New in Bravemech: dynamic lighting, and Bravecore overdrive glows

Until now every mech had its light painted into its art. A blue beam passing right under it or an explosion next to it didn't change how it looked. Dynamic lighting changes that, and it went live in 0.73.342 at High and Medium quality on desktop.

How it works

The game reads which way each part of a mech faces straight from its art, so every sprite mech catches light without being redrawn. In battle each shot in flight, beam, muzzle flash, impact and explosion is a light. The eight brightest that reach a mech light it from their own side, in their own colour.

Every stage has its own light

Stages got darker so the light has something to work with. Caves, night and space are darker now, the dusk city has a sunset rim light, and explosions light up the ground under them as well as the mechs.

Capital ships count too. Their running lights and engines light the hull and the mechs flying around it.

The sector map

On the Century Campaign's sector map, warps and battles light up the planets and ships near them, and every planet now turns its day side to its sun.

Next: Bravecore overdrive glows

When a mech goes into overdrive it will throw a strong light in its Bravecore's colour. It lights the mech, the mechs close to it and the ground under it, with bright motes swirling round its body. A mech with no core burns hot pink and each core has its own colour, so you can tell from across the field what someone is running.

Dynamic lighting is on at High and Medium quality on desktop, and Low quality keeps the old look for slower PCs. If you like what you see, a wishlist is the one thing that helps us most before launch.