Captain's (Developer) Log #1
Good afternoon, Commanders!
First, a massive thank you for over 700 playtest sign-ups! We hope you've been enjoying the open beta (we've certainly enjoyed reading your feedback). We have some exciting news to share regarding our last major playtest update and the fast-approaching transition to a demo, as well as touch on some new features currently in development!
Open Beta Playtest Update
Beta Build 1997
Today's update to our Open Beta Playtest is a big one, with a heavy focus on our transition from playtest to demo! This includes;
Four New Map Modifiers - Ion Storms, Nebula, Gravity Wells, and Gravitational Anomalies can now influence a sector.
Partial Gamepad Support - Most menus and gameplay now support gamepad navigation (Skill Tree and Shop UI still pending support).
Loadout System - Each ship now has three different configurations: one default and two alternative loadouts that can be unlocked by completing missions viewable on the ship selection screen.
Cruise Missile Redesign - New firing pattern that arcs from above onto targets.
Alien Faction Removed - The Alien faction has been removed from the game for rework and reimplementation with the full version of the game!
Available Ships Reduced - Player Ships have been consolidated into a single ship of each classification for the demo, although this is offset by the new loadout system!
You can find all the details of today's update here:
Launch Preparations
So, When is the Demo?
It's been our plan to deploy one final major update to our open beta (see previous section), and have our industrious test pilots (you) help us identify any last-minute bugs, balance changes, or unsealed airlocks that need to be addressed before launch. Once we're ready, we'll close the playtest and launch our demo! We're optimistic that the Starforged Legacy Demo will release within the next few weeks!
How Will this Differ from the Open Beta?
While the Open Beta has effectively been the entire game as it currently stands in development, the goal of the demo will be to deliver a carefully tailored snippet of the game to prospective pilots ahead of its full release. This means some content will be reserved for the full version, such as the full range of unlockable ships, augments, or enemy types.
Despite the end of the beta, your feedback will still play a crucial role in development, as we'll regularly update the demo to squash bugs, implement balance changes, and potentially add new content over its lifespan!
Will My Save Data Transfer?
Saved data, such as skill tree unlocks and gathered resources, will not be transferred from the open beta to the demo.
On The Radar
Unlocks
Ship loadouts, introduced within today's update, offer pilots reconfigurations of each ship's default loadout, allowing you to experiment with entirely new playstyles! These will be acquired by completing in-game objectives.
We hope to extend this unlock system to seed future runs with additional augments as a result of your victories (or failures) and completed missions! Contrary to the placeholder text in the preview above, no, not all rewards will be unlocked by destroying 10,000 enemies as a Battleship (but you can expect some requirements to follow this pattern).
We don't expect unlocks to be fully implemented at the launch of the demo, as we're still refining what augments we'd like to be 'locked' behind progression and how exactly we want them to be unlocked.
If you have a suggestion for a potential unlock (e.g., "Unlock Worldbreaker Payload by achieving 200% damage radius."), we urge you to report to our community Discord and send us the suggestion directly!
In a similar vein, you've probably noticed that hangar setting above isn't in the game yet, but it is something we're working on to serve as your base of operations where you'll customize your ship before a run. We can't quite say when it'll make its full debut, as we're still polishing things up, but we wanted to share an early concept!
Controller and Steam Deck Support
We made a ton of progress towards full gamepad support with today's update, and expect to achieve full support before the launch of our demo. It's our ambition to nab that elusive 'green-check' (full Steam Deck Support) before launch for those who prefer to unleash galactic destruction from the comfort of their couches, public spaces, or spaceships of their own!
(Note: Please don't play Starforged Legacy while operating an actual spaceship.)
Bullet Heaven Fest 3.0
In other news, we're excited to share that we'll be taking part in Bullet Haven Festival 3.0, running from December 4 to 11!
This weeklong event will feature hundreds of bullet-hell titles, discounts, demos, and livestreams—it's a prime opportunity for games to make important announcements, coughcoughuscough, so keep your coms open! While there's not much to share just yet, you can get your fill of bullet-hell(heaven?) goodness by looking over last year's festival.
Wishlist (and Playtest) Starforged Legacy
If you've read this far, Wishlist Starforged Legacy if you haven't already!
Our open beta will remain open until the demo is released. Go for an intergalactic test-drive and share your thoughts with us via our community Discord or survey link in-game!
Communication Systems Online
Receive incoming transmissions: news, announcements, devlogs, and deep-space disturbances, by following Second Shift Games on X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok, or by visiting our website: SecondShiftGames.com.
Join our community Discord to chat with the developers and fellow pilots, and give your feedback on the game!
Wishing you clear skies, Commander.
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