VO 1.8.385 and prior patches included:- Simulated VR Mode now has a bindable key or button for looking around, called "+VRLook". It currently defaults to right-mouse-button.- Fixed a Lua error for capship owners launching their fighter while manned to a turret.- New dynamic server packet-queuing and priority change to drastically improve chat and effect delays during larger capship battles. Tested in development with 200 close-proximity capships per battle. Prioritization only dynamically scales with larger numbers of ships per sector, so less populated regions and sectors are unaffected.- Changed the distribution of services within the game-server cluster, to enhance performance with higher peak player counts.- Fixed issue with dropped key and mouse inputs in OS X with the new OpenGL 4 video driver.- Fixed lua error when joining a group and Voice Chat is enabled.- Removed dark background of HUD notification text when not in VR mode.The new server changes are pretty interesting, as they open the door for larger battle events, with the eventual goal of player contention for territory in the expanded universe. We plan to do some big events to help test this in the near future.We're also pushing hard towards a number of other goals, including shipment of the GearVR version, now in its second wide-area Beta test. Thanks to all those beta participants for making the game release better for everyone.Beyond that, there's been a lot of other work behind the scenes. We have a new mailing list and newsletter system, after our previous email-provider abruptly increased their prices many-fold earlier this year, so you can now expect to start seeing some VO newsletters again in the near future.Lastly, we've been doing quite a bit of server housekeeping, upgrades and administration. Thanks for your patience during the periodic downtimes. We keep them to a minimum, but every year or so it's good for us to do this kind of extended update and cleanup process, especially in advance of our upcoming launches on Steam, GearVR and elsewhere.Have a great weekend, everyone!
VO 1.8.384 includes:- Added /voicegroup set of commands, similar to /group, that creates arbitrary Voice Chat channels (up to 32 players). Use the /voicechattoggle command to switch between subscribed channels, such as Group, Guild, and others. Type /voicegroup to display its usage.- Added a description overlay to the nav map in VR mode, when Look-To-Select is enabled, to show the description of the currently selected sector.The new general-usage voice chat system is just a first pass. We intend to also add an elaborate UI around it, but after we do some more testing with VR and other use-cases to determine what kind of interface will work best.In the meantime, let us know how the functionality works?Have a great weekend, everyone!
Beyond the introduction of the first wave of Syndicate robots, patch 3.8 will also include a few significant changes, so I felt like it deserves its own blog post.
EP reward changes
Based on a forum suggestion, we’re incorporating EP boosters into the EP reward system. The result is that if you have an active EP booster, any EP rewards that you receive from your ingame activities will be doubled. (This comes after the handicap bonus multiplier.)
This change alone would result in a way too high EP reward multiplier for starting Agents if they are using a booster, so we decided to cut the handicap multiplier in half, which will start from 50x instead of 100x. (Basically if you are using a booster after this change, you will receive roughly the same EP rewards like now.)
Another change that’s coming with the patch is the reduction of EP rewards for mining and harvesting from 1 EP per minute to 1 EP per 2 minutes on average (without bonuses). Based on our statistics, the amount of EP that players gained from mining and harvesting was too high, considering the effort and risk involved compared to other activities.
Pretty lights
For a long while already, I wanted to have another go at the lighting, environment, and post-processing setup of the game. The last one happened in 2012, so it was high time for a revisit and see if we can still make things look better. Here are some before-after screenshots, so decide for yourself, or check it out live tomorrow.
Patch 3.8 will be deployed tomorrow, August 4th, starting from 14:00 servertime/CEST (12:00 UTC).
Beyond the introduction of the first wave of Syndicate robots, patch 3.8 will also include a few significant changes, so I felt like it deserves its own blog post.
EP reward changes
Based on a forum suggestion, we’re incorporating EP boosters into the EP reward system. The result is that if you have an active EP booster, any EP rewards that you receive from your ingame activities will be doubled.''' (This comes after the handicap bonus multiplier.)
This change alone would result in a way too high EP reward multiplier for starting Agents if they are using a booster, so we decided to cut the handicap multiplier in half, which will start from 50x instead of 100x. (Basically if you are using a booster after this change, you will receive roughly the same EP rewards like now.)
Another change that’s coming with the patch is the reduction of EP rewards for mining and harvesting from 1 EP per minute to 1 EP per 2 minutes on average (without bonuses). Based on our statistics, the amount of EP that players gained from mining and harvesting was too high, considering the effort and risk involved compared to other activities.
Pretty lights
For a long while already, I wanted to have another go at the lighting, environment, and post-processing setup of the game. The last one happened in 2012, so it was high time for a revisit and see if we can still make things look better. Here are some before-after screenshots, so decide for yourself, or check it out live tomorrow.
Patch 3.8 will be deployed tomorrow, August 4th, starting from 14:00 servertime/CEST (12:00 UTC).
