Hello everyone! Welcome to the twenty-fourth issue of the RoVerse Development Newsletter, where we keep you updated on the progress we've made over the past week! It's been a tough week, with everyone deep in their final exams for the winter semester, but we've been spending every chance we get fixing the current bugs and glitches to bring you the Dogfight Alpha as soon as possible! Even as I type this newsletter, Fireband and Idyllicdestroyer are sifting through the flight systems to unearth every possible flaw there may be. It's looking like we might be able to just about make our desired release target of this weekend with a Sunday release. However we wish to remind everyone that this is not a full game release, this is a super early Alpha of the dogfighting mechanics of RoVerse, so you should expect to see regular updates and features being added, even during the days just after the release (well, once finals are over on Wednesday of course!). Whilst Fireband has been working during finals on fixing bugs for the Alpha, Idyllic has also been continuing development of the planet generation system for complex and realistic planet biomes. His system uses generated tectonic plate movements to designate the locations of montain ranges and ocean trenches, along with wind forces that transport heat and moisture to determine the types of environments on a planet's surface. At this rate his system for planet generation is shaping up to be the most advanced and complex one on ROBLOX! In the image below, you can see how the planet uses a triangular grid to designate the locations of land and ocean: Here you can see a visualisation of the wind currents across the separate biome types: Lastly, we use a heat grid which designates the temperature across the planet based on a location's latitude, meaning areas along the equator will be much hotter than those at the north or south poles: Ninja's school term ends a bit later than most meaning he'll be busy doing his finals for another week or two and can't work on the ground combat systems until then. LordRex though, has been having a lot more free time, so he's been progressing work on his custom chat system, which will be added to the Alpha in one of the many updates you'll see added throughout its public testing. However during the week he's taken a quick diversion to design and script a controls menu for the Alpha, so you'll be able to easily learn the controls by referring to it at any time while you play. (layout is still being changed around) In the building side of development, WhoToTrus has been focusing his efforts on the interior work of the corporate outposts. So far he has completed all arm connection interiors and almost finished another room. Disaster struck for Galbotrix though, as he just yesterday got in contact with us for the first time all week, reporting that his PC has died and he will be several months without a replacement. This is a sad news but thankfully many talented ROBLOXians have volunteered to help build RoVerse, so work will continue on the industrial outpost interior soon enough! HeroMaster has been having a tough time getting free time to work but nonetheless he's been determined to make progress on the shipwrecks for the Dogfight Alpha and managed to complete the first soon-to-be-wrecked shipwreck: Hero's not the only one who's been working on the shipwrecks for the debris field, iRaven has also been making very rapid progress on his designs: Each week we compile a Q&A section here whenever there are any new questions posted on the RoVerse Community group wall, so be sure to join if there's something you'd like to ask about RoVerse: https://www.roblox.com/Groups/Group.aspx?gid=2948290 Q1: Will there be controller support for ships? A1: Yes, we fully intend to have controller support for both space and ground gameplay in the full version of RoVerse. The public Alpha and Beta phases of development won't have controller support until very near the completion of the game. Q2: Can one faction have multiple species? ( like have a sub faction of a different species ) A2: The owner of a sub faction is free to accept anyone they wish into their sub faction, regardless of what faction (species) they are, as sub factions are independent from the main factions. Q3: How will fighters/bombers be able to dock with carriers? A3: Carriers basically act as mobile spawns for players with fighter-class ships. When the carrier player wishes to launch fighters, they will be able to appear to other players as a selectable spawn point rather than their last docked station. The amount of players the carrier can respawn is based on the amount of 'ship' tokens/items it carries in its cargo, which deplete for each new player that spawns at the carrier. There are a lot of details on how this all functions that would be too much for a single answer, so you'll be able to learn more about carriers and other capital ships as the features are developed. Please note that this mechanic is separate to a player docking with another player's capital ship, which will be a feature that won't be added until an expansion after release of the game (since there's so many other features to do already!). Q4: Will players ever be able to create a "New Character" if they decide they don't like the path that they had chosen for the first character? A4: Most certainly! Players will be able to create several characters, as this is especially vital for ROBLOXians in several clans they wish to support without being confined to one character having to travel between the territories of each clan. Each new character starts off from square one like a player's first character, however you can transfer credits (the currency of RoVerse) between your characters so you don't need to worry about being stuck with weak ships/equipment! Q5: How will the issue of insubordination be addressed in clans while they are in RoVerse? Of course they can be exiled in the group page, but what happens next while in-game? Will there be teamkill, when it comes to either ground and space combat? A5: This part of the game is still in the planning phase, but the main idea for when a player is exiled or leaves the clan they are currently alligned to in-game, they will be marked an outcast and unable to make use of any faction perks until they allign to a new faction. The alternative idea is for them to be unable to play until they allign to a new faction. The main problem with having a 'neutral team' is the ability for people to abuse this freedom to travel to any territory, land on any station and kill the residents while respawning at the same place. The only current thought we have for how to overcome this exploit would be to make he neutral or 'outcast' players unable to respawn or make use of faction facilities. Civilians of a faction are meant to be the 'neutrals', whilst the military and lawful career players are the ones who serve their factions. It's important that even independent players have a foundation to come from - that being their home nation/faction. Q6: Will the ground weapons be in certain class criteria, and will we as groups get access to them say for like training and practicing with ground weaponry? I just really want to be able to practice with these guns without having to actually use them in-game for forceful expeditions. A6: There won't be any restricting classes or level requirements in RoVerse, the progress of a player is regulated entirely by the money they possess. If you have enough money to buy a sniper rifle, you can be a sniper etc. When it comes to practicing, you'll be able to use a virtual shooting range to try out weapons before you buy them, though it is very likely we'll supply weapons to train with to clans who are officially a part of RoVerse. Q7: How will 'ground' combat within space stations and eventually planets be relevant to the wider clan conflict - And what will be the importance of those areas? A7: Fighting on planets will be one of the most important down-and-dirty parts of clan warfare, without invading an occupied planet, it will remain under control of the owning faction and you won't gain benefits from it. Players of that faction will also be able to land there to repair/resupply and even use it to respawn. Stations are very similar, however an enemy station can simply be blown to pieces if you have an armada with the needed firepower to siege the structure. But in the end, the most cost-efficient way to deal with an enemy station in your territory is to board it, take control of it and use its facilities for your own ends. This way you simultaneously eliminate an enemy stronghold, and gain a valuable asset at the same time. However, if you just really hate an enemy so much you can't stand the sight of their architecture, you can just iniate the self destruct and enjoy the fireworks. Q8: Will you be able to customize your own ship? Such as the paint job on certain parts, the name, the arsennal, etc. A8: Yes of course! We believe growing an attachment to your ship is a very important part of any sci-fi game. You'll be able to name your ships, outfit it with the weapons you most prefer using and choose custom decals for section of the ship (wings, nose etc.). Just note though that when it comes to paint jobs, it will depend heavily on if the clan who built the ship included designated parts for being paintable. Also, the entire hull of ships won't be paintable, since we don't want completely hot-pink or lime-green ships flying around ruining the immersion. Q9: Will there be a ranking system for each clan? Will there be any way to seperate an elite division from the regular group? A9: The details aren't certain at this early point in development, but player stats *will* definitely be tracked and shown on the in-game player records so players can compare their wealth and combat skill to others. It's likely we'll use a similar system to this for the faction careers, so players who earn enough credits doing their job (such as police scanning and discovering illegal cargo or killing pirates) will get promotions and titles to reflect their service. Q10: How will Mining on the planets work(If there is any)? Will there perhaps be a Large Mining outpost or Drill that mines chunks of the planets terrain? A10: Mining on planets will be very similar to mining asteroids in space. Players will be able to search a planets surface for ore deposits in areas like mountains, which they will be able to dig up with hand-held mining drills or much more effectively with mining vehicles. They can then either carry the ore in their inventory or cargo hold to a base, city, station or outpost to sell for a price that will be based on the local player-run economy. Just like in space, groups of players can work together to organise extremely profitable mining operations, with some miners who dig the ore and with some traders who utilise their larger cargo holds to transport and sell the ore to then split the profit with the miner who spends that time mining for ore to make even more profit. It must be said however, that we don't want RoVerse turning into a Minecraft style game, so it's unlikely you will be able to manipulate terrain. Mining will instead be more about finding clusters of minerals on the surface and digging through those clusters, rather than through the terrain itself. Q11: When will the forums be released for clans to sign up? And when will max/min sizes for ships and such be released? A11: The guide with all the instructions for how clans can sign up will be released close to the full release of the game when we are absolutely sure all of the requirements are not going to change or have flaws. It's been a hectic week, but we've been loving every second of it! We hope you're all as hyped up as we are for the public Dogfight Alpha release - you can bet you'll see us flying there with you when it comes out!
killer keemstar
12/18/2016 01:24:37 am
YAA! :D
MelonMan
12/18/2016 04:20:30 am
HYPE HYPE HYPE! 12/18/2016 12:40:24 pm
YES, I love the Q and A so much, glad I asked one of those questions, it got answered perfectly and to the point of what I wanted to know. So glad you guys make an effort to answer all these questions!
Frostaxius
12/18/2016 01:00:21 pm
Hello, I was wondering if inside the stations would there be gravity? I think it could get annoying when you float around everywhere.
Zachary
12/19/2016 06:22:38 pm
I assume all stations will still be facing upwards, following Roblox natural downwards gravity. Likewise even in the pirate space station, I believe the complex will not be circular in the fact where the station pathways bend with the circle- I believe the station will simply have multiple platforms/levels. When docking to the station, the ship may automatically tilt to what we consider a "normal" standing position, unlike in planetary artificial gravity we have seen in the recent update. Though it is possible to have different stations with varying degrees of tilt and artificial gravity.
Zachary
12/19/2016 06:25:47 pm
Uh.. Yes. There will be gravity in stations.
DrummerDude555
12/18/2016 01:26:03 pm
Sweet! this game is so well planned out! balancing customization with immersion to create a intricate and realistic experience! Comments are closed.
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AuthorsVaktus: Leader of the Vaktovian Empire and head of the RoVerse Project |