December 2024: Post-Beta Update
Hey everyone!
It’s hard to believe that the beta ended a week ago already! I want to thank everyone who applied, I wish I could've selected more of you, but I had to manage the scale of the beta to see how much I can handle, as I've never done something like that before. Also, a special thank you to those who participated in the beta. ❤️ Your feedback has been invaluable, and I’ve spent the last week working hard to implement your suggestions and address the bugs that you reported.
A full list of changes based on your feedback has already been posted in the Discord server, and I'll also post it here at the end of this post. Many of the issues you found were things I hadn’t encountered myself. As the developer, I know how everything works, where everything is, and how it’s supposed to be used, so having fresh eyes on the game was incredibly important. Making an RPG is a huge undertaking, and having many people playtest the game really helps polish it. I’m truly truly grateful for your efforts!
Here are a couple of things I was able to address based on the feedback I received from the beta:
Weapon Wheel: A great QoL feature that was requested. It greatly enhances the experience for gamepad users. You can now access your weapons more easily with the weapon wheel, making switching between your weapons more intuitive.
Gamepad Navigation in Inventory: I also polished up the inventory system. You can now fully navigate the inventory with just your gamepad, no cursor required. This certainly allows gamepad users to interact with the UI more comfortably.
Dialogue Options with Numbered Keys: Yet another addition that removes the need for a cursor. You can now quickly select dialogue options using the number keys, which could make conversations more comfortable and more intuitive.
Enemy Alert Status: Enemies now display an alert status above their heads, helping you quickly identify what state they’re in, whether they’re unaware of your presence, investigating, or if they've detected you.
There are still some things from the feedback/bug reports that I received that I haven’t had the chance to fully implement yet, but I’ll continue working through the list over the next couple of weeks to polish the game further.
Having people play my game for the first time was honestly nerve-wracking, but it was absolutely the right move. The kind, critical, and constructive feedback you provided was really motivational, and it made me so happy to see that many of you genuinely enjoyed the game. Thank you again for being part of this journey, for your kindness, and your support. It really really means the world to me!
After the success of this beta, I’ve decided to run one more beta before launch. I’ll be announcing the dates and details in a couple of weeks, and this time, I plan to open it up to more people. If you applied for the first beta, I would love it if you would apply again when the second beta is available (as I’ve cleared all previous application data that I gathered).
Having more testers means getting more feedback, more bug reports, and, at the end of it all, a better, more polished game. I can’t wait to run the next beta and interact with you all, and I’m so excited to continue building this game together.
Thank you again for your incredible support! ❤️
- debdev
Here is the entire list of things I was able to address after beta ended, largely as a direct result of the feedback and bug reports I received during the beta:
15 December 2024 Post-Beta Changelog
Gameplay and Features:
Dialogue Improvements:
Weapons and Combat:
UI Improvements:
Gamepad Improvements:
Fixes and Adjustments:
It’s hard to believe that the beta ended a week ago already! I want to thank everyone who applied, I wish I could've selected more of you, but I had to manage the scale of the beta to see how much I can handle, as I've never done something like that before. Also, a special thank you to those who participated in the beta. ❤️ Your feedback has been invaluable, and I’ve spent the last week working hard to implement your suggestions and address the bugs that you reported.
A full list of changes based on your feedback has already been posted in the Discord server, and I'll also post it here at the end of this post. Many of the issues you found were things I hadn’t encountered myself. As the developer, I know how everything works, where everything is, and how it’s supposed to be used, so having fresh eyes on the game was incredibly important. Making an RPG is a huge undertaking, and having many people playtest the game really helps polish it. I’m truly truly grateful for your efforts!
Here are a couple of things I was able to address based on the feedback I received from the beta:
Weapon Wheel: A great QoL feature that was requested. It greatly enhances the experience for gamepad users. You can now access your weapons more easily with the weapon wheel, making switching between your weapons more intuitive.
Gamepad Navigation in Inventory: I also polished up the inventory system. You can now fully navigate the inventory with just your gamepad, no cursor required. This certainly allows gamepad users to interact with the UI more comfortably.
Dialogue Options with Numbered Keys: Yet another addition that removes the need for a cursor. You can now quickly select dialogue options using the number keys, which could make conversations more comfortable and more intuitive.
Enemy Alert Status: Enemies now display an alert status above their heads, helping you quickly identify what state they’re in, whether they’re unaware of your presence, investigating, or if they've detected you.
There are still some things from the feedback/bug reports that I received that I haven’t had the chance to fully implement yet, but I’ll continue working through the list over the next couple of weeks to polish the game further.
Having people play my game for the first time was honestly nerve-wracking, but it was absolutely the right move. The kind, critical, and constructive feedback you provided was really motivational, and it made me so happy to see that many of you genuinely enjoyed the game. Thank you again for being part of this journey, for your kindness, and your support. It really really means the world to me!
After the success of this beta, I’ve decided to run one more beta before launch. I’ll be announcing the dates and details in a couple of weeks, and this time, I plan to open it up to more people. If you applied for the first beta, I would love it if you would apply again when the second beta is available (as I’ve cleared all previous application data that I gathered).
Having more testers means getting more feedback, more bug reports, and, at the end of it all, a better, more polished game. I can’t wait to run the next beta and interact with you all, and I’m so excited to continue building this game together.
Thank you again for your incredible support! ❤️
- debdev
Here is the entire list of things I was able to address after beta ended, largely as a direct result of the feedback and bug reports I received during the beta:
15 December 2024 Post-Beta Changelog
Gameplay and Features:
- Added over 40 new items to loot, with about half designed for world-building, adding value to the inventory weight system, and for selling and/or crafting.
- All bodies, including androids and alien creatures, are now interactable and lootable.
- Added clearer ways to indicate when a door is non-interactable.
- Added animations for opening loot containers.
- Implemented auto-saves and checkpoint saves when transitioning to a new area.
- Increased range for interactive prompts.
- Added an “Alert status” indicator above enemies’ heads.
- Added a weapon wheel to easily change weapons, especially helpful for gamepad users.
Dialogue Improvements:
- Fixed issues where some dialogue lines included multiple takes.
- Polished the writing in dialogue boxes to accurately reflect the voice actors’ lines.
- Dialogue choices can now be selected with number keys.
Weapons and Combat:
- Fixed an issue with the Assault Rifle where it would not reload after attempting to reload when running out of ammo, then finding more ammo.
- Fixed guns & arms clipping through walls and other objects.
- Resolved an infinite loop issue when attempting to switch guns with (Y)/Mouse Wheel while no weapon is equipped in inventory.
- Looted guns now provide ammo as well.
- When picking up a gun for the first time, it will have a preloaded, random amount of ammo. (No more reloading after picking up a gun.)
- Fixed turrets: added health bars, damage numbers, and bullet impact sounds.
- Re-adjusted the ADS on the “Shredder” weapon for better alignment.
- NPCs now properly hold guns when shooting.
UI Improvements:
- Character, Inventory, and other menu screens now display proper gamepad icons.
- Fixed UI for SMG ammo in inventory displaying the wrong image and ammo name.
- Added a “Level Up” prompt that takes players directly to the character menu.
- Added a “+” symbol to unlocked perks to make unlocked perks more visible and clear.
- Fixed inventory UI issue regarding using items, it now properly displays the correct input for using consumable (medical/food) items.
Gamepad Improvements:
- Fixed an issue where gamepads couldn’t rotate tablets and could get stuck while using them.
- Fixed issue requiring multiple inputs (Y) to cycle through equipped weapons.
- D-pad now cycles through dialogue options. Cursor no longer needed for dialogues.
- LB/RB can now switch tabs in the Character, Inventory, and other menu screens. (LT/RT switches between submenus.)
- Inventory screen is now more intuitive to navigate with gamepads. Using the on screen cursor is no longer needed.
Fixes and Adjustments:
- Grenades and other explosives no longer damage enemies through walls.
- Fixed issue where loot containers would not consistently open.
- Fixed loot menu opening and quickly closing, if loot container is empty.
- Improved interactions for loot containers, so they consistently open when interacted with. (like the ammo crates in Broken Hill.)
- Added audio cues for locked doors when interacted with.
- Added "Locked" to the interact prompt when looking at a locked door.
- Fixed bug causing doors to play closing sound effects even if they weren’t open.
- Dampened ambient world audio when entering buildings.
- Changed syringe mesh when syringe is out in the world.
- Fixed bug which caused characters to not blink. There are now blinking animations for characters.
- Fixed bandit model issues which caused them to be slightly distorted.
- Fixed rare issue where guns would not reload after transitioning to a new area.