Dear EreaDrone Community,

Following up from our last post, More Languages, Better Multiplayer, EreaDrone has continued to evolve with a series of exciting updates and improvements. The team has been hard at work enhancing both gameplay and the overall user experience. Below, we highlight some of the key changes and optimizations that have been rolled out over the past few months.

Network and Performance Optimizations

One of the key focus areas has been improving the game's network infrastructure and optimizing the netcode. Significant upgrades have been made, resulting in stabilized tick rates, better multiplayer experiences, and enhanced UDP connection reliability. Alongside these improvements, the overall graphics and UI performance have seen various tweaks to ensure smoother gameplay.

Improved Multiplayer Experience

EreaDrone’s multiplayer functionality has taken a big step forward. The number of spectator slots has increased from 4 to 12, allowing for more engagement in races. Additionally, drone sound realism has been enhanced, so you can now hear all the drones spatially around you in multiplayer, adding an extra layer of immersion as you can pinpoint their locations by sound alone during intense races.

Bug Fixes and General Stability

We've squashed a number of bugs that were affecting the gameplay experience. Notable fixes include resolving issues with the "Apply" button in the options screen, lighting initialization times in maps, and FPS target saving problems. Stability has also been enhanced across the game, including addressing crashes related to game-ending animations and water penalties being improperly triggered for all players at once.

Enhanced Map Editor

The Map Editor has undergone significant improvements, adding new track elements, procedural square and circle elements, and an innovative "A to B" mode for track creation, offering more flexibility to players. These updates allow you to design tracks that are not just loops, but also linear point-to-point races. Additional fixes in the editor include gizmos showing correctly and path visibility being adjustable in the Options Panel.

Tournament Mode and UI Upgrades

The Tournament UI has been refined to be more intuitive, ensuring that all interactions are smoother. Confirmation popups have been added to qualification mode to reduce the likelihood of accidental qualification attempts usage. There's also a countdown feature in qualification mode that now gives players more control over when they’re ready to start. The overall user interface has received multiple optimizations to enhance fluidity and responsiveness.

Drone Showroom Overhaul

For drone enthusiasts, the Drone Showroom has been visually enhanced to provide a clearer and more striking display of each drone. The environment surrounding the drone has been minimized, spotlighting the drone in a "photobooth" style, making every detail stand out.

New Features for Pilots

Drone control has been refined with the addition of Actual Rates in the Rate Settings, giving pilots more detailed control over their drone's behavior. A new "Finish" button after races has been added to streamline race conclusions, allowing you to proceed seamlessly between races.

New Skins and Customization

EreaDrone has introduced two stunning new skins for the Standard drone model: the Inaugural e-Drone and Alpine e-Drone. These designs offer fresh ways to stand out on the track.

FAI World Drone Racing Championship Track

In celebration of the FAI World Drone Racing Championship 2024, we've added the official track for players to experience the thrill of competing on a world-class course. This track was developed in close collaboration with the FAI, continuing our partnership that began in 2018 with the first World Drone Racing Championship (WDRC). Furthermore, this same track will be used for the 2024 FAI WDRC e-Drone Racing World Cup, for which registration opens on Saturday, September 28th. Get ready to join the competition and race like a pro!

Miscellaneous Tweaks and Features

Other smaller, yet impactful, updates include better drone collision detection for trusses in the Map Editor, improved camera switching for spectators, and longer drone trails in spectator mode. We've also included a Screen Settings Resetter (Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F11) to easily revert to default display settings, ensuring that your preferences are always recoverable.

We are deeply grateful for your continued support, feedback, and passion. Thanks to you, EreaDrone is evolving into much more than a drone simulator—it's becoming a vibrant, dynamic community of racers, creators, and enthusiasts. Your ideas and suggestions have helped shape many of the updates you see today, and we invite you to dive into the detailed changelog below to discover how your input has made a difference.

Your voice matters to us, and we’d love to hear more! Consider leaving a review on Steam to share your thoughts—it truly helps us keep growing and improving.

Here’s to pushing boundaries, soaring higher, and racing faster—together!

Warm regards,
The EreaDrone Team

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Detailed changelog

🆕 New Features & Enhancements

• Actual Rates in Rate Settings: Pilots can now fine-tune their drone control experience with the introduction of Actual Rates in the Rate Settings menu.
• A to B Mode in Map Editor: Create even more dynamic tracks by choosing between loop or A to B mode when designing your courses.
• Expanded Spectator Slots: Multiplayer races are now more exciting, with spectator capacity increasing from 4 to 12.
• Procedural Gates in Map Editor: Design the ultimate track with two new procedural gate elements, Square and Circle.
• Track Elements in Map Editor: A wider array of track elements has been added to inspire your creativity.
• Screen Settings Resetter: Quickly reset your display settings (Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F11) to default for DisplayMode, Monitor, Resolution, VSync, and AspectRatio.
• New Drone Skins: Customize your drones with two new skins for the Standard model: the Inaugural e-Drone and Alpine e-Drone.
• Finish Button: End races seamlessly with a newly added “Finish” button that appears after crossing the finish line.
• Qualification Mode Countdown: Now you’re in control! The qualification countdown only starts when you're ready to race.
• Confirmation Popups in Qualification Mode: Avoid accidental actions with added confirmation popups in qualification mode.
• FAI World Drone Racing Championship 2024 Track: Race on the official FAI World Drone Racing Championship 2024 track, developed in partnership with the FAI.
• Drone Sounds in Multiplayer: Experience spatial audio in multiplayer—hear every drone around you for heightened immersion.

🚀 Optimizations and improvements

• Direct Rotation Mode Optimizations: Major improvements have been made for those using Direct Rotation Mode, delivering quicker, more efficient drone responses.
• Tournament UI Enhancements: The Tournament UI has been revamped for a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.
• Netcode and Network Optimization: Expect smoother races with major netcode updates and stabilization of the tick rate.
• Spectator Mode Enhancements: Better camera switching and longer drone trails in Spectator Mode improve the viewer experience.
• Map Editor Improvements: Triggers in the Map Editor no longer block the selection of other objects, and drone collision detection has been improved for Truss elements.
• Drone Showroom Overhaul: The Drone Showroom now offers a cleaner, more focused view of your drone by removing the surrounding environment.
• Harbour Environment Optimization: The Harbour environment has been optimized for better performance and smoother gameplay.
• General Graphics and UI Improvements: Numerous small enhancements have been made to the game's overall graphics and user interface for a smoother, more polished experience.

🔧 Bug Fixes

• Map Editor Gizmos Fix: Gizmos are now correctly displayed in the Map Editor.
• Target FPS Saving: Resolved an issue where target FPS wasn’t being saved in the Options Panel.
• School Map Lighting: Fixed lighting issues that were occurring on the School map.
• Target FPS Bug: Addressed a rare bug that set the target FPS between 0 and 6 FPS.
• Options Panel Apply Button: Fixed the Apply button in the Options Panel that wasn’t working properly.
• Lighting Initialization: Lighting now initializes faster, fixing long load times in certain maps.
• Cursor Visibility Fix: Resolved the issue of the cursor remaining hidden when popups were active.
• Drone Arming with Popup: Fixed a bug that allowed the drone to arm even when a popup was displayed.
• UDP Connection Issues: Fixed several cases where UDP connections weren’t working as expected.
• Propeller Animation Bug: Other players’ drone propellers now spin correctly during multiplayer sessions.
• Progress Bar Stability: The Progress Bar is now stable, eliminating vibration issues.
• Track Path Visibility: The track path in the Map Editor is now correctly hidden or shown based on the Options Panel settings.
• Multiplayer Game-End Crashes: Fixed crashes that occurred when a pilot disconnected during the game-ending animation.
• Water Caustic Artifacts: Resolved artifacts caused by water caustics in some maps.
• Water Penalty Fixes: Fixed cases where players would get stuck with the water penalty or all players would receive the penalty simultaneously.
• Login Initialization Issues: The game now initializes correctly even in cases where login problems occurred.
• Multiplayer Spectator Crash Fix: Fixed crashes when switching from Spectator to Pilot mode in multiplayer.
• Leaderboard Bug Fixes: Addressed several minor bugs in the leaderboard for a smoother experience.

🔜 Upcoming Features (Work in Progress)

• Expanded Drone Models: New drone models are on the way, expanding your fleet options.
• More Environments and Map Editor Elements: Stay tuned for new immersive environments and additional map editor elements.
• Advanced Map Editor Features: Multi-select functionality and further enhancements will make track editing easier and more powerful.

If you're enjoying EreaDrone, we'd be grateful if you could take a moment to write a review on Steam. Your support and feedback mean the world to us!

Stay tuned for more updates as we continually enhance your EreaDrone experience!