Added a flight tutorial to the game
Added a conversation system that allows NPCs to detect a character’s location and initiate dialogue
Multiplayer Free Flight public lobby party limit increased to 8
Added reminder hints to assist players that get stuck in the tutorial
Added mission objectives to Chapter 6 of the tutorial
Ships
Added animation to the thruster irises on the Cutlass
Added audio for getting into the cockpit of the Redeemer
Added dust effects for when thrusters are being used inside of the hangar
User Interface
Added screen effects for tutorial Hint Nodes
Added icons and images for the tutorial hints
Added images for tutorial mode select
Added visual shader in holotable to identify what items were purchased through REC
Implemented UI messages explaining reasons a player may have been kicked back to the hangar
Upon death, a notification will appear stating who killed you and with what weapon
Environment
Added open and close animations and audio for the Asteroid hangar doors in the tutorial
Added animating time-out meter in Capture the Core
Added new hangar flair Khartu-Al miniature
Balance/Tweaks:
Gameplay
Capped party size to 4 players for public games aside from Murray Cup Racing
Changed button to close hints in the tutorial to ‘Spacebar’ on the keyboard and to the ‘Back’ button on the game pad
Increased flare count to 50 in the tutorial
Improved tutorial loading times
Components
Toned down Field of View, Speed, and Turning Speed of Tempest missiles
Chaff is now more effective against Tempest and Stalker missiles
User Interface
Tweaked lobby UI screen transparency, making the hangar less visible through the UI
Bradd, it took me over five hours and fifteen minutes to Download and Apply the 1.1.2 patch. It's about 21 GB.
Any developer who has worked on a tutorial for a game will tell you that they are one of the most difficult parts to do well. Not only do they rely on a whole host of highly specific code and UI which may not be required anywhere else in the game (detecting an axial roll anyone?), but they require their designers to strike the right balance between informative and engaging. They also need to deliver instruction comprehensively whilst avoiding being condescending to seasoned backers already proficient in the various aspects we needed to teach to new players.
In order to appeal to players both new and long-standing we knew the tutorial had to be fun and full of exciting new content so we set out to teach the player through gameplay and engaging narrative whilst showing off our most recent ships and introducing a brand new hangar.
Contributing toward Squadron 42
One of the intentions of Arena Commander is to help test features necessary for S42 and the upcoming Star Citizen Persistent Universe. With that in mind we wanted the tutorial to be our first attempt at a story-driven mission in the vein of something we might do in S42.
We started by introducing a flight instructor as the player’s guide through the tutorial. His function is to demonstrate and explain the various maneuvers and concepts needed to become a proficient pilot, but he would also be our first interactive character. This allowed us to test the conversation system we had in development and showed up many issues which, while not fully addressed for the tutorial, are being worked on for S42.
The other thing we had to figure out was how to handle complex maneuvers within confined spaces given that neither normal flight mode nor decoupled mode had the functionality and finesse necessary. The hangar flight mode you see in the tutorial is by no means complete, but is a first step in the right direction.
What the tutorial covers
The tutorial is comprised of 6 sections which teach the following principles:
How about this for an excuse. I'm at a LAN party in our school cafeteria and the server keeps crashing so I can't stay connected long enough to get my space wings wet. LOL
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this, I will be with you always even unto the end of the age. Mathew 28:20
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