Overview
Developer Digital Lode Immersive Media and Publisher Tripwire Presents are excited to announce the release of our second Espire 2 update!Voice Chat
Update 1.2 focuses on delivering in-game voice chat. Until now, Espire 2 has relied on the Meta party voice chat feature. Espire 2 is our very first multiplayer game @ Digital Lode. It was a difficult technical challenge to get the Co-Op up and running including the 2 frames and the various stealth mechanics & gadgets. We decided to rely on the meta party chat feature for voice chat so that we could put all of our development efforts into creating a stable (and fun!) Co-Op experience to the best of our abilities. Post-launch, we heard loud and clear that players need an in-game voice chat solution and so we've worked hard since launch to integrate in-game voice chat. We've also ensured the in-game voice chat will work with our guard A.I interrogation voice commands. We hope you love it!AI Fixes
Update 1.2 also includes major AI fixes. We’ve trawled reviews and streams and in this update focused on fixing issues where enemy guards could get stuck into walls or parts of the environment. There should be a broad improvement across both the singleplayer and co-op campaigns where this will no longer happen.Public Roadmap
Since launch, we’ve been trying to collate as much player feedback as possible. We’ve surveyed our users on the official Espire Discord server, seeking feedback on what they’d like to see in Espire 2 in 2022. This is a big week for Espire 2, where, aside from this 1.2 voice chat update, we’re also sharing our first public roadmap for the game, with a look at what we’re aiming to ship in 2023.Our roadmap can be viewed here in detail, and in summary, in 2023 we hope to focus on the following:
- Espire Ops: We’ll be releasing new Single-player levels with weekly developer-set challenges
- Public Co-Op: Aside from Voice chat, the ability to find games when your friends aren't online has been a top request that we’re focusing on
- Co-Op Missions: More Co-op missions are in the works, as is a new hardcore difficulty setting for SP and Co-Op Campaigns
- New VR Platforms: We are bringing Espire 2 to new VR platforms. We are in the early stages of development and will have more to announce in 2023.
- Skins: Another top request for players, we’ll be bringing unlockable frame skins & weapon variants
Please note: while we will strive to deliver these features, this roadmap is subject to change.
Update 1.2 Release notes - Summary
- Native In-Game Voice Chat for Co-Op. When we launched Espire 2, we relied on the Meta party voice chat feature. The #1 request from players has been to include an in-game voice chat solution and so this has been a top priority since launch. Our in-game voice chat can be found in the MP-Lobby after launching update 1.2.
- Major A.I Fixes. We’ve fixed issues where enemy A.I soldiers could get stuck in walls or other areas of the environment. We have also improved situations where a guard would walk into an obstacle.
- Top Bug Fixes. We’ve fixed some top community-requested bugs across the game. From issues where players could walk through particular walls in the End Point & Red Line Co-op missions, to an issue where players could get ‘stuck’ during the end sequence of mission #1. See the “Full release notes” below for more information on bug fixes in update 1.2.
Full release notes
Feature Improvements
- Multiplayer Voice chat support has been added. Once in multiplayer game voice chat controls are found in the Lobby and Pause menu screens
- Added Cancel Ready button to the multiplayer lobby screen
A.I Improvements
- Fixes for guards incorrectly moving through doors & walls
- Fixes for flying spotter drones swaying through walls and getting stuck in inaccessible areas
- Fixes for guards spawning & getting trapped in inaccessible areas in Operations Moros Spear & Sky High
Stability Improvements
- Fixed an issue where cheat progress could sometimes be lost
- Improved stability of audio mixer code to prevent rare crashes
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in the SLAM Launch Sequence
- Fixed turrets targeting the player while using Espire Instinct with either frame
- Fixed an issue where there was no collision on a concrete wall near the first Mk1 area in the 2nd Co-op mission (End Point)
- Fixes for various collision & lighting issues in the final co-op mission (Red Line)
- Fixed a rare issue where the player would encounter missing level geometry when first entering the destroyed pilot chamber in Operation Snow Blind
- Fixed an issue where aim-assist would cause headshots to be not counted when a target was shot from behind
