Hey all!
Alex here with another update on our development progress in these past few months.
First and foremost, brace for a price increase. This is because the game’s scope is growing past our initial expectations and we feel it’s fair to reflect that in the price. This won’t affect anyone who already owns the game, but, if you have friends who want to try this game - now’s a great time to get it for cheap!
As for the next update, we’ve decided it’s about time for Stories from the Outbreak to leave the waters of Early Access and sail into a full release! The game’s release will be accompanied with one final large update, arriving in about 2 months.
The focus of this update will be narrative. We’re already quite satisfied with how the combat is flowing (though expect some minor tweaks and improvements), but narrative has stayed in the relative background during development. Now, we’re nearly doubling the amount of written content in the game - tens and tens of new events, backstories for each character, reworked conversations (say goodbye to those pesky debuffs from emotions), and more.
A bulk of this is work on the game’s events. The event pool is reaching a size that feels appropriate for a roguelike, but we’ve also evolved our approach to events. Instead of the events being disconnected random situations for the player to deal with, much more emphasis is put on connected micro-narratives.
The player’s decisions will often have long-term consequences. Do you wish to ally yourself with the Unity for Peace, or do you think you can survive being their enemy? Do you make enemies with fellow survivors, or do you always try to act morally at the cost of your own survival? The game will allow each playthrough to explore a different narrative unfolding in the Outbreak-ridden streets of Rīga and Saldus.
Of course, a huge part of such a narrative is the alliances and grudges you build with other survivors. Nothing prevents you from being actively hostile towards the people you meet in the Outbreak, but antagonising other scavengers can lead to violent outcomes…
Human enemies act differently from mindless zombies. Their actions are unpredictable, intelligent, quick and devastating. Don’t let their small health pools fool you - battles with fellow survivors will be some of the messiest encounters you find in the Outbreak.
Of course, the final update will also bring some other new content, fixes, Steam achievements, and, as always, a couple of gorgeous backgrounds from our artists.
We’ll post another instalment of dev notes when the update is closer. Who knows what other additions we’ll sneak in during these next couple of months. Stay tuned and let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see in the final update!
May your poison stacks be manageable,
Alex and the rest of the Coldwild Games team