So here's what 6 months of silence will get you lmao
First off-
YO WHAT'S UP
Long time no talk, yada yada. I figured I should warn you, this one is gonna be a VERY heavy-on-the-info content update because a LOT has changed in the process of evolving GTTOD into something we can be proud of releasing into 1.0 - and not just a little proud, but REALLY proud. I feel like I have something very unique and special here, and I hope you see that too.
THAT BEING SAID...
Here's what you can expect from this post:
- Pictures of A R T and things
- GIFs of gameplay and animations
- LOTS of info about mechanical and directional changes
- LOTS of info about new content and mechanics
- Some info about cut mechanics (unless everyone gets mad in which case you know I'll cave in and reimplement it)
- Casual vulgarity because it makes me seem more human and less like the completely emotionless robot I really am IRL guys I swear this isn't a joke it's a plea for help
(it's a joke)
- Links to our Discord and other media that is getting ramped up now that we're getting closer to launch
- My thoughts on how things are going
- Discussion about how you guys are doing / feeling
BUT FIRST
NEARLY EVERYTHING you see here has been taken from the public Discord server. We are in there every day sharing new footage and content, discussing changes, and talking with the community to turn GTTOD into the best game it can possibly be for as many people as possible. You can be a part of that, so feel free to join us! We would love to have you.
Alright anyway let's get into it.
I love how I'm doing this at the very end rather than the beginning of Early Access lmao
We have all made a very dedicated effort to organize and prioritize tasks for this final update and launch into 1.0. We want to make sure we can deliver the craziest launch possible within our means. To that end, I wanted to give you a look at not only what we've been up to, but also when and how you're gonna be able to experience it and play it for yourselves, whether you've backed the game in Early Access or not (more on this in a future post).
SO, We'll be updating and adding and adjusting this roadmap as we progress, and since we're gonna be increasing communication from here on out leading up to 1.0's launch, you can just use this as a quick glance-at-it-and-see-where-we're-at-tool if you're interested.
NOW, into the meaty new stuff.
YEAH
Remember that whole concept thing from last time? Boom, better than I could have hoped. This thing REALLY turned out great, and now HOLD YOUR HORSES I know some of you might be getting real suspicious about this thinking "I don't wanna spend 10 minutes managing an inventory in a fast paced FPS game" and DON'T YOU WORRY BRO I got you covered check this shit out:
AUTO EQUIPS / AUTO FAVORITES
When you pick up new items, depending on the item type, it'll either be auto-equipped to your current equipped item slots, OR it'll be auto-favorited. Favorited items can be ANYTHING, btw, so if you want to carry multiple apparel items and switch to them on the fly without ever touching your inventory, you can. You want 20 guns? You want 40 guns? Fuck it, take 40 pistols and Favorite all of them and never reload ever again. THIS is why I needed to remake the inventory / item system - builds are now UNLEASHED by their previous restrictions and you can now go WILD with how much you want to interact with and how much you want to engage with.
Just wanna move fast and shoot guys? Use the Grab-A-Gun and other in-level loot items to just...do that, and skill your way to the end. But if you're wanting to engage, well the platform is there for you to have a very enriching exploration and build crafting rogue-like experience - and all of that is possible because we have a ROCK SOLID foundation for loot and item management.
Either way, at the end of the day, we now have the bones and structure of a REAL, true rogue like parkour FPS looter shooter. It's all here.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmoving on
MELEE AS A MAIN MECHANIC AND A MORE FOCUSED VISION FOR COMBAT
A long time ago, I made it so that when you beat a mf, they would go FLYING back and hit a wall and explode. Since that day, I've never been the same - and I wish OH GOD I wish I would have delved deeper into that side of GTTOD sooner because the results have been INSANE. Melee now has a dedicated mouse button by default, that being Right Mouse Button (think Left 4 Dead, another Horde Shooter). Tapping the melee button will perform a light attack using just your fists. These are fast and deal plenty of "Structure Damage" (will talk about this in a second) to give you some space to breathe, but aren't meant to be your main damage dealing melee weapons. That comes from your HEAVY weapons, like the Longswords, Axes, Hammers, Maces, Katanas, Spears, you name it.
To go along with these changes, there has been a full overhaul to how damage is dealt in GTTOD. Not only do you have damage TYPES, like Slashing, Piercing, Blunt, Explosive, etc - but also effects, stack chances, and stack amounts for things like Fire, Static, "Brittle", and "Harvest" as our four main elemental effects. This makes every weapon, item, or any source of damage have a LOAD of different ways to impact and damage / heal targets differently. This allows the new methods of playstyles, AND also new reactions to effects and damage sources from AI. For instance, sure, maybe an enemy with a shield won't be impacted by slashing damage attacks, but a stabbing / piercing attack could slip through the gaps of his armor, making it more effective. THAT is the logic behind this new system. An example, as mentioned earlier, is "Structure Damage". Attacks that deal "Blunt" damage types impact a target's "Structure", and when a structure bar is filled on their health, they have any range of reactions. THE most common reaction? Enemies will stagger, dropping loads of ammo out of their pockets and potentially sliding backwards and taking bonus damage against a wall or other hard surface.
These new systems also come with some major increases and overhaul in animation quality.
Just thought I'd mention that.
look ladies and gentlemen it's A R T
GTTOD's art style has gotten a real kick in the nuts so to speak I have no shame you will not shame me I will not be shamed. Not only has there been a full lighting and detail overhaul as you saw in the previous post, BUT now we even have a dynamically shifting weather system mixed into the new dynamic day night system - each with different environmental sounds and effects.
These different times of days and weather patterns blend seamlessly as you load between levels, so no more sudden HITCHES in color and atmosphere anymore.
Keeping in line with atmosphere, I've gone through the entire game and added a cinematic "twist" to it. The teleporter isn't just a white flash anymore, you don't just appear on glowing spots around the map. Everything has an extra layer of polish and drama, and I can't wait for you to experience and feel these things in action.
THE FUTURE OF GTTOD'S MODDING SCENE
Yeah downloading music and weapons is cool and all, but we have only just barely begun to scratch the surface of what is now possible with GTTOD's new Boot Menu. This menu, on a PER-SAVE BASIS, allows you to enable and disable mods that are each organized into lists by category. Not only that, you can also set what TYPE of mod load you are attempting, meaning you could have one save that is 100% vanilla and you're just chilling with the base game, another save that is mixed-mods so you have more levels, enemies, music, UI / HUDs, guns, melee weapons, tactical equipment, lethal equipment, etc built into the game itself - and I'm bolding this next part to emphasize how crazy this is - and then you could have a third or fourth save or whatever that is literally a 1:1 remake of [FIRST PERSON GAME FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD HERE] but in GTTOD's engine, cutscenes, UI, enemies, weapons, music and all.
Yes, that would be possible on this system with the mod tools I have implemented.
The modding scene for GTTOD has not even started if you ask me. We've kinda poked at mods thus far, but the REAL modding scene is going to start post 1.0. That's when I have time to finish up and release all the crazy stuff for the psycho modders out there to take and turn into something far far far far better than I could ever come up with.
Crazy people, the lot of them. If you're a GTTOD modder and you're reading this I want you to know I sleep with one eye open at night knowing that you're out there, and that the work I'm putting into the Mod Tools V2 is a peace offering.
EXPLORATION THAT'S ACTUALLY FUN AND REWARDING
One thing I think we got wrong in the past is exploration. We leaned AWAY from a "problem" but really what we did was stiffle an aspect of GTTOD's gameplay that I find really really important. Just...you know...exploring around. People say "Oh I wanna go fast and move around", but what they don't understand is that when you're shooting a dude, you're SLOWING DOWN. But when you're exploring? Mach 10, all barriers off. You need that aspect in the game to balance out all the crazy combat - BUT what was the problem in the past? I mean what the Hell are you exploring for? A bunker that's not hidden, it's just right there in the middle of the level? You go in it and it's mostly stuff you can't afford, and barely any of it at that?
NAH, not anymore
With the new changes in loot distribution and level exploration, you are not only GREATLY rewarded for exploring, you're also given unique and very very important early game routes to give you a leg up on the game's difficulty (half priced fully upgraded weapons anyone?). With these changes, I also decided to go even HARDER in on some other aspects of the game that have been able to benefit from the now more stable and well defined structure.
CRAFTING, AS AN OPTIONAL MEANS TO SUBVERT RNG
I decided that with this final iteration of crafting, I would be developing it as a deliberate tool for player to use to fight against the RNG in the game. As you can see, there's more loot opportunities available in each Bunker, Bunkers are rarer and more hidden off the sides of levels or in tough-to-reach areas, and lastly, nearly all lootable crates and chests can drop ANY type of item, not just pre-defined types. SO, what you end up with is a really diverse loot economy, and if you throw in a simple crafting recipe system, you have yourself away to transform random items you find in the world into items you WANT or can at least SELL to buy BETTER items.
More than that, you can also easily and quickly modify individual items now rather than sitting through a cutscene 30 times that just makes you dizzy. It's literally just Hold E, Tap E, Press Tab BOOM there you go, you have a weapon that is 50% better just like that.
PHEW
Okay, so I skipped over so much you have no idea. I didn't talk about item shops, the HUB rework, generated levels, new art changes, new weapon modes and functionality, enemy behavior, performance optimizations, The Summit, Boss Fights, ANY of that stuff.
What I'm saying is that we have a lot to talk about, and I'll be reaching back out to you all soon.
In the meantime, how are all of you feeling about progress thus far? I'd love to hear what you have to think in the comments. Please feel free to ask any and all questions.
AND AGAIN:
Thanks everyone, and I'll see you all again soon! I gotta start posting more often haha
- Andrew, GTTOD Dev Addict
WAS BORN
Look out, Rockstar.
