With the decade closing and Quaver approaching closer to release, we feel it's time to start showing off what's coming to the game upon its release in 2020. Many of you have questions about the game and how far we are into its development, and we'll give an answer to some of them in this post.
Development Status
How far into development is the game?
Currently we are in the process of redesigning and polishing the entire game. This includes giving the game client a completely new and fresh UI, as well as creating an entirely new website.
All of your feedback and feature requests over the past year are now being incorporated into the game, and we're very happy with the results thus far.
When is the game releasing?
2020. Early 2020. We currently do not have a set in stone date, but judging from how far along we are with development, the game should be good to release within the first half of the year!
Hype! ːsteamhappyː
How can I contribute?
The Quaver game client is open source on GitHub. We're always looking for more people to contribute code to the game to speed up the process, so if this sounds like something you're interested in, feel free to jump in anytime!
What's Coming to Quaver Next Year
There's a ton of new and exciting stuff coming to Quaver in 2020 including a brand new UI, shiny new features, and performance improvements!
Currently we're in the midst of taking apart the entire client and giving it a new look. If you've previously given us feedback over the past year, your ideas have most likely made (or will make) it into the game!
A Brand New Song Select
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4IDo3Q7ot4
What's new in song select?
- Playlists - A long-awaited feature - In the new UI, you're able to create and manage groups of all of your favorite maps. It's not limited to just this though. You're also able to export your playlists to a zip file or even upload your playlists online from directly in-game to share with other players!
- Rate & Friend Leaderboards - We've added two new leaderboards to the game. You'll be able to view scores that were played on a given playback speed as well as scores that only your friends have submitted!
- Custom Map Banners - Many of you have asked for a way to make custom banners for your maps in the game. You'll be able to do so.
- Over 15 different sorting options - We've added sorting options for everything ranging from difficulty, average notes per second, to even long note percentage. If you can think of it, it's most likely there!
Spectator, Theater Mode, & Co-op Gameplay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brc1qApyZFA
What exactly are these features?
- Spectator - Wanting to watch other players live? We've added the ability to spectate others in the game.
- Theater Mode - With this feature, you'll be able to load up to 4 replays, and watch them simultaneously.
- Co-op Gameplay - Have a buddy next to you that can't wait their turn? We've added a co-op mode where two players can play on one screen at a time.
The Online Hub - Connect With Others & Twitch Integration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmPz2n-5xJE
What does it come with?
- Resizable Chat - Whether you want to cover your screen with the chat or make it a tiny portion, you'll be able to resize the chat to your heart's desire.
- Twitch Song Requests - You'll be able to connect your Twitch to your Quaver account, and receive song requests from viewers directly in-game.
- Online User & Friends List - See who else is online, and manage your friends list.
- Active Song Downloads - Songs that are currently downloading will have its own tab and be displayed.
- Missed Notifications - Went AFK for a bit? No worries. Any important notifications that you missed such as chat messages, game invites, or even errors will be displayed for you to view and interact with.
Complete Multiplayer Revamp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R8iDkUF7nU
What's new?
Other than a complete redesign, not much has changed from the old multiplayer. However, there are a few notable new features to highlight:
- Uploading Unsubmitted Maps - If you have donator features (more on this in the future), you'll be able to temporarily upload unsubmitted maps for the multiplayer lobby to download.
- Map Leaderboard View - You'll now be able to view the leaderboard of the selected multiplayer map at any time while waiting for the match to start.
- Chat Display - We've added an on-screen chat to multiplayer along with message history. This means if you leave the game and rejoin, you'll be able to view the past 20 messages that were sent.
Replay Playback Controls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf9Q3yXI6hE
Major improvements to the replay viewer have been made. We've added a set of playback controls for you to use while watching replays. With this, you'll be able to seek to any time in the replay, and change the playback speed.
We're now in a place where we can greatly expand upon the replay viewer, so if you have any ideas, be sure to let us know!
Fully Featured Music Player & Listening Parties
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8r9dSISljI
What's included?
- Listening Parties - You and up to 15 other players will be able to simultaneously listen to tracks. This serves as an alternative way to connect with other players, and to share your favorite tracks.
- Playlists - Any playlists that you've made in song select will also be available in the music player.
Sharing Skins via Steam Workshop
And finally, we've finally integrated the Steam Workshop into the game. With this, you'll be able to upload and share your custom Quaver skins for others to download without ever leaving the game.
Sharing skins has always been very popular within the rhythm game community, and we're excited that we've made the process extremely easy to do within Quaver!
Conclusion
As you can see, there's a lot in store for Quaver next year, and we're getting closer and closer to release. We still have a few more screens to finish such as the results screen, map downloading screen, and the editor.
With the small team we have, we're making a ton of progress, and I'm very excited to let you get your hands on the new client on release next year.
Thank you for all your support during the past two years of development, and here's to another year to come!
Happy holidays!
- Swan 💙