Feb. 17 – Where I’m At

Content Update #2 is coming along nicely! Here is my to-do list:

• ability to buy new ships
• develop boost/engine sounds for new ships
• ability to buy and use attachments
• integrate attachments and new ships into LAN play
• third-person fighter view
• add third-person EMP effect
• remove online DRM and allow offline mode
• add short engine thruster contrails for extra cool appearance
• add volcanic planet from new upcoming missions
• validor first-person cockpit
• nausica first-person cockpit
• cruisers should explode into chunks when dead
• graphical effect: film grain
• graphical effect: chromatic aberration
• player request: add mouse pilot sensitivity option
• bug: fix an issue with mission warp-in sequence in 3rd-person view
• bug: fix an issue that occurs with empty mission stats
• bug: fix warp zoom when colliding with objects
• bug: fix issue that occurs with laserbolt depth testing
• bug: target leading in 3rd-person view needs tweaking
• bug: fighters can get stuck in cruiser debris

Third-person view and the ability to buy new ships are the features I’m most excited about. I’ve also added some quality-of-life things, such as short engine trails and improved post-processing effects. Cruisers will now also explode into chunks. I should’ve implemented this a long time ago! It makes destroying them so satisfying you’ll need a cigarette afterwards.

The player blows an enemy cruiser into several different pieces.

The player will be able to choose between 3 different ships to fly.

Another major feature is actually a removal: I’m removing online DRM! Ultimately, I care more about providing a good experience for legitimate players than foaming at the mouth to viciously defend my creation like a rabid hyena. I don’t want anyone to suffer because they don’t have a good Internet connection! After Content Update #2, Hypergate players won’t need an Internet connection to play. Of course, the leaderboard and other online features won’t work in offline mode until a connection is restored, but this won’t inhibit gameplay at all.

A new Hypergate location, Autumn Reach, will be an important location in Content Update #3’s continued story.

A new interesting feature I’m working on is attachments. These are micro-upgrades that you choose from to enhance specific ship abilities. Each one is upgradeable a total of 4 times, and you can equip only one attachment at a time from the Upgrade Hangar. By choosing the appropriate attachment, you can gain a slight advantage over your unwitting opponents. Here they are:

• Emitter coil: Increase shield strength by a few percent
• Hex wave package: Increase EMP time by a couple of seconds
• Energetics projector: Infuse cannons with some extra damage
• Heat sink: Increase heat dissipation by a few percent
• Afterburner chamber: Increase boost speed by a few percent
• High-energy sensor package: Increase gun and missile locking ranges

I’m optimistically hoping to release Content Update #2 at the end of March. Stay tuned and don’t change that channel!

GN