Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)

[Asid]

Vol.68 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 16 February 2024



2024 Roadmap


Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 68th edition of our biweekly development briefing, February 16th, 2024! We had a momentary pause between this one and our last edition.

This week we’re thrilled to bring you our public Ready or Not Roadmap for 2024, highlighting future milestone developments to the game! Although we’re unveiling this roadmap to solely cover 2024, we have many more plans that we’re charting further out.

Please do keep in mind that the content we’ll show and discuss as part of this roadmap is still subject to change. Game development is a fluid process, especially for a small indie team like us with this level of a project, so certain priorities and timelines may shift based on necessity.


Vol.68 Development Briefing summary points:

(not a changelog)

    Ongoing 1.0 bugfixing/patches for Winter 2024 with Hotfix #4 arriving shortly.
    Both DLC 1 and the 1.1 update are planned for Spring 2024.
        DLC 1, currently named "Home Invasion," will be free for Supporter Edition owners, as originally intended.
    DLC 2 is planned for Summer 2024.
    The 1.2 update is planned for Fall 2024.
    All of these DLCs are planned to come with free new weapons for the base game, one DLC-exclusive player outfit, and new maps.
    DLCs will also be accompanied by bugfixes for the base game.
    Updates 1.1 and 1.2 will include additions, improvements, and bugfixes to the game.


The 2024 RoN Public Roadmap:

As many of you may know, we have intentionally refrained from sharing public roadmaps in the past. Instead, we chose to operate on our own private internal roadmaps that were best suited for fluctuating development schedules during Early Access.

However, now that we’re past 1.0, we can speak more assuredly about public timelines and milestones.

This roadmap highlights the larger milestones on the horizon rather than projecting every possible patch that may occur.

We used due diligence to account for as many seen and unseen variables as we could in the creation process of this public roadmap, but keep in mind that things are still subject to change.

Without any further ado, here’s our graphic laying out the 2024 RoN public roadmap! :

(Image below: The 2024 RoN Roadmap.
Note: All DLCs come with free new weapons for the base game and one DLC-exclusive player outfit. *Disclaimer: All dates and names are subject to change)



As for Downloadable Content, our DLCs are both planned to be released with additional bugfixes to the core game, including the Roadmap footnote’s aforementioned free new weapons for everyone added to the base game. Each of these DLCs will also include additional new maps.

Meanwhile, the core purpose of updates 1.1 and 1.2 is to deliver further additions, improvements, and bugfixes to the game.

During Winter 2024
we've been focusing on delivering ongoing bugfixes and improvements for 1.0, with Hotfix #4 arriving shortly.

In Spring 2024
we aim to deliver both DLC 1 and the 1.1 update to the game. DLC 1 currently has the name "Home Invasion" and will be accompanied with bug fixes. This first DLC will be free for Supporter Edition owners of the game, as was originally intended.

Summer 2024
is the planned time for the launch of DLC 2, accompanied with bugfixes.

Last but not least, Ready or Not's 1.2 update with its additions, improvements, and bug fixes are slated for Fall 2024
.

We’ll share more specifics about the DLCs and these updates at later dates!



Conclusion

This 2024 RoN Roadmap brings with it four milestones: updates 1.1 and 1.2 as well as DLC 1 and 2. Although the nature of development means the names and timing of these milestones may not fully permanent, the roadmap provides a good outline for the game’s direction in 2024.

Thank you for taking this journey with us through 2024 and beyond!

This concludes our 68th development briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!


Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Our other links: Discord, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.

Stack up and clear out.

[Asid]

Ready or Not - Game Update 1.04
Tue, 5 March 2024




Build 42473

Find the latest improvements and bug fixes for Ready or Not Version 1.04.

If you have any further bug reports or feedback please visit the respective appropriate channels on our Official Ready or Not Discord (https://discord.gg/readyornot)


PSA: Unreal Engine 4-based games patch all of a game's files when installing a new update through Steam. If you see the game taking a long amount of time to update due to file size (relative to the initial update download size), this is why. For example, an update may be a 1gb download and then have to patch ~50gb of RoN's existing game files.

Bug Fixes:

-    Resolved crash primarily relevant to RTX 4000 series cards regarding issue with "DXGI_Error_Device_Hung"
-    Resolved inconsistencies with Commander Mode traits applying incorrectly


Stack up and clear out
VOID Interactive

[Asid]

Vol.71 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 29 March 2024



Dynamic Dialogue

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 71st edition of our development briefing, March 29th, 2024!

This week we’ll look at our new dynamic dialogue-related systems for AI which will give us more flexibility and nuance for storytelling, as well as showcase some of the recent work on our lip sync system.

These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, although they do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that everything in this development briefing is work in progress and subject to change.

Vol.71 Development Briefing Summary Points:
(not a changelog)

Dynamic Dialogue System
- Allows for easily creatable dialogue strings between multiple characters
- Intricate level of customization
- Complements existing reaction voice line system
- New dialogue being written and recorded

Lip Sync System
- Video showcase of the recent early implementation of our lip sync system


Read on....

[Asid]

Vol. 72 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, April 12, 2024

"Home Invasion" Early Overview Discussion



Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for 72nd edition of our Ready or Not development briefing, April 12th, 2024!

Today we're doing an early overview discussion of how our first piece of Downloadable Content, “Home Invasion”, will work and as well as provide a bit of initial info regarding its contents.

We want to have an accessible approach to our paid DLC, release a free game update parallel to Home Invasion
to create a broader 'Home Invasion Release,' and expand upon our in-game narrative in a nuanced, impactful manner.


DLC content is just one component of our ongoing support for Ready or Not. We have many bugfixes and free content updates in the pipeline.

These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment.Please keep in mind that everything in this development briefing is work in progress and subject to change.


Vol. 72 Development Briefing Summary Points:
(not a changelog)


    - - DLC maps are available to be played at full quality by everyone in multiplayer matchmaking as long as their lobby host owns the DLC
- To be properly revealed at a later date for the Home Invasion DLC:
        3 new maps
        2 new weapons
- The Home Invasion mission narrative will provide continuity with the base game, yet also provide a nuanced experience that will take you away from the stark darkness of criminal ring activity to a much broader spectrum of disturbing grey.


An Accessible Approach to DLC

A core continuous sentiment from us at VOID is how we want to avoid splitting our multiplayer playerbase across DLC content. Our DLC content should therefore be as accessible as possible, regardless of whether someone owns the DLC.


For multiplayer, this means allowing DLC maps to be played in multiplayer matchmaking at full quality by anyone regardless of DLC ownership as long as the lobby's host owns the relevant DLC. Years ago previously in one of our Frequently Asked Questions there was speculation about having the free multiplayer version be lower resolution in some respect, but we have decided against that.

As previously mentioned in our Vol.68 briefing: we will release additional bugfixes for the base game during the same timeframe that DLC content is being released. Furthermore, all our planned DLC will come with free new base game weapons, a DLC-exclusive player outfit, and new maps. Last but not least, DLC 1 is of course free for Supporter Edition owners per our original plans.

Home Invasion in particular will come with 3 new maps following a new narrative premise and 2 new weapons.

We hope that by making the DLC weapons free and allowing easy free access to DLC maps via host in multiplayer you will all still be able to enjoy the effects of each DLC launch, regardless of whether you specifically own it.


Simultaneous Free Game Update

“Home Invasion” has become more than just a DLC release
, it is now going to be accompanied by a parallel free update
for the base game as well.

This means we’ll be adding some features and improvements aside from just bug fixes that should release as part of this broad “Home Invasion Release.” The feature list should consist primarily of Quality of Life improvements.

To provide some development context on how this is possible, our different departments are developing future releases at the same time as the Home Invasion Release— including new general content updates and DLC.

This process aims to expand our scope of active development beyond whatever immediate content is upcoming; making use of the natural development bandwidth that opens when projects are be passed from department to department. Our new Lead Producer who we’re welcoming on board will assist us greatly in coordinating these sorts of processes.

For an example in a nutshell:

Once the Level Design Team passes newly developed Home Invasion levels to the Art Team, the Level Design Team can begin partial work on other new levels in the time between any subsequent necessary Level Design-related changes to the Home Invasion levels.

Meanwhile as our Engineering Team (consisting of different programming specialties) and other departments wait for a level to reach them, they are already working on bugfixes, improvements, and additions in other areas and for future updates.


Nuanced Narrative Continuity

The criminal conspiracies in our existing mission narrative run deep and abhorrently dark. Although that is an unfortunate reality of Los Sueños, our Home Invasion narrative
will take you away from the stark darkness of those criminal rings to a much broader spectrum of disturbing grey.

In this new narrative a disaster strikes, and every day people are left to pick up the pieces or use them as a weapon of opportunity. Complicated interests and self-preservation are driving forces in this liminal space with people across walks of life seeking any means to an end.

We understand the emotional impact and reflection that existing missions like Ends of the Earth evoke with our players regarding their activities within the game world. The three new maps included in the Home Invasion DLC will carry that torch forward into the labyrinthine world that is Los Sueños.


Conclusion

Our intention with paid DLC, including Home Invasion, is to provide ongoing support for RoN that can benefit everyone regardless of whether they own the relevant DLC.

With a parallel free game update for the Home Invasion Release, 2 new weapons, and easy free multiplayer access to the 3 new DLC maps via lobby hosts we are showing examples of how we want to achieve our intentions.

The disturbing grey area of our Home Invasion narrative meanwhile represents our desire to branch out and evolve on our mission content.

This concludes our 72nd development briefing, thank you again for joining us. Be sure to fall in next time for more development news!



Follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Our other links: Discord, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.

Stack up and clear out.

VOID Interactive

[Asid]

Vol. 73 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 10 May 2024



Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 73rd edition of our Ready or Not development briefing, May 10th, 2024!

This week we’ll be showing some work on new AI target detection systems that make engagements feel more fair in situations where the player is partially obscured from Suspect/Civilian AI line of sight.

We have two new specific types of target detection checks under development that are meant to meet this goal of improved fairness: “dynamic visibility blockers” that make thick CS gas clouds obscure your location from AI, and “AI detection cone checks” that make you less likely to be detected between small cracks or when mostly-obscured by cover at longer distances.

We also want to highlight that this is Mental Health Awareness month and contextualize the new videos on the topic that are releasing on our YouTube channel. In this newsletter you’ll find some additional development philosophy regarding the inception of our existing SWAT AI mental health system in-game for Commander Mode.

These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that everything in this development briefing is work in progress and subject to change.

Vol. 73 Development Briefing Summary Points:

(not a changelog)


- AI Target Detection Changes
       - New dynamic visibility blockers that cause thick CS gas clouds to block effective AI target acquisition
            -AI fires at target’s last known position
       - AI accuracy is now reduced per meter of CS gas thickness
       - New target detection “cone” checks help prevent AI from acquiring targets through unintended tiny cracks, small gaps from a distance, and acquiring peaking players from a distance or at difficult corner angles

- May is Mental Health Awareness Month
       - New thematically relevant videos releasing on the VOID YouTube channel to help bring awareness to mental health concepts present in the game
           - First video is titled “PTSD”
       - Game design insights for the inception of the SWAT AI mental health feature in Commander Mode; simply surviving is not always enough.

Read on...

[Asid]

Ready or Not - Vol. 74 Development Briefing
Fri, 7 June 2024



UE5 Completion and DLC 1 Delay/Glimpses

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 74th edition of our Ready or Not development briefing, June 7th, 2024!

This week we'll be covering our completed transition from Unreal Engine 4.27 to the new UE5 and the delay of DLC 1. Throughout this briefing, we’ll outline what specific benefits we expect from UE5.3 as well as how the DLC release and UE5.3 modding scene is affected. Furthermore, we’ll show off some slices of content that you can expect from DLC 1.

The UE5 transition was a longtime project that was in large part diligently handled by close external partners. This extensive preparation has resulted in a relatively seamless final transition, yet there were still some related issues and additional delays that we had to recently overcome. Other general issues including one or two high-priority issues are still not fixed. Aside from that there is some extra DLC 1 work and quality assurance to be completed.

One main high-priority remaining issue is that some of the open-source tools used for modding countless Unreal Engine games, including RoN, are not yet compatible with UE5.3. In the crucial interest of our great modding community we want to avoid launching without modding support. We have several solutions to pursue including a bounty on the tools.

With the UE5 transition complete an official modding Software Development Kit (SDK) is going to happen but it will take time to do right.

Therefore, Officers, we are posting open bounties to support Unreal Engine 5 modding as a whole. Payout will be based on contributions that fix the issues at hand for each tool:

- UE4SS (https://github.com/UE4SS-RE/RE-UE4SS) (Primarily affects map modding)
- UAssetAPI (https://github.com/atenfyr/UAssetAPI) (Primarily affects equipment modding)
- UAssetGUI (https://github.com/atenfyr/UAssetGUI) (Primarily affects equipment modding)

These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that everything in this development briefing is work in progress and subject to change.


Vol. 74 Development Briefing Summary Points:

(not a changelog)

    DLC 1 will no longer release during the Spring timeframe, though it is close to completion. It will release as soon as properly viable
        We will be able to provide more info in the coming weeks with the next newsletter as progress on the situation is made

    Vast majority of DLC 1 content is completed
        DLC 1 comes with 3 new weapons (plus effectively a 4th)
            (available to all players regardless of DLC ownership)
        3 new maps largely completed with glimpses shown
            (available to all players in multiplayer with a lobby host who owns the DLC)

    We have completed a transition for RoN from Unreal Engine 4.27 to Unreal Engine 5.3
        It was important for efficiency and engine benefits that we complete the engine transition before adding new content to the game
            Not every new UE5 feature will be utilized by RoN, but there is a solid list of immediately noticeable benefits that we’re confident will be included:
                Better PSO integration tools, PSO precaching, DLSS 3.7, FSR 3, and new anti-aliasing methods (TSR).

    We are posting open bounties to update open-source modding tools and support Unreal Engine 5 modding as a whole (Affected tools: UE4SS, UAssetAPI, UAssetGUI)
        RoN will receive official Software Development Kit modding support now that the UE5 transition is complete, but it will take time for the official SDK to be done properly and polished



DLC 1 Delay

We’re sorry to say that DLC 1 and its broader Home Invasion launch will no longer fit into the Spring timeframe.

Unfortunately, our timetables shifted more than we anticipated during our UE5 transition and development process, along with the fresh uncertainty presented by the modding tool dilemma.

The delay also represents an adjustment of our focus towards developing some more core game features and actualizing the new benefits that UE5 can offer.

The vast majority of DLC 1 is already completed. With it will come 3 new weapons (not counting a novel twist that effectively creates a 4th new weapon option). Our three new maps are looking incredible, and we have a few glimpses to share with you all.

Fortunately for the rest of the roadmap, preliminary work is already being done on DLC 2 by our level design/art teams when available, and experimentation on features for the core-game is continuing to progress. UE5 brings hope in the new efficiencies and benefits it brings to our internal development processes. However, we’ll ultimately have to assess later how this DLC 1 delay affects timing on other roadmap goals.

(Image below: [DLC 1] A battered building hangs in a state of disrepair. Its decrepit hallways echo with the murmurs of those with nowhere else to go.)


(Image below: [DLC 1] A sun-drenched neighborhood crumbling close to its end.)


(Image below: [DLC 1] A grand estate sits atop the valley.)



A New Engine for Future-Proofed Content

Upgrading our game engine to Unreal Engine 5 prior to launching DLC ended up being imperative to most efficiently future-proof new content and reap benefits from the updated engine. Specifically, the current version we’re on is UE5.3.

As stated earlier, our external partners handled the majority of the transition, allowing us to focus on developing 1.0 and new content until the final stage of the UE5 transition was ready.

Although Ready or Not is not positioned to use every new or flashy feature UE5 has to offer, there is a solid list of easily noticeable benefits that we’re confident we should be able to take advantage of. A few of these potential benefits are better PSO integration tools, PSO precaching, DLSS 3.7, FSR 3, and new anti-aliasing methods (TSR). We're already seeing positive results in gameplay from many of these features.

Better PSO integration tools means that we should have an easier time implementing PSO caching for each map/level in the future, which would reduces loading times and in-game stutters.

PSO Precaching is an automatic approach to PSO caching that could help cut down on load times and stutters even further. This technique contrasts with traditional PSO caching which may require you to load a level first before you can benefit.

Nvidia’s DLSS 3.7 offers improvements over the DLSS 3.5 currently in the game to enhance performance and visual fidelity simultaneously for RTX cards.

Meanwhile AMD’s FSR 3 suite offers similar features for all graphics cards, able to replace the FSR 2.1 in-game now.

TSR (Temportan Super Resolution) is a new anti-aliasing method that comes with UE5 that which improve anti-aliasing graphical quality substantially, especially during movement.


Conclusion

Even though DLC 1 is nearing completion it is not expected within the Spring timeframe anymore; we aim to release it as soon as properly viable. More info should be offered during the coming weeks with the next newsletter as progress on the situation is made.

Our completed UE5 transition will future-proof development while providing you all some useful features, but we still have some things to address including the recently outdated Unreal Engine modding tools.

Once again we recognize that an official polished SDK, which we always wanted for RoN, would be an ideal modding solution. The SDK is going to happen as a next step since the UE5 transition is complete, but getting it right will take some time. Until then we hope this solution is beneficial for the entire Unreal Engine 5 modding community. Keep an eye on the respective Github pages for more info.

This concludes our 74th development briefing, thank you again for joining us. Be sure to fall in next time for more development news!



Follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Our other links: Discord, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.

Stack up and clear out.

VOID Interactive

[Asid]

Ready or Not - Vol. 75 Development Briefing
Fri, July 5, 2024



Home Invasion Teaser, UE5 Bounty Complete, New Comms Structure

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 75th edition of our Ready or Not Development Briefing, July 5th, 2024!

Today we’re sharing our teaser trailer for the incoming Home Invasion DLC, announcing the successful efforts of the UE5.3 github community in completing our open-source modding tool bounties, announcing a new optimal 4-week schedule for newsletter communications, and laying out community-focused comms/events that we’ll be releasing with our returning Community Manager, Kaminsky!

These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that everything in this development briefing is work in progress and subject to change.

Vol. 75 Development Briefing Summary Points:
(not a changelog)

- The teaser trailer for the incoming release of DLC 1 "Home Invasion" is now unveiled with emphasis on its story premise! (see below)

- Our Unreal Engine 5.3 updated open-source modding tools bounty is now successfully completed.
   - These updated tools benefit UE5.3 modding as a whole but also help support RoN’s transition to UE5.3, with an official SDK still being our ultimate end goal.
- Starting today, we’ll be changing the schedule and structure of our newsletter-type communications so that they run in 4-week intervals.
   - In addition to the existing developer briefings, we are re-launching community focused newsletters. They will release in offset 4-week intervals so that there is a new newsletter of some sort about every 2 weeks.
- Our returning Community Manager, Kaminsky, will be providing many community-focused communications and hosting events like gamenights, giveaways, and AMAs!


Home Invasion is on the Horizon

(Video below: DLC 1 "Home Invasion" teaser trailer)


Read on...

[Asid]

Ready or Not: Home Invasion DLC is Now Available!
Tue, 23 July 2024



The Home Invasion DLC and its accompanying base game update are now released! You can view the full changelog here:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/4343242494484137728


Much of the Home Invasion DLC content is free for all players, however if you want access to the DLC exclusive cosmetics check out the Home Invasion store page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3015760/Ready_or_Not_Home_Invasion


(If you already own the Supporter Edition, the Home Invasion DLC is included for free.)


DLC weapons: Free for all players
DLC maps: Free in multiplayer if the lobby host owns the DLC
DLC cosmetics: DLC purchase needed (with the exception of balaclavas and new camo options for base game cosmetics)

If you have any bug reports or feedback, please post them on our Discord bug report forum channel or our Discord feedback report forum channel to consolidate them most effectively.

Follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Our other links: Discord, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.

Stack up and clear out.

VOID Interactive

[Asid]

Home Invasion Patch 1 Changelog
Fri, 26 July 2024



Welcome to the Patch 1 changelog for the Home Invasion Release!

Attention Officers,

Welcome to Patch 1 changelog for the Home Invasion Release! Included is an introduction to the recent changes today and our next steps, with the Patch 1 changelog notes listed further below:


Following the launch of our first DLC, we have taken in the great amount of feedback provided by our community and are working to rectify as many of the most pressing issues as we can. In two patches we will address two main areas of concern along with general bugfixing and improvements: the first being performance, and the second being the lack of availability of DLC1 maps in Commander Mode.

Here in Patch 1, we are focusing on performance as the primary priority. Among the fixes, FSR3 will work as intended, resolution scaling is fixed, texture streaming issues are resolved on the new maps, and improvements have been made to several specific performance areas. More changes are of course elaborated in the changelog further below.

Patch 2 meanwhile will look to address the limited availability of the DLC 1 maps. Currently the DLC 1 Home Invasion maps are available in Multiplayer and Practice mode. In Patch 2 will be bringing those same maps into Commander Mode.

For some background context on the situation with Commander Mode, we initially intended for the upcoming DLCs to be part of their own cohesive experience in a separate segment of Commander Mode. However, with the release of Home Invasion, our players have made it clear that this approach restricted the experience of Commander Mode in its current state.

There will of course be a dedicated changelog for Patch 2 for when it releases, but without further ado, here's this Patch 1 changelog:


Fixes:

•    Fixed FSR3 not working
•    Fixed some issues related to turning on DLSS
•    Fixed resolution scale not working
•    Partially fixed civilians getting stuck on doors after being ordered to move to exit. Civilians now move through unlocked doors fine, but may still get stuck on locked doors.
•    Fixed texture streaming on Narcos, Lawmaker and Dorms
•    Fixed missing UI notification when unlocking the flower polo shirt
•    Fixed reportable for dead informant not appearing on Narcos
•    Fixed certain cases of strange character head rotation
•    Fixed issues with spawn points on Valley and Ridgeline in full multiplayer lobbies
•    Fixed hands and gun disappearing when alt leaning a certain way
•    Fixed hostage takers sometimes facing away from the player
•    Fixed small collision issue on Gas
•    Fixed lobby manager and tablet friend invite buttons not working in multiplayer
•    Fixed sound occlusion issue on Sins
•    Fixed subtitles for one of the DLC Station conversations
•    Fixed various typos
•    Possible fix for various music parameters sustaining on Lawmaker and Dorms
•    Fixed certain weapons always using specific weapon draw / holster type
•    Fixed slide lock back audio inconsistency for certain weapons
•    Fixed doubled draw audio for a bunch of weapons
•    Fixed doubled select audio for certain weapons
•    Fixed instances of certain weapons not having third person draw animations assigned
•    Fixed instances of crouched draw / holster audio not having any animation assignments, resulting in no audio
•    Fixed breaching shotgun range, reduced down to ~3.5m
•    Fixed strange looking capsule shadows (by removing them), increasing performance
•    Fixed crashes if host dies will restraining an NPC
•    Fixed crashes for the host that could occur when spectating a full lobby
•    Fixed broken head tracking on arrested suspects/civilians
•    Fixed overly noisy vegetation shadows on Ridgeline
•    Possible fix for dead arrested character models phasing in and out of existence for clients in multiplayer
•    Possible fix for suspects sometimes holding invisible weapons for clients in high latency lobbies
•    Fixed a variety of crashes


Improvements:

•    Added sliders for ambient occlusion quality and reflection quality to the graphics settings
•    Optimized performance of SWAT AI threat tracking
•    Improved UI performance
•    Misc. CPU performance improvements
•    Improved visibility of all holographic and red dot sights
•    Improved first person shading effects when Per-Object Shadows are enabled
•    Improved lighting on Dorms and Lawmaker


Known Issues:

•    Usage of the SPC9 submachine gun may lead to crashes
•    DLSS currently only uses the ‘Quality’ preset regardless of which preset it is set to when turned on

[Asid]

Home Invasion Patch 2 Changelog
Fri, 2 August 2024



Attention Officers,
Welcome to the Patch 2 Changelog for the Home Invasion Release!

In Patch 2, DLC 1 missions are now available in Commander Mode. These Home Invasion missions are made available to play in Commander Mode after the base game missions are complete. Furthermore, we have renamed "Practice" mode to "Quick Play" in order to more accurately reflect its function within the game and reduce confusion. The Home Invasion Missions will still be available in Quick Play and Multiplayer as well.

Fixes:

•    Fixed civilians getting stuck trying to path through rat holes when told to “Move to Exit”
•    Fixed civilians getting stuck on locked doors when told to “Move to Exit”
•    Fixed crash if host dies while restraining a suspect or civilian
•    Fixed missing texture on club entrance curb
•    Fixed evidence on Dorms not being able to be collected after falling under some of the debris on the ground
•    Fixed SWAT AI getting stuck on certain rooms when trying to breach and clear with the breaching shotgun
•    Fixed various collision issues on Narcos
•    Fixed music on Hospital not ramping up properly
•    Fixed various occlusion issues on Hospital
•    Added missing requirements text to DLC customization items
•    Fixed incorrect Home Invasion level order
•    Added missing holding cell audio in the DLC station
•    Fixed use of deprecated propagation audio on Penthouse
•    Optimized sound transitioner
•    Fixed spectator camera not transitioning audio
•    Added missing face ROMs to Penthouse
•    Fixed SWAT command status UI text elements overlapping
•    Fixed SWAT AI being unable to clear small room on Lawmaker
•    Fixed SWAT LODs not working as expected
•    Fixed missing club reaction volumes
•    Fixed optics being blown out on Port
•    Fixed character hands disappearing during paired interactions
•    Fixed SWAT AI getting slightly stuck in the Northern Exit Elephant spawn
•    Fixed civilians not getting arrested in the Northern Exit Elephant spawn
•    Fixed the TCR not reloading while empty and aiming down sights at the same time
•    Fixed certain helmets disappearing when viewed through the team cam
•    Fixed an issue with the tan GPNVG normal map
•    Fixed duplicate battery pack setups on helmets while using night vision goggles


Improvements:

•    Added ability to play DLC missions in Commander Mode after finishing the base missions
        Missions are unlocked in order, as is normal for Commander Mode
•    Added a few helpful pop-ups to the main menu
•    Improved Crystal audio on Gas
•    Improved system performance when opening/closing doors
•    Adjusted SWAT AI clearing behaviour in the main Dorms hallways
•    Optimized various character models


Known Issues:

•    The 'Thank you for purchasing the DLC' pop-up appears when launching the game for the first time, even without owning the DLC.

[Asid]

Vol. 78 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 27 September 2024



New Mocap and Features

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 78th edition of our Ready or Not Development Briefing, September 27th, 2024!

This week we’ll be taking a look at a new motion capture session, which we used to gather some valuable gameplay and cinematic shots for the upcoming DLC and future RoN content. In the process, we’ll outline a sample of the new features under development, namely AI item caching, suspect loadouts, hesitation system variations, suspect squad systems, and a new ban manager.

In other news our dev team is going to be featured in an AMA through eXputer's online forums! If you have any burning questions for us, make sure to submit them at this link before questions close on Oct. 3rd: https://forums.exputer.com/threads/ready-or-not-devs-ama.957/

Note: These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that the content in our development briefings may still be a work in progress and subject to change.


New Mocap Updated Features

Although we won’t be showing the cinematics related mocap (spoilers?) we will touch on some of the useful work that was done for upcoming feature changes, particularly suspect item caching and additions to the AI hesitation system.

Item Caching

Item caching refers to a new system in which suspect/civilian AI in levels will be able to arm themselves during upcoming missions. The project name of this mechanic hints at one of its main purposes, which is being able to create weapons caches that suspects are able to fall back to.

Our early prototypes of this system explore ways of having them resupply, acquire weapons, and even armor. This means an unarmed subject who walked out of your sight may return wielding armor and a rifle. Keep your scene contained.

(Videos below: Mocap data of suspects kitting up via the item cache system)




Read on...

[Asid]

Player Sentiment Survey
Fri, 18 October 2024



let us know what you think, maybe get some stuff

Attention Officers!

In our continued effort to polish and grow Ready or Not into the cornerstone game that it's meant to be, we'd like to hear what you think!

Below is a link to a survey for all of you to gauge how we've been doing and how you want us to proceed, for your troubles we're offering up some Logitech gear that we've come into for those that fill out our survey.

https://forms.gle/HYHym978SKw3Paui6

[Asid]

Vol. 79 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 25 October 2024



DLC #2 Preview and Delay


Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 79th edition of our Ready or Not Development Briefing, October 25th, 2024!

This week we?ll be covering the short-term delay of DLC #2 along with a visual preview of the new levels and some features that will be included with its release.

DLC #2 is now expected to release during the Winter time frame instead of Autumn.

The timeline shift for DLC #1 ultimately ended up affecting DLC #2?s timeline, an effect which was amplified by the number of features we are aiming to include in the DLC #2 release.

In this dev briefing we're showing 3 previously unannounced DLC #2 levels, and feature prototypes that are continuations (with a few bonuses!) from the Vol. 78 dev briefing: Suspect Squad Behavior, Suspect Loadouts, SWAT Visual Identification, improvements allowing multiple headgear/facewear gear to be worn at once, and updated NVG overlays.

Note: These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we?re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that the content in our development briefings may still be a work in progress and subject to change.


Updated DLC #2 Release Time Frame

Fortunately, many of the DLC 2 features are already well under their way in implementation. There is an additional demand on Quality Assurance and feature implementation into the new levels that is accounted for as well.

Speaking of which, our 3 new levels for DLC2 are progressing well but still need more time in the oven. ?Blockout? versions of the levels were playtested and iterated upon over the past months, with each level now entering its final stages of art pass inclusions.

Features and weapons meanwhile are mostly undergoing their animation stages, with core programming already largely complete and features exiting prototype stages.

Akin to DLC #1, all of the new weapons and many of the features in DLC #2 will be accessible to all players regardless of DLC ownership (because some features could be level-dependent). Playing the new DLC #2 missions in multiplayer is free as long as the host owns the DLC. An exclusive cosmetic outfit set will be included for DLC owners, like before-- and this one will have a very specific theme.


DLC #2 Levels Preview

Without giving away too much yet, here?s a peak at the 3 new missions coming in DLC 2:

Mission 1
(Image below: An oil rig looms in an overcast sky)



Read on...

[Asid]

Vol. 80 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 22 November 2024



Player Flexibility and Free Content

Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 80th Ready or Not Development briefing, November 22nd, 2024!

Hope you?re all doing well today, we have some in-depth info to share about game design philosophy around player flexibility and a few details around the upcoming DLC 2 launch, it being free for Supporter Edition owners, a future free content update for everyone next year, and our prototype merchandise line?s launch.

You can already grab our prototype first-release merch line on our official website here. We?ll have a more extensive and fleshed out second line of merch coming later.

Note: These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we?re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that the content in our development briefings may still be a work in progress and subject to change.


DLC 2 Free for Supporter Edition Owners

Our second DLC, Dark Waters, is in view with more info to be on feed shortly.
[Image below: "SWAT, this is Air Support on call, you have eyes in the sky."]




In Dark Waters, each mission takes place in a Maritime setting, where your team will take on an expansion of their responsibilities along the Los Suenos coastline in partnership with the California Offshore Air and Sea Team organization (C.O.A.S.T).

On launch, the Dark Waters DLC will be available for free by default to Supporter Edition owners in their Steam Library, similar to DLC 1.


Other than expressing our continued gratitude to these early supporters of Ready or Not, DLC 2 is being made free in part as a recognition of the DLC Weapon Packs that did not come to fruition?a result in part of how we decided to include new DLC-related weapons as free for everyone.

One thing to be aware of is that we will be concluding the otherwise unused Supporter Alpha playtesting Steam branch due to its outdated purposes and unintended issues it is causing for players still using it.

This playtesting Steam branch was first made as a good faith continuation of the pre-Steam Early Access Alpha testing perk for Supporter Edition owners. It offered brief periods of testing prior to updates since the Steam Early Access launch was in some way a transitionary Alpha/Beta stage. However, that style of playtesting perk is no longer supported after 1.0, long after our Alpha stage.

Also, it turns out a number of players still had their game set to that outdated branch, unaware of the fact that it was outdated and that it could interfere with their ability to match-make with players who are on the normal branch of the game. With all of this in mind, we are going to be officially making that outdated Alpha branch unavailable.


Philosophy towards Player Flexibility

As keen-eyed officers among you may have noticed, several of the features we?re going to be adding with the update surrounding Dark Waters (i.e. arrest canceling, multiple headgear equipped at once) and others that are planned for future updates follow a certain theme of somewhat increased player flexibility.

In recent months we deliberately made a slight shift in our game design philosophy focus, moving away from surface level balancing of loadouts and customization and instead focusing on enhancing player flexibility. Our goal with this is to empower players to make more meaningful choices and offer richer customization options, affecting weapons, quality of life features, and gear.

Part of supporting our game entails a certain degree of evolution, something that is benefited by increased development bandwidth that we have now compared to when we were implementing tons of other features in the past.

Weapon Flexibility
Quality gunplay has always been a key element of Ready or Not?s development with three key pillars being customization fantasy, gun utility, and feel. Where things don't feel realistic it is generally a design choice made because it doesn't feel 'right' or 'fun' for the game.

We realized it isn't very fun, engaging, or realistic to force players to make a decision between different attachments for balancing sake. This is a major part of why we?re planning on implementing multiple rail attachments to be used at once, i.e. a flashlight and IR sight equipped together. This is something we wanted to include in DLC 2 but were not able to properly fit it in.

Meanwhile, you can look forward to a few fresh up-caliber upgrades to your weaponry with Dark Waters.

Gear Flexibility
The changes in gear flexibility applies to the headgear changes showcased in the last dev briefing, Vol. 79. For example, forcing players to pick between whether to take NVGs or a gas mask ultimately seemed unnecessarily limiting more than fun or realistic, including the cosmetic benefits of the flexibility to customize your gear to that degree. It looks cool to wear the two together.

Quality of Life Flexibility
Our moreso quality of life focused flexibility changes, such as adding arrest canceling, are not intended to change the deliberate pacing of the gameplay in a major way but rather to reduce circumstances where the game might lock you into something you realistically no longer want to do. Although you can now cancel your arrest, you still have to quickly re-orient and decide how to deal with the immediate threat that may be facing you. Keeping your area safe and secure before going in for arrests is still the ideal option.


Future Free Content Update

Although many of our recent content updates have released next to a paid DLC, this is of course not the plan for all updates going forward. Our next content update is planned for next year and will be free for everyone. Expect more details regarding this update in the new year!


First Line of Prototype Merchandise

Once again, on our website you can find t-shirts, hats, and a hoodie with RoN branding and designs.

We have many other types of merch and designs that we're planning for our second line, however you can get your hands on this prototype first line now! By buying this line of merch you also help us gauge what sort of sizes and quantities we should plan to have readily available in the future.

[Image below: One of the t-shirts from our first-line merch]
https://merch.voidinteractive.net/en-gbp/collections/all




Conclusion

Player flexibility is an area we?d like to continue to explore in the future, and something you can look forward to enjoying with our second DLC, Dark Waters. To our Supporter Edition owners, thank you again for your dedication to the early state of the game and we are happy to offer the Dark Waters DLC for free for those of you. We have no shortage of juicy info that is going to be put out in the coming weeks and in the free content update for everyone that's next year.

This concludes our 80th development briefing, thank you for joining us. Be sure to fall in next time for more development news!

Stack up and clear out.
VOID Interactive

[Asid]

Dark Waters Release Changelog
Tue, 10 December 2024



Delve into Dark Waters

Attention Officers,

The Dark Waters Release is upon us, and with it comes plenty of changes for free with the base game. You can now buy the Dark Waters DLC on Steam here . Below is the changelog for Dark Waters, covering free changes to the base game, those exclusive to the DLC, those related to the DLC.

If you already own and have activated the Supporter Edition, the Dark Waters DLC is now included for free in your library.

The majority of the Dark Water Release content is available for free in some manner and included as part of the general game update. Here's a quick outline of how it works:

    - DLC weapons: Free for all players
    - DLC maps: Free in multiplayer if the lobby host owns the DLC
    - DLC cosmetics: DLC purchase needed


Within the changelog "Base game update changes" refers to the general changes that will be included for everyone as part of the base game and are not related to the DLC. "DLC Exclusive changes" refers to the handful of changes that will only be accessible via DLC ownership. Finally, "DLC Related changes" refers to changes that are part of the DLC, but will be accessible to everyone in some manner.

Important Note: Until mod owners have updated their versions to match the game, if you have mods installed you should select the ?launch in safe mode? option for Ready or Not to prevent crashes/conflicts that may occur with outdated mods.



Read on...