Halfway through July

Folks,

Unfortunately, I have to once again begin an update around some terrible news. Yesterday’s attack in Nice, France, was a horrific act that has become all too commonplace in the “real” world. Speaking for everybody here, I extend both the studio’s and my own personal condolences and sympathy to all the people who were so devastated, either directly or indirectly, by what transpired in Nice.

In happier news, we’ve pushed the latest version of the game to C.U.B.E., with lots of improvements to the building system itself, and, of course, to the underlying game engine as well. As always, please keep in mind that every time we push C.U.B.E., we are always pushing a new version of Camelot Unchained as well: they are the same code base. I’ll cover some of the items from the patch notes a little further down in this update.

Overall, things continue to move along apace, here. In terms of today’s User Stories, we had 21 old cards with 133 completes and 6 New cards with 22 completes.

Let’s start with the “Top Tenish” List, which includes the items I read from in today’s Wrap-up on stream:

Andrew’s refactor/Home run – Auto-generate our communication between our game server and our proxies. – Greatly improves speed and reliability of the server/proxy communication layer. – Allows us to create new abilities much faster! Ability to log any data from our server easily – can be searched, graphed, quantified – going to be extremely helpful as we move forward with the refactor, both so Design can see if things are working as intended, and for playtest tuning! We now have the ability to buff and debuff the timing of abilities. Block and Counter-attack are now being crafted into abilities. – This puts us farther along than the last ability iteration, where we did not have animating block and counter attack working. Equipment slots can now be independently buffed and debuffed. – This, again, is farther than we were in the previous iteration. New and updated UI int C.U.B.E. Current iteration will include the much-requested ability to drop point lights. Improved overall visual quality of WIP biome, while greatly reducing poly count in some assets to support good FR in dense forests. Win-win! Started working on unique idles and fidgets, per gender and race, to give them a touch of character. Started work on melee combat and magic user staffs. Finished high poly bows and arrows. Next up TDD great swords, Viking two handed hammers, and Arthurian polearms! Added first pass of blend maps tech to terrain shader. This blends materials together more realistically, and gives us the ability to get more variation with less textures. Two wins in one! Updated to all existing terrain mats next week. We’ve begun assigning values to abilities, and in general playing with them early, to start looking for bugs or find areas to improve.

In terms of the User Stories themselves:

Highlights:

As a Backer, I’d like to see general improvements in C.U.B.E.’s interface and functionality.

Config file saves between logins. – Complete

Improve rendering of lots of blocks or buildings in zone through improvements in threading. – Complete

Block/Material icons load during load screen to reduce UI update lag. – Complete

As a Backer, I’d like to play in new biomes that change according to Realm ownership. – Biome 02

Ambient SFX – Additional grasses blowing in wind of varying velocities. – Complete

As a Backer, I’d like to play in new biomes that change according to Realm ownership. – Biome 04

Neutral – Optimization pass and nitpicking. – Complete

Neutral – Unique assets – Complete

Ambient SFX – Subtle ambient hum – v2 – Complete

Neutral Prefab model: Standing wood lamp with vfx – v1 – Complete

Neutral Prefab model: Standing wood lamp with vfx – v2 – Complete

Neutral Prefab model: Rock group small. – Complete

Neutral Prefab model: Rock group medium. – Complete

Neutral Prefab model: Rock group large. – Complete

Second pass saplings to reduce poly count. – Complete

Second pass large saplings to improve poly count and improve for gameplay. – Complete

As a Backer, I’d like to find unique environment props, or unique locations, that add flavor to the environment while I’m exploring the Biomes.

Create unique environment prop – 004 – Beehive on limb. – Complete

Beehive ambient SFX – Complete

As a Backer, I’d like to see the world of Camelot Unchained continue to develop through its lore.

The Great Depths Raid Part 5 – First Draft – Complete

The Great Depths Raid Part 5 – Final Draft – Complete

As a Backer and Developer, I’d like a system to set sounds to play during specific events.

Sound Event Cog is created and can be attached to placeables. – Complete

Builder exports sound events along with .bnk and offset data to the client as a sound event resource. – Complete

Placeables (Models) play Audio from any attached Sound Events. – Complete

Sounds can be added to items that are dropped. – Complete

As a Backer, I’d like to know about all the smaller enhancements the MOD Squad makes to Camelot Unchained.

Scale and center news images on patcher. – Complete

Display last login for characters below name on the patcher — ‘Last Login x days ago’ – Complete

Fix bug in patcher where setState was being called from within a render method. – Complete

Add setup npm script to patcher. – Complete

Move attribute names inline with points, and change text size so that they look a bit better on character creation. – Complete

Fix padding issues with attribute point distribution style on character creation. – Complete

Fix issue with scroll bars on dropdown menus in the patcher where you would occasionally get a horizontal scroll bar when you shouldn’t. Fixed some styling issues with colors. Long name overflow set to use ellipsis rather than extend, so as not to mess up the alignment of last login details. – Complete

Added new CSE made emoticons to chat on the patcher! – Complete

Scrolling fixed for chat settings panels. – Complete

Make the compass perform better and not consume so much CPU. – Complete

Add character naming rules client-side enforcement on character creation widget. – Complete

New Building UI Pass 1 & 2. – Complete

Building UI code structure pass (Pre-Pass). – Complete

As a Backer I’d like a patcher to not only update my game, but also give me the most important news and updates, get support, chat with the community and look awesome while doing it!

Patcher uses CU themed emoticons. – Complete

Art: CU themed emoticons. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like the Camelot Unchained website to convey its main features in a more concise and visually impressive manner.

Update Galleries. – Complete

Update Scoreboard used in testing to work better for mobile. – Complete

Update News page to replicate patcher version. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to see improvements in the editor to facilitate my work.

“Clear Value” added to anim clips editor. – Complete

Texture preview updated to work with PBR update. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to have a selection of weapons that visually represent each Realm’s identity. – Arthurians

First pass concept Art: Staffs, melee and magic. – Complete

Two-handed staffs: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Small shield – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

Large shield – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

First pass concept Art: Long Bows – Complete

Long bows: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Long bow – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

First pass concept Art: Arrows – Complete

Arrows: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Arrows – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to have a selection of weapons that visually represent each Realm’s identity. – TDD

First pass concept Art: Staffs, melee and magic. – Complete

Two-handed staffs: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Small shield – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

Large shield – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

First pass concept Art: Short bows. – Complete

Short bows: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Short bow – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

First pass concept Art: Arrows – Complete

Arrows: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Arrows – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to have a selection of weapons that visually represent each Realm’s identity. – Viking

First pass concept Art: Staffs, melee and magic. – Complete

Two-handed staffs: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Small shields: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Small shield – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

First Pass Concept Art: Large shields. – Complete

Large shields: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Large shield – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

First pass concept Art: Short Bows. – Complete

Short bows: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Short bow – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

First pass concept Art: Arrows – Complete

Arrows: First Pass planning mix and match parts system. – Complete

Arrows – V1: Modeling pass. – Complete

As a Backer and Developer, I’d like to play a game that looks like it is from 2016, by implementing a new lighting and material system.

Add support for blend maps to terrain shader. – Complete

Audit blend map code in terrain shader to work with older AMD drivers. – Complete

As a Backer, I would like to be able to give to my friends and family the extra tiers that come with my pledge.

Additional testing to search for any security risks as well as to verify system working as intended. – Complete

As a Backer in Beta 1, I’d like to see the pre-existing textures in Camelot Unchained make use of the new rendering and lighting systems.

Update materials on storage items used in first pass crafting resources. – Complete

Update generic torch material. – Complete

Update material on generic wood and metal lamp posts. – Complete

Second pass shirt and pants material updates after PBR values fixed. – Complete

Second pass hair material audits where applicable after PBR values fixed. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like the Camelot Unchained ability system to fully support the design scope of the game for B1.

First Pass implementation of spatial volumes that track players within, entering, and exiting. – Complete

System now supports doing abilities in tandem, as well as sequentially. – Complete

Re-add skill timing – with more flexibility than previous iteration. – Complete

First Pass: Ability Builder UI – now data driven instead of hard coded. – Complete

First implementation of actual beta skills working. – Complete

Improve projectile support – Arrows can now do anything, when previously it was only straight damage. – Complete

Extract data structures from game logic so it’s easier to re-use the data structures. – This makes it faster to create new abilities. – Complete

Add ability to log any data from our server – going to be extremely helpful as we move forward with the refactor, both so Design can see if things are working as intended, and for playtest tuning! – Complete

Add ability to buff and debuff the timing of abilities. – Complete

Block and Counter-attack can be crafted into abilities with animations. – Complete

Equipment slots can be independently buffed and debuffed. – Complete

Ability logic now supports variables which can be edited later – Speeds creation of new abilities. – Complete

Variables support expressions. – Complete

New entity component model:

Last 10% player entity componetized. – Complete

System to calculate skill timing costs:

Create a Skill Node that creates a Timing Component (SNWeaponStats) – Complete

Wire up SNWeaponStats to skills. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to improve the visual fidelity and speed of creation of our art assets through the investigation, and possible use of, new third party software.

Example files: Decorative patterning masks. – Complete

Example files: Surface distress techniques. – Complete

Example files: Brick and stone shape generation. – Complete

Create a Pixel Processor node using functions – Complete

As a Backer in Beta 1, I’d like the new classes, weapons, and abilities to be supported by their animations.

Archery Secondary:

Right and left hand bow holding downwards. – Complete

Right and left hand bow holding downwards nocked. – Complete

Right and left hand bow holding downwards flinch. – Complete

Right and left hand bow holding downwards nocked flinch. – Complete

Right and left hand bow holding downwards death. – Complete

Right and left hand bow holding downwards nocked death. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like an automated system that can find data related bugs before they become a problem.

Rework DocumentBase to use a delegate function for Validate. – Complete

Roboduck runs every few minutes, and checks the pre-existing quick Validation() function. – Complete

Catalog available automated tests using reflection. – Complete

Add config to select and run tests with frequency – Complete

Add email support, notifying users of relevant issues. – Complete

Create server application. – Complete

Add a document caching system (common library) – Complete

Refactor existing tests to use document caching system. – Complete

Check animsets for animation classifications that are incorrect. – Complete

As a Backer, I want to seamlessly move between islands and zones without being aware that I’m moving between different game servers.

Client can sync from more than one proxy and/or more than one zone on a proxy: – Complete

Add support for loading and unloading multiple zones. – Complete

Create and delete player Entities as they transition so they only exist in one zone at a time. – Complete

Add portal Entity to trigger transitioning between proxies. – Complete

Send player position to all servers to support update distance priority – Complete

Unique EntityIDs across servers within a shard:

Create PresenceServer project that uses AsyncRPC library. – Complete

Add PresenceServer AsyncRPCProvider for allocating a range of IDs. – Complete

Add system to PresenceServer for allocating ranges of IDs. – Complete

Store allocated EntityIDs in database. – Complete

Change ServerMain to request ranges of IDs and only use those. – Complete

Get game server connecting to PresenceServer. – Complete

Synchronize time. – Complete

New Cards:

As a Backer, I’d like the selection of races in Beta 1 to have shared and unique idle and fidget animations.

Race/Gender Fidgets

Human_Female_Arthurian_Fidget_01 – Complete

Human_Female_Viking_Fidget_01 – Complete

Valkyrie_Male_Viking_Fidget_01 – Complete

Valkyrie_Female_Viking_Fidget_01 – Complete

Humanoid generic fidget 01 – Complete

Humanoid generic fidget 02 – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to use a packaged sound resource which the client can unpack and dynamically use based on the correct event.

Add banks to sound resource. – Complete

Load banks in client. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to improve the visuals of our current characters and armor, and note lessons learned to move forward into our next iterations.

Luchorpán Male and Female – Update skin, hair, and underwear rough and spec values. – Complete

Arthurian Male and Female – Update skin, hair, and underwear rough and spec values. – Complete

Tuatha Male and Female – Update skin, hair, and underwear rough and spec values. – Complete

Viking Male and Female – Update skin, hair, and underwear rough and spec values. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to improve, and add to, the SFX for re-abilitation.

Create events for all current prototype abilities in Wwise. – Complete

Increase movement speed. – Complete

Reduce movement speed. – Complete

Generic increase to incoming damage. – Complete

Generic increase to outgoing damage. – Complete

Reduce stamina. – Complete

Increase health regeneration. – Complete

Decrease health regeneration. – Complete

As a Developer, I’d like to have a smaller executable that loads faster, enables shader debugging again, and have more shader permutations.

Speed up shader compilation. – Complete

21 old cards with 133

6 New cards with 22

Move shaders into resource system, and load via the patcher. – Complete

That’s a big list right? Makes me smile and I think I’ll be smiling even more in two weeks. 🙂

For today’s art, let’s start with some expanded concept art for shields. First up, the Arthurians.

Next, the Tuatha Dé Danann.

And let’s end, at least alphabetically by Realm, with the Vikings.

For more concept art, here’s a look at some shields how carvings may look on different materials.

For our last bit of concept art, here are some staffs from all three Realms.

Concept art is fine and all, but how about some WIP models from the game. Let’s start with ‘A’ for arrows.

Like all the weapons in our game, these arrows can not only be crafted, but they are also built in separate pieces so you can mix and match shafts, heads, and fletchings.

Here are three bows from the game. Can you guess which bow belongs to which Realm?

Next up, here’s some WIP shields. Once again, can you guess the Realms that the shields belong to (it’s not terribly hard)?

In terms of next week’s:

We’ll be adding at least one design session, and we’ll post a schedule early next week. These things fluctuate quite a bit based on peoples’ availability and progress of course, as you folks know.

In terms of totally fun additions, we’ve added a bunch of emoticons for our chat system. As per the patch notes, all you need to do is put a colon in front and behind them.

In terms of C.U.B.E., we’ve updated the UI (with a lot of things and stuff), updated chat to handle the above emoticons, added automatic backups for your C.U.B.E. files, improved performance for buildings, and more. The full patch notes can be found on the Forums. And, as per above, all of these changes are also part of Camelot Unchained.

Well, that about wraps up this update. As per what I said above, starting next week we begin to have more design/programming streaming sessions and reveals. As I said in the weekly wrap-up, I’m really excited about where we are with the re-abilitation of our ability system and I know you folks will be too, once you see the presentations and even more importantly, see the system in action in the game.

To close out this update, once again I extend my sympathies and condolences to those people who lost loved ones or friends yesterday in Nice, to the people of France and everyone who has been, and sadly it seems, will continue to be, victims of horrific attacks such as these. Have a good and safe weekend!

-Mark