Slim Edition! Update Changelog

10 Oct 20 - Josh van Asten, Voidjumper

For any queries on the installation or run process, please check the Install Instructions on the main Nuclear Rangers page or in the .txt or .md readmes provided with the downloaded files.

It's been almost half a decade since Nuclear Rangers first launched.

There’s been a number of small changes, additions, and fixes I’ve been wanting to add since that time. Most noticeably: drastically reducing the game’s install size. Packaged along with that have been a number of other updates.

We hope you enjoy playing the slightly better edition of Nuclear Rangers! May we always casually trivialise the horrors of nuclear warfare.

General:

• Decreased the game’s file size by 90%
• Added new character flavour texts.
• Minor engine tweaks.
• Added a game icon.
• Evened out the random number generators, to create a less frustrating experience.

Gameplay:

• Holo-obstacles can now be disabled again from the same generator that activated them.

• Pick-ups:

  • Repositioned pick-ups to be more centrally aligned.
  • Decreased pick respawn timer by 440%.

VFX

• Added new ship selection UI elements
• Added a missing character select background.
• Updated the main menu banner.
• Updated the pause menu.
• Updated the draw match over screen.
• Updated the explosion VFX.
• Updated the nuke and nuke contrail VFX.
• Updated player ship reticles.
• Updated player ship contrails.
  • Ship contrails and reticles are now visually differentiated between players.
• Updated the game’s mouse pointer.
• Updated holo-obstacle generator VFX.
• Fixed some player contrail visual artifacting.
• Fixed some contrail disparity when using the Raumfalke ship.

SFX:

• Compressed all audio files.
• Increased the bass on explosion SFX.
• Remastered some of the announcer and pickup SFX.
• Added some missing processing to Trush’s VO.
• Increased match music volume.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed a bug where certain animations were being prematurely ended.
• Fixed a bug with inertia calculations and deceleration which let characters (especially Ocis) inertia-slingshot.

Character Updates

All Characters:

• New Recovery Time: 90ms (was 93ms)
• New Firerate delay: 100ms (was 70ms)
• New Inertia: 0.975 (was 0.95) Note: in Bug Fixes the inertia calculations were also changed. The 0.95 value used to be converted to either 0.97 or 0.985 and was influenced by ship acceleration.

Trush

• New Firerate delay: 0ms (was 35ms). Standard is: 70ms.
• New Explosion Radius: 162 (was 200). Standard is: 325.

Ocis

• New Thrust: 0.9 (was 0.6). Standard is 0.2.
• New Inertia: 0.96 (was 0.955). Standard is 0.975) (This might look small, but is applied every frame, coupled with the global inertia changes)
• New Top Speed: 7 (was 6.7). Standard is 6.

Ocis gets a small Top Speed increase to lean into the speed fantasy, while still maintaining a distinction from Hith with a priority on short, sharp bursts of speed.

Hith

• New Top Speed: 11 (was 8). Standard is 6.
• New Thrust: 0.125 (was 0.2). Standard is 0.2.
• New Recovery Time: 150ms (was 94.79ms). Standard is 90ms.

Hith gets a small hit to her Thrust in order to better emphasise the build-up to top speed. Recovery Time was also previously influenced by her Thrust stat and not her own Recovery stat.

Bulletflow

• New Rotation Speed: 6 (was 4.3). Standard is 3.
• New Top Speed: 3 (was 4). Standard is 6.
• New Inertia: 0.85 (was 0.95). Standard is 0.975.

Bulletflow’s Inertia change (along with the global inertia change) allows her really specialise for control and precision movement. Her slower speed is now backed up by not just a tighter turning circle, but also almost-instant braking.

Talonoe

• New Recovery Time: 15ms (was 33ms). Standard is 100ms.
• New Rotation Speed: 2.3 (was 2.6). Standard is 3.

Nox

• New Detonation Radius: 1200m. (was 900m). Standard is 600m.
• New Firerate delay: 120ms (was 113ms). Standard is 100ms.

While the Firerate delay change doesn’t seem drastic, coupled with the extended range Nox often finds himself already waiting longer to detonate than other characters, and thus also self-limits his firerate in that way.

And that’s all, folks! Nuclear Rangers was a fun game to make, and I’m still impressed by how well it holds up today, considering how new everyone was to game development back then. I hope anyone who decides to play it gets some enjoyment out it. So long, and au revoir.