Hello.
The Steam game festival, so important for the project, is now coming to an end or has already ended.
I'm happy to report that the demo has received a lot of positive feedback and has generally exceeded expectations in terms of replayability. I had planned for only about two hours of content, one mission, and a fixed set of units. But many of you have played over 30-70 hours, which is surprising.
In light of this success, I have decided that the demo, which was originally planned for release exclusively during the festival (Steam Next Fest), will remain available for one additional week. This way, everyone who has not had a chance yet can try it out and see the RTS component of the main game.
And I am not very happy to say this, but the demo is just a demo and it will have to be taken down until better times, until the release of the full game. But why?
It is great that the demo is receiving a lot of feedback, but it is simply impossible to process it all efficiently. Of course, I do not accept all the feedback, and I am being honest about that, but everything has its time and resources.
The demo has fulfilled its purpose. It has shown you that the game exists, that it works, and that it will not stray far from this direction.
The demo version is a major distraction for me. The main game requires a huge amount of work. The demo has some issues that I cannot leave unattended, even if they are minor.
The release of the main game is not as close as I would like it to be. I do not want people to overplay the demo and then find the main game less interesting.
These are not the only reasons, but the main ones are that I need to focus as much as possible on the main game. I hope for your understanding.
You can listen to the soundtrack of the game here, it was written specifically for the game by composer EDLISE, many thanks for his work, without him the demo would not have been born:
That is not out of the question. It might even happen with new content. And while I try to keep the number of bugs in the demo itself to a minimum, bug reports can be very useful. For the sake of such extensive testing, I could launch the demo when needed. But let us not get ahead of ourselves.
Okay, we have figured out that the demo stays for another week and then game needs to rest.
But what now?
I am not coming empty-handed. The demo has been trying to be updated, and I have been regularly fixing errors in the build. And now, here is update D-30. Most likely the last one on this demo path.
Very simply. I have added an additional difficulty modifier that multiplies the durability and health of enemies.
Their HP literally becomes higher, forcing you to experience not only the quantity but also the quality of enemy units. Of course, this is an optional setting and there is not much fairness in it. But it is not for fairness anyway. It is for fun and challenge!
This is, so to speak, a gift update. I did not plan to include it in the demo, and I am simply happy to share it.
Это настройка "возвышений" - испытаний, которые идут независимо от основной игры.
In the main game, there may be units with cumulative charges and super-penetrating abilities that deal percentage-based damage. However, they themselves may lose to regular units in terms of linear damage. But in these modes, they can shine in a new light. So in the long run, this is not just about "shooting longer" but about "a different composition of units and tactics."
I have already published this on the Steam community, but I will go through it again for a wider audience.
Community post:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/2610770/discussions/0/573793348713711479/
Auto-cast or mass repair selection for abilities were planned before the demo. They will be added. I just could not implement them in time for the demo.
The main game will support at least a couple more major languages. Modding localization files will also be easier. To those eager to help: now is not the time, but you will know when the game needs translation.
I do not fully understand why people want WASD camera control in an RTS, since hotkeys would have to be moved. But I do not mind adding it for casual players. Besides, key rebinding is already listed as in development.
I have some thoughts on this, but I am not ready to share them yet. What I can say for sure is that the camera angle will most likely not change. As for the zoom level, I cannot say for certain yet. Will see. I am interested in solutions without the cascading half-measures that are usually suggested here.
I would like to remind you that the camera is already higher than in many classic strategy games and those RTS games coming out now. In most cases, this is purely a matter of habit and skill.
And even if the game already had a ready-made tactical mode like in strategies with a very large zoom out, I would still have restricted it for the demo. This is because it is visually much more pleasing to watch videos and streams where many units are firing and the shots blanket the halftones of buildings with light, rather than seeing an artillery icon send a yellow dot at a red dot and the red dot disappears. So please keep it simple.
Bugs have been fixed throughout the entire festival. This update also did not go without fixes, but here is the full list for all this time.
+ large pipe holder now spawn ruin and now it doesn't create a small gap between the low pipe and the fallen pipes.
+ fix when spotters aim too near to artillery and the the artillery was firing at itself.
+ added difficulty and scale of enemy base to final stat menu.
+ description of "Complector" update.
+ fix issue when visualisation zones of construction bugging on tactical pause.
+ fixed duplicate local upgrades (equipment)
+ fixed some text errors
+ fixed dead mutant aircraft no longer rotating when tactical pause is on
+ fixed negative supply when repairing a ruined vehicle
+ fixed pressing "S" on a build with an options resetting the rally point
+ added additional gap to map borders so buildings should no longer appear in the fog at the edge of the map
+ fixed issues with not receiving minerals at the start
+ fixed a bug with the tutorial and premature battle start
+ other minor tweaks
+ fixed bug where neutral buildings could not be unselected after being destroyed
+ drag formation effect per position
+ added additional safety guards
+ fixed some multithread memory leaks
+ the "Molots" now try to return to their position when ordered to fire on territory
+ some gamedesign tweaks
+ units inside garrisoning structures no longer die from environmental damage (flame, gas)
+ fixed selection breaking after alt-tab or window change
+ reinforcements target selection now works on the same phantom system, so it may cause less bugs (if it created any before)
+ fixed local upgrade (equipment) menu not appearing on first selection of a unit with this mechanic
+ placement plan now has a delay after being placed to avoid double clicks
+ fog of war update slightly reduced to save some memory
+ rebuilding a Dreadnought into a Howitzer now preserves the dreadnought's current mode and its order queue in mobilized mode
+ mat fabricator and flame turret now disable when power is low
+ recoil will no longer apply inside garrisoning structures
+ fixed trench fake slot
+ fixed a bug where units could not attack neutral objects
+ made some adjustments to tank and harvester behavior
+ now you can add x5 units using shift
+ some fixes around the selection menu
+ improved tank behavior, particularly harvesters, during chaos and complex road situations. they now somehow resolve such situations (at least fewer vehicles get stuck in infinite loops). other solutions are too radical for now
+ fixed some translation issues
+ fixed video encoding
+ fixed units continuing to shoot at already killed enemy aircraft
There will be no post regarding the close of demo, I don't see much point in it. I hope for your understanding.
Well, that's it. There's a lot of work, news, and cool stuff ahead.
p.s. rtsDimon (Dmitry)