Mars Update Out Now!
Hello Robocrafters! We have just released a new update to Robocraft 2 which will allow you to set foot on the surface of Mars! This is the start of a huge next step for Robocraft 2 as we prepare to input new gameplay features into the game for PVP combat. Multiplayer closed testing is still due to happen very soon, but we felt we should allow players to explore the environment and experience the improvements we've made like draft saves, reworked damage systems etc.
We will be providing more news for our first playable closed alpha test for multiplayer very soon, so stay tuned to our Discord for further info.
Patch notes below!
The First Battle Map - Hela’s Basin
This is your first battleground! The region of Hela’s Basin is located on the surface of Mars. Hela’s Basin is a symmetrical map which means no team has any particular advantage.
Each map in Robocraft 2 will feature its own unique objectives and for this very first map, we wanted to provide a great entry point for veterans who remember older Robocraft maps like Hellion Crater and the Battle Arena game mode. Other maps may use some familiar mechanics, adjust existing ones or provide a completely new gameplay style!
On Hela’s Basin, your objective is to destroy the enemy's reactor core! This is done by shooting and destroying the protonium crystals. Close to the centre of the Reactor Core
There are a few things preventing you from wandering up and blasting the Protonium Crystals off, most notably the force field. This is a powerful and impenetrable barrier which protects the reactor core from any damage. You’ll want to shut this down as soon as possible!
How do you shut down a state-of-the-art forcefield barrier? Simple, you destroy its power source!
It only takes one fusion tower to provide enough power to sustain the forcefield. But of course, that’s a risky proposition so each team have two fusion towers to protect.
These fusion towers will enter additional defensive states as you deal damage to them. These stats will spawn a number of floating shields to protect the protonium crystals from further damage. Once you’ve destroyed both of the enemy team's fusion towers, the reactor core will be exposed and ready for you to deal significant damage to it.
But it’s not quite as simple as that! When the enemy's Reactor Core is exposed, it will activate an automated defence system which includes four huge automatic sentry turrets that can detect the nearest player position. These can rip a machine to shreds if they are not paying attention
You can destroy these sentry turrets by shooting them, eventually they will crumble into a satisfying pile of debris and will no longer be able to attack you efficiently. At this point, it’s time to attack the Reactor Core! Destroy all of the The Protonium Crystals attatched near the base of the Reactor Core to win!
So in order to win the map on Hela’s Basin you must complete the following objectives:
Destroy the enemy teams' Fusion Towers to expose the enemy teams' Reactor Core
Destroy the enemy teams’ Reactor Core
This is the first battle map for Robocraft 2. The objectives for other maps may be different and can include a number of other dynamic map events which change the tide of battle ranging from shortcuts opening up to even a megabot that the team must claim in order to use against the enemy.
We can’t wait to see what you think of this first map and are going to be keeping a very close eye on the Discord for feedback on Network stability, and gameplay.
Below are a number of other additions or changes for this update.
The Switch Plates
The Switch Plates have been updated to allow you to switch robots without needing to leave the simulation and then re-enter. Your entire ‘My Robots’ list is viewable via the terminal on your Switch Plate.
While testing robots locally, you will even be able to browse and load CRF2 robots to test.
Improved Camera system
Previously, the camera system would make it difficult for robots to look up or down. This would result in the body of the robot obstructing the player's view. We spent some time working on a new camera system which allows any shape of robot the ability to have a working camera which does not obstruct the player's view. Here it is in action!
The Cylinder Double Diagonals and the Double Diagonal post
These new parts have been added to allow for additional robot creation complexity. The Cylinder double diagonal block comes in both narrow and wide
Destruction Sensor Block
The destruction sensor block will allow you to activate an action once the cluster it is assigned to reaches a set destruction amount. You can even set it to “current progress” if you want something to gradually happen over time.
This particular block will be useful for creating visual identifiers of each cluster's health system in the future. It was originally designed for the world editor to be used for the Fusion Towers/ Reactor Cores. But we felt that it could be useful to place on robots too!
The Quantum Machine Gun
One of the biggest features in Robocraft 2 which we believe will allow for new types of gameplay, is the ability to leave your machine. While on foot, you are equipped with the Quantum Machine Gun (QMG) which is your last line of defence against an enemy.
This weapon will deal damage to robots, but will really struggle to make a significant impact against heavily armoured robots. The gun is very useful in attacking blocks with weak connections and against other pilots who are on foot.
Improved Character Movement
We’ve been working on some improvements to the character controller to make on-foot gameplay feel better. The main changes we’ve implemented for this patch focus on walking and sprinting.
The character is now able to handle slopes and ‘steps’ better, no longer snagging on every elevation change.
Some camera changes have been added so that the camera now zooms out slightly while sprinting to give you a better view of your surroundings. You won’t be able to shoot while sprinting though.
Changes To The Destruction System
After a couple of players dug into the way our damage system worked a few bugs were uncovered. In a previous update we fixed a few issues with lasers and plasma dealing incorrect, often higher, damage than intended.
A couple of outstanding issues that needed some more time were the way we calculated bond strength between connections. We used a perimeter calculation, but there was an error that caused some bonds to be weaker than expected, as Radyjko discovered. With the old weapon values, wider connections like a 9x1 were being destroyed in fewer shots than expected. This has now been resolved and connections of all bond strengths match their expected perimeter
On top of this, we fixed the damage falloff on Plasma so that it’s more linear, with full damage at the epicentre.
With these changes, we’ve rebalanced the damage of all weapons and character health to better fit this system.
Laser - 16 Damage, increased from 7
Plasma - 7.5 Damage, increased from 2
Plasma Explosive 200, up from 50
Character health - 40, up from 10
Battle Music
We have added a new music track called “Return to Mars” which plays on Hela’s Basin. The track will dynamically change as objectives are completed. This is done to reflect the stakes of the battle and will become more intense the closer a match reaches its end game.
Weapon Hit Feedback
Feedback is always an important part of PvP combat, knowing when you hit an enemy and when they hit you. This is something we’ll continue to iterate over and improve upon over time. For this iteration we’ve added the following methods of feedback:
Weapon hit VFX will play a ‘miss’ and a damage VFX, depending on whether you hit something that takes damage or something that doesn’t (the landscape or a teammate). Hitting an enemy with a plasma cannon will cause a large plasma explosion while hitting the floor will cause a large dust cloud to appear, as if the projectile didn’t explode.
Hit markers on the crosshair will appear whenever you deal damage as well.
Coupled with the existing feedback of screen blur, direction damage vignettes and flinch animations there’s already a lot of crucial feedback to let you know what damage is happening.
New Starter Robots
We’ve been working on some new starter Robots which were designed with Hela’s Basin in mind. The previous starter machines were actually unable to look up, considering that we are expecting players to destroy fusion towers, this was just one improvement we needed to make.
Additionally, these robots are flatter and wider so they won't topple over so easily when turning and their suspension is improved.
These starter robots will be automatically added to your ‘My Robots’ Save file as part of this update.
Draft Save
At this stage of development, It is inevitable that we will see a number of crashes which happen unexpectedly. We’d like to thank everyone who has been patient with us and provided crash reports to help us fix these issues. That being said, we know that there are a lot of players who have lost a lot of time when the game crashes in simulation.
Whilst we continue to find fixes to resolve these crashes we have designed a draft save feature. At the top of the ‘My Robots’ list right next to ‘New Save’ you will see ‘Draft Save’.
Every time you enter simulation to test your robot, the draft save will be updated with the EXACT robot you entered simulation with. If the game crashes before you were able to make a save to your robot, launch the game up, then select the draft save.
At the bottom of the screen where it shows the currently selected robot, it will show the following message:
Pressing the duplicate button just under the name will allow you to create a duplicate save file which you can then edit, delete, rename and publish as a normal save file.
Other Changes & Bug Fixes
Recall is now near instant when you press R. Cooldown of 10 seconds is applied if your robot takes damage (while seated) or if you take damage as a character.
Rebalanced wheel rig suspension to make things less stiff overall. Existing robots that had values that are larger than the new maximum will have them automatically clamped to the new maximum. We feel the new default values are better for the robots that you are building and recommend replacing the wheel rigs to get the new values.
Test mode map updates:
Includes robots that fight back!
Forcefields near the switch plate
Turrets that spawn in under certain conditions
Manable turrets are now assigned to the same team as you, so you can enter them but not deal self damage
Optimisations:
Various optimisations to physics when running local test mode simulation
Bug Fixes
Fixed a couple of crashes with collisions in simulation and when returning to build mode
Joints that received signals greater than 1 are now clamped to 1
Fixed fall damage on the character
Known Issues
While on the Switch plate, the camera will zoom into the player. This can make it quite difficult to enter your machine. We are working on a fix for this.