Sprint 40 Update

Refactoring

A large part of Q4 2023, and Q1 2024, the Eden development team has worked on refactoring significant portions of the Eden back-end. Refactoring refers to the process of restructuring existing computer code without changing its external behavior. As the many different systems of Eden came together, it became clear that updating such a large code base on a regular basis would have put significant strain on the company's resources in a live environment. Rather than pushing through, the team hired new talent for a systematic review and deep restructuring of essential back-end processes. Whilst a process such as this is not ideal from a timeline perspective, it results in immense efficiency gains in the long term. Whereas adding one new gun could have taken up to several weeks in the old structure, it only takes a matter of days in the new build.

Combat mechanics

As a result of efficiency gains from refactoring. The team has been able to make significant strides in combat mechanics and visuals. Some of the largest areas of feedback during the Q4-builds were in this area. Gun behavior has been made significantly more responsive, accurate and reliable. Furthermore, much VFX has been added such as lighting effects on the environment when shooting, smoke coming from the barrel after shooting, gun handling animations and heat effect distortions above the barrel after shooting and bullet impact.

Shooting gallery

As part of ongoing combat mechanics testing, a shooting gallery has been set up with various different targets, moving and static, with hit feedback. The shooting gallery has enabled us to do rapid testing of combat mechanics.

Deathmatch area

A deathmatch area has been created. This small slice of the wasteland will function as a rapid deathmatch area where we can rapidly load in with multiple players and fight in order to test combat. This deathmatch slice will play an essential role in the Alpha stage, enabling testers to quickly experience and test Eden combat.

Networking

Networking has been optimized in order to be production level scalable. Eden is now able to run countless instances simultaneously. Being able to run many instances simultaneously is essential for multiple reasons. It keeps loading times for players at a minimum, it reduces overhead costs when the game is live and it makes for a responsive experience for the player.

Road to alpha

All efforts are now directed towards launching the Alpha. Many loose ends need tidying whilst we are organizing the logistics of creating attention, getting people in and collecting feedback from testers. An elaborate announcement with regards to how to participate in the Eden Alpha will soon become available.