Outbreak Survival 3.0 / 2017 Update Cycle

So you're probably wondering why there wasn't any content updates for Outbreak Survival for a while.

Although here was the annual Halloween and Winter Events, they didn't add anything new and only served bring back the previous years content. The last new update was actually the Easter Event.

Truth be told, I've just been way too busy lately with coursework and other projects. It's not that I didn't want to update the game, or that I was abandoning it. But other things took priority. Especially during the Summer and Autumn months where I was hired to work on other people's games.

However now things are stating to get back to normal for a while. There's some free time to work on the game while I'm on break. Here I'll be sharing with you what I'm going to be working on, the state of the game and what's needed before I can start to make actual content updates again.

As you have probably noticed, the game doesn't run that well anymore. It's a mixture between neglect, Roblox updates and sub-optimal coding. The game has also had saving issues for some players which isn't good.

• So first things first we will be working on updating the games code. ALL THE CODE.
• First game update will have primarily the saving system updated, along with all game scripts that rely on this (which is a lot as the entire save structure will be different).
• After that update I will be working on updating the rest of the games code to be cleaner, more efficient and easy to expand upon.
• This will also include updating the weapon system to use my new 6.3 variant.
• These combined updates could take anywhere between: 1-2 months.

At this point the game will be running well enough to have more people playing it, so adverts may run. The game will also be ported over in its current state to the legacy servers as all major changes that happen later on will drastically change how the game plays.

Next is the weapon update phase. Although by this point the game will be using the 6.3 weapon system, that is now actually over 6 months old and I think I can still do way better. So I will be working on a new 7.0 version which will be even more efficient, adaptable, and most importantly handle bullet physics in an optimal way.

For reference PvZ:Battlegrounds uses the 6.0 version which has the new code to enable the easy creation and updating of new weapon types. It can also enable bullet ray tracers.

6.1 could account for MuzzleFlashes and 6.2 allowed for the weapon to fire actual bullet rounds, where the bullet had travel time and would damage the player instead. The 6.2 version was scrapped after not working correctly and slowing the test server down. (It used raycast inefficiently to create the bullets).

The 6.3 version uses BodyVelocity properties to create bullets which isn't ideal, but a nice temporary solution (thanks ShiNumNumi for the code). To sum that up:

• A new 7.0 Weapon system will be created.
• All in-game weapons will be updated to work with the 7.0 Weapon system.
• Weapons will have minor balance changes to make sure they function how they used to when using the old system.
• Estimated time: Two - three weeks.

After that it's time for major game item, weapon and zombie balance changes. Here I'll be going through all the in-game stuff, changing stats, abilities, prices, and even in cases flat out removing certain things.

• Class changes.
• Item changes.
• Armour changes.
• Weapon changes.
• Estimated time: Two - four weeks.

From here it will be time to introduce some new maps, replace any outdated maps (or revamp them) edit any current maps to fit with the new gameplay and redesign the lobby to be easier and more intuitive to use.

• New maps.
• Map updates.
• Map retirements.
• Estimated time: One - three weeks.

The UI is also in need of an update to be more modern and streamlined. As well as making it work with controllers

• Character UI updates.
• Inventory / Shop / Zombie UI updates.
• Item / Ability UI updates.
• Estimated time: One - three weeks.

Finally we can then start to think about introducing new game modes, new Zombie classes, more weapons, character and weapon skins, plus any other important features you guys would want such as map voting and bonus rounds.

Oh and somewhere in there we can throw in fixing and updating the Daily Quest system to work better and be easier to track / complete quests. (Will be done during the save system update).

I think that covers everything. If there's anything else I'll edit this with more information, what this doesn't include is the final polish update which would introduce better animations for the Zombies, custom animations for different weapon types, more sound effects and particles. But that can be talked about at a later date.

When stuff is completed I'll create a new post with a list of in-progress and completed features.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter to stay up-to-date with any updates, as I'll be posting a lot of videos, pictures and other things to do with the game.

Outbreak Survival Eerie Halloween Event 5

Turns out it wasn't too difficult to re-enable the previous event maps and event spawn system.

So here we are, the fifth annual Halloween Event for Outbreak Survival will be enabled soon. All 3 event maps will return: Xolbor Invasion, Eerie Halloween and Halloween Realm. The Eerie Halloween map has also been updated to include all of the new stuff Autumn Wind received over the past year.

All previous weapons and pets can be bought for Pumpkins again, the event will be launched this Thursday and will be turned off November 1st.

Pumpkins will spawn on event maps only, event maps have a x3 chance of appearing. All other maps will be disabled with the exception of Final Stand, Voltrix Base and TownsVille which will remain in the rotation on a x1 chance of being chosen.

The game requires 8 players for Pumpkins to spawn.

As for any game changes I'm still busy working on re-coding things, so sadly there isn't anything new to mention yet. I will however be testing the permanent human visibility system and see how players like it.

An old Halloween code will also be re-enabled for new players to redeem.

Outbreak Survival - Redesign

So the game has been out for a while now and the last major patch was the Easter Event update, while the latest patch was in September.

I haven't been updating the game a whole lot recently for several reasons.

1.) The game is quite complicated to update nowadays. Originally back in August 2015, I spent extra time coding the game to ensure adding new content would be as easy as possible. However after finishing Battlegrounds, which is about 5 steps up coding wise compared to this game. I realised it could be made easier.

2.) The game doesn't currently generate a lot of traffic. Even while being advertised, it barely reached 100 players which isn't a whole lot compared with the amount of hours I put into the game updating it. Although this could be fixed after the revamp, making the game appeal to wider audience.

3.)  The game always ran slightly slow, but for some reason it's even worse now. Not sure why it's happening, it was either due to the new saving system slowing everyone down or after a Roblox update and I need to go back and change something. But it does run slowly, making it impossible to add new content until that's fixed and it also makes it hard to test the game.

4.) Other projects need attention too. I also have other projects I'm working on at the moment, some of which could also do with updating the way they are coded.

I've probably missed a few things but that's in short why the game hasn't been updated in while.

It does not mean I'll won't update the game in the future, in fact I've been working on it in the background silently, updating bits of code here and there.

In short the game needs a complete overhaul, not just in terms of its coding but also it's gameplay mechanics. They simply don't appeal to mass playerbase, rounds are too short and it can take up to 10 minutes to play as a survivor (most people prefer this) again, only to be eaten 1 minute into the next round where you have to wait 10 minutes again.

Aside from that there are many other annoyances which turn new players away from the game, and to ensure more people will play the game in the future, some things will have to change.

What's being changed first:

Aside from the re-coding going on the background. Here's the first design decision I'll be making, feel free to let me know what you think in the comments here, on the group wall, or by sending me a PM.

New players do not like the hide and seek part of the game, I've seen people straight up just leave because they don't get to fight anyone. I'll need to change the game in one of three ways:

1.) Larger player count (after optimisation).

Pros: Maps become more full, removing the issue of players not finding anyone. More hectic and fun, as well as more action.
Cons: Even after optimisation, more players = more lag (although much less than there is now). If the game isn't busy filling those servers can be tough. Hide and seek can still happen.

2.) Smaller maps and potentially smaller player count.

Pros: Hide and seek aspect is reduced, more action potentially. Shorter rounds (players can be human and play more often). Less players would reduce the lag in-game.
Cons: Have to spend time reducing map sizes, less players could be less fun.

3.) Permanent tracker (like most games do it). Aside from the items that temporarily make you invisible, you will always have hunter instincts on you set to true, so Zombies can see you where ever you are on the map.

Pros: Zombies never get lost, they always have a rough idea on where to go. Can keep map size and player count the same (although we can still increase it). Potential for faster rounds and more action as Zombies know where to go. Hide and seek eliminated.
Cons: No hide and seek? Some people liked this. Invisible items would need more coding to accommodate this change. Tagger Zombie becomes useless and would probably just get removed. Hunter Instincts ability becomes useless. Lots of current players won't like it. (But it would balance the game better).

Whichever one is chosen will be the direction I'll be taking the game in, and will be re-designing and balancing it to work with those aspects. Whether that be smaller maps, less players, more players, or never hidden players the game will continue to improve from there.

Outbreak Survival 3.0 + Legacy versions

The Outbreak Survival 3.0 update will start development soon. But the final product will be vastly different from what everyone is used to today. That is why I'm proudly introducing "Legacy Servers" for people to play on.

Legacy Servers will house older versions of Outbreak Survival, so you'll only need to grab a few friends to play on them.

The following Legacy Servers will exist and be housed under the Outbreak Survival Group:

• Outbreak Survival 2.9
• Outbreak Survival 2.2
• Outbreak Survival 1.0

Each version will differ slightly, with 1.0 being the very first version with a few changes.

An update to the current 2.9 game server will occur before cementing it as a legacy server. The upcoming 2.9 update will introduce the new weapon system (without the bullet trails) and will have any outstanding bug fixes, which includes people's saves magically vanishing.

Let's go through the list one by one.

Outbreak Survival 2.9:

In this version you'll have everything that's in the current version of the game. Including some new community maps such as Safety First, Abandoned Castle and others.

In this version there will also be a vote system in the lobby to change the map rotation types. Map rotation types are as follow:

• Normal - All standard maps
• Event - All event maps (no drops of course)
• EventHalloween - All maps with Halloween drops only.
• EventWinter - All maps with Winter drops only.
• EventEaster - All maps with Easter drops only.
• Silly - All silly maps will be enabled (Baseplate, and hoshpup's first map), along with some other maps having a higher spawn chance (Safety First for the fails, Voltrix Base for the lava).

When an event rotation is chosen, all drops will be enabled for players to collect. Drops are enabled with 2+ players instead of the usual 8. All event shops will be added to the lobby.

Outbreak Survival 2.2:

Same coding as the current game, but will have most Zombies removed that came after 2.2 and will include all maps that came before and including PowerOut. Only the new version of PowerOut will be used. The map list should be (if I remember correctly): Oil Works, Bolt-On Town, Communal Town, Expanded XL, 75th Street, Autumn Wind, PowerOut, Toxic Spill. 

Only new versions of the maps will be used.

Outbreak Survival 1.0

While it won't truly be the old version, it will be simplified. The Zombie selection menu will be reduced to only original Zombies. Zombies will be made to be tougher (like the original) weapons will hit harder (like the original) and the old 18 items will return. (7 Basic, 6 Assault, 6 Heavy and 6 Elite items). Darkheart and Venomshank will also be buyable, however not all VIP's will be usable. Only the ones that existed all those years ago. (Up until the 2nd stage sets which were the Wizard, Marauder, Sergeant Shooter and Medic).

1.0 Didn't have armour, so it won't be added.

1.0 Maps include Communal Town and Expanded XL. But an argument could be made for 75th Street and Autumn Wind since the former was the first map in Mini Edition and the latter is similar to the first Halloween Event.

Each legacy game will have Points enabled, but you will start off with more in 2.9 to make up for the fact that data cannot be transferred between games.

Additional changes:

Currency will be buyable on most versions.

2.2 will have the old lobby.

1.0 won't have a lobby waiting system and will utilise the old item selection / buying GUI.

Some GUI's will be purposefully different. In 1.0 the menu's and interface will be simplified.

All weapons will be using the 6.0 weapon system, no matter the game version. Bullet trails or tracer rounds will be disabled on all to keep the classic look.

All Zombies will use the 3.0 morph system and click to attack tool.

It is impossible for me to transfer any data over, but the prices of items will be less (except on 2.9) than the originals.

Development on the legacy versions will start in June.

Maybe one day I'll do a "true" 1.0 server, with the old chat to switch classes, zombie's have to touch to damage instead of using a tool and the really old projectile weapons / gui's but probably not.

Extra information:

2.9 and 2.2 will both have the current weight system in-game.

1.0 will still keep the weight units and limit, however all items will cost 2 weight allowing for 10 items of any type. VIP sets that are enabled in 1.0 can only be equipped as a "set", equipping a set will add all items to your player and will cost a set amount of weight. To prevent unwanted items, VP sets may have redundant items removed (potions), since those can just be equipped from the support store.

Outbreak Survival What's next.

So the Winter Event is over. After two and a bit months of being able to collect presents, we finally return to a normal game void of present hunting and people asking "what do i do with presents" and "how do i open present".

So what happens now? Well, the Final Stand update replaces both the Winter Event and Valentine's update for content. (Although the Valentine's update items will still be for sale for a while).

Next update will be an Easter event (celebration for the first Easter event in Outbreak Survival!) where you will be able to collect Eggs in various maps and trade them in for items much like the current events.

This event won't last 2.5 months however, so Eggs will probably be slightly easier to obtain.

So this event is confirmed for 2.9. But what about 3.0 and beyond?

Last year (during April) the 2.1 update was released for the game. This update added a huge amount of changes, including the class unlock system, armour system, new inventory GUI, a large variety of maps, an actually working game, v5.0 weapons. But the vision for the game didn't stop there.

Like the 2.1 update, the 3.0 update will have a lot of new features drastically improving gameplay experience.

Here is a short list of core features that you can expect in the 3.0 update. However keep in-mind that this list may change, and some thing may be released earlier.

Improved Zombie selection screen: 

Taking the best bits from the current menu and merging them together with the more robust Pet Selection Menu and Plants vs Zombies Battlegrounds 3.0 class GUI, this new interface will have all the important buttons and features present on one page. Which means it won't take ages to select items to buy and will make them more noticeable for players to select.

It will also better accommodate the ever growing list of Zombies, and will be able to automatically add new Zombies and put them in the right order whenever a new one is made. (You may have noticed how in the Unlocks tab, the various stages are all over the place).

New rewards system:

It's important for players to feel like they are getting rewarded enough for their actions. Currently the Points for kills system is flawed. This was somewhat fixed when assists came along, but a kill can easily be given for dealing the killing blow on an enemy. But even if you got the kill, someone else could have done 90% of the work in damaging that enemy but only got an assist or nothing at all.

This new system will replace Points for kills and assists and replace it with Points for Damage Done. What this means is, every bit of damage you deal to a Zombie will help grant you Points. This system does however come with it's own flaws. The amount people will earn will be higher since you can damage the same player multiple times, while they can go away and heal. Another problem could arise with farming, it's a lot easier to farm damage done than kills because players can run and heal, let you deal damage then run back again.

To combat this a few hidden requirements will be put in place, as well as making the Damage Done to Points only affect the amount you earn in a small way. The majority of Points earned will be through the new Chest system.

The new Chest system, will allow players to gain higher ranked chests based upon performance. If you lose you will still get a Bronze Chest, but you can increase the Rank of that chest if you did well during the round.

For example you might have been infected, but managed to pull off 3 survivor kills. That would get you a tier 2 chests granting more rewards than if you simply lost. [This is just an example and is not how it will be in the final version].

New 6.0 weapon system:

This will be tested in the new 3.0 update for Plants vs Zombies: Battlegrounds. So you might be able to try it out there before it comes to Outbreak Survival. This update adds a bunch of new statistics to weapons, allowing for greater customisation (by me) and improved performance along with many feature additions.

Such additions include the ability to have damage falloff and rampup, having an armour piercing property, allowing for tracer shots, easy addition of Q,E or any other keybinds and much more.

New Inventory:

Another Inventory revamp. The look and style will probably remain the same, but like the Zombie menu lots of new quality of life improvements will be added. Such features currently include better searching and sorting methods. Non-static inventory, where items you don't own will not be added to the GUI (so you don't end up with a whole wall of "LOCKED" items), ability to select skins for certain weapons and the ability to select a weapon by type. For example if there's an item called "Shotgun", you can select from a list to either equip the "Starter", or "Basic" variant.

Item statistics and price changes will also occur in this update. Most of the weapons will also become more powerful as a result. More on that later.


Better maps:

Some of the "Legacy" maps will remain in the rotation due to being classics (e.g Communal Town), whereas some are less favoured by players. The current maps that are scheduled for revamps or removal are: Bolt-On Town and Oil Works. Some of the map mechanics for these are actually quite interesting and could be used again, or just fleshed out more in their current state.

Oil Works is unique because it uses a lot of water and forces players to walk along specific paths. But because it's mostly community built, not all of the models were made to be 100% compatible. What I mean by this is, there aren't many thought out areas where survivors can go to defend against zombies. Or many alternate routes zombies can take to get to camping survivors.

Bolt-On Town has had many changes to make it better, and in some ways it is. The underwater flooded area is unique, and it's the only map where the survivors start underground and have to fight their way to the surface. But like Oil Works (and actually considerably worse), it has model issues where most of them don't exactly fit and allow for surviving. Most people walk around the middle on the road or head to the one building that's more newly built. (Carter's).

Oil Works might get revamped, but Bolt-On Town is definitely being retired. Expanded XL hasn't returned yet, since many players have problems with secrets and that map has a ton. The map is also way too large and open for the current game, and causes a problem where players have to play hide and seek before actually being able to battle humans or zombies. As a side note the map could work as a special 30-50 player version of the game.


The 3.0 update will be worked on after the Easter event, this might mean no major update for April, but it will be well worth the wait.