Hello Black Mesa friends,
We have pushed a build to public-beta on Steam. This is our candidate for our release out of Early Access! If you are interested in helping us test, we would greatly appreciate it. You can find instructions on how to opt into the beta here:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/362890/announcements/detail/1724246478625804044
What We Are Looking For
Most importantly, game breakers. We obviously want the 1.0 experience to be as smooth and enjoyable as possible, so if you find any crashes or progression blockers, please let us know so we can fix it. The game has been very stable during our internal testing, but we need to test on a wider set of players and machines.
We are also looking for difficulty spikes. Throughout all of earthbound we rebuilt combat spaces and upgraded the AI of the HECU and Vortigaunts. We think this dramatically improves the combat in the game. Let us know what you think, and let us know if there is a section that feels too hard.
In addition to redesigning the combat spaces, we took time to make sure the player path is as clear as possible. Let us know if you find any part of the game unclear. We still have some sections of the game that make you stop and think, but we made a huge effort to keep the player’s momentum up throughout the game.
Lastly, we need help testing the achievements. We now have 50 total achievements, so if you have trouble completing one, let us know on the Steam forums or Discord.
Known Issues
As you’d expect with any 1.0 release, we worked to have the most stable and complete game possible. We think the main game is solid, but we do have another patch on the way to fix what is found in the beta, and to finish off the new game user interface. Here are some quick notes on what you might find broken in the game:
User Interface
-The new UI can’t launch MP listen servers
-Workshop section of new UI is not working
-The Xen maps do not display the correct chapter title for save files
-The godray setting will not save in the settings menu
-The new UI occasionally flickers
-Manual saves show a screenshot of the UI, not the game
-The developer console needs some polish
-Searching for games online takes too long
-Other misc UI errors
If you need to use the old UI for any reason, launch the game with -oldgameui.
Besides that, we don’t expect much wrong with the game. As always, we want to hear about everything you find, but we will be focusing on the issues listed in the section above for 1.0.
We will be back soon with a MASSIVE change list that details the entirety of the 1.0 update!
Thank you, and have a very safe and productive day.
Discord - https://discord.gg/PSZfh8N