For this week I have a few more fixes and minor changes to release while I work in a new content patch. Let's go over the changes in detail:
Added a Pirate Hat to the customizable accessories of the Human Raider class.
Added new texture options to some existing accessories.
Added option to reduce or disable soldier voices.
Fixed a bug where some soldier deaths wouldn't be properly registered in the Memorial.
Fixed a bug where using Orbital Attacks too much would disable it for the rest of the mission.
Fixed some belt items orientation during combat.
Fixed a bug where a soldier action buttons would be available after using an Orbital Support action despite the soldier being deselected and causing an issue when pressing the buttons.
Fixed some inaccessible cells in a bridge of the volcanic map.
Now the Memorial screen should show the cause of death of a soldier.
Added missing "Grenade!" voice file for female soldiers.
Fixed a minor issue causing the star map cursor "beeping" even when the UI is covering the screen.
Fixed lightmaps of Scav ship and Volcanic Planet scenarios so the maps are not that dark.
Fixed an issue causing some spell animations for Techno Sorcerers looking bad or incomplete when in cover.
Added missing wall cover points in alien ship scenario.
Stopped number keys from triggering actions while the dialogue screen is active.
Other minor polishing and fixes.
I also would like to mention that Void Marauders will be in next week's Steam Strategy Fest.
That's it for now, see you in the next patch or dev diary.
Regards, Jorge
Patch Release Notes: 18-08-2023
Just a few bug fixes to finish a productive week:
- Fixed a missing parameter preventing Ship Support from being used in the volcanic planet map. - Fixed incomplete dialogue text and options when encountering a populated and protected planet. - Fixed a serious bug where using heavy cannons and rocket launchers too much during a single mission makes rockets explode prematurely. - Fixed a bug where customizable accessories wouldn't disappear when evacuating a soldier. - Fixed a bug where some soldiers would get stuck in animation when reaching the retreat area. - Fixed some rifle aiming animations for security guards and Krell'Sha Raider. - Fixed cover animations of Techno Sorcerers not putting arms in the right position.
Regards, Jorge
Expanded Customization!
Hi
This patch took a considerable amount of time but I think it has been worth the wait since I'm adding a lot of customization options for all the human classes. Let's go in detail:
New Human Bodies:
In order to add customizable faces to the human classes I had to discard the old body models since those only had heads with helmets. The new bodies are more detailed and have the added benefit of having "blendshapes" that allow simple facial animation like blinking, frowning, smiling, etc. so the characters look a bit more alive.
COMPATIBILITY NOTE: You can still play with save files made before this patch but since the old soldier bodies are gone, once you load an old save file, all your soldiers will receive the new bodies and a randomized look (for face and body). This is necessary to keep compatibility and to avoid legacy soldiers without customization parameters looking like bald clones.
Face Customization:
While you can still make your soldiers wear helmets, if you decide to customize their faces then you have a lot of options like hair, skin and eye textures, face paint and even accessories like masks and visors.
You can also edit sliders for the shape of the face or the default facial expression of the character in case you really want to go deep in face customization.
NOTE: there's also a "Randomize" button in case you want to see possible combinations instead of doing all this manually.
Body Accessories:
Every class has its own base armor but you can customize a lot not only by changing textures (like before) but also by adding and removing armor pieces like pauldrons, ammo pouches, bracers, etc.
Most of these accessories also have their own texture combinations.
Future Customization Content:
Since this patch was taking too long I had to leave some of the customization content for a future update. In specific, the expanded customization for the alien classes is missing (you can still use the basic customization for the Void Spawn and Krell'Sha soldiers) and beards for male characters are also something I owe you. Besides that, I made this system with the idea of being expanded easily so I can always add new accessories and textures, I have plenty of ideas for cool armor pieces that will help to make soldiers feel more unique.
What's Next?
Right now I will take a few days to update my trailer and screenshots since the game has changed a lot and I need to show these changes in the store page.
After that I'll work in some small patches with a mix of content, fixes and new mechanics for a while. I would really like to add new skills and combat mechanics to the existing classes. I have a lot of ideas like invisibility for the assassins, improve and expand the melee combat and others. I also would like to go around my existing maps and improve them a bit.
And then I'll need to decide what other big feature is next, probably the promised space station overhaul that will bring lots of exciting content like an arena or in-station missions and new mechanics. It's not the only big feature so if I decide to tackle something else I'll let you know.
I just wanted to give you a quick update on the promised new customization features I'm adding to the game in the next patch.
New models:
In order to implement customization I needed to add new humanoid models for the game. Right now I have a new female raider model which I'm using to test different combinations of accessories, hair, helmets and textures for skin, eyes, armor and face paint.
You can see one of my tests in this gif:
The idea is to do the same for the rest of the classes (at least the human ones) so the game will have male and female variants for raiders, mercenaries, assassins and techno sorcerers. Of course, you'll have a new UI panel where to edit all this, from simple accessories and textures, to hair, eyes and even some sliders to alter (slightly) faces.
Facial Expressions and Face Sliders:
Besides accessories and textures I'm also using "blendshapes" to modify faces a bit. Of course, since I'm a one man dev don't expect something as varied as what studios like Bioware and Bethesda can offer but it should still help with variety a lot.
These blendshapes are also useful to implement facial expressions, as you can see in the gif below I'm testing for basic stuff like blinking, side-eyeing and even some facial expressions that should give more character to the soldiers. Adding to that they can be called during combat, in that way the soldiers won't have blank stares when they are injured or they are shooting a target.
NOTE: gifs reduce a lot of quality and framerate, the original expression transitions are smoother in-game.
Beta Patches:
One last thing: before I make the patch public I'll be testing these new features in a Beta branch, if you want to see the changes before most players (and help me catch any last minute issue *wink wink*) you are always welcome to join the open Beta branch, to opt-in you need to follow these instructions:
- Go to Library and right click the game. - Click "Properties" in the menu. - In the Properties panel go to "Betas" tab. - In the "Enter beta access code..." field write the password PiratasDelVacio - If there's a beta patch available then it should start downloading. - If you want to leave the Beta branch just use the dropdown in the same window.
Of course, since this is a Beta branch (and for an Early Access game), bugs could be more possible to find so it's up to you if you want to try it. If you do and find any issue please let me know in the forums.
Anyway, I still need to do this work for the rest of the classes so the next patch might take a while but it will be worthy in my opinion, I believe that extra customization options are not only fun to have but characters with proper faces instead of just helmets tend to feel more valuable to players (especially when they lose them tragically). I also think I've improved a lot in my 3D art since I started the game (but you'll be the judge of that) so better looking characters are always a plus.
Regards, Jorge
New Space Combat Content
Hi
Here I am with a new content patch, this time I'm adding content for space combat like new enemies, weapons and some mechanic changes. I'm also adding a new "Death's Door" mechanic that gives a chance to every soldier to avoid death during combat (more info below).
New Content:
- Added new ship weapon: Plasma Beam Turrets. - Added new ship defense system: Point Defense Lasers.
- Added new enemy ships: Alien Gunship and Alien Beam Corvette. - New Space Combat Quest: hunt down Alien Flotilla.
- Added new non combat encounter: Space Anomaly. - Added new non combat encounter: Destroyed Ship.
Changes and Fixes:
- New "Death's Door" mechanic: every soldier starts with a 40% chance of avoiding death. This chance can be increased with some skills and traits, and after using it the soldier receives a debuff for the rest of the mission. - Now space combat gives loot without needing a Salvage Arm installed in the ship (Salvage Arm doubles the amount of loot given by space combat though). - Changed Blocking skill (from the Alien Warrior Monk) to only block frontal attacks that are NOT critical. - Modified slightly the way each soldier reveals the fog so small obstacles and cover don't block this (this could make easier to reveal some enemies in some scenarios). - Fixed several audio bugs where music was losing volume when moving the camera and some space combat sound effects were triggered too close to the camera (like explosions). - Fixed a bug where the Gear icon wouldn't be updated after switching to other soldier, making it look like more than one soldier had the same gear. - Fixed some internal bugs that were creating garbage in the logs. - Fixed Center on Player button (Home) not working in Star Map. - Modified "Health" skills to give more hitpoints and increase the Death's Door chance. - Now installing new weapons in the ship is validated so there's no repeated components or weapons that use the same slot (for example, a Beam turret can only replace the default turrets, it cannot be added as an extra weapon).
Please feel free to share your feedback with me. I'm always listening, not only ideas and bugs but also comments about balance or just random opinions.
See you in the next patch or dev diary!
Regards, Jorge
New Enemies and Missions
Hi
I'm back with a new content patch. Like I mentioned in a previous dev diary, I'm adding a new enemy faction called the Alien Diaspora. These enemies come with their own missions and loot and because of this the campaign has been extended, it went from 7 star systems to 9.
New Enemies:
- Insectoid Outcast: a light soldier armed with a laser rifle. Abandoned by their hives they try to survive alongside other alien species. - Alien Hound: a quadruped creature used by alien soldiers as a hunter (and companion). Not a good boy. - Harvester: a "grey" alien, has a laser pistol and a basic personal shield. They also can summon a light shield for one of their allies. - Vattorian Guard: a member of a proud warrior race, armed with a laser gatling cannon. - Nekkaran Warrior Monk: elite religious warrior armed with a powerful laser staff. Able to summon a barrier that stops any ranged attack unless flanked.
I also added a couple of new enemies to other factions: Alien Scavenger (similar to the Harvester) supports the scavs, and Armed Civilian (a low level fighter but with a medkit) accompanies the Security Forces.
New Encounters:
- Alien Ship: board an alien freighter to get valuable alien loot.
- Alien Encampment: visit an alien planet to plunder a big alien encampment.
- Spaceborne Creatures: (non combat) hunt a space-dwelling creature for rare loot.
New Loot and Equipment:
- New Laser Weapons: Pistol, Rifle and Gatling Cannon. Can only be acquired by looting alien diaspora targets. - Alien Supplies, Tech and Drugs: the Alien Diaspora are not harmless refugees, they are armed groups that control the trade of a valuable drug known as Xeno-Blast. - New Personal Shield MK2: this personal shield is stronger than the MK1 but also regenerates a point of shield every turn. - Combat Stims: made from refined Xeno-Blast, this injector grants 1 extra AP and movement for a turn. - Spaceborne creatures: valuable tissue, embryos and organs can be extracted from space-dwelling creatures if you don't mind the occasional hole in your hull.
Fixes, Minor Changes and QoL Improvements:
- Added visual hazard indicators for cells with fire or acid. - Fixed some visual effects (like muzzle flashes and some "spells") only being visible once during combat. - Fixed a bug where switching soldier too fast while a teleport is happening would teleport the wrong soldier. - Fixed a bug where Teleport can be interrupted by ordering movement too fast. - Changed pistol animations to use only right hand instead of both to avoid some issues. - Fixed a bug that stopped AI from using medkits properly. - Fixed a bug that allowed a melee attack to work from 2 cells of distance if there's no movement. - Reduced rotation and weird movement when enemies are taking cover and shooting. - Added proper patrolling/walking animation to Krell'Sha Shaman. - Improved slightly animation transitions between cover and running to reduce instances of soldiers "sliding". - Restored some voices for soldier movement, changed voice tone for Human Mercenary so it doesn't sound exactly like the Raider class. - Fixed some enemy voices when killed for some enemies (basically avoid using the same damage voices). - Changed all voices for Void Spawn. - Fixed a critical bug that stopped melee attacks from working properly when the soldier is in cover. - Added sound effect for Stomp ability.
Hope you like the new content and improvements, I still have a lot of ideas in my task board so stay tuned for the next dev diary and patches. As always your feedback is welcome, even if I don't answer right away, I keep track of your ideas in my board so keep them coming!
Regards, Jorge
Dev Diary #8: New Enemies and Customization
Hi
I'm here with another dev diary, this time to share details about the content I'm making right now. This content is separated in short term (that is content that will be available in the next patch) and long term (content that will be worked on in parallel to future patches because it will take longer but at the same time it shouldn't lock me from working in other patches):
Short Term Content:
For the next patch I would like to extend the length of the campaign, for that I need a new type of star system to visit with its own encounters and its own enemies. Here's the "Alien Diaspora":
The Alien Diaspora is a collection of different alien species that were forcibily removed from their homeworlds (by many reasons) and now have banded together trying to survive. Their precarious situation makes them a perfect target for the Pirate's Guild but be wary because cornered animals will fight to the death (they also have new laser weapons, so there's that too).
I'm also adding new combat mechanics like summoning/recharging shields, paralizing enemies and other special abilities that I intend to give to enemies and some player classes.
Long Term Content:
Many have mentioned they would like more customization for the game. At first I just planned to add more accessories and textures but in the spirit of improving the game and making the player feel more attached to their soldiers I decided to add new heads (male and female) for the human classes:
These new heads have a way to animate small expressions (the technical term is "blendshapes") and I can paint them and modify them a bit to have more than one type of face. Once I have the heads ready and combine them with hair models and colors, eye colors, face paint and tattoo textures (as shown in the screenshot) and even some face accessories like visors or implants I will finally have enough variety to feel comfortable.
That's it for now, I should have a meaty patch soon with the new star system and enemies. Customization will take way longer since there's a lot of content to gather/make and testing to be done but it will be worth the wait!
Regards, Jorge
Keybindings and some fixes!
A quick patch for this week with a few fixes and changes:
- Added a new Keybindings panel in the Options menu so you can change most of the keys used in the game. - Added shortcut key (by default Enter) to go to Next Turn (in both combat and Star Map). - Fixed an issue where you could jump to next turn while your ship was still moving. - Fixed a bug where the "Camera Aiming" for a soldier (when you are targeting an enemy) would get interrupted when another soldier reaches his movement destination. - Now you can't switch soldiers while the grenade animation is being performed (this is to avoid a bug where the grenade wouldn't trigger properly if the switch was too fast). - Added fire effect to hacked workdroids on death. - Made some minor changes in Squad Selection stage.
This is just a small patch that I wanted to release while I'm busy working in new content. Luckily the content I'm making can be kept separate from the main project until it's ready, in that way I can keep releasing these minor patches while you wait for the big one.
Please let me know if you have feedback regarding the keybindings, I kept some stuff like numbers and mouse axes and buttons out of it since I thought most players wouldn't change them but I'm open to include them in some way if you really need them to be editable.
Regards, Jorge
New Content Patch: Quests
Hi
Let's go straight to the content included in this patch:
Quests:
Now you can go to a station and receive a quest per system, these quests were also made to show the new mission types: Raids and Bounty Hunting.
Raids:
In raid missions you'll have to manually carry loot from containers to unloading areas using your soldiers while at the same time dealing with enemy reinforcements:
Bounty Hunting:
In Bounty missions you'll have to kill one or more targets in a map. Usually these targets will be a bit stronger than regular enemies.
Accepting these quests will make them appear in the map as a golden icon, once you finish the mission you can go back to the station to get paid.
New Maps:
- Lava planet: a corporate faction is digging alien ruins and artifacts from a lava planet. Release them of their burden for great profit.
- Hangar scenario: belonging to a hostile station, this is a ship hangar that you can raid but be wary of unlimited enemy reinforcements.
- Derelict ship: a ship that's seen better times, this is used by a scav captain that you need to hunt.
Besides new maps I also modified the snow scenario to make it less flat and modified some maps so soldiers start in a randomized starting location instead of a fixed one.
New Mechanics:
I had to make some rearrangements In the Station Panel, now the Guild tab will only show Quests. For new recruits you'll need to go to the new Bar tab:
As you can see this panel not only has the recruits list but a "Pay Round" button, with this button you can spend a small amount and have a 50% chance (per soldier) to increase loyalty a bit.
Detailed Patch Changes and Content:
- Added basic Quests mechanics. - New Mission(Normal): Lava Planet/Alien Ruins. - New Mission(Raid): Raid Hangar of Rogue Station. - New Mission(Bounty): Hunt Scav Captain. - New Mission(Space Combat): Destroy Traitor flotilla. - New enemies: Scav Leader and Heavy Scav Leader. - Added Bar panel with Pay Round button. - New Reinforcements mechanic (used in raid mission). - Modified list of recruits to show starting trait. Moved to Bar panel. - Modified Snow Map to be less flat and use snowed materials in most props. - Added new environment props to several existing maps. - Added animated sprite to show currently selected soldier. - New loot: Alien Artifacts. - Increased width and visibility of movement range lines (blue and orange). - Reduced Pay Scale formula so soldiers are a bit cheaper per mission. - Added icons for soldiers in Overwatch or Final Firing Position stance. - Now FFP action can't be applied if it's already in use. - Slightly reduced framerate drop when selecting a soldier by improving performance of pathfinding search. - Fixed a bug where melee wouldn't trigger if it was selected too quickly. - Fixed a bug where evacuating soldiers would leave their weapons floating in place. - Fixed a bug where losing the last soldier during an evacuation wouldn't trigger the retreat panel.
This is just part of the content I want to add, now that the Quest mechanics are working I can start adding more raid and bounty missions instead of the typical "Kill Everything" missions. I'm also planning new enemies, including a new minor faction called "The Alien Diasporah" which should add more variety but also help make the campaign longer by addding a new type of star system with its own encounters.
Regards, Jorge
Dev Diary #7: More Scenarios, less repetitive content
Hi
Right now, my priority is to make the game feel less repetitive. To achieve that I'm working in these points:
New Maps:
The obvious way to make a game feel less repetitive is just to add new scenarios. For example, right now I'm working in terrain and effects for a magma planet:
New Assets:
Since creating new maps from scratch is time consuming, I'm also creating new props and environment assets to use with existing terrain. For example, here's some alien ruins:
And here's some extra props for colony-type scenarios:
I'm also planning to create new ship interior assets (walls, floors, etc) for different types of ships that you can board.
New Mission Types:
Something I've been announcing for a while it's new Mission Types, specifically Raids and Bounty Hunting. While some of these missions will use existing environments, their mechanics will differ from the typical missions where you just kill everything in a map (Raids are about gathering loot while dealing with unlimited enemy reinforcements while Bounty Hunting is about hunting special enemies).
These missions will be shown in the Guild tab on every space station:
Since the Guild tab will be used by missions, now the recruits will be found in the new Bar tab (alongside an option to invite a round for your soldiers).
NOTE: you probably noticed these last two images have some AI art, these are just placeholders. While it's tempting to me to use AI art for minor stuff like this (and maybe random events) I think I'll just take the time to make my own renders for the final patch due to ethical concerns (and also because controvery is just draining to me).
That's it for now, making new content is way slower to make than fixes and Quality of Life improvements so I only ask for patience while I work. I'll probably have a new dev diary with a roadmap after this patch so we can talk about other promised content and features.
