đ¸ Cantata Newsletter: ORBITAL DROP | Patch 0.3 Live! Mulitplayer, skirmish mode, design changes, map generator and more!
Hello everyone!
We've got a MASSIVE new patch live now on Steam as part of Tacticon, and instead of saying much more, check out the patch trailer:
YEP! Multiplayer! Skirmish! Map Generator! Redesigned Supply! It's the biggest patch we've ever done and the best the game has ever been. I mention it inside the game as well, but with this patch it really feels like the full scope of Cantata is finally coming into focus. We want it to be the best grand tactics game around, and with multiplayer, deep modding support, and an awesome map generator, I really hope we can start to deliver on the promise of an infinite tactical playground.
Check out the full patch notes below, and until then, see you in game!
Online Multiplayer
Weâve now got online multiplayer! You can now play multiplayer on one of our 1v1 or 2v2 maps or create your own scenarios to play on. See below after the patch notes to find out how.
To start an online match:
Click âMultiplayerâ > then click the map you want to play on
This will create a new lobby, with the map settings you can adjust
To join a match, click âMultiplayerâ and then âJoinâ, to see a list of all active lobbies
Click the lobby you want to join
When you first join/create a lobby, you won't be in a player "slot" yet - to join a slot, click the "Join" button
Once you're in a slot, click the "Ready" button (you can't start a match until all player slots are full and everyone has readied up)
Only the creator of the lobby can click "Start Match"
Please note:
Players playing need to both have the same map on their local machine
Players will both need to own the game on Steam
Currently the end game flow to multiplayer isn't fully ironed out and if one player leaves mid-match it doesn't end the game for the other players. We are however working on an update to this we hope to release very soon!
Core Design Changes
No more global supply - This has been removed and now mining will give you a factionâs base resource, we hope this will allow you to better control the resource flow.
Region UI overhaul - View region pressure, building capacity, build infrastructure and view resource storage, all from within the new Region UI.
Region Network - Adjacent regions form a network so you can access the storage of all regions and share resources (Outposts can be used to extend the range of your networks).
General
Skirmish mode is now in the game and you can play skirmish across shared maps or your own creations!
Map generator - Auto-generated maps based on customisable variables are now available in modding. You can find a guide to the map generator on our forums here whilst we work on clarifying the in-game process!
Misc.
In-game feedback form has been hooked up to new internal processes meaning we can gather feedback more efficiently.
Basic tutorial bugs have been fixed and now working. Please note, advanced tutorials are something we are working on, for now there is a YouTube tutorial that runs through some of the more advanced gameplay mechanics.
Tacticon
We are part of Tacticon which is happening RIGHT NOW!
You can join the festival on Steam, hosted by @FiresquidGames and @HoodedHorseInc. The inhabitants of Shoal are pleased to be on board.
Final thoughts...
Designing Cantata is not easy. It is a big game from both a unit perspective (about 45 unique units) and a systems perspective. Not only this, but there isnât an obvious template for the gameâs design. We're so pleased our community has rolled with every change weâve made to the design and given us great feedback every step of the way. We all want Cantata to be the best it can be and we all want to crack what makes a âgrand tacticsâ game.
So thanks to all the people that send us feedback on the game through whatever method! You all help us continue to make this better and we're so glad everyone is around to help.
If you want to check out all of our thoughts on this you can read the full blog post on our forums here.
We'd love to hear more about what you think about this latest drop in our official Cantata Discord.
- Afterschool Games