Episode 125 - Rift Awakening

In episode 125 of COPI Café, Rob and Josh introduce Cornucopias and discuss ongoing updates in game development, particularly improvements in onboarding new players, which currently lacks clarity on navigating features like avatar customization.

Emphasizing community engagement, they note the essential role of social interactions, particularly in Discord, for helping newcomers acclimate to the game.

Upcoming features include a new avatar system with enhanced visual qualities and a more dynamic resource-gathering process that introduces challenges and rewards.

Additional elements such as combat mechanics involving unique creatures and the strategic shutting down of rifts are presented, showcasing the game’s evolving complexity and design.

With an upbeat spirit, the hosts maintain an engaging atmosphere throughout the episode, reflecting on the excitement surrounding Cornucopia’s development and community involvement.

• 00:00:00 In this section, the hosts welcome listeners and outline the episode's topics, including updates on the game’s development, specifically regarding nodes and community feedback. The conversation highlights ongoing improvements in customer onboarding and player experiences, along with a special guest who will share exciting insights. Amidst the discussions, the hosts share light-hearted moments over their drink choices, while emphasizing the importance of community engagement and providing details on how node performance will evolve to incentivize player contributions in the game's ecosystem.

• 00:05:00 In this section, the discussion focuses on improving the onboarding experience for new users of the game, highlighting the importance of performance and a seamless introduction to the game’s features. The team acknowledges that the current onboarding is lacking, as new players struggle to navigate the game after downloading it, lacking clear direction on activities such as customizing their avatar or accessing different game areas. The goal is to create a luxurious, five-star-like experience that welcomes newcomers and encourages them to explore the game fully. There is also a desire to involve the community more in this onboarding process to enhance user experience. The conversation touches on understanding why users might choose to pay for a basic game entry rather than opting for NFTs, indicating a need for deeper insights into player motivations and challenges faced in attracting new users.

• 00:10:00 In this section, the discussion focuses on the importance of community support and guidance in the development of the game, addressing the current lack of structured quests and introductory mechanics that typically help new players acclimate. The speakers emphasize that the community, particularly in Discord, plays a crucial role in helping newcomers find their way around, enhancing the gaming experience through social interactions. They liken this community aspect to working out in a gym with friends for motivation, suggesting that multiplayer elements greatly enrich the gameplay. The conversation then shifts to recent game builds, highlighting the challenges of integrating a multiplayer combat system, the rigorous QA testing involved, and the complexities that arise when different players' experiences do not align. The development team is actively seeking to resolve these bugs and improve the gameplay experience based on user feedback.

• 00:15:00 In this section, the developers discuss the anticipated release of a new avatar system, highlighting that a significant patch with bug fixes is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by quality assurance testing next week. While acknowledging that the system comes with its expected bugs, they express optimism regarding the avatar's enhancements and improved visual quality. Key features include new visual aspects and definition sliders that allow for a range of character appearances. They also touch on how character movement will benefit from the latest upgrades in Unreal Engine 5.5, though some aspects of vehicle dynamics still require attention. Additionally, the potential for swimming and diving in future updates is mentioned, with emphasis on ensuring there's meaningful content related to these features. Overall, the team conveys excitement about these advancements while candidly addressing existing challenges.

• 00:20:00 In this section, the discussion revolves around the mechanics of resource gathering in the game, specifically focusing on the challenges and dangers players will face while mining. The developers express a desire to create a more engaging experience that goes beyond simple grinding by introducing risks and rewards within the mining process. Players won't just gather resources easily but will have to navigate dangers, like falling rocks and dark areas, to reach deeper veins that yield more valuable materials. They emphasize the importance of making the gathering process dynamic and immersive, hinting at plans for skill progression where players can unlock higher quantities and access to exclusive gathering sites as they gain experience in various resource-gathering activities. The conversation includes playful brainstorming about potential game elements, indicating a creative and evolving design approach.

• 00:25:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the crafting and gathering systems in the game, highlighting its specialization mechanics that allow players to explore various crafting avenues without being locked into a specific class. Players can start with basic crafting benches and unlock more advanced ones as they level up their skills, allowing for more complex recipes and reduced failure rates over time. Additionally, the introduction of rifts brings unique, engineered creatures that players must combat, with a focus on attacking weak points, which adds a layer of strategy to the encounters. The blend of organic and mechanical elements in these enemies suggests a deeper narrative about their origin, hinting at a crafted nature rather than a natural one.

• 00:30:00 In this section, the discussion revolves around a combat mechanic featuring creatures with removable legs, reminiscent of Daleks from Doctor Who, though some participants are unfamiliar with the reference. The team mentions ongoing work with animations and basic gameplay, including a playground level where creatures interact with each other. Players will face various enemies of differing sizes and strengths, engaging in combat while attempting to shut down rifts that spawn these foes. The game strategy includes understanding individual enemy behaviors and tackling waves of adversaries simultaneously. Additionally, it hints at the evolving challenges players will face as the in-game machines adapt over time, and there's an acknowledgment of the potential consequences if rifts are left unchecked, affecting the game environment. Excitement is expressed about testing combat mechanics and the diversity of future enemies in the game.