Dear pilot,

We've been hard at work on carriers. For the first time you are now able to command and pilot Hunternet's carriers. These 1.5km behemoths and their 61 PDCs are your home away from home and together with their carrier born fighters and bombers they form the back bone of your factions war machine.

The new Hunternet Academy series also includes videos dedicated to commanding carriers and fighting them.

I'm including a carrier battle from one of our many carrier focused play tests. This video features the new CVL-22 Artemis class light carrier by BoxWeld with pyrotechnics and thruster VFX by IvanGrozniy. They both continue to do an amazing job!

My main focus now will be getting asteroid mining ready for play testing. Mining will get us one step closer to the mine, build, and conquer loop that will be at the heart of the persistent universe.

Thanks again for your continued support. I'm more exited than ever to be working on Hunternet and can't wait to mine along side our play testers for the first time.

Until next time, good hunting pilot,

Fernando Z

Dear pilot,

I'm happy to announce that multi-location support is now live and with it the technical foundation needed to build Hunternet's new open-world[hunternet.gg] is complete.

I've also implemented our first long-distance travel mechanic, the jump gate network. BoxWeld and IvanGrozniy created the new beautiful jump gate art and helped refine this mechanic through their valuable feedback and ideas. Our community of brave test pilots has also risked their virtual lives to certify the jump gate network as ready for service.

In this video, I demonstrate travel between test locations via the new jump gate network. I also discuss plans for additional travel mechanics and a future update that will add static server meshing to Hunternet.

Now that the foundation for the open-world is in place I will be focusing on open-world gameplay and art. Later, I will return to technical work to implement static server meshing to ensure that Hunternet can expand seamlessly as the community and universe continue to grow.

In the short term, I will finish integrating some additional VFX that IvanGrozniy has already created for us. His, recent weapon VFX and asteroid material updates are already live and are a feast for the eyes. I also plan on implementing a special bounty-hunting hunting side-mission that will make your forays in the test universe more interesting.

Thank you pilot for your interest and support. Hunternet now rests on a solid foundation and I'm excited to build upon it, with the help of the startup team, our artists, and our community. Until the next update, stay frosty pilot.

Salute o7
Fernando Z

Dear pilot,

Since the major networking update, I've been hard at work on the second technical update needed to support a single shared persistent universe[hunternet.gg]. I'm happy to share that persistence is now live and you can try it out for yourself in the new test universe. But be careful, as promised, there are no safe zones and your ship's safety is your responsibility even while you are offline. The next technical update will be multi-location support. Once that is finished I'll be switching my focus back to gameplay and building the first open-world gameplay loops that these technical updates enable.

While my focus was on making sure persistence was fast, reliable, flexible, and extensible, it has been quite fun to test even at this stage. Not knowing what to expect when I reconnect to a universe that lives on without me and hunting down weak sensor signatures as I attempt to dispatch the shutdown ships of my enemies before they return to the hunt has renewed my excitement for how game-changing a single shared persistent universe will be.

Hunternet has continued to improve in other areas. I worked with Antonio on a complete overhaul of cockpit ambiance and thruster sounds. The new implementation brings your ship to life with additional audio feedback for things like g-forces, damage, and thruster mechanics. I highly recommend jumping in and hearing this update for yourself. Next up in the audio redesign will be weapon and damage sound effects.

I also integrated a significant set of graphical updates from Box for all existing starfighters and a new set of gun crosses for the HUD. Our ships' interiors and exteriors have never looked better and the new graphical damage effects provide great visual feedback. The HUD mechanics have also been further refined along with the graphical update.

Ivan's explosion effects are now even more satisfying and eye-catching with new explosion details and physics-aware effects. Box captured this beautifully in his New Year's Fireworks video.

The community also helped refine new race ring mechanics and some related updates to the flight model. This led to skramz being the first pilot to complete a sub-two-minute lap while also hitting speeds of over 1,300m/s.

I also wanted to share with you two of my favorite clips from the weekly playtest since the big network update.

Until the next time pilot, I'll be hard at work on multi-location support. I want to encourage you once more to continue to spread the word, getting the word out is not easy and every little bit helps. I'm more excited than ever for the future of Hunternet and look forward to searching for and dispatching your ship in the universe.

Cheers,
Fernando Z

Dear pilot,

Hunternet's single shared persistent universe[hunternet.gg] requires three major technical upgrades. Last Sunday, we successfully tested one of them. Improved networking with support for massive moving objects is now live. Next up are battlefield and war economy persistence and unique location instances with fast travel.

While I have been focused on these core updates, other parts of the game continue to progress. Our sound designer, Antonio Coronato has begun work on the complete overhaul of Hunterent's sound design. His new alert and alarm sounds are already live. I'm working with him on cockpit ambiance next and you'll be able to preview them as they evolve.

Ivan's new explosion effects have made each ship destroyed especially satisfying. His asteroid test materials are a big improvement and his works in progress show a ton of promise. We are lucky to have his support.

Behind the scenes, Box continues to do amazing work on the next generation of location art, ship updates, cargo containers, new carriers, hangars, and more. Our Galactic Wardens and Founding Orgs have seen some previews and I've included this sneak peek for all pilots. Thanks to Boxweld when the first universe location goes live not only will it be a big technical achievement but also an amazing sight to behold.

Other improvements since my last update include fuel mechanics, artificial nebulas, atmospheric drag for Harvester Station, the Legacy Fox's new railgun, dedicated Wingman instruments, improved salvage materials, and more.

That's it for now, dear pilot. I encourage you to join our discord[discord.gg] for more frequent updates and please continue to spread the word it's a big help and much appreciated. Until next time, good hunting pilot!

Cheers,
Fernando Z

Dear pilot,

One of the most exciting recent additions to Hunternet Starfighter is our salvage gameplay loop. With the addition of physical wreckages for destroyed starfighters now comes the ability to salvage them for resources.

In my many years of playing space and flight sims, I've been a combat focused pilot. Yet, thanks to the empahsis on core piloting skills and the significant room for impact, I have really enjoyed flying dedicated salvage builds. Skillfully executing cargo runs or mid flight resupplies has been really satisfying. This has me pumped for future salvage additions and asteroid mining.

To help demonstrate the new salvage mechanics, I recorded two new videos. These videos also showcase the iterative development process and the important role that our pilots play during our weekly playtest.

Thanks to the efforts of our community. This Sunday's playtest also marked the debut of a new competitive leaderboard! To join in on the competition drop by our discord[discord.gg].

That's it for today pilot, stay frosty and I'll see you between the stars!

o7
Fernando Z

Dear pilot,

I'm excited to share with you the first public reveal of a track from the Saturn Suite an original score composed by William Dodson[soundcloud.com] for the region around Saturn in the Hunternet Universe.

I'm very happy with how the suite turned out and I hope you enjoyed this preview as much as I did. I used some test footage I recorded with the first iteration of our spectator cam and set it to the Saturn soundscape. Will's track immediately elevated this simple video to another level. Will was a pleasure to work with and Ivan from our Startup Team deserves a lot of credit. He helped explain our vision for Hunternet and helped to direct Will, and it was a pleasure listening to them geek out on music.

Since my last email, our community held a Hunternet Big Guns Tournament. Some of our most talented pilots participated and the resulting videos are an absolute joy to watch. Congratulations once more to the victors but also to everyone who participated in this amazing display of space combat. Big thanks to the Chickun Squadron for organizing this competition!

That's it for today. Drop by our discord[discord.gg] and let me know how you liked the new soundscape. Until next time pilot, I wish you good hunting.

o7
Fernando Z

Salute, pilot!

Tobii eye and head tracking is now available in Hunternet Starfighter!

After completing VR support Phase 1 I decided it was the perfect time to tackle Tobii support.

Tobii support phase 1 is now complete and I am very happy with how it turned out! Big thanks to Tobii for providing me with the hardware that made this possible.

Head tracking feels smooth and natural and eye tracking adds something completely new to the sim. Eye tracking is an excellent fit for Hunternet's emphasis on using your Mark 1 eyeball to maintain situational awareness and for our intense close quarters combat. It works so well that I hope VR headsets with integrated eye tracking support become the standard in the near future.

Witness what this great bit a kit has to offer for us virtual space pilots:

If you'd like to fly with us I highly recommend joining the official Discord community[discord.gg].

Good hunting pilot,
Fernando Z

Patch Notes - 01/26/22 12:02 PM:
- Tweaked Harvester atmosphere rendering parameters (basic & advanced)
- Joysticks always auto checked even if primary input is not joystick @Zenchess
- Added Tobii head tracking support
- Ship menu > Cockpit > Head Tracking must be turned ON
- Added eye tracking aware target preview (can be used with or without Tobii)
- ship menu > HUD > Preview Target (On by default)
- Improved auto targeting intelligence and responsiveness
- Added Tobii eye tracking support to ship's targeting system
- Ship menu > Cockpit > Eye Tracking (off by default)
- Optional Eye Tracking button/key for easy toggle mid flight
- Tobii Head Amplification Level setting (Main Menu > Settings > Cockpit)
- Fixed: Boost would sometimes power burn even if PWB key was mapped @[CHKUN] BoxLunch @a s d
- Target Preview marker now uses friend & foe colors
- Fix: Missile explosion effect rendering issue
- Fix: Ship menu > Cockpit > Audio Simulation was saving but not applying changes
- Low Ammo alarm now uses Alarm Volume setting @[CHKUN] BoxLunch
- Added Tobii positional tracking support
- Added Set Tobii Starting Pose calibration to Settings > Cockpit
- Auto set starting Tobii pose when first enabled
- Added Main Menu > Settings > Cockpit > Prefer Tobii Head Tracking @$alteen
- Improved Set Tobii Starting Pose feature
- Some internal input code refactoring and cleanup
- "VR Center" button renamed to "Set Center" and works for both VR and Tobii
- A new shortcut, same as clicking "Set Tobii Starting Pose" in main menu
- Added Start in VR to main menu Settings > Cockpit
- Fix: Tobii head tracking was not being ignored while in VR
- Added connecting to server indicator to VR main menu

Greetings, pilot!

I'm happy to announce that Hunternet Starfighter now has VR support!

Last month I began work on VR support for the first time with a Quest 2 I purchased for the holidays. I wasn't sure what to expect as I was not a VR player before this. Simply put, Hunternet VR is amazing! It is now my preferred way to fly by far. I even had to add an in-game clock to the ship's HUD just to avoid losing track of time while in VR. The sense of scale and of inhabiting an actual spaceship has blown me away!

If you are a VR pilot, I highly recommend checking out Hunternet Starfighter in VR. I'm really happy I took the time to support VR and I look forward to hearing about your experience in Hunternet VR.

Phase 1 of VR is now complete and you can read the changes since the last devlog below. Phase 2 (the final VR phase) will come later when I begin work on a walkable 3D hangar. In the meantime the 2D main menu has been replaced in VR by a new VR-only main menu.

There really is no substitute to seeing for yourself in VR, but you can get some idea of what it is like in this new video I just posted:

If you'd like to fly with us I highly recommend joining the official Discord community[discord.gg].

Good hunting pilot,
Fernando Z

Patch Notes - 01/09/22 12:02 PM:
- Initial VR support
- Added VR Mode button to enter/exit VR on demand, default key is Insert
- VR optimized fixed reticle rendering
- Workaround for Anti-Aliasing breaking the HUD @box @smartass
- Added VR support to G-LOC screen
- Unity update and switched to Win64 builds
- Switched from Oculus to OpenXR plugin
- Fix: Getting killed during G-LOC would mess with your view @[CHKUN] Maxi @CMDR SmartAss
- Ship HUD now fully useable in VR (menu, chat, info log, etc.)
- Added VR Center button to recenter your view in VR (default key: Home)
- Added VR Mode and VR Center to Main Menu > Settings > Keymap
- Added full antialiasing control from 0x, 2x, 4,x or 8x
- Adjusted Harvester dust color
- Added amazing new planet skybox from Ivan to old blue for testing @[CHKUN] IvanGrozniy ❤️
- Ported shield and repair spark shader to VR
- Added a basic VR only main menu (to be replaced by VR ready hangar)
- Mulitplayer server browser, Center View, Exit VR
- Mute audio key now also mutes in game cockpit music
- Add VR sub-menu to cockpit with VR specific settings
- VR Mode, Center View, Leave Server (more entries to come)
- Improved smoke rendering (minimized gaps in smoke trails at high speeds)
- Fix: VR no longer requires "ship menu > check for new devices" every time
- Fix: wingman HUD call signs were not being displayed
- Fix: Made sure to always hide 2D main menu when playing in VR
- VR mode will continue to run even if main menu window is in background
- Fix: Main menu red text visible sometimes when joining game in VR
- Adjusted game loading scene to look nicer in VR
- Added Exit Application to VR main menu
- Animated the "Loading..." in VR server browser
- Refresh Cockpit -> VR menu status when changing VR mode
- Automatically switch in/out of VR mode as headset is taken on/off
- Greatly improved HUD rendering stability in VR
- Fix: Mute audio should also mute the Voice Assistant
- Fix: Mouse was sometimes getting trapped in subset of window area @[CHKUN] banaña
- Fix: Worked around Unity issue that was freezing main menu
- G-LOC display in VR switched from camera space to world space @DrClaw
- Added a Resolution Scale (pixel density) graphics option to ship's VR menu
- Made the ship's Performance Monitor resolution display VR aware
- Lower right HUD real world digital clock in 24hr format (default off) @spirit
- Trouble losing track of time in VR turn this on in your ship's HUD settings
- Client now uses -vr command line to launch in VR mode @O to the o @DrClaw @AsgeirOM
- in steam use the launch in VR option and it will do this for you
- Solution was to move VR init from Awake to Start
- Added "Start in VR Mode" to Settings > Cockpit
- useful if you are not using Steam to launch the client
- equivalent to the -vr command line option
- Fix: Scope and Rear view were not always working properly in VR
- Shift center is now consistent between main menu and cockpit @O to the o
- Fix: Quiting game in Steam Overlay does not quit @O to the o
- Added combined recenter feature to VR menus @DrClaw
- Hide Pilot option: Ship menu > Cockpit & Main Menu > Settings > Cockpit @Xen
- Combined old VR center options into a single universal smart center
- Added new adjust VR Pilot height option to ship > Cockpit > VR menu @Xen
- Also hides VR Pilot of a values less than 1.0 is used
- Improved shadow cascade transitions @(IDK) aCRAZEDgunman
- Added "The News Today" track by @Grand Admiral Lamarro ❤️🤘❤️
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/nwkT2
- VR now has its own independent graphics settings and defaults
- Taking headset on and off automatically switches graphics settings
- New ship menu > Cockpit > VR > Graphics Settings (change while you fly)
- VR graphics menu includes mini Perf. Monitor and a shortcut to it
- Adjusted default VR pilot head position
- Added support for joystick menu navigation in VR Main Menu @DrClaw
- Fix: In VR you could see the HUD during G-LOC when not facing forward
- Menu right on VR Garphics menu FPS monitor opens the performance monitor
- Added Ship Menu > Cockpit > Audio Simulation sub-menu to control audio levels
- Adjust all volume settings in VR or 3D via ship menu
- Redid ligthing of Harvester Station for a cloudy day look @O to the o
- Switched to new HDRP material for Harvester Station @[CHKUN] BoxLunch ❤️
- Added new HDRP decals for Harvester Station provided by @[CHKUN] BoxLunch ❤️
- first of use of HDRP decals
- Fix: VR > Leave Server gave false connection timeout error in non-VR mode
- You can now toggle flight assist mode while holding down power burn @Apkallu
- Power burn still forces flight asist off while active but your mode
when you stop power burning will have changed if you pressed the toggle
- Added build version info to the VR Main Menu
- In VR only show Classic vJoy HUD when in Input Hardware menu @Zenchess
- In the future I'll look into a cockpit space instead of HUD space UI
- Added new track "Crazed Demons" by @Grand Admiral Lamarro 🏎️ ❤️🤘
- At 2:11 it is just the right length for our Speed Demons to race too
https://soundcloud.com/lamarro/crazed-demons
- Lamarro told me he got the idea from @(IDK) aCRAZEDgunman stream 😄
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1208110627

Greetings, pilot o7 From now onward I plan to cross-post all patch notes from our https://discord.gg/hunternet to Steam. These are the changes from our latest weekly play test (held every Sunday). Also included are changes from two minor updates published after the play test. I try to release an update once a week when possible so we have something new to test every Sunday. If you'd like to participate I highly recommend joining the official Discord community[discord.gg].

Good hunting pilot,
Fernando Z

- Improved performance of Black Corridor
- Baked Alt Speed & Ammo Factor
- Carrier SRS turrets now have reload logic, creating openings
- Fix: Scope reticle could become permanently hidden
- Fix: Disconnecting and entering main menu could mess up lighting
- Very long reload times for SRS and LRM
- Cleaner reload logic, will increase reload times further if a problem
- Auto fixed reticle now visible while an LRM is in flight but not tracking
- Fix: Old Blue skybox had a visible seam that was removed by @[CHKUN] IvanGrozniy ❤️
- Fix: Spectator mode was overheating and playing heat SFX
- Fixed all glitches caused by flying far from location center
- Critical for supporting multiple point of interest locations in the future
- Added new planet and moon skybox from @[CHKUN] IvanGrozniy ❤️
- Will be adding a proper sun with flare in the future to our skyboxes
- Significant improvements to HDRP rendering performance
- Will be a big help in hitting higher frame rates in VR
- Added high quality anti-aliasing support
- Greatly reduced jaggies and also important for VR
- Added an optional toggle pip type button @=IDK=Dazegambler
- Added an optional toggle auto targeting button @CMDR SmartAss
- Added an optional mute audio button @SpiritGum
- Added another amazing new skybox by @[CHKUN] IvanGrozniy to main menu ❤️
- Fix: Rendering of the lead ring was broken during optimizations @[SB] Zopto
- Added new track Gunslingers Tango by @Lamarro ❤️🤘
- Switched Primordium to use the new main menu skybox
- how do you like it compared to the old nebula skybox?
- Improved Auto Targeting switching heuristics
- Auto Targeting will no longer switch targets while firing at visible target
- Adjusted Track IR translational sensitivity
- Added audio and message feedback to PIP and Targeting mode buttons
- Added subtle press and release SFX to SDS button @GrandDayOut
- While not necessary was one of few actions that had no audio or
visual feedback. Give yourself some time to get used to it but
do let me know if you like or dislike the SFX @[CHKUN] Boxsoul @SpiritGum
- Added: Ship menu > Cockpit > Theme > Radar Target Color: Allegiance or Border @[CHKUN] Boxsoul @(IDK) aCRAZEDgunman
- Default is now allegiance color (friend or foe color)
- Previous behavior of using border color is also available
- Fix: Lead ring was ignoring HUD off or auto settings