Zetheros
Developer
Hey Exanimates,
We're getting closer to having all the new content ready for the update, some work is still being done on the new level, some updates to the 3rd level and new items in parallel. We expect to have a release candidate for insider testing within a couple of weeks, and hopefully testing won't take too long as we've already done two big tests for most new features and addressed everything reported so far, some feedback and many items off our backlog.
Meanwhile Madoc's been taking a deep dive into some aspects of character animation, specifically how the feet interact with obstacles and uneven ground, which has been a frequent source of technical and gameplay issues throughout development. This is a surprisingly difficult problem due to physics interaction, with issues like characters dragging their feet, having poor balance, tripping unexpectedly or even the legs exceeding intended pose parameters and causing violent spasms or becoming locked in broken positions. We recently tackled some of the worst problems, some at a fundamental physics engine level, but there's still plenty to improve. Leg and foot movement is at the core of all character motion and such a difficult and time consuming problem that we keep coming back to, it's hard to imagine we'll ever be completely done with it. There are several things that we know we'd like to make specific improvements to, this is one part of the problem that we can improve in isolation and can help support further improvements.
Have a great week!
-the BM team
We're getting closer to having all the new content ready for the update, some work is still being done on the new level, some updates to the 3rd level and new items in parallel. We expect to have a release candidate for insider testing within a couple of weeks, and hopefully testing won't take too long as we've already done two big tests for most new features and addressed everything reported so far, some feedback and many items off our backlog.
Meanwhile Madoc's been taking a deep dive into some aspects of character animation, specifically how the feet interact with obstacles and uneven ground, which has been a frequent source of technical and gameplay issues throughout development. This is a surprisingly difficult problem due to physics interaction, with issues like characters dragging their feet, having poor balance, tripping unexpectedly or even the legs exceeding intended pose parameters and causing violent spasms or becoming locked in broken positions. We recently tackled some of the worst problems, some at a fundamental physics engine level, but there's still plenty to improve. Leg and foot movement is at the core of all character motion and such a difficult and time consuming problem that we keep coming back to, it's hard to imagine we'll ever be completely done with it. There are several things that we know we'd like to make specific improvements to, this is one part of the problem that we can improve in isolation and can help support further improvements.
Have a great week!
-the BM team
