----------------------RELEASE UPDATE----------------------

Blazing Steel is released :D 

Devlog links for after release updates:

• Update v1.2 Pooling System
• Update v1.1 Wave Modes
• Chaos Test Build Update

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OLD SECTION  -------------------------------------------------

I uploaded a game called "Tank Arena Shooter", which is a 2 player split-screen arena shooter. It is more of a prototype or sandbox to test the mechanics and overall feel of the game but there is not really much to do. If you want to check it out for free click here.

I am making a single player version of that prototype called Blazing Steel, which this devlog is about. I am planning on making different game modes, maps, and enemies but there are still a lot of things I haven't yet decided on. As soon as I have the first playable single player version I am going to make a project for you to test out. More info about features and content will be added as soon as I am sure about implementing them :)

That is how the player tanks are going to look like. (Screenshots are from the prototype version) The enemy tanks are going to look similar.

The style of the maps. The tank drives different on each surface type. (Ice, Snow, Grass, Dirt, Stone, Wood, Steel)

I am currently working on the first enemy tank for the single player. The raw tank is going to look something like this, but there are still armor panels and other cosmetic stuff missing.

I reworked the complete tank track suspension system. Now there is a constructor that takes care of everything and a designer can just tweak a few numbers and the track looks different, but still works as expected.

The player can now choose between 4 different tanks and select a name and a logo for it. The 4 tanks are only different in their mobility, health and weapon abilities.

This is my first try of enemy ai. For now, the enemy chases the player (when close enough) or goes into idle mode.

-> Chasing the player

-> Idle

AUTO TURRET UPDATE - 15.12.2018

I implemented auto turrets into the game. They have a range where they engage the player. If the player hits a turret, it doesn´t matter how far away, the turret is going to shoot back at the player for a fixed amount of time. After that, the turret goes back into idle. Turrets can be deactivated by damaging them enough.

Currently, there are 7 different turrets.  The main difference is the mounted gun.

Turrets changing from idle mode to engaging mode and shooting at the player.

The turret is shooting back even though the player is not in range.

THE DESTRUCTION UPDATE

I have been working hard last week to implement a complete destruction system into the game. So now most of the props are destructible with either shooting at them or driving through them. I still have to tweak a lot of numbers regarding the destructible mesh properties but I am making progress.

In the following days, there will be an update regarding the AI in the game!

If everything works as planned I am going to release the first playable version of the game in about a month. :) 

The gas canisters and exploding barrels are also working with the destruction system.

The new water tower xD

THE AI UPDATE  07.01.19

Over the last week, I improved the enemy AI. Responding and driving is now much better than before and they have different behavior. For now, there is the standard tank which actively chases the player but also keeps its distance. There is also the artillery tank which never really chases the player but tries to get away from the player to shoot from a bigger distance. The last one is a weak but fast tank, equipped with a shotgun or fast firing weapon to fight the player in close proximity.

The yellow one is the fast tank. (always chases the player) The grey one is the standard and the red one the artillery tank. The artillery tank will also have its own mesh in a later update.

That is how the tanks are spawned.

The different tanks in action.

I also worked on UI improvements, new maps, and a brand new Gadget system. I will show them in the next update :D

THE GADGET SYSTEM UPDATE 14.01.2019

I replaced the old defensive weapon system with the gadget system. Now the player can equip the tank with 4 different gadgets. Currently, there are over 20 "Active Gadgets" like calling in an airstrike, increasing the fire rate, generating an EMP blast etc. and 4 "Passive Gadgets" Damage Upgrade, Armor Upgrade, Gadget Upgrade and the possibility of not using any gadget in a slot and increasing the score. Every gadget has its own duration and cooldown and there are some powerful combinations possible!

MAPS

At the moment there are 4 maps to fight for the highest score.

PINEBRIDGE MAP

TWO ISLANDS MAP

DRYRIVER MAP

DUNES MAP

AUTO AIM

It is now possible to lock a target and the turret of the tank automatically aims at the center of the target. While "Auto Aim" is active, there is a damage penalty applied to the projectile. Auto Aim is best in close range fights.

RETICLES

I created a different reticle for each barrel.

STUN SYSTEM

I also implemented a stun system, where each weapon has its own stun power. A stunned enemy is "turned off" and can´t do anything while stunned.

ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS

-> driving system of the player tank

-> AI path following.

THE NEXT UPDATE

I am going to rework the spawn system of the enemies, to have a nice wave based system, with increasing difficulty. With that update I am probably going to release the game too :D

THE SPAWN SYSTEM UPDATE 26.01.2019

This update contains a lot of small fixes, improvements and gameplay tweaks. 

-> The AI works better and is more aggressive. 

-> I overhauled the look of the player tank quite a bit. 

Before

After :D

-> I reworked the aiming of the tank and I am pleased with how it works now. The driving mechanics also got an overhaul, which makes the player tank easier and more fun to drive. 

-> I added sensitivity options for the aiming with mouse and controller. 

SPAWN SYSTEM

The new spawn system is also pretty much finished and works way better than the old one. The enemies are spawned in waves and after the player destroyed all tanks of one wave the next one is spawned. Every 5 waves the enemy tank health, damage, accuracy and fire rate is slightly increased. The overall amount of spawned enemies increases too. 

I originally planned to release the game after this update but I am not going to release it quite yet. There were some delays and other stuff to do so I am a little bit behind. So I am planning for the next update to implement the sounds for the game and hopefully be ready to release the game.

Thank you for reading ;)

THE SOUND UPDATE
Finally, I implemented all of the sounds into the game. I also released the game with this update :)

RELEASE :D 

BLAZING STEEL

UPDATE V1.1  (Wave Modes)

• Anvil of Dawn improvements
• Data Table implementation
• Wave Modes

Read more at the new Devlog -> BLAZING STEEL DEVLOG

I am currently implementing a complete Actor Pooling System for everything that is spawned at runtime to increase performance ;) It is working good so far and only the ai tanks and projectiles are not yet pooled. 

More info soon.

Some cruise missile gadget action at the end xD

Update v1.2 - Pooling System

The new update featuring a pooling system, new mesh for the artillery tank, polishing, improvements and bug fixes is finally here :D

More info at the new Devlog -> BLAZING STEEL DEVLOG