Campaign + Sidearm Update

Campaign

• Introduced the first campaign mission where you play as Claire in search of her kidnapped daughter, Emma

• Follow Jack in his police interceptor through a checkpoint and discover the dark world of Mad Metal

• Includes professional voice over and subtitles in English

• Includes 2 campaign-specific music tracks

  

Cabin-View Sidearm

• Drivers can now use a sidearm while in cabin-view

• This will tie into a salvage mechanic where sidearms don't degrade targeted components as much

• You can use your sidearm to shoot drivers and disable their vehicles without damaging the components, allowing for better salvage and more XP/Scrap rewards

  

Gameplay & Content

• Added quick-turn to all vehicles to enhance maneuverability and responsiveness

• Added a new NOS boost VFX, sound, and 6D camera wobble to enhance game feel

• Increased the initial power of NOS boost considerably

• Reduced the sustained power of NOS boost. We want NOS to be an extreme push that helps with maneuverability rather than top speed

• Increased traction at low speeds to reduce "floatiness" of vehicle controls

• Procedural aiming animations for cabin-view gunner

• Animations complete for steering, braking, accelerating, gear changing, and head-turning

• Added new music and began production of a custom OST

• Added lens-flares that respond to lights, explosions, weapons, and NOS boost

• Added a Credits menu and splash screen

  

Optimizations

• CPU usage reduced by 20-50% by removing runtime audio decompression and mesh serialization

• RAM usage reduced by 500MB-1GB by using mipmaps that reduce quality of distant textures

• Switched from Vulkan/DX12 to DX11 for extra stability and compatibility with a wider range of devices

• Reduced number of individual objects, meshes, and materials, by combining them to reduce CPU overhead

• Baked lighting to reduce real-time lighting demand and free up GPU resources

Notes From the Developer

Thank you all for your support. I work on Mad Metal full-time as a solo dev and I push new builds consistently and frequently. I try my best to capture the nostalgia and thrill of vehicle combat from the 90s but with a modern execution and optimization for all platforms. I've begun onboarding voice actors, artists, and a publisher that will help bring Mad Metal to new heights!

If you have any questions/feedback or if you'd just like to chat, message me on Steam or madmetalgam@gmail.com, or on X/Reddit/Discord. I'm always happy when people reach out. All the best, Hakim Elayday Mad Metal Dev Steam post image