Categories: News Transcript
Tags: FPS module Idris May monthly report Shi social module
Posted by: Clark Lewis
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Monthly Report Recap: May
The May Monthly Report came out, and it’s a long one! We’ve trimmed off the fat and condensed the important bits for you here.
May Monthly Report
May Monthly Report Recap:
CIG Santa Monica
Design
- MISC Reliant reveal and concept sale went up.
- Over 19,000 sold!
- Balance pass for missiles, specifically CS missiles.
- Tempest, Stalker, and StrikeForce missiles are more vulnerable to chaff.
- All missile lock-on times have been increased from 2 to 5 seconds.
- Crusader Industries Genesis Starliner making progress.
- Physically based damage system continuing to make progress.
- Ballistic and energy weapons will have unique benefits.
- Ship and Shield health, Powerplant output, Cooling rates will all receive similar updates.
- John Pritchett and Pete Mackay are dialing in thruster handling.
- Ship build out and component design will happen faster in the future thanks to back-end work.
Art
- Optimization for HUD and UI. Holographic elements can be rendered more efficiently.
- New helmet interiors have been designed for all FPS characters.
- New damage system is more efficient and should allow larger scale gameplay due to fewer draw calls.
- Also sets the stage for debris salvage and ship repair.
- You can now shoot off and claim a gun from a ship, for example.
Engineering
- Radar 2.0 is done. Anything can be made to show up on the radar given the situation, including things like grenades.
- New signature type: decibels. Includes footsteps, weapons fire, and other audio sources.
- Item system for attaching items to the player character (like tactical flashlights) is making progress.
CIG Austin
PU Art Team
- Nyx>Delamar>Levski landing zone is in final art stage.
- Stanton>ArcCorp>Area18 landing zone is being optimized for better performance ahead of Social Module.
- Anti-griefer/criminal turret concept art is finished.
- Marine and Outlaw characters are done. Now focusing on SATA ball characters.
- Doing R&D on Hair and Swappable Clothing ahead of Social Module.
- Cockpit and gunner templates, g-force animations, grabby hands all getting some love.
PU Design Team
- Occupations being worked on: Pioneer/Explorer, Mercenary/Escort, Bounty Hunter, and Smuggler.
- First draft of the new Universe Simulator (formerly the Economic Simulator) is finished.
- Now includes more than just economy: “ability to create elementals and composites, the ability to create a planet within a solar system and assign it data, and the ability to create occupations for NPC’s and specify execution logic for each occupation.”
- Magnus>Borea>Odyssa and Helios>Tangaroa>Mariana landing locations have gotten initial designs/layouts.
PU Engineering Team
- Generic Instance Manager has been completed. This will improve matchmaking and party. Should be in the upcoming FPS release.
- Universe Simulator proof-of-concept has been delivered.
- First iteration of Solar System Server is being developed.
- Player Info Server and Presence Server rewrites delivered.
- Version 1 of Useable Editor is finished.
- Character Archetype Editor making progress.
- Prototype for Mining occupation is finished.
Live Operations
- Testing FPS.
- Community Bug Council and Server Status Page have made progress.
- Using FPS to test new launcher and patcher, but still needs more polish.
Foundry 42
Engineering
- Conversation system is making progress, including multiplayer implementation.
- Personal Arc Welder is being fleshed out.
- Looting system has been revamped using an item port system.
- Hydraulic door security has been implemented, including an override system that uses the Personal Arc Welder to access the hydraulic pumps.
- A medpack has been added to FPS. It’s a syringe-like item.
- There are 2 forms of collectibles, items that can be physically looted, and information items that can be scanned.
Graphics
- Automated system is being used to find meshes that can be combined for graphic performance improvements.
- The VFX team has been improving the particle lighting system.
- Fixing FPS-related bugs.
- Making fixes to “large world” rendering which allows CryEngine “to work with practically unlimited map sizes.”
Design
- Continuing work on chapters of SQ42.
- Motion capture shoot in London continues.
- Internal vertical slice is leading to confrontation of core gameplay mechanics and development of features for “experiential, dogfighting and FPS scenarios.”
Art
- Vanduul fleet is concepted, with just turrets and guns to be worked on.
- More Squadron 42 storyline art has been worked on.
Environments
- Vertical slice has been main focus.
- “Particular focus has been placed on player traversal through the scene, rewarding exploration, great vistas and composition, and of course top quality artwork.”
VFX
- Working on sparks, steam, fire damage, space storms, turret VFX, muzzle flash, tracers, impacts, and various ship effects.
Ships
- Idris is coming along nicely and might have a few surprises!
- Working on uniformity among manufacturers.
- Starfarer interior is blocked out.
- ARGO needs a shader pass, and the Mining Drone is getting some work.
Audio
- Wwise transition hasn’t been as smooth as expected.
Foundry 42 Frankfurt
Engineering
- Moving codebase to 64 bit.
- Progress on zone systems and ship-local physics grids.
- New systems are being tested with Retaliator.
- Started R&D on procedural generation.
- Many major tasks close to joining Star Citizen code mainline.
AI
- Began unifying CryEngine Communication System with the CIG Contextual Reaction System.
- Began working on CryEngine cover system to connect it with Kythera.
- Started prototyping the functionality to have a navigation mesh attached to a moving spaceship.
- Began improving Kythera Behavior Tree system.
Audio
- Continued converting old FMOD code to new Audio System.
- Rolled out the set of new audio asset pipeline tools for simplified workflow.
FX
- Researching various types of fire.
- Ranging from small fire and debris to enormous fires and explosions.
- Also focusing on realistically blending in smoke.
BHVR
- Focused on polishing, debugging, and helping other studios, especially with the FPS module.
- In-game chat, emote system: (/dance /dothebender), FPS Module, multi-seat and FPS load out lobbies.
- Improved the chat system in the Social Module.
- Implemented first version of conversation tabs for public, private conversations.
- Fixed some flairs, the holotable, and some doors.
- Created base spawning system for multiple players in planetside locations/hangars.
- Created set pieces for an industrial mining planet. Will be used inDelamar, Nyx (but others as well).
- Updated some legacy objects to be up to new visual/technical standards.
- Refining locations on Terra Prime, Marianna and Odyssa, and creating new interior locations.
- mobiGlas has made lots of progress, now has animations.
- Buying, selling, and displaying UEC balance now work.
- First pass on UI, code, and visuals for microTech Kiosk.
- “Some shops and other locations around the verse have microTech kiosks which are used to show holographic representations of extra large products that don’t fit the location.”
- First kiosk will be in Astro-Armada.
- Personal locker (separate from the flair item) is being worked on.
- “This locker will be used to not only display weapons but to prepare loadouts in order to quickly change your character’s equipment for the right job.”
- Flair item and other secret merchandise for this month is completed.
Illfonic
- Working on new jukes, starts, and stops.
- There are unique animations for each speed, direction, state, and possible change. Lots of work!
- Work continues on zero-g and SATA Ball.
- Working on playability and visual cues for SATA Ball.
- Players should be able to easily find ball, easily navigate to it, easily pass it, etc.
- Working on converting Golden Horizon station items to work like they will in the PU, so they can be shared with other levels.
- Polishing weapons and creating a unified rail system for attachments.
- New VFX have been made for SATA ball and some have already gone a first polish pass with Chris’ notes.
Turbulent
Starmap
- “We now have full artistic designs for the top-level Galactic Level view where all star systems are laid out, showing their Jump Point connections.”
- 2D HeatGrid for showing politics, crime, economy, etc. has made progress.
- “Major UI component” called the “control disc” is included in this art pass.
- Disc is how you interact with the StarMap, and might be an in-game component.
Community
- Completed interface mockups for the Community Hub.
- Will include images, galleries, videos, streaming channels, podcasts, etc.
- More to be shown “soon.”
Issue council
- Core coding completed, “including data models and system level API.”
- Actual UI is being designed.
Launcher
- Completed prototype rework of Star Citizen Launcher.
- Based on BitTorrent technology.
- More efficient in size and speed, and first step towards a web-driven launcher.
- Hangar configuration, future inventory, REC activation tools will be in the launcher, in the future.
Moon Collider
- Worked on AI pathfinding.
- Big changes to AI behavior trees.
- Designers can now create/edit AI behavior trees more easily and with a better UI.
Community
- Ship Shape made its debut on Around the Verse.
- A full season has been ordered of Mark’s bi-weekly show: Bug Smashers!