Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well. Another day, another patch, and more progress to share. Here are the changes and fixes in patch v1.0.4:
Software screen now properly and more accurately displays the player's current level with a specific perk and whether it is unlocked.
Added missing textures to a few meshes in Pearl City.
Made adjustments to the ending slides text.
SONIS-R software now displays its required key and is triggered when pressing it, instead of using the scanning key.
Fixed issue where it could rain indoors.
Fixed issue that resulted in many characters being named Sera/Carl Notts.
Made ship entrance more visible by adding stairs and increased interaction range.
Fixed the sun being visible at night in Alios & Pearl City.
Polished VO.
Fixed some bugged achievements and began the process of retroactively adding achievements the player should have unlocked.
Changed audio for opening a NIMs chest.
In case you missed the changes made yesterday, in v.1.0.3, here they are:
Fixed Brokenhill Side Mission breaking if the objective is completed before receiving the mission.
Ravens leader should now give a keypass for every possible ending.
Bandit leader can now be told that he can return to Salton.
Resolved issue where holstering/unholstering a weapon would break reloading/firing/missing attachments.
Thank you all for continuing to believe in Within the Cosmos as I work through all the reports you've sent me. I truly appreciate it. ❤️
- debdev
New Patch - v1.0.3
Hey everyone, I've received many reports that the bandits/ravens mission isn't progressing as expected. I have implemented some fixes to hopefully resolve these issues. This update is a small one, as the main aim was to resolve the mission issues.
Fixed Brokenhill Side Mission breaking if the objective is completed before receiving the mission.
Ravens leader should now give a keypass for every possible ending.
Bandit leader can now be told that he can return to Salton.
Resolved issue where holstering/unholstering a weapon would break reloading/firing/missing attachments.
Please let me know how it goes! Thank you for sticking with me through this.
- debdev
New Patch - v1.0.2
Hi everyone! I've continued working through all of the bugs that have been reported across Discord & the Steam bug thread. Today's update (v1.0.2) addresses the issues below:
Fixed issue with Raven leader, Carl Notts, displaying incorrect dialogue.
Fixed issue that could occur when interacting with lootbars while using a gamepad.
Added key rebinding for sprint.
Added key rebinding options for quicksave and quickload.
Added key rebinding for gun customisation.
Added and fixed some side missions across Salton and Chronos.
Added more missing VO for certain characters.
Polished VO.
Implemented missing side mission related to the Enlightened Cadet.
Added alternative ways to retrieve the Ravens’ keypass.
Fixed issue where players could get stuck on the 'Missions' screen.
Refined the UI for the perks screen to more accurately convey the requirements.
Fixed bug where melee enemies incorrectly displayed X/Y axis rings on their blade models.
Fixed issue where the 'Take All' and 'Close' buttons did not work when looting.
Fixed issue where the "Press Key to Bind" screen stayed on screen.
Fixed missing feedback for certain actions being unavailable, e.g., unable to enter storage facility door (now displays required information on the door).
Fixed issue with fast travel to Chronos resulting in returning to the main menu. Can now properly fast travel.
Fixed issue where disassembling only worked on grenades and mines, now works on weapons and armour.
Polished vendor inventory and dialogue to properly trigger vendor screens.
Fixed texture on the Vicis Corp building to be consistent with the rest of the building in Chronos.
Fixed issue in Chronos where a house had an unescapable area after walking up some stairs.
Fixed issue in Rose's Lounge where talking to the vendor could freeze the dialogue window.
Fixed issue with the general store in Chronos where talking to the shopkeeper would immediately return to gameplay instead of opening the shop menu.
Fixed game-breaking issue where opening the quest log could cause the mouse cursor to vanish. Mouse cursor now remains visible on the map screen.
Fixed issue where accepting the "In Distress" side quest could lock the dialogue window entirely, preventing mission progression.
Fixed issue where killing certain quest givers at the start of the game would allow them to respawn later. They now remain dead.
Fixed clipping issue when sliding into vents.
Fixed issue where picking up a nitrogen tank still allowed the player to shoot their gun despite not having it equipped.
Fixed issue where dropping a nitrogen tank caused it to float mid-air.
Added the ability to shoot nitrogen tanks, making them explode.
Fixed issue where sneaking up behind an android and using the "Scan" prompt could cause the info window to remain stuck on screen, even after opening other menus.
Fixed duplicate perk names in the Stealth perks list, where both were called "Efficient Intrusion" despite being different perks.
Fixed issue in the Social perks list where a perk was incorrectly named "Enum_Perks_MAX" instead of its actual name.
Fixed issue where, after confronting the traitor, the door back through the same path was locked and required a key. Repeated generator and traitor interactions are no longer possible.
Fixed issue where reloading the Avenger assault rifle and swapping to another weapon mid-reload could cause the magazine to get stuck in place, even after switching weapons.
Fixed incorrect map locations and naming discrepancies, e.g., Salton incorrectly shown as a cave and travel port labelled as a hangar but inaccessible.
Fixed issue where the "Recoil Stabiliser" armour mod did not grant any of the listed resistances when equipped. Also fixed the same issue for all other armour mods with missing resistances.
Fixed issue where the Tactical Cloak augment showed as level zero in 'Software' screen despite the character having the augment.
Input settings now properly display the correct inputs for each augment.
Added more checks to ensure weapons remain equipped during area transitions. (e.g., entering comms centre could cause the weapon to disappear, leaving the player's hands empty.)
Fixed issue where boosting a skill over 100 (e.g., by using a skill book) would cause its bonuses (accuracy reduction chance, damage increase, etc.) to drop to 0%. Skills can no longer exceed 100.
Fixed issue where the player could crouch or shoot while in the vendor menu/inventory.
Added vending machines/kiosks for Armis Tech/Vicis Corp in Pearl City.
There’s still more for me to tackle, and I’ll keep working on it. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support! ❤️
- debdev
Upcoming Patch - v1.0.2
Hi everyone! I've continued working through all of the bugs that have been reported. I will upload a patch when Steam allows me to. In the meantime, here's a look at the things fixed so far in this upcoming patch.
Fixed issue with Raven leader, Carl Notts, displaying incorrect dialogue.
Fixed issue that could occur when interacting with lootbars while using a gamepad.
Added key rebinding for sprint.
Added key rebinding options for quicksave and quickload.
Added key rebinding for gun customisation.
Added and fixed some side missions across Salton and Chronos.
Added more missing VO for certain characters.
Polished VO.
Implemented missing side mission related to the Enlightened Cadet.
Added alternative ways to retrieve the Ravens’ keypass.
Fixed issue where players could get stuck on the 'Missions' screen.
Refined the UI for the perks screen to more accurately convey the requirements.
Fixed bug where melee enemies incorrectly displayed X/Y axis rings on their blade models.
Fixed issue where the 'Take All' and 'Close' buttons did not work when looting.
Fixed issue where the "Press Key to Bind" screen stayed on screen.
Fixed missing feedback for certain actions being unavailable, e.g., unable to enter storage facility door (now displays required information on the door).
Fixed issue with fast travel to Chronos resulting in returning to the main menu. Can now properly fast travel.
Fixed issue where disassembling only worked on grenades and mines, now works on weapons and armour.
Polished vendor inventory and dialogue to properly trigger vendor screens.
Fixed texture on the Vicis Corp building to be consistent with the rest of the building in Chronos.
Fixed issue in Chronos where a house had an unescapable area after walking up some stairs.
Fixed issue in Rose's Lounge where talking to the vendor could freeze the dialogue window.
Fixed issue with the general store in Chronos where talking to the shopkeeper would immediately return to gameplay instead of opening the shop menu.
Fixed game-breaking issue where opening the quest log could cause the mouse cursor to vanish. Mouse cursor now remains visible on the map screen.
Fixed issue where accepting the "In Distress" side quest could lock the dialogue window entirely, preventing mission progression.
Fixed issue where killing certain quest givers at the start of the game would allow them to respawn later. They now remain dead.
Fixed clipping issue when sliding into vents.
Fixed issue where picking up a nitrogen tank still allowed the player to shoot their gun despite not having it equipped.
Fixed issue where dropping a nitrogen tank caused it to float mid-air.
Added the ability to shoot nitrogen tanks, making them explode.
Fixed issue where sneaking up behind an android and using the "Scan" prompt could cause the info window to remain stuck on screen, even after opening other menus.
Fixed duplicate perk names in the Stealth perks list, where both were called "Efficient Intrusion" despite being different perks.
Fixed issue in the Social perks list where a perk was incorrectly named "Enum_Perks_MAX" instead of its actual name.
Fixed issue where, after confronting the traitor, the door back through the same path was locked and required a key. Repeated generator and traitor interactions are no longer possible.
Fixed issue where reloading the Avenger assault rifle and swapping to another weapon mid-reload could cause the magazine to get stuck in place, even after switching weapons.
Fixed incorrect map locations and naming discrepancies, e.g., Salton incorrectly shown as a cave and travel port labelled as a hangar but inaccessible.
Fixed issue where the "Recoil Stabiliser" armour mod did not grant any of the listed resistances when equipped. Also fixed the same issue for all other armour mods with missing resistances.
Fixed issue where the Tactical Cloak augment showed as level zero in 'Software' screen despite the character having the augment.
Input settings now properly display the correct inputs for each augment.
Added more checks to ensure weapons remain equipped during area transitions. (e.g., entering comms centre could cause the weapon to disappear, leaving the player's hands empty.)
Fixed issue where boosting a skill over 100 (e.g., by using a skill book) would cause its bonuses (accuracy reduction chance, damage increase, etc.) to drop to 0%. Skills can no longer exceed 100.
By the time the patch launches, this list will have grown, as I am currently continuing to work through all of the bugs. I hope you'll look forward to the next patch!
- debdev
Launch Day Patch - v1.0.1.
28 March 2025 - Launch Day Patch - v1.0.1
Hi everyone! I still can't believe the game has launched! 🎉 Thank you so much for all of your support, your kindness really means the world to me.
Since launch, I’ve received several bug reports and have been working hard to work through them. I just submitted a patch that addresses a bunch of issues. Here’s what’s included:
Fixes & Improvements:
Fixed an issue where players could get stuck while looting items.
Added missing voice-over (VO) for certain characters.
Added missing side missions in Brokenhill, Salton, and Chronos.
Fixed several broken side missions.
Resolved an issue with certain enemies respawning incorrectly.
Added more reactive dialogue and barks for certain characters.
Fixed issues with some interior building textures displaying incorrectly.
Homes across Berith II and Alios now contain more content.
Polished dialogue audio to fix lines that began or ended incorrectly.
Fixed a bug where software was not displaying properly.
Resolved an issue where gun scopes would not reappear after using the 'CLOAK' augment.
Polished hair meshes for certain characters.
Added waypoints to several missions.
Added vendors in Salton.
Fixed issue with dialogue with vendor in Chronos.
Fixed issue with the cadet in the cave's dialogue breaking.
Fixed issue where the cadet could be spoken to again after being handcuffed.
Added Quick Load option (F6).
Fixed soft lock issue with the Ravens/Bandits mission.
I truly appreciate your patience, understanding, and support. I’m continuing to work through the remaining bug reports and will keep improving the game with future updates. ❤️ I look forward to continuing to build the game together!
If you'd like to hear about upcoming updates first, the Discord server is the first place to hear about them. Join us to get early info, share feedback, and be part of the growing community! Click here to join the Discord server!
Upcoming Launch Day Patch - v1.0.1
(Not yet live, will keep updating this list as I fix things)
Hey everyone, I’ve been hard at work on the first big patch, bringing more content and improvements based on your feedback. This update will add new side missions, enhance interiors, and polish dialogue, while also addressing some key issues with textures, mission waypoints, and enemy respawns.
Fixes & Improvements:
Fixed an issue where players could get stuck while looting items.
Added missing VO for certain characters.
Added missing side missions in Brokenhill, Salton, and Chronos.
Fixed some broken side missions.
Resolved an issue with certain enemies respawning incorrectly.
Added more reactive dialogue and barks for certain characters.
Fixed issues with some interior building textures displaying incorrectly.
Homes across Berith II and Alios now have more content.
Polished dialogue audio to fix lines that began or ended incorrectly.
Fixed a bug where software was not displaying properly.
Resolved an issue where gun scopes would not reappear after using the 'CLOAK' augment.
Polished hair meshes for certain characters.
Added waypoints to several missions.
Thank you so so much for your support and patience. Creating a game of this scale is a huge undertaking, and I'm truly relying on your feedback to continue improving this. I’m excited to get this patch out to you soon! I'll keep adding things to the list as I fix them, please keep the reports coming! ❤️
Within the Cosmos - Release Date Trailer
Hey everyone! The wait is almost over, Within the Cosmos launches in exactly 1 week! 🎉 To celebrate, I’m excited to share a new trailer with you.
Thank you for all of your support ❤️ I hope you enjoy the new look at the game!
- debdev
Within the Cosmos: Releasing 28 March!
Hey everyone!
I'll get straight to it:
Within the Cosmos will officially release on 28 March 2025!
After two incredible beta tests with amazing testers, I’ve been able to gather invaluable feedback, fix critical issues, and improve the game in ways I couldn't have done alone. I deeply appreciate all of you who took the time to play, report bugs, and suggest changes. Your contributions have been essential, and I am forever grateful.
Your support, compassion, and understanding mean the world to me, and I truly value everything you've done. So, THANK YOU.
Because of that feedback and the extra time I took to refine things, I’ve finally reached a point where I’m truly proud of this game. I wanted to announce the release date only when I felt 100% confident in a final, stable build. So, with that said, Within the Cosmos is releasing on 28 March 2025!
During the beta tests, I was able to add and refine several features, including:
Equipment Wheel
Expanded Equipment Slots: From 4 weapon slots to 10 slots for both weapons and consumables
All Bodies Are Interactable & Lootable
Increased world reactivity: more NPCs now react dynamically to your previous choices.
...along with many other quality-of-life improvements that improve accessibility and gameplay.
I know I’ve missed some previous release targets, and I regret not getting the game out sooner and not properly anticipating setbacks. These are lessons I’ve learned along the way. But looking back, delaying was the right choice. It gave me time to refine the game with real player feedback and make it something that I'm finally truly proud of.
Development isn’t always a straight path, and this journey has been a valuable learning experience. So, I want to thank all of you who have been patient and continued to believe in the game while I worked to make it the best it can be. ❤️
Join the Community!
As we approach the launch date, I’ll be releasing a few more trailers and reaching out to YouTubers (including those recommended in the community forums) to help spread the word and showcase the game to all of you.
I also want to invite all of you to join the Within the Cosmos Discord server! The beta testers are already there, and I’ll be sharing updates, answering questions, and chatting with the community. You’ll also find the changelogs I’ve posted since the beta tests began, so you can see all the improvements leading up to launch. I hope to see you all there! :) Click here to join the Discord server!
Thank you all so so much for sticking with me through the ups and downs. This has been a dream of mine for so long, and I can’t wait for you all to experience it.
- debdev
Second Closed Beta Playtest Announcement
Hi again everyone!
It's been a little over a month since the first closed beta ended, and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the beta testers. The feedback you all gave was truly invaluable. I've been able to polish the game in ways that would've taken me months to achieve on my own. Thank you so so much for everything! ❤️
I’ve addressed all the bugs you reported and implemented most of the feedback I received. For those in the Within the Cosmos Discord server, you’ve probably seen my weekly changelogs/patch notes detailing the progress that I've been able to do. I'm really excited for you to test this more polished version, and see the improvements since the first beta.
The previous beta was a tremendous success, and I genuinely loved the experience, largely because of the amazing people who took part in it. Also, while I do as much testing as possible on my own, a larger group is essential to catch issues I might miss. These two reasons are why I've decided to run another closed beta, and I aim to double the amount of testers this time. Priority will go to those who are active in the community forums or social media and who have expressed a genuine interest in Within the Cosmos.
If you're a previous tester, I'd really love to have you participate in this beta as well.*
You can apply here via this Google form. This survey will close on 19 January at 00:00 UTC. The beta itself will run from 17 January at 00:00 UTC until 20 January at 00:00 UTC.
Over the next couple of days, I will reach out to those selected via email with an invitation to the beta Discord server, and instructions to download the beta.
Access to a portion of the game, including the starting area and the first city.
Most gameplay mechanics, and features are in place.
Your feedback will help refine the gameplay loop, improve performance, and identify bugs or areas needing polish.
If you have any suggestions for Quality of Life improvements or changes, please feel free to share them!
How to Join:
Fill out the Google form to apply. I’ll review applications and select testers based on the information provided.
Thank you so much to everyone who applied last time, I hope you'll apply again! There were many of you that I wanted to invite previously, but due to my limited experience in running betas, I had to keep its scale manageable, but I’m excited to expand this time.
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and see how you enjoy the improvements!❤️
- debdev
* For previous beta testers: If you don't want to go through the effort of re-applying through Google forms, simply message me on Discord, and I'll send over the beta key when the beta begins :)
December 2024: Post-Beta Update
Hey everyone!
It’s hard to believe that the beta ended a week ago already! I want to thank everyone who applied, I wish I could've selected more of you, but I had to manage the scale of the beta to see how much I can handle, as I've never done something like that before. Also, a special thank you to those who participated in the beta. ❤️ Your feedback has been invaluable, and I’ve spent the last week working hard to implement your suggestions and address the bugs that you reported.
A full list of changes based on your feedback has already been posted in the Discord server, and I'll also post it here at the end of this post. Many of the issues you found were things I hadn’t encountered myself. As the developer, I know how everything works, where everything is, and how it’s supposed to be used, so having fresh eyes on the game was incredibly important. Making an RPG is a huge undertaking, and having many people playtest the game really helps polish it. I’m truly truly grateful for your efforts!
Here are a couple of things I was able to address based on the feedback I received from the beta:
Weapon Wheel: A great QoL feature that was requested. It greatly enhances the experience for gamepad users. You can now access your weapons more easily with the weapon wheel, making switching between your weapons more intuitive.
Gamepad Navigation in Inventory: I also polished up the inventory system. You can now fully navigate the inventory with just your gamepad, no cursor required. This certainly allows gamepad users to interact with the UI more comfortably.
Dialogue Options with Numbered Keys: Yet another addition that removes the need for a cursor. You can now quickly select dialogue options using the number keys, which could make conversations more comfortable and more intuitive.
Enemy Alert Status: Enemies now display an alert status above their heads, helping you quickly identify what state they’re in, whether they’re unaware of your presence, investigating, or if they've detected you.
There are still some things from the feedback/bug reports that I received that I haven’t had the chance to fully implement yet, but I’ll continue working through the list over the next couple of weeks to polish the game further.
Having people play my game for the first time was honestly nerve-wracking, but it was absolutely the right move. The kind, critical, and constructive feedback you provided was really motivational, and it made me so happy to see that many of you genuinely enjoyed the game. Thank you again for being part of this journey, for your kindness, and your support. It really really means the world to me!
After the success of this beta, I’ve decided to run one more beta before launch. I’ll be announcing the dates and details in a couple of weeks, and this time, I plan to open it up to more people. If you applied for the first beta, I would love it if you would apply again when the second beta is available (as I’ve cleared all previous application data that I gathered).
Having more testers means getting more feedback, more bug reports, and, at the end of it all, a better, more polished game. I can’t wait to run the next beta and interact with you all, and I’m so excited to continue building this game together.
Thank you again for your incredible support! ❤️
- debdev
Here is the entire list of things I was able to address after beta ended, largely as a direct result of the feedback and bug reports I received during the beta:
15 December 2024 Post-Beta Changelog
Gameplay and Features:
Added over 40 new items to loot, with about half designed for world-building, adding value to the inventory weight system, and for selling and/or crafting.
All bodies, including androids and alien creatures, are now interactable and lootable.
Added clearer ways to indicate when a door is non-interactable.
Added animations for opening loot containers.
Implemented auto-saves and checkpoint saves when transitioning to a new area.
Increased range for interactive prompts.
Added an “Alert status” indicator above enemies’ heads.
Added a weapon wheel to easily change weapons, especially helpful for gamepad users.
Dialogue Improvements:
Fixed issues where some dialogue lines included multiple takes.
Polished the writing in dialogue boxes to accurately reflect the voice actors’ lines.
Dialogue choices can now be selected with number keys.
Weapons and Combat:
Fixed an issue with the Assault Rifle where it would not reload after attempting to reload when running out of ammo, then finding more ammo.
Fixed guns & arms clipping through walls and other objects.
Resolved an infinite loop issue when attempting to switch guns with (Y)/Mouse Wheel while no weapon is equipped in inventory.
Looted guns now provide ammo as well.
When picking up a gun for the first time, it will have a preloaded, random amount of ammo. (No more reloading after picking up a gun.)
Fixed turrets: added health bars, damage numbers, and bullet impact sounds.
Re-adjusted the ADS on the “Shredder” weapon for better alignment.
NPCs now properly hold guns when shooting.
UI Improvements:
Character, Inventory, and other menu screens now display proper gamepad icons.
Fixed UI for SMG ammo in inventory displaying the wrong image and ammo name.
Added a “Level Up” prompt that takes players directly to the character menu.
Added a “+” symbol to unlocked perks to make unlocked perks more visible and clear.
Fixed inventory UI issue regarding using items, it now properly displays the correct input for using consumable (medical/food) items.
Gamepad Improvements:
Fixed an issue where gamepads couldn’t rotate tablets and could get stuck while using them.
Fixed issue requiring multiple inputs (Y) to cycle through equipped weapons.
D-pad now cycles through dialogue options. Cursor no longer needed for dialogues.
LB/RB can now switch tabs in the Character, Inventory, and other menu screens. (LT/RT switches between submenus.)
Inventory screen is now more intuitive to navigate with gamepads. Using the on screen cursor is no longer needed.
Fixes and Adjustments:
Grenades and other explosives no longer damage enemies through walls.
Fixed issue where loot containers would not consistently open.
Fixed loot menu opening and quickly closing, if loot container is empty.
Improved interactions for loot containers, so they consistently open when interacted with. (like the ammo crates in Broken Hill.)
Added audio cues for locked doors when interacted with.
Added "Locked" to the interact prompt when looking at a locked door.
Fixed bug causing doors to play closing sound effects even if they weren’t open.
Dampened ambient world audio when entering buildings.
Changed syringe mesh when syringe is out in the world.
Fixed bug which caused characters to not blink. There are now blinking animations for characters.
Fixed bandit model issues which caused them to be slightly distorted.
Fixed rare issue where guns would not reload after transitioning to a new area.
