Ahoy, Space Pirates! 🏴☠️
It’s been an exciting few weeks here with the Star Plunder crew, and we’re thrilled to share some incredible updates with you. The journey of building a world full of daring pirates, space battles, and legendary plunder is no easy feat, but the progress we’ve made has us feeling more energized than ever. So, hoist the sails and join us as we dive into the latest updates!
Cannons That Pack a Punch! ⚓
Pirate Ships are an iconic part of any pirate adventure, and they would be nothin’ without their trusty cannons. In Star Plunder, cannons are vital to create the epic pirate adventure, and they’re shaping up to be nothing short of spectacular! Over the past few weeks, we’ve focused on bringing our ship-mounted cannons to life with dynamic animations.
Here’s what’s new:
- Mounting and Dismounting Animations: These brand new animations bring interaction with our cannons to a whole new level. When your character jumps into a ship cannon, you’ll see them smoothly climb aboard, ready to unleash chaos. And when it’s time to retreat, they leap down with style.
- Firing Animations: These cannons don’t just fire—they boom! That barrel recoil and firing sequence is full of energy and power, bringing every shot to life.
While the cannons are nearly complete, their ships are still a work in progress. Once we finish polishing the ships, these cannons will find their rightful homes and look absolutely stunning in action.
We know you’ve been eagerly awaiting more details about the ships in Star Plunder, and we’re just as excited to share them with you! While the ships aren’t quite ready to be fully revealed yet, rest assured that we’ll dedicate an entire video and devblog to showcasing these iconic vessels when the time comes.
For now, all we can tell you is this: A pirate’s ship isn’t just a vessel—it’s a symbol of freedom, resilience, and rebellion. In Star Plunder, our ships are deeply inspired by the rich history of maritime exploration, fused with futuristic designs to create unforgettable star vessels. And what truly sets them apart? Their firepower. For a pirate, their ship isn’t just the means to avoid living under the Union’s boot, their ship is their home, their dwelling place, and for most, their deathbed. It’s their key to freedom and their trusty weapon against oppression.
We are truly excited to share more information on these amazing features, and even more so to get these beauts in your hands. So stay tuned and sail smooth!
Smoother Character Movement
Character movement is at the heart of any third-person action game, and we’ve put a lot of effort into making movement feel intuitive and satisfying. Here’s what’s been happening under the hood:
Controller Responsiveness: Input latency has been minimized, making it easier for players to feel in control of their characters, even in high-pressure situations.
Motion Refinement: We’ve reworked our movement blend trees to better integrate walking, jogging, and running animations. By adjusting the transitions between these states, movement now feels fluid and responsive to player input.
Physics Interactions: We’ve added subtle physics-based details, like slight weight shifts when characters turn or stop. These changes make movement feel more grounded and realistic without sacrificing responsiveness.
Of course, game development comes with its challenges. Trust us—anything can break a game. For example, meet Miles, who decided to take a very creative approach to walking one day.
“See? Totally intentional. A new ‘Miles Dance Emote,’ maybe?” 😅
Reload Animations and Polished Textures
One of our favorite updates this month is the brand-new reload animations. They add a layer of realism to combat, showing your character deftly handling their weapons as they prepare for the next shot. We worked hard to ensure the animations feel dynamic while still fitting the fast-paced combat of Star Plunder.
In addition, we’ve been busy polishing character textures. From the intricate details of pirate gear to the lifelike fabrics on their outfits, our textures are sharper and more immersive than ever. These improvements make our characters pop, adding richness and depth to the Star Plunder universe.
Optimizing the Battlefield
Finally, we’ve begun working on death animations—a crucial feature for maintaining a clean and optimized battlefield. These animations allow us to seamlessly remove bodies over time, preventing clutter and reducing the risk of performance issues or bugs as matches progress. By efficiently managing the removal of NPC and player bodies, we can ensure smoother gameplay. While this animation is our current solution, we’re still refining and exploring new ideas to enhance its effectiveness.
What’s Next? 🌌
We’re proud of how far we’ve come, however, there’s still a lot of work to do! Every day Star Plunder expands: our ship designs are coming along, the world-building process continues to evolve, and we’ve got plenty of surprises in the horizon.
As always, we’d love to hear from you! What do you think of the progress so far? Are there any features you’re most excited about? Let us know in our Telegram group or join the discussion on Discord.
Join the Adventure
Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support means the galaxy to us! Keep an eye out for more updates as we continue building Star Plunder into the ultimate space pirate adventure.
