October 2024 - Zone Nine Nihilation - Week 1 + 2 + 3 + 4

Environment and Map Updates:

Collision Fixes: Fixed several trees that lacked proper collision, ensuring smoother navigation through the environment.
Stair Navigation Issue: Resolved an issue where players were unable to walk up certain stairs and had to climb instead. These adjustments have improved overall map balance.

Gameplay Updates:

Zombie Crawl Refinement: Adjustments were made to the Zombie Crawl blueprint, fixing alignment issues with the mesh to better match the landscape. Attack animations were updated to enable root motion, ensuring attacks align with their movement. The speed was recalibrated to fit animation pacing, and line trace checks were added to prevent multiple attacks from targeting a single actor.
Zombie Standing Fixes: Several fixes were applied to Zombie Standing behavior. This included addressing issues with the zombies’ hostile behavior toward players, as they sometimes ignored nearby players. Additionally, attack range and multiple damage counts were improved, and movement animations were aligned to match speed, ensuring zombies' feet no longer appeared to float above the ground.
New Zombie Types in Progress: Development for the Wilder (Dog) and Meat-Roll Zombie has started. Both types will include fully designed behavior patterns, attributes, data assets, and score systems. These new enemies will add fresh dynamics and greater challenges to gameplay.
Bear Combat Adjustments: The attack length and behavior of the Bear AI were adjusted, fixing issues where it would incorrectly change targets. The bear’s slam attack now has improved animation and a more realistic hitbox to match its attack motions.

System and Configuration Updates:

Team Selection Structure Revamped: The pick team structure has been rebuilt to streamline player selection during gameplay, ensuring smoother transitions and more reliable functionality when choosing teams.
AI Companions and Enemies: The transition between Roaming and Combat State for AI has been optimized. Previously, ProBot would fail to switch into combat mode when it encountered enemies during its roam state. This issue has now been resolved.
AI Optimizations: Several AI performance optimizations were implemented to reduce high tick rates. AI is now only activated when within a certain proximity to players, improving overall performance without sacrificing gameplay experience.
Cinematic Skip Option: A new setting was added to allow players to skip the introductory cinematic. Additionally, if a player has completed the game once, they will not be required to watch the cinematic again in future playthroughs.

UI and Accessibility:

Inventory UX Improvements: The item drop mechanics in the inventory system were revamped. Previously, players were required to confirm the number of items to drop, leading to frustration when managing large amounts of items. This system has now been simplified, allowing for easier item dropping without unnecessary input prompts.
Character Model Adjustment: Fixed an issue where the character model would behave incorrectly when opening the inventory. This issue has been resolved for smoother visual transitions.
Minimap Display: A new minimap has been added, accessible by pressing "M." This helps players navigate more effectively, showing important landmarks and player locations.
Control Remapping: The control scheme was updated, with the Ctrl key now assigned to roll, and the C key for crouch. Other control mappings were adjusted to improve player experience and ensure intuitive gameplay.

Bug Fixes and Miscellaneous Improvements:

Zombie Sound Effects: New idle and attack sounds were added for various zombie types, enhancing audio immersion during gameplay.
Inventory UI Bugs Resolved: A bug causing the chest inventory UI to reappear after closing was addressed. Additionally, pressing "Esc" will now properly close the inventory UI as expected.
Weapon Looting Bug: Fixed an issue where looted guns would appear reversed in the character's hand. The looting animation and display have been corrected.

Ongoing Work:

Zombie AI Behavior Optimization: Work continues on refining zombie behaviors, ensuring that movement, attack, and reaction patterns are fluid and consistent with the game's fast-paced combat.

PreviousSeptember 2024 - Zone Nine Nihilation - Week 3 + 4 NextNovember 2024 - Zone Nine Nihilation - Closed Alpha

Last updated 11 days ago

Gameplay Updates:

Zombie Crawl Refinement: Adjustments were made to the Zombie Crawl blueprint, fixing alignment issues with the mesh to better match the landscape. Attack animations were updated to enable root motion, ensuring attacks align with their movement. The speed was recalibrated to fit animation pacing, and line trace checks were added to prevent multiple attacks from targeting a single actor.

Zombie Standing Fixes: Several fixes were applied to Zombie Standing behavior. This included addressing issues with the zombies’ hostile behavior toward players, as they sometimes ignored nearby players. Additionally, attack range and multiple damage counts were improved, and movement animations were aligned to match speed, ensuring zombies' feet no longer appeared to float above the ground.

New Zombie Types in Progress: Development for the Wilder (Dog) and Meat-Roll Zombie has started. Both types will include fully designed behavior patterns, attributes, data assets, and score systems. These new enemies will add fresh dynamics and greater challenges to gameplay.

Bear Combat Adjustments: The attack length and behavior of the Bear AI were adjusted, fixing issues where it would incorrectly change targets. The bear’s slam attack now has improved animation and a more realistic hitbox to match its attack motions.

System and Configuration Updates:

Team Selection Structure Revamped: The pick team structure has been rebuilt to streamline player selection during gameplay, ensuring smoother transitions and more reliable functionality when choosing teams.

AI Companions and Enemies: The transition between Roaming and Combat State for AI has been optimized. Previously, ProBot would fail to switch into combat mode when it encountered enemies during its roam state. This issue has now been resolved.

AI Optimizations: Several AI performance optimizations were implemented to reduce high tick rates. AI is now only activated when within a certain proximity to players, improving overall performance without sacrificing gameplay experience.

Cinematic Skip Option: A new setting was added to allow players to skip the introductory cinematic. Additionally, if a player has completed the game once, they will not be required to watch the cinematic again in future playthroughs.

UI and Accessibility:

Inventory UX Improvements: The item drop mechanics in the inventory system were revamped. Previously, players were required to confirm the number of items to drop, leading to frustration when managing large amounts of items. This system has now been simplified, allowing for easier item dropping without unnecessary input prompts.

Character Model Adjustment: Fixed an issue where the character model would behave incorrectly when opening the inventory. This issue has been resolved for smoother visual transitions.

Minimap Display: A new minimap has been added, accessible by pressing "M." This helps players navigate more effectively, showing important landmarks and player locations.

Control Remapping: The control scheme was updated, with the Ctrl key now assigned to roll, and the C key for crouch. Other control mappings were adjusted to improve player experience and ensure intuitive gameplay.

Bug Fixes and Miscellaneous Improvements:

Zombie Sound Effects: New idle and attack sounds were added for various zombie types, enhancing audio immersion during gameplay.

Inventory UI Bugs Resolved: A bug causing the chest inventory UI to reappear after closing was addressed. Additionally, pressing "Esc" will now properly close the inventory UI as expected.

Weapon Looting Bug: Fixed an issue where looted guns would appear reversed in the character's hand. The looting animation and display have been corrected.