SYNCED Runners,
We are extremely appreciative of your participation in our July Runner Weekend playtest... and there's a lot more in store!
Recently, our development team sat down with some of the players from our Discord community and exchanged feedback and ideas for the build they experienced during the event. Here are a few of the major topics discussed and our thoughts on improving them down the line!
1. New Game Mode on the Horizon
In our latest playtest, we found some key issues pertaining to the pacing of Nerva Run. It's clear that players end up spending too much time running around, looting and upgrading at the beginning, leaving the bulk of most exhilirating PvP interactions to the tail-end of the match.
As part of our development roadmap, we are currently working on a mini-PvP mode where only two rounds of Harvesters will be available to intercept. The first round will come with two Harvesters and the second round with only one. Players will likely still have one or two minutes to loot and sync Nanos at the beginning, but will also encounter other players much sooner in the match. We hope that this mini-PvP mode will establish an option for players who want to immediately get into the action of battling other players, without placing as much emphasis on setup and map exploration.
This new mode is currently being run internally and we hope to have more details to share as soon as we are confident in the internal testing results. So far, we have witnessed the tension between rivals pumped up to the max, and we believe it will create exciting player interactions when it becomes available in a later playtest session!
2. PvE & Narrative Approach
Some of you may have already realized that you can actually teleport in Haven, so why would we even bother to build this detail-filled world for the players to walk around?
It's worth mentioning that, while this may be the case in the playtest build, it likely will not be relevant in the final version because the ability to teleport in Haven will be removed. Haven will serve as an important place for storytelling and progression in the future — especially when PvE modes return — players can look forward to witnessing a newly-invigorated Haven.
Haven will become a place where you can dive deeper into the world lore. Haven has many hidden corners that provide glimpses of the mysteries of this world.
The story of SYNCED is embedded in the world around you. When you venture into PvP or PvE matches, when you roam through Haven, keep your eyes peeled for hidden snippets of story waiting to be discovered.
3. Mini-Map Insights
We have received feedback from players regarding how the mini-map works differently from what many experience in other games. Usually the mini-map marks the enemy's location with indicators like red dots, footprints, or bullets. While there is a compass circle on your screen to indicate a direction when you get attacked, some players think the mini-map should also include some form of indicator similar to in other games.
We found that your feedback indeed makes sense, and we will look at it further in the future build, but it is important to note that the current mini-map is our intended design. Many traditional games have included a deathmatch mode featuring a small map and intense combat, in which knowing the enemy's location can give the player a decisive advantage over others.
The PvP mode in SYNCED, however, has a slower flow to it, where players are afforded time to explore the field and get geared up before running into combat. Don't forget that our Nanos have a powerful ability which can detect enemies. Our aim is to build upon SYNCED's core features to enhance this creativity and player decision-making, to provide a unique gameplay experience. One way in which we think this is accomplished is by including information like enemy location in the form of tactical abilities, rather than as a given to all players on the battlefield.
We encourage everyone to share any feedback and suggestions for SYNCED, and if you wish to be a part of a growing vibrant community, please join our official Discord server and keep in touch with our team and other runners.
We are truly happy to hear from you more and are working to continually improve our game, so make sure to let us know your preferences and insights, and perhaps we will have you onboard at our NExT community table soon!
- SYNCED Dev Team