Good Day everyone.
Back again with another year in review, where we'll run through all major events/developments of the past year, related to our favorite game in development, Em-8ER.
For those looking to read through the recap for the year 2018, go here: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/em-8er-a-year-in-review.1389/
Before we delve into the events though, a few quick notes. The plan for Em-8ER was to have the kickstarter sometime in the year 2019. Unfortunately we didn't achieve said goal. This can be attributed to a change in scope and plans for the kickstarter. Having evaluated games and related kickstarter programs, Grummz made the call to increase the scope of the Playable Mockup, in order to better compete with other games-in-dev. This meant that the kickstarter had to be delayed so that the team could work out how to add more features to the Playable Mockup, thereby bringing this little community driven project up to par with larger scale projects.
While this did dampen spirits a little, there's no doubting that it has been to the benefit of the game. We'll get to the nitty-gritty of it all, down below.
Do note, I have only included those events that have some traceable record somewhere, either the Official YT channel, Twitch Stream or the forums. Several Chief Chats were conducted off-stream, recorded, but are yet to be uploaded to any of the official channels. Thus, these have not been included in this list.
Also, I will not be going into too much descriptive text, as this post is pretty massive as is.
Now that that's out of the way, let's jump right in.
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January
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21-Jan-19:
Em-8ER running on a $250 PC
YT Link:
In this video, Grummz tries to get Em-8ER to run on a low end ~$250 PC build. Optimization is very important for games, and Grummz and his team gets the ball rolling early on this aspect, by tweaking the game from the earliest builds.
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February
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5-Feb-19:
Em-8ER Mocap Curse
YT Link:
The team gets to work on motion capture for the human characters in Em-8ER using the recently delivered Perception Neuron Mocap suit. However, things don't exactly go according to plan. We did get a few memes out of it though.
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12-Feb-19:
Em-8ER revamped Hair system
YT Link:
Sticking with the theme of optimization, Grummz revamps the hair system being used for Em-8ER, to improve performance and help achieve 60 fps on lower end rigs.
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26-Feb-19:
Creating Terrain for Em-8ER
YT Link:
In this video, Grummz takes us through the process of creating Terrain for the game. He explains how the team uses real-life references to inspire and guide them through setting up themed terrain for Em-8ER
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March
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1-Mar-19:
Grummz's Reddit AmA
Forum Link to AmA excerpts: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/ama-with-grummz-tomorrow-on-r-gaming-completed.1417/#post-44122
A reddit AmA by Grummz on r/pcgaming where he fields questions regarding his time with Red5 and Firefall, and his plans for Em-8ER.
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18-Mar-19:
Multiplayer and Dropships
YT Link:
Additional snaps: https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1107779865653231621
Grummz delves into the first of the aforementioned scope upgrades for the Playable Mockup, changing the Mockup from Single-Player to Multiplayer. He also reveals the fully modeled Founder's Dropship.
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April
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7-Apr-19:
Mark Kern interview with The Gaming Ground.
Link: http://thegg.net/interviews/intervi...d-memories-gaming-and-thoughts-on-censorship/
While not directly related to Em-8ER, this interview provides a few insights into the development process, so I've decided to include it here. Warning: NSFW ads.
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30-Apr-19:
10k Forum members.
Another milestone for the community. We hit 10k forum signups.
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May
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3-May-19:
Firefall Ability News
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ri3th7933E
Forum link to excerpts from the Chief Chat: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/chief-chat-friday-may-3rd-3pm-pst-10-k-celebration.1456/#post-45436
Grummz conducted a Chief Chat on discord where he announced that all Firefall abilities shall be ported over into Em-8ER. The video is the entirety of the Chief Chat, about an hour long. For quick notes of the major discussions, check the forum link above.
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6-May-19:
Subscription Program live.
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCi9c-jD8AM
Forum Link: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/em8er-subscriptions-live.1465/
Backer Page link: https://my.em8er.com/perks/campaign/7
Grummz announces the launch of a patreon -style subscription program to support the development of Em-8ER on an ongoing basis. The subscription program would provide exclusive monthly skins, access to a live document Vision Book, chapters of the Em-8ER novel written by Grummz himself and access to the ruleset for the Gatestriders TTRPG being developed alongside Em-8ER.
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24-May-19:
Dev Stream: Firefall Memories
Download Link 1: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JqgV3ETnOjPT3wGQ46zkZ9WgcTCNaKj0
Download Link 2: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Q-CosaFtyGggVsxocy0szSHR3yO42vbV
Grummz takes us on a journey across Firefall using the Arcporter Tool, created by The Melding Wars Team.
Arcporter Mod release
Link: https://github.com/themeldingwars/Arcporter/releases/download/v0.2/Arcporter.exe
Instructions:
Firefall was a gem that was lost. Servers had been taken offline and game builds were no longer available. And yet, the love the community had for what was, or rather, could have been, one of the most interesting MMOs on the market, was so great, folks would simply leave the login page running just to listen to the music.
One enterprising team, however, was not happy with just that. The Melding Wars team set about rebuilding Firefall, and though their progress was terribly slow, their efforts gave the community the Arcporter Mod. This tool would allow individuals access to all the maps in Firefall, granting them the ability to roam about maps in free-cam mode and visit their favorite haunts from back in the day.
Note 1:
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30-May-19:
Em-8ER dev stream
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17_9vZGKzC5Eb6pzFJKq8xMNLfln7OXId
Em-8ER development stream where Grummz gives the first glimpse of MEK-A mechanics, including sprinting, strafing, gliding and glider pads.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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Subscription skin for May 2019:
Plasma Cannon Skin
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June
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7-Jun-19:
First teasers of the Terrain for Em-8ER
Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/586319089400545314/ScreenShot00001.png
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11-Jun-19:
Terrain update
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bAcnMulj358R2qgexifM_4NVAe90ptj6
YT Link (video by Community member Skube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDNjhCrz4vM
The community gets its first look at the Terrain for Em-8ER. Code named New Copa, the terrain shown here is the last stage of terraforming the icy landscape.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1.
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14-Jun-19:
Character Art revamp
Link:
Character art inspiration: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...96959750157/appleseed_ex_machina_349_1680.jpg
Grummz spent time with the community on discord talking about his plans for the character art. He observed that the community wasn't overtly impressed with the player character models and how Firefall lost a lot of potential players simply because they were thrown off by the player character art. He explained his intent to move to more stylized art, drawing inspiration from Appleseed, with customizable bodies and sliders.
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18-Jun-19
WIP Character models
Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/590624936050294784/u6TkiqeT.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/590624967075561472/f1.jpg
Grummz and Toshi reveals the first shots of the revamped character models
Light Omniframe model first sketches
Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/590624936050294784/u6TkiqeT.jpg
Further to expanding the scope of the Playable Mockup, Grummz had been talking about adding a Light omniframe model to the build. Here, he reveals the first sketches of the concept.
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27-Jun-19:
Omniframe Movement Demo
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cepbuUbpCJSXUygQeL-_MnUyrIcpS-dB
YT Link (video by Community member Skube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=widGoKt-UgY
First look at the Medium omniframe and it's movement (walking, running, jetpacking, gliding) mechanics on in-game terrain.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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28-Jun-19
Em-8ER first playable Achieved
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ2Nlf54kuY
Official video from Grummz on the eve of a major milestone for Em-8ER: it's first playable build.
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Subscription Skin for June 2019:
The Crixa team commissioned the artist CuteSexyRobutts to concept official geesuit skins for players. These skins are part of the rewards for subscribers and will be made available to use once the game goes live. These monthly skins will no longer be available for purchase once the month is done, instead they will be vaulted and return as rare unlocks after the game is released.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cutesexyrobutts (Warning: the artist posts all their work to their twitter page. Their work is moderately to extremely NSFW)
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July
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2-Jul-19:
Chief Chat with Light Omniframe model reveal (one of several possible builds)
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S3BmfcC_7C-Nhz1GF87Z67lDUN4sHcXO
Light Omniframe art link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/595685728546193418/light-frame-3.jpg
Grummz reveals official art for the Light Omniframe. This is one of several possible builds for the Light archetype.
Artist: Tommaso Renieri
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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9-Jul-19:
Discord Server Verified
With the discord server verified, the community gets access to greater bandwidth in voice channels, custom splash art and most importantly, the server now shows up in searches. Another step closer towards the big reveal to the larger gaming community.
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12-Jul-19:
Chief Chat
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s5JOXB115nc4oZRuwkjY631MqX9z4Bnh
Grummz talks about the dev progress on Em-8ER and preparation for the Multiplayer build on locally hosted servers.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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14-Jul-19:
Multiplayer Ground-based movement builds - Locally hosted
Another step towards the Multiplayer Playable Mockup as the team releases a 5-player, locally hosted, Multiplayer build with ground-based movement mechanics.
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26-Jul-19:
Geesuit WIP snaps
Art Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...86310184/939c9a459081d0e5cc63fc60854f689c.png
Grummz reveals the first snaps of the WIP geesuits, on discord.
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Subscriber skin for July 2019:
Another official skin from CuteSexyRobutts, this time for the OP-AI hologram that assist pilots in their Omniframe
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August
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15-Aug-19
Chief Chat and Livestream with first look at abilities - Dedicated Servers
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CcIWSQ8RFxnqZuI93U6Kv0NI7Lvn79L1
First look at the MEK-A abilities in Em-8ER. The first ability, revealed here, is the Deepstryke, a variant of the Crater ability from Firefall. Plus, the team moves from locally hosted servers to dedicated servers. The subscription program had several interim goals, the first being Dedicated servers for the builds upon reaching 250 subscribers. Another massive step towards bringing the community together in a proper multiplayer environment.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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22-Aug-19
Multiplayer Movement Build with Abilities and Stress Test- Dedicated Servers
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DlW6tIrlCZOXh0fS4JusU_QGRaRpvdLG
The builds don't stop coming. More progress, with the team releasing the multiplayer test build to backers. The server hosts up to 64 players at once, a true multiplayer environment.
Backers were tasked with overloading and stress testing servers. They were more than happy to oblige as they glided around, used abilities and made a general nuisance of themselves.
Task failed successfully: No crashes even at max server load. Suffice to say this was an important milestone for the team at Crixa.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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29-Aug-19
Em-8ER Movement Build and 100 Player stress test - Even more abilities
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aJggDytQV1fXphSlI73pOe4ILO8GQZdx
Another week, another stress test. The player cap has been increased to a 100 players. Plus, another ability ported from Firefall, Em-8ER's variant of Afterburner, Overthrust.
Also, the stress testers continued to fail in spectacular fashion, as their shenanigans didn't so much as put a dent on the stability of the servers.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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Subscriber Skin for August 2019:
Another geesuit skin, another banger from CuteSexyRobutts, and this time it's a take on the classic Firefall Engineer battleframe.
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September
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19-Sep-19
Multiplayer Movement and Gunplay Demo
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nrxE0FbNAdn5veE83Nrb9QH9TBYJaQB0 (Stream 1)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GHVA8MFTUEhO0mkb5c-PjjUGX-qSanaP (Stream 2)
Guns, shooting, sliding and oblivious aliens. Em-8ER receives its first weapons, a variant of the Plasma Cannon from Firefall. Weapon mechanics are put to test in a 100 player environment. Unfortunately, the enemy mechanics weren't ready for the build and so they served as nothing more than test dummies.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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23-Sep-19
Chief Chat
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ttI4qIPOjbZpL9ZUIWNpqujUfry3s5fo
Casual Chief Chat about released builds and the plans for the future, including the Light Omniframe in the Playable Mockup (as a reward for crossing the 500 subscribers goal), Shield Surfing for Heavy Omniframes and concepting the Heavy Omniframe at 750 subscribers.
Discussions of note:
Please refer Note 1
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Subscriber Skin for September 2019
A break from the norm, the skin for October was done by DizDoodz, this one a geesuit skin for male pilots.
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/dizdoodz (Warning: Moderatly to Extremely NSFW content)
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October
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24-Oct-19:
Elite Kaiju Crodus reveal
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStbrb3JIDU
Art:
Artist: Randy Toroni
Artstation Link: https://www.artstation.com/ryonk
Crodus is a Cat 4 Kaiju, a named Elite Kaiju Prime, one of seven named elite beasts that are part of the Kaiju Pantheon that can be found in Em-8ER. This is a multi-stage encounter that will require around 100 pilots to defeat.
Note 2:
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Subscription Skin for October 2019:
A genderbend version of the September skin, art by CuteSexyRobutts:
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October Surprise Skin
Art Link: https://media.discordapp.net/attach...mehalloween2019small.png?width=420&height=702
A special themed skin for Halloween, art by Tommaso Renieri.
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November
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10-Nov-19:
WIP Female Model
Art Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/203762223775088640/642921920509116445/screenshot001.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/203762223775088640/642921884379250708/screenshot003_2.jpg
More progress on the female player character courtesy of Toshi
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18-Nov-19
WIP Female model
Art Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/645844506541031464/Suit.gif
More progress on the female player character courtesy of Toshi.
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Subscriber skin for November 2019:
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December
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12-Dec-19:
Multiplayer Combat and Movement Build (PvP Enabled)
Deviating a bit from the plan, the team at Crixa set up a PvP build for backers. While Em-8ER is strictly focussed on PvE, the PvP build was the quickest and easiest way to test weapon architecture and networking without having to integrate enemy AI and mechanics.
Please refer Note 2
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Subscriber Skin for December 2019
A Double special this month and a new mount reveal for Em-8ER. The skin includes a pilot geesuit skin by CuteSexyRobutts and a Wrenga, a wolf-like beast, named Morrigan, art by Randy Toroni
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And that, fellow reapers and visitors, is an overview of all the major events and reveals of 2019. Other noteworthy announcements are detailed below:
Subscription Program
Upcoming Builds
I would like to thank you all for your continued support of Em-8ER. Wish you all a wonderful year ahead.
Before I close out, I'll leave you with another video, of some sliding shenanigans, by community member Skube. Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UsQVMQGewM
Cheers
Maven
PS: Terribly sorry about the massive video downloads. I am in no way affiliated to Crixa and have absolutely no right to upload these videos to Youtube. The google drive setup was the only way for me to share these videos with others. Hope you understand. If any of these don't work, please let me know and I'll try upload them again.
PPS: I've had to compress several of the pictures in this thread. For high-res downloads, please go here: https://my.em8er.com/downloads
Back again with another year in review, where we'll run through all major events/developments of the past year, related to our favorite game in development, Em-8ER.
For those looking to read through the recap for the year 2018, go here: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/em-8er-a-year-in-review.1389/
Before we delve into the events though, a few quick notes. The plan for Em-8ER was to have the kickstarter sometime in the year 2019. Unfortunately we didn't achieve said goal. This can be attributed to a change in scope and plans for the kickstarter. Having evaluated games and related kickstarter programs, Grummz made the call to increase the scope of the Playable Mockup, in order to better compete with other games-in-dev. This meant that the kickstarter had to be delayed so that the team could work out how to add more features to the Playable Mockup, thereby bringing this little community driven project up to par with larger scale projects.
While this did dampen spirits a little, there's no doubting that it has been to the benefit of the game. We'll get to the nitty-gritty of it all, down below.
Do note, I have only included those events that have some traceable record somewhere, either the Official YT channel, Twitch Stream or the forums. Several Chief Chats were conducted off-stream, recorded, but are yet to be uploaded to any of the official channels. Thus, these have not been included in this list.
Also, I will not be going into too much descriptive text, as this post is pretty massive as is.
Now that that's out of the way, let's jump right in.
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January
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21-Jan-19:
Em-8ER running on a $250 PC
YT Link:
In this video, Grummz tries to get Em-8ER to run on a low end ~$250 PC build. Optimization is very important for games, and Grummz and his team gets the ball rolling early on this aspect, by tweaking the game from the earliest builds.
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February
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5-Feb-19:
Em-8ER Mocap Curse
YT Link:
The team gets to work on motion capture for the human characters in Em-8ER using the recently delivered Perception Neuron Mocap suit. However, things don't exactly go according to plan. We did get a few memes out of it though.
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12-Feb-19:
Em-8ER revamped Hair system
YT Link:
Sticking with the theme of optimization, Grummz revamps the hair system being used for Em-8ER, to improve performance and help achieve 60 fps on lower end rigs.
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26-Feb-19:
Creating Terrain for Em-8ER
YT Link:
In this video, Grummz takes us through the process of creating Terrain for the game. He explains how the team uses real-life references to inspire and guide them through setting up themed terrain for Em-8ER
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March
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1-Mar-19:
Grummz's Reddit AmA
Forum Link to AmA excerpts: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/ama-with-grummz-tomorrow-on-r-gaming-completed.1417/#post-44122
A reddit AmA by Grummz on r/pcgaming where he fields questions regarding his time with Red5 and Firefall, and his plans for Em-8ER.
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18-Mar-19:
Multiplayer and Dropships
YT Link:
Grummz delves into the first of the aforementioned scope upgrades for the Playable Mockup, changing the Mockup from Single-Player to Multiplayer. He also reveals the fully modeled Founder's Dropship.
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April
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7-Apr-19:
Mark Kern interview with The Gaming Ground.
Link: http://thegg.net/interviews/intervi...d-memories-gaming-and-thoughts-on-censorship/
While not directly related to Em-8ER, this interview provides a few insights into the development process, so I've decided to include it here. Warning: NSFW ads.
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30-Apr-19:
10k Forum members.
Another milestone for the community. We hit 10k forum signups.
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May
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3-May-19:
Firefall Ability News
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ri3th7933E
Forum link to excerpts from the Chief Chat: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/chief-chat-friday-may-3rd-3pm-pst-10-k-celebration.1456/#post-45436
Grummz conducted a Chief Chat on discord where he announced that all Firefall abilities shall be ported over into Em-8ER. The video is the entirety of the Chief Chat, about an hour long. For quick notes of the major discussions, check the forum link above.
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6-May-19:
Subscription Program live.
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCi9c-jD8AM
Forum Link: https://forums.em8er.com/threads/em8er-subscriptions-live.1465/
Backer Page link: https://my.em8er.com/perks/campaign/7
Grummz announces the launch of a patreon -style subscription program to support the development of Em-8ER on an ongoing basis. The subscription program would provide exclusive monthly skins, access to a live document Vision Book, chapters of the Em-8ER novel written by Grummz himself and access to the ruleset for the Gatestriders TTRPG being developed alongside Em-8ER.
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24-May-19:
Dev Stream: Firefall Memories
Download Link 1: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JqgV3ETnOjPT3wGQ46zkZ9WgcTCNaKj0
Download Link 2: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Q-CosaFtyGggVsxocy0szSHR3yO42vbV
Grummz takes us on a journey across Firefall using the Arcporter Tool, created by The Melding Wars Team.
Arcporter Mod release
Link: https://github.com/themeldingwars/Arcporter/releases/download/v0.2/Arcporter.exe
Instructions:
Firefall was a gem that was lost. Servers had been taken offline and game builds were no longer available. And yet, the love the community had for what was, or rather, could have been, one of the most interesting MMOs on the market, was so great, folks would simply leave the login page running just to listen to the music.
One enterprising team, however, was not happy with just that. The Melding Wars team set about rebuilding Firefall, and though their progress was terribly slow, their efforts gave the community the Arcporter Mod. This tool would allow individuals access to all the maps in Firefall, granting them the ability to roam about maps in free-cam mode and visit their favorite haunts from back in the day.
Note 1:
These are official twitch streams that have not been uploaded to youtube or elsewhere. I had to download these videos separately, from Twitch, and save them on disk for viewing later since Twitch does not save VODs older than 60 days. I had to then re-upload the videos to google drive to make them available to others. These are large files, so be judicious about downloading them if on capped bandwidth. You can check the size of each video at the top right of the screen, under details.
30-May-19:
Em-8ER dev stream
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17_9vZGKzC5Eb6pzFJKq8xMNLfln7OXId
Em-8ER development stream where Grummz gives the first glimpse of MEK-A mechanics, including sprinting, strafing, gliding and glider pads.
Discussions of note:
- Unreal engine test level
- Medium Omniframe basic movement, sprinting
- Jetpacks fine-tuned, forward movement and strafing, hover mechanics
- First glider-pad build and gliding mechanics including stall
- Gliding restricted to Glider pads
- Grummz is of the opinion that free flight effectively shrinks the world and reduces immersion
- Wants to prevent gliding out of combat
- Em-8ER to focus on crafting, invasions, thumping, kaiju battles, frame-building
- Scope to increase later a la Warframe
- Crafting: expansive tree with branching segments, ability to specialize down any part of the tree
- Unlock recipes by putting money into researching it by contributing resources at bases
- More resources put into bases, and the more bases you defend/build, the faster your research
- Additional node unlocks by killing kaiju and farming bio-tech.
- Drops go into research trees and unlocks blueprints used to craft weapons, abilities, passives, frames etc
- Limiting server player numbers: create a better sense of community, shards/layers would be convoluted to implement with a dynamic base destruction/building system. The plan is to have multiple servers instead of layers/shards, use cloud servers - cheaper to set up additional servers
- Map sizes: 2 km x 2 km to 8 km x 8 km
- Map-wide invasions within each zone. Not all zones will be invaded simultaneously. Players that don't wish to take part in battle can still aid the war-effort by thumping resources and sending them to the war-front to gain advantages
- Animations, jet-pack poses and visual effects in the works
- Terrain: Landscape shaders, materials being worked on
- Current subscriber count: 88
- Playable Mockup: Plan to have 5 players
- MEK customization: multiple slots - lower legs, forearms, shoulder pads, jetpods, wings, shoulder mounted pods, thigh plates
- Cosmetic sales/skins - mix and match parts/geometry swaps to create unique combination, more skins you buy, exponentially more combinations. Plus THMPR customization.
- Skins can be earned in-game
Please refer Note 1
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Subscription skin for May 2019:
Plasma Cannon Skin
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June
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7-Jun-19:
First teasers of the Terrain for Em-8ER
Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/586319089400545314/ScreenShot00001.png
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11-Jun-19:
Terrain update
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bAcnMulj358R2qgexifM_4NVAe90ptj6
YT Link (video by Community member Skube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDNjhCrz4vM
The community gets its first look at the Terrain for Em-8ER. Code named New Copa, the terrain shown here is the last stage of terraforming the icy landscape.
Discussions of note:
- Terrain demo
- New Copa - terraforming stage 4 (final stage)
- Terrain generated using Houdini - procedurally generated
- All maps will start as Ice covered regions and terraformed over multiple stages
- If bases are destroyed by the enemy faction, the terraformed state will revert to the ice-covered stage
- Current subscriber count: 90
Please refer Note 1.
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14-Jun-19:
Character Art revamp
Link:
Character art inspiration: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...96959750157/appleseed_ex_machina_349_1680.jpg
Grummz spent time with the community on discord talking about his plans for the character art. He observed that the community wasn't overtly impressed with the player character models and how Firefall lost a lot of potential players simply because they were thrown off by the player character art. He explained his intent to move to more stylized art, drawing inspiration from Appleseed, with customizable bodies and sliders.
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18-Jun-19
WIP Character models
Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/590624936050294784/u6TkiqeT.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/590624967075561472/f1.jpg
Grummz and Toshi reveals the first shots of the revamped character models
Light Omniframe model first sketches
Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/590624936050294784/u6TkiqeT.jpg
Further to expanding the scope of the Playable Mockup, Grummz had been talking about adding a Light omniframe model to the build. Here, he reveals the first sketches of the concept.
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27-Jun-19:
Omniframe Movement Demo
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cepbuUbpCJSXUygQeL-_MnUyrIcpS-dB
YT Link (video by Community member Skube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=widGoKt-UgY
First look at the Medium omniframe and it's movement (walking, running, jetpacking, gliding) mechanics on in-game terrain.
Discussions of note:
- Em-8ER Movement demo
- Omniframe added to Terrain demo
- Temporary fuel indicators and fuel consumption mechanics implemented
- New glider pad art
- Glider pads being reconsidered - allow players to deploy gliders at will.
- Dynamic events to be introduced after game launch
- Dynamic events can spawn at random locations. Enemies and rewards will vary based on spawn location
- Director AI will take player activity into consideration and spawn relevant/appropriate dynamic events to challenge them.
- Eventually Grummz wants the AI to generate it's own dynamic events - this is only in a 'can-it?' phase for now
- For launch - AI generals directing enemy attack patterns
- Post Launch - introduce dynamic events driven and handled by a Director AI
- Future - can the AI start concepting its own dynamic events?
- Current subscriber count - 115
- No professions, will have specializations instead, the tech tree is massive and an individual is not expected to unlock everything
- Giant mechs can be built if the clan has enough resources, not all weaponry is available for all invasions, releasing a jaeger class mech will be possible under certain conditions
Please refer Note 1
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28-Jun-19
Em-8ER first playable Achieved
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ2Nlf54kuY
Official video from Grummz on the eve of a major milestone for Em-8ER: it's first playable build.
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Subscription Skin for June 2019:
The Crixa team commissioned the artist CuteSexyRobutts to concept official geesuit skins for players. These skins are part of the rewards for subscribers and will be made available to use once the game goes live. These monthly skins will no longer be available for purchase once the month is done, instead they will be vaulted and return as rare unlocks after the game is released.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cutesexyrobutts (Warning: the artist posts all their work to their twitter page. Their work is moderately to extremely NSFW)
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July
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2-Jul-19:
Chief Chat with Light Omniframe model reveal (one of several possible builds)
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S3BmfcC_7C-Nhz1GF87Z67lDUN4sHcXO
Light Omniframe art link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/595685728546193418/light-frame-3.jpg
Grummz reveals official art for the Light Omniframe. This is one of several possible builds for the Light archetype.
Artist: Tommaso Renieri
Discussions of note:
- Current subscriber count: 313
- Dedicated server goal (250 subscribers) achieved
- Sky system changed, Truesky removed
- Light Omniframe reveal - only frame capable of dual wielding
- Light Omniframe - to be modelled and added to the Playable Mockup at 500 subs
- Light omniframe: compacted wings, in glide mode there is an extended energy edge that comes out from the wings to make them longer
- Hard driver mode for Light omniframe: akin to Hard armor over your body a la Ironman suit
- Upgrade thmpr for higher level thmpr encounters, method to hunt smaller kaiju, 125% full THMPR - summons mini kaiju
- Terraforming - visual changes shall be stage-wise
- Scanner buildings can be added to bases and additional resources donated to improve odds of finding the exact resource a player needs
Please refer Note 1
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9-Jul-19:
Discord Server Verified
With the discord server verified, the community gets access to greater bandwidth in voice channels, custom splash art and most importantly, the server now shows up in searches. Another step closer towards the big reveal to the larger gaming community.
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12-Jul-19:
Chief Chat
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s5JOXB115nc4oZRuwkjY631MqX9z4Bnh
Grummz talks about the dev progress on Em-8ER and preparation for the Multiplayer build on locally hosted servers.
Discussions of note:
- Discord server verified
- Current subscriber count: 322
- Glider pad requirement for gliding - removed. Weapons cannot be used while gliding. Cooldown for gliders after usage
Please refer Note 1
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14-Jul-19:
Multiplayer Ground-based movement builds - Locally hosted
Another step towards the Multiplayer Playable Mockup as the team releases a 5-player, locally hosted, Multiplayer build with ground-based movement mechanics.
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26-Jul-19:
Geesuit WIP snaps
Art Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...86310184/939c9a459081d0e5cc63fc60854f689c.png
Grummz reveals the first snaps of the WIP geesuits, on discord.
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Subscriber skin for July 2019:
Another official skin from CuteSexyRobutts, this time for the OP-AI hologram that assist pilots in their Omniframe
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August
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15-Aug-19
Chief Chat and Livestream with first look at abilities - Dedicated Servers
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CcIWSQ8RFxnqZuI93U6Kv0NI7Lvn79L1
First look at the MEK-A abilities in Em-8ER. The first ability, revealed here, is the Deepstryke, a variant of the Crater ability from Firefall. Plus, the team moves from locally hosted servers to dedicated servers. The subscription program had several interim goals, the first being Dedicated servers for the builds upon reaching 250 subscribers. Another massive step towards bringing the community together in a proper multiplayer environment.
Discussions of note:
- Multiplayer on dedicated servers with the full complement of movement(running, gliding, jetpacking)
- New team member - Harrypearce brings his expertise with networking
- THMPing mechanic rework - dropships will now deliver two units, the THMPR and a resource collection drone. The THMPR will mine and uncover resources in the ground. Players have to collect the resources and bring it to the drone. Once the drone reaches max capacity, it returns to base along with the THMPR
- Swarmer class creatures will attack the drone and the THMPR during the process. These will have to be cleared off or the THMPR will stop mining
- Deepstryke ability reveal
- Current Subscriber count: 422
Please refer Note 1
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22-Aug-19
Multiplayer Movement Build with Abilities and Stress Test- Dedicated Servers
Download link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DlW6tIrlCZOXh0fS4JusU_QGRaRpvdLG
The builds don't stop coming. More progress, with the team releasing the multiplayer test build to backers. The server hosts up to 64 players at once, a true multiplayer environment.
Backers were tasked with overloading and stress testing servers. They were more than happy to oblige as they glided around, used abilities and made a general nuisance of themselves.
Task failed successfully: No crashes even at max server load. Suffice to say this was an important milestone for the team at Crixa.
Discussions of note:
- 64 player Multiplayer build on dedicated servers - Stress test
- Improved fuel gauge art
- New backer pack between Archon and Ark Liege tier - Shifter - has alternate tiki-themed dropship skin, name reservation for omniframe builds. M3 Firstclaimer and above can use group calldown bikes (single ride) for all members in the party.
- Current subscriber count: 425
Please refer Note 1
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29-Aug-19
Em-8ER Movement Build and 100 Player stress test - Even more abilities
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aJggDytQV1fXphSlI73pOe4ILO8GQZdx
Another week, another stress test. The player cap has been increased to a 100 players. Plus, another ability ported from Firefall, Em-8ER's variant of Afterburner, Overthrust.
Also, the stress testers continued to fail in spectacular fashion, as their shenanigans didn't so much as put a dent on the stability of the servers.
Discussions of note:
- 100 player stress test
- Cooldown timers for skills implemented
- New ability - Overthrust
- Diagnostic display for ping, player count and FPS
- Current subscriber count: 443
- Kaiju Pantheon planned
Please refer Note 1
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Subscriber Skin for August 2019:
Another geesuit skin, another banger from CuteSexyRobutts, and this time it's a take on the classic Firefall Engineer battleframe.
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September
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19-Sep-19
Multiplayer Movement and Gunplay Demo
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nrxE0FbNAdn5veE83Nrb9QH9TBYJaQB0 (Stream 1)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GHVA8MFTUEhO0mkb5c-PjjUGX-qSanaP (Stream 2)
Guns, shooting, sliding and oblivious aliens. Em-8ER receives its first weapons, a variant of the Plasma Cannon from Firefall. Weapon mechanics are put to test in a 100 player environment. Unfortunately, the enemy mechanics weren't ready for the build and so they served as nothing more than test dummies.
Discussions of note:
- Multiplayer Weapons demo with placeholder weapon art
- Tsi-hu humanoid forms added to build
- Alt-fire added to plasma cannon
- New slide mechanic upon landing from a glide
- SMG to be included in the Playable Mockup
- 500 Subscriber count achieved
- Day and night cycle may be added - depends on framerate variation compared to static lighting
- THMPRS may be made craftable and upgradeable
- Plan for six 8km x 8km zones at launch
- Underwater frames may be a possibility depending on the success of the game
Please refer Note 1
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23-Sep-19
Chief Chat
Download Link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ttI4qIPOjbZpL9ZUIWNpqujUfry3s5fo
Casual Chief Chat about released builds and the plans for the future, including the Light Omniframe in the Playable Mockup (as a reward for crossing the 500 subscribers goal), Shield Surfing for Heavy Omniframes and concepting the Heavy Omniframe at 750 subscribers.
Discussions of note:
- 750 subscriber count reward - Heavy frame concept with Shield Surfing
- Fishing will be added to the game
- Kickstarter will feature exclusive cosmetics and rewards that are not part of the backer packs to date
- First area will be an orbital platform which is the last remnant of the Gatestrider colony
Please refer Note 1
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Subscriber Skin for September 2019
A break from the norm, the skin for October was done by DizDoodz, this one a geesuit skin for male pilots.
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/dizdoodz (Warning: Moderatly to Extremely NSFW content)
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October
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24-Oct-19:
Elite Kaiju Crodus reveal
YT Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStbrb3JIDU
Art:
Artstation Link: https://www.artstation.com/ryonk
Crodus is a Cat 4 Kaiju, a named Elite Kaiju Prime, one of seven named elite beasts that are part of the Kaiju Pantheon that can be found in Em-8ER. This is a multi-stage encounter that will require around 100 pilots to defeat.
Note 2:
This reveal was part of a Chief Chat. However, the twitch stream VOD failed to record sound due to stream setup issues. If and when the stream recording is posted to the official YT channel, I'll link it here.
Subscription Skin for October 2019:
A genderbend version of the September skin, art by CuteSexyRobutts:
October Surprise Skin
Art Link: https://media.discordapp.net/attach...mehalloween2019small.png?width=420&height=702
A special themed skin for Halloween, art by Tommaso Renieri.
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November
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10-Nov-19:
WIP Female Model
Art Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/203762223775088640/642921920509116445/screenshot001.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/203762223775088640/642921884379250708/screenshot003_2.jpg
More progress on the female player character courtesy of Toshi
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18-Nov-19
WIP Female model
Art Link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/198513725978705920/645844506541031464/Suit.gif
More progress on the female player character courtesy of Toshi.
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Subscriber skin for November 2019:
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December
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12-Dec-19:
Multiplayer Combat and Movement Build (PvP Enabled)
Deviating a bit from the plan, the team at Crixa set up a PvP build for backers. While Em-8ER is strictly focussed on PvE, the PvP build was the quickest and easiest way to test weapon architecture and networking without having to integrate enemy AI and mechanics.
Please refer Note 2
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Subscriber Skin for December 2019
A Double special this month and a new mount reveal for Em-8ER. The skin includes a pilot geesuit skin by CuteSexyRobutts and a Wrenga, a wolf-like beast, named Morrigan, art by Randy Toroni
And that, fellow reapers and visitors, is an overview of all the major events and reveals of 2019. Other noteworthy announcements are detailed below:
Subscription Program
- Subscriber Count Target-250: Dedicated Servers (Achieved and Live)
- Subscriber Count Target-500: Light Omniframe and Stylized Female Character (Achieved and being worked on)
- Subscriber Count Target-750: Heavy Omniframe concept w/Shield Surfing, EU and Pacific servers, stylized Male character
- Subscriber Count Target-1000: Heavy Omniframe Model
Upcoming Builds
- THMPR Calldown
- Resource System
- Shapeshifter enemies
I would like to thank you all for your continued support of Em-8ER. Wish you all a wonderful year ahead.
Before I close out, I'll leave you with another video, of some sliding shenanigans, by community member Skube. Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UsQVMQGewM
Cheers
Maven
PS: Terribly sorry about the massive video downloads. I am in no way affiliated to Crixa and have absolutely no right to upload these videos to Youtube. The google drive setup was the only way for me to share these videos with others. Hope you understand. If any of these don't work, please let me know and I'll try upload them again.
PPS: I've had to compress several of the pictures in this thread. For high-res downloads, please go here: https://my.em8er.com/downloads
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