Flannery
Scallywag & Loiterer
Staff member
Project Manager
TOP CONTRIBUTOR
Music and SFX
Quest Writer
Public Relations
Hearts of Oak Donator
AUGUST UPDATE
Greetings and salutations to all you landlubbers and Captains out there!
Finally (all though just a few days late), we have the August pre-Alpha release update on "Hearts of Oak: Conquest of the Seas" out for you to enjoy,
and even more important; to stress test to the ultimate and beyond so we can iron out what ever bugs and glitches you may find.
To help you out with that, we have a shiny and newly polished "Bug-tracker Forum" here on Pirates Ahoy!
for you to put up your own, track them - and follow other peoples reports.
Press the link to enter it:
- HoO Bug Tracker Forum -
@Armada has also conveniently left you a full out tutorial and template on how to report a bug properly:
- Bug Tracker Tutorial and Template
To tell you more about this months update, I would like to let the lead programmer tell you himself with his own words.
SO! - with no more delays - here is the update, and our very own @JohnSilver
" Hello all,
Yet another month has quickly gone by and it is time to push out another release of HoO.
This month the focus was getting the St. Albans back into the working Alpha and improving
the ship sailing physics, cannon fire, and some other special effects.
During this month I was on vacation for several days and had high hopes of getting some time to work on HoO
but due to locality issues and other difficulties in travel I did not get the time I had hoped.
So as usual, this release will be a little short on what we hoped to deliver but in the end I felt it was important we maintained the release schedule.
Below is a sample screen shot of the St. Albans firing all cannons:
Additions/deletions for this release:
Sails, open and close (W-S keys while in command)
Rudder (A-D keys, while in command)
Firing ports open (O key, while in command)
Fire all guns (F key, while in command)
Networking was partly disabled, this was done because several particle effects did not have networking applied yet.
A significant amount of time was spent improving performance of various elements and this will be an ongoing major element in the future.
Please log a note if you notice changes in performance good or bad.
Next release goals will be announced shortly, but my hope is to actually increase the release cycle to bi-monthly (twice a month).
I would also wish to make a mention and thanks to @Captain Murphy
for his help and contribution to this release and the cool gun cannon effects.
As always I hope everyone has the time to play and test the release.
UPDATE:
In keeping with providing these releases as public I have uploaded a new installer package
and here is the link for anyone wanting to download and test.
http://piratesahoy.bowengames.com/HeartsOfOak/Releases/August2015/HoO_Setup.exe
This updated new package also includes a critical patch @Chas noticed when he tested, thanks Chas.
Cheers,
JS"
___________________________________________________________________
We still need YOUR help, so if you are sitting there itching to find out with what and how,
take a look at this:
How You Can Help
As of now, there are two ways you can help with the development of the game: either through testing the new build, or contributing to future builds.
If you want to test the game, you can start right away by downloading the new tech demo. We need feedback from players to improve the game, and the things we want to hear about include:
- Performance - How well does the game run on your PC? What settings are you using (screen resolution etc.) and what are your PC specs?
- Gameplay - Is the game easy to play? Are the controls intuitive?
- Bugs and glitches - Have you experienced anything unusual while playing?
- Networking - Can you successfully set up a game with two or more players online? Does the game perform well during multiplayer?
If, on the other hand, you'd like to join our development team and help shape the game's future, then don't hesitate to contact us through our recruitment forum. As we rely entirely on volunteers, the more people we can get working on the game, the better.
What we currently need includes:
- C#/Unity developers
If you're familiar with C# and/or working with scripts in Unity, you can help! If you're interested in working on the gameplay mechanics with our developers, and you have plenty of time to spare, you might be exactly who we need!
- Artists of all kinds
We still need to produce an uncountable quantity of assets for the game, including props, architecture and ships. If you're an able 3D artist, we always have something for you to do.
With the integration of the UMA character system, we will also need people to produce custom clothing items for the base characters. This will have a very noticeable effect on the visual quality of the game, so this is a high priority role!
Remember, we're looking for volunteers only. If you want to join the team, please check our List of Development Roles for details.
That's it for this month's progress; we'll have more updates for you soon!
Don't know what the Hearts of Oak project is? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
So there it is, and we hope you all enjoy the new update and test it out thoroughly -
and report any bugs you find.
May Lady luck be with you, and the wind always be in your favour!
Best regards
Flannery and the rest of the HoO Development team
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