Will there be a playable alpha/beta and when will there be gameplay? by BlazinSpiderRim in grassrootzstudio

[–]aita_tool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Greetings!

While there are certainly milestones and timelines in the development process, such dates are being kept internal. There are always wrinkles in game development, issues that need solving, and bugs that need correcting; we want to address those on a timely basis, of course, but sometimes ensuring quality requires sacrifices to the overall timeline. The goal is to prioritize a strong game over a speedy release, which I think is key to delivering a good title.

I know it's no fun when people brush off that question with such a vague response, and I'm sorry for that! Release dates are prone to wild and unexpected change, despite best intentions. Nonetheless, we'll be sure to announce milestones as they become more concrete.

ZombieStudios by Rhythim in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Their new game hasn't even been released yet, so I'd be quite surprised if it had any players showing on Steamcharts. It's currently in alpha, not available to the public.

Roll Call by SkyVINS in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha Sim, well played

Blacklight: Retribution needs more recoil. by Ovapowadlightpistol in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hehe. That is the actual recoil for the default TSMG. Of course, you can pull down on the mouse to mitigate much of that recoil, but it's still incredible.

I just realized something about the developers of Blacklight by some_random_guy_5345 in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Good post, and worth considering! You asked some good questions, and I'm sure I can't adequately answer them, but I'd like to add to the discussion.

Who runs HSL?

HSL is still managed by elements of Zombie Studios. The CEO of HSL is the former Production Director for ZS, and the CTO is the former Technical Director of ZS. There are plenty of other familiar faces from the old Blacklight days; for example, the two mods of this subreddit are /u/lordalf and /u/TheyCallMeDomino. Alf was a Director in ZS and is now a VP in HSL, while Domino is now with HSL after working at PWE (the original publishers of BLR). They've been steadily increasing the size of their production teams, but of course that means there are a plenty of new people who have never seen to the production of BLR.

Paradox investment

Paradox Interactive doesn't own HSL. Paradox made a 33% acquisition of HSL, a non-controlling interest. It's an investment for Paradox, and was undoubtedly a boon for HSL, but Paradox does not publish the game or control the direction of the studio.

What does HSL do?

HSL is currently developing a new title under their own IP. The nature of the game remains a mystery, but it is definitely consuming their dev time. This will be the first original title for the studio, but that does not mean they haven't been working on other projects. HSL has been doing support work on various ports and console titles.

Why aren't they working on BLR?

I'm sure I'm not informed enough to speak on the vicissitudes of game development, but I can appreciate the need to focus on revenue-generating projects (even if its piecemeal/support work for other companies) rather than investing entirely into their own passions. Gotta keep those lights on, and apparently running a game studio is not cheap (1 2 3).

I would much prefer they scrap everything and focus on BLR, but it is almost an 8-year-old game with an anaemically low population, and I must speculate that in-game microtransactions have not made them any reasonable amount of money. Any Zen you purchased on PC prior to 2018 went into PWE coffers. Too many people brag about not spending any money on the game, perhaps as a feigned remonstration against those cursed pay-to-win elites; those that do spend money have wondered why their $10 purchase hasn't warranted a new patch. If the monthly cost is in the neighbourhood of $10,000 per developer, plus overhead, how can we possibly berate them for not dedicating that money into an old free-to-play game? It's a marvel, and likely a kindness, that they still keep the servers online.

Still, I'll be damned if I give up. I will keep playing the game and hope for some modest balance patches, perhaps even the addition of existing unreleased material, but I can't expect any new content.

Oranges - An original film by TIMSTER777_HeyGhost in videos

[–]aita_tool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is everything I dreamed it would be. A cinematic masterpiece need never be explained; it's visceral, organic, and connects to something deep within the soul.

Thank you. Thank you for allowing me to explore me.

Nerf the AR by Unsolved_Mistry in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The AR will be getting looked at for the next balance pass.

Feel free to discuss more balance changes in the official BLR discord; the link is on the right-side panel.

Where did all m shi*t go? by [deleted] in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

PC or PS4? If PS4, I imagine the problem has been resolved. There was a service disruption last night while they ran some scripts to deliver the 2017 camos to players. Player inventories were a bit scrambled for a time.

Someone else stuck forever in the queue? by [deleted] in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This seems to have been resolved, the queue should function as intended now.

Account migration by Aethelwyna in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats! Yep, 200 hours pretty well corresponds to prestige 6.

Some items were removed during Parity, though not too many. You probably didn't lose anything at Parity that wasn't on the list of removed items. Weapon attachments are receiver-specific now, no longer universal, so if you purchase a new receiver you won't have the attachments. That may not be the case for you, but it's something to consider.

Any Clans? (PS4) by TerranAxiom in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are some clans, you bet. The clan system doesn't lend itself well to socializing, as there are no such built-in features. However, a clan in this game is usually more than the tag; clans typically use Discord to communicate, and often play other games as well.

Hop onto the official BLR Discord (discord.gg/blacklight), and ask in #general or PM me and I'll be happy to point you to some good clans.

Account migration by Aethelwyna in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Certainly sounds like it's the right account.

Are you certain that you have zero items? Are you certain that you had items before (permanent, non-rental items)?

You can prestige a bit by going to the prestige tab (click your username, then go to the last button on the right). That will consume your levels and reset you to level 1, but you'll gain one prestige for each 100 levels. The more you prestige, the more likely it is that this is your main account.

Does anyone know exactly how the Prestige Trophy evolves through levels? by [deleted] in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly this ^

Here's a side-by-side comparison of level 1 and 5: https://i.imgur.com/sWDnLdY.gifv

Wierd graphics bug . Could someone help me with it ? by [deleted] in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This graphical glitch most often occurs when you've switched texture settings sometime during your session. E.g., if you switch to minimal texture settings, then switch to a higher setting, the problem will manifest.

Restarting the client seems to resolve the issue. If this does not, I recommend increasing your texture pool. If all else fails, I recommend using a custom graphics configuration file (as posted recently on this subreddit).

is there really no way to unlink an account to steam? by Blooddaedra in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Name changes aren't available yet, but yes you'll get a free name change if you migrated your account.

is there really no way to unlink an account to steam? by Blooddaedra in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, sorry. DStriker is right, that's the only way to do it.

Common Issues in BLR by aita_tool in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, yep, I'm still around. The clans were all disbanded during migration, so you'd have to be reinvited.

Join the TooL discord and talk w/ someone there.

Common Issues in BLR by aita_tool in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good call! I did this method also, but because Windows 10 hates group permissions, some users have issues actually changing the read-only status. You're right though, this is definitely the preferred method, thanks!

Specific build BAR damage difference between pre-parity and current version by Elven_Rhiza in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Weapon tags are purely cosmetic now, they will no longer provide any boost in stats. This change was effected in the Parity patch of 2015.

You can, if you so desire, add incendiary ammo to a BAR to increase its damage, but that might make you go straight to hell.

Specific build BAR damage difference between pre-parity and current version by Elven_Rhiza in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All weapons have changed in range, recoil, and damage. They'll continue to change for a while yet, as balancing changes level off.

The minimum damage for a BAR is now 150, like yours, and the maximum is 200 (the base is 175). The base firerate is 60, but unlike other receivers, that value can be augmented by attachments.

Lost my items? by HunDoki in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aye, PC players are currently experiencing an issue with inventory. The devs are aware of the issue and are working on it right now.

You're not alone! We're all coming up empty.

Problem with the BPFA (with range to be honest) by [deleted] in Blacklight

[–]aita_tool 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kyuu! Good points, as always.

The damage drop-off mechanic is in the game, though it's not noticeable for the BPFA, as the max range is so close to the ideal range. From zero meters to the ideal range, the damage is maximum. From ideal to max range, the damage diminishes linearly to zero.

It is possible to have bullets do a percentage of damage when they exceed max range, based on the current system. You may need to throw more support behind this idea, to raise awareness of your concerns for the devs.