Hey everyone!
With full release getting real close we thought It'd be a good idea to let you in on what you can expect in the full version.
Next Update
The next update will be a big one with an entirely new zone and lots of fixes.
Zone 3
In it’s current state you play through Utopia 9 by visting 8 areas: An Arrival Areal and Final Area, and 6 areas in between. The 6 areas in between are in turn split into 3 zones named Vacation, Cave and Corporate, where Vacation and Corporate zones currently look the same.
Although each area is randomly generated we want to separate each zone visually and through gameplay. In this way we want players to experience something new and be challenged in new ways as they progress through the game. At the same time we also want to show a bit more of the world and the mutants as you go along.
To achieve this, we have been working hard on creating a new 3rd zone to be reached after making it through the caves. Here you will encounter the new environment, new buildings and new hazards along with the weapons already available in the zone.
Utopia 9 was initially planned to have 3 separate zones. However even with just one zone in place we felt the game was ready Early Access. The game has now been in Early Access for half a year, and we’re thrilled to announce that the game will launch as full release with all three zones according to the initial plan.
Fairer Ammo Drops
Sometimes randomness can be a bit harsh. We have noticed that the player will sometimes get very few ammo drops from enemies and thus very little ammo. This can create game sessions that is too dependent on luck to be both fun and challenging at the same time.
To make the system more fair and consistent we will be changing it so each level has a guaranteed share of enemies dropping ammo. For example a level with 30 enemies will always have 4-5 ammo pickups drop. You still won’t be able to know which ones that drop ammo though and this way we should now be able to balance ammo drops more easily.
Following this update we will continue to look into ways to reduce the frustration sometimes caused by our ammo system while maintaining its benefits to gameplay.
SteelSeries GameSense
The next update will come with SteelSeries GameSense support. This means you can get additional feedback by using a SteelSeries M800 Keyboard with the game. We are planning to support additional devices to provide haptic feedback as you play and hurt yourself on Utopia 9.
Full Release Features
At the movement Utopia 9 is a challenge only few master. However, as a game developer you quickly learn that no matter how hard you make your game, some people can’t get it hard enough and will seek out new challenges. As a result, we’re working on adding new playable characters unlocked by beating the game. The first character unlocked will be the Tourist Guide.
The Tourist Guide
Once your complaint is sent, It would only be reasonable if Utopian Travels were to send more staff to accommodate the issue. Thus if you’re fortunate enough to win the game with the Tourist, you could try playing as the Tourist Guide as well. The Tourist Guide provides a new twist to the gameplay. She might not be the most experienced or toughest person in space, but her limber and agile nature may come in handy.
Although not fully designed and implemented yet, we aim at equipping the Tourist Guide with new visuals, voice, starting items and personal perks. The new character should be a challenge to expert players and as such may not be an advantage unless played just right.
This is the first additional character we’re releasing for the game, and you can expect more in the coming updates! Which character would you like to travel Utopia 9 as?
Planned Follow-Up Features
After we’ve released the full version of Utopia 9 development continues. We’ll continue to expand the game with new unlockable characters, items, weapons and mutations. We’ll also be introducing a new currency system.
Free Cream Samples
Permadeath and roguelike can be a totugh beast to tame so we want to make every run more meaningful and unique. To ensure variety and a feeling of progression every vacation on Utopia 9 will grant the player travel points. These travel points will act as currency and can be spent on Free Cream Samples. Each Free Cream Sample will have different performance enhancing effects along with unfortunate side-effects. This allows the player to customize their character each run and adds variation and replayability.
In Conclusion
We believe these features will make the game even better for everyone. However if you think we’ve missed something important, please let us know so we may consider it for future updates. We will continue to listen to player feedback so we can provide the best vacation experience possible!