Hello everyone!
First of all, we want to thank everyone who took the time to play the demo and share feedback with us.
Overall, we think the demo went quite well, but we know it's not perfect. We've gathered a lot of valuable feedback and suggestions from players, and we've identified a few key areas that need improvement.
Here are the main changes that come with 0.5.0 update :
The Swordfish was originally designed to test whether players had learned how to use grapples effectively before progressing further into the expedition. It still serves that purpose, but it's not quite as unforgiving.
We've decided to introduce a health system. Initially, we wanted players to feel extremely vulnerable and rely on their teammates for revives. However, we've realized that players already feel vulnerable enough, and instant deaths can be frustrating, especially for solo players.
With the new system, the Swordfish still dashes towards you as before, but instead of killing you instantly, it deals roughly half of your health. After the dash, it will turn around and attempt a follow up attack while the dash ability is on cooldown.
The Taser was originally intended to help free teammates who were being grabbed by creatures. As a result, it wasn't particularly useful for solo players.
On top of that, the Taser had a very short range and required players to use their grapples to close the distance, which proved to be too demanding for new players. This often made the equipment feel weak and ineffective.
To address this, we've completely redesigned this equipment.
The new Taser now fires a projectile, similar to a harpoon, which stuns the target on impact. After each shot you'll need to reload it but don't worry, you'll have unlimited ammunition.
We noticed that many players struggled to communicate directions and points of interest to their teammates.
While we considered adding a traditional ping system, we felt that it would break immersion, and we're trying to avoid adding intrusive UI elements whenever possible.
Instead, we're adding a small laser pointer that players can use to indicate where they're looking. It won't take up an inventory slot and will be included as part of your default equipment.
Thank you again for all your feedback and support. Your comments have been incredibly helpful, and we're excited to keep improving the game with your feedback.
See you in the next update!