MMC v0.9.2 the "OMG 😱 Finally" release [11/29/2022]

[Mini Militia Classic Alpha Force]

ARE YOU READY FOR v0.9.2  ALPHA FORCE?!?!

Ready or not... here it comes... Google and Apple have approved these releases. So you should see it soon between 1~24 hours of this posting.

What a run (and long wait for you all) this has been. Thank you all for your patience and support. We will do a post mortem later if people want to know why this took way longer than expected. I was expecting a 12~15 week run. This took almost 33 weeks... That's 229 days... 136 changes and fixes in total (too many to recount every detail), 40%~50% of those changes are related to the payment system alone. There were numerous technical hurdles, but just as many non-work issues we couldn't control that came up that sent us on a different course of action. Let us not mince words (my specialty)... This release IS done, should be playable/testable, and we have several more patches and releases to **quickly** follow this up and get us into real beta ASAP... So get us your feedback through Discord or the testing feedback channel so we can understand what is happening.

There were a lot of corners cut from the plan this release as we abandon the old roadmap (sort of) and forge a new path (notice the missing subscription system we were excited about that is missing, some of the error states aren't well vetted, and so many more that the time is better spent getting more done than living the past wondering about lost opportunities.) 

There is not a lot changed on the surface, but you are standing on something that has gone through a huge tectonic shift under its crust. Custom has joined the more secure architecture of the ranked play space. The payment system was a gigantic effort but it's solved and extensible now (for all our apps, not just this one. Apple will follow asap.) Many tweaks to Cv4 and we're not done yet.

Ever forward we march!

This is short for me. The gory, but comms well edited, details are below! The shorter less detailed list or changes can be found on the news page as per usual or this link:

https://www.appsomniacs.com/static/games/doodlearmy2/news.html

-Hunter

And this message/update, as well as the past ones, will be posted at https://groups.google.com/g/mini-militia-classic-alpha-force as per usual.

And images linked in this message can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SDh-hMyyt0KSTHoaAxlLaoXJj5PtP0Ok

In the v0.9.2 folder for DevScreenshots:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oOdaFTQF18rN-_gzysJljA9OCAZMRcPl

**Remember if you crash. Restart the app and give a minute on the main menu to send us the report.**

WHAT IS IN THE RELEASE?
Tier 1 Pass (1 day) [Android only] - We are starting out with very limited features until we are certain that the system is functioning properly. Prices and pass durations are set low so that more people will be able to test the system. Expect prices and durations to be adjusted later. Also, there is a limit of 3 active passes per account. This limit is not NOT intended to exist when we are out of alpha and does not require a client update for us to allow more purchasing.
- Remove non-optional ads (no ads between games, banners, and no ads
to do saves). You will still be able to watch ads to earn tokens.
- Enable a "callsign" (a unique profile name) that, if enabled, will override the current avatar name. The callsign can be edited and turned off/on in the settings menu. The rules about what words and characters are allowed and how frequently you can edit the callsign are still being defined. 
- Remove the cost of tokens for starting a custom ranked game.

Bag of Tokens [Android only] - A small bag of 25 tokens are available for purchase. The token purchase is not very valuable at the moment. Treat this purchase as a donation (this has been asked for, I will not say no to this.) In time we will add value and figure out what the right price-to-token exchange should be. If it doesn't seem worth it to you to support us monetarily, DO NOT feel pressured to donate the amount shown in exchange for 25 tokens. We can't put a donate button on the app, so this is our workaround for that.

UPDATES TO CV4 [iOS & Android]
- Reset attenuation to near v4.0.42 levels.
- Added a new cover mechanic (Deflector) that appears when a player is crouched. This extends the cover mechanism to protect the player from headshots while crouched. The deflector is directional and will move with the player's aim. The deflector will not block shots while you are firing. 

- Altered the pickup delay to a similar state seen in v4.0.42.
- Limited laser site to a lesser number of weapons as per v4.0.42.

OTHER CHANGES, NOTES, AND BUG FIXES [iOS & Android]
- Game controls and loadouts should be able to sync/save to the server.

- Added a way to adjust controls during live play (but it fires off an ad midgame... this is NOT intentional, but was not seen until after launch.)
- GID (DA2ID) labels added to any place a list of players is shown in the friends area (even from social/custom games).

- 5:5 error might be fixed. Let us know if you still see this error. And then try entering a shorter name and tell us if it is fixed. (testing...@appsomniacs.com)

- Regional support option has been added to the settings screen; however, this tool is not finished and will be completed later. 

- FOV adjusted to be more accurate on different screen sizes.

- Adjusted sight POV for consistency across various screens.

- LAN tweaks to player setup, room closing, and crash fixes.

iOS VS. ANDROID

Apple works under a different set of rules regarding purchasing systems. So the v0.9.2 release will NOT include the pass purchasing option. 

KNOWN ISSUES

- Deep Links not functional in Android 12
- Double pop-up messages when trying to save call sign and there is a problem (name can't be used) erringly says it was successful then tells you why it wasn't in the second popup
- Failure messages are inserting text and adding the server message after (this makes for crappy pop ups dialogs)
- Possible to lock up the client interface buying things quickly in a row before validation completes.
- Callsign edit input dialog does not close when successfully saved
- Saving a control scheme mid game lets an ad pop up
- Ads may not be suppressed everywhere as a pass holder
- (fixed?) When callsign edit fails the local data has the failed values... (wait this is the CAS fault...) when you go back to main menu it has the failed name.
- Opening with callsign A (existing) and saving callsign B (success) and then trying to save callsign A without closing the edit window does not work.

- Leaderboards suck/don't work atm (there is a performance issue generating them, that's why this is an alpha)  and isn't scaling as the number of people played. So... we are going to work on that before beta.

STAY UP TO DATE

We suspect that the emails we post to the Alpha mailing list are getting caught in peoples' spam filters. Another way to get the latest information is to join our Discord server and follow the announcements channels:

Appsomniacs Official 

https://discord.gg/d6A2UjwA25

Here's a peak at the "Deflector" which is our attempt at restoring the v4.0.28 cover mechanic META, adding a little balance that we think was needed, and a visual element to make it very clear what is happening.

v0.9.2_CV4_crouch_shield.png

Some features will require an active pass to make use of.

v0.9.2_level1_callsign.png

Remember to Edit your callsign, but also to set "USE CALLSIGN" to "ON" to actually see it displayed in various locations.

v0.9.2_level1_callsign_settings.png

The enrollment screen... Level II and III are just placeholders... We'll talk more about them when we get started.

v0.9.2_pro_pass.png

Once fully developed each tier will have a range of times with baked in value savings the longer you enroll. Today, v0.9.2, we have the Tier 1 Day Pass shown here with US localized alpha pricing. ~10 INR in India, and should be similarly scaled worldwide to the near lowest price Google allows... Prices will change and we'll talk about the general strategy for pricing later. Again, it's entirely optional to use real world coin. Any game you get into will not be limited... I clearly have a lot to say on this but this was supposed to be one short sentence... whoops.

Here is our comms officer, Martin, rocking their Tier 1 "Bronze" pass. This is how I will pay them now... Everyone go buy stuff so we can pay our Martins for real someday. Love you Martin, thanks for doing what you do for free. We probably don't deserve your contributions and the salacious blackmail I have on you will continue to never see the light of day.

v.0.9.2_callsign_nameplate.png

Feel like donating to the cause? That's what this token purchase is here for. The value is intrinsic atm. Don't spend if you can't afford it. Save it for passes. The free ad-driven side will continue to be supported so everyone can participate in the long health of the game franchise. Eventually tokens will matter more and more for pass holders and freemium tier players alike. For now they will continue to accumulate.

v0.9.2_bag_of_tokens.png

The region selector shown here is really just a preview of what's to come. But you can compare your frenemies pings with one another. This is not a good net day for this US player to play in Asia. Soon this will have even more regions!