RoVerse Development Newsletter #90

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

​After the bit of fun we had last week, it was back to work for our developers. This week, we have quite a bit of significant progress on the Capital Update by Idyllic, as well as continued backend work from Lordrex. Let's go!

While the name change may have been in jest, the content of the advert was no less valid. Fighters, fleets of Capitals, planets, mountains, cities, ground vehicles - all a part of the epic and ambitious world we're creating.

Idyllic has been working extremely hard these past two weeks on the extensive list of Capital ship features we'd like to have out for the Capital Update. Among the many features added this week, we have Plane Lock, added to the Vector lock completed a few weeks ago - similarly to the plane lock for fighters, toggling this mode returns the capital to an upright position, so you don't get lost in the endless void of space, and to help when you're attempting to dock with something. Unlike the fighters, turning a Capital ship over is a bit slower process, but it still should leave the captain free to take care of anything else he's up to.

While roll and pitch are returned to 0, you can still throttle and turn your ship.

Along with the addition of plane lock, we've also added a visualization to show that the ship is locked to one direction, to help clarify that your steering isn't broken, which was one of the top bug reports from the Dogfight Alpha. Glad we finally cleared that one up.

​Also visible in the picture, was the addition of a aim visualization feature, that tracks with turrets showing you where they're aiming while not locked in on where you're targeting. Turret types have lots of stats to set them apart, and transit and elevation speed are just two of many that add a depth to the kitting mechanic. While it won't make an appearance in the Capital Update just yet, the ability to pick which turrets and what stats you'd like to boost based on your selections will be important to consider - it won't be as simple as buying the most expensive ship with the most expensive turrets.

Turrets also have a max and min angle, giving some turrets a smaller range, but better firepower for that limited range. Here, on the Bolitho, the forward-mounted guns are at an angle, allowing them to fire straight forward, while the flank guns have trouble aligning with the target - this limited angle gives turrets a more defined use case. Flank guns are great at firing at targets alongside this capital, or above it, rather than targets directly ahead. A differently-shaped ship, with a different turret complement, could be great for direct engagement - something you might consider when developing faction ships.

As an important step in this process, Idyllic rigged up a few of the turrets we have built for quick and easy implementation into the game - none of the turret models were designed with any rigging in mind, just whatever looked cool. With the flexible system he developed, any turret model could be added, and the system would still function perfectly fine - an important feature when factions will be submitting turret models to match their ships.

Here we have a medium Autoturret, with it's elevation hinge near the back to the model, while the transit is centered around the middle of the base. Simple setup, simple implementation - not an impossible feature after all. In the future, we should be able to create a semi-automated system for setting up new turrets, to speed up the process even more.

The system also works regardless of scale - he rigged up a few of the higher-tier turrets, two mediums and a heavy turret, with the same system, and it worked flawlessly.

During the testing process, the temptation grew too much for Idyllic to bear, and he had to satiate his curiosity. The results, though they are unlikely to ever become part of the official game, were fun to make, and cool to see.

We put over 100 turrets on the largest ship we have on hand, just to see how the system handled it.

In a situation that will hopefully never arise, this XXXL Capital kitted with 102 light turrets, worked surprisingly well, both in the operation of the individual turrets, and controlling the ship. Though the stats weren't changed from the smaller ships we were testing with, it still was able to move with ease through the skies. And we wouldn't recommend getting in it's way either.

Now that we have a system for rigging both ships and turrets, it was time to update all the capital ships we have on backlog to use this system.

The Garfish

The Guardian

The Dauntless

The Phoenix, with it's weird shape.

The Protector

and The Avenger

All kitted out and ready to fly!

Also this week, Lordrex has continued work on the backend systems that still don't make any pretty pictures. Progress on important stuff, like updating old lobby code and integrating the new features we've been working on are among the changes made. We look forward to his continued efforts.

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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 factions be able to make takes with 2 barrels?

A1: We'll be finalizing details on vehicles eventually, but putting two turrets on a tank should be possible, but don't expect it to give you any advantage. Best it would do would alternate which barrel fires the projectiles.

Q2: Will mining make you a lot of money, or will other occupations be more worthwhile?

A2: There should be a high demand for resources that only miners will be able to provide - play your cards right and you could make a lot of money. Of course, any occupation should be worth your time, you'll just have to find a niche market to take over.

Q3: What's to stop people from mining with capital ships with large cargo holds?

A3: This suggestion and question came up in the community, and after some discussion, we've considered the implication - we'll be implementing two different types of cargo holds. The standard, cargo hold for crated vehicles, and other boxes of junk, and the ore hold, that holds the minerals mined by mining ships in their raw form. Capital ships may be able to mine a bit of minerals, but designed mining ships will be a much more efficient option.

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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!