Hello once again, Survivors!
First of all, a huge thank you for all the feedback! We especially loved the very positive reactions to the fundamental combat and the strategic/tactical fun in the game since Early Access opened.
Seeing players engage with and enjoy the parts we put the most effort into was truly valuable. This is what game development is all about!
One of the biggest points of feedback was that “the linear structure makes the game feel small, and the replay value seems low.” Today, we would like to dive into this a bit and share the current thoughts of the team.
Reasoning for going linear
Firstly, we completely understand the players' disappointment regarding the current linear structure. We know that giving players the freedom to choose their path for resource acquisition in a much larger number of stages suits the theme we are aiming for better.
The reason for the current approach is that within the development team, there was no other way we could find within the timeframe available to us, that would allow us to create a game with minimal value as a finished product while also making sure it’s still fun.
As mentioned several Dev Notes ago, our initial inspiration came from “Zombicide” and, while preserving the desired theme as best we could, we went through a long trial-and-error process to find gameplay mechanics that we were satisfied with.
Although initial development began in 2020, the point where the entire development team gained confidence and said, “We don't need to change the core anymore,” was less than a year ago. Until then, everything was just a prototype rather than a concrete basis. In other words, the time we have been focusing on “content” rather than “systems” has only been about 10 months.
During that period, we didn't want to compromise the charm and quality of the art style that our artist (just one!) continued to strive to create. However, maintaining the current quality, the production speed was limited to about one stage every three weeks. And if characters, items, skills, etc., were to be added, the overall time required would increase accordingly.
Dev teams current position
We are currently at a very crucial crossroads. The issue we face is whether to maintain the goal of an official release by 2024 as initially planned and focus solely on raising the completeness “as much as possible” in the current direction, or to challenge ourselves to create the game we originally wanted, even if it means increasing staff and extending the development period.
As a developer and as a player who is passionate about this game, I naturally lean towards the latter option. However, finding team members with both an understanding of the direction we are going in for the game and the necessary development skills is not an easy task.
The issue of time is also crucial. Doubling the team size does not necessarily mean the development speed will double. If it means spending an additional 2-3 years in a highly uncertain state, it might be more realistic to settle in the current direction and not be completely self-satisfied. We could then use the lessons learned in the next project to pursue higher completeness in a shorter time.
Currently, the team is diligently evaluating whether we can realistically achieve our goals within the given time frame and whether we can quickly find good colleagues who can help in this journey.
However, if we stay radio silent during this process, we believe it would break the promise we made when we started Early Access, which was to “develop with the players.” So rather than adhering to the previous style of dev notes that have been closer to showcasing content, we plan to share our ongoing thought process, the state of development, goals, and any changes in plans transparently through a “Journal” format, to be published weekly.
Short Term Goals and Live Updates!
Shortly after creating the Early Access version, the development team internally started addressing areas that needed improvement based on our own assessment. We realized that if we began making modifications only after receiving player feedback, it would be challenging to provide updates quickly enough given the current size of the dev team.
However, as we are currently in the process of thoroughly reviewing the possibility of a long-term goal change, we have decided to temporarily suspend the internal modification/improvement process for the current version. Instead, we plan to structure the next update based on the content that has been prepared so far.
The upcoming update includes improvements to the “Continuous Support” perk tree for Edwin and enhancements to weapon swap quick slot UI. Additionally, known bugs have been fixed, and improvements have been made to issues such as the frequency of bell sounds before the monastery map, which many players found annoying.
To ensure that development does not stagnate for too long, we will make a prompt decision on whether to change our long-term goals. Of course, we will continue to immediately fix any bugs or significant inconveniences that may affect gameplay through Hotfixes.
Next week, we will share more detailed information and intentions regarding the specific changes mentioned above!
Thank you, Survivors!