==== MAIN POINTS ====
► Today [Thursday, September 2, 2021] on our Em-8ER stream, Grummz explored the use of Nanite, Unreal 5's unlimited polygon technology. This is a powerful new graphics technology and includes Unreal 5's built-in 3D modeling support. While the Dev Team doesn't yet have a build to share, Grummz showed what the Dev Team has experimented with so far and what they've learned!
► We goofed! We forgot to take down the “Feli Gatestrider” skin last Friday [August 26, 2021]! You get the benefit from our goof! You have until midnight tomorrow [Friday, September 3, 2021] to buy your own Feli skin from the General Store!
Hurry before she goes back into the vault again! https://my.em8er.com/perks/campaign/6
► BIG REVEAL! THE TL;DR - Grummz spilled the ketchup on the future goal of a possible server structure!
The idea is to not have servers, in the traditional sense, but one gigantic planet for everybody, arranged by ping. People who are in Asia will be grouped on one side of the planet, people in Europe will be grouped on another side of the planet, North America will be grouped on yet another side of the planet, and it would all be interconnected. The way the servers would work is that there would be no servers; rather no shards [or realms] in that regard. It would be one single, unified planet. When you travel between the areas, you would have a sense of traveling instead of teleportation from one pocket to another. But for you [the players], it should feel like a seamless experience.
This would create one gigantic planet. The servers we distribute across and the landmass would be projected to be planetary scale. This would require procedural generation because obviously it is not reasonable to handcraft an entire planet. So, theoretically that would mean Em-8ER takes places on a single unified planet.
There would be repercussions to this. But I’m not going to talk about those yet.
==== GENERAL POINTS ====
► The Peerless grade “Feli Gatestrider” skin will feature full color and material customization, along with ear and tail mesh variants!
► This one [Feli Gatestrider] has a mechanical theme. And there will be natural themes as well.”
► Grummz talks about where the inspiration for the T.H.M.P.R. came from - The books and the movie Dune!
THUMPER INSPIRATION - “DUNE”
We call the mech a Thumper because this Thumper Encounter was inspired by the books and the movie Dune. If you wanted to attract a spice worm, you would put down a device called a thumper and all of the worms would come and attack. And that's the idea here is that when you mine and you put stuff down in the world, you will attract enemies.
==== COOL EM-8ER FACTS ====
► Omniframes & Characters.
- Mark II is the Medium Omniframe built by Grummz.
- The Mark III Omniframes will be built by a professional artist.
- Mark II character is in the current build. Also, we're now on Mark III character.
► Whitebox Terrain.
- 8km by 8km square map.
- Each of the checkers are 1 meter square.
- Travel from corner to corner takes about 12 minutes.
- There's a terraforming shield wall here, similar to the Melding wall for those familiar with Firefall.
We want to make sure you guys know these are temporary graphics. We're actually aiming for planet scale and I'm going to be deliberately ambiguous because I don't know the answer yet.
==== Q & A ====
► Question: Can you turn off body physics in the options?
Grummz: Yes! There are no body physics right now. But you will be able to turn them off. And there will be body physics. We have both waifus and husbandos and we don't shy away from that.
► Question: Is the hair going to have any hair physics?
Grummz: Yes, The hair is going to have physics attached to it. We're not going to hand animate it.
So basically there's bones (for those of you who know 3D) we've got joints in the hair and those will be simulated by physics as she moves.
► Question: What if you have a male character and want a Feli skin?
Grummz: Someone’s asking if there will be a male Feli. Yes but, not right now. Just like FFXIV, the men will have to wait their turn on the Feli skin.
► Question: This sounds so much harder and more complicated than just using a regular texture on a big field. So what are the advantages or reasons to go with something like this?
Grummz: Nanite saves time for Indie & small dev teams [like Em-8ER’s] by cutting out the baking and low poly object making. Ultimately this can look good and actually be faster production-wise. We are making it high poly. But we aren’t having to make any low poly, which will save us time.
==== FUN STUFF! ====
► Ronyn’s Advice
(Grummz appears is in his V-Tuber maid outfit)
Ronyn: “And those wondering why he doesn’t turn around, he shouldn’t. You just really don’t want him to do that.”
[Grummz and Ronyn laugh]
► The Male Feli
Grummz: [answers the male Feli question (see Q & A)]
Ronyn: “Would that be a Fella?”
Grummz: “OH! I guess it is now, Ronyn!” [Laughs]
► FAI’s thanks raffle winner! ♦ Jaded Prysmo ♦
► FAI’s thanks raffle winner! ♦ Karnage ♦
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Twitch Link for VOD: https://www.twitch.tv/grummz_em8er/video/1137023914
► Today [Thursday, September 2, 2021] on our Em-8ER stream, Grummz explored the use of Nanite, Unreal 5's unlimited polygon technology. This is a powerful new graphics technology and includes Unreal 5's built-in 3D modeling support. While the Dev Team doesn't yet have a build to share, Grummz showed what the Dev Team has experimented with so far and what they've learned!
► We goofed! We forgot to take down the “Feli Gatestrider” skin last Friday [August 26, 2021]! You get the benefit from our goof! You have until midnight tomorrow [Friday, September 3, 2021] to buy your own Feli skin from the General Store!
Hurry before she goes back into the vault again! https://my.em8er.com/perks/campaign/6
► BIG REVEAL! THE TL;DR - Grummz spilled the ketchup on the future goal of a possible server structure!
The idea is to not have servers, in the traditional sense, but one gigantic planet for everybody, arranged by ping. People who are in Asia will be grouped on one side of the planet, people in Europe will be grouped on another side of the planet, North America will be grouped on yet another side of the planet, and it would all be interconnected. The way the servers would work is that there would be no servers; rather no shards [or realms] in that regard. It would be one single, unified planet. When you travel between the areas, you would have a sense of traveling instead of teleportation from one pocket to another. But for you [the players], it should feel like a seamless experience.
This would create one gigantic planet. The servers we distribute across and the landmass would be projected to be planetary scale. This would require procedural generation because obviously it is not reasonable to handcraft an entire planet. So, theoretically that would mean Em-8ER takes places on a single unified planet.
There would be repercussions to this. But I’m not going to talk about those yet.
==== GENERAL POINTS ====
► The Peerless grade “Feli Gatestrider” skin will feature full color and material customization, along with ear and tail mesh variants!
► This one [Feli Gatestrider] has a mechanical theme. And there will be natural themes as well.”
► Grummz talks about where the inspiration for the T.H.M.P.R. came from - The books and the movie Dune!
THUMPER INSPIRATION - “DUNE”
We call the mech a Thumper because this Thumper Encounter was inspired by the books and the movie Dune. If you wanted to attract a spice worm, you would put down a device called a thumper and all of the worms would come and attack. And that's the idea here is that when you mine and you put stuff down in the world, you will attract enemies.
==== COOL EM-8ER FACTS ====
► Omniframes & Characters.
- Mark II is the Medium Omniframe built by Grummz.
- The Mark III Omniframes will be built by a professional artist.
- Mark II character is in the current build. Also, we're now on Mark III character.
► Whitebox Terrain.
- 8km by 8km square map.
- Each of the checkers are 1 meter square.
- Travel from corner to corner takes about 12 minutes.
- There's a terraforming shield wall here, similar to the Melding wall for those familiar with Firefall.
We want to make sure you guys know these are temporary graphics. We're actually aiming for planet scale and I'm going to be deliberately ambiguous because I don't know the answer yet.
==== Q & A ====
► Question: Can you turn off body physics in the options?
Grummz: Yes! There are no body physics right now. But you will be able to turn them off. And there will be body physics. We have both waifus and husbandos and we don't shy away from that.
► Question: Is the hair going to have any hair physics?
Grummz: Yes, The hair is going to have physics attached to it. We're not going to hand animate it.
So basically there's bones (for those of you who know 3D) we've got joints in the hair and those will be simulated by physics as she moves.
► Question: What if you have a male character and want a Feli skin?
Grummz: Someone’s asking if there will be a male Feli. Yes but, not right now. Just like FFXIV, the men will have to wait their turn on the Feli skin.
► Question: This sounds so much harder and more complicated than just using a regular texture on a big field. So what are the advantages or reasons to go with something like this?
Grummz: Nanite saves time for Indie & small dev teams [like Em-8ER’s] by cutting out the baking and low poly object making. Ultimately this can look good and actually be faster production-wise. We are making it high poly. But we aren’t having to make any low poly, which will save us time.
==== FUN STUFF! ====
► Ronyn’s Advice
(Grummz appears is in his V-Tuber maid outfit)
Ronyn: “And those wondering why he doesn’t turn around, he shouldn’t. You just really don’t want him to do that.”
[Grummz and Ronyn laugh]
► The Male Feli
Grummz: [answers the male Feli question (see Q & A)]
Ronyn: “Would that be a Fella?”
Grummz: “OH! I guess it is now, Ronyn!” [Laughs]
► FAI’s thanks raffle winner! ♦ Jaded Prysmo ♦
► FAI’s thanks raffle winner! ♦ Karnage ♦
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Twitch Link for VOD: https://www.twitch.tv/grummz_em8er/video/1137023914
