Just wanted to do a quick Steam update, as I know the timing on this update has been odd and hasn't lined up with the teaser I dropped last month. (experimental was not meant to last this long)
To crack straight into it: the main reason the update hasn't been released yet is due to a LOT of iterations on the gameplay goals for the Abyss, ensuring a fun, consistent, and engaging experience from the very start of the region to the end.
This includes a lot of balance changes & adjustments to research and quests; my goal is to ensure new mechanics are introduced at a steady rate, and that there's always something for you to do. While you can still take the game at your own pace, I want as little forced downtime as possible.
This includes but is not limited too...
Various quest changes, ensuring they flow from one to the next in a logical way, and steadily increase in difficulty.
New resource challenges, such as byproducts and resource behaviors. (ex. Nitrium has a 10% chance to explode when used in crafting)
Expanding the tools you unlock to help deal with these new resource challenges adequately.
Research cost balancing & tree adjustments to reward more ambitious players, whilst also ensuring adequate rewards for each milestone.
Some slight UI tweaks to the HUD, purely for readability.
My biggest gripe with the experimental build was the re-use of the stabilization mechanic; I found it fun to try and work around the first time, but once you've cracked it it just feels like a mundane task, which is what I want to avoid.
If it's not obvious, my focus has been on gameplay; I have probably played through the game start to finish ~10 times in the last couple weeks now, taking notes on each runthrough. This has also taken a substantial amount of time, because I'm not very good at my own game :)
Anyways, I am hoping it won't be too much longer before the live release. The current dev build is feeling pretty solid, and I am finally happy with the pacing for the new content. The update will also come with a new trailer & marketing push, and hopefully v0.4 will not be too far behind it as I've already started work on it. As always though, I will continue to update you all on progress & any timeline changes.
Cheers,
~ Ben
P.S. In case you missed it over on our Discord, a few dev posts from the last couple weeks...
Earn keys by completing decryptors, to then spend on encrypted techs. (ignore the aliasing on the small key icon, it's since been made bigger & looks better in a build)
Encrypted techs are viewable throughout the tree.
Overhaul on the Abyss resource tree, ensuring new interesting challenges for each resource.
Some examples...
Enriched Flux creates a new byproduct, Sludge
Nitrium has a chance to explode when used in recipes
Sludge can be used to quell hex & nitrium behaviors
Resources from ALTAR are now used in the tree
Increased difficulty of the capstone recipe, "Hex Battery"
While hard to see, this was a screenshot of the new recipe graph...