It's been a few months since we invited you all to dive into our Open Beta, and the feedback you provided has been instrumental in helping us improve and fine-tune the overall SYNCED experience.
We sat down with Clark Yang, Creative Director and Producer at NExT Studios, to talk about what the team learned, how we acted on these learnings, and some of the new features you can expect to see in the final release. Clark also answers some questions gathered from the SYNCED Discord community.
Check it out right here:
Developer SYNC-up
SYNCED officially arrives on PC this Summer, and there's a special Solo Mode demo available right now for players to try - grab it on Steam before the Eastern Game Fest ends on April 19!
Unlike our recent Open Beta which offered a large chunk of the game for players to test out, The Solo Mode Demo is instead designed to give lone wolves a taste of solo PvE action. There's two PvE sectors to fight through, and we've included some new Nano-powered traversal abilities, devastating weapon mods, and a selection of three Runners to play as.
For those who prefer a more social experience, SYNCED launches this summer on PC with both PvP and squad play available.
Speaking of launch, with summer almost upon us we wanted to take this opportunity to look back at how SYNCED came to be. Over the next couple of months, we'll focus on different elements of the SYNCED experience to offer an in-dept look from the dev perspective. We're kicking things off today with a look at the unique world of SYNCED.
Motivation and Inspirations
From the beginning, we were fascinated with the idea of advanced technology directly resulting in a broken version of our world - and how humanity's over-reliance on such technology led us down a dark path. The concept of the "Nano" was born, a technological creature that was part monster and part highly-advanced access node. From there, we began experimenting with ways for the player to harness this rogue tech for themselves through their interactions with Nanos.
Designing the World
Maintaining an element of realism was important to the story we wanted to tell, and so faithfully recreating a believable vision of a devastated near-future Earth was one of our early goals. We iterated a lot here. However, leaning on that more realistic aesthetic introduced some challenges, such as how to effectively differentiate SYNCED from other games set in similar real-world locations. Finally, we realized that embracing the core themes of SYNCED - a world overrun with rogue technology - provided the unique visual identity we were looking for, and our forests, cities, and caverns became punctuated with surreal Nano "Surge" elements. These living sculptures of twisted nano technology exist as an invasive entity, disfiguring the recognisable elements of our world and slowly turning it into something truly alien.
Adapting the World for Gameplay
Creating a world that both compliments and enhances the narrative is one thing, but balancing how it feels to actually inhabit the game world is something else entirely. For example, certain in-game lighting effects might result in a suitably moody scene, but if they impede a player's vision or negatively impact gameplay in some way, a change will be required. Again, we iterated often here, and constant play-testing enabled us to optimize the experience. We've worked hard to integrate compelling environmental storytelling into all of the the locations featured in SYNCED, while also offering players a range of strategic options to compliment their preferred gameplay style.
Experience the world of SYNCED for yourself in our new Solo Mode PVE demo, available on Steam until April 19, and don't forget to Wishlist if you like what you see. SYNCED arrives on PC later this summer.
SYNCED is an all-action sci-fi shooter playable with, or against, other people. However, as per some of your feedback following our recent Open Beta, we know that sometimes you just want to kick back and blast bad guys as a lone wolf - just you against the world!
Solo Mode has always been part of our development plan, and we're excited to offer players a taste of the solo PvE experience with our new SYNCED Solo Mode demo, available on Steam from April 12, 5:00 BST (April 11, 21:00 PDT) to April 19, 5:00 BST (April 18, 21:00 PDT)
In addition to trying out some solo SYNCED gameplay, players can also experience the latest additions to the game, including the all-new "Nano Leap" ability and exciting weapon mods.
The SYNCED Solo Mode demo will be available during the Eastern Game Fest Steam event, which runs from April 12 - April 19.
SYNCED Launches Summer 2023
It's the most-asked question among our community: when will SYNCED release? While we're not ready to give an exact date just yet, we do want to let players know that the wait is almost over - SYNCED will launch this summer on PC. Console versions are also in development and will follow soon after.
We took part in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2023 to deliver the news, and you can view our new trailer below, featuring some all-new Runner traversal abilities:
We're incredibly excited for players to start blasting Nanos and gathering sweet loot in the Meridian, either solo or with a squad, later this year. Special thanks must go to our community for your continued support and patience. The moment draws near...get ready to weaponize your enemy!
SYNCED Stats Infographic
It's been a couple of weeks since the SYNCED Open Beta came to a close. Since then we've been busy implementing all manner of changes and fixes, thanks to the valuable data and feedback provided by our community.
We've also (somehow) found time to create a list of Open Beta statistics, to help shed light on how players experienced SYNCED. We've compiled these stats below, in the customary easy-to-digest infographic format - enjoy!
Thanks for Playing!
The SYNCED Open Beta has finished and the servers are no longer online.
Thanks to everyone who joined us over the holidays and participated in the Open Beta. Whether you contributed to the valuable feedback we collected across our social channels, or just got stuck in blasting Nanos and gathering Nerva - we appreciate each and every player who spent time with SYNCED.
Now that the Open Beta has wrapped up, our developers are getting to work on analysing the data and improving the experience as we gear up for full release. When will that be? We know it’s a hot topic within the community, and we’re desperate to share news with you as soon as we can.
For now though, know that we’re working as hard as we can to create the best version of SYNCED, and keep an eye on our social channels for the latest updates and to be the first to know when our official release date finally drops!
Finally, we snuck up on SYNCED Creative Director Clark Yang to get his message to Open Beta Players shortly before the Open Beta ended - take a look:
What Carries Forward to Full Release?
After five weeks of SYNCED mayhem, it's almost time to bring the Open Beta to a close. Given the length of the Open Beta, we understand that players are eager to know how much of their progression and items will or will not carry forward to the full release. We've broken it down into two sections, and you can check them out below:
Permanent content - carries forward to full release
Premium Meridian Pass
Mel Creegan's level 60 reward will activate during Season 1 of the full release
Twitch drops
Items claimed from watching eligible streamers. Note: we understand some players experienced issues claiming certain drops. Please reach out through Discord for assistance: discord.gg/synced
"Holidays in Haven" in-game event
Appearance rewards purchased using holiday event candy canes
Community Weekly Bounty rewards
Items won as part of our weekly community activities on Discord/Social media
Non-Permanent content - only active during the Open Beta
Player progression - As outlined before the Open Beta kicked off, player progression is tied to the current work-in-progress Open Beta build which is expected to change in significant ways before full release. Consequently, player progression will be incompatible with the full release and will not be carried forward.
Items purchased through the in-game store - There were no real-money purchases available during the Open Beta, and all in-game store cosmetic items were sold through a temporary Open Beta economy. These will not carry forward to full release, as the game's monetization model is still in development and the final in-game distribution of these items has not yet been determined.
Third-party giveaways - Rewards from collaborations, such as those from Intel and Alienware, are exclusive to the Open Beta
We hope this helps to address any questions or confusion players might have regarding the SYNCED Open Beta and how its content relates to the full release. For further clarification, feel free to ask in our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/SYNCED
SYNCED Open Beta Week 5
The SYNCED Open Beta finishes on Jan 15, giving you just 10 more days to fight your way to our most coveted reward - the Premium Meridian Pass!
What does all this mean? Read on...
This is Just the Beginning...
The SYNCED Open Beta may be finishing up soon, but you can smooth the transition to the full release by unlocking the Premium Merdian Pass for use in Season 1 right now! Here's how it works:
- The final version of SYNCED will utilize a seasonal model, with new content and narrative elements arriving each season.
- Each season will also have optional battle passes available for players to purchase. We call this the "Premium Meridian Pass".
- You can unlock the Premium Meridian Pass for FREE by reaching level 60 in the Open Beta, and it'll be waiting for you when the full game launches later this year.
So how exactly do you unlock the Premium Meridian Pass? Simply visit Mel Creegan in Haven and check out the items she has available. Once you reach level 60, the Premium Meridian Pass will become available. Claiming it will bind it to your account for full release.
Double XP (Jan 6 - 15)
To help you reach your levelling target and grab that Premium Meridian Pass, we're cranking up the XP gains. That's right, Double XP will remain in effect from January 6 until the end of Open Beta on January 15. So grab your squad and watch those numbers soar!
Adjusting Weapon Balance for a More Diverse Experience
We've been taking note (lots of notes, actually!) of all the feedback and suggestions our players have offered regarding the current feel of weapons and the general combat experience. Following much internal debate and discussion, we've released our largest balance update yet. You'll notice lots of adjustments following this latest update, and hopefully they will offer an improved overall experience when taken as a whole.
A full list of weapon changes and adjustments can be found here.
And as always, let us know what you think over on Discord: discord.gg/SYNCED
Servers Online / Patch Notes - Jan 5
Hi Runners!
Scheduled maintenance has been completed and the servers are online, which means it's time to jump back into the Meridian! The following changes were made during maintenance:
Weapon balancing:
The Professional: reduced damage
Shotgun: damage now declines within a shorter distance
Fixed a bug where companion Nanos moved too fast when being summoned
Closed certain loopholes that were being exploited
Fixed a bug where an airdrop could be generated at the beginning of a PvP team mode
Fixed a bug where Glory could see enemies far away with high-powered scope even when behind a teammate
Fixed the bug preventing the revolver from being unlocked
Tweaks:
Adjusted the margin distance of the bunker
Adjusted the amount of time that companion nanos can remain locked onto enemies
Updated the login QR code
Improved localization
Adjusted the radius and frequency of the Seer's scan
Scheduled Maintenance at 6:00 AM, Jan 5 (GMT)
Attention Runners,
Servers will be down later today (Jan 5) for scheduled maintenance from 6:00AM GMT to 8:00AM GMT (2 hours) as we address some of the feedback you have provided.
We'll update you if maintenance needs to be extended, and patch notes will be provided afterwards.
