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[Nition]

Note: My sweet ramp vehicle from the previous page unfortunately does not work as well with networked physics as it does against this local AI.

I showed one of the help screens last time. Here's all of them:

















Yeah, they're pretty dense, even though I tried to be as concise as possible. I know a lot of people will never bother actually reading any of it, and one day I might get some time to replace it all with better, context-specific help that guides players as they go. But it's something that's there if people need help for now. Hey, Minecraft did pretty well with no in-game help whatsoever.

I'm adding time limits on game rounds right now. So if servers are left running, you can have games take 30 mins, and hour, whatever. So you won't join a game where someone's been playing for 8 hours with a score of 1000 that you can never hope to catch. And conveniently it can also act as a safety measure if it needs to - if there are any bugs or memory leaks around that I haven't found by release, at least they'll probably be cleared when the round resets instead of staying around until the server shuts down.

Here's the actual list of what I have left to do before I can release the game publicly:

- Basic timed map resets for games (in progress).
- Making a new game trailer, release marketing and updating the website, forum posts etc.
- Testing and balancing part stats.
- Checking both the main app and server for memory leaks, and fixing if necessary.
- Updating the demo version.
- Check controller support.
- Setting up and confguring a bunch of Steam stuff.
- Final big testing of everything and fixing as necessary, especially Internet play.
- Check what happens when players don't have enough bandwidth to keep up and handle as necessary.
- Link Kickstarter backers to a couple of reward items.
- Fix a bug with vehicles falling badly onto the build screen.
- Maybe set up a couple of "official" servers run on some US Amazon/cloud type thing? Check costs/bandwidth.

That's it.

[Nition]

Four weeks ago I gave an estimate that Scraps might be about 3 months from release, which would put it at two months away now. However in something of a departure from the norm, things seem to be going better than I anticipated. I won't go so far as to announce an official release date just yet but I wouldn't be surprised if it's around end-of-June for the Windows version.

The Mac and Linux versions have a few issues which need to be ironed out (particularly the Linux version, which randomly crashes). Since it's mostly just me handling everything here, I think it will be best to stagger the release (sorry Mac/Linux people, I know this happens to you a lot) so I can handle anything that goes wrong in a timely manner once the whole world is suddenly playing the game. Then the Mac and Linux release can come a little later and include any updates that were done in the meantime for the Windows version.

And yes, multiplayer is fully cross-platform compatible. Windows, Mac and Linux machines can all play in the same game at the same time.

The game is pretty much ready for release now  (to Early Access - I'll still be adding more content later) - it's mostly testing and fixing and some marketing work from here on.

Thanks for listening!

P.S. Some new screenshots here.

[Nition]

You can see some of the Interstate '76 (left image) inspiration in Scraps here. Note the crater-like map, and the machine-gun tracer FX.

[Nition]

New trailer:





Barring any major issues, a July 7th release on Windows is looking good. Mac/Linux hopefully coming soon after. Thanks for sticking around this long.

[Nition]

All game components are complete for release now, everything just needs some final testing. I'll be sending out game keys to Scraps Kickstarter backers in the next couple of days, which should provide some interesting real-world use. Then press, then full release.

Demo Update
I have one last trick up my sleeve. The demo has been upgraded* - it's now a demo and LAN joiner. That's right: Only one person needs to own the game to play on LAN.

Someone who owns the full version hosts a game, and the demo can then be used to join it.

I haven't heard of any other game going this route before, though a few games had "multiplayer spawn" installs in the late 90s which were similar. Marketing departments may freak out at the "lost sales", but how many people are going to actually buy like 8 copies of some random indie game to play on a LAN? More likely they'll just play some old game they can copy with impunity instead.

With the Scraps Demo & LAN Joiner, they can play Scraps, and maybe even go home after the LAN wanting to play more Scraps instead! So maybe they'll buy it too! It's the perfect solution for everyone! Of course considering that I've never seen this done before, there's probably some factor that makes it a terrible idea that I haven't thought of yet...

* The new demo version isn't entirely an upgrade: There are less parts available in the demo than in the previous version (although you can unlock a few more), and it's Windows-only until Mac and Linux multiplayer are tested and stable, so if you have the older v0.3.1.1 demo you may like to hold onto the older version as well.

[Nition]

A little vehicle building animation:

[Nition]

Nice Scraps gameplay video from someone with a pre-release key:





Oh yeah, I commissioned some awesome Scraps art too. It's used on the Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/350150

[Nition]

So, the release is very soon - although my fellow NZ and Australian people should note that the release will be on Wednesday morning for us. For those of you in the US it will be on Tuesday afternoon.

The game itself is looking good and stable, and I've been making a few small updates over the last week to fix minor issues and make a few improvements.

Another nice video:



I've also been sending out tons of personalised emails to press, YouTubers, Twitch streamers etc which takes forever. And I've got some more of that to do now.

[Nition]

Scraps is out!

Scraps is NOW AVAILABLE for the public to buy on Steam Early Access: http://store.steampowered.com/app/350150

Thank you very much Scraps fans for sticking with this rather long project. I'll be continuing with updates to keep improving the game, and I really hope you guys enjoy playing it. If you are a Kickstarter backer and you haven't received your key, please send me a message.

If you're enjoying Scraps, there are a few things you could do to help it get noticed if you want to:

• Making a YouTube video of Scraps (gameplay, your awesome vehicle design etc).
• Posting a positive review on the Steam page.
• Telling popular YouTubers/Streamers that they should play Scraps.
• Telling other Internet people about Scraps - via forums, Facebook, Twitter...
• Just telling your friends about Scraps. Remember you can use the demo to join LAN games, so friends can join on LAN even if they don't own the full game.

And now I'm off to do more launch marketing myself.

[Keith]

Congrats. :D 


Game looks amazing. I'll have to pick it up sometime and give it a go.

Quick question about online, did you achieve it using Unity's built in networking or did you go with a third party solution? I'm currently debating whether adding online to my game is worth it given what Unity has to offer. Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciate.


Also, expect lots of cars shaped like........rockets.

[Nition]

It uses uLink, which is sort of like Unity's built-in networking but made fancy. I'm not sure if I would actually recommend it - it's quite good, but quite expensive, and development can be very slow.

For the Internet connectivity, it uses Steamworks, which adds some nice NAT punchthrough etc that uLink lacks.

[Keith]

It uses uLink, which is sort of like Unity's built-in networking but made fancy. I'm not sure if I would actually recommend it - it's quite good, but quite expensive, and development can be very slow.

For the Internet connectivity, it uses Steamworks, which adds some nice NAT punchthrough etc that uLink lacks.

Yeah I heard a few things about uLink. Currently there has been a new networking system called Forge. From what I've looked at so far, it's interesting and seems to do a better job than anything out there.

Thanks for the reply.

[Nition]

Made a release post in the Townhall forum here: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=49050

[Nition]

Right, first week of release report. I've been doing mostly marketing work recently, a lot of that being contacting various press, YouTubers etc. That's starting to wind down - there's a point eventually where you've contacted and followed up everyone on your list - so I'll be getting back into mostly working on the game from tomorrow.

Reception And Feedback
So far the reception has been excellent and I'm happy that people are enjoying this game that I've been working on for a long time. I've also got some valuable feedback, and the next few updates will focus on gameplay balance and improvements including:

• A new firing mode that will only fire guns that are aiming near where you're currently aiming (avoids wasting power/heat while easily switching around between weapons). This has been planned for a while but recently got suggested again, and the AI will like this feature too.
• Improvements and reduction to physics effects from explosions, so vehicles are less likely to be stopped in their tracks completely.
• Turret versions of the MMG and Medium Cannon, limited-movement version of the Large Cannon, and game balancing for turret vs. fixed weapons.
• Some side movement for the SMG. I've held onto this not moving horizontally for a while but I've conceded that it needs it, even if it's just a little bit.
• A change to the XP system so it's not just awarded on destroying a vehicle. Might be awarded for x amount of damage done or something similar.
• Score multipliers for destroying multiple vehicles in a row without dying. This will help encourage staying alive and escaping to repair/upgrade rather than just fighting to the death.
• Have spawning automatically try and happen away from other vehicles.

As I said though my time has been mostly taken up with marketing recently, but I'm getting back into game dev stuff now. I did have time to get out three updates this week with bug fixes, so the game is looking pretty stable as-is at least.

Exposure
The lack of response from press has been a bit disappointing. Hardly any games press got back to me or covered the Scraps release. A lot more covered the Scraps Kickstarter, including the likes of Rock, Paper, Shotgun and Kotaku, and the game is way better now than it was then. Maybe with the likes of Robocraft and TerraTech taking up residence the concept isn't as novel anymore. Some YouTubers have checked it out, all have enjoyed it, and I have a few more lined up - but many more just never responded. Oh well.

I’m doing a little bit of paid advertising as well but the next phase after plan “contact all the people everywhere” is basically “keep working on the game and making it great and go for the slow buildup”, although I have a few other ideas. A lot of games like this take a while to gather steam.

Think a YouTuber/Twitch streamer would like Scraps? Want to tell them maybe? They can contact me for a key. Made an insane vehicle? Maybe post it on Reddit or something. That sort of thing always helps.

Game Tip
Makeshift "boss mode":

• Set a low-ish scrap limit
• Add a bunch of AIs (so they auto-select low-ish value vehicles)
• Make the scrap limit higher
• Give yourself a fancy expensive vehicle
• Uncheck "AI Infighting"

This post has a lot of text so here's a series of images:

[Nition]

I've got a plan for improving the scoring system, but I'm also interested in any feedback on why my plan is actually terrible: http://steamcommunity.com/app/350150/discussions/0/535151589889915571

Also, here's a preview of the AI destroying me in low-gravity mode, which is coming in the next update:

[Nition]

Scraps v0.5.1.0 is up. You can now get assist points for helping to destroy a vehicle so "kill stealing" is less of an issue. I've been thinking about potentially more complex solutions that would also help direct gameplay (as I linked in the above post), but this should help for now.

There's also a new Low Gravity game modifier that you can select and apply to any game, and for the next 24 hours or so I'm also running an official Low Gravity game server (the LOW GRAVITY ZONE).



Full changelog:

2015-07 - 0.5.1.0
- Add Low Gravity game option.
- Added "assist" points for score and XP.
- Redesigned SMG to give it a little left/right movement.
- Balance: Increased engine efficiency multiplier a little. Cars with multiple engines will get a little faster.
- Balance: For Laser and Tesla, see Bug Fixes.
- Balance: Reduced Plasma rotate speed.
- Balance: Reduced Plasma and Large Cannon fire rates a little.
- Balance: Reduced container scrap capacity slightly from 2100 to 2000.
- Weapon damage spread stats look bigger, but the calculation has changed, and things now get knocked around a bit less in general.
- Some improvement for "teleporting" at high latency in multiplayer.
- Re-wrote the modal overlay (loading screen) system to poll state instead of reference count. I knew reference counting would be bug prone and lo, it was.
- Chat stays up a bit longer (you can always see recent chat by pressing T as well).
- Chat text and the round timer on the Build screen don't get in the way of each other quite so much.
- Updated fan translations for Russian, Swedish and Danish, and added a new French translation.
- AI players get a little (AI) designation by their name, and their full difficulty setting info on the leaderboard.
- Some changes to collision damage calculations.
- Started putting full-stops at the end of changelog entries.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed laser and Tesla weapons only draining half the stated power, and laser also doing half damage. Balanced their stats a little after fixing.
- Remove some minor light halo effects due to an old, old Unity engine bug. Thought I had a workaround but apparently not in every situation.
- Fixed player scores not resetting between rounds.
- Fixed scrap and round length settings not applying if the field was still active when Deploy was clicked.
- End Of Round chat font now matches the in-game chat font.
- Fixed minor text misalignment on chat.
- Fixed server list jumping around in the background while entering a password.

[Nition]

Some minor changes in the latest v0.5.1.1.

2015-08 – 0.5.1.1
– Desaturated terrain and dirt FX in Low Gravity mode
– Improved some text alignment in the Lobby
– Balance: A few minor weapon stat tweaks
Bug Fixes:
– Fixed scoreboard ordering half-points incorrectly
– Ramp on the Test Map no longer takes damage outside of test mode (it wasn’t supposed to and it’d get messed up/out of sync)
– Fixed the “press spacebar to change vehicle” text no longer always appearing when it should.

[Nition]

New update, v0.5.1.2, brings a new aiming mode which is now the default, where selected weapons will only fire if they're aiming near where you're aiming.



You can press R to switch the mode on and off. It's super useful for vehicles with weapons facing in different directions, and actually pretty useful for any type of vehicle (except ones with no weapons...).

This update also adds score multipliers that come from destroying vehicles without getting destroyed. At the top left you'll see a "x2" etc after destroying vehicles (up to a maximum x3) - if you destroy someone when you're at x2 for instance, you'll get double points.

Basically the idea is to add some incentive to try and stay alive and repair/upgrade when damaged, versus the alternative of self-destructing. Although self-destruct loses you a point and potentially gives a point to someone else, the extra time spent on the Build screen not earning points sometimes offsets that alone. In the future I'm also planning to make repairing able to automatically add back parts that have been destroyed, which should speed up time spent on the build screen a little. Anyway, it's fun to try and stay alive and kicking.

The multiplier system will quite possibly need some tweaking for balance - I'll see how it goes.

Full changelog:

2015-08 - 0.5.1.2
- Added "proximity firing" mode, now on by default. Sets weapons to fire only if they're aiming near the crosshair. Press R to switch.
- Added score multipliers for "killstreaks" - destroying multiple vehicles without being destroyed.
- Changed the assist points system a little in regards to vehicles that destroy themselves.
- Some general wreckage balancing. Also made wreckage easier to pick up.
- Sped up aim around in chase cam camera mode.
- Made game camera always default to the orbit cam on entering a new game. Having the camera save its setting only really caused confusion.
- Balance: Increased collision damage a little.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a bug with terrain dirt FX.

[Nition]

I haven't been making a post for each small update but I've made a few recently:

2015-08 - 0.5.1.5 and 0.5.1.6
- Revamped collision damage calculations.

2015-08 - 0.5.1.4
- XP earned now syncs with Steam Cloud.
- Edited a default vehicle and added a new one.



- More minor weapon balancing.
- Maybe a little fewer crazy physics events when colliding with laggy vehicles (there's still SOME crazy physics, but I've been experimenting).
- Removed the old screenshot code - Steam supports this anyway with F12.

2015-08 - 0.5.1.3
- Multiplayer work that should make things generally smoother and improve "teleporting" laggy vehicles.
- Stopped vehicle damage sounds playing when setting initial health on vehicles when joining games.
- "Proximity firing" mode isn't the default anymore, but made the keys to switch it show in the GUI.
- Sped up unlock progress a little again.
- Some minor weapon balancing.
- Updated "how to play" screens with the proximity firing mode key.

Expect new parts in the next serious update: Full turret versions of the MMG and Medium Cannon and a non-turret version of the Large Cannon.

[Nition]

It’s been suggested to me that the name “Scraps” on its own is not very searchable. Despite the fact the Google loves to return me Scraps game related results, I’m very much inclined to agree. I must concede that Google certainly knows I search for Scraps the game a lot, and other types of scrap… never.

Therefore Scraps shall henceforth officially include a subtitle: Scraps: Modular Vehicle Combat.



Please remain calm in this time of change. A rose by any other name and all that.