*this post will have a certain f word replaced with the word oranges.
So I crashed and burned after releasing last August, both the game and myself. After picking up the pieces and finding that due to Derelict being a learning project, the code base was ORANGED. like completely ORANGED. AI, controls, weapons, level design, all ORANGED. I'm proud of what I made, but it was sloppy, and looking back has made that totally apparent. Got to admit when it bombed as hard as it did I went full recluse for about 4 months.
So, what started as a project with the aim of redoing those ORANGED up bits completely in code and not GM's drag and drop, adding pad support and other features that were requested, turned into a complete rebuild.
So we have:
-Complete GUI make over.
-Engine has been upgraded to Studio 2.
-Complete rebuild of standard mode which can be played through and finished.
-Dedicated open-ended survival/rogue-likelike mode.
-Dedicated dogfight mode.
-Levelling and loot system
-Randomly generated weapons over 9 classes
-Whole new level generation system which makes each level unique, use the gates to deeper in system, increasing difficulty and loot level.
-Full pad support from the get go.
-Rebind-able keyboard controls.
-Rebind-able pad controls
-Improved AI (debatable) and 12 new enemies.
- New space mechanics, effort has been made to make space completely unrealistic and filled with stuff, so if you're not dogfighting, looting or hunting points of interest down, you're zipping around asteroids and debris like the Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back.
-New ship looting mechanics, loot ships and randomly generated bit of ship equipment.
-Pretty much the whole game re-sprited.
-Completely improved derelict system with 17 new derelicts.
-40 Player ships.
The past 7 months have been long putting this together. I've been in contact with Steam asking them how I go about setting up the game so you guys will have free access to both this (nicknamed Derelict 1.5) as well as the original (someone somewhere might still be playing it and enjoying it, you never know), unless all you guys and gals want me to just patch this version over the original, which is an option.
I'll be making an effort to respond to any (if any) posts and discussions from now on.
TLDR: Dev rebuilt Derelict from the ground up with loads of new features over the past 7 months, dev seeks redemption, should be available soon for free for existing owners.
