Hey there AFF Community!
As we’ve mentioned before, AFF is approaching the 1.0 release and for that we needed one final element to fall into place: The Tutorial. AFF can be quite a complicated and opaque game to the first-time player, so we needed to make sure there exists a proper on-boarding process. And to effectively cover all the aspects of the game, the tutorial has grown into quite a sizeable experience.
Therefore we would like to ask you, guys and gals and pals from our Community, to try and break it as much as possible - so we can polish it before unleashing it on the general public. Our Discord has already been taking it for a spin for a couple weeks, but the more the merrier!
If you’re interested, opt into the Beta branch on Steam:
Go to your Steam Library, right click on Angels Fall First, go to Betas, and enter this beta code: saltmustflow into the Private Betas access code section.
We are most especially interested in any soft-lock states where you cannot progress the tutorial or parts that really take you out of the experience. Just tell us what we've missed and we'll fix it!
What you can expect:
A four-part walkthrough of the game’s core mechanics, the AFF tutorial can be picked up and left off at any point, and it’s of course completely optional.
Infantry Basics
How to target
Issue squad commands
Heal squadmates
Vehicle Basics
How to redeploy
How to launch a vehicle
How to issue turret commands
Space Combat Basics
How to repair subsystems
Fighter flight and targeting
Boarding
Destroying subsystems
Core lockouts
Game Mode Briefing
Objective types
Objective progress
Game modes
Afterwards, players can go directly into the safe environments of practice matches (where you cannot take damage) or specially prepared "wargames" sandboxes - to play around with weapons, vehicles, and other equipment - or they can go right into the deep end of the pool: online matches.
Additionally, this Beta branch also contains some new content we’re preparing for 1.0:
A two-stage Space Incursion map, offering a sprawling station to fight around and a gilded resort to rampage through.
This Territories variant of Dar Salaam bathes the carnage surrounding the station in the light of the nearby star passing through the atmosphere of the planet which the Dar Salaam Station orbits. A fantastic space-scape to fight over, this Territories map takes place exclusively around the station’s exterior.
Capture Points A, B, and C allow for the owning team to spawn near them, a LAV spawnpoint becomes available for the team owning a point making the map control extremely powerful. The Maglev Cargo Train now has a proper warning system, sound, lights, signs and all. A lot of collision, cover placement, lighting and visuals in general have been polished.
Mech Flamer - a close-quarters weapon to incinerate your opponents with chemical napalm
Harden Countermeasures - a countermeasure to harden your vehicle against damage temporarily. Decreases damage taken from the front, but makes you vulnerable from behind
Twinned Primaries (fighters, bombers) - new weapon linkage equipment for fighters and bombers. This takes up your secondary weapon slot, mirroring your primary. It overheats faster but increases short-time damage output.
So hop on the beta branch, take the new tutorial and the new maps for a spin, come let us know what bugs we still missed on our Discord and hopefully see you in 1.0 soon!
Onwards and upwards!