Greetings, Descendants. This is the Director of The First Descendant, Minseok Joo.
It's already time for our fifth Dev Note, and this will probably be the last Dev Note before the Crossplay Open Beta Test. The Dev Team is toiling away on the final stages of the test. I've also been in the daily loop of testing, finding things to fix, discussing them with the team, and testing new builds as they come out. As a looter shooter gamer myself, I'm working with the Dev Team on meticulously polishing every detail to create a game that I would love to play.
Today I'd like to talk about Missions, which we've spent the most time testing. Missions were another type of content that received a lot of feedback after the last Steam Beta Test. The feedback included: the fields felt empty; Missions felt monotonous and repetitive; as well as feeling difficult to play together because players on different Missions were often matched in the same field.
We'd love to be perfect in every way, but unfortunately the Dev Team's time and resources are limited, so we had to decide where to focus. The First Descendant is a character-driven game, so we wanted to design the Missions so that they lent themselves to skill-based combat. Since it's also a grindy game, we established a direction for design to ensure that the Missions have a structure that motivates farming and offers high replayability. So rather than trying to fill the fields to make them come alive, we focused on increasing the quality of Missions to enable character-driven combat with high replayability for farming.
Guide Part 3 - Special Operations & Void Intercept Battles
Greetings, Descendants!
In this third Guide, we'll cover "Special Operations" and "Void Intercept Battles," from which large amounts of EXP and materials needed for Descendant research and advanced equipment can be obtained.
Before the Crossplay Open Beta begins, we want to share some information.
■ Crossplay Open Beta Information 1. Schedule - Tue, September 19, 2023 00:00 – Mon, September 25, 2023 23:59 PDT - Please refer to the image below for the beta schedule for each region.
2. Supported Platforms - Steam, Xbox Series X│S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5
3. How to participate - This test is an open test, meaning you can choose any of the supported platforms to play on during the test period. - Those who pre-register will be provided with '3 Default Descendant Full Body Skin Trial Vouchers' that can be used during the test period. If you want to receive rewards and pre-test information emails, pre-register at the official homepage. [Link]
4. Pre-download - Pre-downloads will be available starting on Monday, September 18th at 00:00 PDT, the day before the test begins. - Pre-download on the platform of your choice (STEAM, Xbox, Playstation).
■ Update to the latest graphics driver - For better game performance, we recommend updating your graphic card driver to the latest version.
■ Contents - In this Crossplay Open Beta Test, 11 base characters and 2 Ultimate characters will be available. - You'll also find 3 fields, 50+ weapons, 300+ modules, and a host of other improvements, so please look forward to them.
■ Linking Accounts - This service allows you to use one set of game information across multiple platforms by storing game data to your Nexon account and linking your Nexon account. Example) Steam account A (Character Level 14) → Linking Nexon account Z saves the Character Level 14 data on Nexon account Z → Linking Nexon account Z with Xbox account B allows playing on Xbox with the Level 14 game data - How to link: Game Menu (Esc) → Options → Account → Link → Automatically taken to game start screen upon successful link → When you log in again, the game continues with your Nexon ID linked - How to unlink: Game Menu (Esc) → Options → Account → Unlink → Automatically taken to game start screen upon successful unlink → When you log in again, the game starts fresh with new game data (Level 1) instead of using the game data linked to your Nexon ID ①②③ ※ Notes ①If you first unlink your Nexon account, it takes you to the game login screen and a new game will start. ②If you wish to link the game data and use them again, go to Game Menu (Esc) → Options → Account → Link and link the Nexon account with the saved game data again. ③If you unlink your Nexon account again, the first game data are brought in.
■ FAQ 1. What languages are supported in the Crossplay Open Beta Test? - Audio: English, Korean - Text: English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional) - This Crossplay Beta supports a limited number of languages to improve the translation of text. More languages will be supported at the official launch, so please look forward to that.
* Feel free to give us feedback on language-related issues, and a survey that you can provide us feedback will be given on the first day of the test. Based on the opinions that you provide us, we will improve the quality to offer more diverse and higher quality translations.
2. Will my game data from the Crossplay Open Beta Test carry over when the game is launched? - Unfortunately, all game data from this test will be reset. Please understand that the data will be reset to improve the game based on test feedback and results.
3. Can I make friends with other users? - We have added a Friends system to help Descendants establish friendships and create a lasting community. - You can add a friend by pressing Player Interaction (T) while in their proximity or by going to Inventory (I) → Social and selecting them from the user list. - You can check your list of added friends at Inventory (I) → Social.
4. How do I report griefers or abusive users? - We have added a Reporting system that enables you to report griefers or abusive users in the game. - You can report a player by pressing Player Interaction (T) while in their proximity, clicking the chat window, or pressing Inventory (I) → Social to open the user list, then select the player, and press the Report icon at the bottom right of the Player Interaction screen. - On the Report screen, you can tick the type of report you want to submit and enter additional clarifications in the Details section if necessary. (You can still Report a player if you choose to leave Details blank.)
During the test period, various events and methods for receiving feedback from our Descendants, such as surveys, suggestions, and bug reports, will be provided in forthcoming announcements.
Thank you.
Guide Part 2 - Module System
Hello, Descendants!
In this second guide, we will explore the 'Module System', a key feature that allows you to enhance your Descendants and weapons.
'Modules' are items that were previously called 'Runes' in the last Steam Beta, and have been renamed to fit better in the sci-fi world of The First Descendant. As a result, the design of the item image has been changed to resemble a chipset. Several other changes such as the way the modules are applied, module socket types, and how Capacity Cost is increased will be explained in this guide.
Before the Crossplay Open Beta, we want to guide you through some key game content to help you enjoy The First Descendant during the test period.
This first guide provides information about equipment, arguably the most important aspect of The First Descendant. In this guide, we'll take a look at systems that can enhance the weapons of your Descendants, and newly added equipment.
Hello, Descendants. This is the Director for The First Descendant, Minseok Joo.
Today I'd like to talk about the Grappling Hook and Parkour, both of which garnered a great amount of feedback after the last Steam Beta Test. In our last DevTalk, we mentioned improvements made to the Grappling Hook including the swing and introduction of Parkour. In this Dev Note, we'll explain in more detail about the thought process that went into creating the Grappling Hook and Parkour, and how we've been improving them.
The First Descendant’s new trailer is now open at Gamescom ONL (Opening Night Live) showcasing the game’s lore as well as gameplay. The new trailer sheds glimpse into The First Descendant’s central conflict between the Descendants and the Vulgus alien invaders as they fight for humanity’s last chance at survival and the protection of the continent of Ingris. Check out more information about us on Gamescom Now page. [Gamescom Now]
Thank you.
New Bunny Trailer
Hello, Descendants!
Our fastest Descendant Bunny’s new trailer is now open. Play Bunny in the upcoming Crossplay Open Beta and enjoy the lighting speed!
Thank you.
Dev Talk Ep.2
Hello, Descendants.
Before presenting this video, we would like to apologize once again regarding the change in schedule of the Beta. As we postponed the Beta to make a better stable environment, we are moving from a Closed Beta to an Open Beta to allow anyone who wants to participate.
In this Dev Talk Ep.2, we've prepared an AMA (Ask Me Anything) where Producer Beomjun Lee and Director Minseok Joo answer questions left by Descendants in the Discord Channel.
You'll be able to catch an early glimpse of how The First Descendant has changed since the last Steam Beta. And you can get various game-related information that our Descendants have been curious about, so please check it out.
■ Crossplay Open Beta Rewards Various rewards will be provided to those who have participated in this test. Also, a Backpack Decoration Item for players who have reached level 20 will be selected through a vote on Discord. You can find more information below, and further details will be given through a separate notice before the test.
(1) Pre-Registered Participants - Those who pre-registered through the official homepage will be provided Trial Vouchers to try out the 3 Full Body Skins for the first 3 basic Descendants during the Crossplay Open Beta period.
(2) Crossplay Open Beta Participants - All participants in the test will receive a Limited Edition Emote upon launch
(3) Reaching Descendant Level 20 - Those who reach Descendant Level 20 will be given a Backpack Decoration Item upon launch. The item will be selected from the three options (Fish Tank, Teddy Bear, Wind Up Hamster) through a vote. - The vote is open for two weeks from August 4 (Fri) to August 18 (Fri) on the Discord dev-note channel.
We are also preparing various in-game events to be held during the test so we hope our Descendants will join us and enjoy the Beta.
Thank you.
Crossplay Beta, Change in Schedule Notification
Hello, Descendants.
We are sorry to announce that we have decided to postpone the Crossplay Beta for an additional 4 weeks prior to its original schedule. This decision was made based on the additional development we need in order to make a better stable environment for each PC & Console platform.
Please check the changed schedule below. - As is: Tue, 08/22/2023 00:00 – Mon, 08/28/2023 23:59 PDT - To be: Tue, 09/19/2023 00:00 – Mon, 09/25/2023 23:59 PDT
For the Descendants who have been looking forward to joining the test at a much earlier time, we deeply apologize that we could not keep the schedule we promised. It was never an easy decision to make, and we kindly ask for your understanding. Our development team is doing their best to make an optimal crossplay environment for various platforms.
Along with the change, we are also preparing for the test so that as many people can join and play. Currently, we are finalizing the details of the Beta test and we will share them on August 4th (Fri) via Dev Talk video.
