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[iotaka]

Project status
We are in beta, the game is fully playable and free to play. We are looking for beta testers.

Game description
BLAZE - mechforces is an online multiplayer game, where hitech soldier teams endure fast-action battles on alien and vicious planets. Equip and upgrade your soldier while playing through a 3D isometric view, enjoying the available game types: CTF, DM, Invasion, Arachnophobia and Mission co-op.

Features

• 5 Game Modes: choose among the classic Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Invasion (where the teams fight for the conquest of the map), Aracnophobia, a cooperative match where the aim is to defeat the Spider Queen and her Taborts! And at last, Mission co-op reaches all goals to win the match
• Free-to-Play: adrenalinic battles with RPG features
• Customization: begin each battle with your unique set of items and devastating abilities
• Progress: unlock new upgrades and abilities in each battle or buy them to achieve your targets faster

TODO

• game balancing
• different and unique 3D models for each faction
• new maps
• linux porting
• new weapons
• new skills

gameplay video:


web site: blaze.iotaca.net

[iotaka]

Release 0.98
We've been quite busy for the last couple of months designing and implementing this big update, and now we're eager to share it with you! The update introduces many new elements to the game. Changelog.

Tomb of the Warlords

We have a new map with a whole new cooperative mode: it's a mission co-op where players from both factions can join and play together side by side. Up to 4 players aim to unveil the secrets of the "Tomb of the Warlords", a dungeon infested by tons of spiders. In this game mode the players choose among five roles with special unique abilities:

• the Specialist (a pyromaniac guy supported by a swarm of Guardian drones)
• the Psyonic (a swift and vicious assassin able to cast some Ancient powers)
• the Xenobiologist (a man of science, who can heal the team and freeze opponents)
• the Tech (provides energy and deploys Ion turrets)
• the Juggernaut (a concentrate of destructive power, slicing spiders with the Plasma Sabre is his speciality)

Here's a

for this new map. The sound track of this video is an original work realized by Zeu5, who also created the other tracks for Blaze.

Hack minigame

In order to enhance the game experience and the challenge, we have introduced a new system to hack doors and open supply drops.
The player have to drive the power beam across a circuit and reach the end node (upper-right). This is tricky because some special nodes require 2 powered inputs to propagate the signal. These puzzles are randomly generated with varying degrees of difficulty, so every match is different. Although there is no time limit to solve it, you'll have to do it fast because the Horde doesn't wait!

Missile Launcher 2.0

We have redesigned the primary fire of the Missile Launcher, in order to be more useful in the general case. In place of the old dumb unguided missile, it now launches a volley of Mosquito missiles in a parabolic trajectory. You can safely use it from the backlines, because the missiles will fly over your allies and hit the targets in front of them.

[iotaka]

Thanks to the precious feedback of our beta testers we are introducing several improvements.

The Cyclor
Now, with the automated battle-bot "Cyclor" it's easier to win the Aracnophobia PvE matches in solo. With the Defender that patrols and repairs the base and the support of the Cyclor in attack, you should be able to defeat the Spider Queen in solo, even if you aren't a "god" like Zeu5.
We hope this will help those who start to play.

New death effect for badly crushed spiders

When spiders are not merely "killed", but utterly destroyed, they can literally break apart into pieces!
Feel the power!

Pierced by a Laser beam at full power

Missile testing facility

I'll have to wash my armor, again!

 
Cleaned up the in-game HUD
We have reduced the dimension and replaced the text message "you killed a spider" (or an enemy), because we thought it was too invasive. To reduce the clutter on the screen we also removed the fluorescence of the spiders' green blood.

[iotaka]

We have planned on 10th September 21:00 UTC+2 the 22nd OFFICIAL BETA night, it will be focused on PvP.

The aim is to get useful feedback for the game balancing. Everyone is welcome

If you need a KEY you can use this form.

[iotaka]

After months of hard work we are pleased to present you this new update. Even if the change log is small, this has implied a lot of work


The Bots

The most important improvement in this update includes the introduction of bots for the PvP matches. Bots can be used to balance a match with odd players and for training purposes. They  coordinate as a team and are able to perform all the key tasks for every game mode, such as capturing the flag, conquering outposts, repairing damaged structures and more.. For the time being they miss only some ability like construction, point with a Probe Laser or use Beacons.

Their AI is quite complex and employs several advanced techniques in order to come up with interesting strategies and to mimic human-behaviour. First, they are smart enough to analyze the map structure (obstacles layout, objectives, ..) and determine its choke-points, estimating the most probable paths for the attackers. These locations are used to set up ambushes or to place mines. In addition, all the intel information about the players locations, casualties and turrets, are constantly gathered and summarized into a "heat map" which is then used to estimate how much a particular location is safe or dangerous. Exploiting this data, the bots can plan safe routes across the map, select the best objective to attack, find ideal sniping spots, and much more.

The AI programming was both challenging and exciting and required a lot of time and effort. But now it's finally done and we are very happy with the results!


Mosquito Stinger

Following the feedback from our beta tester we have also chosen to split the Missile Launcher in 2 weapons: the Mosquito Stinger has been invented

Vanity appeals

We have also added some vanity stuff, like the new helmet (Far-World Ranger) in the picture below

Full changelog 0.98.2

+ the Bots for PvP have finally arrived! They are able to play in all game modes. The Bots are able to use most weapons and equipment
+ new weapon "Mosquito Stinger" that shots a Mosquito missile rain.
+ in the Vanity section a new helmet is available: "Far-World Ranger"
+ 4 new portraits are available for the avatars
+ graphical remake of Magma Destruction (Capture the Flag)
! removed the minimum number of player needed to start a PvP match, now the bots automatically keep the match balanced
! restored the behaviour of the Missile Launcher as in the 0.97 version

[Netsu]

I really like the gore FX on those spider things, splendid work

[iotaka]

I really like the gore FX on those spider things, splendid work

Thank you

[Tobers]

Oh man I really dig mixing dungeon crawling with futuristic mechs, I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen that before. Makes me think of what that guardians of the galaxy's Starlord should have been. Visiting other planets like that would require suits, not a coat and helmet.

I dig it.

[iotaka]

Thank you everybody for your support, we have been finally Greenlit

After a long path and with perseverance we pushed our efforts on Blaze, now we are Greenlit, for us this is an important milestone but surely our work isn't done yet.

In the next weeks we will have to work on the integration of the Steam SDK in our code in order to provide a better experience to the user that loves Steam and its features.

A sincere thank to everyone that voted, commented and contributed to the campaign in any form.
 
We are also still present on Desura that is the easiest way to play with Blaze. We want you, the horde wants you, become a Spider Slayer!