Announcement time!
Lots of awesome info but be prepared for a long read....
Quick Notes-
Release date full version Q4 this year
Companion E-book titled "After The End: Orkess 'O' Ork and The Holy Army"
Planet Earth + Over 10 new Planets confirmed!
World Maps are back and bigger then ever! (Screenshot above is only 1/4 of the entire Planet Seria World Map)
New Screenshots (Below)
Visual Armor
Fuel Gauge during flight
Oxygen/No Oxygen visual indicator when exploring
Spacesuit Upgrades
NPC Interactivety Upgrades
Settlement Info
RELEASE DATE-
After The End: The Harvest the full game will be releasing in Q4 of this year!
I have decided that at this stage of development, it is better to spend the time finishing the game, rather then releasing smaller updates which then need monitoring and then possible bug fixes and subsequent patches. This means that there will more then likely be no more updates on Early Access until the game is completed.
It has been a little while this time since the last content update, and I apologise too everyone who was/is looking forward to playing more of the game early, but, fortunately, the goal line is not far away, and some of the things in store for the future of game will hopefully make you all very excited.
Tomorrow is the beginning of the Steam Summer Sale and ATE:TH will be receiving a significant discount for the duration of the whole sale. This will more then likely be the last sale that ATE:TH will be apart of until the release of the completed game in Q4. Once the game is released and leaves Early Access, the price will be increasing.
E-BOOK-
Now let's get into some announcement specifics-
I'm pleased to announce the title of the free companion E-Book which will be releasing with the game! The E-Book will be titled-
"After The End: Orkess 'O' Orc and The Holy Army"
This story will connect directly to the game, and follow the story of Orkess.
Orkess, a former friend of Onuel's and fellow Titan Hunter, barely survived the devastation of The Harvest. After a few unfortunate events, Orkess forms an army and attempts to hunt down those who had wronged him, and, ultimately, attempts to establish a new identity for himself within the destroyed universe.
Orkess can be found on the current Early Access build as an optional follower who can help you fight, but in the current development build, and in the final completed version, Orkess will play a much more important and vital role.
STORY-
Speaking of story...
The next version/completed game will be expanding heavily!
I don't want to spoil anything, but I think a lot of you will really enjoy it.
The open-world gameplay you have all come to know and love, plus loads more cutscenes, gripping multiple endings, loads of dialogue choices/branches and so much more.
The current playable Steam build is quite light in a main story, but I think everyone will be quite pleasantly surprised with the direction that the game is heading in.
SCREENSHOTS- (HUD SWITCHED OFF FOR SCREENSHOTS)
This brings me to the picture which was posted on yesterday's announcement. Yes there is a Planet Earth, yes the game has undergone a bit of a graphical upgrade and change. Rather then explain, here are some screenshots taken in-game!
WORLD MAPS-
World maps are back and they are bigger then ever!
Planets now consist of different regions or "Countries" which are home to many different villages, dungeons and more.
When wandering around the various planets, the name of the country will fade in and out on the side of the screen. This will also extend to Space, where travelling between Deep Space and other Galaxies will trigger text which informs the player of their location.
Below is a scaled down screen shot of roughly one quarter of the Plant Seria world map.
(Game is still in development so this map portion will still change)
PLANETS-
I'm happy to confirm that the full version of After The End: The Harvest will include over 15 explorable planets. Most planets will also have seperate explorable moons, with their own locations as well. (Similar to the current playable Steam build). In terms of the games size alone, the current playable build includes roughly 300 maps. Once again, I dont want to spoil much, but this number in development is now well and truely in the thousands. The game has grown in size, performance and polish tremendously since the latest public update. The game has never looked, or run this good and I sincerely cannot wait for you all to experience it.
VISUAL ARMOR-
If you look closely in the screenshots above, you can see different styles of armor and clothing options which will be included in the full game. Clothing will be paramount when exploring certain kinds of areas, and occasions.
HUD UI-
A fuel gauge will be added when flying any of your Spaceships.
In the current Steam build, you can track your fuel consumption by equipping the fuel item to your hotbar during flights. In the coming version, you will be able to find a gauge which automatically appears when taking off and tracks your usage.
Very helpful when planning your trips through space!
Another useful feature coming soon is the oxygen indicator, whenever you enter an area which has no oxygen, a notification will pop up to inform you.
SPACESUIT UPGRADE-
The Spacesuit will in the future, by default, include a Grapplinghook.
NPC'S-
All NPC facesets will be matching. Most NPC's will also have multiple pieces of dialog when spoken to repeatedly. Some NPC's can also be questioned through dialogue branches. When attacking a friendly NPC or village guard in the current Steam version, only Guards would react. In the coming version, guards will still attack, but NPC's will now also run away from the player and begin screaming untill the disturbance is over.
SETTLEMENTS-
Settlements will work in conjuction with the Earth's Assembly Point which was referenced in prior announcements.
Around the universe you will encounter many different humans and aliens with different proffesions. Persuading some to join you back on the Assembly Point will prove invaluable when trying to figure out the right combinations of settlement survival.
Do you send two medics and one soldier when building a settlement on a planet full of monsters? Or two soldiers and one medic on a plot of land being held by helpless natives. Depending on your choices and combinations, your settlers will either survive or perish. Scouting a location first can give you tips on the type of hazards which are needed to be overcome for succesful survival. Succesful settlements attract rare merchants and provide gold at a regular interval.
More information coming soon!
Thank you everyone for the continued support.