Hey, everyone!
Has been a while since the last dev diary, so i thought it was time for some updates and i'd like to let you know what i'm working on right now!
First of all, i'm happy to share that all the new enemies and bosses are done : )
This is a huge relief, cause they are one of the hardest tasks, and i'm happy with the result. I'm sure i'm not done forever with bosses and enemies and i'll design more in the future, but for a 1.0 release i think we're good!
I'm also quite happy with the amount of new content i've added in terms of weapons and gadgets, also thanks to all the feedback you've given me in the weapons and gadgets posts here in the community hub. Some of them (or some inspired by them) have now a place in the game. Very interesting ideas, some with unique mechanics that really enrich the gameplay.
And, most importantly, i'm pretty much done with the progression and interconnection between levels (the one i've written about in the dev diary #0, so basically how the volunteers journey will unfold, location after location, taking into consideration key items, puzzles, etc), even though i still have to design a couple of locations.
So, what now?
The next big entry in the to do list is "secondary quests": you've seen a couple in the demo (the photograph and the unknown substance mass scan), but the idea is to fill the game with lots of side quests, to make the whole progression "thicker" (even though you can entirely skip them and just pursue the main task assigned to the voluteers, of course, but then you'll miss bits of the story and interesting rewards too).
The idea behind EMPTY SHELL 2 is to have a game that can essentially be approached in two different ways: the first one is more similar to the original game, with a more classic and linear progression, following the main task assigned to the volunteers. The second approach is a more exploratory RPG-like experience, where you step off the main path to explore side routes, uncover new story elements, complete optional tasks, collect unique items, and then return to the main path when you're ready. Additionally, given the extraction-based nature of the game, you can also have runs where you don't want to progress toward new areas at all, but instead revisit old locations just to loot and stash resources, weapons, ammunition, consumables, etc.
One of my goals is to create a game that also allows for a "okay, I don't have much time right now, let me just quickly loot Building E and extract, then I'll continue later or tomorrow" type of experience.
And after this, the next big task will be putting into words (and into items scattered throughout the levels) the huge amount of lore that for now only exists in my head (and notes on paper). But i'll let you know about this in another post soon!
Sorry i can't give you yet more details about the release date, i feel it's still too soon. But things are progressing steadily and we're getting there, little by little : )
I'll leave you with a quick gif of some random new weapons and gadgets.
Speak soon, volunteers!