State of Version 1.0
It’s been about a year since early access was released, and the 1.0 candidate has improved so much it’s basically DFSI 2. :)
The map-based interface is the biggest change:
You can now see explored or spotted zones and any enemies you or your allies may have spotted.
You can one-click move directly on the map.
You can switch between map views showing things like ambient mana for zones or loot and resources.
And you can open a map of sector maps.
There’s also a lot of new content, including:
Drone types.
More perks.
More user abilities (including adding and removing environments).
More monster abilities.
Journal system for story lore.
Bestiary-style stat unlock system (kill monsters from specific hordes to unlock stats in shop).
You can name your drone or adjust hotkeys.
You can have multiple saves per game.
You can load your own mods now (full game only).
Lots of quality of life improvements, including especially action and target filters. Also, there's a lot more help documentation. :)
Playtest Plan
When it's ready, I’m planning to add 1.0 to the beta channels for the full game and the demo. I intend to playtest myself, and do running fixes. After the test has concluded, I plan to limit changes, so the playtest will be the last, best chance to make suggestions!
I don't have an ETA yet on when I’ll start the open test; I still have some things to wrap up first. You can follow that in the Discord or in the road map topic in the forums, which I try to update weekly.
I am, however, very much hoping I can start the test by the end of the year, if not sooner. :) And if not, I'll try to post an update.
Release Plan
Once the test has concluded and all fixes are made, I intend to switch 1.0 to the standard channel, and raise the price. I then plan to wait at least a month (in which time I want to update the website, and I hope add some new trailers), and then do the full release with a launch discount.
That said, I intend the price right now to be a bit cheaper than the new price with the launch discount. I appreciate the folks who have supported the game in early access. :)
So, I’d recommend trying out the open test demo, and buying then if you like, or waiting until launch where I’ve gotten things as good as I can. :)
Teaser Screens
Here's one of the mushroom cavern map, in standard map mode:
Same map, in ambient mana mode (the mushroom area is one of the few areas supporting most mana types, so is colorful). Life mana predominates:
Map background image created by Grok AI. I haven't genned the target images yet, but you can see the space for them in the lower-left.
I'm not planning to do instance images, by the way, just type (even with AI, I think that would take too long). So, all resources, such as mushrooms, will likely get a single image (something like a crossed pickaxe/shovel).
Modders, however, will be able to do target images per object if they want, so each mushroom, for instance, -could- have its own image.
Note that I'm not doing images for things like items, abilities, or icons: just map backgrounds and selectable targets, and they can be disabled.