Hi everyone,
the new Escape the Pacific version 'Alpha 11' is now available.
For this update we were mainly focusing on the Raft. Despite the fact that the now fixed Raft system issues were very hard to track down and fixing those was time consuming a lot, we have managed to even add a first pass of the dynamic wave system. Plus crabs are now mobile.
One of the most reported issues was the issue with 'falling, flying and incorrectly placed rafts and canoes after loading' which we could finally fix. Another one - also reported many times - was also solved regarding the issue of 'jumping and disappearing raft while dragging'.
It is now possible to place items onto rafts and drag those without an exorcism-like rocking-bed behaviour jumping around and shaking off items put on it. Traveling between islands and items placed on rafts disappearing are known issues we'll have taken care of over the course of upcoming updates.
One of the new features we have added is the basic functionality of Dynamic waves. Size and form depend on actual wind speed. Wind speed varies from its minimal and maximal value based on weather data in effect for that day of the year. Now that wind is influencing gameplay even more, choosing 'Wind' scenario settings ('Calm', 'Normal', 'Windy') should be considered wisely before game start. Further wind behaviour (direction change, speed change) will be level out as we progress.
In order to keep Rafts stable on ocean water due to the new Dynamic waves system we have moved raft physics closer to its desired final stage. Rafts are 'jumpy' no more and provide an easier way to build structures on them. Also placed items won't weigh on rafts that much anymore as long as they aren't too heavy.
Crabs have finally come alive! They are moving and traveling in different and random directions. Their AI is very simple for now but later they will react to the Sun's position and be more active in the mornings, evenings and around noon. Collision detection/obstacle avoiding will be fine-tuned later, in its actual state expect some funny situations ;)
Changelog:
New features:
01. Added: First Pass of dynamic waves (depend on wind speed)
02. Changed: New physics for raft buoyancy
03. Added: The Walking Crabs
Raft:
01. Fixed: Floatable structures (Canoe Log, Raft) don't drop from the air after loading and are correctly placed
02. Fixed: Items on the raft don't jump and fall off when the raft is dragged
03. Fixed: Items on the raft don't slide into the raft and get locked there when the raft is dragged
04. Fixed: The raft isn't jumping and shaking when it is dragged and there are objects placed on it
05. Fixed: The raft doesn't disappear when it is dragged and there are objects placed on it
06. Fixed: The raft rotation isn't locked when other raft bases are attached
General:
01. Fixed: Player character is looking in the correct direction after loading in the first frame
02. Fixed: Player character is located correctly after loading in the first frame
03. Added: Experimental Spanish language
04. Fixed: Standing on the Canoe Log beginning to paddle doesn't break interacting functionality
05. Fixed: Saving while paddling doesn't break interacting functionality
We will continue with extensive testing of the Raft system and we will try to fix as many of those issues as possible. Besides the raft system fixes we will also work on some major issues which occurs when traveling between islands. We plan to create a simpler UI for sailing.
There will also be some new gameplay elements, models and functionality added as fixing the remaining Raft/traveling issues will allow us, which we'll take care of based on their severity.
Thank you for your patience and for your constructive feedbacks helping us to get rid of the issues as fast as is possible.
Please be aware that during early access phase game code could change as much as affecting gameplay when loading/saving savegames from earlier versions. To always be on the safe side make sure to start a new game with each update. Thank you!
G4GTeam.
