Patch 0.70 is taking a little longer than I expected so I thought I'd make a little patch preview to update the expected release time, and talk about what's coming.
First: I originally expected to have the patch ready by today, but some unexpected life events have slowed me down. I'm still hoping to have the next big patch out by mid next week, but feedback on balance will dictate the exact release.
Limited testing will likely start later today in the beta branch, but if you're looking for a balanced, complete experience, I'd suggest waiting until the full release.
So what's in the patch?
It goes without saying, but the main focus of 0.70 will be the 3rd enemy faction, The Ker'Plau. They're a low health, but long range faction that will slowly whittle you down if you're not careful. They bring a lot of new mechanics to the game, and once the right balance is achieved, should help diversify which builds people are playing, depending on the faction composition. The faction will include:
- 5 new standard enemies
- 2 new hard enemies at difficulty 2+
- 1 new elite enemy
- 1 new final boss
In addition to that, I'm planning to add Difficulty level 5 (some players have already conquered the first 4!), and a couple achievements will be added related to these updates.
Important Note: Some time after patch 0.70, on or before 0.80, I'll be increasing the price of Cosmic Raze from $2.49 to its final release price of $3.49 (regional pricing applies).
What's coming up after this patch?
The Cosmic Raze Early Access period was always planned to be a short one, but there's still plenty of content to come! Below are the major milestones planned, but I expect smaller updates and hotfixes in between.
- Patch 0.80 will be a big polish patch. Not the most exciting thing, but it will add tons of new animations, effects, and sounds, as well as some community requested quality of life features.
- Patch 0.90 will be a big achievement patch, and will also add difficulty levels 6, 7, and 8.
- Patch 1.00 will be the biggest content update to the game and will add a pile of new active and passive augments, and even more achievements. I want to save the biggest content patch for last so players who've been testing and giving feedback along the way will have a lot of new stuff to check out on release.
When is 1.00 expected to release?
Currently, I'm on track for a January 2025 release date. The circumstances surrounding the patch 0.70 delay are unique, and I'm not anticipating anything else like it (knock on wood...if I were superstitious)
If you have ideas for augments, achievements, or even difficulty levels, I'm still open to suggestions. You can post in the appropriate forum here on Steam, or in the FromLefcourt Discord.