Progress update

Characters, Gameplay, Programming, Weapons

Its time for an update on our progress!

Things are going very well with many new features added and stability getting better with each new build. We just introduced the first pass at 3d positional/proximity VOIP that allows players to talk globally so everyone can hear if within appropriate distance as well as a radio channel that allows teams to communicate when out of hearing range. There have been lots of UI additions and fixes including the ability to change a full array of graphics settings to help fine tune performance. Networking and multiplayer has been getting a lot of work and is pretty stable at this point. Multiplayer matches now feature a full game loop (minus an after action review screen… that is coming) so players are enjoying playing Ground Branch with others and are starting to really see the potential of the game!

So when is the Early Access? Well we still have not set a firm date because we must get it right. There is only one chance for a first impression! We don’t feel it is to far off though, so we have decided to distribute Steam keys to those that have and will purchase the Pre-Order of Ground Branch. This will happen within the next 2-3 weeks and you will get an email with instructions. As mentioned, the game is not ready for Early Access and therefore still missing some key components, but we feel there is enough there to include more people in the process. Once we send these keys out then any Pre-Order purchases from that point on will automatically get a key upon purchase… no more waiting.

Those that purchased the Operator Edition have been enjoying playing Ground Branch for months now and have provided valuable feedback and bug reports. Here are a couple videos and some screenshots from a recent playtest…. thanks to Pepperbelly, WaderTheGamer, Jeza, jankovic and those playing.

Still VERY much pre-alpha but enjoy!

Small update

Programming

We would like to try posting regular updates in between the more major news items, giving you all a feel of where we’re at. So here is a small update!

Phil (zoombapup) is currently busy with the cover system for AI as some of you might have read in the dedicated AI discussion forums. It’s on the edge of being usable at the moment. Next step is implementing a cover spot reservation system, to make sure several NPCs don’t try to take cover in the same spot and start arguing about who was first. This cover system is an important milestone as it’s needed to further develop the squad code.

So when the basics of the cover system are implemented Phil will focus on squad behaviors and give them some love soon. Right now the squads have no concept of actually being in cover. An NPC for instance doesn’t know if the guy he is firing at is in the open or not. Hopefully we will see some interesting squad behavior in the next months. Phil hopes to get additional squad code written and have the first pass terrorist hunt ready for the New Year, but we’ll have to see how it goes. The day job is demanding so Phil’s slammed for the coming weeks with Uni related work and development is mostly done during the weekends.

Kris has been hammering away at multiplayer issues in order to create a smoother MP experience. Improving the Steam integration, providing a better server browser and better loadout & appearance replication. So yeah, lots to do on the multiplayer side of things!

The new UI developed by Costa (Scopey) is being implemented step-by-step and is coming along nicely. Besides the technical challenges, real life catches up as well, so Kris might go back to his system of waking up at 2-4am to work on Ground Branch before the day starts *shudders*. Plans for next weeks are to get some good night’s sleep, fixing that annoying bug causing client side items to detach from dying players and debugging everything else like crazy. And shoot at John some more.

That’s it for today. We’ll try to give you a new update soonish, thanks for reading!

– Zoog

Progress update

Gameplay, Level Design, Programming, Uncategorized

We have been pretty busy since launching our Tech Preview and opening the groundbranch.com store just over a month ago so its a good time to give an update on where things are at.

The biggest news is Ground Branch is playable with a simple multi-player deathmatch game mode(more modes coming soon) using a dedicated server, direct ip connect or over a LAN! We have implemented our first pass of the Server Browser using Steam for our online connectivity and we already have plenty of current Operator Edition users hopping on 24/7 dedicated servers and having a good time. Videos of play sessions are coming soon.

If you want to join in the fun and see how Ground Branch is shaping up, all while helping to fund this awesome project, then hit the store and buy into the Operator Edition and get access right away!

www.groundbranch.com/store

Its still early and multiplayer is in its early days, but Operator Edition players are really enjoying themselves and fully embracing where Ground Branch is heading. Its a game where people find themselves just hanging out sometimes. Here are a couple forum comments that jumped out at us:

“We were just hanging in the ts, watching e3 coverage and walking on the map.
at some point we figured out we could launch each other by jumping into one another. so we worked on our technique for a while.
there were actually 8 and probably more people on the server at times.
again it was fun” ~ MissVerstanden

“….. I had a blast. It is a bit like Arma, but smoother and less clunky and controls that make sense. The lean works better and more natural than I expected. You’ll see me leaning on every corner.” ~ Psychomorph

At BlackFoot Studios we pride ourselves in our community involvement and are getting valuable feedback from those that have downloaded the Tech Preview as well as those that purchased the Operator Edition. It’s always great to see players do things in the game that weren’t specifically thought of, but yet fully support and validate the core concept of what Ground Branch is all about………..

“so… i somehow killed myself by shooting my guy in the foot” ~ chicken_slayer

Something like shooting yourself in the foot doesn’t usually happen in games, but its a realistic side effect of how Ground Branch is built. You better keep muzzle awareness and trigger discipline or something bad might happen!

Now to show the Early Access map #2 from the Trello board… Its a giant tanker ship! Lots of area to cover and a design that poses some unique tactical challenges is sure to test your skills.

It is currently in the “blocking out” stage to define the overall space and is getting some decent playtesting time by our Operator Edition users. One of my favorite quotes from the forums:

“That tanker ship! That’s exactly what we need for early access, good work. Looks wide and dense at the same time, can’t wait for the interior compartments. RS tanker ship pales in comparison to it.” ~ Psychomorph

So that’s it for now. Things are moving along nicely so why don’t you join in the Operator Edition fun!

-Team BFS

Tech Preview available and Store is open!

Characters, Customization, Gameplay, Kickstarter, Level Design, Programming, Sound, Weapons

We are happy to announce that our official Tech Preview is available for free download right now. Yes, an actual playable version of Ground Branch! We also have our store open where you can financially support development of Ground Branch moving forward. In addition to the free Tech Preview we also have an Early Access pre-order, a T-Shirt and the Operator Edition….Which includes immediate access via Steam to our development builds leading up to the official Steam Early Access release. For more information check out the store:

Major credit cards and PayPal accepted

By purchasing the Operator Edition you not only help us financially, but you also have the opportunity to continuously provide feedback from playing development builds. We will use this feedback to help shape not only the Early Access release, but Ground Branch itself. We are committed to releasing development builds bi-weekly and will provide hot fixes as needed. We may also do more frequent updates if the need arises.

This is our current crowd funding to get to a successful Early Access, so if you are able please give a little extra at the store. When making a purchase, or even just getting the free Tech Preview, just enter an amount above what the set price is… easy as that. 🙂 So please support development of Ground Branch by making a purchase, giving a little extra or just by spreading the word!

The Plan

The plan for the funding we raise from the store is to put together a solid and engaging Early Access build for Steam. This will include everything currently in the Operator Edition with the addition of more content along with examples of PvP and Coop gameplay all wrapped up in a polished presentation.

The Tech Preview will be updated as needed to continue its use as a great testing platform for compatibility and performance issues. However, we will not be keeping feature parity with Operator Edition builds for much longer as it is not a game demo. Once the Early Access is available on Steam we will release a proper Ground Branch demo.

So please, spread the word and join in the Ground Branch fun!

What others are saying

Here are just a few excellent video first looks of the Tech Preview and Operator Edition by those that have already joined in:

Welcome to 2015

Characters, Customization, Gameplay, Level Design, Programming, Website

If you are still with us, and why wouldn’t you be…. welcome to 2015 with BlackFoot Studios! We have a feeling its going to be a really great year around here so we hope you keep hanging on and enjoy the ride. It’s going to start gaining some speed here soon. 😉

John starting working on the official Ground Branch Steam store page today! That is actually a pretty important milestone as it signals the start of moving into more of a public phase for Ground Branch. On that note, we are looking for some professional (either actual experience or work quality) to help out on the graphics side of things for the page. It’s going to be important to start off with a professional appearance so I’d like to do it right. If you think you would be able to help for reduced rates or even barter a bit, let us know as soon as you can.

We have also got around to setting up a public bug tracker so people can help out by submitting bugs once the demos are available. That is getting tested out by a private group as I type this.

On the game side of things Kris has been busting ass with getting things stable and features more completely implemented. He has also got the first pass of character and weapon configurations in and working. This includes the in game UI and saving/loading out actual constructed configs.

On the art side the existing training maps have received one more pass for visuals and some more detailing work. John has also started working on the main demo map that will be used to show off various gameplay features to get people interested in the upcoming Early Access. Sort of a ‘try before you buy’ for the Early Access. It’s a reworked version of the warehouse map that was shown in the UE3 screenshots and videos. We will use this map as a “proving ground” for gameplay types and features throughout development.

So we hope everyone had a great holiday and safe New Year. It’s time to get back to work!

John & Kris

Programming

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