[HELLO] [SUBJECTS].
J HERE.
In between taking breaks after a pretty hectic launch period, I have been quietly working away at improving the overall gameplay experience for [ECHOSTASIS]. I've heard that some players have found the game overly frustrating. While a certain amount of frustration was intended for the purpose of tension within [ECHOSTASIS], I do [FEEL] as though there are some improvements I could have made to [HELP] those who have had issues with the way this game has been designed, while still keeping the intended experience for all players.
And so - after much experimentation and beta testing - I am proud to present:
[ECHOSTASIS] v1.5
FEATURING:
- A complete revamp of how [RESOLVE] works. [RESOLVE] is now depleted by actions, rather than time. To put it simply - THE TIMER NOW STOPS WHEN YOU DO. This allows players to stop for as long as they like in the middle of a run, giving them as much time as they need to plan their next move, or just take in the *ambiance*. My [HOPE] is that this should alleviate the majority of player's frustration while trying to explore, without interfering with the carefully curated relationship between gameplay & level design. This is a pretty radical change that completely brings the [DREAMSCAPE] levels more in line with how a puzzle shooter such as this should play, while still maintaining the urgency of combat (as enemies do not pause along with the timer).
- [HER] monologue scenes upon obtaining a [CORE] can now be skipped (by pressing ESC 10 times lmao) with a new button prompt.
- A bunch of updates to [TRILATERAL], with many more [TERMINAL] logs, and the originally intended flow of [LOBBY] "puzzles" ([TRILATERAL] longer uses [ENTITY_ID]'s, but... something else.)
If you have found the [DREAMSCAPE] portions of this game to be too frustrating before, I would like to suggest you give this new update a try. If you like what this game is doing and haven't left a positive review - doing so would [HELP] out a solo developer such as my[SELF] a huge amount. <3
NOTE: There is still a known bug where playing the [ECHOSTASIS] Prologue will wipe your save for the main game. The fix for this will be quite an involved one, as it will require an entire reworking of the way the save system works and as such, will require a good deal of time to implement. I wanted to put out this update sooner rather than later so the game can be more in line with how I [THINK] it should be. I will get around to fixing the save system once I have the energy (while also working on my next project!!!)
Again, thank you all so much for your support! Please let me know if you run into any issues. You can follow me on Twitter to stay updated!
If you enjoy my work and want to [HELP] support the creation of projects such as these, you can support me over on [PATREON]. Here, you will get exclusive first looks at what I am doing next, get first access to OST's/artwork, and get immortalized in future projects!
Thank you all <3
-J