Episode 02 BETA
Production on the game has been going strong ( albeit quietly ) ever since STLD arrived with Steam. The workload has been extremely heavy lately and I myself have been hesitant to promote the project without having any new playable content for my wonderful users. That is until now!!
The Beta for episode 2 is finally out. And with that comes the explanation of the future of this project, and what will happen with Survivor: The Living Dead.. and how you the players will have a huge effect on what that future is. But for now...
The entire engine has been reprogrammed from the ground up. The interface is brand new and the controls and gameplay have been changed to streamline the players experience.
The game now displays in 720p HD resolution. No more little tiny box in the center of your massive hd monitors. The text for exploration and descriptions has been raised with the resolution so the player should no longer have to squint to read it.
Episode 02 is fully compatible with an XBOX Controller. That means if you have one hooked up to your PC, you can take off from there. In my opinion the game plays better with one and is much easier to pick up, and is especially helpful if you are not the most hardcore gamer.
The player can now investigate, close doors, lock doors and interact with all of the environment while still being armed with weapons. Ragers rejoice. Some actions like lifting fallen doors will however cause the player to set what they are holding down. But this happens automatically, and does not disrupt gameplay.
This level introduces all new weapons and secrets. Along with new enemies who have their own move sets, strengths, and weaknesses to be exposed. The player has to think on their toes now more than ever. There is a ton of crap packed in and programmed here, and even more content that isn't usable just yet.
I will be actively around Steam and my other social media handles a lot more these days, releasing news and tips weekly along with new updates and the slow reveal of all the tips and secrets for whats to come.
Now then...
What's in store for STLD?
STLDs initial Early Access sales were extremely underwhelming. I was hoping for enough attention and funding to power through and champion out a new level as quickly as possible. I am the sole creator of all content that goes into this game, aside from the music ( My undying gratitude to the amazing and talented Esperware ). This shit takes time, it has taken time, especially when you're creating an entire game.. from the ground up... alone.
The following will happen now: I will complete episode 02 of STLD by early next year (everything on the list below will be done. ). After this I will launch a crowd funded project to entirely remaster the first level in HD with updated graphics, the new engine incorporated, and entirely new content aspects added to the house ( weapons, environment kills, a rebooted and fleshed out story with character development ). I have a huge list of new plans for the Episode 1 remaster.
Each level from now on will be released episodically. When funded they will become my number one priory, with consistent news updates and funding incentives. If the goals are not met I will work on them when I can, but I honestly cannot afford the time anymore without some kind of return.
tl;dr if you want it, fund it and you have my promise it will happen.
I'm introducing the Tip Jar, for anyone who has a little extra cash to throw around, or may happen to be the dude who loves to pirate all of his games but would still like to see and play new content in the future. Please consider clicking this image. If nothing else please share with a friend you think might enjoy a weird game like this.
What is still coming? When is it not Beta?
- Rewards and achievements! A point system to strengthen the characters arsenal. Points are acquired by surviving and playing well. This game is all about kicking ass and getting cool rewards for it, that's all coming back very soon.
- More of the weapons will be available. They are all programmed but not acquirable in the level as of yet.
- Two more Cultist characters. Cultists are the guys shooting spells at you and locking you outside of houses. Every cultist will be unique with his own set of special moves.
- Graphics for weapons and inventory items will be added. I will be updating these shortly, you'll notice the weapons have an empty box on the interface, that will change. The inventory item images are very crude, they will be updated and pretty.
-The game will have extended times with more difficulty. Because of the new levels large amount of content and enemy additions the survival challenge time will span from 15-20 minutes once Episode 2 is completed. I promise I won't make the end product impossibly hard to beat. At least when the difficulty isn't cranked all the way up.
- Music will be incorporated into game menus and levels.
- Lots more sound effects need to be added, you'll notice they are sparse as of now ( closet doors usually make noise when you open them right?). I intend to hire a voice actress for Amber and more for the zombies and upcoming story characters.
- The ability for a game-pad controller to be used. XBOX and KEYBOARD are supported as of now. Custom controls will be added again.
- Refining. Bug repair and kinks being ironed out will be constant.
- MANY little tweaks and additions, a lot of this is already done and just needs to be set up. Very fun stuff coming soon. I have big plans for this level.
Level one is still available and located in the games installation folder.
That's about it for now.
If you read all of this I love you. Amber loves you.