People are interested, so this time I will show the arsenal of weapons in the game. To begin with, I will clarify that the list of weapons available in the game is not random. All of the above models of weapons can be found on the hands of people in the real Leningrad region. Maybe not as often as in the game, but the fact!
The given list is not final and will be gradually replenished as it progresses. The + sign marks the ready and added to the game models. Naturally, the use of different types of weapons requires appropriate game mechanics, which we will return over time. For example, the system of using hand grenades was ready long ago, but requires refactoring. The task is scheduled for the near time. It's dreary without grenades in the village.
The list contains the original names of weapons, so you can find more detailed information if you want. We have changed the names of weapon models in the game for which we have not received permissions.
And I will add that for many weapon models we also create additional modules for customization.
People! As promised. Let's start with the developer's blogs. And in the first issue I'll tell you about what is now in the process as a whole, and what is planned for the next stage.
In progress
GAMEPLAY
Progress on improving the system of using and managing items in inventory.
Expansion of the tooltips functionality. More useful information in item descriptions.
Progress on expanding the survival system. Addition of mechanics of damage recovery and medication consumption.
Expansion of the AI abilities of the infected. Infected can parkour. New type of particularly agile infected.
Improvements to the aiming system, which will greatly increase the comfort and visibility of shooting.
Bug fixes for the character navigation system.
Bug fixes for the container interaction system.
ART
Special small-size automatic rifle SR-3M, to replenish the collection of weapons under the cartridge 9x39 mm.
AKS-74U assault rifle, AK-74 machine gun and accessories to them, to expand the line of weapons under the 5.45x39 cartridge.
Updating a significant number of foliage assets on the location.
New items of clothing and equipment for the character: motorcycle helmets and glasses.
LOCATION
Progress on adding location loot and points of interest - abandoned tourist camps and camping spots.
LOCALIZATION
Translation of the game text into languages. In response to requests from the community, the first wave languages chosen are: Chinese Simplified, Portuguese Brazilian, German, French, Japanese, Korean.
Updates
Updated builds with progress and fixes are posted about once a week. Watch the patch notes. As we complete the current high priority tasks, we will begin building and integrating the following systems as planned.
Roadmap
In order not to overload with redundant information, I will dedicate each dev blog to a separate topic. And for more detailed information on the planned systems to be implemented during the Early Access period, I will write (or draw) a separate roadmap.
Save system
This is the most important system that we will be implementing in the near term. In general, it is a complex system that should allow the player to save the game progress at any time and an unlimited number of times. The Save System will be implemented into the game as it is created, so players will not have to wait until it is fully ready.
Update 0.100.3
Fixes: - Progress on using items in inventory. - Progress on inventory weight system and the effect on the character. - Fixed the effect of destructible objects on navigation. Broken windows no longer drop framerate. - Alarm clock fixes. - Clothing items fixes - Minor fixes.
Pathogenesis: Overcome | Game Control Guide Ready
Pathogenesis: Overcome contains unfamiliar and unusual mechanics, because we consider ourselves true indie developers and are not afraid to experiment and develop new gameplay features. A full-fledged gameplay tutorial will be added to the game later. In the meantime, I will provide a guide to the basics and nuances of the controls. The ability to reassign keys will be added later. The layout is now set for the default, which may change in the future.
People! The game is now out in Early Access. But we still have a lot of work to do. And before you buy the game, please read carefully the game description on the page in the store and the news at the link: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1067320/view/3664292507070662772?l=english
Anyway, we are very grateful for your waiting, faith in the project and further support!
About Early Access and Beyond
Peace be with you people! Early Access will be available soon. We are solving routine tasks, fixing the technical component and catching bugs. In the meantime, I'll tell you what the version of the game consists of at the start, the development roadmap in EA, and what the game will be like in the release.
There is still a lot of work to be done, and the Early Access release is, in fact, the transition to the public development stage of the game. So you will be able to follow the development process, evaluate the progress and, to some extent, influence the further development of the game. And the most important thing for us is that Pathogenesis: Overcome contains a lot of unusual mechanics and your personal opinion and feedback will help us to improve the game. I, in turn, will start keeping a regular devblogs and will post patch notes for each update. So here's the:
ROADMAP
What will be available at the start of Early Access:
LOCATION: One vast, picturesque location-sandbox "Raskolovo Village" with the size of more than 600x600 meters. There are more than a hundred unique buildings on the location. Each building can be entered, explored and looted. Many objects and caches available for exploration are scattered throughout the location.
LOCOMOTION: Indirect character control with the ability to move across rough terrain, overcome obstacles, climb hills and stairs, use cover. Quick dodges for greater character mobility.
STEALTH: Walking, crouching or crawling to minimize the attention of hostiles.
SLOWMO: Slow motion mode for assessing and controlling the situation. In slowmo mode, the creation of complex routes of movement is available.
WEAPON: Non-target shooting, an alternative aiming mode, a vast arsenal of modern weapons, ammunition with different types of bullets, realistic ballistics with ricochets and penetration, and many modules for weapon customization. Modules affect the behavior of weapons when firing.
MELEE: In case of shortage of ammo or extreme situations, the character can fight off opponents with kicks and inflict bleeding wounds with personal cold-steel weapons, perform techniques to get out of the grip of the infected.
LOOT: A large number of items: clothes, shoes, headdress, equipment, food, drink, medicines and accessories that can be found in a variety of places. Items of equipment and clothing have pockets and compartments for storing and carrying useful items.
SURVIVAL: Damage taken by the character inflicts wounds, bleeding, and worsens the condition of the character. Tourniquets, bandages, medicines are intended for treatment and recovery. Consuming food and drink restores the character's energy and water needs. Hunger and thirst affect stamina and well-being.
THREATS: Crowds of infected throughout most of the village. The infected are not zombies, but people with altered consciousness due to exposure to the pathogen. Infected are fast and hardy, have increased survivability and aggressiveness. Sight, hearing, and sense of smell enable the infected to locate and pursue prey.
PROGRESS:(Attention!) The start version has a nominal save system. In case of death, only the items in the character's inventory are saved with the respawn of the character at the starting point. Exiting the game will reset all progress and you will have to start from scratch.
All of the above is enough to form an initial idea of the game's unusual basic mechanics and gameplay features. Of course, all these systems will be expanded and improved during the development process. And, once again, your feedback and suggestions are important to us before we move on to global mission and RPG game systems.
What will be added while in Early Access:
Сomplete save system.
New weapon types: grenades, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, mines.
Special equipment: night vision devices, thermal imagers, tactical lidars.
Helmet customization: installation of flashlights, tactical devices on helmets.
MOLLE equipment customization: the ability to change the configuration of the pouches on the platforms.
Crafting system for simple items.
More types of especially dangerous infected.
NPC people, representatives of different factions: friendly, neutral and hostile, with their own AI system.
Autonomous companion to the protagonist.
Survival system expansion: the need for sleep, diseases, negative and positive effects.
Quest and dialog systems.
Storyline within a given location with dialog and quests.
RPG system: skills, perks, character attributes and their influence on the actions performed.
What the release version of the game will be:
We plan to implement all game mechanics during our time in Early Access. Upon completion of the process, the early access version will be provided as a separate demo version of the game. The final version of the game will contain:
A complete storyline with all accompanying main and secondary quests and characters.
Global area map for moving between locations.
Several locations of various types that will go through the story: wild forest areas, a small town, a military base, an industrial area, underground storage facilities.
More content: equipment, clothes, weapons, modules, accessories.
We still have a lot of work to do, but we know for whom and why we are creating this game. And we know that we are moving in the right direction. Thank you, friends, for your support and interest.
Inventory
People! A short video on the current progress. This time about inventory. And I'll clarify a few things:
The inventory takes into account the volume and weight of items.
MOLLE system is now disabled, pouches cannot be removed and attached to equipment. We will return this after the Early Access. Now the equipment is kinda sewn pouches. Let's pretend that the Progatonist fingers are all thumb.
CARGO - How can a person carry oversized loot that does not fit into a backpack and pockets, but is quite light in weight? Of course, put the loot on your neck!
Localization will be handled by a separate office, so don't panic.
P.S. And yes. The game was transferred to Unreal Engine 5. Lumen lighting, new shadows, nanites and other things are available now.
Early Access postponed for a couple of months
People! Important news. No matter how much did I wanted to do as I was planning to, I've decided to postpone the Early access release for a couple of months due to a few technical reasons. Bugs and shortcomings for Early Access are normal. But critical ones have come to light that must be fixed before release. This is a complex game with many mechanics, so please show a little more patience. I'm rescheduling for the end of February. I'll announce the exact date later.
Before it starts!
In short, the essence for those who dont like to read a lot: I decided to realese the project to Early Access in its current state, because now we especially need your support and feedback. The development of the game will be conducted in public, you will be able to download updates, rate and leave feedback on the case immediately.
The Early Access version will contain the main game mechanics at launch and is limited to one location "Raskolovo Village". Other systems will be added as development progresses. Well, upon completion of the integration of all systems, the project will move into the phase of preparation for the final release.
Well, now some details. After testing in 2020, we received a lot of feedback, suggestions and practical advice. For which, once again, a special thank you to everyone! Having studied the information received, we thought hard and realized that we were going the right way in general and made a strong-willed decision - many systems needed to be reworked, and in some places quite a lot. Because our audience is serious, know what they want. And these desires completely coincide with ours.
As a result, over the past two years, we have done a colossal job of thoroughly shaking up the entire project. And in fact, we have developed a full-fledged Framework, with a backlog for the future, to create such isometric action RPG games.
We reworked and optimized all existing systems that will be available at the start of Early Access and will improve along the way:
Camera
Character control
Character locomotion
Melee
Aiming and shooting
Covering
Dealing damage
AI of infected and humans
Inventory
Looting process
Visual and environment
Sound effects
The next stages of development of the Early Access version, according to the plan, will be the addition of:
Survival system
RPG system
Random event generator
Story and quests
The Story and quests are moved to the end of the queue, because I completely rewrote the entire script, made it deeper and more complicated. Added more characters, story and secondary quests. The massive system like this requires the efforts of my entire team, followed by thorough checks and tests.
I repeat, all of the above applies to the Early Access version limited to one location "The Raskolovo village". And the scenario in this version will be a small part of the overall story. The entire story and more locations will be available in the final release version of the game.
Why won't multiplayer be in Pathogesis: Overcome?
Multiplayer and coop. As promised, some info and answers to questions. And the very first question is especially exciting and challenging from time to time since the announcement of the game: - Will there be multiplayer or at least co-op? - Will not. And I explain why. Read next.
Why won't multiplayer be in Pathogesis: Overcome? Multiplayer and co-op is very cool and fun, but in the game Pathogenesis: Overcome it will not be in any form. Not at launch, not at release, not after release. For one simple reason - Multiplayer is not a feature or a mechanic, it's a separate genre. And we need to create a game from the very beginning, taking into account the characteristics of the genre. Balance, mechanics, systems, architecture - everything should be designed and created taking into account the fact that you will not be alone in the game world, but someone else at the same time.
Why can't we add it later? Of course we can add it later, so that it is. But I think it's a bad idea. A crutch that will not bring joy to anyone, but will hang "yeap in general, it is here."
Why didn't you include multiplayer from the beginning? Because this requires at least an appropriate specialist - an Multiplayer Engineer who knows how to use servers, clients, pings, synchronous and other online stuff. And I didn't have such a specialist, and still don't have one. And I won’t be able to take him to my team now, even if I know where such people are found. Budget does not allow yet. The specialist and online systems development need a lot of money.
So what? And when will that be? I have a lot of ideas on co-op and multiplayer mechanics. As soon as there is an opportunity, we will immediately implement it. But in a different game. If the success of the first will allow.
Pathogenesis: Overcome contains unfamiliar and unusual mechanics, because we consider ourselves true indie developers and are not afraid to experiment and develop new gameplay features. A full-fledged gameplay tutorial will be added to the game later. In the meantime, I will provide a guide to the basics and nuances of the controls.
