Hello Reclaimers,
We’re now two days away from Rogue Core’s Early Access launch! The game will go live on Steam on May 20th at 18:00 CEST.
Ahead of that, we wanted to share a few thoughts on the whole early access process, our plan for the months after launch, and what Rogue Core is all about.
Rogue Core isn’t Deep Rock Galactic
We developed this game as a standalone title to explore a different pace and playstyle, and to build up new gameplay mechanics and progression structures. It’s not a DLC for a lot of reasons, but a big one is that if we tried to fold all this new stuff back into Deep Rock Galactic, we’d dilute that game’s identity. Rogue Core is a spinoff, not a sequel. It’s intended to scratch a different itch than DRG, and to co-exist alongside it.
Rogue Core does come from Deep Rock Galactic’s DNA, but it plays much differently.
Here are the three key ways it differs from DRG:
- It's faster-paced. You’re under more pressure, and time is a resource you need to manage. Each level is on a mission timer, and you may not be able to complete every single side objective before your time runs out and you reach critical threat level.
- It's harder and more intense. The baseline difficulty is more challenging. We’d say the game probably starts close to the 'Hazard 3' experience from Deep Rock Galactic, and it scales up from there.
- There's more focus on combat. In Rogue Core, the cave generation is more linear. Where DRG had more focus on traversal and terrain modification, Rogue Core introduces fighting in and around industrial structures in the caves.
Early access is just the beginning
We've done our best to polish what we've got, but this is just the beginning of Rogue Core. We’ve still got a big long wishlist of things to improve, add and adjust.
Heading into our Early Access launch, it’s inevitable that folks will compare Rogue Core against Deep Rock Galactic. We do it too. But it's worth remembering that Deep Rock Galactic has had about ten years' more development than Rogue Core. Here’s the trailer from right before DRG released to early access, for some perspective on how far it’s come since then.
Granted, we’ve grown a bit ourselves, and today’s standard for early access isn’t the same as it was in 2018. But the principle remains: this version of Rogue Core is a starting point. How it evolves from here depends a lot on what you have to say about it.
Here are just a couple examples of what we could work on in the coming months:
- More weapons, equipment and grenades
- New enemies and bosses
- More Expenite Upgrades and Artifacts
- New sub-objectives and side encounters
- More intricate “Core Biome” features/terrain generation
We’re working on a new Early Access Living Roadmap, to give an idea of our biggest priorities for post-EA development and a general timeline. We expect to have that out on the 20th when the game goes live.
As always, keep in mind that our roadmaps can change. Maybe there’s some roadwork up ahead, or a cool detour. You never know.
We’re eager to hear what you think!
We want to hear your thoughts: the good, the bad and the ugly.
What's new, fresh and exciting? What's clunky and frustrating? What’s unexpected in a good way, and what’s unexpected in a bad way? All of it matters, and all of it helps us plan our next steps.
Any game, and especially one in early access, is gonna get its fair share of critique. That's fair enough. We think what we’ve got now is good, but there’s always room for improvement.
If you’ve got feedback, here are the best ways to make your voice heard:
- On our official Discord
- On the Rogue Core subreddit
- Making a Youtube video essay
- Tuning in to chat on our weekly dev streams
If you’ve got anything super mean and unconstructive to say, we prefer that sent as a physical letter so that we’ve got your mailing address. <3
All that said, we’ve been thrilled to see all the feedback and excitement surrounding Rogue Core. Our early access release date has felt like an abstract concept for so long, it’s a trippy feeling to realize it’s a concrete date — and soon. We’re excited to hear your thoughts on all of it, and to see where the path ahead takes us.
Finally, we’d just like to send you a whole lot of love from our whole team. After so many years in development, it’s pretty wild to finally send this game out in the world. Many many thanks for all your interest, curiosity, support and suggestions along the way.
We’ll see you down in the mines. Rock and Stone!
With love,
-The Ghost Ship Crew