Zoom, Arc Discharger Block and Map Changes
Hello Robocrafters.
We’ve released an update today which includes a number of changes and the addition of the Zoom Feature!
Any robocraft created before this update will need to wire up the zoom manually. This is to avoid any creations which use the right mouse button for other functionality. However if you place any new weapons after this update, it will automatically wire up Zoom to the right mouse button.
By default, the zoom will wire up to the right mouse button, but you can assign it to anything else if you feel that would provide you with some benefit! Here’s how it looks in use with the All In One turrets
Additionally, the laser projectiles are given a speed increase. Lasers are designed to currently combat airborne robocraft which is why their zoom is quite generous.
Plasma weapons have a much shorter zoom range in comparison because they are designed to fight ground units at relatively close range.
Alongside this new feature are a number of other changes to the Plasma Explosive, which is now called the Arc Discharger.
This particular block previously had a 45 second cooldown before it could be used and was particularly weak. We made some changes to buff its strength but due to the damage model we used, it caused catastrophic damage to other players, ignoring armour. Check out these clips captured by our community:
We have since made major changes to this explosive block which include of course the rename we mentioned earlier to Arc Disruptor.
The blocks no longer take 45 seconds to re-arm, instead they work a little differently, requiring a charge time.
When you press the fire button, the explosives will be detonated 6 seconds later. This 6 second charge is accompanied by VFX and audio which will act as a warning to other players who are close by.
Map Changes
We have made some changes to the map for this update which we believe will improve the overall game experience.
Towers are now sequenced on both maps (One objective active at a time)
Increased the size of the area which activates defensive shields in buildings
Objectives have been opened up for easier access
Here’s a look at one of the structures in Helas Basin which shows that we’ve opened up for easier access and will even allow flyers to dart in more easily.
Crystal Health
The recent changes have led to a very defence focused style of gameplay during our in-studio tests, with it being tough to break through the enemy defence and when broken you’d only get a short window to attack the towers.
We thought that this was a pretty fun experience overall, but we needed to allow all weapons to strip towers more quickly so attackers could take advantage of the short breaks in defence. We expect it will lead to some matches ending quickly, but they would be matches where teams got caught out with exposed defences.
We have also made some changes to re-assembly, improvements to Edgewear tech and further balance to materials and the plasma cannon weapon.
See the full patch notes below:
Re-assembly Changes
Robocraft no longer block projectiles while reassembling (allows characters to be killed while seated)
Improved UI feedback when re-assemble will take longer than 10 seconds
Timer showing how long is left while you are reassembling
Can now recall while reassembling
Arc Discharger (Reworked Plasma Explosive)
Works with an updated damage model that is shared with the Plasma Cannon
Deals cone damage based on nearby machines
Takes 6 seconds to charge up
Has 0.1s cooldown after firing
New VFX & Audio for the charge up
Damage & Radius balanced for the new model
Plasma Cannon Changes
Improved damage model to ensure rays are more consistent and spread better when shots land at certain angles
Forcefield Changes
New shapes
New fade in/out animation (this will be improved in a later update)
Edgewear & Material improvements
We’ve hit a last minute issue with edgewear causing it to appear much darker than intended when light hits in certain directions along with some other visual bugs at distance.
We’ll be working on resolving this for another hotfix soon but the intended changes are below:
More distinction between materials
Nicer look overall
Balance Changes
All-In-One turret joint stiffness increased to avoid wobble
Materials
Airuim
Penetration resistance increased from 2475 to 3300
Connection Strength increased from 1.35 to 1.80
Moderonium
Penetration resistance increased from 3750 to 5000
Connection Strength increased from 2.25 to 2.65
Ladium
Connection Strength decreased from 3.38 to 3.35
Joint Connection Health increased by 25% for all joints
Laser
Projectile speed increased from 600 to 900
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug that allows remote control of Robocraft after dying while reassembling
Potential fixes for various Client & Server crashes
Online Battle Test is planned today at 13:00 UTC for one hour. We hope that you'll join us to test these changes!