What has happened in April

We had some things done this month, so let’s take it from the top.

So we ended up removing the chain that we had around the AI Herald’s necks, and you might be wondering why we did that. Well, the original plan was we would have the chain to show which player was an AI or a human player. But when you can see that information on the scoreboard already, then the chains were pretty much redundant, so bye-bye chain!

We also have been doing a lot of renaming when it comes to naming conventions, not only for coding but also for assets. It is a long and time-consuming job that is far from done, but we feel that this will provide clarity and speed.

We also have some planned updates for the Herald’s weapons that are not quite finished. But, once we can show off some of those assets, we will be sure to let you know!
his also means that some of the models have been temporarily replaced with older versions.

We have also adjusted certain weapons, so those weapons would no longer obstruct the first-person view. We are still testing and playing with these new changes, but we hope these updates will improve gameplay when you play the Melee-Heralds.

Also, we had another fix for the first-person view. As some of you may remember, playing K1ki in first-person had some issues with the first-person camera, but we were finally able to fix that clipping issue. It might need some adjusting over time, but for now, it is acceptable.

We also have been working on the particles and effects. The effects are still not working as we want them to, so we are still tweaking them here and there, and in some cases, we are replacing them.
Also, when you think about it, certain particles are more toon-ish in design and need to be redone, so they have a semi-realistic look.

So, some other good news that we have is that John Barhoum has finished the hair for the Heralds, and that has given Uruzet some extra work to fit the new hair on the updated Herald models. So if everything goes according to plan, we should have a new updated version with the new Heralds and hair ready by May, it is not a guarantee but we do what we can. We like the new look and design and will try to make a before-and-after show-reel that we can show you on youtube or other social media.

Some of you might be asking how the UI is going. The short answer is that it is going slower than expected. The reason for that is because of Covid and some people from the team getting sick. So things are put on hold for now until those who were working on the UI come back after recovering. We do hope and wish them the best! Get well soon guys.


Besides that, we can also tell that Sally has been around Vivanox lately, and we are all glad to have her around.
Things just haven’t been the same since she was gone.
But Sally has been talking and interviewing a couple of concept artists for our environment art department.
And the concept artist she had introduced to us looks promising, and we do hope over time that we can tell you all more about it, but for now, that is all we can say.

We also updated the Heralds with their original descriptions, but we were sadly missing one description. We just couldn’t find it anywhere, so we were so happy when GoodWood came to the rescue and helped us out with that one.
Also, don’t forget that Goodwood had his new book, “Per Aspera Ad Astra”, released on Amazon. You should head over and check it out:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0942VW814
Again GoodWood, thank you so much for the fast help, and it was nice seeing you again.

And now for the last thing for today.
The Vivanox team appreciates all the suggestions and ideas that people have been giving on the Q&A and Suggestions channels. It is fantastic seeing feedback, as it encourages us and lets us know that you care about what we are doing. So thank you all for the feedback and support you have given us throughout our development.

We do have a minor announcement as a request to those who have been giving feedback, but through channels that are not the best. Some people have contacted our artists and coders privately, giving feedback or suggestions regarding the work the coder or artist is showcasing.

Since the coder or artist is just working for us rather than heading the development, this creates a bit of an issue with bogging down our team and possibly discouraging them from showing off their work. We appreciate these suggestions, but we will not be able to respond or consider your feedback unless it is written in the Q&A or Suggestions channels.

This way, we can hear your feedback, and our team can spend more time developing and focusing on making the best game possible.

That was it for this time
Zee yaa all next month