Hey everyone, I'm Cave, the lead developer of Spread: Transmission. Today I'd like to announce the details of the upcoming Open Beta event, our participation at Steam Next Fest this month, the current state of the game, and more!
Open Beta Details and Steam Next Fest Participation
Let's get the most important news out first! Spread: Transmission is set to launch into Open Beta next week! You will be able to try the full game at its current state for free, until the Open Beta event ends after 25 days. This is your chance to see whether you or your group of friends is up for this little casual strategy board game. In this post I will go into detail about the new version and the current state of the game.
Spread: Transmission will also be participating at this month's Steam Next Fest! The community has always been a vital part of the game's development and I am eager to share my vision with more people. There is also a small content update planned to drop just before the start of the Steam Next Fest, so keep an eye out for that as well! 👀
Welcome Prototype 4
About three months ago, Prototype 3 launched into Closed Beta and I am delighted to see that players are just as excited as I am about the Labs and their possibilities. I am equally thrilled to announce that Prototype 4 will debut at the Open Beta launch next week! This update I focused on various quality of life improvements to the game as a preparation for the upcoming event, so it ended up being a lot more technical than originally anticipated and there is not a lot of visually fancy things for me to share. Nonetheless, there are still some game-changing additions:
Enjoy a match all by yourself with the newly added bots!
Bots to challenge alone has been a highly requested feature ever since the very first proof of concept way back in 2021. Sometimes you just want to enjoy a match of Spread, but you can't exactly put a group of people together because you are actually supposed to be doing something else... well now you can. Hooray, procrastination! While the first iteration of bots is not final at all, it should already provide a sufficient challenge to both new and experienced players. You can customize the bots' difficulty within the lobby's options menu, so feel free to start at a lower difficulty level if you just began your Spread journey.
Adding bots to the game was a long and treacherous adventure, it's the feature I spent the most time on this prototype by far, but I am very content about the results. Bots currently provide the best experience at regular Spread, but should also work just fine in combination with Labs. Please let me know your opinion on the current difficulty levels and also if the bot causes any performance issues on your device. Also, if you manage to defeat the bot on its highest difficulty setting at a regular game of Spread, feel free to post a video on the official Discord server. 👀
Full controller support
Yes, you are no longer restricted to the bounds of your desktop! Try playing the game on the big screen with a controller or on the small screen, like a Steam Deck. Thanks to the usage of Steam Input, a wide variety of devices should be supported, enabling many different unique setups.
Please note however, input is currently shared across all input devices and is not independent for each player on the same machine. This will likely change in the future, enabling users to assign input devices to specific players. Tests were performed with a DualShock4 controller in combination with a mouse and keyboard. If you experience any issues with the same or a different setup, please share your experiences in either the Steam Forum or on Discord. I will post a separate announcement with more details regarding Steam Deck compatibility in the days leading up to the Open Beta launch.
Other technical changes
Even though there is not much to see, a lot of changes happened behind the scenes! One of the more exciting quality of life changes is the return of the quick join feature! All your online friends that are currently inside a lobby appear here for you to join, without leaving the game.
I also drastically improved the host migration logic, so the game can continue if your host decides to leave. Another small addition is the new, optional drop-in feature, allowing players to join a match even after it has already started. This way you don't have to wait for your whole group to assemble, people can join the beginning of a game even if they are a little late.
State of the Game: What to expect
Finally, let's address the contents of the Open Beta. During the Open Beta event, you will be able to experience the full game in its current state. Major features include:
- Interactive Tutorial
- 3 out of 5 planned game modes (including the base game mode)
- Over 20 playable maps
- Ability to play on custom maps (level editor not yet included, learn how to create custom maps here)
- Singleplayer (against Bots), local & online multiplayer for up to 8 players
As the game is still in development, you may experience some bugs or encounter unpolished features. Your feedback is invaluable and key to improving the state of the game. As always, if there is anything you'd like us to know, feel free to reach out on the Steam Forum or on Discord! For the sake of transparency, I compiled a list of the most notable issues with the current version of the game.
- Random matchmaking will be absent from the initial version of the open beta, so you will only be able to play against bots and friends for now
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Due to some technical limitations, an internet connection is currently required to access most features of the game (This will get addressed in a future update)[Update: Experimental support has been added for the ability to play offline!] - Replays of matches with Box Lab enabled currently experience various issues during playback
Closing words...
I've been looking forward to this event for years and I am so excited that it is finally happening. If you are even remotely as thrilled as I am, consider wishlisting the game or joining our little group on Discord. Either way, I can't wait to hear your feedback, see you in a week! ːluvː