Jump to content
zozo

End Game MP Mode - Announcements

Recommended Posts

We want to experiment with releasing an early alpha version of our new multiplayer game mode - End Game - to elicit gameplay feedback, and unlock Dev-Branch's potential for iterative improvement via dialogue between devs and players.

 

End Game Mode, Systems, and Content:

  • End Game Kavala
  • End Game Feres
  • End Game Zaros
  • Revive
  • Dynamic Groups
  • Shared Objectives
  • Spectator

This thread will track the updates we make, and also serve as a place for us to announce any public play sections. We've also created a discussion thread where you are encourage to feedback!

Edited by royaltyinexile
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

05-03-2015

EXE rev. 129571 (changelog)

ITERATION-01

KNOWN ISSUES

  • [End Game] Marksmen MP mode incorrectly named 'HVT'
  • [End Game] Loadouts are not saved on respawns
  • [End Game] The same upload site is used for both sides
  • [shared Objectives] As group leader, sometimes setting a task will not propagate to your subordinates
  • [Dynamic Groups] In some situations, dead players will be displayed as Error: No Unit

GAME MODE

  • Added: End Game MP Scenario (Alpha)

DYNAMIC GROUPS

  • Added: Scripted Prototype

SHARED OBJECTIVES

  • Added: Scripted Prototype

Edited by RoyaltyinExile

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

06-03-2015

EXE rev. 129601 (changelog)

ITERATION-01 (HOTFIX-01)

KNOWN ISSUES

  • [End Game] Marksmen MP mode incorrectly named 'HVT'
  • [End Game] Loadouts are not saved on respawns
  • [End Game] The same upload site is used for both sides
  • [shared Objectives] As group leader, sometimes setting a task will not propagate to your subordinates
  • [Dynamic Groups] In some situations, dead players will be displayed as Error: No Unit

GAME MODE

  • Fixed: Mission name
  • Added: Marksmen MP mode overview images for scenarios
  • Added: Rules and Tips diary entries

Edited by RoyaltyinExile

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

12-03-2015

EXE rev. 129712 (changelog)

ITERATION-02

KNOWN ISSUES


  • [End Game] Virtual Arsenal loadouts are not saved
  • [End Game] One of the 'Retrieve Intel' tasks might not get deleted after the 3rd phase starts
  • [End Game] Players approaching an intel location already being downloaded by a team mate cannot initiate download, and are given no feedback about this
  • [shared Objectives] As group leader, sometimes setting a task will not propagate to your subordinates
  • [Dynamic Groups] In some situations, dead players will be displayed as Error: No Unit
  • [Dynamic Groups] Player can sometime create more than one group

GAME MODE

  • Added: Each side now has its own upload site in phase 3
  • Added: Downloading Intel mechanics (it now takes time)
  • Changed: Strider at the convoy intel is now locked
  • Changed: Carrier icon complex check is now done every 1 second (revealing the Carrier mechanics)
  • Changed: Pickup Schematics and Upload Schematics actions do not require player to look at the objects
  • Fixed: JIP players can now select respawn position after joining the mission
  • Fixed: Possibility for Error: No Unit to show on the "Schematics Dropped By" notification
  • Fixed: Speakers can no longer die
  • Fixed: Various minor fixes and optimizations

SHARED OBJECTIVES

  • Added: Task types A-Z added
  • Fixed: Shared Objectives icons
  • Fixed: Added side suffix to the task id register, so the system counts assigned players per side and not all together
  • Fixed: Players that joined and left (dynamic) groups would still have their tasks set by their previous squad leader

Edited by RoyaltyinExile

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

13-03-2015

EXE rev. 129712 (changelog)

PUBLIC PLAYTEST (ITERATION-02)

  • DATE: 13-03-2015
  • TIME: 1500-1600 CET
  • ADDRESS: 37.59.19.105
  • PORT: 2402
  • PASSWORD: pvt-nelson
  • NOTES: Apologies for the short notice, usually we would like to announce (at least!) 6h in advance #BIPODS

Edited by RoyaltyinExile

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

19-03-2015

EXE rev. 129822 (changelog)

ITERATION-03

KNOWN ISSUES

  • [End Game] Players approaching an intel location already being downloaded by a team mate cannot initiate download, and are given no feedback about this
  • [Revive] Users actions are not blocked in incapacitated state

GAME MODE

  • Fixed: Taking schematics after respawn blocked progress
  • Fixed: Loadouts were not applied on Revived players
  • Changed: Players can now only respawn on their team leader, if he is alive
  • Fixed: Respawn position in the respawn menu was deselected every time the list of positions changed
  • Fixed: Virtual Arsenal loadouts are now saved and applied after respawn
  • Fixed: Friendly groups did not have icon
  • Fixed: When respawning, players no longer appear at the spot where they were KIA
  • Fixed: Picking up schematics while incapacitated together with another player duplicated tasks
  • Changed: End Game cancelled tasks now show no notification (helps with notification spam)
  • Changed: End Game start loadouts

DYNAMIC GROUPS

  • Added: Players in need of reviving now have proper icon in Dynamic Groups
  • Fixed: Icons are no longer coloured in Dynamic Groups RscTree
  • Fixed: Player could sometimes create more than one group
  • Fixed: KIA players are now show as "Dead" and have an appropriate icon

SHARED OBJECTIVES

  • Fixed: problem with task propagation leader -> subordinates

REVIVE

  • Added: Scripted Prototype

Edited by RoyaltyinExile

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

26-03-2015

EXE rev. 129911 (changelog)

ITERATION-04

KNOWN ISSUES

  • [End Game] Players approaching an intel location already being downloaded by a team mate cannot initiate download, and are not given enough feedback about this
  • [End Game] Compositions of areas are still not final (placeholders)
  • [Revive] Users actions are not blocked in incapacitated state

GAME MODE

  • Added: Schematic upload mechanics
  • Fixed: While downloading, rate multiplier now work
  • Changed: Players can now only respawn on their team leader, if he is alive
  • Fixed: Medics are now actually medics
  • Tweaked: 2D map visuals
  • Improved: Network transfer optimisation
  • Added: Zone Restriction
  • Added: Voice acting
  • Fixed: JIP players no longer need to wait for respawn
  • Fixed: HQ callsigns

DYNAMIC GROUPS

  • Fixed: Non-leader players could change group name
  • Added: Ability to use Dynamic Groups in the respawn menu

SHARED OBJECTIVES

  • Added: 3D task-type markers
  • Added: 3D task marker draw-distance is now controllable from description.ext (default: 2km)

REVIVE

  • Fixed: Players remained captive after respawn / revive
  • Improved: Various script optimisations
  • Fixed: Sometimes incapacitated units were incorrectly revived
  • Fixed: Players will no longer become incapacitated when they respawn via the Pause Menu

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

27-03-2015

EXE rev. 129935 (changelog)

ITERATION-04 (HOTFIX-01)

KNOWN ISSUES

  • [End Game] Players approaching an intel location already being downloaded by a team mate cannot initiate download, and are not given enough feedback about this
  • [End Game] Compositions of areas are still not final (placeholders)
  • [End Game] Wrong path pointing to non-existent texture
    [Revive] Users actions are not blocked in incapacitated state

GAME MODE

  • Fixed: Pick up schematics task 3D marker was not attached to the object
  • Fixed: Download rate is now functional again
  • Added: Carrier is now visible in the 2D map
  • Added: Carrier 3D/2D icon now shows player name for friendlies and "Carrier" for enemies
  • Tweaked: NATO now uses black MXs
  • Tweaked: CSAT is now in urban camouflage
  • Fixed: Error in EndGame.fsm
  • Fixed: Attempt to fix wrong respawn names for positions

SHARED OBJECTIVES

  • Fixed: The 1st task notification now uses the same formatting with the task type icon as the other task notifications
  • Added: Notifications for task assigned and unassigned
  • Added: New task type icons implemented to 2D and 3D
  • Added: Double click on the task in the task list now centres the map on the task
  • Changed: Colours for markers and tooltip adjusted, the red mouseover colour was removed
  • Added: Non-interactive task type markers added to the respawn map

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

02-04-2015

EXE rev. 130083 (changelog)

ITERATION-05

KNOWN ISSUES

  • [End Game] Players approaching an intel location already being downloaded by a team mate cannot initiate download, and are not given enough feedback about this
  • [Revive] Users actions are not blocked in incapacitated state
  • [End Game] Players can't respawn on 2nd in command when the leader is in an incapacitated state

GAME MODE

  • Changed: Leader can respawn on subordinates
  • Fixed: Respawn button no llonger triggers incapacitation
  • Added: Carrier is now shown on the map
  • Fixed: Download Intel icon was visible even when the source was already destroyed
  • Fixed: Error when an explosion would happen near the laptop intel object
  • Added: Triggers now can be synchronized to Clutter Manager and all mission objects within it will be considered objective clutter
  • Fixed: Missing string in briefing
  • Added: Objective letter is now shown in the task title
  • Changed: Mid-game objectives now have correct letter for the order they are created
  • Fixed: Incorrect letter for retrieve intel objectives depending on the side
  • Tweaked: Intel download detection / visibility toggle / deletion
  • Added: Phase Rules for End Game
  • Fixed: Double action when looking at own body near the schematics
  • Fixed: Hacker achievement was unlocked after 6 downloads instead of the stipulated 5
  • Fixed: FOB established even when the enemies still in the area
  • Tweaked: Silencers to 9mm, .45 ACP and 6.5mm weapons available; M320 and GM6 with LRPS optics available; UGL smoke shells and chemlights available
  • Changed: Disabling simulation for some objects to optimise PhysX scene
  • Changed: updating AI positioning, waypoints and adding few (with random presence) marksmen at the top of the office buildings in Kavala
  • Changed: improved compositions - adding vehicles to respawn points
  • Fixed: issue with the 2d task markers not loading correctly

REVIVE

  • Fixed Potential BIS_revive_deadUnits script error when players are killed
  • Fixed: Potential script error upon respawn on dedicated servers
  • Added: Units that die while incapacitated now display an appropriate icon until they are respawned
  • Tweaked: 2D UI - revive text
  • Changed: Moved all status texts into the progress bar to help with legibility
  • Changed: Force respawn information now always displayed when incapacitated
  • Added: Skull icon to the end of the progress bar

SHARED OBJECTIVES

  • Task type icons revised
  • New task type icons implemented to 2D and 3D

Edited by RoyaltyinExile

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Dear Community, welcome to launch day!

On behalf of Task Force End Game, I'd like to thank everyone for their contribution so far! With Marksmen DLC, we wanted to experiment with releasing our content a little earlier than usual, try to bring the community more effectively into its development and, overall, we're happy to have made that choice!

Although End Game is neatly packaged up with Marksmen DLC - and today it hits Main Branch for all of our players - this isn't the end of the road for its development. What's become clear over the last few weeks is the benefit of developing important MP Systems with one eye on a short term goal: the next Dev-Branch update.

Looking ahead - particularly, with our 3 scripted systems: Revive, Dynamic Groups, and Shared Objectives in mind - further iteration and feedback will be vital for the sake of both our own official MP content, and that of our community, too. We intend to expand and migrate these systems into the engine to offer better performance and true modularity. Some documentation would be nice, too, wouldn't it?

To explore these systems - and make the most of our development time - we intend to continue using End Game on Dev-Branch as a vehicle for experimentation, validation, and gameplay focus. As mentioned in our Marksmen DLC blog, we plan to update and share the development roadmap of our path towards the expansion. Suffice to say, enhancing multiplayer gameplay and improving stability / performance will be at the heart of our effort.

So, stay tuned, and keep on offering your feedback - we're listening. Thanks again, and see you in the End Game! :cool:

Best,

RiE

Edited by RoyaltyinExile

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It's been a wee while since our last official End Game update, but today's Dev-Branch update contained a few splendid developments!

 

For us, End Game has been a great place to try out new ideas, validate improvements to existing systems, and, most crucially, demonstrate the superiority of the Mnisek team in our internal play-tests. Nexus Update, our next major deliverable, will include new 2 instances - Feres and Zaros - alongside a bunch of improvements and additions. Let's take a quick peek.

 

End Game Instances

Aside from some small tweaks to the logic of the mode (e.g., after each side's FOB is establish, additional vehicles are air-dropped), the 'instances' have been refined with improved compositions and new models, such as the upload terminal and schematics 'tablet'. The centrepiece of the development, however, is the two new instances.

 

EG Feres

This instance takes the existing (End Game Kavala) concept and opens up the AO. With a bigger area, more intel objectives to assault and secure, and an increased player count (16v16), our goal is to encourage planning and squad management. Successful sides will divide up into smaller units, and coordinate / prioritise their movements carefully.

 

EG Zaros

Focusing on smaller-scale tactics, Zaros is quite the opposite of Feres, more like an intense version of EG Kavala. The AO is more concentrated; the order in which to approach to objectives is less important than the ability to move quickly and effectively. Successful teams will be fast and lethal. Keeping team mates alive and maintaining a numerical advantage - particularly in the relatively exposed phase three upload sites - is the key to victory.

 

End Game Spectator

Our scenarios have new lobby slots available, where players can choose to watch the games. It's in a relatively early state, but the good news is that - like our other MP systems - our spectator camera is being designed to be pretty modular (and extensible). We've opened up a dedicated forum thread with a more in-depth introduction (and disclaimers!), where you can also offer up some feedback!

 

Other MP Systems

Work on Revive, Shared Objectives, and Dynamic Groups has continued (although, we must report, not as quickly as we'd originally hoped). Engine support for these scripted prototypes has been bumped back to later deliverables, as we switched around our development resources and priorities (such as recent changes to remote execution, which have brought welcome improvements to MP performance and security). Let's take a look at the progress in the mean time.

 

Revive

With Revive in particular, we want to take some time to get it right splendid. Simulating the incapacitated state and implementing robust (and consistent) interaction mechanics are the keys to further development, pencilled in for Apex. However, in the short term, we'll be implementing network traffic optimisations to the scripted prototype. Of course, we also have a backlog of additional features / customisation hooks, some of which derive from the splendid feedback discussed on these forums.

 

Shared Objectives

Translating the scripted prototype to engine is under way; however, the scope of the work has increased a bit. Now, we're aiming to overhaul the entire task framework, so the objectives you see in End Game will be used everywhere (with some appropriate adjustments). We now expect it to be part of the other usability improvements of Eden Update.

 

Dynamic Groups

Of all the scripted system first trialled in End Game's public beta, Dynamic Groups is the most stable. Although we recognise that we're still missing certain refinements and features, we've chosen to first invest programming resources in other areas, and plan to return to this system for Apex. 

 

 

In the continued development of End Game, our goal is to create a solid basis for future MP content, using the mode to refine shared systems, identify / solve performance and network traffic bottlenecks, and validate improvements in other areas. With your help, we hope to continue to improve and expand our platform together!

 

 

Best,

RiE

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

×