If you have been following our Survival Co-Op streams for some time, you might have noticed that our friend, Just_Carrier, has a special talent. Even in the heat of battle, at the end of a brutal, difficult Survival run, he can create amazing structures from the decorations we have available in the game. Ranging from complex factories, all the way to memorials to fallen Galatean heroes, his art never fails to impress. After the release of The Riftbreaker, he made this screenshot - we liked it so much that we decided to put it up permanently on our Steam Store page. Today, we’d like to challenge you to do the same!
This creation from Just_Carrier is just an example of what's possible within the game. We really appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this. Creating a good screenshot is an art form - we often spend days trying to perfect our frames. The screenshots in this article are the result of teamwork and careful consideration. There are tips and tricks in the captions, as well as our thought processes behind the screenshots themselves.
Here’s a couple of ground rules to make sure that we are all on the same page:
Your constructions must be made with the elements available in the build mode of unmodded, vanilla Riftbreaker. You can use other mods, just not custom-made structures.Use The Riftbreaker’s build mode only. No cheating using the map editor!Your submission must come in the form of a 16:9 screenshot, 1080p resolution or higher. You can supply other materials, such as detail zoom-ins or videos, but the main screenshot is the most important.Don’t alter the screenshot with post-processing effects, additional graphics, or text. Cropping and resizing is permitted, as long as you stick to the 1080p, 16:9 baseline.
For the Co-Op release, we wanted to have a screenshot that clearly pictures several mechas fighting a boss on the perimeter of a base. It was important for us not to have too many distractions, and a very clearly visible Krocoon. Less is more - too much noise in the form of explosions, gunfire, and shiny buildings would draw attention away from the real point of this picture.
It is important for us that everyone is on a level playing field. This is why we’d like to give you a couple of console commands that can prove useful when creating your perfect scene. Using console commands does not invalidate your achievement progress or mark your game save as ‘cheats used’.
If you want to use these commands, load into the game and open the console using the ~ button (this is true for QWERTY layout keyboards in majority of the world. However, your country may be using a different layout. In that case, the console key may be any of these: ´ / ö / ' / ñ / ù / ~ / `). Then, type in the command you want, and press enter. Be careful not to add anything extra; even a stray space at the end of a command can stop it from executing properly.
Here's a screenshot grabbed from our GPU benchmark. The shadows are nice, but the burning Gnerot is just a flaming blob for anyone who's not familiar with the game. We liked this screenshot, but felt that we can do better.
This is what we came up with. The updated Omega Gnerot stands out much more nicely. The Crystal Cavern environment matches the Gnerot's rocky spirit, too!
cheat_unlock_all 1 - This command will give you access to ALL buildable structures in the game. All building variants, all lamp colors, all sizes. This command is active for the current game session only - it does not break your permanent unlocks.
cheat_unlimited_money 1 - Allows you to build everything for free and gives you infinite energy for all structures, even if they are not connected to a power source. If you do not wish to have everything powered and working all the time, you can use the cheat_free_build 1 command, but remember to build solid material storage first. Your storage capacity must match the cost of the building you want to build.
building_speed_multiplier 0.1 - This will allow you to build almost anything in just a couple of seconds.
Take a look at the HUD on this picture. We wanted to show the building process and emphasize that you can do this in Co-Op. That requires a lot of space on the screen. The minimap, resource counts and objectives would take up a lot of real estate, so we decided to use the cheat_hud_visible 0 command to remove those elements. They are vital when you're playing, but can mess up your screenshot if you're not careful.
These commands are pretty vital when it comes to setting up the scene you want. However, there are a couple more that can help you get your perfect shot:
camera_enable_zoom 1 - This command will allow you to switch between camera zoom levels using the mouse scroll wheel. The more you scroll out, the worse the performance and visual fidelity - be careful with that.
r_disable_fog 1 - Especially useful with a high zoom-out - this will turn off the distance fog effect.
cheat_no_clip 1 - Disables the collisions for Mr. Riggs, allowing you to enter places where the mech wouldn’t fir previously.
cheat_hud_visible 0 - Disables the HUD. It will partially come back when you enter the building menu. You can turn it off again using the same command.
cheat_hide_player 1 - You can make your mech completely invisible using this command if you want us to focus on the buildings more.
time_of_day_hour X - Sets the in-game time to X, where X is any value between 0 and 23. We use a 24-hour clock format - 0 - 11 are your AM times, and 12-23 are your PMs. Base lamps and mech’s headlights turn on at 21:00, or 9 PM.
Showing a megastructure was quite difficult due to the sheer scale of the building. We had to use some of the commands we gave you to get the camera positioned right. It was also important to show the size of the Arcology Workshop in relation to other buildings from the game. Without this comparison, you would have no sense of its true scale.
And now for the best part of any contest - the prizes. We will pick three winners from among your submissions. The prize structure is as follows:
To receive your prizes, you will have to accept a friend request from one of our developer accounts, as we will gift you through Steam directly. The values are approximate, as Steam will convert the gift value from our currency to yours - we will do our best to match the correct amount.
Terms and conditions are available here. By taking part in the competition, you declare that you have read, understood, and accepted all terms and conditions.
Happy screenshotting!
EXOR Studios
