Hello, and welcome to another Dysplaced Dev Diary. It has been some time since the last installation, and in the time between, we’ve been swamped with work. We have a good grasp of what we want (and are able) to include in the Early Access version of the game and are currently working hard on creating the content and adding missing features. We are getting closer, but much work still needs to be done to reach our goal. We envision three islands at the Early Access launch and will expand on that after the initial launch. If you want to have a look at one of the islands, you can check it out in a previous dev diary here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2430390/view/3747616710719998441?l=english
Onwards to today's main topic:
Adversaries
As for today, we will look at some of the adversaries you will face in the game. This will not be an exhaustive list but more of a general overview. We will start with the completely natural wild boar (the implication being that there might also be an unnatural boar). In our last title, there weren’t too many animals in the open world, so it was necessary to spice up the wildlife a bit. The wild boar will generally run away from you, but if you manage to wound it enough, it will stand its ground and fight back. Regarding survival and resource mechanics, the boar will at first be a good source of meat. With the correct skill, you are able to use more of the pugnacious pig, gaining access to hides and bones. There have been no sightings of a boar coupled with a meerkat yet.
Next up is a human. While you will undoubtedly meet some friendly folk along the way, these two are baddies. As you might be acutely aware, humans are able to utilize a variety of different weapons in combat. While we originally tried out a system where you could have wildly differing equipment loads on an enemy, we decided to use a “class” based system instead, as the player can recognize different enemy types better with just a glance. These two are Cultist Initiates, which is the lowest rung step on the hierarchy of, well, the Cult! What exactly this organization is up to is a mystery to be revealed. In combat, these initiates will try to get near you to utilize that stone dagger in deadly melee combat. They can dodge out of harm's way if you try to mount a full frontal assault, so keep wits about you lest they catch you off guard. Expect other cultist classes to be more challenging and exhibit ever-deadlier weaponry.
After humans, we will delve into humanoids. These three are part of the Nyghtmare, a faction of sorts. I’m being vague on purpose on the specifics, but they are also on the lower end of the threat level. On the left, we have a few examples of the common shambler. It is very aggressive but also has a one-track mind, so it doesn’t care for its own well-being after seeing something it wants (to chew on). The Guardsman possesses cunning talent with weaponry and a big sword to boot. These fellows do offer a true fight and come in a few different variants, some even sporting shields.
As I mentioned, this was just a tasting to whet the appetite. There will be formidable boss enemies to offer climactic battles and test your mettle as an adventurer. I am not allowed to show these, however, so this is more of a confirmation that there will be some tough fights ahead of you.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
While we have had a couple of updates focused mainly on the fighting side of things, we haven’t forgotten about crafting, resource collection, and various side activities. For fans of Dysmantle, getting permanent stat increases from eating food is back, but in a slightly different form. Previously, when you ate something for the first time, you gained a boost in HP or a modifier of some sort, such as dodge roll speed. However, the downside was that you really had no real reason to ever make that dish again, as it didn’t confer anything other than HP, and there were a lot of ways to heal in that game. The dish didn’t exist as an item but was consumed when you did it.
Now, we have “itemized” food dishes so you can have them in your inventory. Even better, they are stackable, so you might have ten pieces of grilled meat that you can freely munch on if you are low on HP. As an earlier dev diary mentioned, they might also confer timed buffs. However, this time around, you are also using these items as a currency in the skill tree. A skill conferring permanent +HP might “cost” three grilled meat. So, in this sense, it is valuable to keep cooking as you get instant benefits from healing, timed benefits from buffs, and permanent benefits from skill increases. We have also reformated the skill tree into different sections and given it more structure overall, but it is still WIP.
Altogether, different resources such as plant matter, ores, and food materials will be used to purchase skills. We tinkered with the idea of using skill points, which you would receive per level up. Still, there were too many cases where the player could accidentally build their character "wrong," locking themselves out of necessary items and then having to grind for those points. The current iteration works like this: you need some stone and wood to learn how to make an axe, and you gain new skills to unlock per level. We are still tinkering with different ideas, but this is how things currently stand. Also, speaking of stone, it is now considered an early material that you can break and gather within a few hours. A welcome change from how it was in Dysmantle.
Half of the office is already on summer vacation, and the rest of us are leaving next week. We’ll be away for July and return refreshed and ready to continue the development process in August. Hopefully, you all have a great summer. See you later.
I will leave you with a collection of screenshots showcasing some areas in the temperate biome type, which we haven't shown much yet. Enjoy.
-Hazamuth
