Enter The Battle Matrix - Update in 2 Days!
Hello Robocrafters!
A huge update is coming out in just TWO DAYS! Today we wanted to talk about our plans for progression on Robocraft 2 which include levelling up and the Battle Matrix.
LEVELLING UP
We previously shared some details that players will be able to level up by competing in games online. Today we wanted to reveal some more information on how this works and what it means to players.
Your player level increases as you compete in combat and XP is earned based on the following variables
Length of game
Win/Lose
Skill
We have previously shown the battle rewards screen that will play at the end of each match. Check it out below if you have not seen it yet:
Every time you level up, you will earn a number of Tech Points. These can be spent on our other new feature, the Battle Matrix!
THE BATTLE MATRIX
If you’ve seen some of our other teases throughout the last couple of weeks, you’ll have seen this image without any context:
This is the Battle Matrix… Oh, but let’s zoom out a little further with a fresh account!
There are four islands in the above image, made up of a series of Hex’s… Each hex represents a cosmetic item that can be unlocked. You can select any Hex, select View item and you can rotate the item to inspect it
When you first open up the battle matrix, you start on the very first island. In the image below imagine you’re standing on the white badge on this image. You can unlock adjacent Hex’s if you have enough Tech Points.
In the Gif below, you can see which Hex you can unlock next as it is pulsating.
Clicking on this will allow you to unlock the item with the tech points you earned while levelling up!
Now, you’ve essentially moved one Hex on the Battle Matrix and this opens up the ability to unlock the adjacent Hex’s
However, there are three adjacent Hex which are not pulsating and still has the padlock icon. This is because they are premium items which can only be obtained if you upgrade your battle Matrix.
UPGRADE YOUR BATTLE MATRIX
Whilst you will be able to progress through the battle matrix and earn a number of cosmetic items without spending a cent, there will be a number of items which can only be attained by upgrading your Battle Matrix. These items have a blue Hex outline, whilst the free items will have an Orange Hex outline.
Selecting a blue Hex will show you a button which says “Upgrade Matrix”. Pressing this will then require you to spend 1,000 GC to upgrade.
You can now unlock blue Hex’s if you have earned enough Tech Points.
Upgrade the Matrix at any time during that Matrix’s Season!
You can choose to upgrade the Battle Matrix at any time whilst that Matrix is active and you’ll be able to retroactively unlock any blue Hex with the Tech Points you have earned so far… However, the first island includes a premium Hex which will let you unlock items faster.
But how do I get to the other islands!?
You may have noticed in the images above a special hexagon square that didn’t look like it had any cosmetic items attached to it…
This is a special Hex called a teleporter. It is deactivated currently but can be unlocked by completing one of two objectives.
Reaching Level 10
Unlocking a required number of Hex’s
Here’s how it looks unlocking the teleporter!
Rarity
Each cosmetic is labelled with a rarity level which includes
There is also an Exclusive rarity, currently the only exclusive items are the founder items that we’ve been giving away via codes. Depending on the rarity, this will have an impact on how frequently or whether that item will appear in the in-game shop.
The First Battle Matrix Is The Founders Matrix
Everything we’ve shared so far has been from the Founders Matrix. This particular Battle Matrix will only be available up until the Steam Early Access launch to reward players who have joined us before the game has launched on Steam. After that, these items will only be available to purchase from an item shop in-game, but they will cost significantly more to purchase them via the item shop than if you just upgraded the Battle Matrix.
The Founders Battle Matrix will be updated!
Unlike many other future battle Matrix’s the Founders Battle Matrix will be upgraded to include more islands… We are planning to add a new island with each major update as we build up to a Steam launch towards the end of this year. We’ll also be upgrading the level cap so players will earn more Tech Points when these islands are available.
We’re also planning to include an additional island for free during October’s Steam Next Fest which will allow players, including Steam users to unlock a series of cosmetic items completely for free!
The Battle Matrix is seasonal
When we launch on Steam (Players will still be able to use the launcher if they want!), the Founders Matrix will be disabled and a season-one Battle Matrix will activate.
Battle Matrix Value
One of the things that we had seen working in other games and wanted to adopt for Robocraft 2 was the value of purchasing something like the Battle Matrix. It costs 1,000 Galaxy Cash to purchase, but if you spend time going through all of the islands, you’ll earn roughly the same amount of Galaxy Cash back. This means that when the next Battle Matrix season is open… You might not even need to spend a penny to upgrade the next Battle Matrix.
Our Plans for Monetisation
We are aiming to deliver an experience where no one can gain an advantage in battle by spending money. We do not want to introduce anything like premium ammo, or parts that have some sort of function which provide an advantage in battle.
We want you to enjoy our game regardless of whether you spent money or not.
Of course, supporting us via purchases helps us as a studio to develop new features, support our families and keep the servers running smoothly. It’s a difficult tightrope to walk and we feel that cosmetic items are one of the best ways to monetise our game without ruining the core game experience for players.
There will be a number of items which are introduced in the in-game shop that were not previously part of the Battle Matrix. We will share more details on our plans for the in-game shop in the future but these too will be cosmetic-only items.
How much will it cost to upgrade the Battle Matrix?
The Battle Matrix will cost 1,000 GC and will be available on the 21st of June. At this time we will have a Galaxy Cash shop that will allow you to purchase GC.
There will be a special offer of GC on the Item shop which will allow you to purchase 1,000 GC for just £3.19.
The update will launch on the 21st of June 2023! Please stay tuned to tomorrow's dev blog which will have the full patch notes and details of any online battle tests