Hello, readers!

We have some exciting news to share with you. After countless trials and errors, we have successfully updated the animation system. We’ve enlisted the help of another programmer who has an in-depth knowledge of the Unity animations systems. We’re on the verge of releasing a significant update that we’ve been working on throughout the year. The game is still in early access, so we’ve been overhauling many structural systems to ensure that we can further improve the game in future updates. From a performance perspective, the old animation system turned out to be much more resource-intensive than anticipated. We have optimized the frame-by-frame character animation, which was previously divided into five separate components, all animated separately. The old system required each item set to be a compilation of hundreds of images, requiring manual measurements and placement. While this system might have worked for a regular fighting game with different characters, it became an extremely daunting task when designing new items due to the character customization and mix-and-match options.

So, what’s new? We have redesigned and improved some of the existing item sets and also added an entirely new item set. The animation system is now completely new and much smoother. We are currently working on maximizing its potential. We’ve also made changes to the buttons, user interface, and updated the main screen background to look more sleek. In addition, we’ve added a leaderboard menu, which, although simple for now, will showcase top players and eventually their accomplishments as the game becomes more competitive. Our plans for the future include adding additional game modes like 2vs2, 3vs3, and competitive ranked game modes will also be on the horizon. Consequently, we’ll also be implementing most importantly a report system and a few social features to allow players to form communities and connect while playing Simple Arena Robots.

Another important aspect we wanted to address is the in-game purchases. We understand that the current microtransaction system might seem unfair. Initially, it was introduced for early access testing purposes. Players currently accumulate Bolt Coins as rewards for playing matches and also have a chance to be awarded random pieces of equipment. They can purchase Diamonds, a premium currency, to buy in-game bolts for acquiring in-game items. We will be scrapping that system and implementing an item skin customization system instead. This will allow players to purchase customization options for items they’ve already acquired. In terms of fairness, we are also working on balancing existing items and player stats. We greatly appreciate player feedback and input, so feel free to join our Discord to support, chat, and discuss the game further. We’ll also be hosting our forums there.

Thank you for being a part of this exciting journey with us. We can’t wait to share the new update with you all!

Hello guys, I should probably make an effort to post more often, but behind the scenes, we’ve been hard at work to deliver a substantial update for our game. While the development process continues, we felt the need to refine certain aspects before diving into marketing.

One area that required significant improvement was the organization and management of player data. The system we initially implemented using Firebase proved to be highly inefficient and cumbersome to work with. We had intended to utilize Firebase for capturing and storing real-time player data and authentication, but we struggled to leverage the Firebase databases effectively. Moreover, managing and searching through player data within the Firebase console proved to be highly inefficient, lacking a built-in search feature. This meant that manually finding specific player accounts or addressing reported issues became an arduous task, relying solely on a dropdown menu without clear indications of usernames.

To address these challenges, we made the decision to implement a completely different system for saving player progress and managing player data. After thorough research, we chose to utilize PlayFab, which proved to be a significantly better solution. We enlisted the help of a developer experienced with PlayFab, resulting in the integration of a standard email and password login system alongside social media login options. Rest assured, all player data remains private. Furthermore, when creating an account using a social media platform, the system no longer generates a character based on the account’s first or last name. Instead, it generates a random character name, allowing players to choose their own username later. This revamped system greatly enhances the manageability of player data, as all information is securely stored on the cloud rather than on the player’s device. We now have the ability to easily sort through the data, identify any exploiters or problematic players, and take appropriate actions if necessary. Additionally, we are actively working on incorporating social features to facilitate the creation of player communities.

Optimization has also been a top priority for us. While the game runs smoothly on PCs, it doesn’t perform optimally on standard mobile phones. Therefore, I am currently in the process of updating the animation system to improve its smoothness and efficiency. Profiling the Unity Engine revealed that the current animation code and system consume more resources than anticipated. Moreover, the frame-by-frame basis of the current system adds complexity when designing new items. To address these issues, we are exploring the utilization of spine animations. Although it is a work in progress, the preliminary results look incredibly promising and offer a significant improvement over our current setup. Please see the examples below:

We are excited about these developments and are committed to delivering the best possible gaming experience. Your feedback and support have been invaluable, and we look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.

Thank you for your understanding and continued enthusiasm.

Best regards,

Amp Designs

When Simple Arena was being developed, prior to creating the prototype, I had conducted research on the Google Play Store. My analysis indicated that there were very few fighting games in the robotic genre and mechs category on the Play Store. The competition wasn’t expected to be significant, as most mech games were 3D and a bit too robust. The idea we were bringing forward was unique, and our gameplay videos wouldn’t be cinematic CGI trailers.

Fast forward to the present day, the Google Play Store is now flooded with robotic combat games, but most of them have minimal features. Currently, a search for ‘Simple Arena Robots’ would display other games first, unless the complete title, ‘Simple Arena Robots PVP,’ is explicitly entered. If you’re planning on making a game, I strongly recommend using methods to protect your source code and ideas, as there are creative leeches on the prowl, trying to take credit for intellectual property that is not theirs to begin with. It’s a shame, considering this project has been in the works for three years now.

Furthermore, due to a Google Policy change, Simple Arena Robots was temporarily taken off the Play Store for a Data Policy Violation issue related to the use of Firebase. Strangely, many other robot/mech games of this genre were thriving on the Play Store despite similar issues.

But worry not, Simple Arena Robots is actually still actively under development. We’ve been working extensively on it for the past few months, and after a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, we’ve finally released Version 0.4 with many exciting and much-anticipated features.

For those who aren’t into multiplayer randomized queuing, Muneeb has created a versus AI version, allowing players to enjoy the game offline by playing against a bot. Additionally, players now have the ability to create their own lobbies, enabling them to challenge each other with a custom invitational room code.

We’ve also conducted rigorous testing, resulting in significant game optimization and the resolution of various bugs related to projectiles and desync issues.

Furthermore, we’re excited to showcase our new features and levels in the recently released trailer.”

I made some minor changes to improve the flow and clarity of the text. If you have any specific concerns or if there’s anything else you’d like me to look at, feel free to let me know!

New Features:

• VS AI Mode
• Lobby Creation System
• New Sound Effects and New Music
• Weapons Have Been Balanced
• Blocking Mechanism Now Has a Visual Effect
• Particle Effect Has Been Added for Impact
• Gameplay Has Been Further Optimized
• Main Level Has Been Overhauled
• Two New Levels Have Been Added
• HP and SP Bar UI Have Been Redesigned

Design-wise, as you can see in the trailer above, we have finally added two new levels to the game. The UI is looking much smoother, and we are constantly working on visual improvements. Our goal is to enhance animations and introduce a good variety of new items for a balanced yet diverse combat experience. As we continue adding more content to the game, we plan to implement additional social features such as leaderboards, guilds or clans, a friend list, and eventually a ranked game mode. Thank you for taking the time to fully read this post. Cheers, and until next time.

Simple Arena Robots is still actively being developed and worked on. Currently, the game is released on the Google Play Store, but it’s in a playable pre-alpha state due to a few fundamental bugs. We encountered issues with our database and how player progress was being saved. Despite thorough testing, I hadn’t realized that all the data was being saved locally instead of in the cloud. This caused problems with Google and Facebook login, as each time the app was uninstalled, the player’s character and progress wouldn’t save, requiring them to create a new character when reinstalling the game. However, we have now fixed this issue and also taken the time to implement additional features.

If you’ve been grinding and your progress isn’t saved after this upcoming patch, send us an email, and we’ll be more than happy to assist you.

As mentioned in the previous post, we have created additional maps for the game. Now, when queuing for a match, players will experience a randomized selection of 4 different maps (and we plan to add even more in the future). Furthermore, we’ve introduced moving platforms to enhance the gameplay experience, though we are actively working on fixing a few physics-related bugs to ensure smooth gameplay.

Our team has also made significant improvements to the matchmaking system. Players should now have no trouble finding matches within their region, resulting in a better online gaming experience.

Listening to valuable player feedback, we are excited to announce that an Offline/PVE mode is currently in the works and will be implemented soon. This addition aims to cater to players who prefer single-player or cooperative gameplay.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback as we strive to make Simple Arena Robots an enjoyable and engaging gaming experience for everyone.

Thank you for your support as we continue to improve and develop Simple Arena Robots.

In mid October the multiplayer build was finally nearly completed. The developer who worked on Spacefarm had updated the code, but unfortunately his workflow was interrupted. There were only few bugs left to fix, but weirdly enough some of these bugs were only occurring locally when testing the game on my specific devices. For the sake of the project, he deemed it better to stop working on it, due to; storms, power outages, other things going on and he stated that he had to prioritize taking care of his partner. What a prime example of a gentleman; he had said the following ”but this is a good project, and you deserve somebody who can dedicate the time needed for it. which is something I don’t think I can do right now”. But thanks to him the game was on the verge completion.

Despite haven’t spent much time marketing (send me an email if you’re interested in promoting our game) and promoting this game, I was determined on making sure this game was going to be a success. Even though I was technologically burnt out, I had spent a lot of time working on competitive concepts and perfecting the visual aspects of it. After interviewing a few candidates recommended by a recruiter on Upwork’s, I ended up hiring a new developer more knowledgeable in terms of multiplayer infrastructure. Our list of tasks was fairly simple;