Hey inmates,
In the darkest corners of the Space Prison, we’ve been working hard to make sure that you’ll have a “pleasant” stay at the prison. NPCs, quests, gang hierarchy, guards, objects, UI, and so on. Let’s review all of this together, shall we?
It was quite busy on our end with the design of a stage of progression, addition of new quests, economy, prison locations and sublocations, corridors, combat encounters, and improvement of the game and features based on the feedback you gave us.
New playable race!
Meet the Ferath—evolution's brawny marvels. It’s the face of the game in the key art, a big horned muscular alien. Menacing and ferocious, but also swift and powerful. They close in on enemies quickly to unleash their violence in a close-and-personal fashion. A perfect fit for the unforgiving confines of Space Prison.
UI and sound effects
We're continuously improving and streamlining the UI to make sure that you have a clear and smooth onboarding process. We’ve added item categories and inventory slots for them, like Weapons, Armors, and Combat Usables. On top of that, many new sounds were added or improved, and we’re also working on the soundtrack of the game, as we shared on social media. The sound design, but the music in particular, is still experimental. So we welcome your feedback on it!
Hirelings and rats, trusty companions
As part of the UI process, you now both have your rats and allies grouped in a "Party" screen. You can see their stats, but you can also customize their gear, changing the way they help you in combat. We’ve also upgraded the Rat Nest in Player Cell. Taming rats is not the only thing you can do now, you can craft items for them, from snacks to special tiny rat weapons. Aren’t they just adorable with their little gear? Finally, we’ve added a new crime, Saboteur, which has advantages in rat management.
Death is no excuse for a shorter sentence
New death, new you
Remember what the guards said? You can forget about resting in peace. Death is just a temporary inconvenience in our necks (ha, get it, collars, necks). No matter how hard you try, as long as your collar remains intact, you'll be brought back, and yours never seems to have a crack. Well, partially brought back to be exact, we can't replicate your body, so you'll have to choose and work with another meat sack among a selection of random race and crime specializations.
Permadeath mode
Well, you can spice things up by having a faulty collar, meaning there’s no bringing you back this time. Try your luck next time with the permadeath mode and see how long you last in the dog-eat-dog world of the Space Prison. Your body's organic waste may or may not be turned into dinner if you don't make it.
More variety in quests
NPCs and the story mean a lot to us. The game has become much richer in mechanics and content than we expected. You will have a lot to do and discover, and there is no time to stay idle. But the amount of content we added made us feel like it could be overwhelming. We came to the conclusion that it needed to be more spread out in time and space so that you could discover new quests, locations, and items at a smoother pace. This led to a more clearly segmented progression with better onboarding in order to let you get the hang of it all. We also implemented the quests to join the Hypernova and Gravity Fists gangs.
Quest chains
We have been focusing on quests lately by adding quest chains linked to members of the gang you joined. They'll let you discover more about your fellow inmates and gang members. We are still implementing these quests, so more are on the way. We focus on and pride ourselves on crafting handmade and interesting convicts with their own backgrounds and personal stories about their time in prison. You can learn about them if you decide to befriend and help them. NPCs alone would deserve a proper devblog about them, so expect one in the future!
Threat quests
To reinforce the gang mechanics and the impact of choosing one gang over another, we added the "threat quests". The opposing gangs will hold a grudge against you and try to intimidate you, or worse.
Universal jobs
Need a little extra cash to gather resources, grease the wheels of justice, or hire inmates? As part of our quest process, we have been crafting a system for making procedurally-generated quests. So there will be more than enough quests to keep you busy between shakedowns!
Exploration and fast travel
Exploration is a big part of the game. You shared that there was a lot of coming back and forth before. We iterated and found a solution: resize some locations, rework the pathing, and add a shortcut to the gang hub in the cell on top of the waypoints for fast travel.
Waypoints
Tattooing your plan for escape and the prison map on your body is pointless here. The architect of the prison has crafted the prison so that the corridors are rearranged every day to make sure that you won't make it out. But there is something else that you can do: build secret teleporters and hidden pathways. Shave precious minutes off your sentence with these fast travel shortcuts. Just don't let the guards get wind of your little detours.
More locations
The Space Prison is expanding! Venture beyond the confines of your cell and your regular corridors. You will be able to explore the outer ring of the prison. We've added 3 new locations with their own set of sublocations and more corridors. From the yard to the science lab to the power hub, there's a whole new segment of the prison to sneak into. But beware! The second ring is strictly forbidden to inmates. Don’t let the guards see you wandering there, or you’ll wish that you’d been in the vacuum of space instead. It would be more merciful than what they plan for you.
Combat arenas
We've been adding more variety and life to the environments with animated elements. Get ready to duke it out in style there. Just don't get too distracted by the scenery, or you might end up on the wrong end of a fist.
Salvaging, gear durability, and collectibles
Based on your input, we emphasized the survival aspect of the gear, which has a durability gauge and can be repaired or salvaged.
Repair system, weapon and armor durability
If your gear's looking torn or broken, then you might as well have a target on your back, those fists ain't going to help even if you’re built like one of 'em Feraths. Swing by a repair station that we designed and patch things up before the next brawl, trust me, you'll need it. Because nothing says "dead person walking" like a broken shiv.
Processing stations
A new addition to your prison survival handbook! From base materials to top-tier contraband, this feature has you covered. Process tier 1 materials into tier 2 ones, or the other way around, to salvage resources. Just remember to keep a low profile, weapons are prohibited.
Collectibles
We're crafting collectible comic strips, a small form of entertainment for you, inmates, to read in peace in your cell.
Giving & buying item systems
Regarding the buying system, each of your gang mates has a specific list of items they can trade with you. You can learn about these items by uncovering information on them with an Intel resource. As for the giving mechanic, we changed how it works. Before, each inmate wanted one specific item. Now you can experiment with what they will accept, and some items will improve your relations with them better than others.
A less welcoming prison
We heard your feedback about the combat system. Our main goal is to motivate you to change tactics by facing a wider range of enemies and hazards. By reworking the combat system and enemies, we decided to add more encounters and limit the number of the same possible encounters per day.
New mobs
The prison is full of monsters, and no, I'm not only talking about alien inmates or Bob. There are creatures lurking in the corridors, rival gangs, guards, and prisoners are not the only ones you need to keep an eye on. We've been designing and adding a handful of enemies, and we're not done yet!
Gang members as mini-bosses
Speaking of gang members, they are more than your regular low-key prisoners now. Gang members aren't just small fries. They're mini-bosses, and that means that you have to prepare yourself for these battles. You should use Intel to uncover information on the convicts you will fight with to prepare better. Time to sharpen those improvised brass knuckles and beef up your rat companions.
Hazards and traps
Who said traps are just for others to use? We decided to add more diversity to the fights with hazards and traps. As part of that decision, we've added this feature so that you and your party can arm yourself with traps to ease your wrists with all that fighting. With every fight comes its share of uncertainty and unanticipated hazards. Watch out for them, they are dangerous for you too, but there can also be special hazard loot crates during combat.
Phew, as you can see, we've been busy working on new content and polishing what you reported. It was a big devblog, but don't worry, now you're up-to-speed! Thank you for your feedback, it's like the prison chef's special burger after a good brawl: precious and thrilling. Until next time, stay out of trouble, fish, and get your hands on the prison newspaper for more information on the development process.
See you behind bars!
Wooden Alien Team