MMC v0.3.0/v0.3.1 app update is in review and set to release ASAP (All Platforms)

[Mini Militia Classic Alpha Force]

v0.3.0 (Apple iOS build)

v0.3.1 (Goolge Play buid)

We've submitted to both stores. Now we wait for their review. Last time it took 24 hours, and 8 hours the time before that, and only 40 minutes the time before that! So it's REALLY variable. In the meantime study the release notes:

Release Notes will also be posted on our website (news button in app)

https://appsomniacs.com/Static/Games/DoodleArmy2/news.html

What to test for the v0.3.x release:

• Spending coins on loadouts.
  • Comp coins should never exceed spend limits. 
  • Unranked games (i.e., all of Custom atm.) should NOT use your battle coins 
  • Ensure limits are observed
  • Take note of coins earned and spent and make sure your profile reflects
• Creating your own loadouts (weapons only in this release.)
• Spending limits in custom
• Turning map drops on and off (not useful atm, but this plays a part later)
• Changing game modes from one type to another (make sure the game loads correctly.)
• Making your own weapon loadouts, share them on our discord.

Please report any and all problems to testingfeedback at appsomniacs.com

v.0.3.1 Release Notes

• Fixed a crash at startup that only affected newer Android devices running later versions of the OS (i.e. 64 bit) OS
• Fixed an alignment issue on the Loadout Builder

v.0.3.0 Release Notes (killed at launch for Android by a bug found in gold testing, iOS is fine.)

• Fixed Flame weapon so doesn't pull target toward shooter
• Fixed Phaser weapon so it doesn't push target to right only
• Adjusted all weapon damage forces adjusted (tweaked/toned down, maybe needs more/less, testing feedback will tell)
• Tweaked weapon drop forces. Grenades and weapons should not fly off "as far" on death. They will fly in some more extreme cases.
• Fixed spawning right next to other enemy players.
• Fixed the starting position spawn issues in Survival, Training, and as a LAN player in Spectate Mode
• Fixed logic error that was drawing the player too early when spawning (making them appear to jump, fly through walls, or fall off a map briefly without their spawning gear/loadouts.)
• Fixed password bug on custom servers
• Sorted the Loadouts menu by Battle Coin cost
• Fixed player name display bugs (there may be more, let us know when and where you see more after this update)
• Fixed Survival and Training TMX so they could be used correctly in our new game engine architecture.
• Fixed Survival death related bugs (menu and spawning)
• Fixed crashes introduced with Loadouts regarding memory usage (more aggressive solutions to avoid out of memory errors on older devices. more )
• Removed the quit add penalty. If people quit now in ranked games they don't get a score. That is enough of a deterrent. They do get to keep all their deaths and kills though and would be marked as a game that was quit and thus affecting their game completion percent on their profile.
• Updated the loadout builder to allow you to add/remove/edit your own loadouts
• Fixed list picker issues (wrong items offered, several, there may be more.)
• Fixed spectate mode so it can actually spectate without being kicked (spawn timer related)
• Adjusted text alignments on the game over scoreboard
• Fixed the player's GID not displaying incorrectly on the profile page
• Added in a new game configuration system (enables us to add as many game configuration elements as necessary to achieve game mode nirvana in the future)
• Replaced the Store/Loads button with a placeholder to hype  the "Subscriber/elite forces/officers lounge" area (whose name has not been determined.) Which is "Under Construction"
• Fixed bug on server that thought you were hacking and stopped you from doing damage (related to dual wield options)
• Fixed extra "ghost weapons" being drawn (just a graphical glitch during loadout selection)
• Added new custom game configuration settings screen (added two new settings "Spend Limit" [0 = off, and a max of 50k ] and "Map [Weapon] Drop" [on/off]
• Adding in a loadouts builder (access via the Armory Button) 
• Specials can be added to a loadout in name only (the graphic placements are wrong, and they do NOT affect gameplay... yet.)
• Added a button under Settings->Configure to  "DEFAULT LOADS". This will reset your loadouts to our factory settings.

Explain These New Features! 

Surprise! In this update you will find new things that finished while we were releasing Part A. These were to be part of Part B but the code has been incorporated so we can test these new features now too. 

• The loadout builder works (now). 
  • Hopefully it is less confusing.
  • You can make your own loadouts to test against the server (coins willing)
    
    
• Custom gets a new game configuration menu and new ways to alter the game
  • (this is just the beginning of what will be possible here folks). 
  • Choose settings, player count, game type, and set spend limits for loadouts. 
  • Set Spend Limit to 0 to ignore all loadouts that have a cost greater than 0. (closest thing to the classic game mode we have atm.)
    
    
• Custom and LAN "Unranked" games don't use Battle Coins. 
  
  
• Currently all of Custom/LAN is "unranked", and Quick Play is "ranked" FOR NOW.
  • Custom will someday have ranked play if its possible to secure
  • Ranked games store results on our servers for leaderboards and profiles.
  • In Unranked games you will be "comped" coins (e.g., labeled as "COMP" based on the game config's "Spend Limit".
  • Set your spend limits and EVERYONE has these amounts to pull from for that entire game, but that's it. 
  • You can only use earned coins on your profile in Ranked games (i.e., Quick Play)
  • Use these "Comp" (complimentary) coins up in the game They DO NOT carry over outside that game/battle. 
    • I.e., Use them as frivolously or frugally as you like.
  • Setting a spend limit of 0 will cause the loadouts screen to not appear and the default will be given to you 
    • Just suffer at the hands of the Map Drops cruel RNG.
    • This is the closest to a classic setting we have right now. More to come on that.
      
      
• CTF servers are NOT missing. 
  • We will not have special servers for CTF games now, it is a game mode.
  • Custom and CTF are now run games from ONE server, like the server gods always intended but never got done, there is *now* NO difference. So "Three cheers!" for the new game mode architecture we've been working on for half a year now! There will not be a server named CTF, it will be a configuration item per game (right now DM and CTF... but there is room for more later...) 
  • Please name your unlocked games CTF-[your room name] until we get a chance to do this for you. This merge is the natural progression to 
  1. help cut our server costs down by having the most efficient number of servers (which is important for a long life in the long tail.) and 
  2. Lobbies can change to different game modes from game to game.
  • When we add more game modes you and your crew (or randos) can flip around to different game modes. 
  • We will eventually provide filtering on the room list for the different game modes.
    
    
• Spawning location logic is improved (on the servers as well as on client LAN games.) It was not doing what it needed to do so it was changed 
  • The new algorithm spreads enemy combatants out, doesn't spawn too soon in the same place, etc.
    • It doesn't currently take teammates into consideration
      
    • If there are enough spawn points it will not spawn immediately in the same spot, but in some game modes this will be part of the meta strategies.
  • It was doing a good job avoiding gas and mines, as no one has reported that occurrence to official channels yet, that logic remains unchanged.
    
    
• Did you know that you can't choose a loadout in the last 30 seconds of the game? Well, now you do.

Server Settings/Economy Changes (I guess we should start tracking these)

• There is now a Battle Coin spend limit of 10k in quickplay (testing limits of spend) 
  • Feedback is wanted on this after we play like this for a week or two.
  • We know we will have a period where it is more, and less. Look for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
    
    
• No changes to weapon costs (yet) but when specials are present we will have WAY more discussions on what is a fair amount.
  • We expect to have many iterations of testing ideas through the rest of the alpha and through the beta.
    • TUNING
    • TUNING
    • TUNING
    • Say it with me... TUNING! Some tests will suck, some will be too cheap, some will be too much. We will iterate till it's "just right".
    • This alpha baby! (I'll be sad when I lose that excuse)

Other things to Explain:

New terminology "COMP" points. Comp is short for Complimentary (i.e. free of charge, etc.) Comp points are set to the spend limit in unranked games in Custom. They last just for that game. Use 'em or lose 'em. Use 'em up too quickly and you lose choices near the end game, don't use them and you may miss an edge to be gained in a pitched battle.

Not Fixed/Known Issues

• Room merging has an issue (you can see this when people who are stuck "Connecting..." this is one symptom, but it affects quick play the most.
• It is possible to add so many loadouts that you crash your device... you have been warned. Find hubris before you add that much.
• Survival Coop final scoring is not operational (has remaining bugs) - we will fix them later
• Map Loading issue - Still looking for steps to reproduce this (v0.2.x new map loading system did NOT fix this as hoped, I fear we made it worse. Please report how often you see this. it's our only indicator it's occurring.) It looks like cheating to other players, if you see weapons spawning in walls (basically it's using Outpost to spawn weapons. After we change item management to the server it will be off for anyone not on the right map
• Zoom, is this actually fixed or not? It might be the old store item that is not applied. Zoom is a hot mess right now, we know.
• The fixes for crashing on the loadouts list came with a price (it is not as smooth as it was... we hope to improve that, although it's better than it was, but still a little laggy.)
• Lower end devices might have problems loading a loadout screen... we need to know who you are and specifically what devices.
• It is possible to be the host of a room and NOT be able to boot or kick (especially if you were not the creator of the room)
• v0.2.1 didn't get patch notes, I will post them on the web/news pages asap.
• There are probably more things buried in our notes but this is what's off the top of my head.

Points to you for reading this far! ;)