Update 1.12
Overview
Update 1.12 was an important update for us as a development team since we reworked our player onboarding and experimented with a new engagment mechanism in the form of questlines.
For me it was quite important since I got to be feature owner on a gameplay feature that existed outside of weapons and event gameplay. That feature was the lootable saddle.
Lootable Saddles on Dying Horses
Design
We designed the lootable saddle since we wanted to add another loot option to the world. The lootable saddle exists out of two parts. The first being the saddle bag which can contain an expensive consumable or money. The second part being the weapon holster which can contain a weapon.
Implementation
The hardest part of making this work was the weapon holster. Because it was connected to an animated character, we had to make sure the weapons could be attached to animated entities. We additionally needed to consider that certain weapons might not be compatible with this rifle holster. Consequently, we curated a selection of weapons that appeared most suitable.
Lootable Saddles on Hitching Posts
Design
Alongside the horse variant we worked on static variants that would get spawned across hitching posts in the world. Both variants behave in the same way. These saddles can spawn with a weapon holser or with a saddle bag or even both. This flexiblity allowed us to create some variety so players didn’t come across the same saddle all the time.
Implementation
We didn't need to attach the weapon to an animated character, but we did have to adjust how the spawns were distributed to make sure they appeared along specific player paths and that there was a minimum distance between spawned saddles.
Centennial Shorty
Design
With the addition of the Winfield M1876 Centennial Shorty, we added a medium slot variant of the centennial. This variant retained a large part of the high muzzle velocity found in the base centennial and its short cycle time. However it comes at the cost of a reduced magazine size.
Implementation
The shorty was quite enjoyable to work on since we didn’t need a new base idle pose which allowed us to reuse a lot of existing animations. We only needed new additive animations for the melee attacks.
Centennial Shorty Silencer
Design
With the addition of the Winfield M1876 Centennial Shorty Silencer, we added a medium slot silenced firearm. This variant was on our list for quite a while and makes a fine addition to many loadouts. However Its silencer reduces the muzzle velocity a bit and provides a different set of ironsights.
Implementation
The shorty silencer uses the same animation setup as the regular shorty. The most challenging part of getting this weapon done was getting the melee attacks to feel responsive.
Community Reception
The update was well received well by players in general. I was quite proud of seeing the lootable saddles come to completion. Here is a video of a prominent community member talking about the update.