Hello everyone! I've got some good news to share.
Barring any delays, the demo for SCAVENGER ZERO will be releasing a bit later today, or tomorrow at the latest. The demo that will be released is version 0.6.0 of the game. It's still rough around the edges. NextFest begins officially on June 15th, so I'll be working from now until then to polish any issues that might appear.
To set expectations for the demo, here is what it contains:
Two weeks of game time. (Days 1-13 of the calendar.) A full run of the game can take up to an hour or more, completing everything in the demo could take 5-6 hours.
60 Unique Items, Over 50 Mech Parts for customization. Not all sets are included in the demo!
Over a dozen different weapons.
A unique mission for each faction except freelancers! (They are the "failsafe" faction in case you burn your reputation with everyone else!)
Three major bosses. (Some of these are only encountered by acquiring specific corruption items and talking to characters on specific days!)
One (optional) superboss.
Things that will be coming in the full game, but are missing from the demo:
Multiple mech sets and some weapons have been excluded from the demo.
The most obvious thing is Week 3 and 4. The game ends after the halfway point in the demo. Weeks 3 and 4 will contain more faction missions, an ending to the Obsidian War, and more.
Controller support! This game was designed for Mouse and Keyboard first and foremost, so it will not work with controllers yet.
Personal Gripes With The Demo
Not all gameplay systems are entirely finished. Things that are still a bit too early have been excluded. This is mostly relegated to some of the more complex political sim aspects; ie. factions managing their capital, workforce, and public opinion. However, faction NPCs should still fight in the background and the player can build up reputation with them.
There are also some aspects of the game that aren't entirely finished; like the random generation of the planets. At the moment, they can feel a bit too same-y. Future development will focus a bit on improving this.
Discord
If anyone is interested, I've finally made a community Discord for the game. I will be sharing some things as I work on them in the work_in_progress channel. There is also a "voting" channel where I will occasionally hold polls for gameplay changes or additions if I am unsure about something.
If you're going to join the server please be on your best behavior. Please note that the automod in the Discord might be a little bit aggressive on the back of not really having any full time moderation. Read the rules carefully and you should be fine.