Hello all,
Thanks for checking out our seventh devblog! The 0.8 update is coming along nicely but it will not be released this week. We're still bringing the boys up to speed and also putting some additional work into fortifications. As mentioned in last weeks devblog, we're not far off an experimental build. Once we have something (most likely next week) we'll release with a small update across our social platforms to let you know. This update will not be a long one but as mentioned we'll do our best to get one out every week.
Fortifications (Coming in 0.8)
The fortification mechanic is shaping up very nicely. More importantly, the AI is behaving nicely and destroying/traversing fortified windows without major issue so far. The fortification mechanic is by no means fleshed out but will have a very solid foundation once introduced. Placement is very fluid. Players can place planks and eventually sheet materials e.g. plywood and tin. The system will allow players to place fortifications on both interior and exterior frames. Securing a structure will be a decent amount of work but should provide a safe haven with proper maintenance. Below we've included a few shots of zombies making it through window frames and fortifications.
Close one, AI reacting nicely with windows.
That's gonna leave a mark.
Traps (Coming in 0.8)
Structure traps are also part of our 0.8 update including the shotgun traps and the propane firetrap. AI and players will both be affected by fire so be sure to stand at a safe distance when interacting with that propane trap ;) Players should be able to find most needed parts and fuel with the introduction of harvest machines specific to the most needed loot. You'll find nails and hammers at the hardware store in town nearly every time you look for them, fuel at a fuel station and so on. We're trying our best to balance realism and fun. None of our mechanics are set in stone and all feedback is welcome. Below are a few recent tests of the new firetrap in action.
Lighting a fire trap (watch those fingers!)
Burning Zombies
Such a warm light isn't it?
Shotgun trap to the chest. Stupid zombies.
Bonus gif, Jos walking into his own shotgun trap...
Particle System
Jos has been working on a standard set of particle mechanics. The leaves shown in the gif below can be and will be swapped out for all sorts of garbage. The system is dynamic and should add a good deal of atmosphere to the world. The mechanic will be easily tweakable and something we'll showcase in the feedback section on the forums.
Atmospheric particle system to be introduced.
The Forums and Feedback
The forums have been updated both backend and style. We've also gone orange and decorated for halloween :). We'll soon be fleshing out and filling in our feedback section. We've spent the last 8+ months killing bugs, working on in game features and fixing issues we'd never have been able to find without the help of testers in the community. Issues that the team never would have run into without the extra game load at times.
It's now nearly time for us to enter our alpha stage. We'll be introduced to a new and larger audience as the game will be public and fully listed on Steam. The project is still on a lot of wishlists and stable re-playable alpha builds are not far off. The feedback section will be the main source of feedback for the team. It will be the place we check to see what everyone likes or dislikes. We'll do our best to include most important game features here. The first section to be polished up in the coming weeks will likely be weapons. Gunplay has always been important to the team and now it's your turn to give us some feedback on how things are going. We'll expand, including most interactable props and features eventually.
We're Hiring!
We're looking for help! If you are or know any programmers/unity developers looking for work in the UK please let us know. We're looking for like minded devs, the project is near and dear to us. The team is very small and being a team player is very important to us. If you'd like to send a CV to [email protected] please do so :)
As a reminder before we go, we'll be getting these devblogs out weekly. You can check our next set of goals and 0.8 progress whenever you'd like via the changelog. Thanks for checking in and the continued support!
Links
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net