With Steam integration functional we can now focus on the last bugs, bits and bobs that are needed for the version 0.07 release. This means we are still on track for the release during or just before Steam Summer Sale.
Here's some of the things that have changed or are changing since my last blog post:
Steam Integration:
The integration with Steam is going very well, players can now find and join lobbies and the networking is neatly relayed through Steam servers, so you don't need to port-forward and such. Yet, Direct Connect (via IP) also still works giving both us as you more flexibility in how you connect to other players.
What remains now is finish implementing the last few things, such as the Team Status Screen in the Lobby, fix some minor bugs and polish things so it looks nice and runs smoothly.
The Tutorial:
The biggest thing that needs to be done still is the Tutorial as, much like the Lobby, it has to be remade from scratch. The Tutorial may not be entirely done and polished by the time of release, but we'll try to make sure it's at least functional so that new players can still learn the ropes of disinfecting.
The overall design of the Tutorial is much like the one in version 0.06, but touched up where needed and with new/improved models, textures and code.
The Reprogrammer:
As said in my previous blog post the Reprogrammer is getting an overhaul. This is mostly done and has changed the way it works and how you use it quite a bit:
The infection will grow so called 'Lymph Nodes' over time, which are detected and displayed by the Reprogrammer. You'll have to move close to each Lymph Node and use the Reprogrammer on it to hack and weaken the infection. Once enough Nodes are hacked the infection will be destroyed.
This change makes for more tactical and dynamic gameplay, especially with the new AI.
The hacking mini-game or animation itself is still a work-in-progress, the rest is fully working and you can already use it to kill the infection.
Animations:
Most of the Tool and Weapon animations have been updated and they've been made much faster/shorter so switching inventory items is less of a drag.
The player has basic facial animations now, such as blinking and eye movement, to make them look more alive.
Fixes & Polish:
From our own testing sessions and your feedback we gathered a lot of (small) bugs, so the gameplay is becoming smooth already.
Of course, new bugs can always pop up so feel free to notify us if anything is awry.
We'll be focusing a lot of fixing and polishing things the coming weeks to make everything as smooth as possible.
Looking forward to playing with y'all. This may be my last Progress Report before the release, posts after release will be mostly updates much like before the engine change.
And if you have questions, bugs to report or simply want to chat come join our Discord :)