Hello Riftbreakers!
On Wednesday we published a news piece about our research tree redesign. Once again your feedback on the Prologue and streams has given us plenty of valuable information on how to improve the game. That knowledge and a dash of our own new ideas evolved into the research system that is very close to what we can call a ‘release candidate’. However, there is still some work ahead of us and we haven’t told you everything about the system just yet. Today we will dive deeper into the secrets of Alien Research!
Alien research is the third 'tab' of our research tree.
It’s been an ongoing meme that Ashley uses bullets and rockets to ‘investigate’ and ‘research’ the local fauna and flora. We’ve had plenty of lines of dialogue that suggested the importance of gathering alien samples for future experiments. Now the memes become reality and all the specimen samples that drop from fallen enemies have their purpose. Collecting samples of extraterrestrial organisms will unlock access to entirely new technologies for Ash to use during her mission on Galatea 37.
An intense research session.
The samples you gather are analyzed in the Laboratory. We showed this building to you some time ago. Laboratory works in conjunction with your existing Communication Hubs. The results of experiments conducted in the Lab are uploaded back to Houston, where teams of scientists and engineers develop new blueprints for equipment that further enhance Mr. Riggs and your base. These new inventions range from Environmental Shielding modules, designed to protect you from hazardous conditions, to entirely new weapons, such as Gravity Grenades or Railguns.
You won't find toys like these anywhere on Earth.
In order to start researching alien technologies, you need to gather enough samples of an alien species. They do not drop often, so you will need something to track your progress. That’s where the Bestiary screen comes in. Here’s what it looks like:
Oooops, we seem to have leaked a creature... Or did we? Perhaps we showed it to you before but no one noticed?
The Bestiary records your encounters with alien species and counts the number of specimen samples you collected. The higher the number of samples, the higher your Familiarity Level. Familiarity Levels unlock additional information about the species, such as their statistics, weaknesses, resistances and possible loot drops. These levels are also required to gain access to new technologies in the Alien Research category.
If you are not a fan of decimating the alien population of Galatea 37 there is another way of collecting samples - the Bioscanner. It is a non-invasive device that allows Ashley to scan creatures from a safe distance and synthesize samples on the basis of the scan results. It is especially useful in the case of very rare creatures - they do not appear in large numbers and killing them does not guarantee a useful sample. By scanning the aliens first you give yourself two chances at finding out something noteworthy. The same goes for non-aggressive species. There’s no need to kill these innocent creatures. Just scan them and be on your way.
I said there was NO need to kill them, you maniac!
That’s a lot of information to drop on you at once, huh? Do you know what the best part is? These are not just concepts. We have all of these features working in the game already! We are going to update our Alpha with the new Research System soon, so be on the lookout for that! Additionally, you can always drop by on the stream to see how it all plays out in real gameplay situations. Follow us on www.twitch.tv/exorstudios and join www.discord.gg/exorstudios not to miss a beat.