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Touch update for AirMech Command is LIVE!

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hey everyone, finally have some news to share about AirMech Command. We've been hard at work on our unannounced new VR game as our primary focus, but we have continued to put time into AMC to add Touch support. Here's a teaser trailer:

https://youtu.be/hL-8GeuDPzI

What started out as a "just add Touch support" turned into quite a lot of work. We tried a lot of control methods, starting at the obvious (but ultimately flawed) laser pointer approach, and ended with a "virtual cursor" design. Adding the RTS mode was actually the easier part--pulling it back together to keep the spirit of the game focused on the AirMech was the challenge. You can enter direct control mode at any time and control the AirMech 3rd person, then pop back out to do the godlike commanding and building.

Maintaining support for the gamepad while also adding Touch was the hardest part, as we didn't want to make AMC2--I am not sure if we would even keep the mech for another game using this tech. It feels so cool to build/command/watch your army that I could see us making a full on large scale RTS. But that's another game (and not our current secret one).

As I've mentioned whenever asked, the Touch update will be a free update for everyone who owns AirMech Command. Since the game is already out, the way we will roll it out will be a bit different. The first release will probably have some bugs but the only way we can really get it tested well is to release it to everyone. I think how cool it is balances out a little bit of beta-like behavior, because even gamepad users get a lot of improvements. We have an all new radar display as well as tons of performance improvements.
30 REPLIES 30

nalex66
MVP
MVP
Awesome! I've finally started playing this game recently (bought it in the summer sale, but I've had so much stuff to play and so little time), and I really like it. The new controls look interesting, can't wait to try it.

Can you give us any idea how far away from release it is?

DK2, CV1, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Quest 3.


Try my game: Cyclops Island Demo

weasel47
Heroic Explorer
I look forward to trying it!  From the trailer, the controls look like a lot of fun.

Tadin
Heroic Explorer
Can't wait, this is a great game 🙂

Anonymous
Not applicable

nalex66 said:
Can you give us any idea how far away from release it is?


I expect we are a week away from releasing the update. Could even be this week--we want to get it to a "pretty good" state then release it, get feedback and see what to do next. The control method is very unique, so we're dealing with a lot of things in uncharted territory.

For whoever tries it first, give it a good think. There are a lot of other approaches that could have been used--and we probably did most of them. The most obvious one being the laser pointer approach. It works, and is natural, but the further away from things you are the more difficult it is to have precision. Which leads to your hands/wrists getting tired, or you are always pulling the map so you work right in front of you, which feels like a limitation.

This virtual cursor concept is much more complex than it seems, but the idea is that since we are used to abstracting a mouse on one plane to another (the screen) with non-proportional movement, why not try this in VR? There is definitely more we can do with it with more time and polish, but it's definitely a lot of work since we don't have any great examples to start from. 🙂

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hi everyone, the update is now live for all current owners! The Store page details aren't updated, so it doesn't show Touch support yet, but that should be approved/updated shortly.

For those who have access--what do you think? We're anxious to know the right balance of time it takes to mentally adjust to the virtual cursors compared to the lasers. Press both analog stick "buttons" in to toggle at any time after the tutorial.

Speaking of which, you might want to redo the tutorial if you previously played with gamepad but are now playing with Touch. You can probably figure it out on your own, but if you are confused go back and try the tutorial again.

nalex66
MVP
MVP
Awesome! Just saw the update come through, so I'll give it a try.

Edit: Okay, re-ran through the tutorial and played a couple matches. The changes are interesting. I liked the new method of moving around the map--very natural and intuitive.

I found that I never used direct-control mode for my Mech, but rather left it to do its own thing while I managed my units. Not having to use the Mech to do that was a nice change. It gives the game a different tone when I'm not directly controlling a unit, and it meant that the Mech could keep fighting while I spent more time managing.

I had a little difficulty with unit selection--once I had a bunch of units grouped, I couldn't figure out how to ungroup them, so I just had to keep moving them together.

I also had a bit of trouble figuring out the Build menu. I had my preferred units all laid out beforehand in the Army setup menu, but in-game, I messed everything up while trying to cycle through build options, and couldn't find the units I wanted. I'm a lefty, and was trying to cycle through with the left controller. It eventually occurred to me to try the right hand, and I finally figured out that I could cycle units with the B button, and that I was cycling unit categories with the Y button. Once I got the hang of it, it was all good.

I didn't try the laser-cursors, but the virtual cursors seemed fine. I'll try the lasers next time. I'll also try going back to playing the Mech to see how that differs from the previous version.

Overall, I'm enjoying the Touch update. Using my hands directly gives me the feeling that I have more control over the battlefield--I can more easily hop around between my bases and organize my build queues, and I have fewer units sitting idle while my attention is focused elsewhere. Good stuff!

DK2, CV1, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Quest 3.


Try my game: Cyclops Island Demo

elboffor
Consultant
@Zenbane are you finally gonna have me a game on this?

Cant wait to try it out mind 🙂
It looks quite different and in a good way 😄
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elboffor
Consultant
C'mon Palmer "@Zenbane" Luckey.
I want confirmation of the impending ass whooping I'm gonna give ya.
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Zenbane
MVP
MVP
Hi baby cakes. Sorry I have been crazy busy all week! I am dying to try the AirMech update but I barely even have time to check the forums lately. It will pass soon enough.