The private beta is here!

Private Beta Test

Last night I started sending out keys for the private beta.  A small change from my last post is that you’ll need to friend the “reanimatedgames” steam account in order to get a key.  I’m checking the account periodically to accept friend requests and send out keys.

Beyond that, in order to participate you’ll need to join the following Steam Group.  All members of the group will be given a key they can use to install the game.  You will need a Windows PC and a Steam account.

Join the group here!

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/reanimatedtesters

Setting Expectations

This is the first semi-public test of Deadburg on the PC. It will have a lot of issues. I’m going to try to fix them as fast as I can, but the game will crash on you and it’s likely you will lose progress. If you want to have a smoother play experience I would recommend waiting for a week or so as the issues are discovered and patched up.

The game content is identical to the last patch Xbox 360 content. So you will not be finding new weapons/items in this build. They will be added in updates during testing, but right now the focus is on making sure the core game is stable on the PC.

There is no controller support in the current version. I’ve already heard from some people about that and it may change in the future, but right now it’s keyboard and mouse.

Issues/Bugs

If you hit a crash, found a bug, or just want to tell me why the game sucks, you can do so from inside the game. Simply hold B+U+G and you should see a simple UI where you can send feedback to me directly. Please use this as often as you like.

FAQ

Is there an NDA?
Nope, no NDA. If you want to share screenshots, videos or simple descriptions of the game feel free. I would ask that you mention the game is in early test if you do decide to share it somewhere, but I won’t be tracking people down if they don’t.

What’s Next?

The rough plan is to spend the next few weeks fixing issues with the beta and implementing a few new features to support further testing.  After that I will probably be dropping patches on a monthly basis, with possibly an “experimental” branch of the beta getting new builds every 2 weeks.

Hey Folks!

We’re getting close to the private test.  Here’s the big things I worked on this month.  Take a look at the end of the post for some information on when the private test will start.

Character Animations

So in my last post I mentioned some issues I was having getting the animations necessary for testing.  Since then Mixamo has been fixed and I’m now working on getting all of the animations working in game.  The process involves getting animations for all of the primary actions, which are generally movement.  And then animations for secondary actions, like holding objects or using them.  Then we combine those animations in game to show the character.  Here’s an example of what that will look like.

So in this case we’re taking a walking animation and combining it with an animation of holding a rifle.   I’m also moving the head up and down, so I can give a better idea of where the player is looking.  It’s not a perfect solution, but it allows me to animate the characters better without needing to have separate animations for each combination of object and movement.  The included animations will be for test only.  In this case you can see the stock animation deforms the wrist of the model pretty bad.

There’s one item missing from the above gif, the actual items.  That’s generally the final step in getting a working animation into the game, making sure all of items position themselves appropriately.  I’ve got a separate application I use to fine tune the position of the items on the character, which I’m doing as I bring in the new animtions.

 Bug/Feedback Reporting

Last month I showed the crash reporting system, but not every issue in the game will cause a crash.  I’ve added a bug reporting system in game to cover the other types of issues.  Simply press B+U+G at the same time to bring it up.  You can then give a short description of the bug and a screenshot will be sent along with it.  You can also just send feedback if you think something should be improved or changed.

Private Beta Test

So I can now announce that the beta test will start on 10/31!  In order to participate you’ll need to join the following Steam Group.  All members of the group will be given a key they can use to install the game.  All you need is a Windows PC and a Steam account.

Join the group here!

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/reanimatedtesters