Hello everyone, and welcome to the 12th development update. In this edition, we will discuss what we are currently working on, future plans, and what you can expect from us over the next few months. At the moment, our primary focus is on three major developments: Multiplayer, Points of Interest update, and the PSVR2 port.
At the moment, multiplayer support is our top priority and receives the most attention. We are making excellent progress and anticipate having a closed beta test with select testers by the end of May (this date may change). Depending on the results of this internal test, we plan to gradually expand the multiplayer testing user base until we can launch a public beta for everyone to enjoy.
Our emphasis on multiplayer is due to several factors. First, according to our Discord poll, the majority of users want to see multiplayer implemented first. Additionally, the multiplayer feature necessitates a substantial overhaul of the codebase, meaning that any updates released between ea0.1.3.5 and the multiplayer update would need to be reworked into the new codebase, creating new development challenges and consuming more time.
As a result, it is likely that the next update will be the multiplayer update, with no other updates inbetween. This approach will enable us to add new content more efficiently once the codebase has been adapted for multiplayer support. Progress on the Points of Interest update will still continue, with the creation of new assets, rooms, and more. This update should follow relatively quickly after the completion of the multiplayer feature.
Transitioning to Regular Content Updates after Multiplayer
We also aim to release content updates more frequently. Although this was our original intention upon the game's launch, we had to prioritize significant overhauls to support new requirements (porting to OpenXR for broader headset compatibility, removing deprecated frameworks, adding multiplayer, and achieving Oculus store certification) and platform ports (Pico, Viveport, PSVR2). Consequently, our efforts have been focused on these major updates, leaving little time for new content.
Once the multiplayer update is released (hopefully, our final major "rework update"), we plan to launch smaller content updates regularly and solicit community feedback more frequently. Due to the ongoing reworks, we currently have limited time to go through suggestions in the suggestion forum on discord or fix smaller issues that people have reported, as we cannot add most of them until the rework is complete. By shifting to smaller, more frequent updates, we can change our focus every couple of weeks.
Here's a potential schedule for these regular updates:
Week 1: Fix bugs, add a new achievement, and introduce two new items; release update on Saturday.
Week 2: Enhance modding capabilities and improve the room modder; release update on Saturday.
Weeks 3 and 4: Introduce two new Points of Interest and a new boss; release update on Saturday.
If this approach proves successful, we could release one to three updates per month, keeping players engaged with fresh content.