TL;DR: Fewer big features for a bit, more polish, clarity, and quality-of-life improvements across the whole game.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I just wanted to check in with a quick update on what I’ll be focusing on over the next couple of months for Dread Protocol.
With the recent Out of Fuel update, I feel like the game has reached a really solid place in terms of overall scope. Running out of fuel is now properly punishing, and it felt like the missing piece of the overall experience.
Because of that, my focus is shifting slightly.
Rather than pushing new systems or big chunks of content right away, I want to spend the next stretch really polishing what’s already in the game.
What I’m aiming to improve overall
Reduce friction for first-time players
Smooth out rough edges and jank
Improve overall clarity and flow
Make the experience feel tighter and more confident from start to finish
By no means is the following an exhaustive list, but I just wanted to give some specific examples of the kinds of things I’m targeting in the coming months.
Some specific improvements on my radar
Cybernetics feedback and impact
There are currently around 60 cybernetics in the game, but it isn’t always clear when they’re having an impact.
I want to improve feedback so you can actually feel when a cybernetic is doing work.
Some of the more “boring” cybernetics may be reworked or replaced with ones that are more noticeable, more impactful, and just more fun.
Audio feedback and warning cues
Better feedback on button clicks and UI interactions so menus feel snappier.
Reducing unfair or “gotcha” moments during gameplay. For example, the suicide bomber enemy type needs a much clearer alert sound so players have a fair chance to react.
Improved low-health warning and signalling. I’ve seen players sit on critically low HP without clocking it, then have their run end without using a medpack. That’s a clarity issue I can fix.
Adding a quick-heal action when you’re low on health and have a consumable available, to reduce friction in high-pressure moments.
Adding a clear warning when switching to a weapon that’s out of ammo, so you’re not caught out mid-fight.
Visual polish
Continuing to improve lighting across the board where I spot problem areas.
Fixing Z-fighting (when two surfaces fight to be rendered and you get flickering). Because of the procedural nature of the game and destructible environments, this can show up in odd places. I’m fixing it case by case by adding trims to the interior of walls.
Animations and movement
Fixing occasional one-frame animation hiccups and sliding enemies. Small issues, but they have a big impact on how finished the game feels.
Destruction and gore cleanup
Improving destruction granularity. When I first built some of the destruction systems I barely knew my way around Blender, so some walls break into very large chunks. I want to revisit this so destruction feels more detailed and satisfying.
In general, more destruction where possible.
Fixing floating blood decals that can sometimes be left hovering in 3D space. They tend to go unnoticed until you walk into them, which breaks immersion.
Combat readability and weapon feel
Reworking some crosshair graphics that are currently a bit clunky and hard to read mid-fight.
The delayed explosive pistol has truly awful handling right now. It’s on my hit list.
Enemy behaviour
Enemies are currently a bit too prone to shooting each other. I do enjoy it, but it probably needs toning down.
Inventory and UI improvements (UI)
The inventory UI needs more polish and a bit more functionality.
I want to display the stats for your starting weapon in the inventory (it’s weird that this isn’t there right now).
There’s also a fair amount of dead space in the layout that could be used better. I'm open to suggestions!
I want to add the current Station Effects to the map tab of the inventory UI, so that information is always easy to find once you’re inside a station.
Communicating Station Effects more clearly (UX)
For those of you who’ve played the game, Station Effects are shown on the star map, and sometimes they’re hidden unless you spend credits to reveal them. Choosing to board a station without revealing them first is an intentional risk.
The issue is that once you’ve boarded, those effects aren’t always communicated clearly, or at all. That can lead to situations where players explore an entire station looking for fuel without knowing the effect is No Fuel Crates, or feel overwhelmed by enemy density when the modifier is +20% enemies.
To fix this, I want to clearly reveal Station Effects when you’re choosing cybernetics at the start of a station, and also surface them in the inventory map tab so they’re always easy to check.
Some of this work is already reflected on the roadmap as well, which you can always check here:
Expect smaller but more frequent updates over the coming months as I dial in the experience.
As always, please keep reporting bugs or feedback via the Steam Discussions or on the Discord. I read every message, and it genuinely goes a long way in improving the game.
Finally, with the holiday season coming up, I’ll be taking a short break to spend some time with family and friends. Once the new year kicks in, expect regular updates again.
Thanks for sticking with the game, and for all the support so far.
– James