated on the progress we've made over the past week.

This week we went right back to work on the list of features needed to get us to the Capital Update. Idyllic jumped back on the Outpost Strike gamemode, which the last we left it was nearly functional, with outpost randomized generation and limited target tracking.

The first step was to make the Flak bursts damage the ships it was targeting. This was a fairly simple task to complete, but it exposed two severe problems with the tracking system. Previously, it only fired bolts to a preset range before they detonated, unfortunately these proved too easy to dodge around, or camp inside the range, and would make destroying turrets trivial, which wouldn't do. The second problem was targeting multiple ships at once - the original code targeted the closest ship to the station with every single turret. This work when it could hit its target, but when pilots were too ellusive, allowed people to sit right next to the station with impunity. The solution, then, was to target ships individually on a per-turret basis - it is definitely a more complex calculation, but it is well worth the effort. There is also lots of room for optimization.

With those two problems out of the way, the game was opened to the community to test and see how it performed. The test went exceptionally well, with a significant number of fatalities among unprepared pilots. Damage and accuracy were tweaked to a more manageable level, and work continued.

Next up was a bit of leaderboard work, making the menu look better and with fewer typos. Now it takes the standard team deathmatch layout, with the outpost's defenses arrayed against how many lives your team has left to defeat the station.

​The last important step of the process was being able to damage the turrets and knock them offline, giving them health values and letting the ship weapon system detect them. Current status is turrets that have health and can be destroyed, but don't yet stop firing at you.

We also have another round of faction ships:

​The Vaction Grimlock...

...and a public variant of the Sentinel.

Last up, we have a brand new map for the Dogfight Alpha, built by a member of our community.

Citadel has access to the Team Deathmatch and Free-for-all gamemodes. Check it out this week in the dogfight!

The winner this week by unanimous decision was the Outpost. 243 pilots stood against it, and one by one they were cut down. This, of course, took place in a test version that still had the output settings turned on, so it really doesn't count, but it certainly looks good on the accuracy of the automated turret system.

The actual dogfight was surprisingly quiet this week, so there was no real winner this week. If you're looking to top the leaderboard for cycle 4 and earn your own exclusive skin, now's your chance.

If you'd like to check out the rest of our data, you can find the spreadsheet here: Phase 1 Data (Week 30)

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: What is the competition between factions and solo players?

A1: The idea is that factions and solo players have two nearly entirely separate realms of gameplay - factions care about the big picture, galactic conquest, major infrastructure, and their members, while solo players are in it for exploration, upgrading their ship, having fun. The point where these overlap is in recruitment. Factions will always want more members, and solo players may want access to the bigger-picture features, so they strike a deal. A solo player in faction territory isn't likely to be a problem, unless it's in your faction lore to be highly xenophobic.

Q2: What is dev questions coming to?

A2: I'm glad you asked! Moderating a discord channel is a delicate balance between being too controlling of content and being too loose. Finding the level between the two is an important but entirely unpredictable process. Sometimes, it involves allowing absurd or ridiculous questions to be asked in the asking-questions channel. A little informality goes a long way in soothing the sharp edges of a moderated server.

Q3: What is a man?

A3: A featherless biped.

Q4: Will organizations be able to build more than one outpost if they want to?

A4: Definitely. Organizations can build as many outposts as they have the resources to build, there are no restrictions on our end, except for the limit to how many structures can be built in one system.

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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!