Hello mercs!
It's been about a month since the last content update for Dead Grid. Today I wanted to share some progress of the next update. Please keep in mind some of the features in this post are still subject to change.
NEW HORDE MECHANICS
Region control bar has been phased out for now. It may return later in a different form in a future update. I've been working on a new system that allows hordes to have a long term consequence on the region map if left unattended. This system is still being designed, but one of its initial aspects is coming with this update.
Hordes now directly affect near-by mission locations. When playing a mission with a near-by horde, all undead spawned into combat have a chance to bring an additional enemy with them. Multiple near-by hordes can greatly affect this chance.
As I mentioned, this is only the first iteration of the design I'm moving towards, so I will reveal more down the road.
NEW FEATURE - REGION NOISE
During the Alpha design phase I had a few systems in mind to allow repeating of missions to feel somewhat different by using random modifiers. These were originally tied to individual locations and got pulled out before the release into Early Access. Reading a lot of feedback on scaling and issues with the repetitive nature of missions, I've come up with some fresh ideas to try.
There is now a new feature displayed at the bottom of the region map, called Region Threat. This system tracks all reduced or increased noise from the last played location and spawns a combat modifier on either side of the Region Threat bar. Here's a quick glance at some of these.
These modifiers can spawn for a quiet or loud play style and offer a change of game mechanics for any mission you play next. Most of these modifiers will expire in 1 mission play (1 day) as you will get new modifiers to replace them. It is possible to have modifiers for both quiet and loud play styles at the same time when modifiers span multiple days.
This system is similar to the event cards played in combat, but affects the entire mission instead of a single combat encounter. You can expect some of these modifiers to benefit you and others to give you a greater challenge, such as spawning new hordes on the map.
NEW FEATURE - SURVIVOR ASSIGNMENTS
Survivors now offer additional objectives through a new system called Assignments. Completing these objectives grants access to special rewards which are not found as world drops or sold by the trader. Assignments are displayed on the region map in place of the removed Region Control bar.
Some assignments will be tied to specific locations while others can instruct you to look for different enemy types or items found throughout the region. Eventually, the game will offer assignments tied to the main objective, so this feature moves the game closer to that phase.
I expect to tweak rewards and add more assignments in with player feedback.
QUALITY OF LIFE FEATURES
I've received a lot of requests for a way to remove mercs from the mission squad without unequipping their gear. This is now enabled by default and can be toggled off. Merc cards now also display icons of accessories and gadgets equipped on them, even when not in the mission squad.
Another popular request has been to stack duplicate cards and reduce inventory clutter. This is now available on all weapons, gadgets, accessories and consumables.
Many consumables can now be upgraded to produce better variants.
EVEN MORE STUFF
- New Enforcer merc.
- New merc rank up animation in combat.
- 4 new music tracks.
- Many bug fixes.
QUICK NOTES
I've also been working on new mission locations and changes to some of the skills which are likely going to show up in content update 3.
As always, thanks for all the feedback and bug reports. I'm looking forward to sharing this update with everyone. Cheers!