Hey Survivors!
There has been a flurry of progress on Outbreak following our second free, large content drop from a week ago. Let's take a look at what's happening behind the scenes.
Nightmares - New Scenario "Care" (Free)
The second Nightmares scenario is under development and it's entitled "Care". In this scenario, you'll take control of Ethan who is busy working on his doctoral studies (but also may have been playing video games...). He gets up as he hears a scream down the hallway.
You'll find yourself exploring the Lyceum in the midst of an Outbreak. During your travels, you'll be joined by Nora. One of the unique aspects of this scenario is that Nora is unarmed and you'll need to protect her. If she dies, it's game over. You'll have to guide both characters to safety as the Lyceum is overrun with undead and slowly burns to the ground.
Don't worry. Even though Nora can't fight, she is very tough (at least in Normal difficulty...). Interested to see if folks can survive on Biohazard and keep both characters intact. This next scenario doesn't have an ETA, but will likely show up in a week or two...
Xbox One and Windows Store Ports
I've spent the first month since Outbreak has been out actively focusing on boosting content and getting community feedback integrated. As the game stabilizes, it's now time to put effort into porting it to new platforms. Xbox One and Windows Store are great future platforms for Outbreak. One of the things I'm looking forward to the most is grabbing some achievements for my Xbox Live profile! ːsteamhappyː
The Xbox One port is coming along very well. Virtually all functionality (including Xbox Live integration) is finished excluding multiplayer. It still needs thorough testing and edge cases, but the progress has been sizable in the last few weeks. I still don't have even a vague ETA for a release date. Integrating multiplayer will take a bit due to the third party services Outbreak uses. But I still feel the game is on track for a 2017 launch.
The Windows Store port is also coming along very well. The entire game, including multiplayer, is now playable completely. In addition, basic Xbox Live services have been integrated such as profile sign in, stats and achievements. The next step for this port is extensive testing and then working through certification. I would imagine this port is a few months out right now, but hopefully it will come along sooner.
What kind of fixes can we expect in the next patch?
The next patch should be addressing the following game issues:
- Additional player health buffs in multiplayer games. 2-player games now have health buffs very similar to playing in single-player mode.
- The character selection and starting equipment screens will now update the menu properly when mouse hovering over selections.
- Other small fixes and very minor enhancements.
New Control Scheme - Action Mouse Hybrid
We released a very small minor patch a few days back that added a new control scheme - Action Mouse Hybrid. This control scheme allows you to control your character's movement like the Action control scheme using your keyboard keys. But when you aim, control switches to the mouse and your character will face the mouse position. This creates an awesome 2D shooter control scheme, so definitely check it out!
You can change your control scheme in the Options menu under Player options. Remember! You can change your controls in-game as well. Use F1 or the Start button on your gamepad to access the options menu!
Community Playdates
I'm still working to find an appropriate time and way to organize regular community playdates to help everyone get a chance to try out the multiplayer. I should have more news on this in the next week or so. I also have some upcoming work getting put into some community growth, which you'll hear about in the next 3 weeks or so. The community is definitely growing and on a steady upswing. Keep telling friends about the game and encouraging them to play!
Thank you for supporting Outbreak!
Thank you again for playing and following Outbreak. Don't be shy about posting feedback and suggestions in the forums! Keep telling your friends about the game and posting about it on social media! The community is growing strong! ːsteamhappyː