Here's a "short" version, read the post for complete info.
AI (Features):
- continued to fix bugs and make improvements to Human combat and other AI behaviors
AI (Tech):
- focused on finalizing and polishing features for Alpha 3.23 alongside optimizations for existing systems
- work on planetary navigation was completed allowing the team to generate navigation mesh over entire planets
- continued to implement new rules and finalized synchronization between the server and clients for boids
- iterated on new ship behaviors with Design, improvements to the aiming-control system for ships and turrets
- load reduction to AI navigation system
- improvements to Apollo tool
Animation:
- team has been working on the “Space Cow”, a medium-sized bird, a predator wolf-like creature, as well as several new vehicles entrance animations
Art (Characters):
- completed a range of branded racing flightsuits
- continued working on outfits for the Headhunters gang
- began exploring specialist armors and worked on handoff sheets
Art (Ships):
- progress on the RSI Zeus (greybox was completed and all functionality has been validated)
- Anvil Legionnaire is whitebox complete
- work on the Resource Network began, 10 ships nearing completion
- update work on a legacy ship continued
Community:
- Community team support for the Overdrive Initiative and Stella Fortuna
- banner design contest for the latter
- spent time helping prepare the RSI Launcher 2.0 for live release
- supported various community events
Core Gameplay:
- Gameplay Features team successfully passed the go/no-go gates for procedural recoil, new scopes, dynamic crosshairs, and reload improvements
- progress on ammo repooling
- preproduction for base building
- added different colored loot screens depending on whether the player is looting an enemy, friendly, or neutral entity
- added a button to go from the inventory to the loot screen and a pop-up window when an item swap can’t be performed
- allowed for separate loot-screen styles between the visor and lens
- conversion of on-screen chat to Building Blocks was completed
- converted more markers to the new system
- unblocked animation content to support weapon customization and two-handed carry to work with the new EVA system
- improvements to how shop items are highlighted when players look at them
- completed buy and rent interactions for physical shopping
- improvements to prone locomotion
- improvements to aiming and targeting for the gunnery system for Master Modes
- temporary solution for ship-hull penetration was added until Maelstrom is ready to support physical ship armor
- optimized the dynamic room atmosphere system and made it network compatible
- more work on cargo elevators and instanced hangars
- updated radar zone queries to use new zone query time splice tech
- work began on ‘signature categories’ (different signature detections based on emitters)
- Arena Commander:
- improve to multi-crew experience by adding access selection
- refactored the team-balancing system
- improved loadout definitions
- support for the Engineering Experimental Modes and a selection of new maps and modes
- support for a new system for Gun Rush
- progress on reputation-based hostility
- changes to the trespass behavior
- UI:
- work continued on the redesigned Contract Manager
- completed payment validation for beacons
- made Journal compatible with the new mobiGlas and updated the Home screen
- support for the legacy Comm-Link and VMS Flash apps
- visual updates to the Wallet and Assets apps
- provided new data structure to Mission Design so they could start setting up hauling missions
- progress on hangars, including the Instanced Interior Manager
- improvements to the freight elevator and commodity kiosks
Economy:
- continued rebalancing commodities
- mission rewards are being rebalanced according to the difficulty and time required to complete them
- team is involved in the design of reputation and org progression
- starting to balance the time and cost of autoloading freight elevators
Graphics, VFX Programming & Planet Tech:
- bug fixing the various deliverables for Alpha 3.23
- added performance-scaling options to the water simulation
- Vulkan team worked through several performance issues as they moved closer to matching D3D performance
- reworking shaders to reduce the total number of PSOs (shaders) that need compiling when the game starts
- work on Global Illumination continues
- Planet Tech team started work on Planet Tech v5
- VFX team continued with networking support for the fire simulation
In-Game Branding:
- preparations for Invictus Launch Week
- work for cargo containers and additional signage for various locations
Interactables:
- item banks (now called gear storage) were finished
- explosive containers were reworked and now replace static meshes in levels
- fire extinguisher recharge cabinets progressed through greybox
- cargo hover trolleys are being finalized
Lighting:
- worked on instanced hangars, freight elevators, distribution centers and Invictus Launch Week
- supported the upcoming Character Customizer
Locations:
- polishing content for Alpha 4.0
- closed out the upcoming distribution centers
- kicked off preproduction for new mandates officially beginning in Q2
- Landing Zone team finalized art for instanced hangars
Mission Design:
- Mission Feature team was restructured, becoming the Mission Design team
- following feedback on the Overdrive Initiative event, the team is revisiting the standard data heist missions
- progress on the upcoming cargo hauling missions (lawful stores across Stanton will not buy your cargo, got to use a fence if you want to sell them)
- began working on wildlife related missions (Kill ‘X’ Amount, Clear Location, Kill and Collect)
- some older mission modules were refactored
- further testing of Blockade Runner
Narrative:
- revising existing missions like the New Player Experience
- outlining new missions
- discussions with gameplay teams on ‘lorification’ of upcoming systems
- various posts on the website and Galactapedia updates
Online Technology:
- refactoring of social services backend
- work to reduce EAC Anti-Cheat false positives in preparation of enabling sanction enforcement
- finished off long-term persistence work for the Character Customizer
R&D:
- work continued on the temporal render mode
- supported the Gen12/Vulkan work
Tech Design:
- support of preparations for Alpha 3.23 and beyond
- support for hangars and ship flight
- polish work on Master Modes
UI:
- development of the new freight elevator kiosk, commodity kiosk, and item bank
- preparing mandates coming later this year, including the Resource Network and jump points
- added new player-facing UI, new mobiGlas
- new visor and lens improvements
- polished the new shopping UI and Character Customizer
VFX:
- finished work on distribution centers and freight elevators
- completed tasks for several upcoming vehicles
- progress on jump point effect