Project RedTeam: Contract Offensive · published
The past week has been all about looks, feels, and ... a ... story!?
One thing I kept asking myself was: what is the player's reason to be hacking these networks? Making money as a hacking agency sounds cool- but playing a game just to see a number go up isn't enough incentive.
Project RedTeam needed something more. An overarching goal that is solved by exercising your "unique set of skills". To this end, I've been focusing on creating a overarching story that will fill the player's run with desperation, drive, and reason.
We want a fun hacking game- not a boring simulator!
This game is really coming together well, and I'm excited to see where the next development phase takes us.
PAY YOUR DEBT.
Somebody found out what you took from them. They call themselves The Collective, and they are not interested in your explanation - only that your debt is paid.
Ten jobs. Ten payments. Between each payment sits a corporate network you're tasked with breaching and all the money you can siphon out of them.
Previously, each contract rolled a random operator, which created variety but prevented long‑term planning. That system is gone.
You now create one operator per run, and that operator persists until the run ends. Throughout the run, you earn skills and traits that shape your build.
Anytime you manage to bank 10 kill chains- you get a unique Mastery card. These skill-earned cards give you the ultimate advantage and can be saved for when you really need them.
These cards break all the rules- but obtaining them takes skill and planning.
Sharing the progress I've been making on giving the game the look and feel it deserves.
A fast, tactile animation that makes opening packs feel punchy. Packs now feel like physical objects rather than UI elements.
Cards are thrown into the grid with weight and explosive momentum. Throwing cards is more fun.
When selecting multiple tactics, a swipe across multiple cards stacks and selects them into your hand.
Shiny digital shaders give rarer tactic cards more style!
Tactic execution and chaining feels better, looks better, and is exciting.
Numerous contract end animated scenes for: XP, debt payments, and run progress.
A Network Eradication event animated scene that fires when all reachable network zones (or nodes) are contained and the player has no footholds left in the network (e.g., no more possible moves within the contract - the defenders have removed your access!).
I'm well aware that the current development branch is much farther than the content, theme, and overall quality of the Steam Store Page for Project RedTeam. I've been staying laser focused on the game itself. The marketing "fluff" will be completed later once I have a game that's closer to what it will look like on initial release. Over the next couple weeks I'm aiming for:
Version 1.0 readiness
Steam Play Test
Development cycle on balancing and handling Play Test feedback
Steam Store Page: Trailer, Screenshots, and Descriptions Updates
My planned release date (October 15th, 2026) is still on target. The development and testing is on schedule!