News
Update v0.825 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
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Release Notes:
- Gameplay:
- Slight overall increase to gravity, with a corresponding increase to jump & bounce strength.
- New riders have objectives to complete before they can access the league. These objectives are shown on a new basecamp panel.
- Added obstacles, boosts, launchers and pickups to mine shaft segments.
- Greatly reduced cooldown on the defender and absorber tools.
- Added the reverser and converter tools, which allow boosting off of obstacles that would normally slow you down, but have large cooldowns.
- Top 12 riders are saved in daily league races, up from 8.
- Top daily times are shown on a scoreboard in the basecamp.
- League rankings update more frequently and are more accurate for both individuals and teams.
- More features are now available to guests.
- Added limit of 4 guests per race. Note: this is not a restriction on how much guests can play.
- Match-making now favours putting registered users against each other.
- Riders get control back sooner when entering a freefall state.
- Key control speed in freefall slowed slightly for better precision.
- Respawning and most tools now have visual effects.
- The "kill line" where riders respawn when falling off the track is now visible.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed players being able to join races from incompatible versions of the game, causing various issues.
- Tool use is now reproduced properly for other riders.
- Crate stacks are positioned correctly.
- Prevented invalid characters from being used in name fields.
- Fixed the top rider in the league being given a rank of "-1".
- Fixed a couple issues when logging out and switching riders.
- Fixed a couple issues with conversations repeating or showing garbage data.
- Better handling of various server issues.
- Fixed pickups showing the wrong visuals.
- Fixed a couple of goals which could not be completed (note: some issues are known to remain with certain goals for guest riders).
- Misc:
- Vastly optimized jet trails, improving performance and reducing stuttering in races with many riders.
- Improved memory use while racing, reducing stuttering over time.
- More race events now show on-screen text, as with boosts and slows.
- Recent Results panel stays open while in the basecamp, rather than quickly disappearing.
- Improved league panel, which now displays info about the team which has hired you.
- Improved font rendering on many UI elements.
- Guests have different outfits.
- Other riders are offset a bit at the starting line so you can see them. This is purely visual and does not effect the actual starting positions.
Update v0.817 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
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Release Notes:
- Gameplay:
- Added "dive" functionality to all players. Right click makes you quickly dive downwards, allowing you to more skillfully hit boosters, dodge obstacles, or switch to lower paths more easily.
- Reworked core controls. Left click jumps & burns, right click dives, and middle click activates tools. Keyboard controls are set to W/E/Q or Up Arrow/CTRL/SHIFT.
- Added new gameplay segment type to track generator.
- Added a short offline tutorial level.
- The player's progress icon is now enlarged, making it easier to distinguish from similar faces.
- Boost and slowdown text remain visible for a moment after the boost ends.
- The camera now shows slightly farther ahead of the player.
- Added Blink tool, which instantly warps you forward a short distance. Blink can be used to avoid obstacles if timed well.
- Added a conversation system for NPC interactions, allowing for dialog trees with player choices.
- Added one-time NPC conversations to ease players into the story and give them starting objectives.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a couple of crashes that could occur when switching in or out of fullscreen mode during races.
- Fixed a server issue where tools would not be awarded to the player.
- Fixed boost and slowdown text sometimes appearing due to other riders.
- Fixed camera snapping to the wrong location when switching in or out of fullscreen mode.
- Fixed numerous server errors preventing race data from being saved.
- Fixed an issue where shock orbs had little effect on player speed.
- Fixed graffiti rendering in basecamp.
- Misc:
- Background clouds shader improved to render much faster and to function properly throughout freefalls.
- New font system added for improved rendering of UI messages.
- Jet trails tint while burning and drift over time.
- More efficient chat spam protection.
- Chat can be scrolled with the mousewheel.
- Added some simple cheat monitoring and protection.
- Saved guest progress is shown on the guest account screen.
- Engine now supports slow motion, currently only used in the tutorial.
Update v0.8 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
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Release Notes:
- Gameplay:
- Riders gain additional league rank points based on their overall placement each day.
- Teams gain rank points from the performance of their riders each day.
- Team owners can now remove signed riders from their roster.
- Implemented overall league rankings for teams.
- Minimum pay rate for riders in league teams is now 10 credit.
- A UI icon shows when your equipped tool is ready for use or recharging.
- Made it less likely that obstacles will spawn after certain boosts, as you have little chance to dodge them.
- Guests can now gain credit, exp and can level up. Data is saved locally.
- Guests can participate in league races again, to match themselves up against the day's best players, but their times will not be submitted.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed errors in the daily league rankings for individual riders.
- Fixed errors in the overall league rankings for individual riders.
- Fixed some loot not being awarded properly.
- Fixed a whole bunch of minor memory leaks.
- Handled some serverside errors in ways that prevent rooms from crashing for other players.
- Misc:
- Game updated to target Flash Player 11.8
- Added another 8 shirt styles for both genders.
- Added another 8 pant styles for both genders.
- Improved rider pay rate fields to prevent invalid values.
- More information about riders is shown when you mouse over them in the search results.
- Skyblade jets leave smoke trails that adjust based on speed, boosts, and when using nitros tools.
- Improved resolution of some UI elements so they look crisper in fullscreen mode.
- Added some simple chat spam protection.
Update v0.79 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes: (small list, lot of work)
(you may need to refresh the page or clear your cache to update)
Release Notes: (small list, lot of work)
- Gameplay:
- Teams can sign up to 10 riders on to race for them.
- Riders can set a daily rate for the league. After completing a league race when signed on to a team, the team owner will pay you the following day.
- Team management is now on the Team panel instead of the League panel, because that was silly.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a billion crashes.
- Ride style stat adjustments now properly applied.
- Fixed falling through loops at lower speeds.
- Fixed several skyblade mods not spawning.
- Misc:
- Improved stat pentagon display to take into account the diminishing returns curve, as well as to show the exact benefits of stats on rollover.
With the last few updates I've had to juggle around some parts of the database in order to get the team system set up with the league. It required a lot of new bits and pieces that are very different from the existing server code and as a result, it's been a crash fest for a few weeks.
Just wanted to pop in and say, this is very temporary and most of the issues will be fixed soon. I was meaning to hold off until v0.8, but instead v0.79 will come out today or tomorrow. I'll take the results from that, see what crashes persist and try to make v0.8 a far more stable release.
After that the plan is to work for a bit more and then get the real party started on Armor Games, where there will be far more regular players to compete against.
Just wanted to pop in and say, this is very temporary and most of the issues will be fixed soon. I was meaning to hold off until v0.8, but instead v0.79 will come out today or tomorrow. I'll take the results from that, see what crashes persist and try to make v0.8 a far more stable release.
After that the plan is to work for a bit more and then get the real party started on Armor Games, where there will be far more regular players to compete against.
Update v0.75 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
(you may need to refresh the page or clear your cache to update)
Release Notes:
- Gameplay:
- Small adjustments to spacing of Freefall obstacles.
- Adjusted credit and experience gain.
- Credit now awarded for completing goals.
- Competing in the league now gives large credit and experience rewards. This value increases based on how many riders competed, and how well you ranked overall.
- You can now create a league Team (1 per account). They don't actually do anything yet, but there you go.
- The +/- change in stats is displayed on the stat pentagon when selecting equipment.
- Boost multiplier is now displayed on screen. Bit glitchy/ugly right now, will be improved. Other information (like the % of slowdown from obstacles) will be shown in future updates, and there will be an option to turn this display off.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed issue where the top ranked rider in the league could potentially break ranking calculations by taking up multiple slots (1st, 2nd, etc.)
- Fixed railings on the top edge of Freefall sections not sticking inwards enough.
- Fixed issue where riders would go straight through rails after grinding.
- Fixed riders getting stuck on steep slopes.
- Fixed Ride Styles not saving correctly.
- Fixed stats displaying incorrectly when swapping or removing equipment.
- Misc:
- Huge optimizations of GPU usage and minor optimizations of CPU usage, at the expense of a couple seconds during loads.
- Added procedural buildings to islands.
- Added loading messages on major transitions.
- Improved layering of tinted background elements.
- Faster island shader added for software mode.
- Overhaul of equipment system in the backend to be more reliable and extensible.
Update v0.69 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
(you may need to refresh the page or clear your cache to update)
Release Notes:
- Gameplay:
- Can now unequip Skyblade parts.
- Added railings to the edges of Freefall sections to make hugging the edges risky.
- League ranks are accurate for the top 100 riders now, lower ranks are estimates for network efficiency.
- Riders can only post one top score in the daily league. If the second attempt is faster, it will replace the original time.
- Stacks of crates can spawn on islands in cloud sections again.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed an issue preventing riders from being ranked in the league.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes immediately kicked riders from league races if they already posted a top time.
- Fixed a few errors in island and tree rendering.
- Misc:
- Cloud background is removed entirely when in software rendering mode, drastically improving performance.
- Performance improvements on island and tree rendering.
- Minor CPU optimizations throughout engine.
- Improved parallax effect on background islands, add made main menu background more interesting.
- Improved various aspects of tree appearance.
It's here, the promised update. You didn't believe me, did you? That's alright, I hardly believed me either.
Since it's been so long, and there's been so many changes throughout the engine, it's likely there will be a number of crashes and disconnects. I'll be keeping close watch; expect hotfixes to come soon if needed.
Since it's been so long, and there's been so many changes throughout the engine, it's likely there will be a number of crashes and disconnects. I'll be keeping close watch; expect hotfixes to come soon if needed.
Sky Riders will go offline for a bit while I clear out database bugs from v0.43 and ready the next update.
I'm excited to start rolling out the new League system, which is going to be the real core of the game in the long-term. An advantage of all this development hell is that it's given me a lot of time to iterate and improve on the design.
0.6x will be a somewhat scattershot update of behind-the-scenes technical issues, frameworks, bug fixes, and added visuals. Again!? I know, I know. From 0.6x onwards, there is a more structured plan for focusing on major gameplay features with each update while gradually improving other areas of the game (graphics, UI, optimizations). The roadmap to beta and release is in place.
If I could feel this positive and productive every day, I'd have finished this game a year ago. Ah well; the important part is, things are turning out well. Watching social/f2p gaming continue to flounder and fail to innovate this last year inspires me to keep pushing forward. Someone has to try, right?
I will update this week or kill myself*. I'm bad at the latter, so expect an update!
*a joke, I swear.You won't get rid of me that easily.
I'm excited to start rolling out the new League system, which is going to be the real core of the game in the long-term. An advantage of all this development hell is that it's given me a lot of time to iterate and improve on the design.
0.6x will be a somewhat scattershot update of behind-the-scenes technical issues, frameworks, bug fixes, and added visuals. Again!? I know, I know. From 0.6x onwards, there is a more structured plan for focusing on major gameplay features with each update while gradually improving other areas of the game (graphics, UI, optimizations). The roadmap to beta and release is in place.
If I could feel this positive and productive every day, I'd have finished this game a year ago. Ah well; the important part is, things are turning out well. Watching social/f2p gaming continue to flounder and fail to innovate this last year inspires me to keep pushing forward. Someone has to try, right?
I will update this week or kill myself*. I'm bad at the latter, so expect an update!
*a joke, I swear.
Personal battles with depression have made it difficult to work at any significant speed since the last Sky Riders update. I apologize for those of you waiting on that game and/or future games I've talked about.
Months between updates is unacceptable, and has never been my intention. Hopefully I can find some way of turning things around, but in the meantime, there is little else to say other than I don't know how slow progress is going to be on any given day.
The next update will be focused primarily on filling out missing artwork. It was originally supposed to add another gameplay segment into the map generator, but that will take more time, and the new art and bug fixes should see a wider testing phase first.
Months between updates is unacceptable, and has never been my intention. Hopefully I can find some way of turning things around, but in the meantime, there is little else to say other than I don't know how slow progress is going to be on any given day.
The next update will be focused primarily on filling out missing artwork. It was originally supposed to add another gameplay segment into the map generator, but that will take more time, and the new art and bug fixes should see a wider testing phase first.
Update v0.43 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
(you may need to refresh the page or clear your cache to update)
Release Notes:
- What's New:
- Rider equipment panel:
- Displays currently equipped gear.
- Green indicators show where your new gear is.
- Gear listings moved so that you can always see the stat display.
- Gear listings indicate currently equipped item.
- Optimized network usage while in the basecamp and added more flood protection.
- Added a new shader type that can more efficiently batch certain objects.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a server crash when players leave during specific processes.
- Fixed clothing changes being reset when leaving the basecamp.
- Fixed clothing changes being rejected by the server.
I had some Flash 11 tutorials up on the previous version of this site. The project files for those tutorials are gone, but I've re-uploaded the articles & code snippets into a reference archive for anyone who is interested.
Update v0.4 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
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Release Notes:
- Gameplay:
- New gear: Skyblade mods. Mods are split across four slots (boots, blades, intakes and jets) and have +/- stats. They are gained by completing goals.
- Ghosts now remain in the database to challenge for two weeks, up from two days.
- Ghosts now use the equipment & stats of the rider when they posted their time, rather than their current state.
- Guests can now use the feedback panel.
- Temporarily disabled the gear time limit as it's confusing while the UI is incomplete and options to extend/remove the limit are unavailable.
- Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a typo which was setting off most of the crashes last version.
- No longer give out duplicates of shirt/pants style 01 and the non-existent style 00.
- Fixed various fullscreen crashes.
- Fixed various guest crashes.
- Known Issues:
- Fullscreen mode may still crash or work incorrectly on some systems.
- It's currently hard to tell what equipment you've gained, where it is, and what's equipped. Some improvements should come in the next update, with more after that.
- Current gear has an extremely minor impact on stats.
Update v0.37 for Sky Riders
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Release Notes:
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Release Notes:
- Features Added:
- Rider stats are now working.
- Ride Styles. Every 5 levels you gain 1 customization point which can be used to min/max stats.
- League dailies (individual). Records up to 2 scores on the individual daily track.
- Basecamp notifications. Rider and Goals tabs show number of new additions.
- Bug Fixes:
- League dailies (individual). Now correctly limited to 2 attempts.
- Fixed issue where obstacles could slow you down more than intended.
- Fixed various server errors after sudden disconnects.
- Fixed several fullscreen-related crashes.
- Fixed several minor memory leaks.
- Known Issues:
- Rider stats have extremely little impact at low values.
- Changing in and out of fullscreen mode still causes crashes on some systems.
Sky Riders is in public alpha again, so you can try it for yourself right now. It's coming together day-by-day and soon it'll be the sort of fun, social experience I originally envisioned. In the meantime, let's crash the crap out of it.
Welcome to the new HTML5-based site. It's still a work in progress but I replaced all the content and features with rounded corners and custom fonts, so the important part is done.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
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