Hope you guys had a great holiday season! I am still technically away, and will be back next monday but just wanted to say hi to everyone!

See you next week!

Hi everyone! I know I am a few days late, but I am glad to let everyone know that the new dev branch has been released.

The current D.U.S.T. is at 0.2.X cycle and is in need of major overhaul in practically ALL areas. I've working and been away (due to health issues) but have found it hard to deliver a full patch. Since then, I've devised a plan that will work; compartmentalizaing small sections of the game and releasing it - hence the dev branch.

• Pistol shooting range section of the training map (Killhouse)
  
• Newly written First person mechanics and controller
  
• New Experimental UI

1. Download the latest update via Steam
   
2. Navigate to your DUST folder and open Dev_Branch
   
3. Run DUST.exe
   
4. Click Open Training in game menu

Please note that the new menu UI and the game build is not complete nor polished, expect performance hits and malfunctions.

I will be working on the dev branch and updating it often and when it is ready to be implemented into a major build, it will be done.

Please note that I will be available until the Dec 20th, and will be returning on Jan 15th.

Lastly, thanks for the patience and the support. I am glad that D.U.S.T. is kicking off again.

Stay Frosty!

• No Crouching
  
• Bullet graphics are not included
  
• Bullet holes are represented with a white cube

I am going to keep this week's report short and to the point as there are few things that I need to clear up.

1. Training map (Killhouse map) which was tentatively scheduled for the last week of November is being moved to 6~7th December to avoid date conflicts. I will be tied up with my other game and its release, so I am shifting dates to not split my attention when many things are expected to happen in a given time frame. Please note that this build will be released as an experimental build separate from the current 0.2 build.

2. I am trying my best to have at least one new multiplayer map out before the end of the year, but given that I've decided to take a break during the end of the year/Christmas period, this might be pushed to early January, when I am back from nice things :D

Now go buy some unnecessary stuff, its BF!

Hi guys, I will be performing some tests and maintenance on the server between Nov 13 and 14 (so the next 48 hours). Expect connection issues and drops during this period.

I will post an update as soon as things are back to normal.

Take care!

-Peter

Alright, so I've worked out some details on how the 0.3 patch will be launched. First, I'd like to point out that 0.3, is more of a new game built from scratch (almost almost) in the sense that the core of its codes was re written.

Second, 0.3 was built the way it was envisioned in the beginning - a collection of modular systems. This should allow me to add more dynamic changes without too much effort and vice versa.

Okay, now for the launch...

0.3 will be launched as a beta (or dev build) which will be separate from the current 0.2 builds. I also plan to release it incrementally (or stages) with each stage consisting of 2~3 weeks interval. I am doing this to avoid the possible scenario of 0.3 update becoming a huge mess since its a big release. The idea is to finish off a stage before moving on to the next. 0.2 and 0.3(beta) will be both accessible until 0.3 is completely ready.

Here is the release plans...

1. Training level (offline killhouse map) - ETA last week of Nov
2. New urban map (smaller in size, with new AI and multiplayer) - when number 1 is complete. ETA is mid-late Dec
3. and so on...

Let me know if you guys have any questions or suggestions!

First person controller was rewritten from scratch this week. The old one - the current one - was a combination of good and bad - and I felt that to address some issues that needs to be resolved - like cancelling mid weapon change - it was time to get back to the drawing boards again.

So what exactly is going to get fixed?

1. The way weapon change is handled - currently, all weapons and items exist as a gameobject. When a player decides to pull weapon X, then it simply grabs weapon X from its storage. While this sounds quite good, it didn't provide flexibility when it comes to control.

2. Separate waist, neck, and eye movement simulation - this can be a little awkward to explain, but basically most FPS assumes that there is only 1 axis of control, either waist or neck. Some games provide 2 axis in the sense of free look, but I figured DUST can benefit from a third axis.

3. Various bugs related to player control - which is too long to list here...:D

I plan to release an open tech demo to get some feedback on the new player controller before implementing it to the new release. So keep your eyes open :D

That's it for this week!

Take care!

-Peter

I've begun working on player models this week. My current goal is to create three models (assault, medic, recon) for the two factions. On a side note, I am experimenting with few customization options (helmets, armor types) to see if customization is a viable option at this point.

Another thing to note is that all firearm sounds and some foley sounds got an upgrade, with slight cinematic tweaks to add to its charm (not too much though). I hope to achieve better spatial awareness with this change in general.

That's it for this week!

-Peter
Update: There will be no weekly report on 26th. The next weekly report will be on the following week, November 2. Take care!

Dear friends, I finally have a working date that I am shooting for. I project the long waited 0.3 build to be available mid-late November, and this comes with my confidence :D

After this update, we will be going back to weekly updates!

That's it for this week!

Peace!

With the Killhouse map nearing its completion, I also begun working on re animating some of the old first person animations.Some of the old features, such as eye relief control, will be replaced with a cleaner control scheme along with a responsive animation.

Another aspect I am concerned is weapon switching and related control over it. Conventional fps allows users to instant change the weapon, whereas in DUST, it takes time. The only problem with this approach was that it did not allow the player to interupt the motion mid-change. I am still scratching my head to come up with a way that will complement both gameplay and realism. Of course, at this point, I am rather resisting being too inventive and is resorting to conventional ways. We can always revise this part after 0.3 release, afterall.