Abducted
New patching system implemented, now live testing Beta 1.28.1
This is just a note that these small updates are now possible. This one was 38MB, and the hope is to make them even smaller going forward. The Mac build will be updated shortly and include the same build version as Windows.
You can confirm you have the update from the main menu. Down in the bottom left of the screen it should say 1.28.1 if all went well.
Abducted Beta 1.28 released, Happy Turkey day!
Beta 1.28 of Abducted is up and has numerous additions and improvements. The key bits are:
- Major additions to gameplay and cinematics on two endgame chapters: Dissected and The Ancient One. At this point there are still gaps in the story, training and gameplay, so beware. But all levels in the game now are significantly built up except two, and those should see major updates in the next major release.
- Lots of bug fixes to UI elements and training. It's not perfect or final, but it should be better and have fewer issues.
- PC build is significantly smaller, almost 1GB reduced. This is just a lot of clearing out the cobwebs, packing the build more efficiently and other improvements behind the scenes. This impacts patches as well, going forward will be much smaller and probably more frequent if they are small enough. With any luck, no more large updates (crosses fingers for smooth sailing and tiny patch updates from here on out).
- An End Credits level now exists, and in some cases the credits list is either incomplete or contains placeholders. The list of credited testers will expand, if you want to test the game and be credited for it, let me know!
- Lots of character movement, character control refinements. This is ongoing, but its closer than ever to final.
I'd love to show more but most of the really fun stuff that's new is in the endgame and as such, I can't show much of anything without it being a spoiler. If you want to see how that's shaping up, start playing from Dissected and just play from there. Realize there will be more, and much of this is WIP. If you're feeling brave, give it a shot. ːsteamhappyː
Have fun everyone, and enjoy the food!
Beta 1.27 for Mac is up
A few minor bug fixes that are upcoming got rolled into the build. But most importantly the build is almost 1GB smaller and this will be the case for the Windows build starting with the next release.
Also just as a note, expect future releases and updates will be done primarily with a patching system. Patches will be a lot smaller from here on out. After the 1.28 release and going forward, future updates will probably be no larger than 50mb and probably much less on average. If the patches are small enough, they may come with more frequency. I don't want people to have to download massive updates anymore, so small efficiently sized patches are coming.
Thanks for hanging with the project and to all the new players and purchasers! Abducted is headed into the final leg of development before it shifts from EA to release. There will be an updated schedule posted as soon as we can narrow down a few more details. Again thanks, and enjoy the game!
Beta 1.27 is up, Halloween Sale is on!
The UI is getting redesigned and this goes along with a major revision to save games and persistent tracking. For example, here's the new chapter select:
And a little bit of text based tips/training in the main menu:
The UI is now fully dynamic, in the sense that the game keeps running while you select options and make adjustments. The full menu system is always loaded making it easier to select other chapters, continue your save game or start over. You'll notice tons of new buttons and functionality to this effect. Of course remember, the game is still in Beta so there will be some issues, visual fixes are still needed, etc. But overall the design and functionality is there.
The Arm works again and you'll note that it tracks Glyph Fragments you can find. These will be used for upgrading abilities and are persistently tracked and saved. As the game progresses this new upgrading functionality will be more and more clear.
Beta 1.28 should see a major content and story update as the later levels of the game are made more final. I know I've been promising this for a bit, but it's really coming this time. ːsteamfacepalmː Expect to see new cutscenes, story elements, animation and dialogue. I wouldn't expect it to be a complete story yet, but it's coming up real soon.
And as always, have fun!
Abducted Mac Beta 1.26 is up!
The latest version of Abducted for Mac is up, making it identical to the Windows build. It runs using Shader Model 5, Mac Metal 2.0, and using the latest Unreal 4 engine code available 4.20.3. There are some performance improvements here, so hopefully if you were running on an older system you'll notice things are a bit better.
Additionally, work on Beta 1.27 for Windows and Mac is coming right along, some of the notable elements in the next beta will revolve around menus and save games. I know some of that stuff is pretty dull, but its the kind of necessary work to get the game to a final shipping quality. The goal is to create more continuity in the gameplay experience, better track all the customization elements and give the game a more final look and feel. More to come on that very soon.
In the meantime here's some environment shots that will be used in the new menu system to select levels. Basically they're going to get used in Chapter thumbnails so selecting a level from the main menu is a bit more visual. Enjoy!
Abducted Beta 1.26 released, new sale!
Morning everyone! Beta 1.26 is up and there are some brand new changes and improvements worth noting. Right off the top:
- Updated to the latest Unreal 4 code v4.20.3. This brings all the performance improvements, rendering enhancements and other engine features with it.
- Entirely new Controls, Animation, Movement and Camera system is now in effect. This is a major revision and gets Abducted closer to final release in one of the most important ways.
- Story additions and refinements throughout the game. I would caution to say as a Beta the story is not complete yet, but there is more there than ever before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTHPNz1teyg
A couple of additional notes:
- There's a new control to change stances, defaults to X. Of course set it to any key or controller button you prefer.
- The Arm dialogue system is undergoing the necessary revisions it needs to become final. As such, it's not really integrated into the story or gameplay right now, but it soon will be. Very likely the big revision to this system that integrates it into the gameplay will come with 1.27 or 1.28.
- Because of the sheer number of level and gameplay refinements in this new build, its possible you could run into problems with old saved games. Use the save game submenu to delete any save file that isn't working right (you can delete all of them with a button at the bottom of the menu).
That's it for now! Thanks for playing ːsteamhappyː
Beta 1.25 released!
Because of that, there's a lot I can't show. When it comes to the endgame, everything is just too spoilery. If you want to try it out for yourself, poke around and see how its developing, you absolutely can in this build. It's easy enough from the main menu to pick the endgame chapters and play it through. There's quite a bit of content there now and more coming. But if waiting to experience it when it's done is important to you, continue to hold off.
Just know that the progress on completing Abducted is coming along great.
With today's Beta 1.25 release, as I said, the focus is on the endgame. Beta 1.26 will actually come out next week and have a bunch of updates. The development build has moved over to the latest Unreal engine code (4.20.3) and will take advantage of the latest rendering features. 1.26 will be a more general update, fixing up issues and adding more story across the game at large. There are some middle chapters of the game that will see significant updates.
As always have fun and thanks!
Beta 1.24 is available
Beta 1.24 is up and has a bunch of improvements:
Narrative elements of the first 4 chapters are improved. The story elements in the first half of the game are much further along.
Manipulate ability is enhanced, not just with a preview of how pylons will move but also upgradable levels that expand its functionality. A first pass of this is implemented on Falling.
More improvements to the player camera, movement and animation.
More improvements to level 1 training.
Dreamscape functionality and movement is further refined. Basically, how this all works is set up better and allows for more robust game design going forward. The Dreamscape levels have a bit more detail that gets them a step closer to final.
New bosses and characters added.
Lots of bug fixes and graphical refinements.
The Mac version will jump straight to 1.24 and should release in the next couple of days.
The next beta release will likely include the latest unreal engine code (Unreal 4.20.1). Expect more updates to the story and narrative elements, upgrades and save games.
Enhanced abilities in the next beta release
The Manipulate ability is getting expanded in the next release and will feature information on how controlled objects will move. Enjoy!
Abducted Beta 1.23 is now up
The main updates this release are in gameplay and game systems. The best examples of all this stuff are in the first chapter of the game, just select start game from the main menu and check it out!
The Dreamscape gameplay has been much improved. Moving and sprinting works better, there are all new alien glyphs (the old 2d art brought to life) and hidden items to find like glyph fragments. Fragments will feed directly into an upgrade system that will allow you to upgrade and power up your character, the more you find the better off you'll be.
Red Guardians now have proper AI, they patrol their areas and seek you out if you get too close. They have a full understanding of 3d movement.
The conversation system has been revamped and improved. Better cameras, bug fixes, custom fonts, overall just better usage and behavior.
The Manipulation ability has been revamped to provide better, more complex gameplay. This will pay off as time goes on, but even in the first level you'll see it's more dynamic and interactive than before. It's going to get better, but this lays the groundwork for a truly flexible system.
There are layout and lighting improvements all over the place in the first chapter. More open, more organic. Also more non-linearity, hidden areas and optional things to find. The core path is short and simple, but if you look around carefully you'll find all kinds of things to explore. More of this to come, especially as upgrades and achievements come into focus.
Expect Beta 1.24 to come out very soon and have more bug fixes, expanded and refined gameplay and generally improve on the work done in this release. One of the major revisions coming up will be a new proper save game system, which will tie nicely into upgrades and fragment collection.
Thanks and as always have fun!