Sneak Peek #53

[Aleš Ulm 1725]

Hey there, fellow Ylanders!
 

Last time we mentioned that we are gradually entering the fixing/polishing stage - we said that we’ll be fully committed to fixing issues once the next update 0.10 is released. A lot of you have asked about the release date of that update. We’ve learned the hard way about giving estimates, but since things seem to be coming along nicely, I think it’s safe to assume that it will be released in early August  - about a month from now.
 

Speaking of bug fixing - let me give you a quick rundown of some of the issues that are currently high on our list (please understand that this is not a promise that they will all be fixed in 0.10, but we will do our best).
 

* issues with drag’n’dropping items - in the past we’ve managed to remove several issues resulting on items ending up outside the slots (especially with slow FPS). Now we’d like to fix the rest.

* items not properly stacked when working with containers

* not being able to use ladders when swimming (= not being able to get back on the ship)

* ladders (and some other objects as well) being used to get entry to otherwise inaccessible places 

* accidental eating of items that shouldn’t be edible (especially maps, keys and other objects)

* blueprint placing being very unforgiving

Then there’s one thing where we would really like your feedback. We are looking into the building/object placing process (in game, not in the Editor - at least not for now) and we'll try to make it more intuitive. We would like to know what gives you the most problems when you build in Explore or Create modes, what would you like to see improved (also feel free to provide any ideas for improvements :)). Thanks!

 

Gee, Brain. So first we polish the game ... and then try to take on the world, right? (Acme Labs by @DWsgaming)

 

And let’s start with another batch of Q&A:
 

When will mods be available?

In the past we thought we might be adding the modding support at the end of this year, but since it’s already obvious the version 1.0 will very likely be delayed, everything planned after this released has been delayed as well. It goes without saying that the game needs to be stable and polished before we let players improve it further (or break it :D) with mods. Also, we will be closely watching what will the proposed EU Copyright law mean for user generated content coming into the game in form of mods.
 

When/how can we transport horses (or generally animals) via ship from yland to yland?

Actually we plan to start working on that very soon as we consider it one of the core features.

Will the crystals have any more use? Maybe I could link them in the weapons to make them more powerful? fire, ice, electricity ..

Good question! We do have plans for crystals that we will reveal along with the new world release.
 

Would you consider adding in either a right click wake up option or another wake up time of early morning at 3:00am for the perfect sunrises.

We miss being able to wake up at a specific time ourselves. We would like to have that option in addition to four given options (in SP mode only, though).

That’s it for this week. Thanks again and, until we talk again ylanders, have a great time and stay classy!

[bojo2736 1016]

Building / placing objects in the game is so fiddly and frustrating.  I would like something like how it is done where you control placement with the grab bars.

If you are placing an object now, you have limited control side to side or up and down.  Limited. Not good. And super frustrating. But front to back precise placing is nearly impossible.

Building on or even near water seems to change the grid properties and angles.

And the single most annoying thing, maybe in the whole game for me, I try to place a block or log piece and instead of snapping to the build area it goes flying out way in the distance. I can't place it that far out, so why does it even do that? That one thing makes me just give up on more detailed builds in game.

Please make it possible in game to make items under my barrier unbreakable and unpickable.

Edited July 6, 2018 by bojo2736
More info

[Indomitus 388]

(Related to bojo's point...  I'd started typing a while ago and got pulled away...)

One thing that frustrates me often is how the anchor/pivot point affects objects aligning with each other.  This is especially noticeable with larger pieces, where the anchor point is at one corner, but we want to align a different part of the object.  The manual movement controls help in most cases, but sometimes can make the alignment even more difficult, especially when working at the very edge of a structure (like a platform on a ship).  In those cases, as stated above, the object moves suddenly into the distance and we either have to try to compensate or just abort and try again.

Building near water...  When the object goes under the water (before placement) it can't be seen at all, even if it's right under the surface.  Makes it near impossible to position or rotate it right when building something like a dock or offshore platform.

edit:  This is when the object is below water and the player is above, usually with shallow water where you can't swim below the surface.

Edited July 6, 2018 by Indomitus

[RedEagle_P1. 905]

I keep eating my map lel

[JMeJ2 33]

ANGLES!!! We need to be able to build on a grid in game the same as it works for the editor. Setting furniture in game is random and annoying. Also (possibly more important) being able to build with angles for building material objects (not just furniture) at set values of  5°,15°, 30° & 45°. The editor allows you to set the angle for furniture but doesn't allow you to set building materials at an angle. (On occassion it does, which is very odd, but most of the time you can't) The building process should be the same as it is in the editor. Holding H in game is just random angles (too hard to pick at a specific angle).  I want to be able to rotate my walls 30° so I doubt have to spend a gazillion hours placing little wedges. I WANT TO BUILD ROUNDISH BUILDINGS & CAN'T BECAUSE THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC ANGLES. It's annoying.

This really needs to be addressed: This is a biggie - when you find existing buildings, they aren't on grid so you can't add anything correctly to them. The fact that you can't snap to anything existing is just ridiculous. I've been taking my game into the editor and moving the all the buildings on to grid just so I can add in to them. And free placing doesn't work because I keep picking my stuff up. Also very annoying.

So please fix this part.

Don't get me wrong, still by far my favorite game, but I hate that everytime I want to set down furniture or whatever I have to get out & bring it into the editor because it's the only precise way of doing things. & I'm a precise type of person.

[bojo2736 1016]

I wish I could give you more upvotes on that @JMeJ2

[drseito 11]

Building in Explore or Create modes really should be as easy as manipulating things in the Editor (except for the required materials).  It would be ideal if a small Editor-like interface would be available with tools (which may have to be discovered/learned) to select, (re)position, place, rotate, duplicate, destroy, etc. blocks and objects.

[Aleš Ulm 1725]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I believe the building will definitely be improved before we leave EA.

Also don't be afraid to voice any concerns you might have at any point - it's not really necessary to stress that you like the game (just that fact that you found time to provide the feedback shows that much  ). Constructive criticism is always welcome - actually now more than ever.

 

[Brbrmensch 32]

1 minute ago, Aleš Ulm said:

Also don't be afraid to voice any concerns you might have at any point

well then, i am really concerned about lag (both from large amount of objects and how bad player positioning works in mp) not being first in your list, but you all get enough feedback on that i'm sure

[drseito 11]

I really want to invest more time into this game but I am concerned about Ylands stability and long term prospects.  There seem to be too many little bugs that tarnish its image and keeping some of the people I know away from the game.  For example, I was showing one of my friends a recently acquired underwater gear when I ran into a group of "sea" horses.  As funny as it may look, my friend immediately assumed that along with "flying" sharks, this was typical of this game.  I have come across a number of other issues (like one of my friends flying up to crow's nest and sinking our ship by moving around).  Needless to say, that perception of instability has to change for this game to reach a critical mass.

[Roomie78 1]

On 2018-07-12 at 10:19 AM, Brbrmensch said:

well then, i am really concerned about lag (both from large amount of objects and how bad player positioning works in mp) not being first in your list, but you all get enough feedback on that i'm sure

First post here and sorry if it sounds negative. I really enjoy the game but I'm also concerned about the lag, or mainly low frame rates in my case.

I'm running a Windows 10, i7 6700K CPU, 32GB RAM, GTX1080Ti GPU and I have only played in single mode so far but still experience very low frame rates.

I'm running the game in 2560x1440 at Ultra settings, but can't see much difference when lowering the settings.

Not sure this is so constructive but hope it helps you get this issue on the radar

[drseito 11]

17 minutes ago, Roomie78 said:

I'm running the game in 2560x1440 at Ultra settings, but can't see much difference when lowering the settings.

Not sure this is so constructive but hope it helps you get this issue on the radar

What happens when you try lower resolution like 1920×1080?

[Roomie78 1]

Well a bit embarrassed here, a GPU driver update and a restart solved the issue.

Sorry for being to fast with the feedback.

[Antimidation 21]

-The blueprints do not snap to the grid...so you are unable to add to them if you want because when you go into build mode it's unlikely that you placed the blue print exactly on the grid, therefor all the pieces you add are not lined up. For example...the log fort, i cannot simply extend or build upward without all the logs being off center.

-There needs to be more dangers in the world, bandit camps, maybe even named beasts that are particularly tough? I've seen people say that there is "nothing to do in this game" which I know isn't true at all...but perhaps the survival aspect needs to be a bit tougher? Yes, i can get killed randomly by a lion or jackal, but not if you aren't running blindly at night. 

-Giving us the ability to build below decks in the ship hulls would be a great addition to the game. 

-Give us the ability to build something and then save it as a template to place later in exactly the same way we had before, you just need to have the materials.

[bojo2736 1016]

I die quite a lot

[DW's Gaming N Animation 70]

I've been building but what has been bugging me is not all the building matterials have whats needed to build.  You can mix and match materials but when you color different materials the colors and shading are different.  Also we're missing 4x2x1 blocks and 2X2X2 blocks.

[DW's Gaming N Animation 70]

Also Doors are 3X6 could we change them to 4X6 or add 4x6 doors.  Because usually we use 4x4x1 blocks for floors and walls.  Also windows are 2X2 which fit this system perfectly why cant doors also fit the Ylands system too.  

[JMeJ2 33]

10 hours ago, DWsgaming said:

Also Doors are 3X6 could we change them to 4X6 or add 4x6 doors.  Because usually we use 4x4x1 blocks for floors and walls.  Also windows are 2X2 which fit this system perfectly why cant doors also fit the Ylands system too.  

I agree with this 100%. The buildings are off a bit because we have a 3x6 door, may even be good to have it 4x8.

[bojo2736 1016]

12 hours ago, DWsgaming said:

I've been building but what has been bugging me is not all the building matterials have whats needed to build.  You can mix and match materials but when you color different materials the colors and shading are different.  Also we're missing 4x2x1 blocks and 2X2X2 blocks.

It seems like we lost quite a few thing in the last update. The stone edges for buildings. 2 wide stairs. And i think the old "desk" piece is missing. Lots of other pieces missing.

And I hope at some point the scalable handles work. 

[JMeJ2 33]

I feel 1 thing that Ylands could really use is missions. Even just side missions to help keep the spark. I've spent hours playing this game, but I have no direction...I mean I guess that's the point, but it would be kinda cool to have goals or missions. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this correctly. 

[bojo2736 1016]

Check out the shared games in the workshop. There are games that people have made that have goals, puzzles and such.

[DW's Gaming N Animation 70]

which game goal/puzzle do you consider the most fun to play? 

[bojo2736 1016]

I have only played around with a couple. Search for Yland Jones. It seemed like it would be fun. Built by our very own @RedEagle_P1.

[RacerX 0]

laws laws laws, permissions,license.....already ruining the game before it is even finished...Im done with this game and BI

[bojo2736 1016]

On 8/12/2018 at 8:13 AM, RacerX said:

laws laws laws, permissions,license.....already ruining the game before it is even finished...Im done with this game and BI

We will try to survive the loss.... somehow.