Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.3.0 alpha builds

17 DECEMBER, 2015

It has taken significant resources to prototype and implement the character customisation system as significant game functionality needed to be rewritten to work with configurable character parts, the 0.3.0 alpha build released with this post, has a functioning character selection screen with a set of sample character costumes for testing (including the existing Kigurumi characters, and a selection from the new Wrestler / Luchador and other miscellaneous outfits).

The 0.3.0 alpha build replaces the 0.1.5a "stable" alpha build as the default build on Steam Early Access (the 0.1.5a build is available for download through the Steam "BETAS" tab as a legacy build for the Early Access community to compare the gameplay, performance, stability, and other game content of the last Unity 4.x build with the Unity 5.x builds).

The 0.3.0 alpha build also replaces the 0.2.6c “unstable” build until the logic for the prototype “break” and “race” game modes is rewritten to work with the character customisation system (the “break”, “race”, “king of the hill”, and “capture the flag” game modes will be exposed for testing in a coming “unstable” alpha build).

The 0.3.0 alpha build also has an improved camera system, a new particle effect system (for the fire on the ‘incinerator’ stage), new post processing and colour grading effects, the first versions of the significantly revised UI and menu systems, numerous modifications to stages (a rebuilt ‘incinerator’ stage, and modified ‘buoy’, ‘girders’, and ‘fans’ stages), and new running, standing headbutt, front slide, rear slide, and sitting character moves.

For reference the full character customisation screen is disabled in the 0.3.0 “stable” alpha build as the UI does not currently protect against conflicts between costume parts, a version of the full character customisation system (with support for saving customisations) will be exposed with other prototype game stages and content in the coming “unstable” builds.

The modifications and fixes made in this build are:

• added character selection / join game screen
• added a standing headbutt move (tap the button mapped for ‘duck’ to headbutt)
• added a running move (hold the button mapped to ‘jump’ to run)
• added a front sliding move (hold the button mapped to ‘duck’ when running to front slide)
• added a rear sliding move (hold the button mapped to ‘kick’ when running to rear slide)
• added a sitting move (hold the button mapped to ‘jump’ when stationary to sit)
• added a setting for enabling / disabling Xinput (to support more than four Xinput devices to be used concurrently) - this setting has been disabled as more testing is needed
• added preset Wrestling / Luchador clothing and mask selections (for testing)
• added preset miscellaneous clothing selections (for testing)
• added post processing and colour grading to game stages
• added rebuilt ‘incinerator’ stage
• added new menu music[soundcloud.com]
• added basic Steam API support
• added setting to enable / disable exiting the game with game controllers (if enabled press the ESCAPE key to exit to the game menu when in game)
• modified climbing implementation (to make characters feet contact with surfaces when climbing)
• modified fullscreen implementation (to test support for Nvidia Game Stream service)
• modified object and enemy targeting systems
• modified character system to more accurately identify kill volumes
• modified B side music for the ’chute’ and ’girders’ stages
• modified audio levels and triggers replaced previous fire particle effect with an improved fire particle effect
• replaced the previous game manger systems with rewritten game manager systems
• replaced the prototype game camera system with an improved game camera system
• replaced music for ‘incinerator’ stage
• replaced fade transition implement with a rewritten solution (to fix the transition failure issue)
• fixed character explosion issues in some contexts
• fixed music warping transitions
• removed status bars
• removed the rear and front railings from the ‘fans’ stage
• removed stairs from platform ends on ‘subway’ stage
• temporarily replaced previous water and buoyancy system with a placeholder system (while compatibility issues with the new water and buoyancy system are fixed)
• temporarily removed the ‘cat’ kigurumi due to an issue with skinned meshes

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.6 “unstable” alpha build

23 SEPTEMBER, 2015

The 0.2.6 build released with this post is a content release with three new stages (‘billboard’, ‘blimp’, and ‘girders’) and four modified stages (‘buoy’, ‘fans’, ‘ring’, and ’subway’), the build also includes expanded AI behaviours that give AI enemies lifting and throwing abilities.

The modifications and fixes made in this build are:

• fixed an issue that could stop characters entering the climbing state when colliding with walls
• added the ‘billboard’ stage
• added the ‘blimp’ stage
• added the ‘girders’ stage
• modified the water shader on the ‘buoy’ stage
• modified the geometry for the ‘vents’ stage (now called ‘fans’)
• modified the geometry for the ‘ring’ stage
• modified the geometry for the ’subway’ stage
• modified climbing implementation to support climbing on grabbed surfaces (including other enemy and player characters)
• modified climbing implementation to limit / minimise stabilise the accumulation of forces when multiple characters are climbing / lifting each other
• modified grip limitations (grip will abruptly fail when hanging from the same surface / object for a protracted length of time)
• modified the force characters have on the wave simulation in the ’buoys’ stage (to limit / minimise the frequency of sudden or erratic high waves)
• modified the potential delay between AI enemy punches (to increase punch frequency)
• modified spawn points on some stages to work better with the current game camera
• modified XInput support to be disabled by default to support 5-8 players with Xbox 360 controllers and variants (XInput limits the number of concurrent Xbox 360 controllers to four, see the 'XInput Support' section of this post for more information)
• added centripetal forces to subway trains on ‘subway’ stage (trains can pull characters and objects in close proximity towards them)
• added throwing behaviour for AI enemies (specific throw actions need calibrating to be effective on complex stages)
• added grabbing behaviour for AI enemies (enemies will attempt to grab surfaces, objects, and other characters when falling)
• modified (rebuilt) AI enemy nav meshes for all stages (excluding the ‘break’ and ’race’ prototypes)
• added throw triggers to stages to support the AI enemy throwing behaviour (excluding ‘blimp’, ‘break’, ’buoy’, and ’race’)

Stages

The new and modified stages are work in progress and will continue to be polished and improved in subsequent builds. There are now 16 default stages in the current ‘unstable’ build (‘billboard’, ’blimp’, ’buoy’, ’chute’, ’containers’, ’elevators’, ’fans’, ‘girders’, ’gondola’, ‘grind’, ’incinerator’, ’ring’, ’subway’, ‘towers’, ’trucks’, and ’wheel’), we are still working to remake the ‘incinerator’ stage (the colliders are finished but the scene has not been fully assembled in editor).

We currently plan to add the modified ‘incinerator’ stage and the prototype ‘gymnasium’ and ‘TV studio’ stages to the fork that the customisation system is being merged with but if we identify that this work will delay the release of the next build we plan to move these stages to the same project that the 0.2.6 build was built with (to minimise the length of time before the next build can be published).

For reference the only fencing, railings and similar structures that are breakable are in the 0.2.6 build are in the ‘elevators’ stage, we are working to make the similar structures in the ’billboard’, ’chute’, ’fans’, ‘grind’, ’incinerator’, ’subway’, ‘towers’, and ’wheel’ stages breakable.

Customisations

We are working with SuperGenius to merge the work on the character customisation system with the current project fork, it wasn’t practical to merge this work with the 0.2.6 fork as the modified game management system (that adds support for the coming “King of the Hill” and “Capture the Flag” game modes) was implemented in a separate fork.

When this work is complete we can publish a build with the character system (with a selection of old and new characters), and the other work from this fork (including support for deincrementing menu selections, a front slide move, modifications to the in-game player information, and the playable prototypes of the “King of the Hill” and “Capture the Flag” game modes).

XInput Support

Disabling XInput forces Xbox 360 XInput controllers and variants to use Direct or Raw input (bypassing the XInput four player limitation and restoring support for 5-8 concurrent Xbox 360 controllers), for reference disabling XInput prevents both Xbox 360 controller triggers from registering concurrently on Windows systems (we are working on implementing an option to support manually enabling / disabling XInput on Windows for a coming build).

Information on switching to / from "stable" and “unstable” branches

To download 'unstable' alpha build of Gang Beasts right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client.

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.x and 0.2.x builds have bugs, partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ for more information).

Information on the next "unstable" alpha (build 0.2.6)

30th August 2015

We are close to finishing the various modifications and prototype content for the 0.2.6 "unstable" build and expect to publish this work within the next two weeks, we currently expect this to be the last "unstable" build before we can make the Unity 5 port of the game the default version of Gang Beasts on Early Access (the 0.1.5a Unity 4 alpha build will be made available for download through the Steam client "BETAS" tab as a legacy build for making comparisons of gameplay, performance, stability and content with the Unity 5 builds).

YouTube™ Video: Prototype Gang Beasts customisation screen (placeholder UI) Views: 11,050 An example of the prototype customisation screen functionality in Gang Beasts with placeholder UI. For information see http://steamcommunity.com/games/285900/announcements/

In the last two months we have continued to work on optimisations, new game modes, the character customisation system, character customisations, modifications to current stages, and prototypes for a number of new stages.

YouTube™ Video: Prototype Gang Beasts join screen (placeholder UI) Views: 5,625 An example of the basic join screen functionality in Gang Beasts with placeholder UI. For information see http://steamcommunity.com/games/285900/announcements/

Work on the character customisation system is at a stage that supports making functional examples of the UI and customisation process and the work on new characters, games modes, modified stages, and stage prototypes is now sufficient to give information on the specific functionality and content we expect to make available in the builds coming in September and October.

YouTube™ Video: Gang Beasts character customisation test Views: 11,186 A character customisation test for the prototype character customisation system in Gang Beasts. For information see http://steamcommunity.com/games/285900/announcements/

The information in this post will summarise the work that has been done on some of the new character customisations, the character customisation system, modified stages, and the new stage prototypes (“billboard”, “blimp”, and “girders”). Specific information about the current stages, new stage prototypes, and the planned escalations for specific stages will be posted as a series of individual threads in the Early Access forums closer to the release of the next build.

Character Customisations

For several months we have been working with SuperGenius Studios to implement the full character customisation system for the game and to make a series of new playable characters to populate and test the character system, the work on the first prototype of the customisation system is close to finished and we currently expect to make a version of this prototype available for testing in an “unstable” build later this month (see the YouTube links above for examples of a recent iteration of the character system).

The character system supports a number of slots for different accessories (hats, capes, hair, shirts, skirts etc.), the prototype version of the system has support for handling overlapping geometry, specifically when the geometry of a model or asset passes through the geometry of a second model asset the system indentifies and removes intersecting and occulded geometry where needed (for reference this functionality is not fully working in the linked video).

The current implementation of the system is functional but needs additional work and testing before it can be published in a build, we currently expect to make this functionality available in September. The full system will support the saving and sharing of preset customisations when finished.

Customisations

We have worked with SuperGenius on a number of new character sets, some sets have been made specifically to use to populate Beef City with pedestrians and AI enemies (for the Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Double Dragon influenced story mode), others have been made to give more scope for customisation (for testing the customisation system).

Game Modes

The logic for the Gang Beasts variations on “King of the Hill” and “Capture the Flag” game modes has been implemented but the specific map locations (KOTH) and flags (CTF) need to be added for each stage, we plan to make a playable prototypes of these game modes available in a coming build for testing and will make more information about the new game modes soon.

Modified Stages

We have finished work on the geometry for the modified versions of the “incinerator”, “subway” , “vents”, we are working to make these modified stages to the next build which barring significant issue should be published to Steam within the next two weeks.

Work on the modified "buoy" and "ring" stages is also close to finished.

More information on the rationale and mechanics of the modified stages will be posted in the Early Access forums when the modified stages are released in the next build.

Prototype Stages

We have prototyped a number of new stages for the game, three of these stages, “billboard”, “blimp”, “girder”, and "gymnasium" are at a stage where they can be play tested and will be included as prototypes in the next “unstable” build. The “billboard” stage prototype is a neglected roadside billboard with breakable panels and front and rear platforms (a modified version of this stage will have breakable railings, lighting, flooring, and a static ladder), the “blimp” stage is a floating dirigible passing through a series of high buildings, the “girders” stage is an aborted high-rise building development with breakable flooring and suspended girders, the "gymnasium" stage is one of a series of stages that are planned to approximate the mechanics and gameplay of the "sandbox" stage from the pre-alpha builds.

We will make information on the other stage that we are prototyping over the coming weeks. Information on the mechanics of the modified stages will be posted in the Early Access forums when the modified stages are released in the next build.

Unstable Builds

Since getting access to the Unity 5 beta in mid-September 2014 we have prioritised porting Gang Beasts to Unity 5 to exploit the significantly improved physics performance, and other graphics, lighting, audio, and engine improvements, it has been difficult and protracted process that has forced us to fully remake the procedural character animation system and modify the structures and parameters for the numerous stages that were playable in the previous 0.1.x Unity 4.5 builds.

The first prototype of the Unity 5 port of Gang Beasts was made available through Steam as a second optional “Beta” build in April, this was necessary to give access to iterations of the Unity 5 port without removing access to the older 0.1.5a "stable” alpha build (made with Unity 4.5 and PhysX 2.8.3), when the modified “incinerator”, “subway” , and “vents” stages are released in the next public alpha build (build 0.2.6) the “unstable” Unity 5 build will have content parity with the older “stable” Unity 4 build.

If no significant issues are identified with the public 0.2.6 build it will become the default version of Gang Beasts on Steam Early Accesss (replacing the 0.1.5a Unity 5 build) in September.

There are still a number of key optimisations that can be made to the Unity 5 builds but the 0.2.x Unity 5 builds are demonstrably more performant than the 0.1.x Unity 4 builds in most contexts. For information on the performance of PhysX 3.3 relative to PhysX 2.8.x see the High-performance Physics In Unity 5[blogs.unity3d.com] post on the Unity Technology blog.[blogs.unity3d.com]

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.5b "unstable" alpha build

3rd July 2015

The 0.2.5b build released with this post is a bug fix patch for the recent 0.2.5 "unstable" alpha build, and the audio issue introduced in the 0.2.5a build.

The list of modifications and fixes made in this build is:

• fixed an issue that made audio play +20db louder that maximum if volume was set to 100%
• fixed stability issue when objects are spawned inside or collide with the support cables on the "elevator" stage (cables now snap instead of becoming erratic)
• modified colliders on the handles of the elevator roof hatch to allow players to pass them (without stopping)
• fixed audio samples on the "buoy", "elevators", "grind", "subway", "trucks", and "wheel" stage that could play when audio is muted
• modified the doors of the "chute" stage to stop characters from passing through them

Information on switching to / from "stable" and 'unstable' branches

To download 'unstable' alpha build of Gang Beasts right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client.

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.x and 0.2.x builds have bugs, partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ at http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq for more information).

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.5a "unstable" alpha build

27 JUNE 2015

The 0.2.5a build released with this post is a bug fix patch for the recent 0.2.5 "unstable" alpha build, the list of modifications and fixes made in this build is:

• fixed an issue that allowed characters and objects to fall through the front of the stage on the “break” game mode prototype
• fixed an issue that failed to modify the master, interface, vocal, physics, and ambiance volumes when set in the audio menu
• fixed an issue that made the “incinerator” stage not selectable from the “versus" menu
• fixed an issue with removing characters that fall from the elevators in the “elevators" stage (manifested as a terrifying partially formed aberration materialising in space (skinned meshes and body parts randomly twitching and stretching)
• fixed an issue with the extrude meat paster fails to despawn on the "chute" stage
• fixed issues with Kigurumi characters with non-standard head constructions fail to consistently trigger head-butts
• modified AI to update search references when not spawned on a navmesh (AI should be less erratic, and can move between navmeshes is specific contexts)
• modified navmesh for the "buoy” stage to support AI movement
• modified navmesh for the "chute” stage to support AI movement
• modified navmesh for the “gondola” stage to support AI movement modified navmesh for the “towers” to support AI movement modified navmesh for the “trucks” stage to support AI movement
• modified stage selection UI to immediately disable the random mode when selected (previous selection is restored)
• modified the gondola support axels on the “wheel” stage

Information on switching to / from 'stable' and 'unstable' branches

To download 'unstable' alpha build of Gang Beasts right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client.

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.x and 0.2.x builds have bugs, partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ at http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaqfor more information).

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.5 "unstable" alpha build 26th June 2015

26th june 2015

The 0.2.5 build released with this post has working versions of the "buoy", "trucks", and "wheel" stages (three of the four stages that were omitted from past “unstable” builds due to significant issues relating to the stability of their custom physics parameters when ported to Unity 5 and PhysX 3.3 ) and the three prototype stages, "chutes", "elevators", and "towers" that were demonstrated at E3.

The 0.2.5 “unstable” build also has experimental implementations of two new character attack moves, head-butts and dropkicks, head butts are triggered by pressing the jump button immediately before holding the duck button, dropkicks are triggered by pressing the jump button immediately before holding the kick button (the specific forces and other parameters for the moves are currently provisional and granular modifications will need to made is subsequent builds).

The 0.2.5 build also has significantly modified music and sound content (implemented in a series of sessions with Adam “Doseone” Drucker and Robert "Dirty Bob" Larder in the week leading up to E3), the new audio with multiple new or revised music tracks for most stages, 4 additional character voice sets, and numerous additional contextual audio events (that trigger sound effects when specific situations occur).

The playable stages in the “unstable” build are still experimental but are now sufficiently performant for testing and for us to collate suggestions and feedback on gameplay and performance issues through the Early Access forums (there will be additional optimisations and modifications made in subsequent builds). To start the feedback process we plan to make a series of monitored forum posts (in the next few hours and over the coming weekend) with information on planned revisions, current issues, potential optimisations, and other identified modifications we expect to make to specific stages, game modes, and gameplay mechanics.

Specific Information re: head-butts and dropkicks will be posted as individual threads in the Early Access forums in the next few hours.

Information on the new "chutes", "elevators", and "towers" stages and the completed and planned work done on modifying (or remaking) the "buoy", "incinerator", "subway", "trucks", "vents", and "wheel" stages will be posted as a series of individual threads in the Early Access forums this weekend (and in the coming weeks).

List of additions, modifications, and fixes made in the 0.2.5 “unstable" build

• added basic AI behaviour to truck movement (preparation for more complex vehicle movement)
• added fade-to-black and fade-from-black transition sequences
• added modified version of the “buoy” stage
• added modified version of the “trucks” stage
• added modified version of the “wheel” stage
• added object collision sounds (floor boards, falling meat etc.)
• added new ambient tracks to numerous stages
• added new contextual voice over events and associated audio samples
• added new music tracks to multiple stages
• added prototype “chute" stage
• added prototype “elevators” stage
• added prototype “towers” stage
• fixed an issue that made end of game messaging show per round (on screen text does not erroneously name the last player in the stored player index as the game winner when a round is ended)
• fixed an issue that stopped the audible level of collision sounds (and other physical sound effects) from being set with volume adjustments
• fixed missing navmesh for “subway” stage
• fixed the Status Bar toggle functionality (setting the 'Status Bar’ to ‘off’ disables the in game status bars as expected)
• made forward dives trigger damage to other characters when colliding with head / face (head-butts)
• made reverse dives trigger damage to other characters when colliding with hips / legs (dropkicks)
• made targeting prioritise objects that can hurt the character when punching or grabbing (to increase the potential for countering dropkicks and head-butts)
• modified character eyes to slowly close as their health decreases
• modified colliders to not calculate at runtime (baked colliders) to optimise scene load times
• modified the character targeting system to ignore low targets
• modified the frequency of pseudorandom sound trigger events to be more frequent
• modified the level of different categories of audio to be more audible at distance (to make punch and other collision sounds more audible by default)
• modified the maximum volume for ambiance to a lower value
• modified the road friction to more closely approximate real vehicle and road physics (collisions with the road surface don’t automatically concuss characters)
• modified the size of the “buoy" to make it more dominant (preparation for potential seasonal non-ice “buoy” stage variant and experimental procedural ice fracture tests)
• modified truck physics to explicitly contact the road surface (preparation for experimenting with undulating road surfaces) modified “ring” stage (preparation for arena context and arena specific assets)
• removed constraints holding the trucks to the road surface
• removed lightmap from "subway” stage to temporarily improve aesthetics (until the stage modifications are finished)
• removed lightmap from “incinerator” stage to temporarily improve aesthetics

Information on switching to / from "stable" and "unstable" branches To download 'unstable' alpha build of Gang Beasts right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client.

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.x and 0.2.x builds have bugs, partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ at http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq for more information).

Information on the next "unstable" alpha (build 0.2.6)

30 AUGUST 2015

We are close to finishing the various modifications and prototype content for the 0.2.6 "unstable" build and expect to publish this work within the next two weeks, we currently expect this to be the last "unstable" build before we can make the Unity 5 port of the game the default version of Gang Beasts on Early Access (the 0.1.5a Unity 4 alpha build will be made available for download through the Steam client "BETAS" tab as a legacy build for making comparisons of gameplay, performance, stability and content with the Unity 5 builds).

YouTube™ Video: Prototype Gang Beasts customisation screen (placeholder UI) Views: 11,050 An example of the prototype customisation screen functionality in Gang Beasts with placeholder UI. For information see http://steamcommunity.com/games/285900/announcements/

In the last two months we have continued to work on optimisations, new game modes, the character customisation system, character customisations, modifications to current stages, and prototypes for a number of new stages.

YouTube™ Video: Prototype Gang Beasts join screen (placeholder UI) Views: 5,625 An example of the basic join screen functionality in Gang Beasts with placeholder UI. For information see http://steamcommunity.com/games/285900/announcements/

Work on the character customisation system is at a stage that supports making functional examples of the UI and customisation process and the work on new characters, games modes, modified stages, and stage prototypes is now sufficient to give information on the specific functionality and content we expect to make available in the builds coming in September and October.

YouTube™ Video: Gang Beasts character customisation test Views: 11,186 A character customisation test for the prototype character customisation system in Gang Beasts. For information see http://steamcommunity.com/games/285900/announcements/

The information in this post will summarise the work that has been done on some of the new character customisations, the character customisation system, modified stages, and the new stage prototypes (“billboard”, “blimp”, and “girders”). Specific information about the current stages, new stage prototypes, and the planned escalations for specific stages will be posted as a series of individual threads in the Early Access forums closer to the release of the next build.

Character Customisations

For several months we have been working with SuperGenius Studios to implement the full character customisation system for the game and to make a series of new playable characters to populate and test the character system, the work on the first prototype of the customisation system is close to finished and we currently expect to make a version of this prototype available for testing in an “unstable” build later this month (see the YouTube links above for examples of a recent iteration of the character system).

The character system supports a number of slots for different accessories (hats, capes, hair, shirts, skirts etc.), the prototype version of the system has support for handling overlapping geometry, specifically when the geometry of a model or asset passes through the geometry of a second model asset the system indentifies and removes intersecting and occulded geometry where needed (for reference this functionality is not fully working in the linked video).

The current implementation of the system is functional but needs additional work and testing before it can be published in a build, we currently expect to make this functionality available in September. The full system will support the saving and sharing of preset customisations when finished.

Customisations

We have worked with SuperGenius on a number of new character sets, some sets have been made specifically to use to populate Beef City with pedestrians and AI enemies (for the Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Double Dragon influenced story mode), others have been made to give more scope for customisation (for testing the customisation system).

Game Modes

The logic for the Gang Beasts variations on “King of the Hill” and “Capture the Flag” game modes has been implemented but the specific map locations (KOTH) and flags (CTF) need to be added for each stage, we plan to make a playable prototypes of these game modes available in a coming build for testing and will make more information about the new game modes soon.

Modified Stages

We have finished work on the geometry for the modified versions of the “incinerator”, “subway” , “vents”, we are working to make these modified stages to the next build which barring significant issue should be published to Steam within the next two weeks.

Work on the modified "buoy" and "ring" stages is also close to finished.

More information on the rationale and mechanics of the modified stages will be posted in the Early Access forums when the modified stages are released in the next build.

Prototype Stages

We have prototyped a number of new stages for the game, three of these stages, “billboard”, “blimp”, “girder”, and "gymnasium" are at a stage where they can be play tested and will be included as prototypes in the next “unstable” build. The “billboard” stage prototype is a neglected roadside billboard with breakable panels and front and rear platforms (a modified version of this stage will have breakable railings, lighting, flooring, and a static ladder), the “blimp” stage is a floating dirigible passing through a series of high buildings, the “girders” stage is an aborted high-rise building development with breakable flooring and suspended girders, the "gymnasium" stage is one of a series of stages that are planned to approximate the mechanics and gameplay of the "sandbox" stage from the pre-alpha builds.

We will make information on the other stage that we are prototyping over the coming weeks. Information on the mechanics of the modified stages will be posted in the Early Access forums when the modified stages are released in the next build.

Unstable Builds

Since getting access to the Unity 5 beta in mid-September 2014 we have prioritised porting Gang Beasts to Unity 5 to exploit the significantly improved physics performance, and other graphics, lighting, audio, and engine improvements, it has been difficult and protracted process that has forced us to fully remake the procedural character animation system and modify the structures and parameters for the numerous stages that were playable in the previous 0.1.x Unity 4.5 builds.

The first prototype of the Unity 5 port of Gang Beasts was made available through Steam as a second optional “Beta” build in April, this was necessary to give access to iterations of the Unity 5 port without removing access to the older 0.1.5a "stable” alpha build (made with Unity 4.5 and PhysX 2.8.3), when the modified “incinerator”, “subway” , and “vents” stages are released in the next public alpha build (build 0.2.6) the “unstable” Unity 5 build will have content parity with the older “stable” Unity 4 build.

If no significant issues are identified with the public 0.2.6 build it will become the default version of Gang Beasts on Steam Early Accesss (replacing the 0.1.5a Unity 5 build) in September.

There are still a number of key optimisations that can be made to the Unity 5 builds but the 0.2.x Unity 5 builds are demonstrably more performant than the 0.1.x Unity 4 builds in most contexts. For information on the performance of PhysX 3.3 relative to PhysX 2.8.x see the High-performance Physics In Unity 5[blogs.unity3d.com] post on the Unity Technology blog.[blogs.unity3d.com]

Information about the next "unstable" alpha (build 0.2.5)

16th June 2015

In the last month we have been working on porting the "buoy, "trucks", "vents", and "wheel" stages to Unity 5, we have also been working a number of new prototype stages and a number of significant modifications to the "buoy", "subway" and "incinerator" stages for the next "unstable" alpha build.

The work is close to finished and we plan to release the 0.2.5 "unstable" build with working versions of the "buoy", "containers", "gondolas", "grind", "incinerator", "ring", "subway", "trucks", "vents", and "wheel" stages and the new "chutes", "elevators", and "towers" stages next week (the new stages coming in the 0.2.5 "unstable" build are shown in the Gang Beasts E3 trailer and in the images with this post).

The 0.2.5 "unstable" build also has significantly updated audio content and experimental implementations of head-butts and dropkicks. The head-butt and dropkick moves have been added to avoid situations where head or feet collide with an enemy or object without taking sufficient damage (head-butts and dropkicks can concuss an enemy but landing them with enough force to be concussive is sufficiently difficult in normal gameplay to not happen frequently).

We plan to make a series of specific forum threads for the new stages, the head-butt and dropkick moves, and other content to collate and discuss feedback and give tutorial information when the build is released next week (a full list of the changes and additions made in the 0.2.5 "unstable" build included with the release post).

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.4 'unstable' alpha build

8th May 2015

We have made a number of significant modifications and fixes for the 0.2.4 build over the last three weeks, specifically fixing the joint instability (that made character, wire, and rope physics erratic or rigid, and stages built with configurable joints that break without the fixes to joint stability). There is still a small number of modifications that need to be made to the 'trucks', 'wheel', 'buoy', and 'vents' stages to make them playable but expect to restore some or all of the 0.1.5a stages omitted from the 0.1.5a build in the next 'unstable' build later this month (build 0.2.5).

The 0.2.4 build has a new 'random' mode, restores the 'endless' mode from previous builds, and a glut of new audio and music including new music for the 'ring', 'gondola', 'incinerator', and 'subway stages.

We are continuing to work on new stages and character costumes, we posted some tests on the Boneloaf and Gang Beasts Vine, Twitter, and YouTube accounts in the last hour (see Vine[vine.co], Twitter, and YouTube).

List of additions, modifications, and fixes made in the 0.2.4 'unstable' build.

• added an 'endless' mode to the 'versus' game mode
• added a 'random' stage selection mode to the 'versus' game mode (stages can now be set to load in random sequence)
• added audio samples that trigger when characters lose i.e. characters vocalise their malcontent when removed from the mêlée
• added laughter audio sample sets that trigger when a character (or characters) are expelled from the mêlée
• added a basic animation to make characters jiggle when laughing
• added contextual concussion audio sample sets (that trigger when a character is concussed)
• added a contextual impact sound (that triggers when a character takes a concussive blow)
• added contextual object and rope breaking sound sets
• added contextual character vocalisations (that trigger when characters are in close proximity to breaking objects)
• added individual volume settings for 'music', 'interface', 'vocals', 'physics', 'ambience', and the 'master' volume level (removed the music on/off setting from the settings menu)
• added per character footfall audio sample sets
• added a Cat Kigurumi costume
• modified head and body samples to make them more impactful
• modified the music playback system to transitions music tracks when a character (or characters) are removed from the mêlée (currently only implemented for the 'containers','subway' and 'incinerator' stages)
• modified the 'prototype' prefix in the 'prototypes' menu to explicitly reference the specific prototype category (e.g. 'game mode', 'stage' etc.) in preparation for adding new game modes, stages, and game mechanics
• modified the wires in the 'gondola' stage to make them breakable and more supple
• modified the wires on the 'containers' stage joint type to make them more stable
• modified the the tie and fez character assets to make them less erratic
• modified the forces acting on characters to make specific character movement less rigid modified the thresholds for damage and concussions to make immediate concussions less frequent
• fixed an issue that triggered playback of incorrect collision sounds for specific body parts (for example a characters head colliding with an object or surface could trigger sets of sound recordings made for body part collisions)
• fixed an issue that incorrectly played 3D sounds in 2D space
• fixed an issue that triggered cascades of infectious laughter between characters
• fixed an issue with joint axes that could make character ropes and physics simulations erratic
• fixed a series of issues that could stop game modes from processing stage transitions
• fixed an issue that could make set costumes to have the invalid colour sets

General

geometry and pitch of grab targets (used to assist with climbing) need to be standardised general UV and baking issues need to be fixed for multiple scenes

Ring

rope implementation needs modifying to remove / minimise breaks in rope surface

Gondola

gondola platforms need to be set to a position further from the building

Grind

railing geometry needs need modifing and made breakable collider geometry for grind wheels need modifying

Incinerator

railing geometry need modifying and made breakable conveyor implementation need modifying glass panes need to be made breakable colours need modifying (to approximate previous versions of the stage) scene needs populating with shelving and small physics objects (as per previous versions of the stage)

Subway

elevators need to be made functional escalator models need adding and configuring widths of train tracks need to be narrowed (and sleeper geometry needs adding)

Trucks

stage needs adding to 'versus' mode scene needs populating with stable versions of trucks

Wheel

stage needs adding to 'versus' mode

Buoy

stage needs adding to 'versus' mode buoyancy needs making less erratic

Vents

stage needs adding to 'versus' mode railing geometry needs modified

Race

modified course with scaled apparatus and modified weights needs adding modified ropes implementation needs adding (to make ropes more supple) 'sound stage' scene and associated assets needs adding ball pit needs adding win scenario needs modifying to wait for all competitor to finish before ending start positions need standardising

Break

joint implementation for car structure needs modifying (to make specific joints break when specific car body parts have sufficient levels of damage) other breakable objects

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.3 'unstable' alpha build

9th April 2015

List of fixes / modifications in the 0.2.3 build

• fixed camera smoothing issue when camera starts / stops tracking specific characters (or objects)
• add Early Access / 'unstable' build warning and build number to game menu
• modified sun direction to remove shadow acne on some levels moved trains closer to platform to force train path to collide with players on or in proximity to train tracks
• built navmeshes for 'containers', 'gondola', 'grind', 'incinerator', 'ring', and 'subway' stages
• modified fourth wall in 'containers', 'gondola', 'grind', 'incinerator', 'ring', and 'subway' stages to ignore raycasts (to avoid conflicts with spawning objects / characters)
• modified in-game UI to ignore raycasts (to avoid conflicts with spawning objects / characters)
• moved the environment debug mode key from the ‘F12’ key to the 'backspace' key (to avoid conflicts with the Steam screenshot key)

We have also restored the mouse cursor debug spawning with 2 new objects and 2 spawnable forces:

1. push volume
2. pull volume
3. small ball
4. ball
5. box
6. dumpster
7. boneloaf
8. enemy AI
9. large enemy AI

Information on switching to / from 'stable' and 'unstable' branches

To download 'unstable' alpha build of Gang Beasts right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client.

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.x and 0.2.x builds have bugs, partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ at http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq for more information).

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.2 'unstable' alpha build

4th April 2015

List of fixes / modifications in the 0.2.2 build

• fixed a mouse input mapping issue*
• added a transparent layer behind the custom input mapping modal window (to make it clear that the 'back' button is temporarily disabled during the current input mapping sequence)
• lowered the kill volume in the ‘grind’ stage to make escaping less difficult
• add height fog in 'grind’ stage
• added grab targets to the side of the roof building and roof access structure in the ‘waves’ mode prototype (to support climbing on the structure and climbing back to the roof surface from a hanging posture)
• renamed the label string for the game settings from ‘options’ to ‘settings’
• modified the menu to return focus to the ’start’ menu item of the ‘prototype’ menu screen when exiting from the ‘prototype’ game mode

• postponed smoothing function until after opening frame of stages passes (to track randomness of character spawning positions without irregular camera transitions)

  *if mouse input mapping is still not possible after updating to the 0.2.2 build, please remove Gang Beasts from your Steam library and reinstall

Information on switching to / from 'stable' and 'unstable' branches

To download 'unstable' alpha build of Gang Beasts right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client.

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.x and 0.2.x builds have bugs, partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ at http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq for more information).

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.2.1 'unstable' alpha build

2 April 2015

List of fixes in the 0.2.1 build

• fixed an input issue that stops custom input maps from loading in game stages
• fixed an issue that reloads the menu when remapping the menu key rebaked lightmaps for the ‘gondola’ stage
• fixed an issue that could stop Player 1 from targeting AI enemies
• fixed an issue that made enemy AI fight with other AI (to force them to exclusively target players)

List of modifications in the 0.2.1 build

• testing a variation on the conveyor roller implementation in the ‘incinerator’ stage (restores hazard functionality but need to play test with slower rates of rotation)
• modified starting camera positions to make camera movement less erratic when stages start
• modified the AI enemies random punch function on the ‘waves’ mode (to make punches less frequent)
• moved the day / night cycle demo mode key from the ‘O’ key to the F10 function key (to avoid conflicts with custom player inputs)
• moved the player collider debug mode from the TAB key to the F11 function key (to avoid conflicts with custom player inputs)

Information on switching to / from 'stable' and 'unstable' branches To download 'unstable' alpha build of Gang Beasts right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client.

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.x and 0.2.x builds have bugs, partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ at http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq for more information).

Gang Beasts 0.2.0 Early Access Alpha Build Information

1 April 2015

We are sorry for not meeting the 31st GMT (UTC+00:00) estimate for publishing the 0.2.0 build of Gang Beasts to Steam yesterday (there were a number of significant version control merging issues that forced us to have to repeat some of the work collating game scenes made in different branches of the project) but we have now published the first playable build of the Unity 5 version of Gang Beasts to Steam.

We also want to apologise to those expecting the 0.2.0 Unity 5 alpha build to be a feature complete updated version of the previous 0.1.5a Unity 4.x alpha build as the 0.2.0 build still has numerous issues that need a series of bug fixes, and gameplay modifications over the coming weeks before the Unity 5 build will pass the gameplay content and aesthetic of previous builds. This confusion is our mistake for not explicitly sharing information about the complexity of porting Gang Beasts to Unity 5 and the current development status of the game in recent months.

For reference the 0.2.0 Early Access alpha build is the first public version of the Unity 5 build of Gang Beasts, we have published the 0.2.0 build to Steam as an unstable opt-in 'Beta' for play testing and taking feedback (on the new character animation system and game mode prototypes). For the next 4-6 weeks the previous 0.1.5a alpha build will continue to be downloadable on Steam until Unity 5 builds have full parity (of content and features) with previous Unity 4.x builds.

How to download the 0.2.0 alpha build on Steam

To download the 0.2.0 alpha build right-click on the game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the dialogue window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab then select the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:' (to revert back to the 'stable' 0.1.5a Unity 4.x build select 'stable' from the same menu).

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game can force the selected build to download to the Steam client (the size of the 0.1.5a 'stable' alpha is approximately 100MB / 50MB compressed, the 0.2.0 'unstable' alpha build is 500MB / 260MB compressed).

Gang Beasts is an Early Access game that is currently in uninterrupted development, the 0.1.5a build and the 0.2.0 builds have bugs and partially implemented gameplay content and mechanics. (please see the Steam Early Access FAQ at http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq for more information).

0.2.0 Issues

Porting the Gang Beasts character and rope physics to the Unity 5 implementation of PhysX 3.3 has triggered a number of open issues (information on currently identified issue in the 0.2.0 build is listed at the end of this post) that compromise specific categories of stage hazards, these issues are associated with the modified collision tolerances and higher level of exactness of PhysX 3.3 simulations. The immediately priority for development is to fix this list of current issues, the full list of issues (sorted by stage name is:

Game no game launch sequence fade to / from black transition sequence (for stage transitions) is missing inputs mapped to SLUMP / CRAWL do not currently work for de-incrementing menu item selection scene cameras script need modifying to adapt to aspect ratios menu attract mode is missing score UI scales incorrect on large resolution screens endless playlist mod is currently disabled random playlist mode is currently disabled

Ring meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to be illuminated as expected) ring out sound is missing

Grind meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to be illuminated as expected) configurable joints on railings need modifying to make breakable

Gondola meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to be illuminated as expected) current priority of rope targets is set too high configurable joints on cables need modifying to make breakable

Trucks (excluded from 0.2.0 build) meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to illuminate as expected) truck model needs configurable joints and weights modifying to make stable

Incinerator meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to illuminate as expected) configurable joints on railings need modifying to make breakable glass model need configuring to make breakable

Wheel (excluded from 0.2.0 build) meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to illuminate as expected) pier model needs configurable joints and weights modifying to make stable

Subway meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to illuminate as expected) elevators are disabled escalators are missing from scene

Vents (excluded from 0.2.0 build) meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for scene to illuminate as expected) circular gravity simulation is not current compatible with Unity 5 (simulation needs replacing or updating to work with Unity 5)

Containers configurable joints on cables need modifying to make breakable

Race mode prototype weights for apparatus need modifying to be heavier session fails to end when competitor falls from apparatus contextual win condition information not shown in text overlay

Waves mode prototype stairs enclosure needs grab targets stairs enclosure needs enemy spawn behaviour when players enter

Break mode prototype win scenario not currently implemented weights and configurable joints need modifying to make stable contextual win condition information not shown in text overlay car colliders need remaking to approximate car geometry

Race protype meshes need UVs modifying to remove light baking artefacts (for the Incinerator scene to be illuminated as expected) contextual win condition information not shown in text overlay weights and configurable joints need modifying to make stable

Gang Beasts 0.2.0 Build Release Date Announcement

20 March 2015

It has taken several months and a significant amount of work to finish porting Gang Beasts to Unity 5 with PhysX 3.3 but we are now in a position to announce 31st March as the release date for the public build of the Unity 5 version of Gang Beasts (for reference the build number will be 0.2.0).

The 0.2.0 build has fully rebuilt character animation (see 1[vine.co],2[vine.co],3[vine.co] and 4[vine.co] for some short video examples), game audio[soundcloud.com], and game management systems with a number of Unity 5 specific implementations including Global Illumination, Physically Based Shading, procedural Audio Mixing, multithreaded physics simulations, High Dynamic Range Skyboxes and Reflection Probes.

The 0.2.0 build also replaces the current game input framework with the Rewired framework[guavaman.com] (an advanced input system for Unity) with improved support for keyboard and game controllers (see the Supported Controller page[guavaman.com] for a platform specific list of currently supported controllers).

We will make additional posts with more specific information about the new game modes, stages, character moves, and other improvements coming in the 0.2.0 build before the March 31st release date.

The summary of key improvements coming in 0.2.0 build are:

• a rebuilt character animation system (with significantly optimised performance and stability)

• a new procedural game audio playback system (with 6 reworked music tracks from Doseone[soundcloud.com] and Robert Larder[soundcloud.com])

• a series of new voice and effect samples (for leg, thigh, hip, crotch, waist, stomach, chest, upper arm, forearm, fist, and head collisions)

• a rebuit GUI (Graphical User Interface) using Unity's new UI system

• numerous rebuilt stages (made from modular environment assets)

• a waves mode with AI enemies (and an associated Rooftop stage)

• improved enemy AI (AI characters can differentiate between enemies and non-enemies, AI enemies are less aggressive)

• an exposed debbuging mode (for identifying issues with game environments, objects, and characters)

• a prototype Day to Night cycle

• a prototype single and co-op enemy waves game mode

• a prototype competitive obstacle race stage

• a prototype object destruction[vine.co] mode (with associated garage workshop stage)

Merry Christmas

24 DECEMBER 2014

24 DECEMBER, 2014 - BONELOAF We have added a number of Christmas themed customisations (Christmas Jumpers, Baubles, and Santa, Christmas Pudding, and Reindeer outfits) and a new fracturing ice sheet level to the current Unity 4.6 build whilst the final work on the unity 5 port is being finalised and tested.

We will continue to work on the Unity 5 port over the Christmas holiday to try to get it released as soon as we can.

Information on the Gang Beasts 0.1.6 Build

6 Dec 2014

This post has information on the coming 0.1.6 build.

We have solved the break force value issues identified in the last post but still have some stubborn tasks to finish and some testing to complete before the first Unity 5 version of Gang Beasts is released on Early Access, we expect the release to be this year but wanted to make a post to give information on the development road map for next year and information on our plans for sharing more frequent information about the development of the game following the Unity 5 release.

The work on the next release has prioritised moving Gang Beasts from the Unity 4.5 engine to Unity 5 but has also focused on removing or reducing annoyances associated with the limitations of the current control input implementation. The move to Unity 5 has meant a second significant reworking of the default character control scheme (as the PhysX 3.3 is much more exact than the system used for previous versions of the characters) but has given dramatically improved physics performance and improvements in general performance (this has temporarily slowed the development of the game but importantly gives much greater scope for interaction with physics objects).

At the same time as moving Gang Beasts from Unity 4.5 to Unity 5 we have also implemented Unity’s new Physically-based rendering (PBR) shaders and Global Illumination, we plan to share more information about these improvements in the coming weeks leading up to the release of the 0.1.6 build. We have also taken on additional freelance support to help with some development and non-development tasks (support, press, events, merchandising, legal etc.) to minimise interruptions and give the time to fully engage with Early Access.

To summarise the key technical work on the game is almost finished at which point we can start adding a glut of new content to the game, including new stages, new fighting moves, the new audio system, more character customisations, more character body types, sub-boss and boss fights, and additional game modes and environments.

There will be limited new content in the 0.1.6 release (similar to previous releases) but his will be followed by more significant content updates starting from January next year, we have setup a development log at http://beefcity.info to share frequent update information and other general development content (pre-viz images, play testing footage, technology tests etc.), the key content from theses posts will also be shared in weekly posts on Steam.

Gang Beasts Build 0.1.5 and Information on the Transition to Unity 5

1st Nov 2014

We are close to finishing the transition from Unity 4.6 to Unity 5 and the new Unity PhysX 3.3 implementation, but we still have a small number of issues to solve, the key issue still left to fix involves approximating the break force values used in the previous Unity 4.x builds (which is important for grabbing, lifting, pulling, and climbing), we have contacted members of the Unity technical staff for advice and expect to have a solution in the next few weeks.

To give everyone that has supported the development of Gang Beasts through Early Access some new content to play with for the Halloween weekend we have taken some content planned for the full Unity 5 release and added it to the last Unity 4.5 build (build 0.1.4), this build (build 0.1.5) is a minor update that includes the following modifications and additions:

a new stage with two shipping containers suspended from cranes 5 seasonal head customisations a debug function for arbitrarily spawning enemy AI and a small number of other objects in scenes improvements to the hazardousness of the hazards in the 'Grind' stage

Please note the 0.1.5 build does not have the significant performance improvements that will come with the Unity 5 build (as it is built with Unity 4.5).

Optimisations / Unity 5

We fully understand that waiting for Gang Beasts to be ported to Unity 5 / PhysX 3.3 is frustrating, especially for players with lower specification CPU’s but we need to prioritise porting to Unity 5 over making new content to exploit the significantly improved physics performance[blogs.unity3d.com] and avoid having to modify additional content made for Unity 4.5 to work with Unity 5. When the Unity 5 build of Gang Beasts is finished the minimum specifications for the game will be demonstrably lower than previous builds, to test the performance improvements we have added a debug function for spawning enemy AI and other objects in game (press the number keys 6, 7, 8 ,9, or 0 to spawn an object or enemy at the current cursor position), see this[vine.co] for an example of the debug spawning function and this[vine.co] for a Unity 5 test scene that uses close to 3000 balls (for a planned ball pit stage).

GUI

We have rebuilt the current GUI using the new Unity’s new uGUI tools, this makes the process of adding and / or modifying menu items, menus screen, and other UI objects (for game modes and custom characters etc.) significantly less complex.

Custom Input

We are implementing a solution that supports per player input customisation (including support for multiple players on the same keyboard), the solution also fixes the input device indexing issue that can occur with some controller configurations, we currently expect to release the custom input solution with the Unity 5 build.

Company

There have been numerous exciting developments that we can’t currently make public, including a second artist working on music and audio for the game (together with the current sound designer and musician Robert Larder), additional developers contributing assets and other game content, productive conversations with console platforms, and potential merchandising partnerships.

Support

We are currently in the process of adding more resources to help with support queries, if you have support issues with an Early Access build, please email support@boneloafery.com, this helps us to prioritise support for specific issues. If you have graphical or performance issues please include information about the operating system, manufacturer, and system specification in the email.

Beef City News

17 sep 2014

The information in this post has taken longer to collate (and confirm) than expected but we wanted to address the most frequent questions we’ve seen on the Steam forums, Facebook, Twitter, IndieDB and in email since we released the first alpha builds on Early Access.

Thank You Thank you for supporting the development of Gang Beasts by buying the Early Access version, we would not be in a position to continue the full time development of the game without your support. Thank you also to the people that have played and promoted the pre-alpha prototype builds that can be downloaded from IndieDB. Early Access We submitted Gang Beasts to Early Access to fund the development of the full game and to continue the development of the game in a public context that gives players of the game the scope to inform and give feedback on the development and plans for the game. Double Fine The publishing agreement we have with Double Fine gives us a glut of practical advice, and access to technical support and the other key resources that we identified as necessary to make the full version of Gang Beasts (without the pressure to compromise or modify key game mechanics or content). We are working with Double Fine to identify and solve specific issues with the current version of the game and to move to a more standardised development schedule with additional support and resources for testing, localisation processes, and other practical tasks. Pricing The Early Access price for Gang Beasts was informed by a review of the pricing for other Early Access games and conversations we had with other developers; the price is based on the level of content, number of game modes, variety of customisations, and number and variety of stages that are currently planned for the full version of the game (Steam users that support the development of Gang Beasts on Early Access automatically own the full version of the game when it is released). We have not set a date for the release of the full version but there will be many content updates and key technical improvements to the game whilst in Early Access.

The Pre-alpha builds We submitted the first pre-alpha build of Gang Beasts to IndieDB on 14 February 2014, the pre-alpha version of the game is currently similar to the Early Access build (with some key differences) but the pre-alpha build was not a stable platform for the development of the full game, this is partially due to the high number of forces that acted on the previous versions of the game characters (to structure the various character movements) but also because a significant percentage of the scripts and assets for the game were tests or temporary solutions. Significant sections of the game, the game characters, and assets have been refactored or rebuilt for the Early Access build (to make a stable platform for making and testing new content), we have made a number of minor updates to the Early Access build (current version is 0.1.4) and are now working to fix more involved bugs and issues such as the current lack of custom input support and adding support for explicit controller pairing.

Characters The Early Access builds of Gang Beasts have a rebuilt and optimised version of the Gang Beasts characters, the modifications were necessary to reduce the number of concurrent forces acting on them to prepare for the implementation of climbing, straddling, kicking, elbowing, and walking on inclines, stairs, and other undulating or uneven surfaces, we will continue to make modifications to the new versions of the characters to conform their movement more closely with the character movement in the 0.0.3 pre-alpha build, adding new contextual moves when needed. There will be additional body shapes / sizes to play as in coming builds. Customisations We plan to have a full character customisation system with a scheme for sharing customisations with others, we have reviewed various potential implementations but currently plan to continuing making and adding customisations to the Early Access builds before committing to a specific customisation system (see below for pre-viz of one of the gang customisations, for the Meat Factory district that we’re currently working on). Follow this link[fatknack.blogspot.co.uk] for more concept art

Stages We are working on a number of stages currently and plan to include several new stages in the next content release, the stages that are close to being releasable are a stage with a pair of suspended shipping containers, a cooling tower, and a revised version of the ‘Street’ stage (from the 0.0.2 pre-alpha builds), other stages that are currently in development are an industrial freezer room, a pedestrian foot bridge, an industrial storage facility, and a city park (to replace the ‘Sandbox’ stage from the pre-alpha builds). Game Modes We have plans for numerous game modes and mini-games, including boss fights (play as a boss vs friends), waves, vandalism (damage the vehicle), team and tournament modes, hat fights, and a single and co-op story mode with enemy AI and boss fights. We are working to modify the previous AI from the pre-alpha builds to work with the new version of the character and expect to include support for AI enemies in at least some of the stages in the next content release. Input We are working to add a custom GUI for the custom input mapping, this will allow multiple players to play on a single keyboard (we don't suggest playing with multiple players on the same keyboard unless you have anti-key ghosting hardware as standard keyboards are limited to approx. 6 concurrent registered key presses). The current (and previous) Early Access builds have an issue with indexing input devices with some configurations, this is because there is no unique ID associated with each connected input device i.e. the order of the list of connected input devices reported by the system is arbitrary (and can potentially include other devices), the solution we are working on forces players to explicitly associate their device with a character i.e. the first player to press ‘Jump’ is player 1, the second is player 2 etc. similar to the character selection screen in Mario Kart, Bomberman, and other multiplayer games.

Optimisation We have been working to port Gang Beasts to Unity 5 (Gang Beasts is made with the Unity game engine) for the last week, the performance improvements in testing have been are significant. We are continuing to work on optimisations for the current and coming stages but have moved from Unity 4.5 to Unity 5 for the next significant release (the first content release on Early Access) as we expect this to make Gang Beasts substantially more performant on most systems (see the YouTube video herefor a comparison). We can’t currently give an estimation for when this content release will be submitted to Steam but it is a key priority.

Networking We have listed Gang Beasts on Steam as an exclusively local multiplayer game to avoid confusion. We have had many requests for online support and want to have support for online modes but we can’t commit to adding support until we have implemented a stable, tested, and working solution (and have secured the various resources necessary to support it). We are working with Multiplay to identify potential schemes for an online implementation. Support If you have support issues with the current build, please email support@boneloafery.com, this helps us to prioritise support for specific issues. If you have graphical or performance issues please include information about the operating system, manufacturer, and system specification.

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.5.5 beta

We have finished testing on the 0.5.5 beta build (published with this post), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.5 beta build are:

• added provisional AI enemy costume sets waves gang members for testing
• fixed an input issue that made character input(s) submitted when invoking the pause menu to span the menu (sending the same set of character inputs as the pause menu is exited)
• fixed an issue that stopped the audible playback of concussion SFX when characters are rendered unconscious
• fixed an issue with the server filters implementation that ignored Canada (Montreal) and UK (London) geographies when selecting / deselecting all geographies
• fixed an issue with calling the pause menu that could stall the game if the menu is invoked immediately before joining a server
• modified colliders on the chute stage to optimise and stabilise physics simulations
• modified colliders on the subways stage to optimise and stabilise physics simulations
• modified the attachment trigger volume for the UID 23 Hobo_woollyHat (HEAD) costume part
• modified the billboard panels on the billboard stage to make them removable
• modified the hat attachment implementation to limit the scope for rotation
• modified the server filters UI implementation to support the selection / deselection of the Canada (Montreal) and UK (London) filters with keyboard and controller input
• replaced the loading screen and interstitial screen system with placeholder hint content and rasterised compositions of stage geometry (to show the next stage loading) Current issues identified with the 0.5.5 beta build are:
• 4th wall is still climbable on the subway and vents stages
• dynamic and static friction parameters need modifying for falling meat paste sacks (to modify and stabilise the velocity of falling meat)
• missing colliders on the open rucksack model (UID 173 costume_rucksack)
• missing section of building geometry at left of gondola and elevators stages
• the screens masking stage loading can fail to dismiss in some context
• enemy AI are persistently aggressive

Please note the 0.5.5 beta build replaces the 0.5.4p2 beta build for server compatibility (moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the same 0.5.5 beta build)

Patch notes for the Gang Beasts 0.5.7 beta

In June we have continued working with Coatsink to address performance and stability issues and other annoyances, part of this work can be tested in the 0.5.7 Early Access build and associated server configurations (published with this post). The key patches and optimisations in the 0.5.7 build are specific fixes for the character distortion and freezing glitches introduced in the transition to Unity 5.6 (and other physics stability issues), a significant decreases in CPU use, numerous networking and matchmaking stability fixes, and reduced build sizes.



Other work included in the 0.5.7 build includes modified and optimised city geometry for the background of exterior stages (only in the blimp and girders stages currently), modified and optimised geometry for the girders, incinerator, and wheel stages, Rick and Morty character costumes and multiple new character costume parts [1], large enemy AI body types for enemy AI (in the current waves stages), an improved AI for the waves game mode (AI aggression and throwing still need additional work but can be tested in the grind and incinerator stages), and a modified colour tinting system to support more variation for costume customisations.

Other work that is partially exposed in the 0.5.7 build includes the implementation of a custom atlasing system for scene optimisation (this is the last stage in the stage optimisation workflow, only the gondola and wheel stages use this system in the 0.5.7 build but the other stages are being moved to the atlas system currently), a custom buoyancy system (only exposed on the wheel stage in the 0.5.7 build for testing but will be moved to the other stages that have water or meat paste volumes when the current buoyancy parameters have been modified and standardised).

Other work not exposed in the 0.5.7 build includes modified and optimised geometry for the alley, grind, towers, and roof stages, optimisations to the character and prop physics implementations to significantly lower the frequency of physics calculations made per frame and stabilise collisions.

14 of the 16 public stages support online in 0.5.7 build, the key priorities for July are to execute the current QA schedule, finish the last modifications and optimisations and add online support for the chutes and towers stages, finish the last modifications and optimisations for the alley and roof stages, make a last pass to standardise character, prop physics optimisations and climbing, fixes and improvements to matchmaking, game modes, UI, localisations, and post processing.

The list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.7 Early Access beta build are:

• added modified and optimised city geometry to the blimp and girders stages
• added 17 new costume customisation parts and cat, panda, penguin, and rhinoceros kigurumi costumes
• added food production worker 1, food production worker 2, boiler suit, and security guard costume presets for enemy AI on the grind and incinerator stages
• added large character body types for enemy AI in waves mode
• added modified and optimised geometry for the girders stage (with local and online support)
• added modified and optimised geometry for the incinerator (with local and online support)
• added modified and optimised geometry for the wheel stage (with local and online support)
• added multiple stage escalations to the wheel stage
• fixed a significant physics issue that made character geometry distort and freeze
• fixed an issue that stops clients from joining servers if they had previously disconnected from a server in the same game session
• fixed an issue where characters could pass into the grinders on the grind stage without entering the concussive state
• fixed an issue with trains SFX ignoring the game SFX volume settings
• modified and optimised city geometry to blimp and girders stage
• modified concussion SFX to only trigger if characters are subjected to a concussive blow (concussion SFX should not trigger for falling and sinking hazards)
• modified the colour system to support tinting (to support costume customisations variations)
• modified gondola and wheel stages to use a custom atlasing system for performance (this work is the last batch of planned optimisations for the stage geometry)
• modified server configuration to automatically restart less frequently (restarts is necessary for clearing memory)
• modified some trigger volume tests to optimise performance and make detect specific character interactions and events (for the achievement implementation)
• modified the climbing implementations for online and local games to standardise
• modified and optimised UI for the character selection and character customisations screens
• reduced memory usage
• reduced the game file size by approximately 40% / 1.25GB
• removed some redundant code from the client for optimisation
• replaced buoyancy with optimised custom implementation (objects float before sinking. characters float but lose stamina, concussed characters sink)
• temporarily removed the game over messaging for local single melee player games
• temporarily removed support for the waves mode for the grind stage

The list of key issues identified with the 0.5.7 Early Access beta build are:

• issues with camera on wheel stage (we are working on implementing support for the new Unity Cinemachine 2.0 CinemachineTargetGroup to improve the tracking of multiple characters)
• issues with colliders on the pier on the wheel stage (online only)
• costume parts can show through other costume parts in some context with some costume configurations
• the implementation for the bridge deformation in vents needs modifications to stabilise the bridge
• water implementation is not standardised
• modified and optimised Beef City geometry is not standardised for external stages

[1] the full list of costume parts FastFood_foodHygieneForageHat, FoodProduction_01_foodHygieneHat, FoodProduction_01_foodHygieneJacketWithGloves, FoodProduction_01_foodHygieneShoes, Garbage_hiVisVest Garbage_militaryCap, GroundsKeeper_overallsBottom, GroundsKeeper_overallsTop, Paremedic_bumbag, costume_tophat, costume_fez, costume_sombrero, costume_denimVest, costume_denimjacket, IceCreamVendor_iceCreamManShorts, Construction_hardHat, and Construction_dungarees