In the latest edition of the Camelot Unchained newsletter, the team at City State Entertainment provided us with a comprehensive update on the game's progress. The newsletter focuses on crafting, rendering, interactions, and AI development, with heaping helping of everyone’s favorite topic – Math! Here’s what’s been going on with Camelot Unchained over the past month.
Crafting Customization and ‘Vox Modules’
For Christina’s segment, she discusses the new additions to the crafting system, specifically the introduction of Vox modules. These modules are items that can be slotted into a player's crafting table, or Vox, to alter various elements of the crafting process, such as crafting time, item stats, or resources consumed. She states that the team has introduced over 20 modules, each named after crafters from the game's lore, with plans for more, including faction-unique modules.
A Word on ‘Style Packs’
Developer Wylie takes us through the improvements to 'Style Packs' in the rendering process. Style Packs are internal tools that allow the team to change atmospheric rendering settings over time, such as global lighting, fog coverage, and camera exposure. The upgraded system now functions like a timeline in video editing software, making it easier for artists to add and adjust settings. Wylie provided some examples of various styles, which essentially shows what the style transition will look like over time, and includes some foggy mornings, a darkened sky, and a pretty, clear day.
It's Time for Vector Math 101
In Rob’s segment, he discusses the changes in calculating the distance at which players can interact with objects. The team has shifted from calculating the distance from the center of the object to an offset from the object’s bounds, providing a more consistent interaction range. As much fun as it would be for me to summarize more specifics on the mathematical changes and requirements that Rob delves into, it’s going to be much more fun for you to see it firsthand, so if you like visual representations of spherical concepts and snapshots of Functions containing the mathematical formula’s that make these interactions work, then you’re definitely going to want to read this segment first hand.
AI Developments in the Unchained Engine
Mike D. provides an update on the AI system, focusing on the next phase of development which includes upgrades to NPC sensory processing, the addition of NPC Alertness, and improvements to behavior authoring. The team is working on creating more sophisticated NPCs that can operate more intelligently within the game environments.
In the final note, Katt expresses the team's excitement over the progress made and the sustainable ground they have gained over the past year. The team stresses that they are looking forward to continuing their work on Camelot Unchained with more updates on the way.
For more information about Camelot Unchained and previous updates, keep yourself tuned to MMORPG.com. You can also catch the latest CU livestream and find previous streams on the Camelot Unchained Twitch channel.
