Hey there, folks!
I just wanted to give you a quick update on the game:
- It's in development!
- The development is going well!
- I'll announce a release date only when I'm 100% sure I can meet that date!
- I'd post more updates, but they take time, and most of my work isn't super interesting!
Q and A
I included this section in my December update from last year, and most of the answers are still valid. So check those out if you're curious what's going on with this game. But here's a few more! (FYI, some of this is taken verbatim from my postings on the SoR 2's Steam forums.)
Q.: What exactly are you doing?
Check out the roadmap for a detailed breakdown. Sometimes I make "stealth updates" that don't get noted at the top of the page. Essentially, I have a big task list that is gradually getting whittled away. Sometimes small tasks turn into bigger tasks, sometimes big tasks end up being small ones, but the scope hasn't changed much. I generally don't stray from what I've deemed necessary for the Early Access launch.
Aside from all that, my kids are getting older, louder, more mobile, and a lot more opinionated, which doesn't make development easier. But I see this forced work-life balance as net positive :)
Q.: Are you making this whole game yourself?
I'm doing all of the programming and game design. with the exception of the bulk of the building and dungeon designs (which are in quite a healthy shape right now). Art, music, and sound effects are handled by others. All of those have been completed to a point where I'd deem them ready for Early Access (and then some!). I've also had assistance from QA teams at a couple of points for help on bug testing. A localization team helped with translations at one point. And of course, there are the folks at tinyBuild doing indie-publisher stuff (producers, community management, marketing, etc.)
Q.: Why don't you bring on more people to help with the day-to-day development?
Actually, I'm about to kick off work with an external team to help out with the online multiplayer aspects of the game! They're going to be ensuring that multiplayer is outfitted with all of the bells and whistles and polish that you'd hope for. If that goes well, they may also end up helping out on multiplayer gameplay-oriented tasks. I'm very happy for them to be taking this aspect of the game off my hands to some extent, as it's... well, not my favorite, to say the least!
Q.: Does the roadmap show what's still needed for Early Access launch?
The roadmap doesn't really spell out specifically what I think is necessary for Early Access, in part because this could easily change. Internally, I have a more concrete-ish document with my current plans. For the final (non-EA) release, ideally, everything on the roadmap will be 100% complete!
Q.: Will the game have a "Streets of Rogue 1" mode where you go through a series of levels instead of the open world?
A SOR1 throwback mode is something I'd like to add at some point. However, I get the sense that to make it into something worth your time vs. just playing the first game, it would take quite a bit more effort than just generating maps differently and changing a few rules. So no promises, but it's on my radar.
Q.: I'm still super worried about development. Games aren't supposed to be delayed this long. That usually spells doom, right?
It's important to remember that SOR's development is worlds away from how most games are developed, in that it's mainly me putting in the work and calling the shots on a project that has no full-time employees. Even if there was no more money for art and sound in the pre-Early Access period, enough work has been completed to carry the game into Early Access. I am fine from a financial perspective. As a result of all that, there is no major pressure to hit a certain date. That said, my personal interest in getting the game out to people in a timely fashion remains high.
A small selection of what I've been working on recently
(Some of this might be old news if you follow the game on other channels)
- The Weapon Wheel is functioning, replacing the weapon selection thing that popped up in Streets of Rogue 1 when using the mouse wheel. ↓
- Gun Reloading is now fully implemented. Reload time depends on the gun, character stats, etc., and is shown on a reload meter similar to Enter the Gungeon. Some weapons, such as water-based guns and tasers, are exceptions. ↓
- There's a new inventory tab with references to character stats, abilities, factions, etc. It gives a quick look at your character’s makeup, provides quick access to more detailed pages, and lets you assign special abilities. ↓
- Individual items can now open item-specific UI popups for less important actions, like dropping part of a stack or unloading a gun. SOR1 actually had this for a long time in early development, but I dropped it for simplification's sake. ↓
- A Stamina Bar's been added. I'm still working out its exact uses. Functionally, it’s closer to mana that drains when you perform certain actions. (This UI is a work in progress!) ↓
- There is now a system that lets crafting items stored in the player’s personal chest be used while crafting if the player is nearby, even if those items are not in the inventory.
- Crafting allows you to make substitutions or add extra ingredients, provided you have the skills to do so. Perhaps you'd like to swap out the chicken in your fried chicken sandwich with squirrel. Though I don't know why you'd want to do that. I haven't actually allowed that particular substitution yet. Did you know that William Henry Harrison and James Garfield both cited "Squirrel Stew" as their favorite dish? ↓
- Lots of small UI details have been added, including a bunch of new glyphs and images, aimed at making information easier to parse.
- Many new behaviors have been added for business owners. The goal is to at least make them act like they give a crap about their jobs. These include: They're not ok with you going behind the counter! They actually make you leave before they lock up and go home for the day! And the old "sneak in behind someone before they close the door" trick from SOR1? NEAR-IMPOSSIBLE.
- As part of my balance initiative, I've added a universal system for determining the "value" of just about everything in the game and weighing them against each other. For example, let's say you want to purchase an apple pie at the store (not actually an item... yet, but whatever). The game checks a base "food" price, the status effects of the pie, the individual ingredients (maybe apples + sugar), the status effects of those ingredients, the rarity of those ingredients (a value which could affect how frequently apple trees spawn in the world), the prosperity of the city you're buying from, the shop owner's relationship to you, any relevant faction relationships, and some other stuff.
- The damage system has also gotten an overhaul. The number of damage types has been expanded, and every object and wall within the game has been assigned one or more types of materials. Each material has specific vulnerabilities -- for example, Wood is vulnerable to the "Chop" damage type, typically resulting from Axes. But some types of trees with high damage resistance might not be vulnerable to a low-tier Axe. On the other hand, a tree with low damage resistance could still be damaged with a mid- to high-tier "Shatter" weapon, such as a Sledgehammer. And if you have a lot of bullets, you might be able to shoot the tree apart. It's not recommended because bullets won't cause much damage (unless you're super skilled or have a very powerful weapon), but still: you CAN. Another example: A scrawny Hacker won't be able to punch down a door like in SOR1, but a Wrestler with a high initial Strength ranking could probably manage it. Essentially: This is meant to work as an RPG, but the on-screen action still needs to make some degree of cartoon-logical sense.
- Loads of performance optimizations. The Steam Deck can now run the game smoothly!
Also: Check out the new Badlands biome! Badlands is a dry, desert setting with unique flora and fauna. And probably Mad Max-style car battles.
⚠️Disclaimer: This biome probably won't make the cut for the start of Early Access. As mentioned elsewhere in this update, art for this biome has already been completed.
Thanks for your patience, everybody! I look forward to delivering!
- Matt
Wishlist/follow Streets of Rogue 2 to stay up to date with the news:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2165810/Streets_of_Rogue_2/
Read previous dev blogs:
Devblog I: Vehicles
Devblog II: Chunks
Devblog III: Misc. Dev Updates
Devblog IV: Animals
Watch previous video devlogs:
Devlog 1: How I Approach World-Building? 🌎
Devlog 2: Creating an Open World Solo 🗺️
Devlog 3: Games That Inspired SoR 2 💡
Devlog 4: New Release ETA, Roadmap 🗺️
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