Phew what a week! Steamfest is over, and we had a great time playing with everyone, and hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!

Here is a breakdown of class usage for those that are curious:

We received an amazing amount of feedback and are nearly finished cataloging all of it. That’s right, we have been going through everything from Steam, to Discord and comments on Twitch, and many direct messages, line by line. We have found a few trends, some of which I will discuss briefly. Firstly the most common question I have been asked is when everyone can play again. The answer is we’re not sure. However we do focus testing from time to time and you may be able to get involved! Check out and participate in our Discord discussions, and when the time is right we may call on you to jump in for some matches!

Now onto some of the feedback.

We received a lot of feedback on movement speeds, in that it felt fast. Contrasting that we also received feedback that the quicker movement made it feel more like a deathmatch which was fun in it’s own way. The common thread for both was that weapon simulation and feedback felt off. We will be putting a lot of effort into making sure all the weapons feel tactile and responsive appropriately. We will also revisit movement speeds as well to narrow the spectrum of what Earthbreakers should be. Strategy and teamwork are two foundations of Earthbreakers, so if speed is getting in the way, then we will have to adjust accordingly.

Speaking of teamwork, a lot of you commented on how team-centric the game is - it’s hard to play solo while making a large impact - this is something most people liked. To that end, there were also a lot of notes that team coordination was difficult because the chat system was limited. In our design, we have concepts for a ping system as well as voice chat that unfortunately couldn’t be implemented for the Steam Festival. In addition to that though you gave us a lot of valuable feedback for different HUD elements, including a lot of exciting ideas for the minimap to promote general team awareness - we will be incorporating many of these ideas going forward.

Other HUD elements were heavily commented on as well. Many of you said that the HUD felt large, overbearing, and somewhat childish - maybe more apt for a console than a PC shooter. We have already been discussing and meeting about this and will be making adjustments to ensure pertinent information is clear, and concise but not distracting. On top of that you gave us valuable feedback towards consoles both in readability and style which we will also be revisiting in order to make the important information clear.

There was also a lot of feedback on structures - especially flamethrowers running around, hiding and spawn camping. We have already been working towards improving this by redesigning the HQ and Factory to be more open (harder to hide and dodge) and are using this information for the designs and layouts of future structures as well. We are also designing more defensive abilities for various classes (such as various traps) that will help keep the enemy out of your base.

The final area I’d like to touch on which somewhat encompasses all of the above, is that it seemed common for new players to have difficulty understanding what to do when they get in the game. We have a few solutions planned for this, including a class by class scoring system that will help direct players in their roles, but also you gave us a lot of feedback on this as well. Each of the areas above play a part so those efforts will keep this in mind, but also there were many other suggestions from availability of consoles, to scoring, to map indicators. Some we had already intended, but many great ideas that will come out of your feedback. Many of you suggested certain hints that may be turned on or off, and we will be looking into that to ensure that more experienced players aren’t inundated with redundant information while new players will get clear direction when they are first starting out.

Again from the Earthbreakers team at Petroglyph, thank you so much for playing with us during the Steam Festival! We really had a lot of fun playing and engaging with everyone. Going forward we will continue with diaries a few times a month to keep you all in the loop and continue to receive your feedback. Along with everything above, we are also still adding new classes, new weapons and abilities for existing classes, new structures and vehicles. Join us on Discord to stay up to date and get in on possible future focus tests.

Senior Designer Chris “biffy” Becker

by: https://store.steampowered.com…/view/2498884002718899134

Hey Earthbreakers!

Watch members of our design team play with the rest of the community in a live stream of our newest game on Wednesday, June 17th at 5pm PST.

Earthbreakers is a team-vs-team First-Person Shooter (FPS) that centers around Real-Time Strategy (RTS) base-vs-base combat. It is designed to combine the action of FPS with the base building strategy of RTS in a streamlined way. The goal is not to kill the opposing team’s soldiers, although there is plenty of opportunity for that, but to destroy the enemy base as in RTS games. This demo version shows the core foundation of that concept. The future holds more soldier classes, base structures, combat vehicles, and battlefields.

Watching the devs play is the best way to get a handle on what makes this game so exciting and different from other FPS games. And, if you feel like jumping in and playing a bit yourself - you can do that too!

We'll be keeping an eye out for any questions you might have along the way, so don't be shy!

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com…/view/2220784826258730515

Developer Diary #5
Very soon you will be able to play our prototype of Earthbreakers. This early look, however, is just a small slice of where we want to be in the final product. In the prototype you will see the HQ, Factory and Refinery buildings, but there are at least three more structures that will be present in the final game. As in RTS games, each of these structures will have a unique purpose - something they will contribute to your team, and something you will lose if the structure is destroyed. In the prototype, the HQ will also house all of the upgrades you can buy, but in the final game, those upgrades will be distributed to the correct structures - this will be explained more below.

Let's start with the structures you will see in the prototype. The HQ, as in most RTS games, is the cornerstone of your base. It acts as the central command and "manager" for the rest of the structures. As such, if your HQ is destroyed, your ability to build other major structures is lost. Protecting the HQ is vital, but in most maps it will be in a defended position near the back.

The Refinery is the source of your income. Everyone will get a slow trickle of resources over time without the refinery present, but with a refinery each load returned by the harvester gives you a burst of credits to spend. Losing your harvester will stop the resource cycle for a time, but harvesters will automatically respawn after a delay. Lose the refinery, however, and you are left with just that slow trickle for resources.

The Factory is where you purchase vehicles and (in the final game) vehicle upgrades. It is also where you research vehicle tech levels. All vehicles and vehicle upgrades require the factory and many will require vehicle research. As with the constructions of buildings, research is automatic but can you can donate resources to speed it up. Losing the factory will remove your ability to buy vehicles and vehicle upgrades, though you never lose anything you previously purchased.

And now to the structures that aren't in the prototype. The Barracks is in charge of everything soldier class related. It will allow you to switch between classes and purchase class upgrades. Like the factory, it also controls class-related research, and several upgrades will require research before they unlock. Losing the barracks removes the ability to buy class upgrades and stops class research, though the ability to switch classes will remain.

The Power Plant acts as an enhancement for all of your base structures. It increases build speed, increases your income trickle and many other bonuses. Certain structures (such as advanced turrets) require the power plant to be active before they can be purchased (or even function). Losing the power plant removes these bonuses and can potentially render some objects like turrets non-functional.

And finally, the Tech Building. The tech building allows the research of team upgrades (upgrades that modify the base itself or the entire team in some way). All research types (Class, Vehicle and Team) have three tech levels. Tech level three is locked until the Tech Building is constructed, so without the tech building many of the highest level upgrades remain unavailable. Losing the tech building not only removes the ability to purchase team upgrades, but also removes the ability for tech level 3 to be researched at all (if it hasn't already been unlocked).

All of these structures and interactions mimic the "build order" and "tech tree" of RTS games. Of course, it can be a lot to take in, so we will always show you the build order and where your current progress is at the touch of a button (you can see this in the prototype by pressing the BACKSPACE key). And of course there are other things to build like turrets that are not considered "victory relevant" but play a large part in the defensive strategy of the game.

That concludes this week's dev diary. If you want to see first-hand how this all works, join us for Steam Fest! Try out the prototype of the game and let us know what you think!

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com…/view/2372781945484081433

Hey Earthbreakers!

Since our initial announcement in late 2019, we have been working diligently with a small group of our Petroglyph community to develop the base vs. base gameplay promised in our sneak peek trailer. We’re now at a stage of development with Earthbreakers that we can share our latest progress with a larger audience first-hand.

This means you!

On June 16th at 10:00am we will be releasing a playable prototype of Earthbreakers to the public for the first time. This will be your best chance to play the game, interact directly with the team, and providing feedback to help us craft our next-gen RTS/FPS hybrid. We’re excited to hear your initial feedback and will be playing and talking with everyone daily to get your thoughts. We’ll also ask you to take a short survey so that we can collate your feedback for distribution to the engineering, design, and art teams.

We highly recommend you add Earthbreakers to your wishlist on Steam so you get notified once the game is available on June 16th. You won’t need to sign up or wait for an approval email – everyone is included! Just keep an eye out for the Earthbreakers Demo Steam page and start downloading next Tuesday.

-EB Team

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1188870/Earthbreakers/

it will be nice

Earthbreakers is a team-based PvP multiplayer game which combines the most enjoyable elements of FPS and RTS! You and your team battle for territory and harvest rare resources, while building and customizing your team’s base. Choose an infantry combat class, defend your base and supply lines, construct and pilot powerful military vehicles, and ultimately annihilate the enemy's HQ!

Earthbreakers uses a team purchase system to build an RTS-style base. Each building unlocks new infantry classes, vehicles or upgrades depending on the structure built. Do you build a factory to unlock new, more powerful vehicles, or do you build walls to aid in base defense? The choice is yours! Bases consist of six primary buildings, wall defenses and a selection of defensive turrets.

The resource, Vilothyte, is the lifeblood of a base; you use it to purchase new structures, higher ranking infantry classes and vehicles. Resources are collected by a harvester and returned to a refinery. Protect those harvesters to ensure success!

The world of Earthbreakers is a harsh place that requires guts…and a big gun! Multiple infantry classes are available, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Higher ranking classes must be (just like an RTS) unlocked by building one or more structures. Play as a Soldier to fight on the front lines! Play as a Technician to repair vehicles and keep your fellow teammates alive! Or play as a Firefly to burn enemies from a distance!

A good soldier can be even better when driving a tank. Multiple vehicles add the firepower needed to destroy base structures. Drive the Pulse Tank to destroy enemy harvesters and turrets! Use the Atlas APC to get your troops to the battlefield unscathed. Or pilot the Tiamat Artillery system and lay waste from a distance!

Earthbreakers race to collect Vilothyte wherever it is exposed! The game locations will be varied and present new obstacles. Each map will include two full base layouts, capturable locations, natural hazards, sniping positions and unique elements that can help or hinder your battle plans.

The Story

The year was 2045. In a time of global unrest, riots and civil war, scientists discover a new form of matter, Vilothyte, that can be used both to create any element or used directly as a power source. Considered a cure for the Earth's resource crisis, a system of satellites was placed in orbit which would scan for the materials needed to create the material and fire conversion bombs. Designated the “Earthbreaker Project”, It was said to be safe and would never target populated or endangered areas.

The first test was highly successful, creating enough Vilothyte to power the eastern seaboard of the USA for a week. The system was placed into full operation. It seemed the world was saved...until the hacker group Devolve removed the safeguards!

It is now 2060. The Earthbreaker system has slowed, but the orbital bombardment never completely stops. Most of the countries of the Earth have devolved into groups of city-states. Each sends out Earthbreaker teams to collect material whenever a bomb strike occurs. Combat over the bomb craters is fierce and never ending!

Content Summary

Earthbreakers includes two full factions, each of which contains:

• 12 FPS infantry classes ranging from grunt soldiers to elite heroes.
• 11 Structures, 9 of which teams must coordinate to build.
• 6 drivable vehicles (plus a harvester) including light speedy units to tanks.
• Targetable satellite superweapons
• Multiple location maps to fight over.
• Support for player-run servers.
• Support for up to 32 players per team (team size is map-dependent)
• Support for solo play with bots (“practice mode”)