Greetings Everyone! Nice to see all the new players and all the feedback! Keep mashing that feedback button we read every one. We'd like to give a little status report on our current plans for the Playtest and what we have in store for the future of the game.Playtest StatusFirst off, we are going to be switching to a continuous playtest strategy where access is always open and major big updates are going to be split into smaller more manageable chunks. While the big scheduled playtests where nice to get major changes implemented, it also created burnout and made it difficult to test more incremental improvements as everything was just lumped into the next 'Big' update. We will still have 'named' updates that increase the PT version (PT3.5, PT4, PT4.5, etc) which denote larger balance/gamemode changes, new content, or server wipes. They'll just act more as bookmarks then big scheduled updates.This also means that official test servers will remain open 24/7 which we will need your help with.. More on that later! Playtest 3.5 UpdateWe are working on a major balance/QoL update for playtest 3 that should drop relatively soon. This includes a bunch of stuff that didn't make it in at the start and has some updates based on feedback that we've already processed. Here is a quick rundown of the changes:Balance:

• Multiple cannons on a single gunner will no longer auto converge on a single point.
• Reworked Shell Dispersion (Aim Speed & Cannon Accuracy)
• New Commander positions for passive spotting and crew coordination buffs
• Spotting & Detection Rating changes (make larger vessels easier to spot passively)
• Coordination(skill) system will be fully enabled will apply efficiency penalties for crew duplicate roles
• Armor mass changes: structural mass will be linked to integrity scaling
• Armor Class on armor will now be dynamic based on plate thickness (surface/volume ratio), Thinner plates will only have None > Light, while thicker plates are Medium > Heavy. Different armor materials will have unique thickness thresholds
• Armor Degradation 'Armor Drilling' will now respect mitigation rules
  Example: shell with Light pricing vs Heavy Armor will have ~60% less drilling effect
• Crew HP reduction
• General increase to 'Impact' damage on most shells to improve the feel of direct hits
• Increase to post-pen damage on APCBC shells
• Vessel Combat Classes will now have a deploy cost floor (minimum $) unique to each class
  This will be assigned the term 'Shipping Cost'

QoL/Fixes

• Team colors will now be fixed regardless of your team. (allies Blue, enemies Red always)
• Networking optimizations
• Game mode optimizations
• AI improvements
• Testing class specific spawn points in Siege
• Testing the ability to change spawn points in Siege
• Improvements to coordinate panel in designer
• Better crew interaction feedback in designer
• More tutorials

RoadmapHere is the roadmap for our lead up into Early Access. Note: It doesn't get into specifics, but is a general mind map of what we are planning throughout the next few dev cycles. This roadmap will be available in-game and will be frequently updated.Patreon
We are announcing a Patreon for those of you who want to financially help support development of the game. The intent is to bridge the gap between the playtest and a Steam Early Access release.

Right now the Official US Central server is hosted out of a cobbled together homelab in Texas and deals with mediocre consumer-grade internet and a hilariously unreliable power grid with downtimes ranging from 3 seconds to 30 minutes intermittently this summer, meaning even regular battery backups wouldn't help. Our goal is about 500$ USD/mo, with which we can move our existing hardware into a datacenter and further funds would allow us to set up "shards" in the EU, Australia, or anywhere else. It will still always be possible to host your own community servers and any tools we develop will also be included with the game, the Patreon is a way for us to facilitate us having 24/7 playtesting in different regions, so we don't feel "Forced" to go into Early Access too early.For example, a long-term plan on the roadmap is to have a shared "War" on the Official server, that players could contribute to. We are currently developing a bunch of tools to help us with this. In addition to helping fund the server, patrons would have access to additional Dev Q&As, polls, etc. and help us prioritize what features we should work on in the future. https://www.patreon.com/c/MountainousDevelopmentDev Q&AFinally, we plan to do a developer Q&A like we did in Playtest 2 in the discord this Saturday (July 4th).

Delayed Start
Sorry for the delay we encountered some issues with the patch yesterday. Anyway better late then never. We'll be granting access to new testers in batches of 1000 over the next few hrs/days. The aim is to get everyone access, just not all at once.
We didn't have time to fully add the tutorials to explain how crew works. So will add a blurb here.
Important Please Read:
1. Crew are required to operate the following:
- Transmissions \
- Gunner Stations (scopes) \
- Turret-Rings/Trunnions \
- Reload Cannons \
- Reload Mgs \
- Operate standalone MG mounts \You can change what roles each crew position is allowed to execute in part settings, default: AnyIf you are importing an older blueprint you may need to replace MG mounts in order for them to fire.2. Some parts have a editable crew interaction point that is accessible via 'Vertex-Edit' \
- Transmissions/Gearboxes can have their "Shifter" moved closer to the driver (unlimited)
- Turret-Rings/Trunnions can have their "Cranks" moved closer to gunners (limited)- Gunner Scope can be placed separately from cannon and assigned manually3. Cannons & Fixed MGs & ACs need to be assigned to a 'Gunner Station' (scope) part.- Place Gunner Station (Tab: Firepower) > Place cannon > Select cannon and press 'Assign Trigger' in settings > Everything should hide except for valid Gunner Stations > Select the station.
- Cannons can be moved to the secondary trigger by changing a dropdown on the cannon.
- To switch ammo on cannons press and hold the 'Ammo Select' input \ and then press \ for primary switch, or \ for secondary4. Hydraulics - Place 'Hydro Pump' (Tab: Drivetrain) connected to engine- Place 'Hydro Motor(s)' (Tab: Drivetrain) to a turret-ring or trunnion crank port.
- Select motor and 'Assign' motor to the pump just like assigning cannons.- Some pipes should generate if its hooked up correctly, if they show red lines then the distance is to high. - Place 'Cable Mounts' in between the pump and the motor and assign them to the motor to extend the reach of the hydro pipes.- The amount of torque a pump can pull from an engine can be adjusted with a setting on the pump "Torque Split"
- There is a blank input on the hydro motors that can be configured to allow for use as drive motors for tracks/wheels.We will be working to push fixes and updates throughout the next few weeks like usual. As well as additional content/systems as we get a handle on things.
Once you are granted access you can come try the game at any point in the future (up until its fully released)

Hello everyone! Due to the large possible influx of new players we are electing to postpone the playtest by a week in order to give us time to upgrade our MP servers. We are working to double our current capacity to hopefully allow for 1000ccu. This is a last minute decision as we want to make sure everyone that wants to partake in multiplayer can, while also maintaining a decent experience in doing so.For those who already have access to the playtest client, expect a PT3.01 update to test everything a bit early. This will be announced in the discord.Thank you for your patience, ~Sterik

We are happy to announce Playtest 3 of Ramshackle and the long awaited Crew 2.0 update. This will probably be the biggest single update strictly from a changes/additions perspective since entering playtesting. Thank you to all 10k of you patiently waiting for playtest access, you'll all be granted access once the playtest opens on June 6th. And if you haven't already make sure to hit that 'Request Access' button. This announcement will act as a summary of all the major changes/additions for the PT3 update. However, more of the finer details will be announced when the update goes live. As with all previous playtests the aim is to try stuff and fine-tune during the test, everything is subject to change. Lets get into it!Designer UpdatesUI ReorganizeThe layout of the buttons and menus has been tweaked slightly to be more obvious and easier to navigate. Allowing direct access to most menus without needing to go 'Back' constantly. Key-binds have also been added to all the tooltips when relevant.SubassembliesAdded the ability to save selections of parts and reuse them later in other designs. At the moment these are only saved on your local machine, cloud and workshop support will come later.4D Armor TypesTrialing a new 'Advanced' armor construction material that allows for holes and bent armor shapes. These are a unique type \ following the trend of the 3d & 2d armor types. These have the special ability to bend and create 1 hole or notch (square, circle, or ellipse) per plate. They also allow for 'inside' corners but have the tradeoff of being a bit more expensive and needing to have the same uniform thickness across the entire plate.
Developer Comment: Based on how well these work, the long term intention is to consolidate all the different armor construction types into just 1 armor.Clipping Overlap VisualsNew fill volume visuals that show you exactly what parts of hitboxes are clipping into each other. Instead of just the whole part showing red. Gives you much better feedback on how to adjust placement. Armor editing also refreshes clipping checks more seamlessly.
Context radial menuA new dynamic radial menu that can be opened with a key bind that auto populates relevant functions based on what you have selected. Tutorial ImprovementsWe've done a lot of work to make the tutorials more intuitive and easier to follow. Irrelevant buttons now grey out, camera can be moved to look at specific things, and much more. There is also a new step by step vehicle construction tutorial that is split into bite sized chapters.
Crew 2.0Tasks & RolesThe old 'Focus & Workload' system has been removed and replaced with a new 'Task' system. Unlike the previous system where a crew's attention is split between multiple jobs, tasks can now request and drop attention based on what's happening. Allowing for crew to switch between tasks more deliberately. Crew members have now a much shorter interaction range and can only do a limited amount of tasks at a time. Roles can now be assigned to each crew member individually allow for better control over who does what.Crew Seat SwappingWhen a crew member is knocked out due to damage the seat will remain intact. Allowing for other crew members to switch to fill higher priority positions. There is a priority setting on each crew interactable part which effects the importance of any position in range of them. This also means that parts will now have a much harsher 'no-op' state when a position is vacant. Tank wont drive, gun wont load, turret wont aim, etc. Built-In Turret CranksThe dedicated hand crank part has been removed and instead has been built into all traverse parts. Using 'vertex-edit' they can be moved and rotated a limited amount using the same gab nodes that the plates use. These act as the crew interface point for 'Gunners' determining how effective turret traverse is. The drive port as been retained and is now located on this new crank drive, allowing integration with a new system which will be mentioned later.. Hydraulics.Developer Comment: This is designed to simplify setting up turrets and allow gunner stats to be more directly applied to traverse.New dedicated gunner stationThe existing scopes have been changed into 'gunner stations' with an additional trigger handle built into them. These will now need to be placed close to a crew operator with the 'Gunner' role checked in order to work. Cannons loose their trigger inputs and instead will have to be assigned to a gunner station. Each cannon can be assigned as either a 'Primary' or 'Secondary' which specifies which trigger input to use. MG mounts have this new gunner station built into them however still require a gunner to operate them.Updated crew placement & hitboxesSitting & Standing crew positions now are just the same, and the feet position can now just be adjusted using a vertex node. Moving the node under the torso will automatically switch the position to standing/crouching, and conversely moving it forward will switch back to seated. Recline angle can be set if the position is seated, however it will be ignored when standing as the crew member needs to 'balance' properly over their feet. The crew hitboxes have also been updated to very closely match the crew's form.Reworked Crew ErgonomicsCrew ergonomics will include torso orientation as before as well as a new 'ergonomic volume' calculation. This will check how 'cramped' a position is and adversely effect crew performance. As with all crew checks moving forward these are all updated at a set tick rate instead of just when the vehicle spawns.
Reworked Cannon ReloadingCannon reload calculation have been completely overhauled to better integrate with crew 2.0. The reload path is actually mapped out allowing for the true distance, orientation change, and obstructions to be calculated properly. Each cannon will have unique stats that weigh each of these parameters differently. For example a small lightweight shell wont care much about distance and orientation compared to a long heavy one. Also the checks are calculated from the actual selected shell in a ammorack and not just the center of said rack. The forced sequential reload mechanic has also been removed.New driver positionsWe've added two new driving positions that include better adjustment options. One for tanks that uses tillers and another setup for trucks with a more upright seating position and steering wheel.New HatchesAdded another batch of ww2 inspired hatches and cupolas. All hatches will now require a proper hole in the armor and can now be interacted with crew. This is one area we will be experimenting heavily throughout the playtest as to fine tune how impactful they are.HydraulicsNew Hydraulic pump and motors, these can be placed separately and then assigned together to create a closed loop. The pipes auto generate and don't have collisions, they also can't be damaged. This combination acts as a mini transmission allowing torque and rpm differentials not possible with other gearboxes. The pumps also have a setting to configure how much power they take off of the input shaft (Engine). The motors also have a normal control input allowing to be setup as drive motors for crude skid steer setups. Shell & Armor UpdatesAlternate Shell TypesMost cannons are now getting a second shell type option. In most cases this will some form of new HE shell. These will be placed as separate ammoracks and can be selected in battle via input on the gunner station. This is done by holding said input key (C) and then pressing the trigger input to cycle (Mouse 1 or 2). A new ammo count graphic is also placed on the right side of the HUD. HE ChangesThe AoE pressure wave is being changed to allow for an amount of penetration or 'blow through' in regards to thinner armor plates. This should allow for HE to feel more consistent vs lightly armored vehicles, also being a better option vs belly or roof armor.AP ChangesAbsolute bounce angle has been removed along with overmatching. These two heavily relied on fixed constants and didn't account for layered armor very well. Shells now just exclusively use the volumetric LoS thickness check to determine a penetration. Only on a non-pen the shell will do its chance of ricochet calc. This is very similar to what was used in PT1. However with the main difference that shells still loose a % of penetration based on angle of impact.

AP shells will now also 'tumble' after penetration causing their path to deviate an unpredictable direction. The deviation amount is based on the amount of armor penetrated.Armor Degradation Updates & VisualizerDegradation (armor drilling) is now enabled in the shell analyzer, and is represented by a new visualizer that shows the effected 'atoms'. More red and messed up = more damaged. How degradation is calculated is slightly updated to properly account to penetration depth and effects more of the surrounding atoms.Damage ChangesRemoval of 'Hit Points'Removed the pool of integrity that was subtracted from when critical modules where damaged. Instead the amount of critical components destroyed is now the main driving factor in determining if a vehicle is destroyed. Each critical component is represented by a 'Dot' below the player name with full black being destroyed and yellow meaning damaged. Parts that are repaired via a crane or toolbox will be counted as 'alive' again.Crew KnockoutIt is now possible to KIA every crew member in the vehicle including the driver. The vehicle is now considered destroyed if the entire crew is knocked out. Crew member status is represented by little 'Crosses' on a enemy tag.Critical ComponentsParts such as Engines, Gearboxes, Weapons, Crew, and some utility parts have been classed as 'Critical Components' and have been assigned a value from 1-5 based on their 'impact'. Most fall in the 1-2 area.
Each vehicle class has a increasing limit of how many critical components is allowed to have based on these values. This value is also what is used when tracking critical damage. This system will replace the old 'Supply' (Stars) stat on parts.ToolboxAll vehicles will now have a built in 'Toolbox' that can rebuild Traction > Drivetrain > and Utility parts only and in that order. It uses your own vehicles supply stores just like the repair crane. It is enabled by using the 'Field Repair' in the action radial. First all damaged parts are fixed like before, after which it begins to rebuild missing parts starting with the cheapest. It will continue this until out of supplies, or until its canceled by the player.New GamemodesWe'll be trailing a few experimental 'Long Form' game modes for this playtest. These are focused on longer battles that players can seamlessly enter and leave at anytime. With objectives that are a bit more interactive then just sit on point and win. Deploy costs will be earned in a similar way to the 'Blitz' mode trialed in PT2.5 however with more things like kills earning money.
More details will be announced once the playtest goes live.This only touches the surface and there is a bunch of balance and system tweaks everywhere in conjunction. Of course as with every playtest the starting numbers will be off and some systems will be rolled out slowly throughout the playtest as we get a read on things.Can't wait to see you on the battlefield! ~Sterik

With Steam Next Fest concluded, we've just reached the 10,000 wishlist mark on steam. Huge thanks to everyone who tried out the game! We have gotten a lot of great feedback and ready to dive into our next dev cycle. The "Ramshackle Demo" app is planned to be deactivated and won't receive updates anymore, but the playtest will continue to be open for the rest of this week. Make sure to Request access on the steam page! For those new here a little disclaimer of what to expect from playtest to playtest: The game is, of course, in active development and therefore anything and everything is subject to change between each playtest. We find these playtests the best time to bounce ideas off the community before things get more locked down post-release. All while trying to streamline the core experience. Typically our dev cycle is about 1-2 months between each playtest.
TLDR: Demo client will deactivate and be removed from library, However the Playtest Client will stay playable even after the playtest ends.
Some of the pain points we need to resolve gathered from player feedback:

• More tutorials and better tutorial presentation
• Fixing a few strange crashes, disconnects and performance issues (most of which on vulkan)
• General presentation polish (updating item descriptions, fixing UI oddities, etc)
• General improvements to the designer

Our plans for the next playtest:

• Updated matchmaker/battle management for a more seamless experience
• New vehicle loadout system
• Revised combat deploy screen with added features
• Trialing some different gamemodes, some 'short-form'(15-20mins), others 'long-form'(1hr+)
• Gamemodes can take advantage of a new spawn location selector which favors different classes
• Level generation improvements to complement the new gamemodes
• Improved tools for hosting dedicated servers
• Crew 2.0 - Complete refactor of how the crew interacts with your design
• More AI units (AT guns, Artillery, static infantry, etc)
• More utilities & QoL improvements to the designer
• A long list of bugfixes

We also have a discord if you would like to stay up to date with development.https://discord.gg/4QZBNdcsnT

Ramshackle PT2.5 DemoHello welcome back! This is going to be a mini playtest to coincide with Steam Nextfest. It includes new rank balance, battlemodes, emplacements, armor degradation, impact marks and much more. New Ranks

• Parts have been divided into 3 ranks, vessel rank is determined by the highest rank part in a design.
• Parts costs have been adjusted to be a lot more 'flat' between ranks. As downranking a part isn't feasible anymore.
• Classes Cost/Weight/Part-Count have been brought closer together and Increase in capabilities each rank.
• The intent is to make each Rank feel unique and introduce new mechanics in finer steps.

Experimental 'Conquer' Battle Mode (PvP)

• Each team has a large base that must be defended.
• Bases have a collection of AI emplacements; AT & Mortars that will attack enemies and can be destroyed.
• Vessels are given a unique dollar cost based on its LC & Rank.
• Each operator is given a starting amount of 'Cash' which they can spend on vessels
• Vessels will depreciate in value as they are used, and can be traded back in at anytime. The depreciated value will be put back into the players cash pool.

• First team to push and capture the enemy base wins, If a team runs out of cash it is an automatic loss.
  
  

Experimental 'Defense' Battle Mode (PvE)

• Similar setup to the 'Conquer' Mode, however the player team needs to just defend their base from waves of attacking AI vessels.
• Player Team Capped at only 4 operators

Armor Degradation, Impact Marks, & Reworked HitReg

• Impact marks are now applied to vessels, these are synced across clients and server and represent different projectile interactions.
• Damage to armor is now voxelized and allows for specific sections of armor to weaken. Allowing for AP type shells to drill through armor with multiple shots to the same spot.
• Shells can pass through created holes.
• Degradation reduces material density and not Integrity.
• Degradation amount is based on shells Kinetic Energy & Armor Damage stats.
• Overhauled projectile management and hit syncing, should be faster, and more accurate.

Progression

• We've enabled a limited form of level progression for this playtest.
• Different Rank battles and parts are unlocked as you gain experience in battles.
• Unlocks coincide with Ranks.
• Completing Tutorials grants experience.

New Parts

• 85mm D5T, Rank III
• T34 Medium Track, Rank II
• T43 Medium Track, Rank III
• Meteorite V8 Engine, Rank III
• Meteor V12 Engine, Rank III

Random Stuff

• New testdrive map customization menu
• Lighting changes
• Saving fixes
• New engine SFX for Kharkiv V12
• Improvements to tutorials

Welcome to Playtest 2! this playtest will be open for 2 weeks.This is the first "vertical slice" of the new tier system replacement, called Eras, with modules with a tech level around 1939-1943.As so much stuff has changed we will be activly pushing updates to stay on top of the balance. Aswell as adding staged features and content throughout the test as we get a read on things.We highly recomend archiving old scenerios and creating fresh saves.Expect all previous designs to break. Patch NotesBackend- Update to Unity 6- linux client now uses Vulkan instead of OpenGL- lots of serverside optimizations- new "Battle" channel for chatSaves & Seam Cloud- Vessel files are now `.blueprint`, with some compat for the old `.sterik` files (expect designs to be broken)- Added ablilty to save to steam cloud- Added workshop support* - *this will be enabled part way through the playtest until there are more designsDesigner- Added Tutorials (WIP)- new Test Drive map (WIP)- Fixed undo/redo. Probably.- New measuring tape tool! access it with Mouse4. - Extrude direction editable in vertex-edit for armorsShell Analyzer & Tools- New advanced shell analyzer Classes(Light, Medium, Heavy)- Building point systems combined into Logistics Cost (LC) and Part Count (PC)- Threshold-based limits- crossing one of the many thresholds in the designer (mass, cost, part count, etc.) will move you to the next class up. All classes can be present in a battle, but they are limited by Deploy Cost.AI Behavior- Improved AI driving behavior- "Cancel Order" radial menu command- Added extra checks to prevent AI from getting stuck- AI can handle Assault gamemodes betterGamemodes- 7v7 Control & Assault gamemodes- 3v3v3, single-life KOTH gamemode - *this will be enabled part way through the playtest Deploy & Respawn Systems- Introduced a deploy budget system that varies per gamemode.- Added deploy cooldowns and a cooldown trade-in mechanic.- Fix insta-respawns- Implemented a minimum redeploy delay (10s)HUD- Added GUI scale settings for the battle HUD.- New bug reporter and feedback menuContent*Disclamer: More parts will be added during the playtest, the following is just a start point*- New starter vessels- New tracks: - A-13 - KV-1- New collection of cannons: - 5cm kwk38 - 7.5cm kwk37 - 7.5cm kwk40 - 8.8cm kwk36 - 45mm F12 - 57mm Zis - 76mm F34 - 6pdr AP (Retooled) - 75mm AP- New engines: - Kharkiv i6 Diesel - Kharkiv v12 Diesel- New "2D" armor types - Riveted RHA - Bolted FHA - Steel RHA - Chainlink- New cannon SFXBalance Physics- All modules rescaled- Adjusted wheel traction and performed a traction balance pass.- track mass based on # of track links - Performed mass calculation passes on structure, armor, ammo, and components.- Updated part integrities and armor costs- turret traverse rebalanceWeapons- reload, damage, penetration, shell velocity balance pass- New pressure damage system for shellsKnown Issues- Audio may cut out occasionally during lots of action- Player saves are based on steam name + ID, so don't change your steam name for now.- plates might extrude strangely with the new grab point system

Ramshackle will be conducting a public playtest during Steam Next Fest, Oct 13-20.Click the "Request Access" on the store page to join!What is Ramshackle? Ramshackle is a vehicular building and combat game where you construct vehicles with point-placed struts and armor plates as the core structure, and populate the volumetric interior with modules and systems like crew, engines, ammunition, etc. Multiplayer testing will be the main focus for the week. PlatformsRamshackle runs natively on Windows and Linux, but on linux you may encounter some strange shader bugs we haven't tracked down yet. If the native Linux client is unreliable try using Proton. PerformanceWe're targeting 60 FPS on the Seam Deck and are about halfway there. Lower-end machines should disable shadows to gain ~15 FPS. Singleplayer battles are more CPU intensive than playing on a server, because your CPU is running the battle AI.Available Content Note: we're still working on documentation for the game, some parts may be obtuse. We'll be updating the Ramshackle Wiki with additional articles throughout the week. Designer A complex vehicle designer is included with the game, with a spread of starter vehicles to reverse engineer. Most UI elements have a tooltip that explains their function. Skirmishes A 5v5 PVP mode, where empty player slots are filled with bots. Deplete the enemy team's tickets to win. MissionsA simple PVE wave defense style mission is available in the "Missions" section of the Deploy menu. More might be added during the week if we have time. Servers A couple of Official™ dedicated servers will be running throughout the week in the US. The playtest includes files to host your own server, which will be useful for playing with friends, or if you want to set one up in your region. https://github.com/Sterikworks/Ramshackle-Wiki/wiki/Dedicated-Server
FeedbackPlease use the in-game "Feedback" button at the top right of the screen to submit bug reports. You can also join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/4QZBNdcsnT