Alpha test feedback August 23rd, 2014

events
#1

Join us at www.ageofascent.com for a 30 min playtest Saturday, Augest 23rd, 2014 at 8pm UTC, 3pm Central US, 4pm East US, 9pm UK

These release notes for this week’s test:

  • Shields now regenerate, so you can break away from combat and recover
  • Shield recharging indicator under shield level
  • Improved networking, should be less occasional surging under load
  • Improved framerate when under fire
  • Yet more frame rate improvements!
  • Improved NPC server performance - allows more NPCs and better AI in future revisions

If you want to know the bigger picture and where we are heading don’t forget to check out: About Age of Ascent

Thank you all for joining us on this journey!

Alpha test feedback Sept 6, 2014
#2

Out of combat regeneration? New goal: run an entire session without dying.

#3

Is it possible to make the mouse cursor bound to the browser window? On dual monitors it was difficult not to continually run the cursor out-of-bounds of the game and lose control of the ship.

Alpha test feedback Oct 4, 2014
#4

Definitely fun as usual. Because I had been playing another flying game in the meantime, I had some problems getting readjusted to the controls. It didn’t help that my recording software crashed and I was trying to set it back up while being shot at by Awesome, airplaneman, Cerberus, or Stormcrow.

After the initial conflicts died down a bit, I started getting my groove back on. I noticed a very annoying issue where the person I would be shooting at would seemly just vanish instead of explode, awarding no kill or assist. I noticed this happening maybe five or more times, twice really clearly with GM Stormcrow. Will reference the video when it’s up.

I noticed some kick ass evasive maneuvers from a lot of people, and then some somewhat futile evasive maneuvers from some other people. Will reference the video when it’s up.

I didn’t actually notice the shield regeneration doing much. I watched it a bit and saw it tick up every so often, but nothing significant and nothing worth leaving combat for.

As Kaidan said, losing focus of the mouse in the window is absolutely infuriating. Nothing is worse in a dogfight than to fly straight for a few seconds because you moused over the FULLSCREEN MODE balloon or address bar.

#5

WOW! For not having playing Age of Ascent in about a month, this game has improved quite drastically. By far the best version yet and I’m not sure I saw much that needed to change as far as game play goes. I love the music that starts up every time you get shot, it really gets your blood moving. The game today felt balanced, I cant wait for more ships and weapons to be added to the game. [quote=“PsychoRomeo, post:4, topic:201”]
I noticed a very annoying issue where the person I would be shooting at would seemly just vanish instead of explode, awarding no kill or assist
[/quote]
I also noticed this issue as a few times the person would just disappear, but only a few times and it only happened to me when the person was right on the edge of my screen.

I noticed the shield regeneration, but it wasn’t a great amount at a time. However, very helpful if you lose your pursuer with half health, you would be able to regain it all back given enough time.

Some really cool evasive maneuvers from different players and a great fight today.

Keep up the great work Dev Team.

#6

Very interesting… There were two moments when you were chasing me (near one of the carriers) where my browser locked-up entirely (I was testing it this time on a very old laptop with default Intel gfx card as a stress test to push deliberate browser lockups). Both times the browser locked up with you on my tail, I came back after 3-5 seconds still alive - much to my astonishment.

So yes please, definitely want to see that video footage. What’s supposed to happen is that my ship goes pretty much to idle (a sitting duck). But if I was disappearing from screen, then that’s not right. Client issues (be they network, gfx card, bluescreen, ISP, whatever) can’t have a beneficial effect for the player!

#7

Probably me on both sides! I was trying to see how possible it was to evade (Split-S’, Full and half Cuban 8s, and just old fashioned run’n’roll away) whilst trying to get the regen to make sense. At one point, Psycho, I think my ship had taken > 400 damage from you before going pop; so it’s definitely possible.[quote=“PsychoRomeo, post:4, topic:201”]
As Kaidan said, losing focus of the mouse in the window is absolutely infuriating. Nothing is worse in a dogfight than to fly straight for a few seconds because you moused over the FULLSCREEN MODE balloon or address bar.
[/quote]

Yup, agreed. We’ll see if there’s anything we can do about that.

#8

I thought the GMs had some hacker teleport ability that they hit when they got in trouble or something. I was wondering if a new ability got added or something. I was all like ?_?

#9

Note to Thundercat: Make it so, Number One…

#10

Really glad you think so! We have some exciting things planned for the next test now that the basic gameplay seems to be working well

I thought shield regeneration was working quite well for me; however it might have been not being on the opposite team to @PsychoRomeo who repeatedly turns my spaceship into molten slag most tests O_o

#11

Video looks good, a 5m chunk in the middle got corrupted but I can cut that out.

I also think that spawning may be a little weird. I occasionally notice Stormcrow just kind of appear behind everyone. Another time I had just finished off a lonely little random and suddenly, five blue players all around me (it didn’t go well).

Video may be up tonight, else, tomorrow.

#12

Yes, we’ll definitely try to get this in for the test on Sat 6th Septemeber

#13

Did they disappear as they were leaving your screen? Did the target box disappear also or just the ship?

Might need to be a bit better with field of view; what screen resolution were you using?

#14

Don’t have time to look through it today, but I will later tonight or tomorrow.

#15

Looking at Psycho Romeo’s video, in the first twenty seconds GM Stormcrow disappears, as was later mentioned that his browser locked up and so this probably is an issue when someone abruptly closes the window or it crashes, they are immediately dropped from the game.

#16

Release notes for this week’s test are available: