Dogs Of War Vu

Sim/Strategy/War => Games Discussion => Topic started by: Asid on May 06, 2017, 02:54:15 AM

Title: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 06, 2017, 02:54:15 AM: (https://i0.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Header.jpg?resize=800%2C363)

Ready or Not is a tactical first person shooter which places you in the boots of an elite SWAT team,
tasked with diffusing hostile situations in intense, claustrophobic …

Official Site: Here (http://voidinteractive.net/)
YouTube: Here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj3qNoOLkzHJ60vxG6xQvlA)
Single-player/ Multiplayer/ CO-OP

Reveal Trailer
https://youtu.be/Gd139Nin33M

About
Ready or Not is a tactical first person shooter which places you in the boots of an elite SWAT team, tasked with defusing hostile situations in intense, claustrophobic environments.

It’s set in a nondescript modern America, where an income disparity between the classes have become unsustainable and the country has been plunged into havoc. Bring order to chaos with up to 8 players in cooperative play, battle enemy squads in a close player-vs-player environment, or command AI in a striking single-player mode.

(http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Planning-Phase.gif)

Strategic Planning

Our “planning phase” allows players to plan their entry strategy andunit load-outs
with a wide array of choices, such as ammunition types, extra equipment, and entry points.

(http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Multiplayer.gif)

Multiplayer

Bring order to chaos with up to 8 friends in co-op, or battle other SWAT
units in a frantic, competitive multiplayer environment.

(http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/LeanSystem.gif)

Player Dynamics

Smoothly modulate speed or control doors via scroll wheel.
Total control also allows players to incrementally lean in any direction.[/center]

(http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Weaponswapper2.gif)

Over 30 Unique Items

From flashbangs to snake-cams to deploy-able ladders,
players are provided with the freedom to fulfill their tactical plan.

(http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/CustomizationLongest_Low.gif)

Player Customization

Control your officer’s appearance with a wide selection of looks.
Import custom team patches and name-tags.

(http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/LesslethalLongest_Low.gif)

Less-than-lethal Alternatives

Engage in combat with an arsenal of non-deadly weapons including
pepper-guns, tasers, pepper spray, and beanbag shotguns.

(https://i1.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Apartment.jpg)

(https://i2.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Dead.jpg)

(https://i2.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/MPL.jpg)

(https://i1.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Killhouse.jpg)

(https://i0.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Stairwell.jpg)

(https://i0.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Breach.jpg)

(https://i1.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/RoN_Promo_11_STACK2_V2.png)

(https://i1.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/RoN_Promo_11_STACK1.png)

(https://i0.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/RoN_Promo_8.png)
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Cougar11 on May 06, 2017, 03:12:39 AM: Will be looking at this one.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 06, 2017, 03:15:20 AM: Quote from: Cougar11 on May 06, 2017, 03:12:39 AM
Will be looking at this one.

This has "Cougar" written all over it :shooting-two-guns
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 30, 2018, 02:36:39 PM: Ready Or Not – Devblog 02 – “An Era Approaches”
Posted on July 4, 2017 by Void Interactive

Ready or Not has had some frantic last few months since our announcement. We’ve gathered a lot of attention and support, which has cemented our view that people are ready for a complete, authentic, police-based tactical FPS. There’s a fair bit of news to go through, so let’s get started by running through some features.

FEATURES

UI
Contemporary UI design seems to be intent on forcing the player to drag their focus around the screen unnecessarily, instead of their focus being on their surroundings and situation. We aim to fix this with the inclusion of our internally-named “Swiss-Army UI”. This element provides the player with information such as player speed, orientation, lean direction, weapon control and two pop-up radial menus. The aim of the SAUI is to keep the players line-of-focus vertically centric with the crosshair (while not obfuscating view). Below, we have some GIFs of the current iteration of SAUI in action.

http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/SAUI.mp4?_=1

Environment Reaction
New VFX impact effects kick up long-lasting clouds of dust, bullet ricochets spark and sputter, guns kick up particles when fired close to objects, and we’ve added in parallax occlusion mapped bullet holes for relevant materials. These POM mesh impacts add an extra level of “punch” to your weapons, giving the illusion that your rifle is yanking out chunks of wall with every shot. We’re very happy to have implemented this (and so quickly), as it’s an underutilized technique.

http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/PoMImpacts.mp4?_=2

Below, an officer fires an MPL into a set of various materials to create a cloud of matter. This showcases how the individual particle effects work together to provide
greater visual feedback.

http://voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2017-07-05_06-51-55-1.mp4?_=3

Weapon Attachments
The current inclusion of a myriad of collimated weapon optics will give units a greater degree of freedom when it comes to how they want to handle a situation or when it comes to choosing a more comfortable sight picture. These attachments (and all future ones) will only be applicable to weapons with the appropriate rail systems/support.

https://youtu.be/SLRV-Hs37UM

Projectile Dynamics
We’ve included some more information on our projectile dynamics, showcasing ballistic penetration power and material ricochet likelihoods.

When firing through objects, users will receive a much more predictable projectile trajectory if bullets impact parallel to your position. Higher hit angles will result in larger trajectory offsets or even ricochet the bullet, when the appropriate surface is impacted. The aim is to make combat more frantic and unpredictable when an officer misses his shots, ensuring players consider all options before they engage.

Patch Customization
Players can now assign an image to their officer’s shoulders by entering any valid URL. This supports files that include an alpha channel.

COMMUNITY

Great News

We’ve received overwhelming support from everybody regarding Ready Or Not, with a lot of individuals claiming they’d be willing to pitch in what they could to help this game grow. This rally of support was unexpected and VOID is glad that we have such an enthusiastic audience.

However, our company recently completed negotiations with an investor, effectively cementing the ability for us to develop on Ready Or Not in a more permanent fashion.

Expansion

We’ve taken to bolstering our development team somewhat: adding a technical animator and an AI programmer to the ranks. While we’re still sorting things out, the plan is to speed up development even more than before so we can get this title to our audience faster.

More information on this will be posted next devblog.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a VOID post without a strange promo. We’re aware a lot of people are looking forward to seeing lengthy footage of Ready Or Not gameplay. The next full trailer we release will be strictly devoted to in-game footage.

https://youtu.be/TtEosGhOpZg

Thanks, from the team at VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 30, 2018, 02:45:37 PM: Ready Or Not – Devblog 03 – “Going Dynamic”
Posted on March 11, 2018 by Void Interactive

Ready Or Not is alive and well. We’ve been very busy here at VOID Interactive, and plans haven’t changed. In fact, they’ve been expanded upon. Now let’s get to the good stuff. As is standard with all of our posts, the scenes are in-game and real-time, using the assets you’ll be playing with when the game is released (By the way, all of the watermarked “Ready or Not” images are 4K. You should be able to download them straight off the page).

Where have our updates been?
While the whole crew here are looking forward to showing you all of the content our game has to offer, showcasing this work takes a lot of time. It can prove difficult to put development on hold and focus on a devblog due to the size and specialty of our team. However, despite the size, this year is looking very exciting if you’re interested in Ready Or Not.

(https://i0.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/RON_Gas_Promo_4K_V2_RedBluesAgain.png?resize=1024%2C576)

Artificial Intelligence

For the last year, we’ve been writing Suspect and SWAT AI that will challenge the player and act realistically. Our suspect AI can be surprisingly spontaneous and very lethal. For example, failure to restrain a suspect may result in them getting up when the SWAT are no longer around, and finding something to defend themselves with. Players will have to be strategic and mindful of their surroundings, and use the tools provided to ensure rooms are safe before and during entry.

For single-player, players will be placed in the shoes of the SWAT team leader with four officers under your command. The AI for our SWAT needed to be both robust and independent, in the sense that they will act in a manner that conveys a high level of tactical training whilst also being able to act dynamically if needed. This means realistic entry techniques, holding smart angles when waiting for commands, and so on. SWAT will drop chem-lights in cleared rooms, make arrests and collect evidence in their vicinity upon command if the area is clear.

In the below footage, the suspect falls and rolls behind the vending machine to take cover. As I’m transitioning from my sidearm to my rifle, one of the officers engages the suspect before he has a chance to shoot at me. There are a couple of other features you can see in this (ricochet, shell casings hitting the screen) that were entirely random and not planned.

https://youtu.be/9CQOe_V6Au4

As is standard with any police tactical shooter, the player’s team can also employ breaching methods such as C2 charges or door rams, as well as deploy grenades into a room to clear it before entry. SWAT will also start off in a “stealth” mode, where the ROE is shifted to force them to call contacts to the team leader before engagement. The officers keep their voices low in this state to ensure they’re not heard. They’ll also be less likely to initiate combat unless put in danger. During combat, the team will shift to dynamic mode, where the team will become more likely to engage targets if seen, and take more aggressive angles. This mode can also be employed immediately at the element leader’s command.

A new feature we’ve added to Ready Or Not is the inclusion of go-codes. Players can separate their element into “blue” and “red”, order them to take different entry points on a room (or rooms), and then initiate the breach as the element, known as “gold”. The breach can be initiated on a single group as well, allowing the remainder of the unit to cover a different location, such as a hallway or exit.

https://youtu.be/8lgjHauE3J8

Naturally we also have a civilian AI system will act unpredictable during gunfights. Some will panic when shots ring out. If they find a clear exit, the civilians may try to run away from the combat to avoid being killed. It’s best to get a control of the civilians as soon as possible, by any means.

Our AI systems also take cover based on object height and strength, and will attempt to confuse the player by peeking out and then re-adjusting to find a better fighting position if possible.

(https://i0.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/RON_Gas_Promo_4K_MudasirHeadsplosion.png?resize=1024%2C576)

Motion Capture
We’ve invested in high-end optical motion capture cameras used on titles such as Star Citizen, Metal Gear Solid 5, etc. Our animator has been hard at work setting up all of the necessary tools to record and process the vast amount of animations we require for Ready Or Not. So far the results have proven to be incredible, with a high framerate output and minimal cleanup. The plan will be to use these tools to their maximum ability, meaning we’re planning on also recording facial motion capture and recording some truly long and truly gruesome animations.

Below we’ve posted an example of the motion capture that we recorded on day 1. It’s short, but it’ll give you an idea of what to expect.

https://youtu.be/LpnmFGn96_Y

Animations
Our animations have been improved drastically. The team is aiming to make the game world feel even more real with a variety of new artistic features. On the first-person front, every animation is created at 240FPS, and the weapons models have been rigged so that they loosely shake and jolt in the appropriate locations during gunfire. This is inspired heavily by Killing Floor 2 and their first person animations. We’ve also introduced some procedural animations into our workflow. For example, our animations are layered with a randomized node-based system which creates a very realistic and very unpredictable method of shake when an officer fires rapidly. These can be adjusted based on the weapon, its weight, and what attachments have been placed on it, as well as officer condition.

Third person animations have received similar treatment, with a series of hit-reactions being added for SWAT, suspect, and civilian alike. This is based entirely upon where the subject is shot. This also includes death animations, which are currently works-in-progress.

https://youtu.be/REHgA09n7CY

Gameplay
The importance of expanding of our reload system became clear to the combat in Ready Or Not. Players can still swap mags by pressing the reload key, but now also have the ability to perform a quick-reload by double-tapping the same key. This will quickly eject the mag to the floor and allows players to quickly resume combat in the event they can’t afford to waste time replacing magazines in their kit. This reload technique is a lot faster (by about 35-60%), and the dropped magazines can be reclaimed once combat has ceased. On top of this, players can hold R to check their magazine capacity, as well as ammo-type. The magazines will accurately show ammo quantity and type, as well as providing a prompt with the weight of the magazine (whether it feels empty, feels light, feels full, etc.)

https://youtu.be/j5k5TEopw68

https://youtu.be/9dvX_tRa6Uk

As such, we’ve done away with a lot of the UI shown in the Development Blog 02. Our philosophy is that “less is more”, in the sense that the player should be told this information passively if possible, or know it intuitively. In replacement of this UI, we’ve added a compass at the top of the screen to assist with direction-giving. We’ve also made adjustments to our speed system, which now uses a tiered system to go to certain speeds. This means units will be provided with five paces to choose from with their scroll wheel. While this may sound a little less interesting at first, it helps to coordinate speeds with your teammates, this still allows for a wide variety of movement options during combat.

We’re including four grenades in Ready Or Not: the Flashbang, CS-Gas, Stingball, and the Nine-Bang. These will all fill a very specific role in an officer’s kit, so choosing the right object for the job will be crucial. Our grenades can be thrown in both an overhand and underhand method. Some grenade effects can be mitigated by devices we’ve provided. For example, the CS-Gas can be negated with the selection of a gasmask during loadout selection. Some of the flashbang and stinger effects can be mitigated if the user has a ballistic shield equipped (this also acts to protect anyone behind the shield).

The particles we use for the grenades can create a very dusty and smokey environment for the team, similar to real life.

There are a bunch of other neat features we’d like to show, such as our sniper teams and their ballistics systems, but some of them are quite heavily work-in-progress, so perhaps it’s best if they wait for Ready Or Not’s gameplay trailer.

(https://i1.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/RON_Club_Promo_4K_Text.png?resize=1024%2C576)

Characters
You may have noticed on our Instagram a bunch of new images showcasing our SWAT characters and Suspect characters for multiplayer. With advice from real SWAT units, we’ve developed a new, much more optimized officer with all the gear you could expect modern SWAT to carry. Our PVP Suspects have also been developed with a close attention to kit and wear. Loosely based off of images of masked IRA forces, our counter-operator to the police is apart of a rogue paramilitary organization with sinister motives.

The beginning of the year saw our investment into scanning equipment, allowing for the high-quality capture of real-world subjects for use in Ready Or Not. These tools have widely been used by industry giants such as Naughty Dog (when working on Uncharted 4). This equipment was immediately put to use making our new SWAT player models.

This equipment eventually coincided with a trip overseas, where we proceeded to scan a total of 128 men, women, and children for use in the game. This means a wide variety of characters per-level. More than we ever anticipated. You won’t be seeing randomized heads on a small number of bodies, but a massive number of fully detailed and lovingly crafted individuals suited for each level’s environment.

We’d like to thank each and every one of the people who came down to get scanned by our team, it was a great experience for us (and we hope it was a great experience for you too).

(https://i.imgur.com/GnKxSnr.jpg)

Travel
The core VOID team came together for four weeks in New Zealand to work on the game and bond. We set goals, connected with some associates, and overall had a good trip. One of the big aspects of our trip was playtesting, where we hosted a LAN and had a series of people jump on for some co-op and team deathmatch madness. The results we got from the testers was great. It’s one in a long list of trials we need to put the game through to get it to the standard we are going to reach. While there were numerous gameplay and design tweaks needed to hit the correct pace, we discovered Ready Or Not runs very smoothly on a variety of different setups. That is, in multiplayer expect to get good use out of your 144hz monitor. Note that this may change, but so far so good. The levels are able to easily handle from 50-70 AI as well, which opens up a lot of possibilities for the title and anyone making levels in the future.

Another huge aspect of our trip was finalizing our game’s story. We can’t divulge any information yet, but we think you’ll like it.

That’s it from the VOID team for now. We’ve got a very busy time ahead of us, but we’ll keep everybody up to date as best we can. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the updates.

Signing off,
VOID Interactive

(https://i1.wp.com/voidinteractive.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CoolGang.jpg?w=826)
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 08, 2019, 01:34:14 AM: Ready or Not [Gameplay || Preorder Trailer]

https://youtu.be/JcA7Nwa1L9I

Published on Mar 7, 2019
Watch the New Ready Or Not Gameplay + Pre Order Trailer, which explores the features and themes that create VOID'S 'Ready or Not'
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 08, 2019, 01:41:20 AM: Limited Beta Access: June 2020

Limited Alpha Access: August 2019
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 08, 2019, 11:42:33 AM: Ready Or Not: To Save Lives [FBI HRT Supporter Edition Trailer

https://youtu.be/ivRqYQCMs90

Published on Mar 7, 2019
An FBI HRT joint-strike operation in the city's Port Hokan leaves a lasting impression on the men involved. Can you stop what's coming?

Watch the new Ready Or Not FBI HRT Supporter Edition Trailer, which showcases a unique set of player-models and weapon-models in available when pre-ordering the Supporter Edition.

In the Supporter Edition, players will receive:

- (Limited to first 1000 buyers) Limited Edition Ready Or Not Mousepad
- Alpha Access (August 2019)
- Beta Access (June 2020)
- FBI HRT Character Model
- Ballistic Shield "Defender" Item Model
- HRT "Coyote" Skin
- HRT "Multicam" Skin
- Mossberg 590 "Entryman" Weapon Model
- G19 "PF9C" Weapon Model
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 23, 2019, 02:00:01 PM: https://www.facebook.com/VOIDInteractive/videos/659776414450503/
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 23, 2019, 02:06:22 PM: VOID Interactive Tweet
23/04/19

"Ready Or Not will be looking to utilize the full capabilities of RTX, as we get closer to optimization & post processing, we'll have a better idea of how well it'll work coupled with performance."
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on October 22, 2019, 01:20:28 PM: Update 21/10/19

This Newsletter is designed to provide our current Supporters and future players an update regarding VOID Interactive and our development of Ready Or Not.

General Update for Supporters

The Team at VOID Interactive continues to work feverishly on a next wave of updates to the Alpha as well as the root game. As the journey progresses, we continually face the challenges and complexities of building such an ambitious title and thank all our supporters for the feedback on what you have seen so far.

As a reminder, Ready Or Not Alpha is a test version, a slice of the game only and WILL NOT have all the refined features and levels that will form part the full game.

Alpha is largely for testing functionality and features and allows us to refine the tactical police shooter into the right mold that will be enjoyed by fans of the genre, and gamers in general.

As noted in our first Newsletter, we are working on a wide range of game elements but our primary focuses, where a lot of our energy is going in on two primary systems that will be very notable once deployed into the Alpha:

•   The New AI System will dictate the behaviors and actions that AI characters take. As confirmed by both Alpha feedback and vetting against our internal standards, the current AI can be tough at times, but is not reflecting the dynamic behaviors required to make it a more fun and realistic tactical experience. The new AI System will deliver better AI behaviors and reactions that will smartly adapt to player inputs and environmental conditions. This level of change has involved hundreds of hours of development time, the creation of new gameplay systems for interacting with the AI, and additional voice systems.
•   The New Animation system is directly correlated to the New AI System and will breathe a new dynamic into the game. With the hiring of two new resources to accelerate the clean-up and integration of previously recorded character motions. This will allow us to move away from generic motions to more customized motions created for specific gameplay scenarios.

These two new systems that are in the works and are slated for release in the next few months, so you will not see them in the October build release; while we would like to show you a sneak-peak, we cannot because the two systems are highly interrelated and cannot be released independently.

What you will see in this release are two new block-out levels* and two experimental game modes for testing as follows:

Block-out level - An early stage of level design and environment art creation. A block-out utilizes primitive geometric shapes to block-in level designs, game environments and game art assets and is designed to test size, scale and gameplay.

New Alpha Level Block-Outs

Club
A horrific crime has occurred in a crowded Nightclub. A brutal attack that sadly results in a high body count, the SWAT team must make their way through the club and protect any civilians still alive as well as capture the cowardly perpetrators.

The Block (Experimental)
An urban combat simulator set up by the force to train for civil unrest scenarios and escort missions.

Levels already in Alpha

Gas Station
As the location of a stand-off, hostages have been taken, where some petty criminals hit up their local 4U gas station. Running low on funds, and desperate for a supply of narcotics, they boldly entered the neighborhood 4U gas station pumped with adrenaline and without ‘casing the joint’, causing panic and surprise when encountering civilians.

Hotel
A downtown hotel becomes the location of criminal activity gone very wrong. No one would have expected that this once glamorous downtown hotel would be the backdrop to a brutal battle between a domestic biker gang and an emerging cartel.

Port
Police have made a breakthrough on an enigmatic criminal case which requires cross-agency collaboration to investigate the city's port. Unsure of what they will find, the SWAT team is sent into a sector of the port to raid a suspect building.

Police Station (Kill House Only)
Tactical training center.

New Experimental game modes for Alpha

Firefight
Two equally sized teams of one to four players per side go head-to-head in a Best of Five match. With randomized loadouts and one life per round per player. Each player has a predetermined loadout that corresponds with a player on the other team. Firefight will be playable in Kill House, Port and Hotel.

Tug of War
This PVP mode pits two teams aiming to toggle a centrally located flag on a mechanized conveyor to and end point on either side where the first team to achieve the goal will be crowned the winner. This mode will be playable in the Kill House.

[size=12pt[]b]Conclusion / Next Steps [/b][/size]

With all funds continuously going towards game development, we will continue to update you through this newsletter regarding the delivery of new or refined content into the Alpha.

Aside from the additional block-outs and experimental modes, you will note an improvement to the grenade throwing feature for better fluidity and pacing of combat, and ultimately for greater enjoyment. Now, by default, pressing G will quickly lob your selected grenade at your intended target. The classical grenade throw method will still be accessible through keybinds.

Continuing areas of focus

•   Voice acting and sound effects - we have recently picked up an additional resource to help with sound design and integration.
•   Expanding 2D and 3D art team - currently vetting additional resources
•   Testers assisting with bug fixing and AI systems
•   Further developing additional game modes and minigames (i.e. Lockpicking) to add more depth and entertainment to the overall experience.

Things to look for in the coming months

•   Release of new AI and Animation Systems
•   Release of new levels for both PvP and PvE
•   Release of new game modes
•   Continued review and fix of as many reported bugs as possible, with an emphasis on those that have the highest impact on gameplay.
•   upgraded audio occlusion system, and focus on realistic spatialization and reverbs

Warm Regards,

VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 30, 2020, 02:46:13 AM: Ready Or Not『Developer Log 09/09/19』

https://youtu.be/gSnGNV27jdg
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 14, 2020, 01:09:55 AM: Update 13 May 2020

(https://scontent-lhr8-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/97273337_2594272920891085_8284537497854148608_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_oc=AQmcB2ZuypSTdbSUFgRX2oWoxvPrhdNk2Zu0U-WHDGMqAjn-tQ6i5dNk_jlG9LuViXL0sZQPE8vc6qfefEoyqgve&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr8-1.xx&_nc_tp=7&oh=b2c2c696691fd2c18ca4cf9393ef9971&oe=5EE26FC4)

We have released our brand new player-versus-player build to all Supporters via Steam, and it brings a vast amount of changes and improvements. To access it, simply head on over to your Steam library and download the latest update for Ready Or Not. To head back to singleplayer and CO-OP content, you can switch back to the corresponding branch by right-clicking Ready Or Not in your Steam library, entering Properties, navigating to the Betas tab, and choosing the branch from the drop-down list. Anytime you want to play PvP, simply switch back to the previous branch.

This new PvP build is NDA-free — meaning Supporters are enabled to document, record, stream and share its contents with the public through whichever platforms they’d like. However, please bear in mind that singleplayer and CO-OP remain under NDA, and therefore all content from the singleplayer and CO-OP branch still cannot be shared with others.

We are also releasing another development newsletter you can access through the link below.

https://bit.ly/RONMayNewsletter

Proceed with caution, entry team.
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 13, 2020, 02:38:23 AM: Update 13 June 2020

From VOID Interactive

"Hello @everyone,

We have decided to extend our Alpha period beyond June, therefore postponing the launch of the Ready Or Not Beta. For more information, please read our latest newsletter below.

We thank you for your patience and support as we continue to work hard to deliver a high-quality gripping and compelling tactical experience."

(https://puu.sh/FVLoO/bff9b1e39f.png)
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on August 26, 2020, 02:36:15 AM: (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/580878927715762178/747785746252955708/GIFPROJECTGIF01.gif)
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 22, 2021, 11:53:16 PM: Ready or Not - Team17 Partnership Announcement!
Mon, 22 March 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35022579/f88e0b68a156750bbfa234b82a2d525f00cf33c7.png)

Including a new trailer!

For those of you new to Ready or Not, welcome!

This is the old Ready or Not page.
Please head over to our new page for full details on this update: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144200/Ready_or_Not/

If you want the full details on this announcement then please head to the post on the official Ready or Not Steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1144200

Here's the trailer from the announcement:

https://youtu.be/Q-s6HOVDgiQ

Thanks everyone, see you over on the other community page!
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Zarco on March 25, 2021, 12:30:28 AM: Been waiting for this for ages! We need a game similar to Swat 4...

Enviado desde mi MI 8 Lite mediante Tapatalk
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 25, 2021, 11:17:29 PM: Quote from: Zarco on March 25, 2021, 12:30:28 AM
Been waiting for this for ages! We need a game similar to Swat 4...

Enviado desde mi MI 8 Lite mediante Tapatalk

I have this.

Swat 4 with the Elite force mod is still being updated and is a great game :thumbsup
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 16, 2021, 11:43:41 PM: Development Update - PvE Gameplay!
Fri, 16 April 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1144200/ss_edd05e477fe79e53a06e3660394719bee44110f4.1920x1080.jpg)

Hey community,

Welcome to the Ready or Not Steam Developer Update!

Every two weeks we'll be sharing with you exciting and interesting behind the scenes looks at the development of Ready or Not. These can consist of a wide range of topics, including gameplay, mechanics, weapons, equipment and more!

The chances are you'll also get first looks at upcoming content too, so stay sharp!

Each post is written by VOID Interactive's Community Manager, Guinevere, who then passes it over to myself to share with you all here!

Naturally, a big part of sharing all this information with you includes hearing what you think - So let us know in the comments below, we'll be taking notes!

Now, over to Guinevere...

Introduction

Hey everyone,

Welcome back to the next edition of our Ready or Not biweekly newsletter. This time around, we'll be taking a look at some more PvE gameplay as players engage A.I. throughout Hotel. Fast moving suspects attack from different angles, civilians run and flee, and every trigger pull has the potential to be lethal.

PvE Encounters

Alarms echo their death throes through regal hallways throttled by smoke. Blood spattered walls and still twitching bodies. There are civilians here: trapped, terrified, traumatized. Looking for a way out. It's up to you to make sure they get out of here safely. It's up to you to make sure order is brought to chaos.

Ready or Not's single-player and cooperative experiences are absolutely its central focus. As such, the game's Artificial Intelligence has been built from the ground up to be intelligent, adaptive, and reactive. Suspects dart from cover to cover, flank sedentary players, and utilize their surroundings and civilians to get the upper hand. Any encounter with a suspect has the chance to be a lethal one, and a lack of awareness, perception, or preparation can mean failing a mission -- or not making it out of one alive.

https://youtu.be/eSXsZ8Hl7Sk

Above: A confrontation with multiple suspects turns bloody for all involved. Click the image above to watch a video of PvE gameplay.

In the above clip, the player engages a suspect through quickly broken panes of glass. Kicking open the door, he seizes the initiative and shoots a suspect before they can reposition. A second suspect returns fire, causing the officer to panic and shoot from where he believes the shots are coming from, nearly missing a scrambling civilian. Regrouping, a stinger grenade gives the officer a chance to regroup, move from cover, and pursue the second suspect.

https://youtu.be/RdU3VXliSbE

Above: Scores of cars and hundreds of angles to watch. Nothing to rely on but the officers at your side. Click the image above to watch a video of PvE gameplay.

A pair of officers move into the Hotel's parking garage, closing in from two angles on an isolated suspect. Though he proves compliant with a bit of coercion, upon moving to secure and arrest the suspect the officers are shot at. They return fire while moving to cover before advancing on the suspect, who sprints from behind the vehicle before being shot. While only one player was injured, this scenario serves as an important reminder to never leave your back open. Only approach surrendering suspects if you know that you're in a position to secure them without having to face a new threat.

Whether facing down a lone suspect with a handgun or several with an arsenal, Ready or Not's A.I. interact with much more than just the player. Civilians, hostages, each other, environmental objects and more can impact the situations you'll go up against. Every encounter should be treated as a unique situation with its own necessary preparations, tools, and risks.

Conclusion

With that, we've concluded the this edition of our development update, featuring PvE gameplay and commentary on elements of suspect behavior. I look forward to seeing you all back in two weeks for the next edition!

Keep your feet on the ground.
Guinevere, Community Manager

Thank you!
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 20, 2021, 11:53:11 PM: Ready Or Not - Development Update!
Thu, 20 May 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/f63f6046c2352e6b2e6e9122f4c2abccdef7baab.png)

Hey everyone,

Today we’re sharing with you an update on the state of play for Ready or Not!

We know you’re all eager for information so let’s breach and clear our way through today’s news…

Beta Access Date Changes

Having been diligently reviewing the current status of Ready or Not the team has made the decision to push back the Beta access.

What does this mean for you? Beta access for Ready or Not will still take place later in the year, but later than originally planned. We know this will be disappointing for you to read, but we will continue to be open and update you with more information as soon as we can.

Why the delay?

Moving back a date, whether it's Beta access, Early Access or ‘full launch’ is never an easy decision, but we know it’s the correct one to make.

Everyone at VOID Interactive and Team17 wants to give you an amazing, unique experience with Ready or Not, and we don’t want to compromise that vision by sharing sooner than it’s ready. We owe it to both the game and to you, our awesome community.

Let’s get on the same page, what is Beta access?

Beta access for Ready or Not is a snapshot of the core gameplay loop. In this loop, you’ll get to peek through the window and glimpse the direction we want to take Ready or Not. We know this will also spark constructive feedback from our core fans, and it’s you the community we want to hear from.

Beta access has always been exclusive to anyone that has purchased Ready or Not through the VOID Interactive site, this has not and will not change.

What happens after Beta access?

For the weeks and months following Beta access, we’ll be taking your valuable constructive feedback, analysing the data and then weaving our learnings into our future production plans. At this stage, we’ll be evaluating what needs to be done and when we’ll be able to deliver on the next stage of our journey: Steam Early Access.

It’s worth noting that there’s a lot to do in-between Beta access and Early Access. We’re aware that the Ready or Not community is more accepting of seeing rougher versions of the game. Early Access will open us up to a wider fanbase, and we must prepare to deliver to a broader audience without compromising our core fans’ expectations.

So, what can I expect when Ready or Not launches into Early Access?

Current plans are for Ready or Not to launch into Early Access with the following –

A selection of co-op / single-player levels
A range of authentic weapons and equipment
A pre-planning mechanic
And more…

Of course, that’s just the beginning. Once we’re in Early Access we’ll be regularly updating the game with more content including new levels, weapons and characters. During this process, we’ll be talking to and listening closely to you all as we proceed through the Early Access journey together.

Your feedback matters and we look forward to collaborating with you!

Every cloud…

We know today’s news may come as a bit of a disappointment to some, so we’re sharing an early look at what we’ve been working on over the past few months. In the following section, we’ll discuss how we’ve re-evaluated the design of our most publicly shown map, Hotel.

Our artists have done a stunning job of crafting Hotel into what it is today, so we’ve snuck into the designers filing cabinet and acquired some insightful design feedback screens.

Hotel Atrium Level Design Update
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/3d10f00a60d6f522b39157ac8fef8e95e5198901.png)

One of our bigger goals within Hotel is to improve navigation throughout the map. One way we can do this is by crafting natural breadcrumbs in the form of subtle signs and maps around the level. These have a compounding effect on improving the atmosphere too, and coupled with added environmental furniture like construction safety signage, the scene is brought to life by telling a story about the past of this room.

Hotel Café (Looking to Reception)
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/f348c9e9d6bfa9806226e2b832c5eba73824a04c.png)

Here’s another example of just how much we can add by evaluating how to improve on level design. This has a huge impact on immersion in other ways too. We wouldn’t need to include UI markers or HUD indicators to direct players through the world. Instead, the focus becomes the world, directed by the subconscious and organic methods that we’re all already trained to do in the real world.

Hotel Gym – New Cover and Collision

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/41bcca4b385383798cda7ebd7f3ebf798a46f626.png)

We’ve also focused more on collision and cover for players. Let’s be honest, there’s always a bit of extra fun gameplay to be found in cover, whether it’s sneaking up on the suspects or getting ambushed. In Ready or Not we also take into account cover density, as we have penetration mechanics through surfaces. In this scene, you can see how much extra value we’re going to add to the level design by going through in this second pass. Lastly, we’re improving the location of suspects and civilians in creative ways so that every playthrough is its own challenge.

Hotel Floor 1 – Flow Map

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/8a113f607bc9b1bdbe70d34caab610b800087c12.png)

Here’s a birdseye look at one of Hotel’s floor plans. Let’s break it down further, so skip over this next bit if you want to avoid spoilers...

[spoilers]

Ok good, so you'd like some spoilers... ready?

We want players to tackle challenges from different angles. That’s pretty much been the premise and core of what we want for Ready or Not. However, we’d be fools to ignore good design structure for our levels that show the experiences a player will go through as they traverse this floor.

To take a high-level approach, we’ve broken this floor into three sections. Green for safe, and yellow and purple for the two different encounter loops that are available, each with many different encounters. The encounter loops also have primary starting locations that give our art teams better direction with the steps we covered in the paragraphs above.

Encounter Layout and Overview

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/93aeac9984e56302500de99107d635503cae35b4.png)

Here’s a glimpse of how each of the encounters within a loop is broken down. To avoid nesting spoilers in spoilers let's just enjoy the image and know that we’re working hard at improving the user experience and design on a granular level.

[spoilers over]

Oh, and for those that aren’t into level design, here’s the Krinkov SBR
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/f1d5d5de71175e8eef912e7b4a3ca312923c6d6c.png)

Debriefing

We’ll be making the most of this extra time and will continue to keep you all in the loop with our bi-weekly community briefings.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding with today’s news. If you have any questions, feel free to pop them in the comments section and we’ll jump in for a chat.

Thanks everyone!

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive & Team17
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 29, 2021, 12:35:50 AM: Dev Update - Weapon Audio Showcase!
Fri, May 28, 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1144200/ss_edd05e477fe79e53a06e3660394719bee44110f4.1920x1080.jpg)

M4A1, M45A1, Python...

Hey everyone,

We're back with Community Manager Guinevere this week who's been raiding the armoury and managed to grab some video audio of some the weapons you'll be getting to grips with in Ready or Not!

Let's lock n' load shall we...

Introduction to Weapon Audio

Hey everybody,

It's time for the 18th biweekly briefing for Ready or Not, the second of a three part series stretching over several weeks covering the game's audio design. In this segment we're going to look at updated weapon audio, with a particular focus on how recognizing gun sounds are an integral part of Ready or Not's gameplay loop.

Weapon Audio Showcase - M4A1, M45A1 & Python!

Over the course of Ready or Not's development we have continued to iterate upon our weapon audio. For a realistic, tactics oriented police shooter, having gun sounds that feel authentic and keep you in the moment are crucial for the experience. As such, we've taken in a lot of feedback about our gun sounds over the course of the last few months and have been hard at work redesigning the ones we didn't feel were up to snuff.

In the below videos, you'll hear the M4A1 assault rifle, M45A1 pistol, and Python revolver in action. For each of these weapons, we recorded them in use both in an external environment (the city streets) and an internal one (in a parking garage).

Updated Audio: M4A1

https://youtu.be/9k4Zo351x6o

Updated Audio: M45A1

https://youtu.be/t8aSKRZyuZ4

Updated Audio: Python

https://youtu.be/OtN3BtmVzvQ

Ready or Not's guns play an intrinsic role in the information gathering necessary to prepare for dangerous and potentially deadly encounters. Being able to determine where a gun is being fired from, whether it's several rooms over, on the floor above you, or in the basement will all help you better understand the situation in a level as it develops.

Conclusion

That concludes today's biweekly briefing, the second of our three part series checking out the game's audio design. I look forward to seeing you all in two weeks for more development updates regarding Ready or Not!

Keep your feet on the ground.

Guinevere,
Community Manager
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on July 12, 2021, 11:40:02 PM: Dev Update - Civilians!
Mon, 12 July 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1144200/ss_edd05e477fe79e53a06e3660394719bee44110f4.1920x1080.jpg)

Get a look at civilian models & animations!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to our latest Dev Update on Ready or Not!

This week Community Manager Guinevere has stopped by with a look at how civilians make up a core part of Ready or Not's gameplay loop, and how the team are working to maximise player immersion when interacting with or playing around them.

Now it's over to Guinevere for all the details...

Introduction

Hey everyone,

It's time for our latest Dev Update for Ready or Not! This week we'll be taking a look at some of the animations for our Civilian AI as well as the process by which we're able to create them using Unreal Engine 4's MetaHuman technology.

Civilian Models and Animations

A vital element of any police shooter is the role civilians play in it. They are what set police shooters aside from other games in the genre. Having to account for protecting, managing, and controlling civilians in a potentially hostile or dangerous environment with suspects adds another layer of complexity to each mission. Preparation becomes so much more important - breaching a room means minding your shots and acting quickly to ensure that in the chaos of a firefight innocent lives aren't lost. A suspect with a hostage requires an entirely different approach than one who's in a room alone.

Because of the importance of civilians to Ready or Not's gameplay loop, having them contribute to the player's immersion is a top priority. From their animations to their appearance to how they interact with the player, every civilian is crafted with their own background, motivations, desires, and behavior.

Civilian Preview

https://youtu.be/iocqULv8FqM

An essential tool in making sure each character is unique in their appearance has been Unreal Engine 4's MetaHuman technology, which has allowed us to greatly speed up the process of creation for every character in the game. In the images below, you'll see an example of a character that we were able to put together in just a few minutes. By utilizing MetaHuman, we can match the appearances of characters to the descriptions and histories our writing time has made for them.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/09f2323527c679021e9c50489ef99dd0da233711.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/ac0c185f56c81828440b7b1787f9584baf173c8e.png)

Above: Examples of a character created using MetaHuman.

Conclusion

This brings an end to our latest biweekly briefing, this time focusing on civilian models and animations within the game. I look forward to seeing you all in two weeks for more development updates regarding Ready or Not!

Keep your feet on the ground.
Guinevere, Community Manager
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on July 29, 2021, 11:40:51 PM: Dev Update - Suspects!
Thu, 29 July 2021

Know your enemy...

Hi everyone,

Welcome to our latest Dev Update on Ready or Not!

This week Community Manager Guinevere is here to reveal some of the models and animations of various Suspects you'll be encountering in Ready or Not's Hotel level.

Now it's over to Guinevere for all the details on who you'll be going up against...

Suspect Models and Animations

Hey everyone,

In Ready or Not, every encounter is defined by the presence or lack of a suspect beyond the next threshold. Is there a suspect in the next room? If so, is he armed? What weapon is he using? Does he have a hostage? Does he have friends there waiting for you? Managing your squad members and the behaviour of civilians both play a large part in the core gameplay loop, but the majority of decisions that a player makes in a level will revolve around when and where they find suspects.

In the video below, you'll be able to see a brief preview of suspect models and animations.

https://youtu.be/Tei7YpM7avU

Because suspect interaction is vital to a police shooter like Ready or Not, the game's suspect A.I. has been crafted with immersion and variety foremost in mind. A suspect's background, experience, and motivation will determine the equipment they have as well as how likely they are to surrender or respond to force. More experienced suspects will put up a harder fight and might have gear designed to counter the tools you've come to rely on: gas masks for tear gas, welding masks or goggles for flashbangs, body armour for beanbag rounds and bullets, and more. Lower tier suspects simply staging a robbery, by contrast, will likely be far less prepared and surrender when the pressure gets to be too much.

The challenge that suspects pose is not just in their potential lethality, but in how they force the player to react and make choices. It is in the hands of the player to determine when getting a suspect to surrender is unfeasible and when lethal force is a necessity. As preservation of life is of the utmost importance, deciding how to handle potentially dangerous and volatile suspects will be a cornerstone of Ready or Not.

Conclusion

This brings an end to our latest biweekly briefing, previewing some of our suspect models and animations. Let us know what you thought about what you've seen and read today in the comments section, we all look forward to hearing what you think!

Keep your feet on the ground.
Guinevere, Community Manager
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 12, 2021, 01:17:03 AM: Ready or Not Early Access Announcement
Sat, 11 December 2021

An Update Regarding Ready or Not's Launch on Steam Early Access

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/5c27d675ff7dc1013ceb18f6f307cf54f36eaf92.png)

To the Ready or Not Community, Present and Future

As you may be aware, we have been working alongside Steam to secure more game keys for the Supporter Edition of Ready or Not, but we hit a roadblock. While unfortunate, we hope that this will result in welcome news for many of you. We can no longer generate new Steam Keys unless we also go live on Steam, and since we absolutely depend on pre-sale income to continue developing Ready or Not, we have decided to go live on Steam Early Access by the end of 2021.

Why have we been so hesitant to go live on Steam?

Simply put, while Steam is an excellent platform for indie developers, it is also a very crowded marketplace, with tens of thousands of titles all competing for limited attention. To really stand out on Steam, we believe that we have a responsibility to deliver a solid product that speaks for itself. We did not want to risk launching a game that we felt wasn't up to snuff for our audience. However, under present circumstances, we feel that the best course of action is to transition to Beta (albeit early stage), so that we are able to resume providing Supporter Packages to our backers and secure the resources necessary to continue the game's development. This will also allow Steam's large audience to have the opportunity to experience Ready or Not sooner than they would have otherwise.

Many AAA Studios have incredibly deep pockets and spend tens of millions developing their games, a luxury that VOID Interactive does not have. We live and die by the support of our community, and we are extremely grateful for those of you that have followed and continue to follow us on this journey.

What can you expect in the near future?

We plan to Go Live on Steam Early Access before the end of this year.

To Our Supporters
– You will receive a new key to load the game into your Steam library. This build will essentially be the same as what you have now, including recent patches, and it will represent a transition from Alpha to Beta.

Owners of the Supporter Edition who purchased Ready or Not via our website will continue to have access to the game's Alpha Branch to test new and upcoming content. We are working with Steam in order to make this available for those who purchase the Supporter pack on Steam as well.. Supporters will also continue to get exclusive access to the dev team through monthly live Q&A sessions, community polls, and playtests on the Supporter Discord. These new benefits are in addition to what is already included with the Supporter Edition. Upon going live on Steam, the Supporter Edition and upgrade option will continue to be available for purchase through our website
, and will also be available for purchase directly on Steam.

Standard Edition Buyers
– Access to the Beta build will finally be open to you upon launch on Steam Early Access. If you purchased the game through our website, Xsolla will be emailing you your game key to the email address on record. With this key, you will gain access to the game as you currently see being streamed, which includes cooperative and single player action.

In Conclusion

Please remember that the Beta build that will be available soon is still an incomplete version of the game. It will still have bugs and quirks, and will require lots of additional content before it is ready for full release. Because of our Supporters and with your help, we will continue to push Ready or Not, adding more content (new maps, missions, characters, weapons, etc.), and further refining it to get the game up to the standard that you deserve. We ultimately want you to be able to turn the lights out, crank up the volume, and be immersed in the action – bringing order to chaos.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/415d1d29f275fd5de59e39d9811f0b2bef2f430d.png)

We encourage you to pre-order Ready or Not from our website located here. If you haven't already, please make sure to wishlist and follow Ready or Not on Steam here.

Until next time, keep your feet on the ground.

Guinevere,
Community Manager
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 23, 2021, 01:27:27 AM: Ready or Not Early Access Tutorial (Dec 2021)

https://youtu.be/b8d46_KzyuY
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 25, 2021, 11:50:18 PM: RON is availabe EARLY ACCESS on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144200/Ready_or_Not/
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 31, 2021, 11:43:51 PM: Ready or Not January Content Pipeline
Fri, 31 December 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/110a76788b66505c9f14ff68236530bcd817a994.png)

A list of what players can expect to come to Ready or Not in the first month of the new year.

To the Ready or Not community,

It's hard to believe that 2021 is almost gone. For VOID Interactive, December alone has felt like a whole year! We are incredibly humbled and grateful for all the support and attention Ready or Not has received.
We've been fortunate enough to spend some time with our families this holiday season, and the team is excited to continue working on our next update. In the short run, we expect to release a content update onto the Supporter Alpha sometime in January, and after a period of testing and validation, launch it onto the main Early Access branch for all players.

5 Game Modes Added to Existing Maps

- Raid on 213 Park Homes, 'Twisted Nerve'
- Bomb Defusal on Port Hoken, 'Hide and Seek'
- Hostage Rescue on Caesar's Cars Dealership, 'Buy Cheap, Buy Twice'
- Active Shooter and Hostage Rescue on Wenderly Hills Hotel, 'Checkin' In'

New and Improved Voice Lines

- New voice actor for Tactical Operation Command(TOC).
- Removal of outdated legacy voice lines.
- More voice line variety for civilians.

New Weapons

- R7: magazine fed, highly customizable pepperball gun.
- MK.16 SCAR L: 5.56 assault rifle.
- Krinkov SLR: Powerful and compact carbine.
- MK1 BCM: 5.56 assault rifle exclusive for Supporter Edition owners.

Improved Weapons and Equipment

- Improved weapon descriptions in the Loadout Menu.
- G19 model upgraded to Gen5.
- M9A1 new model.
- CS Gas, Stinger, and Flashbang new models.

Other Improvements Include

- Alpha testing for other language localization: German, Korean and French(More to come later)
- Application of Vivox for improved in-game comms -- better clarity and volume, ability to change input devices.
- Improving and reworking Rules of Engagement/use of force penalties.
- Adjustments to Civilian A.I. morale and likelihood to surrender.
- Improved Voting and Player Control: Server admins and ability to kick players as host.

Along with these new additions, we will be releasing patches and bug fixes as often as we can. Once again, we would like to thank you all for the tremendous amount of support we have received. If you are enjoying playing Ready Or Not, we encourage you to leave a review and follow us on Steam.
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on January 17, 2022, 11:41:29 PM: Ready or Not Alpha Testing Branch Clarification
Mon, 17 January 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/110a76788b66505c9f14ff68236530bcd817a994.png)

To Our Community,

We wanted to take a moment to elaborate on Ready or Not's Alpha testing branch and how it relates to the live Early Access branch. While it is easy to understand why our players want access to new alpha content, we did not make this decision lightly or without reason.

As a new video game developer, we have managed to survive and bring Ready or Not to life thanks to our Supporters. Not only was their financial commitment a critical lifeline for us, the feedback and criticism they provided throughout the game's Alpha has also helped shape the game into a better product. Currently, we wish to continue to test content in a Supporter only Alpha branch prior to launching for all players, giving us the opportunity to correct as many errors as possible. In addition to showing Supporters our appreciation for believing in and backing Ready or Not, this allows our limited staff to more easily receive, evaluate, and assimilate feedback into the game.

By creating a short 1-2 week evaluation window, we create a much needed space to test things prior to releasing onto the live Early Access branch. For instance, we are currently testing foreign language localization and have discovered several omissions or errors caused by software glitches. As another example, we discovered a bug that merged every player
currently playing the game into one voice channel together. The extra time afforded to us by this Supporter exclusive testing period is invaluable for the purpose of managing our limited resources to fix game breaking or exceptionally tricky bugs before being released to everyone.

With this method, we are not promising that the content released onto the live Early Access branch will be bug or error free, but we do believe it will be the cleanest version possible given a short window to resolve pertinent issues. We will continue to take feedback from all of our players and are taking steps to enhance our feedback mechanisms to make them more robust and easy to utilise.

We have no plans of dividing our playerbase in any way, and this brief testing period is meant to ensure when new content rolls out that it is ready to play and enjoy with your friends. Any hotfixes or patches to outstanding issues will, of course, be sent out to the live Early Access branch as we are capable of doing so.

We look forward to fully releasing the content currently on the Alpha testing branch to all players within the next week or two, and hope that we can continue to showcase our desire to communicate earnestly, honestly, and with the best of interest of all players in our hearts.
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on January 29, 2022, 11:52:09 PM: January Content Update
Sat, 29 January 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/e734c1a768ac8a998f3ab041a4448a83271470a9.png)

Ready or Not's first major content update, including new maps, weapons, and more.

General

New

Added 3 Test Maps: Valley, Fast Food and Penthouse (Heavily WIP!)
Working Mirrors
Vivox Integration

Updated

New Weapon Descriptions
Interaction ranges and icon sizes in Lobby

Fixed

Fixed a rare bug causing you to get stuck on the loading screen
Fixed rare bug where trap wires would look incorrect (when doors were fully opened)
Fixed broken lightmap UVs
Fixed team view cam sometimes going to pre-mission planning level (viewing SWAT truck)
Fixed Optiwand mesh not appearing in Team View Cam
Various bugs and crash fixes
Depreciated SWAT command decal markers and outlines

Gameplay

New

Sight swapping/toggling for new optics
Free Look (with option to activate through a hold or toggle). Also has a wider horizontal range of movement
Alarm traps

Improved

Better weapon offset for super wide monitors
Grenades now have a more centered throw trajectory
Improved melee system for players and AI
Improved melee hit detection

Updated

Reduced max Flashbangs and Stingers per player to 4
Start match time reduced to 10 seconds (previously 20 seconds)

Fixed

Fixed loadouts occasionally resetting
Fixed bug that could cause the arrest target to teleport

Graphics

New

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution graphics option
Options to disable world decals or modify their density and fade distance (significant performance improvement for some hardware)

Improved

More items now visible in mirror/team view
NVG visual overhaul
Several tweaks to reduce blinding the player
Re-enabled NVG spotlight with extremely low intensity to take care of fringe cases where there's not enough light data
New LUTs for green and white phosphor options (coming soon)
Updated overlay material to show inner screen reflections/lighting
Tweaked exposure curve for better "auto-gating" in extreme light conditions

Fixed

Fixed some clipping issues at high FOV and low aspect ratio
Fixed clipping when player was in Low Ready but playing a blocking animation
Fixed crash on some GPUs running low settings on DX12

AI

General

Improved

Allow arrested AI to move
Increased AI step angle so they don’t get caught on small props, causing them to be stuck in place
Significantly improve AI enemy detection reaction time (SWAT especially)
Fleeing Improvements
No fleeing to outdoor areas
Reduced occurrences of AI running into you

Updated

Any AI can set off traps
Increased default number of Roamers to 3
Increased morale loss from SWAT bash/melee attacks
Tweaked Rules of Engagement

Fixed

Fixed roamers so they don't try roam where they can't go (e.g. through locked doors)
Fixed surrender exit bugs
Fixed bug with instant snap aiming
Fixed bug causing AI that are getting up to 'pop'
Fixed AI being able to see through pixel perfect gaps in geometry
Fixed bug causing AI to be less aggressive than intended

SWAT

Improved

SWAT will fire back when sensing damage (fixes SWAT getting shot and not returning fire, also allows Suspects to fire back if they they take damage through walls/doors)
SWAT will abort arrest if target is not surrendered, or is already arrested
SWAT now use door interactions from the center (reduces issues in tight geometry spaces where the point on the navmesh will end up on the wrong side)
SWAT now checks if enemy is fake surrender/drawing/picking up a weapon for engagement checks (with a small buffer of time to simulate delay)
Improved SWAT navigation for all maps

Updated

Reduced time spent with weapon up on suspects so they can shoot quicker
Stack 1/1 on door if giving a single team command (red/blue)

Fixed

Fixed crash if you collect evidence while giving 'Collect Evidence' command to SWAT
Fixed several issues causing stalls when breaching and clearing
Fixed giving two commands in quick succession leading to SWAT not executing the first commands
Fixed issue where giving quick commands to different SWAT teams could have them execute on the wrong contextual data (e.g. previous door/location)
Fixed bug that could cause the navmesh to break after using 'Shotgun and Clear' on a door
Fixed SWAT executing 'Breach and Clear' command early.

Suspects

New

Hesitation Mechanic
Reaction animation to heard gunshots
Suspects investigate trap stimulus when trap goes off
Suspects lower weapons against walls and doors

Improved

Tweaked suspect accuracy for better engagements
Suspects are more likely to surrender if you yell at them before they've targeted anybody

Updated

First 3 bullets that a suspect fires have an accuracy penalty
Suspects in Hostage Rescue now execute hostages after spotting an enemy instead of when hearing aggressive noises.
Reduced shotgun fire rate to 1/sec (We will miss you, shotgun John Wick)
Beanbag shotgun removed from suspects on Hotel
Patrols can only end up inside (but can traverse outside)

Fixed

Fixed Suspects using trapped doors when they had been peeked open
Fixed Suspects spam firing
Fixed patrols sometimes not working

Civilians

Updated

Halved civilian morale

Settings

New

Use (Only) key bind
Added Toggle Secondary Sight key bind. Default is bound to P
Added Free Look Toggle and Hold key binds
Advanced mirror options (anti alias, decals and dynamic shadows. disabled by default)
Mouse inverted options for Optiwand

Fixed

Fixed Reload, Tactical Reload and Mag Check binds

HUD

New

Implemented crouch animation for 'Paper Doll' health indicator.

Updated

Changed heal prompt to ‘Press F to Stop Bleeding’

Fixed

Fixed NVG Paper Doll icon not being displayed sometimes

Performance

New

Added Performance Profiler (to capture and send performance issues to VOID)

Improved

Reduced VRAM usage by ~2GB
Loading screen improvements
Significantly improved Beanbag and Pepperball particle performance (especially when spammed in a small area)
Flashbang post process effect
Beanbag impact particle
Team View & Optiwand render performance
Significantly improved team view/optiwand memory usage (was using 16x more memory than needed)
Main Menu performance
Mirror performance
Rain particle FX performance
Potential stutter improvements
Performance on levels with many AI

Fixed

Fixed frosted glass (causing major performance hits)
Fixed stinger post process effects severely affecting game performance by ~50%
Fixed stuffer when team view/optiwand are active

Networking

New

Host Migration
Only attempt migration on Connection Lost or Connection Timeout
World state is saved from client perspective at the time of disconnect (getting you back into the game seamlessly)
Host admin game controls

Improved

Join random session within desired ping instead of always joining lowest ping (allows people with slightly higher ping to receive players / spreads players over more sessions)
Greatly optimized network performance

Updated

Allow joining of servers using Find Sessions running different mods if checksum is turned off(and server has checksum turned off), option available in settings.
Modded games can now always join any server that has checksum disabled regardless of their own checksum state (vanilla games will only join modded games if this is turned off)
Change session state in pre-login if server is full (may help with finding full servers)
Sync movement for physics props placed in the world
Stagger the initialization of the world over the full time to help reduce bandwidth load when starting a level

Fixed

Fixed 'Time Until Bomb Explodes' on Bomb Threat only showing for the host
Fixed occasionally not being able to join sessions
Fixed quit to main menu not going back to main menu if not a listen server
Fixed being kicked when restarting the mission
Potentially fixed some issues causing disconnections (and added further logging to determine any other causes)
Fixed other SWAT appearing in truck for clients
Fixed issue where light/laser could fall out of sync if used outside of network relevancy range

Weapons

New

R7 Launcher, a magazine-fed customizable pepperball gun.
MK.16, reliably accurate 5.56 assault rifle.
BCM MK1, weapon skeleton with new audio/model/mesh exclusive to Supporter edition owners. No statistical advantage over other 5.56 ARs currently in game.
SLR 47, modernized Eastern carbine boasting compactness and power.
Added ATACR and SDR optics to M4, SBR-300, SA58, BCM MK1, Mk. 16, SR16, and HK416

Updated

G19 Gen5, updated model/audio for the G19.
P92X, updated model/audio for the M9A1.
Reduced camera shake when shooting SA58
Significantly lowered UMP45 Recoil
Shortened the SBR-300's barrel significantly
'Thumb over bore' combat grip now used for HK416, SBR-300, and SR16
New Stinger Grenade model.
New Flash Grenade model.
New CS Gas Grenade model.
Increased fire rate of AR-pattern weapons to be more realistic
SRS optic now uses risers for HK416, SBR-300, and SR16 (if you had the SRS equipped before this change, you may have to re-equip on the workbench)
Corrected laser rotation when right up against an object

Fixed

Fixed M4A1 socket for M600V
Fixed double sound playing for MPX, UMP45 and SBR-300
Fixed brake scaling for SR16
Fixed shotgun accuracy
Fixed P92X(M9) pistol using wrong inertia values
Fixed G19 backplate not moving with slide
Fixed G19 slide plate not actually disappearing when an optic is attached

Animation

Fixed lowered shield reloads with Python revolver
Fixed A-Pose when killing arrested AI
Fixed wrongly assigned animations for m45A1 speed reload
Fixed arrested death poses

Physics

Re-enabled physics prop interactions (Increased push force so you cannot get stuck on/behind them)
Fixed collision with thrown items (Chemlights and Grenades)

Scoring

Scores will no longer save if game is modded
Traps no longer impact scoring

UI

Removed loading screen percentage when going back to main menu (as it's a blocking load)
Fixed mission select not working if two inputs were sent at the exact same time
Fixed 'Finding Session' text not showing on the menu

VO

New

TOC Voice
New set of generic female voice lines

Removed

Removed unused voice files
Removed legacy/placeholder voice lines

Updated

Only agender Judge lines play when ordering arrests
Updated female civilian voice lines

SFX

Footstep tweaks for 3P Civilians / Suspects
Bump sound size for pistol melee so it doesn't pan as player moves
3P weapons slightly sidechain bullet impacts now
Lowered volume for certain sidearm melee foleys
Tweaks to certain 3P weapons for better parity
Slightly lower bullet crack chance, removed EQ
Added updated taser assets and updated taser shot / hum
Lower trap cut volume
Many tweaks to existing events across the board to minimize sound drop out
Updated Mk. 16 / SBR300 / SA58 / Stinger sound events
Disabled auto activation for many sound sources to prevent leaking
SWAT voice lines can be heard in headset at range

Music

New

'Fast Food' restaurant song(It's a bop)
'Penthouse' music

Localization

Added Korean, French, German and Czech translations
Korean text now uses Numan font

Miscellaneous

Fixed spelling/grammar misteaks
Added Discord Supporter Code in settings (for Supporter server verification purposes)
Crash reporter now displays a simple error message (ie. Crash, GPUCrash, Assert) and the reason, if possible

Lobby

Shoothouse target mini-game (Shoothouse timer is now operational)
Coffee machine in Lobby (with speed buffs for certain drinks)
Updated Shoothouse trigger box range to get out of forced Low Ready at the first door

Wenderly Hills Hotel -- 'Checkin' In'

New

Active Shooter Mode
Hostage Rescue Mode
Raid Mode
Hotel's lobby and first floor areas now available for new modes
Added Chef models

213 Park Homes -- 'Twisted Nerve'

New

Raid Mode
Second house has been opened up.
Added destructible lights
TV now plays static sound(spooky)
Sewer area now plays dripping sounds(yucky)

Updated

Environmental Updates
Incapacitated Minor score penalty increased to -350 (previous penalty was erroneously -15)
Adjustments to Meth tunnel ambience
Tweaks to Meth audio
Additional sounds added to sewer
TV on floor in main house now plays sound
Chime sound added to main house side
Additional sounds added to spawn garage
Additional sounds added to street light near spawn
Rat / debris sounds now play around main house
Added volume to Meth front door so outdoor ambience plays in near it
Child's radio on Meth now has event cone parameter so player can't hear it behind wall
Female suspects on Meth now use female suspect lines

Fixed

Fixed popping of certain Meth sounds
Fixed some navs in meth
Fixed out of bounds areas
Collision fixes
Lighting fixes
Fixed some Meth spawns where AI wouldn't be able to move
Fixed AI not being able to navigate the hole in the fence on Meth

Caesar's Cars Dealership -- 'Buy Cheap, Buy Twice'

New

Bomb Threat Mode
Added rockin' radio track courtesy of a legend

Updated

Max attenuation for barrel fire reduced
Increased distance of Dealer car passerby SFX
Slight volume tweaks to outside Dealer outside quake SFX
Minor Dealer artwork changes

4U Gas Station -- 'Thank You, Come Again'

Updated

Adjustments to certain Gas ambiences
Huge overhaul of ambience volumes to prevent leaking
Certain room tones changed for better parity
Certain spatial sounds moved
Flies now fly around poor Mudasir

Port Hoken -- 'Hide and Seek'

New

Bomb Threat Mode
Added creepy auction music to auction room
Added blocking volume to certain area so players can't go for a swim

Updated

Tweaked Raid AI count

Fixed

Fixed drip sound from stopping and starting, remove second sound for better consistency with location
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on February 04, 2022, 11:55:29 PM: (https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1144200/ss_4c900f94ee2365ccfa9ddabf511726ec16b3e92d.1920x1080.jpg)
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 14, 2022, 11:39:05 PM: Vol. 28 Ready or Not Supporter Development Update
Thu, 14 April 2022

Future Update News and Community Spotlight

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/2d477ce00b537837f484164d3176563863ceb9cc.png)

Future Update News and Community Spotlight

Howdy gamers,

Welcome to the 28th edition of our biweekly newsletter! In this briefing, we'll be primarily focusing on content made by our wonderful and passionate modding community, as well as a few sneak peeks at what our team is working on behind the scenes.

Community Spotlight -- Mods of the Month

Since Ready or Not entered Early Access, we've been lucky enough to see tons of mods from our community that add content to the game and offer unique experiences for players. We love our modding community and will continue to support it and expand support for it throughout development of Ready or Not. Today, we'll be sharing three mods in particular that caught our eye this month.

1.) "Pup SWAT' on Nexus Mods, by BeYkeRYkt

Based on concept art released for Ready or Not, this mod provides high quality character skins that bring an old school, classic look to your SWAT team. Lovers of the 90s and early 2000s aesthetic rejoice, we've found just the mod for you.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/07334bbdeb29556025590c315ee878932ed0a92b.jpg)
Above: A timeless look for door kickers everywhere.

2.) 'Super-A Club' on Nexus Mods, by matthew9324, TayW, and mal0.

The neon lights, vibrant decorations, and numerous private rooms of the Super-A Club make for an exciting environment to move through and clear. This is an incredibly colorful map that radiates personality and clearly had a lot of love put into it.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/b07764a03d0387f0bec2e0e5c6a4d1d459b90570.png)
Above: The club's entrance. Blinding lights are ignorant of the chaos brewing within.

3.) 'Breaking News' on Nexus Mods, by CCRifles.

Breaking News provides a new map for Ready or Not constructed of entirely unique assets laid out with care and precision. Alternating between claustrophobic close-quarters combat and open office spaces, your journey through this independent media office will require careful attention and a steady hand.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/2ac203f66ee0aadf30e791013b32949a5fd750d1.png)
Above: Advancing through Breaking News.

Fast Food Update Preview -- Under the Hood

We're happy to share some updates from our level design team on one of Ready or Not's test levels, 'Fast Food'. Still in its very early stages, we've seen a lot of progress on expanding and texturing the level to get it up to our standards.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/049dd2ef3a47bc7bb5cdcca0f43a409ac85d6244.png)
Above: The familiar fast food place is starting to look a bit more alive.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/3df2e988c53cd6a07dc415bb52a74387f3aa7516.png)
Above: The back is coming together as well.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/737a52f0d4b5d43d1dbc2b8500646094e535e1fc.png)
Above: The competition across the way.

Conclusion

This concludes our 28th biweekly briefing, focusing on community-made content and some sneak previews of how Fast Food is starting to come together. Please tune in next time for even more development news, and keep an eye out on our social media!

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with all the activity and playtesting events occurring within the Ready or Not Alpha, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 28, 2022, 11:25:12 PM: Vol. 29 Ready or Not Supporter Development Update
Thu, 28 April 2022

Future Update News and Community Spotlight

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/87bc847e1dd1c9c5ef74ab4d6e8715dff787561e.png)

Howdy gamers,

Welcome to the 29th edition of our biweekly newsletter! This time around, we'll be showcasing our team's work on updating the game's SWAT models and adding new variations for players to choose from. Expect to see more of these models(and others we haven't teased yet) in the near future!

Updated SWAT Models and Variants

Our modelers have been working hand-in-hand with our on staff police advisor, implementing the feedback of an experienced SWAT team member to improve existing equipment and add new options for players to take advantage of. We're excited to show off what we have so far, so without further ado, let's get to it!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/b990ad75d8c0a16190d777d7cc8c593f0766f881.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/c71188de6c26f3d1216515b11c4cde08156636c4.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/7f0f042a062f229f55a42e47cece43e592cb5bbf.png)

Customization

Countless new kit options, from uniform color, to vests, to helmets.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/9dca12c5da34216ed8543e5a95258c147affcbd3.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/b4ee828cf2b71ce996793b5b00d7dfc93c3979f9.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/49ac29209d55c402ca19e4022f0763020d958150.png)
Above: New helmet variations with functioning IR strobes.

Conclusion

This concludes our 29th biweekly briefing, unveiling a variety of changes we're working on for the game's SWAT models. Please tune in next time for even more development news, and keep an eye out on our social media!

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with all the activity and play test events occurring
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 17, 2022, 10:26:10 PM: May Update Addendum
Tue, 17 May 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1144200/ss_4c900f94ee2365ccfa9ddabf511726ec16b3e92d.jpg)

To the Ready or Not Community,

Our developers have been hard at work on putting together our largest content update yet, including new levels, characters, weapons, and a complete cover system for civilians and suspects to utilize. The extra time allotted to our team to work on this update has allowed us to perform necessary bug hunting, problem solving, and mechanical integration.

At this point we now have a firm grasp on how much work is left ahead of us to get the update in a playable and test-ready state. Unfortunately, we'll need just a little bit more time to ensure we can adequately prepare the large amount of new content and systems being added to the game.

Our biggest content update yet will be available to all Ready or Not players in the first week of June.

We know that we've already asked for you to wait for us once, and we know that this delay will come as frustrating news for our community. These extra few days will be crucial in making the update consistently playable and ready to experience with your friends without forcing our dev team into a crunch period that is all too common in the industry.

Going forward, we will continue to communicate any such development news so that we are maintaining openness with our player base. We thank you for your patience, for your support, and for your passion that pushes us to make the game better every day.

We're so excited to share everything that we've been working on with you, and we'll see you in the first week of June!
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 26, 2022, 11:47:20 PM: Vol. 31 Ready or Not Development Update
Thu, 26 May 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/0865815fe512987972eed296cfe63549bf1d7767.png)

Preview of Club and Valley Maps

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 31st edition of our biweekly newsletter!! This time around we'll be taking a deeper look at Club, Valley, and Penthouse, all three of which have progressed significantly in recent weeks.

The Prysm Night Club

Pulsing lights and pounding music, strong drinks and intoxicating vibes. The promise of something more within. A crowded dance floor left vacant and streaked with blood. Pain and chaos. Bring an end to it.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/c94a151e1e6032033975c3655125d1683dc6075a.jpg)
Above: The heart of the club.

Read on.... https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3338868751758893349
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 05, 2022, 12:55:47 PM: Status Report on the Next Content Update
Sat, 4 June 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/e06869fe76b785a46ab5c089194b0d2ff6a4905e.png)

A Quick Update and Teaser for the New Content Coming Very Soon!
To the Ready or Not Community,

We are excited to get the new content update in your hands as it is our biggest one yet! At this time, we're putting the finishing touches on the bevy of new mechanics being added into the game so that they're fully playable and testable for our community. As soon as it’s ready, we will be deploying the update to our experimental testing branch for Supporters to experience and help us find any major issues before public release.

It's been a long wait, but we're ready and excited to share some of what you can expect this month. Our team has put together a 6 minute video showing off the overhaul to the game's A.I., specifically new suspect behaviors and the built-from-scratch cover system they utilize. We are confident that these new mechanics will add significant depth and replayability to Ready or Not.

https://youtu.be/enbRaoGG5Vg

Keep your feet on the ground.
Void Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 09, 2022, 07:20:01 PM: Vol. 32 Ready or Not Development Update
Thu, June 9, 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/1bf6c6e72a1519a2ecd3010251d850a0fca97ca4.png)

A walk through Los Suenos

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 32nd edition of our biweekly development update! This time around we're going to explore elements of environmental storytelling in the game, breathing life and adding detail to the world of Ready or Not.

Los Suenos is a city in decline. Widespread poverty and homelessness, skyrocketing crime rates, and a lack of municipal support are just some of the issues facing the local population. There is an aura of desperation and hopelessness across the city, and the symptoms and results of this can be found throughout the game's levels.

Without further ado, let's explore the everyday realities of Los Suenans....

A Stagnant, Halted Place

The 4U gas station has been hit hard by Los Suenos' woes. The city officials' refusal to budge on wage increases has led to a now 40 week long strike by sanitation workers. Garbage is piling up in the streets, and its nauseating stench lingers wherever you go.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/d459ea475390aa03c91f4c66b27372cfcbc35b9f.png)
Above: They've stopped trying to maintain it. Why bother?

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/89aae7791674cffc2ae2127f4fd85fa9b0d4380b.png)
Above: Trash ends up wherever there's space. No one's paid to pick it up.

As if things weren't bad enough, a robbery gone wrong turns into a hostage situation inside the gas station. An armed civilian tried to put a stop to things early, but being a hero doesn't always pan out.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/3a72f63087fd75541a262d751bc35ebb87b2d1bf.png)
Above: He should have known better. Luck wasn't on his side; in this city, is it ever?

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/60770668ad11526c89fcb9cbcd5565141d5b0b3a.png)
Above: A failure to eject at the worst possible time.

It's no surprise people are driven to crime. With the worn down DeBanco security services protesting for safer working conditions amidst a string of robberies, there's no one to transport money for the banks. No one to refill the ATMs.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/17b5c172f6b95587d7d6ee2e1e67020788c2c44b.png)
Above: We can't even access the money that we have. What the hell can we do?

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/c4767ca576e0a81d60a3e9fe4f1ffcde1d427c67.png)
Above: Just a machine that mocks us. What's it good for?

Throughout Los Suenos, you'll be able to see broader signs of the city's struggles through its media outlets. Whether it's over radio, TV broadcasts, or newspaper publications, everyone's looking for answers that no one seems to have. A series of magazines in the game's levels help to flesh out this story.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/a0100b60d64507e8cf234e849d63aa48fa1c87e8.png)
Above: A little bit of history for one of America's most storied, and now downtrodden cities.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/ebc854629895e1d410a9a8a5c8434665dc9f9ffb.png)
Above: Trouble across the border. Tensions boiling over. Who's going to fix this?

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/a5d63eaec03921e2a265413673c97e86dee5e045.png)
Above: Even the affluent are starting to feel the pain. The rats spread like a plague.

This is just a taste of what you can expect from Ready or Not's environmental storytelling, as we strive to make the world come alive and include as much detail as we can in every level to contribute to the world that we've built. You'll see more and more added with continued updates to the game, so be on the lookout!

Conclusion

This concludes our 32nd biweekly newsletter, focusing on the various story beats located in the game's levels. Please tune in next time for even more development news, and keep an eye out on our social media!

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with all the activity and play testing events occurring within the Ready or Not Alpha, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Keep your feet on the ground.
Community Management Department
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 12, 2022, 04:12:58 PM: The Largest Supporter Edition Content Update Yet
Sun, 12 June 2022

The Largest Content Update Ever, Now Available to Supporters

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/9a83cc49544c393da61a1b66339cc520662009e1.png)

Attention Officers!

We’re happy to finally bring the supporters one of our biggest updates yet!

The update brings substantial changes to our AI cover system, new weapons, a mountain of bug fixes, the semi-final version of the Valley of Dolls map, and so much more!

It’s been a long time coming but we very much hope the wait was worth it, as of the posting of this announcement the patch will be live for Supporters with the public branch coming when more issues are worked out and tested by the Supporters.

Without further ado, lets get right into the longest patch notes yet! https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3370395218647880370
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 17, 2022, 12:17:01 AM: Community Content Exhibit Vol. 2
Thu, 16 June 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/b5daac4284825d70161d7fbabe8b5adff694260f.png)

Welcome to the 2nd in our series of monthly newsletters dedicated entirely to community creations and contributions to Ready or Not. This time we’ll be focusing on some pieces that didn’t make the cut for the Art Contest and those that came before and after!

Listed is no particular order, let us begin!

Community Spotlight – Mods of the Month

1.) Starting strong, we’ve got a fantastic pixel representation of Ready or Not’s arsenal brought to us by Hash. The high level of quality of these pieces would very much not be out of place in a pixelated Ready or Not!

Twitter:
@hashashaaaa

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/d62feda033861f0033fe9c7e5fa727d3cd18299a.png)

2.) The next piece is one brought to us by Rennn, bringing to life the terror of being jumpped by a very well placed criminal and the following panic as the team struggles to reorganize and deal with the threat. Sadly this piece received a criminally low amount of votes due to its late entry.

Twitter:
@Ilobeste

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/a484cb73cc562611c8eceb76f99e9182139b81a3.png)

3.) Finally we end with the highest scoring piece from the Art Contests public vote, presented to us by LesterDem. A piece parodying the iconic teaser image for the movie John Wick 2.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/3ab83b7abcfad2b1725a4c418a2c8c5c56e3f031.png)

Editors Choice

4.) Just after the contest I came across piece that’d be a shame not to share, we’ve got an image brought to us by Cannon Fodder who sadly missed the art contest's submission date. A humorous exchange between two ex
Law Enforcement Officials.

Twitter:
@us_cannonfodder

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/82c3940bc872e4a1f292e7228775c8ee0d262c8a.png)

Closing

Thank you to everyone that participated in our first ever community art contest, and for the positive reception from everyone that voted and gave feedback. Without all of you such events would not be possible and we hope that it will be the first of many.
Going forward we can’t wait to see what else the community brings to the table as we continue on into the future.

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with all the activity and play testing events occurring within the Ready or Not Alpha, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Keep your feet on the ground and pen in your hand.
Community Management Team
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 25, 2022, 03:05:04 AM: Vol. 33 Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 24 June 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/a7a6e4e60a9c7ee9d1dc31a733ea2df0a79ec20d.png)

Data Center Preview

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 33rd edition of our biweekly development update! Before we dive into this briefing, we want to let you know that Ready or Not is now available for 10% off during the length of the Steam Summer Sale, its first ever discount Be sure to tell your friends before you continue this briefing, where we’ll be taking the first ever look at Data Center, a new level still in its early stages of development.

An Endless Stream of Data

Data Center sees the Los Suenos Police Department raiding the offices and server rooms of a shady tech company. The search for sensitive information related to an active case is a race against the clock, requiring the player to overcome a series of secured doors and on-site security guards.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/5f5eb1241b5f0f83fad0d101633cd8fc91631dce.png)
Above: A very early look at the exterior and surroundings of the map, Data Center.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/b2924455e75929e8611333b78c4cf5aa52b91009.png)
Above: A collection of tens of thousands of files, all tucked away in the mountainside.

Data Center's interior combines a series of open spaces utilized by the staff, and claustrophobic, tight stacks of servers with little space to maneuver.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/28c816fb1d9d3d8ef62ecdd7ee8ff16b778b7e0e.png)
Above: Watch your fire. Those vending machines aren't cheap, you know.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/17085f45973aa65a162fc0a8af7df25d6268288b.png)
Above: A state of the art kitchen. Only the finest for the company's employees.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/f88693a3a3e5d94e1c02cb8c04cb74d0b399f838.png)
Above: The amount of dirty secrets and dollar signs stored on these machines is staggering.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/c3c9d447c890639bd84adc3ef6ae1586ef2741a6.png)
Above: Be careful. Everything in this room is valuable and delicate to boot.

While Data Center is still in the early gray box stages, there's a ton of depth already on display and much more to be added. Our level designers, artists, and story writers are all hard at work putting it together. We look forward to sharing more with you in the future!

Conclusion

This concludes our 33rd biweekly briefing, taking a first look at one of Ready or Not's future levels, Data Center! Make sure to tune in next time for more development news.

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 29, 2022, 09:16:55 PM: The Biggest Content Update Yet Is Now Public
Wed, 29 June 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/95276f3c4e6dc2b4f55d1828e02b10efee920c12.png)

With over 500 Fixes Thanks to the Feedback of Supporters

Attention Officers!

Since the release of the Supporter branch, the Dev team has pushed over 500 internal fixes with all of the feedback we received from the Supporter Edition owners to bring the cleaned-up version of the update to everyone! With that being said we here at VOID Interactive are very excited to ship out the latest build of Ready or Not for all players!

To celebrate, we’ve also prepared a beautiful trailer showing off the tweaks to Barisa Cove, some beautiful shots of NEON, and even a special guest at the very end that some of you that are well versed in the tactical shooter genre may recognize.

https://youtu.be/QmqwVwMHT28

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144200/Ready_or_Not/

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on July 09, 2022, 12:20:26 AM: Vol. 34 Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 8 July 2022

Character Concept A̴͉̅r̵̪͝ť̸͕

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1144200/ss_4c900f94ee2365ccfa9ddabf511726ec16b3e92d.jpg)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 34th edition of our biweekly development update! In this briefing, we're going to take a look at some of the concept art our team has put together for Ready or Not's characters. This is their first step en route to being fully integrated suspects and civilians within the game's levels.

Going forward we’re also going to be changing how we update the community on upcoming patches and how we announce dates to ensure that, at a minimum, we never have to delay an update ever again. In the process of getting the AI rework and the new maps to Supporter Edition users for testing, we announced a timetable which hindsight now tells us was a little over-optimistic as we had to delay the release a few times.

In the future, definite timeframes will not be made public unless we are 100% sure we can deliver on that date, which will hopefully amount to smaller lead times between announcement and update.

Scumbags and Security Guards

Our first character in the spotlight is none other than the charming George Brixley, the prime suspect of our as-of-now unseen level of Agency.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/fe5bacd1557c9db8183b62f8cfd0af03978b3eb4.jpg)
Above: Mr. Brixley with his tools of the trade. For perfect touch-ups with a smile that could rot.

Greasy, smug, unkempt. Any number of words could be mustered to describe George Brixley. Except, perhaps, for 'wholesome'. His exploitative work at the Agency makes him and the fruits of his labor a top priority for police to bring down, but he won't be alone. And he certainly won't be unprepared.

The next character concept we have to show off can be found at Data Center, the level featured in our last newsletter.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/06c56ded2006159f8f4be082fa67414d6ef6ca81.jpg)
Above: The data they're guarding is more valuable than gold. They sure dress like it.

The MindJot security team is well-trained, professional, and equipped with bleeding edge gear. They're well compensated to ensure that their clients' information, no matter what it may be, is safeguarded from any threat. This is their territory; tread carefully.

Lastly, we want to take a look at some concepts of a few characters that we've kept under wraps until now. We're very excited to show off -- 8,15,13,5

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/cff6f4435f6459fc13a73dcc74472739e775824d.png)
Above: Wake up. Remember. Your country needs you.

There is not an End. Every road converges upon You, every bloom becomes Us. Listen to Them. Listen. Breathe.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/ddc4a4daf5ca7abcdabaa6c9181ecb186c64eee9.png)
Above: You're not a hero. Not a King. Not a God. Just mulch for us all.

Where has it gotten you, this heaven-scorned fury? The blood seeps through you. Your eyes blinded by viscera. You're disgusting. You don't have to be this way. You don't have to be this way. You can be more.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/38af6245be6585ba85ae89e8aadbf7a22c4e8ea0.png)
the pus blooms, Our roots take hold. a Throne for Our vaunted Sepulchre. may we All claim it.

Don't let go. It's too late, now
. You remember. Take hold. Fight for Us. The Lost
.

Conclusion 7 15 2 0 18 9 15 2 2

This concludes our 34th biweekly briefing. Make sure to tune in next time for more development news.

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Peel open your e̴y̶e̵s̷.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on July 20, 2022, 03:06:17 AM: Ready or Not PVE Update - Patch 21677
Mon, 18 July 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/95276f3c4e6dc2b4f55d1828e02b10efee920c12.png)

General
•   Hotel lighting fixes
•   Gas lighting fixes
•   Fix players being able to walk through vending machines on gas
•   Removed Ridgeline and Hospital (We have received enough feedback on these levels and they will return complete later)

Gameplay
•   Fix bullets not penetrating through limbs
•   Fix ammunition penetrating through suspects despite being blocked by armour
•   Fix shotgun ammunition having incorrect penetration and armour durability damage
•   Fix buckshot having too much spread
•   Fix excessive camera movement when shot with certain weapons
•   Incapacitated kill penalty buffed to -200 (was -15)
•   Damage to neck bone is now considered a headshot instead of a body shot
•   Multiple crash fixes

AI
New:
•   Armoured suspects will now react more severely to bullet impacts
•   Reduced suspect damage tracking time from 5 seconds down to 1 second
•   Fix AI getting stuck under some beds on Meth
•   Fix an issue where an arrested AI who were previously in a cover pose would snap back to the cover pose again
•   Fix a few animation snapping issues related to cover
•   Fix an issue where suspects taking damage in cover would not play a hit reaction animation
•   Fix swat AI not looking in the direction they are moving sometimes
•   Fixed bug causing AI to get stuck arresting
•   Changes to Suspects reactions when encountering a player
•   Fixes to arresting animation

UI
•   Fix supporter only items appearing unlocked for everyone
•   Localization updates
•   Weapons/Items/Gear
•   Removed suppressor socket for Python Revolver
•   Renamed PFC9 to PC19
•   Fix the M320 Grenade Launcher sometimes killing the user firing

SFX
General
New:
•   Created dedicated modding FMOD bank for the modding wizards

Updated:
•   Certain glass smashing sounds are now easier to discern which direction they’re coming from
•   Improve footstep directional audio (especially above / below)
•   Balance SWAT footstep volume
•   Breaching shotgun equip SFX changed to be more appropriate
•   Added feedback when door is unlocked using lockpick gun
•   Player dirt footstep SFX now easier to hear
•   Various improvements to reverb

Fixes:
•   Fix certain door not playing SFX when closed
•   Fix SWAT footsteps not playing on certain surfaces
•   Fix NPC footsteps not playing on certain surface
•   Fix certain explosion having waaaay too much reverb
•   Fix certain reverb activating a second reverb
•   Potential fix for certain SFX when entering certain bushes sounding delayed
•   Potential fix for SWAT shotgun breaches not having pew pew SFX

Club
New:
•   Added additional diegetic track

Updated:
•   Additional sound detailing
•   Bump volumes for certain SFX
•   Various optimizations

Fast food
Updated:
•   Certain SFX now sound like they’re coming from the world
•   General backend improvements to restaurant track
•   General improvements to ambiance

Fixes:
•   Fix exterior ambiance firing inside of main restaurant

Hotel (First Floor)
New:
•   Added additional rumble layer to exterior

Updated:
•   Place certain SFX in the world for more immersive feel
•   General improvements to ambiance
•   Various optimizations

Fixes:
•   Fix metallic walking sounds on certain surfaces
•   Fixed certain ambiance popping when looped

Meth
New:
•   Added cloth wind SFX
•   Added tunnel pipes SFX
•   Added police radio SFX
•   Added diegetic rap SFX

Updated:
•   General improvements to ambiance (volume, transitions)
•   Improve how certain sounds react behind walls
•   Various optimizations

Fix:
•   Fix plane sound being audible from the tunnels
•   Potential fix for instances where sounds can drop out

Penthouse
New:
•   Added crowd SFX

Updated:
•   General improvements to ambiance (volume, transitions)
•   Certain sounds are now placed in the world rather than 2D

Port
Updated:
•   General improvements to ambiance
•   Various optimizations

Valley
New:
•   Added cicadas around level

Updated:
•   Restore exterior SFX (birds / cars now sound like they’re coming from the world!!!)
•   General improvements to ambiance
•   Various optimizations

Fixes:
•   Potential fix for certain interior diegetic song being cut out too much by gunfire Music

Fast food
New:
•   Overhaul for Fast Food OST (Certain combat section won’t play for now)

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam here.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on August 06, 2022, 11:28:16 PM: Vol. 36 Ready Or Not Development Update
Fri, August 5, 2022

Content: Suspect Gameplay

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/3a716803a7582c37779d7de1cb1c6927de956390.png)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 36th edition of our biweekly newsletter! In this briefing, we’re going to dive into some AI improvements our team has made as well as explore future plans for suspect AI development.

Manipulated Chaos
As of our most recent update, AI behavior will be altered depending on player interaction. Over the course of the game, AI stress will naturally decrease or increase depending on how aggressive your team is. AI in high stress will not hesitate to shoot you and be combative, while AI in low stress will not be as aggressive. Our goal is to show you how your team’s actions impact the world and gameplay experience. As we progress, we hope the stress mechanic will create the opportunity for a wider range of dynamic situations to arise.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/5ff2e9b0015ce21e144eaca7e8df177c4ea39b35.png)
Above: Slow to raise the weapon, wonder what else?

Suspect Gameplay
Our team is looking into improving how AI moves through the world by using spline paths during navigation. By using a spline path, AI will be able to move more easily and smoothly around sharp edges and corners, giving them more natural and realistic characteristics. Through the addition of more complex animation transitions, turns will be determined by AI speed and trajectory. In response to gunfire or stress, future versions of AI could slip or stumble during transitions. This new feature aims to make interactions with threats more entertaining and challenging in high-speed situations.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/9ca5e751333f298e3bf7b2b7c7baaf76ecde2520.png)
Above: There's no Lombard Street in Los Suenos, but this will do.

Our top priority is improving AI movement and consistency during gameplay. AI can currently burst into full speed without any build-up; we will be introducing methods to slow down encounters, allowing officers time to react. Slowing down initial movement will make interactions more believable, but players should still proceed with caution, even if the threat doesn’t appear to move as quickly as before.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/9d9a753f04c252deb6cb2326704cc77f749e7214.png)
Above: Think twice before you do whatever it is you plan on doing.

For suspect AI gunplay, we’re focused on reworking reaction times and how they locate and engage with players. Instead of suspects blending between two poses (weapon up and down), specific states to raise a weapon and then aim it will be introduced, minimizing issues related to readability during encounters. Our next major update will also include the ability to startle unaware suspects and civilians. Startles will fill the gap when suspects are deciding to flee, hesitate, surrender, or shoot. Lastly, we are working towards creating more variety in suspect profiles and abilities depending on their role in the world. These additions should build up to create a more realistic and improved gameplay experience.

Conclusion
This concludes our 36th biweekly briefing, discussing AI updates already integrated in Ready or Not as well as revealing some exciting plans for gameplay against suspects. Expect more details on our plans to improve civilian interaction and SWAT control in the future. Make sure to tune in next time for more development news.

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on August 11, 2022, 12:16:04 AM: Ready or Not Update - Build 21874
Tue, 9 August 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/95276f3c4e6dc2b4f55d1828e02b10efee920c12.png)

AI

Fix animation pop when AI is surrendering
Fix suspects not entering cover consistently due to always tracking their movement vector and/or last known enemy location
Fix cover entry location sometimes not being calculated correctly (leading to difficulties entering cover properly)
Fix suspects unable to enter cover in tight spaces

UI

Loadout item selection list now oriented vertically with an interactive scroll bar
Weapon attachment configurations should now persist in their last state as intended, even after switching away or leaving the loadout menu.
Full Loadout Presets are now enabled and can be selected and saved from the dropdown on the overview.
Presets can be quickly applied to AI officers
“Default” option will reset the loadout (this cannot be overwritten or deleted)

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with all the activity and play testing events occurring within the Ready or Not Alpha, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on August 18, 2022, 11:58:54 PM: Vol. 37 Ready Or Not Development Update
Thu, 18 August 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/5b99d95c75d25d385dbae7e48c40a98dd1a627b3.png)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 37th edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we will be showing an in-depth first look at our new map, “Coyote”, still in the very early stages of development. Our newest level will take players into claustrophobic halls chiseled out of the hot desert along the border. We can’t wait to see how players handle the tight corners and hidden enemies.

The Path to Freedom

Three teams (BORTAC, HRT, SWAT) have been pulled together on a cold night to stop the exfiltration of key members of the Los Locos gang into Mexico through underground tunnels. Little do they know what awaits them mere feet below the ground.

A small tunnel lies at the back of a property leading deep below the Los Suenos surface. Once opened, the loud steel door gives away your presence within the tunnels, erasing the element of surprise.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/fc697d101a4d76f7af0fad11f472659db31fe6f1.png)
Above: The sign reads “Dejad toda esperanza, los que entráis” meaning “Leave all hope, ye who enter”

The Coyotes Den

The tunnels are dark, wet, and narrow. There’s no turning back when you enter, nowhere to run or take cover. The suspects have the advantage over you; they know the layout with their eyes closed and can be hidden in plain sight. Every sound you make will carry, so we need to be especially careful.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/953a49403923b09279a5948f780612133102a8eb.png)
Above: If you’re claustrophobic, good luck. The tunnels won’t give you a second chance.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/e53162573863a8258e437bbc426cc0b3226f7fa0.png)
Above: A bedroom, how thoughtful. I guess they do care about their people after all.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/8fa19b869f0aec1a185d6956633cee1426d50ba7.png)
Above: The tunnels are lined with small rooms and dugouts. Even more space to hide.

The Cave

Proceed with caution when approaching the hidden dock at the end of the tunnels. Where the water comes from and where it is going is a mystery. We need to find out exactly what they are transporting, where it’s going, and who they got it from.?

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/42a6e2e589a43b216f09c6dffdeb49018ae81ad1.png)
Above: I guess there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Literally.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/543b40a77fe6740b8dc9abe4c6f95e5ad5fa422f.png)
Above: Hope you brought a second pair of socks, you might be getting wet.

Conclusion

This concludes our 37th biweekly briefing, taking a first look at one of Ready or Not’s future levels, Coyote. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you'd like to help us test new content on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community, you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on August 26, 2022, 12:01:34 AM: Community Content Exhibit Vol. 4
Thu, 25 August 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/b5daac4284825d70161d7fbabe8b5adff694260f.png)

Attention Officers

Welcome to the 4th in our series of monthly newsletters dedicated entirely to community creations and contributions to Ready or Not; this week, we’ll focus on popular, well-made, and unique mods to augment your gameplay!

Community Spotlight – Mods of the Month

1.) Not So Convenient
by TheLoafLord

For the first mod of this bundle, we’ve got a map that perfectly caters to a consistent community request. Small maps! The convenience store offers incredibly tight corners and the low number of possible hiding places mean that every single nook and cranny could hide one of the map's small handful of suspects.

As an added bonus, the map comes in Winter, Day, and Night variants to increase playability!

Download Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/mods/1581

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/2d25bd2da6b9539bff0d3d761160832ef1c19404.png)

2.) Forest House
by RareKiwi

Once again featuring RareKiwi we keep the theme of compact maps, with Forest House. A step up in size from the previous entry, the map offers a suspect-packed, claustrophobic, kill house where every engagement has to be undertaken carefully to ensure that you don’t get shot at from another hidden threat.

Download Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/mods/1235

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/64bf5e682f43c84db6ec961e64669508bc1b41cc.jpg)

3.) Sky Tower Remaster
by aerostatic

Keeping the incidental tradition of having a Swat 4 map recreation in these showcases, we have a recreation of a popular modded map. The stark, clean halls of the skyscraper provide a sharp contrast to the last two maps, replacing drug addled crooks with a group of well trained, armed, and equipped raiders.

Download Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/mods/826

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/47d9868abee6192030eaabba514aaf1709a9eb9b.png)

Closing

Going forward, we can’t wait to see what else the community brings to the table as we update the game and give modders more functionality to play with and improve their own works.

Outside of our drops, you can find more of this wonderful content here:
https://discord.gg/TjyfbXTU28 or https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on September 02, 2022, 12:59:42 AM: Vol. 38 Ready Or Not Development Update
Thu, 1 September 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/6de1e3cc980ad67c0183dea09cf0505cc41fd81c.png)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 38th edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today we will be showing a first look into one of our future levels, Agency! Vol. 34 Development update introduced the prime suspect of this level, George Brixley, owner and main agent of Brixley Talent Time.

The Row

The Row is one of the poorest areas in Los Suenos and is often avoided by the general public. Months of trash accumulates on the curbs, clothes hang from windows waiting to be stained with the smell of smoke, and makeshift tents of the homeless litter the sidewalks. Meanwhile, Brixley Talent Time looms right in the middle of it.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/67a99ee2154528b01d1bc0c98c0b976b110a0d2e.png)
Above: The choking smog leaves inhabitants wondering what they’re exactly “worthy” of.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/f5517b29c43d1fe243520294d91da0bece28fde0.png)
Above: Life finds a way even in the harshest environments.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/154006915a38b7ddfcf955741f455b4ed840f054.png)
Above: You can’t walk the streets of the Row without seeing Police cars posted at every alley.

Brixley’s Playground

Brixley Talent Time is a filthy place, disgustingly decorated with childrens toys, clothing, and photographs. Used as a front for talent scouting, this place is a breeding ground for sexual assault, pornography, and financial abuse.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/756b35c8efa9d7fe9332ce976af377bdbe541756.png)
Above: It’s highly unlikely Brixley invested in a washer and dryer - or a janitor.

Approach with caution, as Brixley may not be acting alone in his repulsive schemes. He has a lot to lose and a prison cell for life if captured. That man has a face you could see in your nightmares, a challenge for even a mother to love.

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Above: I don’t envy the investigator that has to catalog all those photos.

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Above: The locks on these bathroom doors wouldn't make anyone feel safer.

Conclusion

This concludes our 38th biweekly briefing, showing a first look into one of our upcoming levels, Agency. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you'd like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a Supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We’ve got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate your gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on September 30, 2022, 12:26:41 AM: Vol. 40 Ready Or Not Development Update
Thu, 29 September 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/5a9c7c69a157eb1f8d1091bd62e155c7718c0892.png)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 40th edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we’ll be giving our community a break from maps and suspects, we instead take a look at the new firearms to be added to the departments armory coming in the next update.

Armory Expansion

The first new weapon is the SPC, an addition to the games roster of SMGs whose claim to fame is its prodigious rate of fire of up to 1,100 rounds per minute. Any officers that choose to bring the SPC out into the field will have to practice careful trigger discipline and target acquisition if they want their ammunition to last throughout the entire engagement.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/806a35b71b910443658c6f6f0b2beaf974292cb5.png)

Next comes the M11 Compact, it stands alongside the P92X and G19 as another long time workhorse of multiple law enforcement agencies. Chambered in the ever-reliable 9mm, the clean lines of the M11 will fit in among the pre-existing roster of wonder 9s.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/e649bfff96c676630de955f5e33924bd29690285.png)

An upgrade to a classic, next we have the MK18 whose brand new model will be replacing the legacy M4A1 model so that we can maintain a consistent look and feel for all of our weapons going forward.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/745a611ee1554227d6d12fff999012246ae0d1ad.png)

Lastly we have a weapon that’s been heavily requested, the MP7. Being the first firearm in the PDW category, the MP7 brings a unique combination of capabilities between its’ armor piercing capability afforded by its 4.6mm round and high rate of fire that every entry team would love to have at their side.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/2b8fcc6f9f0af1d8dc9ec64cdac25c06e4e68b1b.jpg)

Conclusion
This concludes our 40th biweekly briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news (there are many more to come)!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on October 14, 2022, 12:49:31 AM: Vol. 41 Ready Or Not Supporter Development Update - Mod.io Integration
Thu, 13 October 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/b578588fd7d332ca3ea2b7866b4bc019273dfcda.png)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 41st edition of our biweekly newsletter! This newsletter will be showing off something quite exciting!

To start off, we’d like to announce the integration of the mod.io
platform into Ready or Not. Starting October 18th you’ll be able to download and remove mods at the click of a button!

This may come as a surprise to many members of the community, as we have said that we would bring Steam Workshop functionality in the past. However, given how under-performing the system is, we’ve decided to instead adopt mod.io. Just like the Nexus Mods and Steam Workshop users will not be limited in what they can upload to the mod.io page, with the obvious exceptions being obscene or unsuitable content.

The adoption of mod.io will allow direct integration with Ready or Not, giving users the ability to search through and download mods from inside the game itself, instead of having to open up the Steam Workshop or download via a third-party website. It will also offer the most flexibility going forward as we make updates to how we support modders and as Mod.io continues to update and add more functionality to their platform!

We’ve worked with both Modders and the Ready or Mod Discord team to ensure that the concerns of the modding community are met, currently we are testing the implementation of Mod.io with just map mods!

As we update both the game and our support with mod.io, we will extend compatibility to all of the weapon and skin replacers that the community has come to enjoy!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/5bc5e7d39c5bce1405ed218c570c7abd5b291657.png)

At the moment you can download skin, weapon, and attachment replacer mods via mod.io, however they need to be extracted from their folder in [C:\Users\Public\mod.io\3791\mods] to [steamapps\common\Ready Or Not\ReadyOrNot\Content\Paks]

Conclusion

This concludes our 41st biweekly briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news (there are many more to come)!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on November 10, 2022, 11:52:33 PM: Vol. 42 Ready Or Not - Development Update
Thu, 27 October 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/6b53915d555df4bdf229c312d789b6f9160ef04c.png)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 42nd edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we will introduce the prime suspect in one of our upcoming levels Ridgeline, Gerard Scott. We will learn more about this recluse and his modes of destruction. However before we start, we have a few words from the development team:

“We know players are eagerly awaiting improvements to the AI; as some users are aware we have been showing off a few hints through other channels, however when we are ready we will release a devlog showing these updates in detail. We are currently working on improving overall AI appearance when moving and shooting, changing how AI perceive and engage with the player with variables for most suspect actions to give modders the flexibility they need.

Animations for weapon raising, aiming, and detection are being adjusted as well, leading to AI being required to slow down and aim directly at the player to be more lethal with their shot placement. We are excited to showcase these changes and many more exciting ones shortly before the Adam update is dropped.”

- VOID Interactive

Now we happily return to your regularly scheduled Newsletter.

A Recluse Hidden in the Hills

Deep in the hills of Northern Los Suenos lies a cabin occupied by Gerard Scott, a 55-year-old ex-USIA (United States Intelligence Agency) analyst. Gerard was performing illegal activities as an agent, using his power and accessibility to spy on Law Enforcement Agencies within Los Suenos.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/1055ee2780f2cc4f30459c91f42ed1e99bb95ce6.jpg)

Above: This man is in desperate need of a paper shredder, that’s for sure.

Since his release, Gerard has developed a delusional obsession with the police force and focused his efforts on destroying it. He is currently wanted for the murder of five police officers, killed trying to extinguish a vehicle Gerard purposefully set on fire outside the East Makade Police Department.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/aa392a3233d7c282da47155099e0a8148e154008.jpg)

Above: A quick peek inside the mind of madness.

Coated Revenge

Another obsession of Gerard’s is the production of Ricin, a deadly compound if swallowed or breathed in. Outside of his cabin lies rows of cultivated castor plants stripped of their beans, the main ingredient needed for this bioweapon. The castor beans are cooked and mashed, the waste byproduct being Ricin. Dried bean paste and jars of white powder litter the cabin.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/efe6fbd2b20f5b883df8b439154c8700e105ab98.jpg)

Above: The remains of Gerard’s ricin experiments, wonder how bad the stench is.

To carry out his plan of mailing coated packages and letter mail to Police Departments across Los Suenos, Gerard invented a homemade device that aerosolized Ricin. To test its effectiveness, Gerard captured small animals from the ridge and carried out experiments, documenting how each animal suffered. He is very close to perfecting his invention.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/c21aab88eaaf91d01a3753c2dfd49ff19fa44a55.jpg)

Above: Complicated but extremely effective.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/b033faa4b67b86de58099707946f72afbeb7c35e.jpg)

Above: Gerard is definitely not an animal person, not much of a people person either.

Conclusion

This concludes our 42nd biweekly briefing where we introduced a new character in one of our upcoming levels, Ridgeline. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on November 10, 2022, 11:57:08 PM: Vol. 43 Ready Or Not - Development Update
Thu, 10 November 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/c9437aff8bf2540555ec22cc89322bc605239a3e.png)

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 43rd edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we will be showing an in-depth first look at our new map, “Importer”, playable in our next major update. Developers and artists have been working very hard towards this update and are excited to showcase exciting changes and additions!

The Curse of Los Suenos

The Los Suenos Postal Service (LSPS) has long been a staple within the community, meeting the demands of a growing population and bringing fast international shipping to the residents of Los Suenos. Like many businesses in Los Suenos, LSPS found themselves victims of corruption and crime. A formal investigation was launched, investigating the disappearance of almost 10% of total packages transported through this facility.

All of the LSPS staff were all fired and new procedures for both hiring and package handling were introduced to prevent theft and building closures. Due to large media coverage and the large amount of distrust from the general public, a federal government employee was hired to directly oversee the movement of packages within the facility to ensure trust within the community.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/3e1804198507399572f35fcfb72ebdfe914cc200.jpg)

Above: This might look functional on the outside but the inside is a different story.

Years later the LSPS grew and became the largest operating facility in Los Suenos. Unfortunately no amount of staff hires and anti-theft procedures can prevent crime in Los Suenos. Police now suspect the facility is illegally importing weapons from hot spots around the world for the local gang, Los Locos. Detectives were dispatched to visit the premises in order to interview suspected staff and ended up walking right into an in-progress deal. A shootout ensues and SWAT is called to scene.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/4b03251565323d12123126869516b3db258bc744.jpg)
Above: There's going to be a lot of trucks and packages to search, be thorough.

Untraced and Unknown
In response to the LSPD crackdown on the sale of illegal firearms within Los Suenos, LSPS has turned into a hub for the import of firearms from outside the city. Every firearm your average Los Suenion gangbanger could wish for, Select fire AR15s, G19 Compacts, AK pattern rifles, G21SF machine pistols, among other models continue to flow into the city at an unprecedented rate. That amount of firepower are things that every Gang dreams of and every officer fears.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/fa24477b829cc107ebfe9d70009d6c2456b86a58.jpg)

Above: Heavy machinery and gunfire don't mix very well.

Approach carefully, the tall and everlasting clutters of boxes and equipment provide good coverage and hiding spots for suspects. Be aware of the corrupt staff, they know the building better than you and may be armed. Multiple entrances and exits are around every corner; the suspects have the advantage and opportunity to flee.

Conclusion

This concludes our 43rd biweekly briefing where we introduced the newest map, Importer. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 09, 2022, 03:21:04 AM: Ready or Not - Public Release - Adam Update
Thu, 8 December 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/77c8e7083590ee904edce4fea75e62bbc904c964.png)

Attention Officers,

Our Adam update, that has been thoroughly scoured and critiqued, is finally available to the public branch!

Featuring five new levels, four new weapons, new AI behaviors, and MUCH, MUCH more!

Read on..... https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3631620304676598002
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on January 16, 2023, 12:50:51 AM: Vol. `2023` Ready or Not - A year in review
Fri, 13 January 2023

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Attention Officers,

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2023! As is tradition we will be doing a recap of our game and communities achievements in 2022. On behalf of the staff at Void Interactive, we would sincerely like to thank you for your continuous support and feedback of RON, we owe our success to you! The team is excited to continue working on Ready or Not and looks forward to all the new exciting updates to come in 2023!

Since our launch into Steam Early Access in December of 2021, Ready or Not has progressed quite steadily towards our goal of a full release in 2023. Both community and development efforts have ramped up as we’ve expanded our development team, worked closer with the different portions of our community, and worked hard to grow the community we already have!

Community Content

Over the course of 2022, the community came together to produce a prolific amount of content. Videos that run the gauntlet from critique to compilation, every flavor of art one could look for, and even photos of community members doing their best impression of the Los Suenos Police Department!

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/42d098be638fc5e4f2452b573ab49b60bceb1074.jpg)
Above: The winning art from our Community Art contest, produced by Etnad, picturing a newly engaged husband and wife.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/b8076f103ec8fb6d3a120ca8b995a15c8f61ff2f.png)
Above: The Winner of our photo contest, Royourboy, took a stunning picture of two geared individuals backlit by a sunset.

On the side of modifications to the game itself, modders have continuously outdone themselves with a veritable mountain of content– and their passion has not gone unnoticed. We introduced mod integration into the game itself using the mod.io platform and through continued support and tweaking of the integration of mod.io we have made an amazing amount of progress on both the UI and UX fronts resulting in a more reliable modding experience! As mentioned in the recent AMA, the possibility of Steam Workshop arriving has not been entirely taken off the table, so if mod.io isn’t your preferred mod delivery platform then keep your eyes peeled!

I wish I had the time and the space to plug some of our favorite mods, but then this newsletter would be mostly mods. I highly suggest checking out our community content showcases for a more in-depth look at some frankly spectacular mods.

Finally, we cannot forget the part of our community that is the key to our continued presence on YouTube, TikTok, and other media platforms, the content creators! We appreciate every single one of them, from the smallest channels posting videos of their friends' first run of Voll Health House to users putting together beautifully framed pseudo-trailer videos.

https://youtu.be/mzsDH0eUYCk

Above: The amazing video produced by SheppLab, give this creator some love.

Outside of media we’ve partnered with Lurkit to be able to reach more content creators in a more organic matter, giving us the ability to give existing content creators more compensation for their work and reach out to new ones to further increase the reach of Ready or Not.

Development Milestones

Since our launch into Steam Early Access at the very end of 2021, the growth of Ready or Not has been explosive in proportion to the competitive nature of the Early Access shooter space. The vision of Ready or Not has come into clearer focus after every single update with refinement of weapons, sounds, levels, AI, etc.– and with the invaluable feedback from our community the game will continue to come closer and closer to its finished state.

2022 has brought us 17 new weapons, among them being the introduction of the PDW class with the MP7 and P90, the renewing of the venerated M4 into the more modern Mk18, among a plethora of other beautifully rendered and powerful sounding firearms. Among the close to a dozen there are many standout maps, among those being the raid on Voll health house and its impeccably kept upper floor hiding a horrifying secret underneath, the bright and beautifully rendered club marred by violence and turning the entire building into a Neon Tomb, or the final moments of the ex-USIA agent Gerard at his home on Sullivans Slope.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/2b8fcc6f9f0af1d8dc9ec64cdac25c06e4e68b1b.jpg)
Above: The MP7, first in the games PDW category.

Of course without the backend improvements, the maps would not be as spectacular as they are without the overhaul to the games lighting system to greater show off the excellent work of our mapping and art team.

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Above: The new lighting engine in action

In 2023, we wish to carry Ready or Not into its release window and beyond, continuing to refine our labor of love until we can’t anymore. No matter how soon or how late that comes, we will continue to communicate with our audience, you can find a sneak peak into some of our future plans in our recent developer AMA!

https://youtu.be/L5Cr1u8ulZQ

We hope that every single one of our supporters, new and old, continue to stick by us into the future of VOID Interactive and Ready or Not!

Conclusion

This concludes our first briefing of the new year where we looked at some things Ready or Not has achieved in 2022. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam here. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144200/Ready_or_Not/

Keep your feet on the ground.

VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on February 12, 2023, 02:58:42 AM: Vol. #46 Ready Or Not Development Update
Thu, 9 February 2023

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/36750080/3dcf940584d91ce809378622029266e720073e60.png)

Map Inspiration

Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 46th Newsletter! Starting with this newsletter, and several of the following bi-weekly newsletters we will look at some real-life events that have impacted and shaped the design of both the game and the locations that make Los Suenos feel like a living, breathing world.

Unfortunately, there are many, many events that for one reason or another have been required to be solved by the tactical expertise of a singular or many SWAT teams. Whether the response was to a genuinely evil organization or person, slow escalation of hostage situations, robberies gone wrong, or at the absolute worst, a situation that ultimately involves reasonably innocent individuals placed in extreme situations.

A Tragedy

Very recently, one of our artists, Ropolio, took a trip down to the site of the Waco Siege and took a veritable mountain of incredible photos. For those who are unaware, in-short the Waco Siege was a Police action that majorly included the BATF and FBI responding to the serving of a search warrant to the Branch Davidians at their company near Elk, Texas, resulting in the deaths of 4 Law Enforcement Officers and 82 civilians.

Please Note: The above description of the Waco Siege is an extremely, extremely simplified version of a still discussed and highly disputed event; as such, if this is something you would like to read into, there are many resources to do so.

An Artist's Impression

We pulled onto EE ranch road; it was pretty bumpy from all the dips and potholes. The black iron gate was open, with a sign asking for a 10-dollar donation per visitor. A memorial just past the gates is dedicated to the 76 men, women, and children who had died in the fire caused by the siege.

Aside from the foundation remnants, the only original remains of the compound 70-foot-long swimming pool at the rear of the site, the unfinished storm shelter just to the left, and the buried school bus used as a tunnel between the compound and the storm shelter. Now lying partially unburied like an old, mangled soda can, completely unrecognizable as a school bus with the entire surrounding area overgrown with weeds and foliage.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/4232ff93c1dca684970cc4bd61769ed2ffff88a4.jpg)
Above: The remains of the Mount Caramel Center bunker, the compound that the Branch Davidians had built and used up to that fateful day.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/ad3e399eabaaf91257ea38fe56916125c44886b8.jpg)
Above: The remains of the bus tunnel.

Concrete slabs of the original foundation line the left side of the church, marking where the old gymnasium and foyer once stood. Walking into the pool, I stepped down to examine David Koresh’s [Leader of the Branch Davidians] signature in the cement of the pool when it was first constructed in 1992, “DK ‘92” with a barely visible star of David below.

A concrete slab with some dog paw prints was also located beside the pool, it matched the age of the rest of the concrete so I assume it belonged to the Branch Davidian’s dogs, who were shot by the ATF on the first day of the siege.

Between the pool and storm shelter is the remains of the water tower, now just a rusted pipe surrounded by concrete.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/273259cf47232f807a52511b1ea537a9a28c49cb.jpg)
Above: The Branch Davidian compound pool with a portion of the Church visible in the background.

We stepped into the church, which had been partially converted into a museum of sorts. Various pictures of the ATF and FBI posing in uniform in front of the burnt-out compound sat alongside banners describing Koresh’s prophecies along the walls, as well as information about the original founders of the Seventh Day Adventists. The experience overall gave an interesting insight into the Branch Davidian's side of the story.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/225de9f89a5a844901d99790f9344afeddfbe521.png)
Above: A photo of the modern-day compound transposed by the burning compound, the aftermath of the Siege at Waco

Editors Note:
More of Ropolio’s hauntingly beautiful transpositions and photos will be posted and pinned in the #ron-media channel on the Ready or Not Public Discord for those interested.

Conclusion

This concludes our 46th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on February 21, 2023, 12:19:54 AM: Vol. #47 Ready Or Not Development Update
Mon, 20 February 2023

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Animations and why they're awesome

Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 47th Newsletter! This week we’re going to be taking a look at some of the work that makes the suspects, civilians, and your fellow officers feel more alive. It’s a subject that is unfortunately not talked about very often in comparison to its cousins AI, effects, and textures despite being just as important or more depending on who you talk to.

The animations of both the player character and the AI in Ready or Not help contribute to the feeling of unease as you approach a suspect that hasn’t either surrendered or revealed their intentions. The shifting of their feet, the way they look around the room, even how they reach into their jacket or pants to retrieve something all contribute to these feelings.

For today's newsletter we consulted with Raihaku, one of VOID Interactive's animators, whose background and skill lend very well to the atmosphere of Ready or Not being one of the architects around many of the recent and incredibly well made trailers.

Animationsby Raihaku

Part of the reason why animation doesn’t get much discussion is because there is nothing really mind-blowing to discuss, it’s unique in a sense because gameplay animation can get weirdly specific and a lot of stuff feels invisible to the player until it’s not there, and it’s really obvious that it isn’t there. It isn’t like AI or Levels where there’s amazing videos of their navigation and behaviors or pretty screenshots and images to show off.

Animating is, mostly, “We’re figuring out the time we spent blending the character between two poses and how they turn in place if they’re looking around or while they’re standing still and doing a neat shuffling animation.”

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/3381333a78e19167f6dde84e076ce797fe9a507f.gif)

Above: Demonstration of various NPC states, instead of walking everywhere with their weapons up, they can take it slow with their weapons down as they investigate.

This is a preview of the movement system that we currently have in-game, this was a solution to the lack of momentum the NPCs have when they move around as they used to not build up any acceleration an actual person would need to start moving quickly, making them frustrating to fight against and hard to read. This is our method to interpret that into the game by blending between multiple types of animations, which is a walk, run, and sprint as demonstrated in the first section of the video followed by a walk and a jog in the second section of the video.

YouTube™ Video: Ready or Not | Blended Animations

https://youtu.be/dWPONOc1zaM

The way the speeds are interpreted in the actual game is simple: We increment from a 0 to 1 value, 0 being a full-stop and 1 being at full-speed, and the numbers in between 0 and 1 serve as the acceleration. This also gives us a wider range of motion as the strafes were initially only 8-directional, being able to blend between these directions means that they look more precise during navigation.

It's not a very technologically groundbreaking method and it has been around since the early 2000s. Valve uses this for all their game animations in the Source engine since Half-Life 2 and it helps their game animations achieve a very natural look with such a simple system.

Under the hood

There are many aspects of game design and development that the general public doesn’t see, along with our newsletters that show off the inspiration behind our levels, we will also be producing more newsletters that go more into detail about all of the things that make Ready or Not tick!

Conclusion

This concludes our 47th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.
https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not

Keep your feet on the ground.

VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 17, 2023, 02:11:49 AM: Vol. #48 Ready Or Not Development Update
Fri, 10 March 2023

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Photogrammetry and what it means Attention Officers,

Welcome to our 48th Newsletter! This week we’re going to be taking a look at some of the work that makes the suspects, civilians, and your fellow officers feel more alive. It’s a subject that is unfortunately not talked about very often in comparison to its cousins AI, effects, and textures, despite being just as important or more depending on who you talk to.

This week we’ll be talking about how we bring specifically our officers, suspects, and citizens to life! Our artists don’t just sculpt the clothing and equipment that our characters sport. We take direct scans of gear to ensure greater authenticity as we outfit all of our NPC and player models to make our world feel more alive.

Gerard - Technical Character Artist

Gerard, known to some members of the community as Mery. G, is a veteran of modeling for more tactically minded shooters. Some of his claims to fame are his contributions to a monstrous set of ArmA 3 mods called RHS and a large uniform pack called USP, both of which should be familiar to even the casual ArmA modder.

The method that VOID uses to translate real world equipment into the world of Los Suenos is known as Photogrammetry, using his personal collection of tactical gear as well as acquisitions from other sources and insight from connections within the armed forces community, Gerard crafts the scans into usable equipment to outfit officers and suspects alike.

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Above: A full materialized mesh, albedo texture, black and white map, and normal map. The result of a Photogrammetry session and post-processing.

According to Gerard, Photogrammetry vs. traditional methods (modeling & sculpting) is less settled on the artist's interpretation of a given item and provides realistic proportions details that are very hard for an artist to replicate, not to mention how fast we’re able to produce usable models. Though it is faster, translating the output of Photogrammetry into the aforementioned models still requires capable artists to clean up the scan and make the mesh come to life.

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Above: A version of the Photogrammetry setup.

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Above: Photogrammetry output after some cleanup

We want to show love to our characters by making them look as close to the real deal as we can, since our vision for RoN is formed along the lines of how gritty the job of swat officers can be, it only makes sense to pay the equivalent attention and detail to the tools and equipments our players will be using.

Conclusion

This concludes our 48th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 17, 2023, 02:12:07 AM: Volume #49 Ready or Not Development Update
Thu, 16 March 2023

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A new coat of paint

Welcome to the 49th edition of our mostly biweekly newsletter!

This week we will be showing an in-depth first look at the facelift of one of our classic maps, “Dealership”. Developers and artists have been working very hard towards this update and are excited to showcase exciting changes and additions!

This is only one of the planned refreshes of classic Ready or Not maps coming down the pipeline to utilize advances in our team's capabilities better, as well as our improved lighting systems. All of the techniques we have learned will be applied to our legacy levels in the coming updates.

A New Classic

A noticeable upgrade that should come as a welcome addition to veteran players is the refurbished internal layout of the dealership to make it less confusing as a whole and flow much better. The improved layout allows the expansions to blend much better with the more familiar architecture, such as the new street access that goes around the dealership and some of the surrounding buildings.

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Above: The renovated ‘front’ of the dealership features a much more dense and dangerous landscape.

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Above: The new garage is much more populated with little greeblies and signs of life, something that the rest of the level will also share.

The new corners of the map will hold more lore for both the immediate situation and the city of Los Suenos itself as we strive to make everything seem more alive. The decay running through the city will be much more visible, and the crimes of the Traffickers will be much more evident.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/4338517566d0f13ce64baf2ea28ad5fb6e0a9d4a.png)
Above: The rot that fills the city becomes more evident by the day.

We hope that with the refresh of one of our classic maps that our players will be more excited for both what is coming and what sort of improvements that we will be implementing going forward.

Conclusion

This concludes our 49th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

Just a heads up, we’re partnering with the CoBE Institute at Coastal Carolina University to gather some of your feedback on Ready or Not. If you’ve got 5 mins to participate in this survey, we’ll put your name in a drawing for two free games keys
so you can invite your friends on a mission!

https://u006xa2grj9.typeform.com/to/O9z0rMPJ
If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
Keep your feet on the ground.

VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 01, 2023, 12:00:52 AM: Volume #50 Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 31 March 2023

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A big'n

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 50th edition of our biweekly newsletter! To mark this milestone we will be having an extra-long newsletter, we’ll be featuring a meaty write-up of the AI system that Ready or Not uses as well as a good public look at the other half of the Station Rework

Starting off with the rework of Station, being the first map that many if not all players will see meaning it’s an incredibly important first impression, perhaps even more so since the atmosphere of the Station and the decrepit state of the players surroundings reflects the state of Los Suenos as a whole.

With the combination of clearly repurposed rooms, crumbling architecture, all filled with high tech police equipment in stark contrast of their surroundings it effectively communicates the state of the world the player has chosen to immerse themselves in.

The Station Reborn

Along with many the facelifts that many of the legacy maps are getting, we had no intention to leave our players' home base in the dirt. Teasing the level of detail we plan to put into the rest of the station with part 1 of the revamp we launched with Adam, we figured it was time to tease the rest of the work we’ve put into the map.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/5ea70b4a578c22edf95843ac3b7ae0333af1fcb8.png)
Above: The shooting range receives a bit of a facelift, replacing the claustrophobic stalls with a much more open-form design.

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Above: The station's surveillance and information gathering suites often cast a wide net. With the LSPD on the backfoot, they need all the help they can get. Make sure to visit Dispatch once in a while.

In the future, many locations within the station will have more nooks and crannies to explore and perhaps even easter eggs to find. Many will be like the well known hats and the coffee machine, some will have more effect on you, your officers, and maybe even your gameplay.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/db31adf7565388b6befbffa3d85c4460e386123d.png)
Above: The Evidence room, where you can find some of your confiscated arms, drugs, and [REDACTED].

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Above: A relatively calm moment in the lobby of the LSPD station, enjoy them while you can.

A Lesson on RONs AI with Ali

By popular request, one of the most influential voices in the programming of Ready or Nots’ AI, Ali, has given us a writeup on exactly how the games AI functions and makes decisions based on environmental factors.

The AI system we use for them is what is called a Utility-Based AI System. A decision making model.
The concept behind Utility AI is to mathematically model human behavior in a computer program using numbers, formulas and response curves. The “human” we want to model is called an agent or simply, an AI. Each agent in a world environment has a list of Decisions (or what we call, Actions) they want to make. Every frame we run through the list of actions and decide which one to pick and execute. That’s the core AI loop.

Inside each action, there is a list of Considerations that make up what an action is mathematically, and is what ultimately determines the score for that action. Each consideration outputs a score, which all then get accumulated (using a scoring method) at the end to output a final score for that action, that will then be later used to pick the highest scoring action. That action will be the one to execute and run (using another system called the Activity System), with a commitment time set, so they don’t oscillate in their decision making, acting indecisive from frame-to-frame. There is also a thing called Commit Interrupts, it is a list of names of actions that can interrupt the current action if it is being committed to, and they get evaluated every frame too. Gives us more control.

The scoring method is just a list of 4 math operations, Additive, Subtractive, Multiplicative and Divisive. Really simple, they just add, subtract, multiply or divide into a score accumulator. It serves as another setting that designers can tweak to mold the final action score.

One example of what a consideration can be is “Health”. This is scored using a Scoring Function
that we define, that scoring function takes in a world context and outputs a number. In this case, “Health”, it is really simple, we do Current/Max, which gives you a value (or in other words a score) from a sliding scale between 0.0 to 1.0, which then can be optionally scaled by a Weight
to bias the action in the AI if we want. You can imagine other considerations having more complicated functions. The output of the scoring function is then mapped by the response curve and is used as the final score of the consideration. There are many curve presets to choose from, the default is a Linear response, but you can have all sorts of easing curves, like Exponential, Sinusoidal, etc. (or even a hand made curve, or even better, we have the ability to implement your own custom curve function, which is pretty neat.)

A health of 0.9, (altered by the shape of a curve
) can be a good or bad thing. Good being you probably don’t need to take cover and you can risk taking certain actions. Bad thing if you want your health to always stay full, so you find cover and regenerate using a stim (this doesn’t happen in RON of course, but just as an example of how looking at the same number can mean two different things).

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(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/b2aba7d58d2a52e93bd316489a8e433249468d67.png)

As you can imagine with a library of hundreds of considerations, using those and tweaking response curves is how we can get different “personality types” or behavior's out of our suspects and civilians, some being more resistant to surrender than others or some being more eager to take cover or some that can be more suicidal if you don’t de-escalate the situation quickly.

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We have another concept in our system that I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere in other people’s utility implementations but it’s hardly anything groundbreaking. We call it Gates. It acts as a supplementary aid to Considerations. Gates are similar to considerations but instead of returning a score, they just return true or false, open or closed. The purpose of gates is to block off actions that we don’t want the AI to consider. All gates must be open for the action to be considered for scoring. Cooldown timers are one example where gates are useful, there is no way you can reasonably do this with considerations and weights, it needs to be a binary operation. Has the cooldown finished or not? The cooldown must be finished before considering said action. Before when we didn’t have this concept, we would sometimes have AI surrender to no stimulus or do certain actions that they shouldn’t have been doing, and when you went to debug what was going on, all the scores seemed reasonable and you could see why they did a certain thing. Gates help us control them a little more so as to not go wild and do un-expected things, which our designers like.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//36750080/b1f2dc4c7f062fe5d6059d5d45e707bca27d04a6.png)

The simple concept of using math and formulas to mold the output result to your liking (using weights, different scoring methods and response curves), gives you a whole bunch of states that you can’t possibly program into the AI manually, which in turn greatly affects the gameplay experience, each AI will behave slightly different than the next. Our previous version of the AI system was basically one large state machine at its core and can only ever be worked on by us, the programmers. If we wanted to progress, implement better AI, allow for designer freedom to alter AI behavior quickly in the editor, without asking programming to do simple things, a radical approach was needed to switch to Utility (which took about 6 months to implement).

However, we still use the state-machine concept for concrete actions like, moving to and picking up a weapon on the floor or breaching a door (which has a lot of states). But the decision making aspect of the AI, the brains if you will, is all Utility-Based, we don’t have to manually say “if this then that, if this then do x”, instead, as outlined above, we give them a set of actions and rules to follow, then they can go about into the world and make decisions for themselves which is pretty neat and what feels like “true” AI.

All we have to do on our side in the editor is setup their Archetype (the definition/personality of an AI), which houses the actions we want them to make. After we’re done, we assign the archetype to the specific AI in our data tables. We have about 50 archetypes and many AI variants in a level share a similar or the same archetypes, for many reasons, for simplicity sake, we don’t want to duplicate archetypes unnecessarily when we can just reuse the ones that work, or if we happen to take a liking to a particular archetype in the way they behave, etc., plus the overhead of our team in managing all those archetypes, it’s something we try to stay lean with.

Conclusion

This concludes our 50th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam here.

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 13, 2023, 11:15:31 PM: Volume #51 Ready or Not Development Update
Thu, 13 April 2023

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Talking about volume in this volume

Attention Officers

Welcome to the 51st edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we’re covering another incredibly important system brought to us by our Sound Director Zack and one of our incredibly talented modder-turned-developers QuantumNuke!

Known for his various quality of life and tweak mods such as Max Suspects, No Swat, and the Camera Mod which handily enables a free-cam with built in color grading and point lights that, despite their age, are still recommended to players.

Meet Quantum

Hey! I'm Quantum, a Junior Gameplay Developer at VOID interactive! You might recognize me from the modding server, or maybe you saw my name pop up on the Discord member list. Whatever the case, I'd like to share a bit on going from a modder to a developer!

It's been quite the exciting journey transitioning from a modder to a game developer. When I first started modding the game back in December 2021 I had absolutely no idea I'd end up here! Modding the game and seeing people's reactions to what I made was rewarding enough, and when VOID reached out to me offering a position within their team, I was ecstatic! Developing for a community this passionate, and working with a team this talented is an incredible experience, and I will continue putting my passion into making Ready or Not the highest quality tactical shooter on the market.

The Quantum Sound Manager

https://youtu.be/ATLRmTDEfG8

Understanding sound in Ready or Not is exceedingly important, as determining the directionality and location of a sound can make it easier to identify and eliminate threats.

Knowing where a sound is originating from is comprised of three main elements: direction, volume, and occlusion. Direction gives the effect of 3D sound, where turning your head will allow you to get a general idea as to where the sound is. Volume gives you the needed information to determine how far a sound is from you, and occlusion determines how well the sound can reach you.

Currently, the way volume and occlusion are calculated is simple, with volume being dependent on the direct distance between the sound and the listener. Occlusion is handled slightly differently, taking into account the number and depth of obstacles the sound has to pass through in a straight line to reach the listener. However, this can lead to confusion, and result in many sounds sounding as if they are next to you.

The new Quantum Sound Manager is fundamentally different. Rather than using the direct line between the sound and the listener, we take into account the multiple paths the sound can use to reach the listener. This is accomplished by placing special volumes around the level where sound can pass through easily, like doorways and windows. This new method is both more efficient, being 3x faster the the old method, and more accurate. Additionally, determining where a sound is coming from is much easier. No more footsteps two floors up sounding as if they're next to you, and no more jumps in occlusion values, giving you the granularity and accuracy needed to approach any situation well informed.

As we continue to develop the sound manager, we strive to include more advanced sound processing, such as propagation (how sound bends around corners) and per-sound reverb zones. If we can incorporate these in a way that doesn't interfere with gameplay or performance, we strongly believe that Ready or Not will have one of the most advanced sound systems to date for a modern tactical shooter.

- QuantumNuke

Conclusion

This concludes our 51st briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam.

Keep your feet on the ground.

VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on May 13, 2023, 11:18:38 PM: Volume #52 Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 12 May 2023

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State of the Game

Attention Officers

Welcome to the 52nd edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today we’ll be giving our community a full rundown on the current state of VOID itself, the upcoming patch, and more!

Expansion and Optimization

Over the past year, both VOID and its community have undergone quite a few changes, with the focus being on improving every facet of VOID Interactive and Ready or Not. However the rewriting of development methods, rearrangement and reinforcement of teams, and adoption of new tools tend to have a negative effect on timelines.

The idea of reorganizing the studio and getting these growing pains out of the way now, as we look at the position that Ready or Not holds in the greater ‘Tactical Shooter’ scene, is to save us much more development time in the future. This re-alignment of development processes is a crucial step in allowing VOID to deliver game patches in a much more regular fashion, be it patches, a map or weapon here and there, or massive content and fix drops much like the form ADAM took.

Reorganization

Under the watchful eye of our new Producer, our development team are charged with a new direction to target milestones across our roadmap to launch. Specifically, better methods that enable us to refine how we manage our builds, bug triage and predictable development cycles.

The timing of these new internal processes has aided the team during our explosive growth with new talent onboarding monthly, more external studios assisting in specialist areas that opened us up to new opportunities and features within our game which we cannot wait to share with you all soon. As we build our confidence up with these new lines of communication and development cycles our team’s capabilities are growing and we will be very proud to share some behind the scenes of our efforts very soon.

Status

It has been talked about piecemeal via AMAs, newsletters, and public comments but this will be the place where we collate all of the information for the community at large to reference!

First
We are working on quite a few levels, both new and refurbished. As you all know we are working on the level Coyote, a map based on border-crossing drug tunnels, as well as refurbishing the Station and Dealership entirely. At the same time, other poorer performing maps are being tweaked under the hood to fix some of their performance issues. Finally on the note of maps, yes we are still making the school though we are taking great lengths to present it as conscientiously as possible. However it has been given the more appropriate name of Campus and it will be released alongside other un-announced maps in the future.

Second
PvP is 100% confirmed to be returning however it will not be coming back until post 1.0 as we wish to produce a much more cohesive co-op experience before re-introducing it into the game, the exact form it will take is still not set in stone, but we may take some inspiration from some of the other decisions made very recently by some of our peers in the Tactical Shooter space.

Third
Yes, we are aware of the many issues with both Teammate and Suspect AI, Interactions, and general behaviour and it is all being addressed by our AI-mage Ali and the rest of the incredibly talented programming team. The AI will be even further subdivided based on Maps [i.e. Trained security guards on Mindjot acting like they actually have training.]

One last thing

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If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.

https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not
Make sure you follow Ready or Not on Steam.

Keep your feet on the ground.

VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on June 16, 2023, 02:04:30 AM: Volume #54 Ready or Not Development Update
Thu, 15 June 2023

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/033f29e8d1bf6261450178cadcb20e7aa18ed827.png)

The Sin and the Stance

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 54th edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we’ll be talking about our upcoming map, Sins of the Father, our new Devlog that will be dropping monthly alongside our newsletters starting next month!

The First Sin

Taking place after the attempted assassination of a US Lawmaker by a group of disenfranchised Veterans, Sins of the Father brings the team to an devilishly opulent penthouse suite packed to the brim with some of the toughest hostiles that the LSPD has come up against yet. This a very dangerous proposition when the LSPDs past victories include a squad of well equipped ex-military veterans, a large complex filled with deadly paramilitaries, and an incredibly well-entrenched ex-USIA officer.

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/cc6215bffbef2ec7379147debe4eb430e2c12837.jpg)
Above: The long halls offer little cover from very aggressive hostiles, make good use of shields and doorways.

The Sinners

The capabilities of the hostiles contained within Sins will show from their rock solid morale, meaning the bodyguards will be some of the hardest suspects in the game to peacefully restrain, requiring the entire team to carefully clear, contain, and cuff each suspect with great care. This combined with their powerful weapons and individual uniforms purposefully selected to resemble the civilians within the map means Sin will be a tough nut to crack.

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/458fcd614185a6eeabc6c33dc014f3069df393fc.jpg)
Above: The golden inlays, furniture, and decorations betray a level of wealth only attainable by either the incredibly lucky or the incredibly dirty.

Currently, to add an ever deeper layer of challenge, we are experimenting with giving the AI on Sin the ability to deploy non-lethal throwables. The exact same types that the LSPD bring to bear on particularly ornery suspects when the need arises, adding yet another sound that a team will need to carefully listen out for.

Though there is a silver lining to the increased capabilities of the hostiles, their conventional training means that they will not hide under beds or in closets and will not crawl through the available through-fares on the map, freeing any responding officer to direct their attention elsewhere.

Video Devlogs

Starting next month we will also be aiming to release monthly video dev logs detailing subjects that would be poorly served by a static newsletter or vastly improved via a video format. The coming video will mainly feature information relating to the mocap for all the characters in Ready or Not with the intended release date being July 17th.

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/10391f18f5ab20b215cf075a7691904ba640b707.jpg)
Above: Our mocap artist Aaron starting the session with a T-pose for the first set of new mocap shoots.

In addition to the monthly Devlog videos that will be uploaded to our YouTube channel, we will also be delivering more news about the state of the Supporter Edition going into the future, and a much more clear picture of the future of the game that our team has worked so hard to build and our community has worked so hard to nurture.

—

Conclusion

This concludes our 54th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on youtube or twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here.
https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not

Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on July 07, 2023, 10:31:21 PM: Volume #55 Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 7 July 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/83cb85ef87d0657eeab226462134036d91a4399a.png)

To Stream or not to Stream

Welcome to the 55th edition of our biweekly newsletter! In this post, we will synergize with our recent cinematic trailer, "Streamer", and showcase the in-game environment that our officers should expect.

https://youtu.be/DbUREARHH7w

Introduction

Michael, also known as Milky Toes in the online world, is a vibrant character who’s eagerly embraced the latest internet trend to make a name for himself. Shining his unruly and toxic personality in multiple aspects of his day-to-day life, he seldom stops to consider the consequences of his actions.

Shortly into one of his streams, a prank call was placed by his live audience; SWAT made haste to breach and secure the apartment complex. What they discovered was not only the disturbance created by Michael’s arguments with his mother but an awaiting truth that will hopefully be solved with time.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/5a1de0ed4a36934f2b5c729086611df3ec2fa7e1.jpg)
Above: The apartment exterior, presented through a floral aesthetic.

To Stream or not to Stream

While this may seem like a typical day for everyone, Michael’s group rarely shies away from his place. Even if the combat expertise may not be the same as the level of a professional, his friends would do anything to protect the active operations happening behind closed doors.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/e2d57cb148734439b0660747a14e908c34dafa8c.jpg)
Above: A colorful bedroom depicting the main area of what looks to be the streaming activity.

The situation revolves around expecting the unexpected. The deployed squad will have to meticulously inspect every corner and potential hiding spots to ensure nothing is missed in the operation. Every encounter can be critical; sometimes, even a basic perspective can turn into a wide-ranging investigation.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/797a4155c39731c0e5ac3eabf2b69a3109a1a4f4.png)
Above: TOC to entry team. Proceed with caution.

Conclusion

This concludes our 55th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Are you a content creator on YouTube or Twitch looking for new games? We got you covered; Ready or Not has officially partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here: https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not

Over and out,
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on July 23, 2023, 12:21:07 AM: Volume #56 Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 21 July 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/cd6704a23b1cf3aa38996d13118d12d4a3adde8d.png)

Let your imagination flow

Welcome to the 56th edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today, it's time for a deep dive into one of the most essential aspects of development: concept art. We will explore a general approach to the creation of these styles for our tactical shooter, Ready or Not. By following the post, we will understand different levels of importance, together with exciting behind-the-scenes graphics.

In some instances, we are joined by one of the many remarkable artists and personalities here at VOID Interactive, Ropolio!

Introduction

Before checking behind the curtains, we must understand exactly what concept art is. To put it simply, it represents the visual design generation of an item, character, or even area that does not yet exist. This automatically creates a story that is able to flourish into something that players are able to personally experience in several projects, including those connected to the gaming industry.

Take a look at the following selection of outfits that precisely represent the Los Suenos Police Department’s progression when it comes to the vast imagination of the artists.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/a2796396d6379f153cbdaf3190d8df300e321ad8.jpg)
Above: Modular designs for detectives in the police department, or on the scene.

The history and connection to RON

Many of us are no strangers to the classics that owe their existence to this very practice. From iconic titles like Legend of Zelda and Grand Theft Auto, to mesmerizing adventures like Ori and the Blind Forest, all games have historical significance in gaming concept art. It represents an indispensable stage in video game pre-production, breathing life into imaginative worlds and laying the foundation for the experiences that await players.

It’s the same for Ready or Not, where everything must match the immersive environment, whether that be the equipment of the SWAT units, colors, or the next room that may require a tactical breach. The team at VOID Interactive is constantly working hard to bring these ideas to reality, and by using reference points, it can create an arsenal of goals for the project.

Our Police Station rework is a prime example of what thorough early analysis can offer players when they first step into this well-built structure. Together with other design departments, it can easily be said that concept art has the ability to transform into something memorable in the long run.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/6d40f71199e96a2f97eb46615eb7f2e780258f68.jpg)
Above: The memorial area where the shrine can be seen through player navigation.

Giving life to Streamer and Michael

As discussed earlier, reference points play an important role in laying the groundwork for pre-production assets. Looking at our recent cinematic trailer and biweekly newsletter #55, we can easily inspect topics regarding Michael, also known as Milky Toes on the internet.

"Along with photobashing for clothing, I've been integrating artificial intelligence to speed up my workflow, specifically for faces and clothing folds. It helps create a likeness without using a real human's face. When talking about my main inspiration, I researched different youtubers and streamers to assist me in finalizing the necessary looks that created Michael."

━ 🎨 Ropolio

Even with Ready or Not being his first gaming project, Ropolio's talent and attention to detail allow him to dodge obstacles while providing intuitive visions for the project. Combining this with the strengths of other developers, the team can reach its designated goals much more smoothly.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/360cd0d1eff79612ed6c944ae317dfc961e6a57d.jpg)
Above: Early preview of the problematic individual himself, Michael Williams.

Extras

Before concluding our showcase, we are happy to show even more ambitious foundations to the community.

A quick look at the Debanco guards, a security group armed with non-lethal equipment such as pepper sprays and tasers, ready to defend their armored trucks from any perceived threat.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/29cbe759fbc216dfc4ef1a17dce1a947602a0ff7.png)

Armed with powerful weaponry and still representing style, Senator Forment's bodyguards are no beginners in the art of primary and secondary weapon combinations.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/8663bad70f8492cf467d0ca527216797ba9fe438.jpg)

Last but not least, an early yet mysterious preview of the new farm.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/68f594005c9b2fe388ba129814b48bdbd8e19efc.jpg)

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/fe7a092598c939617961328b076ad579fe2cdd46.png)

Conclusion

This concludes our 56th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.

Over and out,
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on August 05, 2023, 12:13:40 AM: Volume #57 Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 4 August 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/8fc4a27346eb02ec074ea23a6bd58398aa8dc1dd.png)

It's almost time to show off your style
Welcome to the 57th edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today, we will share one of our community's highly requested topics, the upcoming customization in Ready or Not.

Remember that the following is an early preview of our customization system, and everything that the players see here will look entirely different later. This will incorporate the community's involvement at various stages rather than just during the final touches.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/fe7a092598c939617961328b076ad579fe2cdd46.png)

Introduction

The VOID Interactive team constantly uses their brushes and canvases to expand the clothing combinations so you can distinguish yourself easily when approaching the dangerous streets of Los Sueños.

Mery.G (Gerard), an ambitious character artist at VOID, will be joining different parts of our news to share more information about the process.

Presentation: Gloves

Kicking off with a practical but essential clothing piece for SWAT members, the players can choose from a long list of gloves through an available UI. We understand that aesthetics play an important role in an immersive game such as Ready or Not, so you will have the freedom to add or switch parts for your character while combining your favorite colors.

After talking to Gerard, he decided to dive a bit into his key references that make all these assets possible.

"When I started getting into the whole 3D creation realm, I started making content for a competition called 'Make ArmA not War.' The premise was simple: just create content. The better I got at it, the more I realized how simple and fun it is to be able to just replicate things you see or have used in real life, and that just stuck with me. I love anything art, painting, or music, so this is my way of expressing and enjoying myself, and I'm happy we have people excited about and enjoying the things we've released. Also, I love collaborating and working with others and, when possible, helping or teaching them, as I feel like I always learn something new from everyone I meet."

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/b3a57707981b0110b65fd6ef4778b3e483cf009b.jpg)

━ 🎨 Mery.G

Above: Multiple images representing some of the many skins when talking about gloves.

Read on: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3651908241709893273
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on August 26, 2023, 01:34:30 AM: Volume #58 - Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 25 August 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/e6f83d6af1f3101c76dedb26ecd0359647aa204c.png)

Calling all units,

Welcome to the 58th edition of our biweekly newsletter! Today, we will introduce yet another highly anticipated feature, the upcoming Suspect AI in Ready or Not.

Please note that what is presented is a work in progress, and final results may look or play differently from what this newsletter represents.

Introduction

Our AI Design team is always looking for ways to enhance the gameplay loop, making the game feel even more realistic and challenging. Today’s newsletter will discuss the Suspect AI systems and how we aim to throw a spanner in your perfectly laid-out plans.

Join us as we speak about the suspect AI system and how our AI Designer, Bradley, tackles the challenge of making suspects behave more naturally toward player actions.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/2519f9e87084a020237d7738ad9abfa115d6e15a.png)

The Gameplay Loop

At its core, Ready or Not thrives on immersing players in a realistic, challenging, tactical first-person shooter environment. However, this comes with challenges:

‘How do we make the gameplay loop feel stable and challenging while still remaining fair?’

The answer to this is quite complex, and to properly immerse the player, we are exploring many ways that AI can interact and react to certain situations.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/06d4fc4366813717947213d88bfb339bfc70936e.jpg)

Suspect AI: Freedom of Movement

Many FPS games with enemy AI may set an 'optimal' combat distance when fighting the player. This makes AI (AKA ‘actors’) in those games have potentially undesirable behaviors on some levels, such as leaving rooms with the player at awkward moments.

In Ready or Not, though, we strive to give our AI freedom to improvise and re-approach situations and face players with the challenge of controlling that chaos.

"Something I think [Ready or Not] has an advantage over others in that department is we're able to embrace chaos. In traditional shooters, linear ones anyway, when level designers place down actors in a scene, it's generally with the intention that they work within the area they're placed in. In RoN, we only care about this in precombat, where we keep them constrained to the general area they spawn in.

Once the AI is alert, their interaction with the area will dictate how fights feel. So, for instance, in the Agency map, it's not uncommon to have more drawn-out intense gunfights in the lobby due to it having multiple interconnecting entrances and covers for the AI to attack from. Conversely, if you push into the hallway past it, they often duck into one of the rooms to flank you or wait for you since they can't find a good spot to take cover. Honestly, I really like that I can lean more into "chaos" in the game."

However, Bradley also describes the following new system intended to address crowded or empty AI spawn areas, allowing for an optimal gameplay flow on each given level:

"One thing we did recently is add a spawn grouping system. This will allow us to ensure specific parts of the map don't get too crowded or possibly too empty by setting a min/max desired number of characters to spawn within a certain group. This lets me do stuff like set a bunch of possible spawns in an area, then limit the group's max number to like 2 guys. So there could be ten possible spawns, but we won't have to worry about 10 guys in there."

See Below: Neutral AI moving in a set area before player interaction

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/19673aa453ad9b496051c188619568365083dfbd.gif)

Suspect AI: Decision-Making

“Suspects have unfortunately been seen as targets you have to stun or kill because they'll inevitably shoot at you once they become aware.”

One of the challenges we are tackling is to ensure that suspects behave more naturally. Based on player actions, we want to ensure that the suspects will act accordingly. You blow a door open; some suspects will act surprised and cower, and others may hold their ground. This aims to reinvigorate scenarios; players will never know what to expect when tackling obstacles.

Below: AI surrenders after being stunned.

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/451b5495c8585a9aef17479127c3b8af734da29c.gif)

Use of Force

In line with the above and some other scenarios, a suspect might not act aggressively. Based on what a player does, suspects may choose several actions, including surrendering, cowering, retreating, grouping, and, of course, showing aggression (to name a few).

But what happens when a suspect simply does not open fire? In moments like these, you have to consider the Use of Force Continuum - shooting a non-hostile suspect will have consequences. Proceed with the utmost caution and attempt to de-escalate using less-lethal methods. Though, of course, some situations cannot always be avoided.

“You shouldn't be shooting suspects who haven't shown aggression. So situations where a suspect does not open fire can potentially be more stressful - who knows if other suspects are on the way while you're trying to get him to comply!”

Below: AI Fake Surrender GIF

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/c7ee1d85a7cf3c67893969e2e8c966f7120c8f86.gif)

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/2519f9e87084a020237d7738ad9abfa115d6e15a.png)

Conclusion

This concludes our 58th briefing. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!

Are you a content creator on YouTube or Twitch looking for new games? We have you covered; Ready or Not has officially partnered with Lurkit to elevate gameplay! Make sure to follow us here:
https://www.lurkit.com/games/ready-or-not

Over and out,
VOID Interactive
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on September 11, 2023, 01:42:01 AM: Vol. 59 - Ready or Not Development Update
Fri, 8 September 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/7264762e8b096bf5637102aecc2fe3cb99734c38.png)

Motion Capture

Attention Officers,

Welcome to the 59th edition of our biweekly newsletter, September 8th, 2023! Have your heads on a swivel, because today we'll be taking a look at brand new motion capture from a recent major multi-week motion capture shoot. For this mission the team made a wonderful visit to our friends at Bohemia Interactive and their mocap facilities. Our development team here at VOID is thrilled so far with the results of this marathon of studio time, and we're sure you will be too!

Ambition Through Animation

Some major reasons for this specific motion capture session are the expansive scope in which we want to take our game and the high fidelity variety of animations we wish to include, all with the consistent direction of law enforcement operators. Our expectations are best met by the affordances of optical motion capture, with subsequent attentive tweaking to suit cinematics or gameplay.

This is a massive team effort, and the VOID Animation Team will be giving a more in-depth look into the entire process throughout this newsletter for what this brand new haul of animation data contains, and what it means going forward. This is not our first time working with motion capture so we already knew quite early what we wanted to achieve. To ensure the highest quality we had both cinematic and gameplay animators at the mocap stage to oversee the entire shoot.

Glimpses of just a slice of content from the past weeks of mocap are presented throughout below!

Dramatic Cinematics and Tactical Realism

“Trained [operators] performing what they have been doing naturally in their jobs, on stage, [...] to make the entire experience more authentic and immersive"

This new motion capture data will be represented via compelling cutscenes, gameplay animations, and future trailers that will help bring Ready or Not's gripping storyline to life.

Among 6 dedicated individuals who simultaneously donned their mocap suits for this shoot were several law enforcement professional stunt people with up to decades of Close Quarters Combat career experience, including tactical team leadership.

In close collaboration with our VOID developers we aimed to act out scenarios that are grounded in tactical realism and fit for integration into the game. The combination of trained stunts and CQB experience also meant we had a unique opportunity to capture dynamic animations that will see a wide range of potential use. It was especially a game changer and a humble learning experience to be able to “consult with [the operators] directly on stage, learning everything regarding CQB and SWAT tactics” during the shoot.

Video below: A tactical team climbing into an overwatch position.

https://youtu.be/vfDyCAslD3E

With improved tactics shining in mocap performance for SWAT operators comes revamped arrest animations, allowing you to safely secure subjects with confidence using 20 variations of trained officers making arrests. It goes without saying that all of their other movements as well were recorded and will find places across countless areas of SWAT portrayal in-game.

Also in the expected changes are improved variations between animation types such as Suspect AI fake surrenders, melee, hostage taking, and more.

Video below: Suspects engaging in bladed combat.

https://youtu.be/Wk93cBHPOSs

Read on... https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3650785607759028052
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on September 23, 2023, 12:02:05 AM: Vol.60 - Ready or Not Development Briefing - Special PSA
Fri, 22 September 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/d499ba9bb143aca732d11ba9918630494bbbd04d.png)

Special PSA Regarding RoN's Ongoing Development Process

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 60th edition of our biweekly development briefing, September 22, 2023!

Today, we have some important details to cover in the form of a Public Service Announcement regarding the game's ongoing development process, and technical reasons for a lack of public build updates as our many departments work effectively towards delivering you all the 1.0 version of the game. In this process we will describe avoiding development crunch, maintaining efficiency, and a technical perspective that represents the challenges our currently rapid and all-enveloping development progress presents for releasing incremental public updates.

It's all about forward momentum rather than perpetual Early Access, and we will see this project through to meet you all at its many future successes and a mature, complete stage. We are incredibly pleased with the progress we’ve made so far, and although we're sorry about the absence of recent incremental public build updates, we appreciate you all continuing to stick with us so that these exciting game changes can be released together once 1.0 eventually arrives.

(Note: The term “incremental update” refers to a public build that is released as an update in-between major milestone development versions of the game. These public builds contrast with development builds of the game, which are not yet released)

As we discuss examples that illustrate this development topic, you will also find substantial new work-in-progress content throughout this briefing!

All-Enveloping Development Progress and You

Ideally, we'd love to provide you, our playerbase, with as many public builds to play as possible. However,due to our current progress there are currently interconnected and nseparable challenges with doing this based on our status of a rapid, all-enveloping game development focus over this period in preparation for the 1.0 release.

Examples of some such interconnected challenges that result from this progress are outlined in the section below; the main point is that we are in extremely rapid development of many different interdependent systems across the game, and to ship an incremental update would require effectively halting, reverting, and synchronizing fragments of our forward progress at a critical moment winding up to the larger 1.0 release.

An All-Enveloping Example

In this hypothetical example, let's say we plan to release a public build as an incremental update that contains the new level, Coyote, for you all to play.

As previously mentioned, we've been working on every single aspect of the game— from revamped SWAT AI (to be showcased at a later date!) to extensive UI/UX overhauls/additions. They're not compartmentalized into any "group" where we can just cleanly export them to a public build in isolation from the rest of the development build features.

This means that at this stage of development from a technical perspective, adding the new Coyote level would require us to also add all these other features in some form:

- First of all, we need to provide you with our new AI spawn system and AI improvements. This means a lot of polishing, subsequently taking time away from our current pre-content 'lock' focus and therefore delaying full release. This sort of content-lock roadblock taking away from our current development priorities is a trend for all the remaining bullet points below.

- ("Pre-Content lock” refers to a point in time where we solidify existing features, stop adding new ones, and polish them for a new release).

(Image below: A slice of Coyote’s current WIP version)

(https://i.imgur.com/ae9PLxw.jpg)

Read on: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/6843838379406308520
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on October 09, 2023, 12:49:53 AM: Vol.61 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 6 October 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/7f54a4b1b87d8534446c7ae4aa8dc583e0785f6d.png)

Police Trailer Units, Less Lethal QOL Overhauls, Blocking Volumes, Farm Level Overhaul, and VFX improvements

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 61st edition of our biweekly development briefing, October 6, 2023!

Today, we have a Situation Report via a variety of subtopics that provide a wide view of the game’s current development. Included in this format we hope to show you some of the more nitty gritty details of our development process.

This briefing's subtopics include police “trailer” units, Quality of Life (QOL) improvements to less lethal equipment, level blocking volumes, level overhauls on Farm, and VFX improvements/optimizations.

Furthermore, we are excited to say that we are on track for an expected 1.0 release towards the end of this year based on the incredible pace of our team’s development throughout these past months!

Thank you for all of your continued patience, along with your considerate reception of our recent PSA in Vol.60, regarding still ongoing technical limitations presented by incremental public build updates at this stage. Quality takes time, and we’re fortunate to have had the opportunity and support to continue to use our time efficiently over these months.

Please keep in mind that the development content depicted in this briefing is a work in progress and may be subject to change in the game’s final state.

In this briefing you will also see media that illustrates several of these areas of development below!

Police "Trailer" Units

"This is Entry Team to TOC. Suspect secure."

"TOC to Entry Team. Roger that, proceed with caution, trailers incoming."

These above in-game radio communications finally come to life with the new addition of a physical police "trailer" AI unit that's intended to increase immersion at the end of a mission.

The name “trailer” refers to the fact that these units safely ‘trail’ behind the actions of the tactical team, avoiding tactical interference while providing auxiliary support. Reminiscent of real SWAT procedures, our police trailer units arrive to physically extract secured civilians and suspects to safety after you clear a level, removing them from the scene.

Although in previous testing we had trailers extract subjects during the active scene, it resulted in some rare but awkward occasions where active suspects would incidentally encounter trailer units.

Therefore, in the current state once all civilians/suspects are detained and/or tragically deceased, trailers come in and manage "the level after your SWAT team's actions, [carrying] detained/deceased civilians/suspects and collecting bagged evidence to take back to the bearcat [vehicle].” As a result, “you can actually see them doing their job and walking back to the bearcat, rather than being something that happens off-screen.”

Less Lethal QOL Improvements

We have made numerous quality of life improvements for less lethal equipment by realistically rationalizing the unique niches they fill and the in-game tactics they’re involved in. This is particularly emphasized by our more nuanced approach to the usage of CS gas, the VKS pepperball launcher, and pepper spray
to make them more distinct and realistic.

CS Gas
from a technical perspective used to perform similarly to flashbangs, statically stunning individuals within its area of effect for a period of time. However, we have changed them to operate more appropriately as area denial equipment.

To achieve this CS gas clouds last longer (~30–45 seconds), no longer emit audio that alerts suspects, and serve to primarily flush out subjects from dangerous areas. The previous form of CS gas also used a tick-based damage system which was unoptimized, where this new system avoids that issue. Lastly, our improved gas logic system allows CS gas to work through 'rat holes' in walls and around corners to a certain extent. This is done by drawing a path from the grenade to the target and then determining whether the target is in range.

With the VKS pepperball launcher
you can expect a major change to its ammunition function and a tactical usage change to indirect fire instead of direct fire. The updated OC-balls, referring to oleoresin capsicum (pepper resin) inside of them, are less effective upon direct impact but instead leave small OC powder clouds that last for ~20–25 seconds at an impact. NPCs and players that walk through these clouds are affected by them, allowing you to lay down less lethal suppressive fire or flush out AI in a precise manner.

We found that pepper spray
was sometimes too powerful for use against armed suspects in combat contexts. Now, instead of a full stun, suspects who are affected with pepper spray will cover their eyes, experience an accuracy reduction, and have a morale drop. In this blinded state they are still capable of shooting the player up close.

The player’s response to any chemical agents is now less extreme under current changes:

“Instead of turning the screen red and taking player control by making the camera sway all over, it only makes the screen red/blurs the screen as if with tear filled eyes, and the player character makes audible coughing sounds”
that alerts suspects as an aggressive noise.

VFX Improvements/Optimization

At the same time while we’re making improvements to the fidelity of visual effects, we are also optimizing our related systems so that they run as efficiently as possible. Among just a few the VFX improvements we’ve worked on are muzzle flare, explosive effects (including increased performance for C2 breaching), new vehicles, and increased granularity of our existing vehicle destruction plus optimization.

For optimization we are generally trying to reduce the number of "draw-calls." Draw-calls are what occurs when your computer performs instructions to render (draw) a given graphical element and how to render it.

(Video below: Updated effects for muzzle flare, [new]
oxygen tank explosion, optimized C2 explosion, and the updated CS Gas effect which has improved performance as well)

Keep in mind that due to in-engine performance demand of development tools overhead this footage capture is at a decreased resolution, and that development build performance is generally worse than in a shipping (meaning eventually intended for public) build.

https://youtu.be/1wrBMVgpMJc

Read on: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3710460111434346510
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on October 21, 2023, 12:32:27 AM: Vol.62 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 20 October 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/b1b4ba78d0c84a81165793f62691fd8d79c03ed4.png)

Gameplay Changes for Many Maps

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 62nd edition of our biweekly development briefing, October 20th, 2023!

Today, we want to provide insight on the gameplay-oriented changes that have been made for evidence collection and across many of the existing maps in Ready or Not. The maps we’ll be focusing on are Port, Dealer, and Farm.

These improvements bring our maps further in line with our visions for the game and increase the quality of gameplay substantially. Many maps, where possible, now have more than one spawn location and generally more freedom of movement for you to approach your initial breach.

Throughout this briefing you will see various media that reflect this topic!

Please keep in mind that the development content depicted in this briefing is a work in progress and may be subject to change in the game’s final state.

Significant Evidence Collection Changes:

We want evidence collection to remain an important element of the gameplay, however we also want it to be logical and enjoyable for you as the player rather than tedious. Our game data shows that players would often exit a mission instead of trying to collect the last bit of evidence in a map.

Weapons that suspects drop are still critical pieces of evidence that you need to secure to prevent AI from picking up and using them, this is unchanged. We did make this process more accessible by newly allowing you to enable an option to outline dropped weapons that highlights them when nearby. We hope this prevents you from having to search extensively just to grab the many weapons that drop on each level.

(Image below: A fallen weapon lying just out of reach of an incapacitated suspect, highlighted with a new in-game option)

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/51864bf61c7985e02b7a0d8f050348af5023c0c5.png)

Read on: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/5555811415915054408
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on November 18, 2023, 01:38:11 AM: Vol.63 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 3 November 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/ace702140c11e67ea87a7de80cce02f80c6f9fc5.png)

Commander Mode and Narrative

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 63rd edition of our biweekly development briefing, November 3rd, 2023!

Today, we want to go in-depth on what you can expect from the game's campaign mode and narrative. The main focal point of these changes is what's known as "Commander Mode,"
the name of our new campaign mode that brings with it countless new immersive features. In Los Sueños, how you enter the ‘fatal funnel’ of each door will seal your fate and that of those around you.

Some of the elements from Commander Mode that we will cover are the progressive mission unlocks, permadeath, roster system, behavioral traits, officer therapy, and HQ expansion/functionality.

In the second section of this briefing, we will also detail progress on our narrative techniques such as briefing messages, 'on-call' officers, interactive audio device storytelling, novel tools for storytelling such as modular vehicle license plates, and the accompaniment of auxiliary in-game organizations.

Throughout this briefing you will see media that portrays the various topics we discuss!

Please keep in mind that the development content depicted in this briefing is a work in progress and may be subject to change in the game’s final state.

Vol.63 Development Briefing summary points:

(not a changelog)

Missions for Single Player unlock one after another in order of completion
Single Player playthroughs will have permadeath for each of your officers
In Ironman mode, your save will be deleted if you die
There will be a large amount of unique behavioral traits for the officers in your long potential roster which will each impact the gameplay style of your team
Mission conduct outcome will affect the mental health of your officers, unbearable levels of stress causing them to quit or worse
Over 5 new areas in the station with revamped existing areas such as the firing range and shoot house
At least one unique briefing per mission that can take various formats, along with the extensive role that your tactical tablet plays for most mission information
30-40 new interactable audio narrative devices added to the game.
Modular license plates on vehicles that allow us to easily customize all aspects of them during development to fit the sort of characters in each mission
A description of some of the federal law enforcement organizations present in the narrative, including DETE (Drug Enforcement Tactical Element), FISA (Federal Investigation and Security Agency), the Marshals, and the Park Service.
Teaser conclusion

Take Command

In the boots of David “Judge” Beaumont you are the Commander of the LSPD's SWAT Team. This is by no means a figurehead role in-game for Commander Mode. It is up to you to compose your team from a long dynamic roster, pick your plans, give orders, keep your teammates (as well as yourself) alive and healthy in mind and body, and conduct your missions with integrity.

All three of major systems detailed in sections below: permadeath, officer traits, and mental health interplay to provide an additional layer of tension to your team’s success and conduct in a mission.

In Commander Mode your mission score is meaningful, and the specific conduct used to achieve the score will lead to a subsequent long-term impact on your team, positive or negative. If you arrest all suspects but kill a civilian, expect detrimental repercussions on your team’s stress levels.

High Stakes Progress

The extreme state of systematic disrepair in Los Sueños has left everyone at risk. The dangerous nature of your encounters will spiral the further you go. Lives taken is further violence, and it's your duty to uphold what dignity you can for future prosperity by defusing hostile situations that are too far out of hand.

Unnecessarily escalating these missions makes them more unpredictable and turbulent for all involved. This escalation will often provoke suspects and civilians to resort to more drastic measures in missions.

Each successful completion of a given mission will unlock the next one in succession for Single Player. The story of Los Sueños and the trials that you will face unveil themselves to you in each mission as you come across them.

Officer permadeath for all single player playthroughs means your team members won't get a second chance. Our new SWAT AI has an exceptional increase in their survivability and tactical effectiveness, but it's up to you to make sure the specific tactics you order are sound in each unique decision in-game. If a SWAT Officer dies there will also be a negative impact on your team’s mental health.

“Ironman mode” even makes your own survival imperative or you risk the deletion of your save when you, as the commander, die.

(Image below: A save slot for Commander Mode with the Iron Man option shown)
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/aacdf6dce328ca6ee5983c78e2621b4db7bf6fbb.png)

Read on: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3801661174266563081
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on November 18, 2023, 01:38:36 AM: Vol.64 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 17 November 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/ecaf66abd8bb99193ec4f68ee04d5a84e08d82f8.png)

SWAT AI Overhaul

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 64th edition of our biweekly development briefing, November 17th, 2023!

Today our newly overhauled SWAT AI teammates
make their proper debut as an advanced and intuitive critical feature to the game.

With this development on SWAT AI we’ve made a major step towards continuing our vision for what Ready or Not
can be— a quintessential tactical shooter with a central focus on PvE that’s worthy of a SWAT experience.

Let us walk you through an overview of the vast new capabilities
this SWAT AI system will provide, including huge improvements and additions
for formations, stacking, breaching, clearing, callouts, and securing.

Please keep in mind that the development content depicted in this briefing is a work in progress and may be subject to change in the game’s final state.

Vol.64 Development Briefing summary points:

(not a changelog)

- 4 different fall-in formations for SWAT AI, including single file, double file, diamond, and wedge
- SWAT AI can adjust their formation based on the obstacles around them
- Ability to micromanage how your officers stack up, including left, right, split, and swapping positions of specific officers
- SWAT AI can automatically adjust their positioning in a stack according to the room layout or their equipment
- SWAT AI have voice callouts for open doorways, suspect actions, and more
- Vastly improved, realistic clearing tactics for SWAT AI that incorporates many techniques such as dynamic and limited penetration clearing
- Improved SWAT AI usage of less-lethal weapons against suspects
- SWAT AI automatically secures and reports civilians and suspects or DOAs
- SWAT AI automatically secures evidence and has more commands to make evidence collection much more streamlined
- SWAT AI can use the door ram and grenade launchers for breaching
- SWAT AI automatically swaps to their secondary weapon when out of primary weapon ammo, and can fire in semi-auto to conserve ammo when appropriate
- Improved grenade deployment accuracy for SWAT AI
- Teaser conclusion

Falling In

Your SWAT AI teammates can now fall into specific formations
, allowing you to fine-tune your officers' movement through a given tactical environment. These 4 fall-in formations are described as single file, double file, diamond, and wedge. When ordering your SWAT members to Hold a position they will properly maintain the formation they were in.

(Image below: The new fall in command menu)
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/79842d0f2a6c1ac9ecab638a355b40d62b54c6cd.png)

In all of these formations your SWAT AI will strive to maintain their respective angles to create a broad scan of their surroundings with minimal redundant overlap.

Officers in the back of a formation will pull rear security to ensure your flanks are covered.

They will automatically adjust their formation in order to logically accommodate the space they’re in, for example switching from double file to single file or fluidly navigating obstacles.

(GIF below: SWAT AI automatically shifting from double file to single file formation to account for obstacles)

Single file is useful for extremely claustrophobic spaces such as a tunnel. Officers in the middle of the formation will watch left/right. Single file exposes a minimal number of officers to forward facing threats but entails less forward coverage.

(GIF below: SWAT AI in single file cover their angles while moving through a cellar)
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/607510c1f71c6bdc6feb40f635ed052e0c6515cd.gif)

Read on: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3835439444392378670
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 02, 2023, 01:16:14 AM: Vol.65 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 1 December 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/011563b7cdeb79d6ab992957c89048579aa68675.png)

New Weapons and Ammunition Rework

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 65th edition of our biweekly development briefing, December 1st, 2023!

Today we are going to go over some of the great work that’s gone into new weapons that have been added to the game, including the MCX rifle, LVAR rifle, F90 rifle, Supernova shotgun, UMP-9 SMG, TLE 1911, and the TPL less-lethal launcher.

Redone weapon models, covered after, are the breaching shotgun which is now an 870MCS, the M45A1 pistol, UMP45 SMG, and the MPX SMG.

Throughout we'll show and discuss much of the new gunshot and foley (handling) audio that has been added with most of the weapons above.

Lastly, we’ll take a look at re-worked ammunition values and penetration system. Revealed in this section is new training ammunition for use in training areas only, with a corresponding custom training MK18 rifle and G19 pistol.

Also, as you may have noticed from our post from on X yesterday, you can expect a big announcement from us at The Game Awards this December 7th!

Please keep in mind that the development content depicted in this briefing is a work in progress and may be subject to change in the game’s final state.

Vol.65 Development Briefing summary points: (not a changelog)

—
New weapons:
- MCX rifle
- LVAR rifle
- F90 rifle
- Supernova shotgun
- UMP9 SMG
- TLE 1911 pistol
- TPL Less-Lethal launcher
—
Redone weapon models:
- 870MCS Breaching Shotgun
- UMP45 SMG
- M45A1 pistol
- MPX SMG
—
Weapon audio matches the furniture of a weapon (how it is constructed, such as stocks and rails). E.g. the MCX and LVAR have different foley audio since they’re constructed of different components despite being on the same MCX platform.
—
Reworked realistic ammunition values, including new tissue damage, armor penetration, cover penetration, spalling, and ricochet values. Engine blocks of vehicles now block ammo as a reflection of the detailed rework to cover penetration.
—
(For use in Training Areas only) New training ammo for the new designated blue furnished training MK18 and Glock19 models.
- New Training MK18 rifle (Blue) (Training areas only)
- New Training G19 pistol (Blue) (Training areas only)

New Weapons and Audio:

The new weapons listed below are the MCX, LVAR, F90, TLE 1911, UMP9,mand TPL Pepperball Launcher.

As always, our audio design team has been hard at work crafting the most impactful authentic muzzle reports and foley possible. We have also made a major audio pass to distant gunshots across the board.

The videos below feature weapon audio and the new models alike to give you an idea of what your arsenal will look and sound like.

MCX:

In game description: “Highly popular with modern police tactical units all over the world, the MCX
platform [could be considered as] slowly taking over the AR15 in terms of modularity, performance, and customization.”

“The MCX chambered in 5.56x45mm shares a similar resemblance to the one used by the CTSFO (the UK’s Counter Terrorist police unit), featuring an 11.5” barrel, a collapsing/telescoping stock, a custom charging handle, and a keymod handguard outfitted with side and lower rail sections for use with accessories. This rifle build was in the style of a traditional MCX, more alike the ones from the 1st generation.”

The MCX’s fantastic modularity is represented by the LVAR weapon we will discuss next.

(Image below: An in-game replay photo of the new MCX during a magazine check)
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/e6ddb1aa95d89f309ce376184d8cc0f90d2a7a77.png)

(Video below: Some audio of firing the new MCX indoors and outdoors)
https://youtu.be/YWw0MxUy3i4
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 14, 2023, 12:09:03 AM: Our SWAT AI Dev Vlog is on the VOID YouTube channel!
Tue, 12 December 2023

A feast for the eyes at what's been cooking right around the corner for 1.0 release, Dec. 13th!

Our exact 1.0 Launch time for Dec. 13th will be announced later today, for now, make sure you check out the beautifully in-depth video detailing more about SWAT AI that's posted on our YouTube channel!

https://youtu.be/0nj6qWDNU0A
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on December 14, 2023, 12:09:10 AM: Ready or Not - We're Live at 1.0 Launch
Wed, 13 December 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/45546a7d65340bfa853fd4e3e740e443066979c3.png)

1.0 update is available now

Update 1.0 for Ready or Not - LIVE NOW

Event Started Wed, 13 December 2023
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on January 21, 2024, 12:01:51 AM: Vol.67 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 19 January 2024

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/72699d3aafe93988e4b53e7fcc4cff153400e66f.png)

1.0 in Review FAQ

Attention Officers,

Thank you for joining us for the 67th Edition of our biweekly development briefing, now returning from a holiday break!

Today we'll be taking a retrospective look at some frequently asked questions over the past few weeks following the 1.0 update. These questions will cover hotfixes, Suspect AI, the existing suspect/civilian “Stress” and “Morale” system, equipment, animations, and more.

We hope you have had a great time with your friends and with the game over these past weeks, and we have been keeping our eyes on how things are going!

Hotfix #2 is out the door as of yesterday and it is just part of many hotfixes and further gameplay improvements that we want to release as soon as possible. As mentioned in our Hotfix #2 patch notes, we are on the way towards Hotfixes #3 and #4
as well as any other fixes that may occur in-between.

We will be specifically focusing on performance and gameplay balancing among other areas in upcoming hotfixes.

One thing we want to quickly touch on, though, is that our team is not yet at full working capacity following our holiday break. In the meantime, we are continually gaining momentum to make progress on necessary fixes.

We're sorry that this hotfix process may be taking longer than expected but rest assured that we are committed to delivering them.

1.0 required countless high-priority systems and features to be put together, with each department focusing on their own particular workflows to get each critical component of the game prepared.

However, now that Ready or Not has reached 1.0 and all your wonderful hands, it’s time to more holistically parse how the game is functioning for our broader audience, adjust our internal workflow to reexamine its parts and find the best ways to address changes that could be made.

We are diligently aware of your valuable feedback and bug reports across our platforms in this process and are striving to meet them as effectively as possible.

To consolidate your input for best visibility for the development team please direct any feedback or bug reports you have to our Discord’s respective feedback or bug report channels (https://discord.gg/readyornot).

Read on: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/3970553140547184115
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on February 17, 2024, 12:36:20 AM: Vol.68 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 16 February 2024

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/b86297a2f4ec5f123131fd28985c895b9dd78ab4.png)

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)

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//36750080/8e076e2e1742eb6efeb576094e4cfb926ee829c2.png)

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.
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 07, 2024, 12:01:43 AM: Ready or Not - Game Update 1.04
Tue, 5 March 2024

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/a898f7d80d9cb96db8055ddae0018f4c3fdeea19.png)

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
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on March 30, 2024, 11:23:25 PM: Vol.71 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, 29 March 2024

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/d41b2733000b35e83590b3b2b66568c6d2f5af9f.png)

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.... (https://steamcommunity.com/games/1144200/announcements/detail/5970156536076279778)
Title: Re: Ready Or Not (Elite SWAT Team)
Post by: Asid on April 13, 2024, 12:08:31 AM: Vol. 72 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Fri, April 12, 2024

"Home Invasion" Early Overview Discussion

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/36750080/15646aa1604dae743d489b9c7c8165d712176907.png)

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