Hey everyone,
The preview is available to play right... now. ːsteamhappyː
What's in this update?
Just to reiterate a little, many of EXOME’s systems have undergone full reworks to support my long-term plans for EXOME’s future. In the initial build, many of these implementations were glorified prototypes. I didn’t put much effort into them at the time because I wasn’t sure if EXOME would find an audience. But it looks like it has and this means that many systems and mechanics needed to be reworked to be more modular. This will reduce the time required for future content and potentially allow for more frequent updates.
The main goal of this update is to implement the boss fight and properly conclude this area. With modular systems now in place, Update 2 and future updates won’t take as long to develop. By taking the time to restructure things now, subsequent updates should be able to be released much faster.
This update has been a monumental task for me. Going forward, I’ll be switching to smaller, more manageable updates - not only for my own sake, but also to help everyone stay better caught up on things as EXOME develops.
What's next?
During this testing phase I'll be getting things ready for the full release and updating the preview branch as things get fixed. The full release will happen after I'm satisfied that most the problems are fixed. I'm not sure how long this is going to take, but I don't suspect it will take super long.
As you play the preview, keep in mind that there is a higher potential for encountering bugs that haven't been seen yet. I highly appreciate it if you leave in-game feedback by pressing F8, or by leaving it in the EXOME Discord (https://discord.gg/eUVQDBVNVE) or Steam Discussions. I thank you in advance!
I hope everyone enjoys the preview for Update 1!
How to switch to the preview branch on Steam
Navigate to EXOME in your Steam Library
Right click -> Properties
Betas -> Beta Participation dropdown, select the preview branch
You may need to restart Steam if it doesn't start updating automatically
New Features
New Procedural Event System One of the major developments has been the implementation of a new procedural event system. This system introduces dynamic and unpredictable outcomes to the platforms, ensuring that no two playthroughs are alike.
New Weather System From torrential rainstorms and snowstorms to scorching heatwaves, the weather will not only influence the visual aesthetics but also alter gameplay dynamics. For instance, a sudden downpour might decrease visibility and intensify combat, while clear skies could make things more manageable.
New Difficulty System There is a now a difficulty system to cater to a wider audience. Whether you're a seasoned gamer seeking a challenge or a casual player looking for a more relaxed experience. This ensures that everyone can play at their own preferred pace.
New Partial Controller Support Can be played with a controller but menus aren't supported yet.
New Poise System for players and monsters Players and monsters now both have a poise. Players will visual stumble, fall or get thrown back if their poise breaks in a short enough time. Monsters can be staggered if their poise breaks.
New Player Dodging Added a dodging mechanic for the player. I've wanted the player to have more options on how to deal with attackers.
New Player Melee Get your steel toes on because you're going to need them with all that worm kicking.
New Explosive Weaponry Added explosive weapons in order to help the players deal with larger swarms of enemies. Who doesn't love blowing things up?
New Bullet Ballistics Added bullet drop and ricochet to all weapons. Some weapons also have tracer rounds. Bullets also have travel time, influenced by the muzzle velocity of the weapon being fired.
New Companion: T.E.S.A. Added combat assistant to support solo players in their playthroughs. She will draw some of the monsters’ aggro and help deal damage accordingly.
New Save System After every update in the past, players would be required to start a new save game. This new save system will allow save game migrations for future updates so that you don't have to keep starting over with every update.
New Long-awaited Boss Fight I'm thrilled to share that the long awaited boss fight is finally in the game. I hope you find this fight as fun and challenging as it was to make!
Monsters
Monsters have poise now and are capable of being staggered if they receive enough poise damage in a short time period
Monsters will now look at their target
Monsters have a varied set of abilities that they will use
Monsters have a incoming damage buffer that will let them update their target to the highest incoming damage source
Monsters' ragdoll will now freeze in place if it is old enough
Monsters now have a chance to study their target before trying to attack again
Event monsters that are unable to be collected will quickly dissolve
Addressed framerate issues when there are many monsters active
Wildlife can now lay down to rest
Wildlife will now react to gunshots they hear or bullets hitting nearby
Fixed issue where wildlife would spawn en masse in tight spaces on the map
Added micro-wormholes that monsters jump out of
There is now a chance of a "wild wormhole event"
Weapons
Added Grenade Launcher
Added Rocket Launcher
Added Glowstick throwable
Added Secondary Weapon upgrade
Players weapon reload animations are smoother
Fixed weapons being visible while using their scopes
Scroll wheel now goes to next/previous weapon slot
UI fixes regarding weapon information presented to player
Reload cancelling is now much smoother
Weapons now have their own unique muzzle velocities
Sniper rifle now shoots a tracer round
Bullets have drop, travel time and can use tracers for select weapons
Bullets have a chance to ricochet and continue to cause damage
Disabled 4th weapon slot for now - it will be utilized in the future
Adjusted visuals of Frag Grenade
Various visual updates to sniper rifle scope
Player
Players now have poise and will get staggered, fall down or get thrown if their poise breaks hard enough
Players can be revived in place instead of being respawned in place
Players can now perform a melee attack
Added a square reticle to indicate if an interaction available
Added in-game military time to top left of player HUD
Players can now boost the rematerialization process while respawning, this costs MTR per second while boosting
Players can now dodge roll in any direction
Players can now switch camera to other shoulder
Added new HUD mini-map that shows your immediate area
Players no longer start with pistol
Added T.E.S.A. and her deployment throwable
Fixed player hand placement on all weapons
Increased sitting health recovery
Added notifications when buying weapons and upgrades
Can now rotate character around in lobby
Player stamina bar will flash if there's not enough stamina to do an action
Reduced respawn materialization time from 60s to 45s
Joining players to a boss fight in progress will be put into spectator mode, until the boss fight is over
Misc.
Updated to Unreal Engine 5.6
Added radial menu that is used for various functions the players can do
Changed currency of CR (Credits) to MTR (Matter)
Added Tab panel for Map
Added Tab panel for Logs
Added Tab panel for Inventory
Map is now grid cell based and cells are hidden until visited
Updated various markers on map
Map icons for platforms now indicate if the platform has been completed or not
Added sharpness slider in display settings
Added weather volume slider to audio settings
Added difficulty setting, can be changed mid-playthrough if desired
Some upgrades will now require another upgrade to be purchased first
Kiosks can now scroll if the content is long enough
Moved gamma, field of vision, and motion blur to display settings
Added new log entries and updated others
Updated lobby to be a little more "ethereal"
Added several new POIs
Added underwater effects
Default Global Illumination is now Lumen. There is an option to turn GI off completely or use Screen Space Illumination
Added NVIDIA Reflex toggle
Lobby browser details showing correct values for number of players and ping
And tons of other bug fixes and quality of life improvements...
Known Issues
Gamepad vibration feedback is currently missing
Player indicators on the map can become stuck after a player revives. Rejoining the session resolves it temporarily
Clients may not see the host’s recently purchased weapon
T.E.S.A. may acquire an incorrect target and stop firing. Redeploying her fixes it for now
T.E.S.A. initially runs to the host even when spawned by another player
The boss’s dust foot particles may remain active after it's Phase 1 death
Throwable items thrown by clients may appear to remain in-hand, then snap to the ground where they were thrown
Rare bug causes players to appear to be firing a holstered weapon. Most commonly occurs when acquiring all weapons for the first time. Switching weapons fixes it for now
Additional Notes
Update 2 is already in development. It will introduce a new map, new weapons, new enemies, new upgrades, and additional systems - all built on top of what’s now in place with Update 1.
If you encounter a bug or want to provide feedback, you can do so through the in-game feedback panel or on the EXOME Discord (https://discord.gg/eUVQDBVNVE).
Content creators: all music in EXOME is properly licensed and safe to use in videos or streams.
From the bottom of my heart - thank you for your patience and support. Your feedback continues to have a direct impact on EXOME.
RudeFrog Studios