Greetings, Automon "trainers". It's been a little over a week since Automon released and the response has been great. Looks like everyone who got it is having a ton of fun with it.
So, there are updates on the way! There's a lot of room to improve, mechanics to explore and ideas from other games to make fun of!
Below is a rough list of things to expect in upcoming updates, next few months and maybe next few years. Make sure to also follow the Twitter page to see more specific teasers and spoilers.
"Yo I'm not reading all that!"
Short version: new update in a few weeks that adds ability upgrades, gym badges, more interesting implementation of Legendary Automons, balance and some minor quality of life changes. Afterwards, either items or non-combat areas will be the next big feature.
Ok, I am reading all of that
Short term plans/next update
The first big post-release update will be released in the next few weeks (hoping for April in the worst case scenario) and it will include the following:
- 16:9 resolution with proper borderless full screen
- Automon abilities will also upgrade when the Automon upgrades, up to 2 times. Usually the tier 3 ability will be twice as good (or half as bad) as tier 1, with tier 2 being the exact middle point between them. Stat boost from upgrades will be reduced to 5%. For Automons with abilities that can't be logically upgraded: Mobird will stay as it is for now, Goolect will get a new ability and Graciel will have custom upgrades that make sense for his base ability.
- Rewards for beating bosses: it's been pointed out that boss battles feel unsatisfying as they offer no reward despite their increased difficulty compared to regular areas. Tentatively, the plan is to offer a choice of reward after each boss up until the Pretty Good Three: full heal, exp boost or a badge that matches the boss' type and counts as an Automon of that type in your party. To compensate for the new advantage given to the player, the bosses will hold badges themselves, giving them bigger party bonus
- More interesting legendaries: so the legendary Automons are kind of eh at the moment, with all of their abilities translating to "does more damage". They're also not fun to find. They will be changed to have more interesting but double-edged abilities, and finding them will be more of a deliberate effort than a binary choice. I won't spoil all of it just yet
- Balance changes: I have not analyzed the player stats yet, but any major outliers will be resolved (looking at you, Area 5 Fance)
- The ability to dismiss the player-made Champion at the cost of resetting the winstreak (not that it's ever above 1)
Medium term plans/rest of the year
Here are some things I'd like to add to the game in the upcoming months, but are too big to add on a short notice, or not a high priority:
- Items: held, consumable, eatable, you name it. I want to add an item system similar to that of another game series you might know. Got dozens of ideas already, so this will be fun
- Non-combat areas: option to go to non-combat areas sometimes. This will include everything you can think of, like a place to heal, get exp, items, trade you Automon for another. If this dilutes the game too much, bosses will be more spread out to compensate
- More meta progression: two things particularly: first, some way to unlock more starters. Perhaps by completing their Autodox tasks? Secondly, some story progress. It would be fun to unlock an alternate Champion or a special boss at Area 100
- More challenge/easter egg seeds
- Custom sprites for the first 2 upgrades for each Automon (not entirely "evolutions", Fironek won't turn into a wrestler, but he might be completely engulfed in flames!)
Long term plans
Long term plans are a bit harder to predict, because a lot of it depends on how well things go in the next few months. I can't see much left to add once the medium term features are all done. BUT! If there's a demand for it, I would like to make a new Automon game, perhaps build for PvP from the start? Or an entirely different game genre set in the Automon world? Maybe even with art that doesn't look like a kindergartner made it? Time will tell, but I would be very happy to have an opportunity to continue the series. If that's something you'd like to happen, make sure to spread the word about Automon and pester YouTubers about it (especially bald ones)
Looooooooong term plans (next decade)
- Buy GameFreak, delete Pikachu