Hi everyone,
With Major Update 5 approaching we’ve released what should be the final beta branch preview of it.
To access version 0.91.29585, you’ll need to switch to a beta branch:
- Find SENTRY in your Steam library and right-click on it, selecting “Properties”
- In the menu that pops up, choose “Betas”
- Select “Beta Branch” in the “Beta Participation” drop-down list
- In your Library you should see “[betabranch]” appended to the game name
The usual logistical information when playing betas: please remember that while your profile saves will carry over (i.e. all your equipment and campaigns you’ve unlocked thus far), your current escape run will not – so if you’re in the middle of a run and you don’t want to lose any new blueprints you haven’t banked, reach a gate and bank them before switching to the latest version.
If you’d like to back up your profile saves ahead of any Major Update (just in case you find an obscure bug), you can find your profile and save folder here:
C:\Users[Username]\AppData\LocalLow\Fireblade Software\SENTRY\Saves\Steam[SteamID]
For those that have missed the last couple of beta builds, you can read about the big additions here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1252680/view/697642648593239774
And here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1252680/view/712282517277771931
(please note this latest beta supercedes the prologue playtest build, so we've removed that prologueplaytest branch)
Aside from polishing and bug-fixing, here’s some things we’ve done in August:
Finishing the Prologue
Getting all the remaining artwork and cutscenes completed, setting up the flow in the main game and enabling co-op in the Operation Pilot Light segment (i.e. the updated version of the old tutorial). That means you’ll be able to play co-op after about 15 minutes of prologue, which is a lot faster than the 45(ish) minutes of the old tutorial.
As a recap, the prologue is split into two sections: the first is a sequence called The Listening Post, where you’re in an orbiting space station when the initial attack on Earth commences. You must find a SENTRY suit and attempt to activate the SENTRY Defense Program.
The second part is called Operation Pilot Light, where your mission is to deactivate an alien station that is preventing the jump gates from functioning.
In order to play the Prologue, just start a new profile.
Merged Boarding Parties
Previously when two boarding parties were due to attack the same level they’d attack it one after the other. This meant you’d have to fight two battles in the same location, which could feel repetitive. We’ve changed this so that they now merge, meaning you have to fight a single but tougher battle with double the hazards instead.
Enemy Path Preview
This has been a popular community request and something we experimented with a long time ago (before the game even released!) but a combination of the visuals and enemy behaviour at the time resulted in a very flat feeling combat experience. This surprised us, but sometimes prototypes don’t work out so we moved on from the idea and filed it away as something to revisit in the future.
Anyway, our latest attempts were much more successful without any of the negative effects we experienced previously, so you’ll now see an enemy path preview during each Preparation Phase:
The path preview will turn red if the enemies are blocked by a closed door with no alternative routes.
Oh and for those that want it old-school, there’s a setting in the Options Menu to disable this if you want.
Places to provide feedback
Your feedback makes a massive difference! Discord or the Steam forums are the best place to reach us, but here’s a full list of our channels just in case:
In order to not mix up beta branch feedback with the main game, there’s a dedicated area on the Steam forums to post your beta branch comments: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1252680/discussions/0/
We’ll continue polishing and bug-fixing the beta while we gather your feedback, so let us know your thoughts – and as ever, thanks for the support!
