Monthly Development Update July 2024

The team behind Warped Universe has been hard at work, making significant strides across various aspects of the game and ecosystem.

Notably, ground map prototypes are fully playable in our internal build allowing initial testing of both real time action and turn based strategy game play with space maps following close behind.

All the while, initial design and construction of the Nexus Station has begun. Nexus Station serves as a hub for social activity, where it also provides a visual representation of the current universal balance and will be where players choose and embark on their next mission.

Outside of game developments, the decision to remove the trade tax on the $Warped Token was made and executed paving the way for some exciting future opportunities.

In addition, the new and improved Warped Games website is nearing completion as previewed in our last Warped Talk Q+A.

GAME DEVELOPMENT

• Level streaming - allows us to change maps in missions without having to go to a load screen
  • Ground maps fully playable through each genre without map load
  • Consolidated input mode switching
• Work on Nexus Station
  • Exploring Nexus Station assets to create component driven map development
• Work on Character Customization
  • Added full scientist character clothing set
  • Added Luminary and Foundationalist clothing sets
  • Clean up on animated real time cloth for clothing
• Work on destruction in gameplay and sequences
• Continued balance and skill work for turn based combat
  • Character combat more data driven
  • Increased enemies and cover objects
  • Shortened dice roll time
  • Blueprints system for cover added for faster art implementation on maps
  • Player no longer killed in turn based, instead returns to starting position
• Tools for quickly changing between modes for ease of development
• Work started on turn based space combat
• Iteration on gameplay and visuals on ground map
• Improvements to sequence-player and some quest system cleanup
  • Added quest events for playing sequences and changing game types
  • Replaced chaos building with a new version called in the Chaos Manager and sequencer. Also deleted some old explosion vfx from scene
  • Adding title sequence movie to real time ground map
  • Material tweaks, new assets
• Added turn based abilities to item base e.g. rifle now has an additional aimed shot ability that costs more action points to fire but is more accurate
• Enabled some additional camera control options for turn based e.g. edge scrolling
• Added more story components to the maps like the Foundationalist and Luminary leaders to the scientist rescue
• Added new audio for real time ground intro flyover
  • Voice over processing and iterations
• Main ship engine and thruster sounds updated
• AI pathfinding work for both scientists and enemies
  • Changed to dynamic navigation for increased performance
• Unreal Motion Graphics Cinematics plugin added allowing for better UI animations
• Continued graphics optimization for better performance
• Environment improvements
  • Planet plumes clouds
  • Dark smoke behind the rings for more destructive feel
  • More big ships
  • Way more asteroids
  • Asteroids break apart on destruction
  • Asteroids break on hitting big ships
• Begin work on new UI appearance and style
  • Font selection iteration
  • Turn based UI cleanup on showing potential move locations
  • Unit widget now updates correctly, also knows faction so can choose what to display
  • Mission update and waypoint improvements
  • Abilities show much more information in rollover
  • Abilities show action points as icons
  • Damage numbers displayed on hit in turn based mode
  • Remaining action points show up on ability box for visual clarity
  • Added more information to the combat log
  • Hide ranged abilities if there are no targets in range
• Updated build automation tools to create playable builds easier
• Beamable plugin integration

Web Design & Development

• Website Redesign nearing completion
  • UI/UX
  • Finalizing and improving components
• Features designed and in-development
  • About section
  • Interactive Lore timeline
• Features completed and currently updating content
  • Game modes section
  • Gallery carousel
  • Full Gallery
  • Media Modal for displaying images & videos
  • Interactive Lore timeline
  • Media downloads: desktop, mobile and X wallpaper and banners
  • Team page
  • FAQs
  • Guides
  • Change log
  • Partners
  • News
  • External publications

Business & Marketing

• Reduced the trade tax on $WARPED to 0%
• Sign with market maker and adviser Volpex
• Participants in X/Twitter spaces
  • Gamestarter
  • Arenaweb3
• Hosted our 6th Warped Talk Q&A on Discord
  • First look at the upcoming website update
  • Sneak peek into the lore of Warped Universe
  • Update on game development progress
• Lots of stuff we can’t talk about yet ;)