I've had to explain this more than I should have already because of the video posted above. Claims made there, aside from the fact that I'm the director of both corporations, are simply not true. Phony Games is a mobile game producer, hence the punny name (ie: phone-y). Furballs began as a small project I'd work in on my off time. It took a while to create because I'd only work on it a few hours a week as Identity was my full-time project. To continue it's development faster, Phony was established. Furballs has had about a dozen people work on it, including artists. None of them, not a single one, had any involvement with Identity. They are two ENTIRELY different companies with entirely different people behind them. Furballs was funded out of my own personal pocket. The email is worded as it is because, well, it's entirely accurate. Phony and Furballs exist without Identity, and the email has nothing to do with its development or release. Phony is a new company and has little reach publicly on it's own. Asylum, on the other hand, can reach out to hundreds of thousands of people. Thus, it makes sense to have Asylum help publish for Phony as it has and will continue to do far outside of the single email sent. In return for this added value, Phony will be providing a royalty to Asylum and Identity; this will happen with or without Kickstarter funding. Phony gains access to marketing and publishing services, and in return provides royalty income. It's quite simple and an extremely common practice.

In Depth Look at Weapons As we continue our work on the SWAT module, this last Friday we put live a new Identity Insider video showcasing the weapons in Identity. It's an incredibly detailed system. If you haven't seen that video yet, I'd recommend checking it out now before continuing in this newsletter, as the focus of this dev blog post is going to be going into detail about what you see in that video. Check it Out! If you haven't seen the latest Identity Insider video, check it out now. If you have, watch it again because it's awesome! Identity Insider: Weapons on YouTube It's even better than it looks We tried to keep the video short and to the point, so we couldn't talk in too much detail. I'm excited about where we are right now in development, and I've been itching to explain just how great this is. We made some bold claims, such as no game in history having had weapons this detailed and it's quite true. Some games came close, but even then their calculations were approximations based on real data. In Identity, we've taken a physical approach to all things combat and vehicle related. That is, we're able to plug in data from real life into our system and our code drives true ballistic physics naturally. It means we're able to add new types of weapons and ammo incredibly quickly, and it'll just work. Some people have been expressing that this hasn't been done in MMORPGs before because it's impossible for performance reasons, but our calculations are so optimized that the entire projectile is processed in fractions of a millisecond. It's detailed and accurate, but built from the ground up for an MMORPG, too! Melee combat I'm going to step through the key parts of the video and describe, in detail, what makes Identity different from anything you've seen before. While we show off some cool weapons in the video, and there are many more not featured, it's important to note that powerful guns aren't going to be commonplace. Most people will be armed with a handgun or similar. Because of this, melee combat will be a frequent sight and we want it to feel right. Part of the issue with melee combat in most online games is that it's just a click-fest and there isn't real room for player skill. This isn't the case in Identity, where a skilled player will almost always knock the other out. Before I made Altis Life (an old and very successful Arma 3 mod) I worked on a game called Mortal Online, which was all about melee combat. Hand to hand fighting, or using melee weapons, works much in the same way here. Another game it could be compared to would be Mount & Blade, as the control system for blocking and attacking is quite similar. In Identity, there aren't special "attacks" which deal artificial damage, but instead the actual physical movement of the body or weapon which applies a force on impact that is similar to that of real life. For example, if you were swinging a baseball bat at someone, it would be the actual bat shape which hits, and the material it's made of, it's weight, how fast it's moving and more which determines the damage it deals. Note the red circles on the boxing gloves with the image above, and as seen in the video. These are physic impact points for the boxing gloves, which collide to deal damage. They're only shown for debugging and illustration purposes, and won't be visible in-game. Weapon fidelity On topic of the bullet jamming in the Insider video, there are many factors which are controlled at a detailed level in Identity. That's not to say it's something you'll have to worry yourself with often, though. Jams will be rare and will mostly happen with cheap firearms and/or those which are in poor condition. A few of us on the development team spent a good deal of time at the shooting range here in Ottawa, paying close attention to these sort of details. You'll need to maintain your guns if you want to keep them in good shape, but don't worry as it won't be tedious. If worry about the ammo in your gun isn't your thing, just buy the cheaper and commonly available ammo; however, if you want to maximize your effectiveness you can choose the right ammo for the situation. The Insider video also mentions being able to customize your ammo. Our physics models are so accurate that a hollowpoint bullet will fly slightly differently than a full-metal jacket bullet. It'll be so slight you won't really notice, though. Where the difference really comes in is with penetration and damage. As in real life, in Identity you can have empty gun magazines (you don't drop them when empty, because they're actually valuable). If you buy a box of ammo you can then fill the magazine as you like. A single gun can fire different bullet types as well as different bullet weights (grains). Gunsmithing We have mentioned several times now that more powerful guns are rarer, and that's because illegal firearms can't be purchased in a shop. You'll find handguns, some shotguns and hunting rifles there, though. Outside of that you'll need to know, or become, a gunsmith and/or a gun-runner. These aren't forced classes or occupations, but with Identity your character is simply what you decide to be through action. Anyone can do anything. Modifying your weapons will typically have pros and cons. For example, changing out a trigger could mean improved fire rate but have an affect on accuracy, as well. A new magazine release could mean faster reloads but less mobility. This will be based on several factors such as the type, quality and condition of the component. You'll be able to tailor the weapon to suit your needs and preferences. Physical accuracy of ballistics and penetration In the very first days of Identity's development, we got our hands on crime-lab documents which we based our in-game bullet ballistics upon. The result was absolutely true-to-life bullet behavior which we could expand upon with very little effort. In the video, you'll see this come into play when we shoot into the air. That might have been a bit better to show at night, though! Since the release of the Town Square module we've been focusing on SWAT module development. Part of this was the improvements, based on documents from the US Navy, into penetration calculations. Because our systems are designed to take real-world units, using real formulas was a logical progression. The results were something few other games have done, and something no other game has done this accurately. When a bullet hits a surface the system analyzes the material that was hit and knows the finest details of that material's real-world makeup. It then travels into the object, or bounces off of it with a ricochet. If it travels inside, we use other physically accurate formulas to penetrate exactly as far as it should, right down to a fraction of a millimeter. If the bullet is passing through a dense material, it can change directions from hitting hard spots. An example of the hard-spot is when I shot the kevlar vest in the video. Most bullets did not penetrate the kevlar (this vest did not have any metal plates in it), but a couple did get through with a big loss in energy. That was not a random chance, but the bullets hit a spot that had slightly less kevlar. A few millimeters of extra kevlar was the difference between stopping and penetrating. Now that is detail! Organ damage The organ damage system you saw in the video is partly our ballistics system in action, and part the medical mechanics. As the bullet enters a soft body, it can break apart and fragments can spread out, especially when using hollowpoint bullets. A shockwave also causes damage just inside the cavity. This spread can damage, or destroy, organs that it contacts. We currently have modeled two lungs, the heart and brain. We may expand on this in the future, too. When the bullet, or a fragment, passes through the organs it will cause specialty damage to the character in addition to the base damage that happens from the impact. This hit will either cause instant death or hinder the character in addition to being damaged. Blunt trauma is a different story, and can affect vision or mobility. As a paramedic, you'll need to examine the injured player and treat them accordingly. If the examination shows bubbles in the blood, for example, you'll know a lung has been hit. Paramedics will go through a quick class and test when they take the job to ensure they know best how to treat people who have been shot. Step into the Town Square! The Town Square module is now released and available on Steam. If you haven't had the chance to try the Town Square and experience a small piece of the Identity world, grab your Steam key and check it out. Identity Town Square module trailer With the Town Square now running smoothly, we've shifted much of our focus to feature development for the SWAT module. We'll continue to fix bugs and add other features to the Town Square, too. Get your Identity Steam key! To get your key, login on the main site at www.IdentityRPG.com. You can then go to the Account tab of your profile where you'll see an option to link your Steam account. You must have BETA ACCESS on your account to claim a key! ATTENTION! You can only attach one steam account to one game account, and it's permanent. Be sure you're logged into your game account which has the items you've purchased before attaching a Steam account! Once you've obtained your key from the Identity website you can enter it into your Steam client, but be sure that you're logged into the Steam account where you'd like to own Identity. Click the Games menu in Steam, and then Activate a Product on Steam. -- John VanderZwet

Our medical system has been designed for quite a time, although this thread is such a great wealth of information that I've bookmarked it so that we can use it in our next review. Thanks! PS: You're going to see a tiny bit of this works when we show off the weapons in a video quite soon.

The elevator bug is resolved in our internal build, and will make it into the next patch which will be quite soon. There are significant graphical overhauls and more stuff, too. The elevator bug you're referring to is not an old bug at all, but came into being quite recently when we changed our VoIP backend system for better voice clarity. The bug was related to the switching of voice "channels" between your apartment and the outside world.

Expanding the Square While the primary development focus continues to be on SWAT, a smaller division of the Identity development team expands the features and controls of the Town Square. This brings new features to enjoy in the social module, and also prepares several features for the combat-oriented and faced-paced SWAT module. Recent Changes to the Square Since our last development blog update, we've made several notable changes to the Town Square. Drop in and check it out to see some of these changes first hand! - Marijuana is now grown by players! Plant seeds on a hydroponics table and dry grown plants on drying racks before harvesting. There are varying degrees of quality. This is the first step toward adding work and economy into the Town Square. - You can now watch YouTube videos with your friends using TVs in your apartments. - We've made significant changes to player movement and animation blending. You'll find your character movement feels much more natural. - VoIP (voice communication) has been rebuilt on a new technology to greatly increase sound quality. - Player's eyes and other facial features change depending on substance use. If you know the effects of a drug, you can tell if somebody is using by looking closely. This will be useful with police powers (see roadmap below). - You can now access the shooting range in preparation for the release of firearms. - Significant changes to the lighting have been made to give a more realistic appearance, especially during the day. - A large remake of the image processing means overall sharper graphics with more detail and eliminated "ghosting". - We've added support for chat commands. Write /emote for a list of emotes. The Town Square Roadmap - Guns, guns, guns! The shooting range in the basement of the police station is now open and soon will give you access to a few guns to try out. This will give you a taste of how guns will work and feel. We'll show you how awesome the gun systems are with a video when we come closer to this release. - Paintball guns will be available for use and play outside of the shooting range. - We'll soon be adding the ability to drop items on the ground in public spaces. These can then be picked up by other players. - A trading mechanic will allow you to securely pass items to others around you. - Security and ownership systems for apartments, allowing you to assign roommates and more. - Police powers are on the horizon for select players (moderators). This will include jailing, restraining and searching. - Even more clothing and character customization options. We have a lot already created and ready to be added. In addition to the features above coming to the Town Square, we're also expanding on jobs and tasks, both legal and illegal, to kickstart a small economy. Step into the Town Square! The Town Square module is now released and available on Steam. If you haven't had the chance to try the Town Square and experience a small piece of the Identity world, grab your Steam key and check it out. With the Town Square now running smoothly, we've shifted much of our focus to feature development for the SWAT module. We'll continue to fix bugs and add other features to the Town Square, too. Get your Identity Steam key! To get your key, login on the main site at www.IdentityRPG.com. You can then go to the Account tab of your profile where you'll see an option to link your Steam account. You must have BETA ACCESS on your account to claim a key! ATTENTION! You can only attach one steam account to one game account, and it's permanent. Be sure you're logged into your game account which has the items you've purchased before attaching a Steam account! Once you've obtained your key from the Identity website you can enter it into your Steam client, but be sure that you're logged into the Steam account where you'd like to own Identity. Click the Games menu in Steam, and then Activate a Product on Steam. -- John VanderZwet

Once you've linked Steam to your game account, you'll be able to claim a Steam key. If you enter that key into your Steam client as it describes, you can install the Town Square and play!

This is a minor hotfix patch to address issues found with the previous update. * Fixed a bug which could sometimes cause people who did not use heroin to see the effects when another player on the server did use it. * Fixed a bug which could cause some microphones to queue speech by default on connection. * Soccer ball reset timer reduced to 5 minutes of inactivity. * A piece of the road clipping into the police station stairwell is fixed up. * It should now be easier to place wall-mounted TVs. * Drug effects on eyeballs will now be more visible. Bloodshot eyes are back. Heroin will also restrict pupils. * Street lamps are now brighter. * VoIP range has been slightly reduced to be more physically accurate. * House edit mode will now be properly forced off when walking out of an apartment area. * Adjusted lighting in streets and police department. * Cinema lobby chairs can now be sat upon. * Added support for might stronger security in the back-end.

While our focus has been on mechanics for the next module, SWAT, we've put together a bunch of fixes and improvements for today's update! We've been building on the weapon mechanics as our primary focus. Once we feel that the weapons are in a state that we feel is ready for the public, we'll be giving you access to a few in the Town Square. In preparation for this, we've opened up the basement of the police station where the shooting range is located. The patch is rolling out on Steam right now. Drop in to check out the changes! Identity Update v1.0.2.4826 * Added new VOIP backend system, greatly increasing quality of voice sounds. * Character movement has been refactored to allow for better polish and feature expansion in the future. This also now allows you to sprint in all directions. * TVs in apartments are now functional. Play YouTube videos, synchronized for everyone around. * Added additional TV sizes in the furniture shop. * The police have carelessly left the door to the basement unlocked. The shooting range functionality will be coming soon. * You can now initiate emotes by using chat commands. Type /emote in chat for a list of options. For example, writing /point in chat will make your character point their finger. * Added a soccer ball to knock around in the public area. * Refactored the way the camera changes when sprinting. It's now based properly on your speed. * You'll no longer hear people in other instances (apartments, cinema, etc). * Added more ambient sounds in character selection. Adjusted the volume of the background music. * Fixed bug with falling popcorn particle animation in the cinema lobby. * Fixed display bug when sitting in a chair while crouched. * The action radial menu will now appear more reliably when interacting with objects that have more than one action (hold your use key). * Adjusted lighting in several interior areas at night. * Lighting outside is now a bit brighter at night. * Fixed a bug which could cause footwear to blink in and out of visibility when running. * Added cloth physics back on the summer dress and flags. * Placed carrots are no longer 6 feet tall. We almost didn't want to fix this one. * Skin is now less likely to be visible through clothing during some animations. * Fixed display bugs with females sitting in chairs. * Fixed alignment issues on some seats in the hotel. * Added missing bathroom fixtures to some apartment floorplans. * Fixed positioning of hipster glasses on females. * You can now properly toggle the display of helper messages. This can be done in your game settings or using the F1 key. * Added a bunch of bandannas to wear. There are about 10 times more to be added yet. * Chairs refactored so that players, especially females, will be seated more precisely. * Fixed the sky flicker every several minutes.

That bed is giving me some ideas for real life. I noticed the console, lol.

Step into the Town Square! The Town Square module has been released and available on Steam for just over a month. With a rocky start (the initial demand was a very large load on our servers), we devoted most of our development time immediately following to bug fixing and stability improvements. If you haven't had the chance to try the Town Square and experience a small piece of the Identity world, grab your Steam key and check it out. If you played only in the first week of release, I'd recommend logging in again now as stability has vastly improved. Identity Town Square module trailer With the Town Square now running smoothly, we've shifted much of our focus to feature development for the SWAT module. We'll continue to fix bugs and add other features to the Town Square, too. On the Horizon While bug fixing and quality-of-life improvements continue to be a focus for our developers, we've also shifted much of our effort to bringing new features and content to SWAT and the Town Square. Most of this effort is geared toward our next module, SWAT, with the added bonus of being able to utilize it in the Town Square as well. The Town Square Roadmap - Guns, guns, guns! The shooting range in the basement of the police station will be opening up, giving you access to a few guns to try out (like the one pictured here). This will give you a taste of how guns will work and feel. We'll show you how awesome the gun systems are with a video when we come closer to this release. - TVs in apartments. You'll soon be able to watch YouTube and Twitch with your friends in your apartment by using TVs. - Radios in apartments. Select from a dozen radio channels to stream into your apartments. In the full game, the available radio channels are chosen by the server operators. - Improvements to the control and animation of players. We'll be polishing up the way players move to make everything feel smoother. - Added security and ownership systems for apartments, allowing you to assign roommates and more. - Lots of added clothing and character customization options. In addition to the features above coming to the Town Square, we're also pondering work/job elements that can be brought into the Town Square as we'd like to introduce currency. Get your Identity Steam key! To get your key, login on the main site at www.IdentityRPG.com. You can then go to the Account tab of your profile where you'll see an option to link your Steam account. You must have BETA ACCESS on your account to claim a key! ATTENTION! You can only attach one steam account to one game account, and it's permanent. Be sure you're logged into your game account which has the items you've purchased before attaching a Steam account! Handing out the keys like this allows us to reduce load on our servers. We currently have another batch of 10,000 keys in the system and we'll be adding more as necessary. Once you've obtained your key from the Identity website you can enter it into your Steam client, but be sure that you're logged into the Steam account where you'd like to own Identity. Click the Games menu in Steam, and then Activate a Product on Steam. Identity Steam Community Now that Identity is on Steam, Valve has been so kind as to set up our official game Steam community. Drop by to join in on discussions, get updates when we release patches and more. This will also be a great spot to see screenshots and broadcasts from others playing the Town Square. Come visit the Identity Steam Community. -- John VanderZwet

That's Motown's face on my body.

The legality of marijuana will be up to the governor currently in power!