Hello everyone!
We’re excited to share the contents of the latest Dead Station Files update.
In version 0.8.2, we fixed issues introduced after the release of the Final Inspection update and added new content, additional mechanics, and several important quality-of-life improvements.
Equipment Rework
There is now even more equipment to find on the station, while choosing items and creating builds have become an important part of progression and survival.
New Equipment
Equipment is now divided into items available from the start and items that must be unlocked. New items can be unlocked by evacuating through different station exits and then found in subsequent runs.
The new equipment expands your build options:
Memory Chip — increases maximum LOG capacity.
Hemocondenser — removes the maximum AP capacity limit while exploring levels. This allows medical compartments and items that improve AP recovery to serve as the foundation for new builds.
Range Modulator — increases the range of the Evacom scanner on a level.
Security Decoder — you asked, and we delivered! Guard Bots now highlight biosignatures detected by the scanner.
Autoreanimator — brings the character back to life in the event of a non-violent death.
The rest of the new equipment can be found by exploring Chernobog.
Special Equipment
Special Equipment has also appeared on the station. These items significantly alter the usual rules of a run and make unusual gameplay situations and builds possible.
Special Equipment is not easy to obtain: you will need to explore the station, find specific events, and fulfil the conditions associated with them.
Equipment items will now be added to the Legend as they are discovered.
Survey and Episode Chains
Some Surveys and Episodes are now connected into local story chains. While investigating the aftermath of the disaster, players will discover new leads, take part in related events, and gradually reconstruct what happened on Chernobog.
Individual scenes and Tasks complement one another: Surveys lead to new Episodes, while discovered Episodes reveal additional context and point the investigation further ahead.
To see the complete story, you will need to compare the information you uncover, visit connected levels, and continue searching in different parts of the station.
Items in Glitch Rooms
We have reworked Glitch Rooms and made their rewards more varied and fairer.
The changes affect the chances of receiving increased AP and LOG bonuses.
In addition, extra equipment can now be found in Glitch Rooms.
New Level Status — Speed
Levels can now have the Speed status, alongside bonus LOG files and AP recovery.
This status reduces the in-game time required to complete a level, making familiar routes more varied.
Under favourable circumstances, players will be able to deviate from their planned path, visit additional locations containing equipment, or complete optional Tasks without risking missing a key evacuation event.
Biosignature Development
The biosignature’s development is now more noticeable and varied.
As conditions on the station deteriorate, the threat gains new abilities and characteristics. The direction of its development depends on environmental conditions, meaning that by influencing events on the station, you indirectly influence the biosignature itself.
For example, HF now determines its stability. Early in the disaster, the biosignature cannot pass through even ordinary airlocks, but later it may learn to overcome protected airlocks as well.
In future updates, we will continue expanding this system so that each run features different paths of biosignature evolution.
It is already a more interesting and unpredictable opponent that develops alongside the worsening situation on the station.
Relay Screen
The Relay screen is intended to become the main communication hub with the outside world. Through it, you will contact different factions, receive new Tasks, and learn more about the disaster on Chernobog.
The Relay screen will accompany the progress of the investigation, announce newly unlocked content, and assign further Tasks.
At the beginning of the game, the Relay screen provides an initial briefing on the situation aboard the station and explains why S. Mann is important to the investigation.
To see it, you will need to replay the tutorial.
New Beginner Exit in the COM Sector
We have reworked the exit logic on the COM level and turned the station’s upper decks into a clearer starting area for new players.
The exit itself, its associated Task, and a local assignment allow players to explore Chernobog at their own pace, learn the game’s core rules, and prepare for future attempts without having to rush downward towards the epicentre of the disaster.
Score and Records System
The new system separates the difficulty of the selected route from the skill with which it was completed.
The more difficult the route to evacuation, the higher the Route Score — but the result only counts if you make it out.
A run result consists of three independent metrics:
Route Score reflects the difficulty of the completed route. It takes into account level size, encountered hazards, completed Tasks, and discovered Episodes.
Speed shows how many Route Score points the player earns per minute of active play.
Efficiency shows how many Route Score points the player earns per 100 actions.
Speed and Efficiency do not affect Route Score. They show how quickly and precisely the player makes decisions.
After three qualifying evacuations, the player completes an assessment. From then on, each new result is compared with their personal averages, while arrows indicate an increase or decrease.
Records are saved separately for each exit.
Share your results with other members of our community on Discord
We can’t wait to see what you achieve while conquering the dying station.
Power Grid Rework
We have removed Blackout as a separate station status. A complete loss of power is now one of the possible consequences of damage to the power grid.
Steam Achievements and Cloud Saves
The demo now includes three Steam achievements and Steam Cloud support.
Your progress is now synchronized across devices, while your accomplishments on Chernobog will remain forever in your Steam profile.
QoL Improvements
We have also added several changes intended to make the game more convenient and easier to understand:
Route Validation has received a small improvement and now helps track the conditions required to unlock events. Click the character portrait on the station screen to view the current validation progress and the requirements for unlocking the desired events.
Many new sounds have been added for actions, events, and interface elements.
A separate audio cue has been added to warn when the character has 10 AP or fewer remaining.
Numerous bugs have been fixed.
Help Button
Forgot what a particular interface element does? The information you need can now be accessed directly from the station screen.
The new button activates Help Mode. In this mode, you can select an interface element and open a brief explanation of its purpose and related mechanics.
In future updates, we plan to add Help Mode to other important game screens as well.
All of this and much more is already waiting for you in the game!
Thank you to everyone who plays, shares impressions of the demo, and reports bugs. You help us improve Dead Station Files and bring the game closer to release!
See you on Chernobog!