roadtovostok

Dev Update (08/10/2023)

Hi!

Just wanted to give a quick update.

I'm currently writing the first Godot Update #1 post and putting together a comprehensive engine update based on these first weeks with Godot. I will be sharing this post here and also publicly tonight.

After this update is done, I will set some additional debug stuff for the first "official" Godot Test Build #1 which is mostly for testing the actual performance, visuals, settings, controller and procedural recoil features.

I w...

Debris Kits (WIP)

Hi!

Since now I'm back on normal development I'm also "restarting" some of the contractor jobs, so I can focus on the porting process and at the same time there's still new stuff and improvements coming.

One of the main visual feedbacks that I have heard is that many areas look a bit "clean" considering that this is a post-apocalypse themed game. This topic is also important for breaking "man-made" repetition (manual prop placing) and providing more natural look overall since IRL ...

Billboard System

Hi!

Here's a small video clip from one of the main optimization systems that I also had in Unity.

I ported this billboard + shadow faking solution to Godot yesterday and this solution is my trusted method of optimizing dense forests and other large areas.

The test area in this video is 1x1km. I won't be using anything that size but this will improve performance in smaller maps also.

Now I have most of the optimization things ported and I can start rebuilding the first...

New Skyboxes & Colors

Hi!

I just finished implementing all the new high-quality skyboxes. I also decided to give a bit more color to each time of day and tweak some lighting settings to match the new skies. I think the end result is quite compelling compared to "classic" post-apocalypse desaturated visuals.

There's one example image from each time of day attached to the post.

Let me know what you think :)

- Antti (Developer)

Dev Update (30/09/2023)

Hi!

Today I tweaked some of the controller things and added support for FPS-animations. Godot's animation system is really easy to handle and from this point forward whenever there's new weapon animations, those will be linked right away to the weapon data.

FPS-animations are running as a separate "object/node", so you can activate those animations in different weapon positions and it doesn't force you to move the weapon to any predefined reload position.

I also added "contr...

Godot Settings + Custom keybinds

Hi!

Just wanted to give a quick update that there has been good progress since the last video and I already implemented the following things in Godot:

- Custom keybinds / Input settings (full control)
- Pause menu / demo settings
- Support for ultrawide monitors
- Audio channels and volume controls

There's some settings that are not yet fully connected but those custom keybinds were really nice to have now from the beginning and you will be able to test those and ...

Dev Update (28/09/2023)

Hi!

Since the video is now out and there's no more speculation around this engine-topic, I would like to mention few things before I start that fullscale Godot port today.

1. I'm well aware of Godot's limitations and current issues, I could list tens of problems with each engine and Godot is no different here. I basically watched all the "bad" videos / articles / comments about the Godot already last week and I have enough experience to know if they are truly long-term serious p...

New Beginning | Road to Vostok

Hi!

Here's the video that cover through the Unity situation and what's coming for Road to Vostok.

I'm really interested about hearing your thoughts after this video, so feel free to comment here :)

- Antti (Developer)

Small delay for today's video

Hi!

Just wanted to let you know that regarding today's video, there will be a 1-2 hour delay from the original release time. I wasn't happy with how one point was presented, so I decided to re-edit it.  

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this video :)

- Antti (Developer)

A New Beginning | Road to Vostok

Sept. 27, 2023 | 10:00 PM (EEST)
http://youtube.com/@roadtovostok  
- Unity situation
- Updated roadmap
- Upcoming demos

- Antti (Developer)

Dev Update (25/09/2023)

Hi!

Just wanted to quickly mention that I'm currently editing a video that will cover all the questions related to Unity and how I'm planning to move forward with this project.

The main goal here is that I can return back to normal development rhythm this week and there's clear milestones and updated roadmap which I'm going to follow.

I'm sorry that this messed up some of the Q3/2023 deadlines, it was necessary that I went through this "analysis phase" and really consider...

Dev Update (23/09/2023) + Godot Test

Hi!

Unity released today their apologize and new (mostly) positive changes. The trust aspect is still quite controversial but this was still an improvement.

You can read the "open letter to our community" here:
https://blog.unity.com/news/open-letter-on-runtime-fee

In the mean time while I'm still calculating some timelines for upcoming demos and having few talks with some indus...

Godot Test Build (Experimental)

Hi!

As part of my behind-the-scenes preparations for the possible engine switch, I decided to set up a stress-test rendering scene in Godot (open-source engine) and already implemented bunch of Road to Vostok basic features in this experimental build.

I basically went full-force (2 days) of learning this Godot programming language called GDScript (basically Python) and I think I'm already really productive with this new language, so I added the following features:

- Movem...

Dev Update (19/09/2023)

Hi!

Here's a quick development update.

A lot of things is going on behind the scenes. Like mentioned in the previous post, I spent few days on making prototypes with different engines (Unreal / Godot) and testing the modularity of my code and assets outside of Unity.

This testing was absolutely necessary and time critical since if things would get worse with Unity, there must be a clear plan on how to get away from the situation and return back to good development rhythm as ...

Unity Situation (Part. 2)

Hi!

Just wanted to keep you updated what's going with the Unity saga.

Common Vision & Announcements

Developers and game studios from all over the world have shared the same frustration with Unity and their latest actions. We are talking hundreds of public announcements (not just indies) and I also joined this wave of announcements today by releasing a short public response.

You can read the public response here:
2023-09-14 23:32:31 +0000 UTC View Post

Unity Situation

Hi!

In terms of transparency, I decided to cover this topic a little here.

I would assume that many of you have already read the recent news about Unity and their new Runtime Fees which have caused massive chaos in the game development ecosystem.

Here one recent article if you haven't followed the situation:

https://www.pcgamer.com/why-every-game-develope...

Transmission | Lore #1 | Road to Vostok

Hi!

Here's the first lore video for Road to Vostok called Transmission.

I recorded clips for this video pretty much entire summer, I'm really happy with the end result and the cinematic intro part the was filmed last weekend.

This will be a 10-part video series and I'm excited to reveal more after Public Demo 2.

- Antti (Developer)

Transmission | Lore #1 (Teaser)

Transmission | Lore #1
Sept. 12, 2023 | 10:00 PM (EEST)
http://youtube.com/@roadtovostok

- Antti (Developer)

Lore #1 Intro Shooting Day

Hi!

We just finished shooting the intro part of the upcoming Transmission | Lore #1 video.

The shooting went really smoothly and this was my first experience of directing these kinds of productions. There were some "good enough" shots but most of the clips were visually pretty cool and I think we did a good job overall.

I will get all today's footage early next week and on the same day when I receive those I'm ready to release that whole video.

Here's also a small vi...

Dev Update (08/09/2023)

Hi!

Here's a quick dev update.

I have made good progress with the main buglist related to the last dev build. There's only few bugs left from that list, you can check the bug fixing progress in this previous post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dev-build-88346695

Tomorrow is the Lore #1 intro filming day and I'm really excited about this. This intro video is by far the most "high-budget...

Screenshot: Control Room (Radar)

Hi!

Here's a quick screenshot from the control room that I made for the Radar map and the radar itself. I will be revealing more about this room after Public Demo 2.

- Antti (Developer)

Dev Update (05/09/2023)

Hi!

Just wanted to give an update that I'm currently 100% focused on the upcoming Public Demo 2 and Lore #1 preparations.

This week there's currently 4 different task categories that are:
1. Lore #1 editing
2. Public Demo 2 maps (final props)
3. Public Demo 2 bug testing and fixes
4. Optimization & rendering tweaks

In terms of transparency, this month is not going to be easy. There's so many features that need to be tested, parameters that need adjusting and ...

Lore #1 Cinematic Intro

Hi!

Just wanted to let you know that next week (Friday) there's going to be a pretty big behind-the-scenes event for this upcoming lore video.

I have been planning this really cool intro for the first lore video and this will include professional photographers, actors and IRL abandoned location. I have wrote a script for this cinematic piece which will act as a intro to the actual lore part and found footage VHS-video tapes that are linked to the story.

I will be sharing be...

Radar Update

Hi!

Here's one new screenshot from the Radar map.

I just finished the front gate area and made few lore related props like the entrance totem on the left side. I also tried to tweak the post-processing a bit and tested few new road related textures to improve the visuals.

- Antti (Developer)

Specular Contrast (Shader feature)

Hi!

I have a development rule that I can't make PBR (physically based rendering) materials yet since I want to maintain a good development speed and managing PBR as a concept is not necessary for this project yet.

For Public Demo 2, I still wanted to increase the visual quality of the game, so I added a thing called "specular contrast" (also known as specular highlights / smoothness) which utilizes the existing base textures and provides reflective highlights through specific sha...

Dev Update (30/08/2023)

Hi!

Here's a quick dev update.

I'm currently making custom assets for the Radar map and trying to find a specific visual style that fits for the permadeath Vostok maps. I'm still missing a lot of assets for this map but I have still made plenty of progress for these past few days.

I will now switch to bug fixing related to dev build feedback for a while and then return to making this Radar map ready for Public Demo 2.

In terms big picture the end of September is still ...

Dev Build Buglist

Hi!

Here's the post where I update the current buglist + fixing process related to last dev build. I already made some good progress and will be fixing these bugs this upcoming week along with the Radar map building.

I also have a separate buglist for the AI but that's something that I will work on next month and try to find some good temporary solution before the actual "Vostok AI".

Here's the current list for the bugs that I tested / reproduced myself (based on your feedba...

Dev Update (27/8/2023)

Hi!

Here's a quick dev update.

Today I'm returning back to my home office and compiling a bug priority list based on your findings from the recent dev build.

Thanks for testing the dev build, your feedback was once again really helpful for me.

Once I have the bug priority list done, I will start fixing those as many as I can tonight and I will continue that fixing tomorrow as well. 

After this it's time to work on the Radar map (Vostok) and finish editing th...

Dev Build (Bug Testing)

Hi!

Since yesterday I shared that new dev build, I decided that I will highlight some elements related to bug testing which would be really helpful for me.

The AI in that dev build like mentioned is still a bit problematic since it's missing a lot of logic components but the Trading / Ammo / Shelter combination is probably the most important area for bug testing related to Public Demo 2.

Here's the "golden bugs" if you want to test the build and find a way to produce these...

Dev Build - Trading System + AI

Here's a new development build for you to test.

1. When testing this dev build, start a new game in order to reset the save system.

2. When you're downloading dev builds, always download the whole file structure. Do not move or download individual files or folders.

3. You can share, record and publish content from this dev build, but do not share files or download links outside from Patreon.

Feedback: 2023-08-24 21:48:57 +0000 UTC View Post