Greetings, esteemed colleagues!
Greetings a second time to those joining us from Steam’s Open World Survival Crafting Fest! We’re happy to be part of this festival and if you’ve wandered in from there, don your GATE-approved labcoat and please be seated!
Do you love chopping down trees, making campfires and foraging for berries? Well, too bad, because you’re trapped in an underground research facility with no clear way to the surface. You’ll have to get a little more inventive! Think you can handle it?
You’ve arrived on the right week, because in this Status Report we’re going to take our first look at the major summer update planned for Abiotic Factor. Before we get into that, let’s answer a couple burning questions many people have asked us.
Short Q&A
Q: Are there any updates between the major roadmap updates?
Yep. Not only have we already dropped several updates, we have more content-rich updates in development as well. Keep your eyes peeled, we might even say something about that in this very report!
Q: When is “Summer”? Aren’t you folks in New Zealand which is in the Southern Hemisphere?
Yeah nah, since the majority of Earth’s population lives in the Northern Hemisphere, we are treating all roadmap estimations as Northern Hemisphere, meaning the United States / Europe summer is the summer we’re talking about. That means sooner, rather than later. We will announce the exact Crush Depth date when we’re ready, and there’s a bit more coming before that too!
Q: Are the major updates going to be the only updates furthering the story?
No, smaller updates will often add story content or integrate with the story, however they will typically focus on improving quality of life and adding features within the existing areas, rather than major expansions of the Facility or additional portal destinations. We’ll talk more about one of those medium-sized updates near the end of this report.
Let us begin.
A First Look at Crush Depth
The most obvious of the major changes coming this summer in Crush Depth are the new expansions to the GATE Cascade Research Facility. You’ve scrambled over cubicles in the Office Sector, you’ve survived Manufacturing West, and you’ve probably opened one too many locked doors in the Labs. What’s next?
News Sectors to Explore
Reports from inside the Defense Sector are few and far between since the incident began. More colloquially known to GATE Cascade staff as the Security Sector, this area remains, for now, shrouded in darkness.
There is a bit more light to shed on the Hydroplant beyond, however. Within this cavernous space runs a road, abreast the massive concrete complex simply referred to as the Dam.
The dam, nominally, holds back a monumental volume of water referred to by the enigmatic Gatekeepers as the Darkwater. The scientists, on the other hand, give it a far less foreboding moniker – it is simply known to them as the Cascade Reservoir and it is the blood pumping through the heart of the Facility, generating significant amounts of power and cooling for the experiments conducted herein.
Administration and living spaces cling to the cliffside.
Energy capture experiments are practiced out in the Reservoir, thanks to the shielding properties (and cost-savings) of liquid water. But it’s no easy swim and the normal means of ferrying seem to be largely absent in the wake of recent events.
Passage Par Les Portals
One of the best kept secrets of Crush Depth is that scientists may find themselves in several more far-flung locations, perhaps well beyond the provincial and into “la majesté,” as the French might say. Nestled well above the treeline amid snowy peaks lies the GATE Voussoir Facility. (That’s pronounced “Voo-Swah,” by the way.)
If you find yourself on this snowy retreat, please remember to bring something warm. We have a feeling the reception certainly won’t be.
You may have many questions, but only trudging through the snow will yield those answers.
Remember to keep warm this summer.
Fun, Dangerous, Both?
To the skies, rocketeer! Science could never catch up to your adventurous spirit, but it’s sure getting close! Research into jetpacks is well underway, letting you reach new heights, both underground and beyond!
The Utility of Sport
While the twisting tunnels and rubble-filled roadways of Cascade have become narrowed through chaos and carnage, there’s always room for more utility. Sports utility, that is.
Getting around with friends and cargo requires something a bit more hardy than a forklift or security cart. You need the SUV, and judging by the state it’s in, it needs you too. Like the other vehicles, you’ll need to find a way to get it running. Once you do, it’s yours.
Stay Awhile
Something wholly absent from the roadmap, and announced for the first-time ever right here in this report, is an activity sure to bring you food, contemplation and the occasional useful resource.
We look forward to sharing more about this, and other details regarding Crush Depth, soon. That wraps up today’s first look at Crush Depth, the major summer update. But before that time arrives, there’s something else we need to deal with first.
Dr. Ross tells us she believes the Flathill Containment System has degraded substantially, and it’s much worse than we feared. Apparently someone took many of the power cells out and it’s destabilized the entire containment system. We aren’t sure what repercussions this will have, but… Say, have you noticed it’s been a bit foggy in the Facility?
Troubling, to be sure. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this in the very near future.
Until then, onward -- to science.
If you’ve been enjoying your time at the GATE Cascade Research Facility, feel free to drop us a review! They keep us satiated and warm during the cold nights in the cubicle farm.
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