Multiplayer Dev Diary #8 — Optimization and Testing

Hello raiders!

We’re focusing on various aspects of the game these days, so this dev diary won’t cover just one specific area of production. Instead, we want to update you on all the different things we’re working on right now. Please remember that any images we share with you show work in progress.

First of all, one of our main focuses right now is optimization. We want to ensure that nothing we add to the game negatively impacts its performance, so we’re being extremely careful to optimize everything to the best of our abilities. For example, we’re using vertex painting on some assets, both artificial and natural, to reduce the amount of textures in memory and improve performance during the testing phase. We’re applying this technique to several assets that can be used across the maps we are working on.

Another key area we’re concentrating on is testing. We’re introducing new ships that need parameter balancing, making the testing phase crucial. Once we have some things to test, we hop into our ships and battle it out to the last raider, figuring out what needs improvement and what works well. Testing helps us gauge our progress and determine if our gameplay choices are effective. For instance, through testing, we can fine-tune the parameters of different ship classes, make maneuvers more responsive, and optimize movement. Testing also highlights any missing UI and sound feedback that we then implement to make your experience smoother and more enjoyable.

Speaking of ship classes, we’re working hard to calibrate them, differentiate them, and ensure that players feel the differences in setups. Each class should offer unique strategies, providing variety in gameplay.

We invest a lot of effort into the classes because we want to offer players different gameplay based on their ship choice. Whenever we introduce a new class, we immediately test it in-game to gather data and feedback so we can adjust parameters if needed. Balancing is extremely delicate because even a minor change to a ship’s parameters can significantly alter gameplay. That’s why we test extensively (and also because, let’s face it, battling in an arena with our peers is a lot of fun).

That brings us to the end of this update. We hope you continue to follow us, and we look forward to sharing more in the next dev diary.

Keep in mind that you can follow our articles directly on X from our official page https://x.com/HauntedSpace_/status/1821491726910898606

Farewell, raiders!