From lead dev Jeffrey Nielson (Chimeric):
For the past year, updates have focused on increasing build versatility (and as a result, replayability). I'm proud of what was built, and we've got nearly 200 upgrades to play with now. Not bad for early access! However, along the way, I learned that there's a limit to how much you can add by piling on upgrades alone. I've spoken about Enemies 2.0, which focuses on the other half of that equation. More on that later in this update.
I've also learned that this rapid-fire schedule for releases leaves little room for improving the core experience. I think we've all seen other games fall into this trap, and I don't want to do the same. It's an easy mistake to make because nearly all of the data a developer has access to points to "more content = more users = more money". What this does not indicate is more abstract issues such as long term health of the game, the rate of player burnout, or the way your game is perceived by the public.
What I'm trying to say is...
With the Genesis update released, you can build a ton of things, and the bar has been raised really high for certain aspects. However, other things feel rough around the edges by comparison. I hear this line all the time from new players: "Wow! I didn't expect this game to be so fun!" Nova Drift should look and feel as good as it actually is. It has hundreds of hours of stuff to do, but sometimes it still feels like early access. Some of this is going to be the natural limitation of a mosty-one-person project, but I think there's plenty that can be done. So, I feel like its a good time to shift focus on improving the core experience.
Top Priorities:
Visibility:
- I have plans for a new finder when you're near the edges of the screen or you've just wrapped. There's no reason this can't be made obvious and clear.
- I will increase the contrast between the backgrounds and the edges of asteroids.
- Occlusive effects, such as Grenade explosions, won't hide the player or objects as much.
- More intelligent and cooperative enemies should reduce the need for so many of them to be present and, as a result, reduce the visual chaos.
Physics and Feedback:
- The way the player collides with enemies and is moved around by them will be improved.
- Better collision damage: Damage will no longer be the same between a head-on collision and a love tap. Mass and velocity will be considered.
- Enemies 2.0 will iterate on the way that enemies enter the battlefield, and ensure that you have time to react to them.
Settings:
- The Settings menu will be made accessible during a run.
- The Settings menu will be modernized and made prettier.
- Mouse and Keyboard setups will be folded into a single setting and will work as expected regardless of which a player decides to start playing with.
- The pause menu will include a more useful data and will be made dynamic.
Clarity of Information:
- The game will receive a Glossary, accessible from the menu, which will clearly explain many of the game's mechanics and terms.
- The UI will be overhauled.
All of this happens in tandem with Enemies 2.0 as well as localizing the game to several languages at a time. These are all things I've known needed doing, but there's only so much time in the day. New mods will still be released, but please bear with a somewhat slower content schedule while we address these important issues!
And now.... ENEMIES 2.0
The player character has outgrown its opponents. With nearly 200 upgrades in the game, it's time to turn the focus of development to the enemies we face. It's time to bring enemies and their capabilities up to the standard of quality that has been given to the player character.
Enemies, and the ways they spawn are some of the oldest and most outdated systems in the game (Nova Drift is 5 years old and grew from a small hobby project.) Many players have voiced concerns about enemy spawns, diversity, bullet-hellishness, and the relatively narrow build options for surviving past wave 200. With Draft Mode and Boss Rush coming up on the roadmap, I see this as an opportunity for a rework that satisfies these issues while also improving fun and choice.
I'll break it down:
- Older enemies will get a new coat of paint, while new enemies will be introduced to the game, both early game and late game. The quality bar for how an enemy looks and behaves will be raised.
- Enemies will spawn with "roles" within formations, such as a protector or support of another unit.
- Steps will be taken toward removing the need for a "spammy" late game. Enemies will trend toward tactical, dangerous, and diverse instead of numerous. In other words, encounters will be deadly for reasons which are better than "there were too many mines and bullets on the screen." As a result, the rate of spawns and the speed scaling of enemies at high waves can be reduced without being made easier.
- The above fits better with Nova Drift's upgrade system, which incentives builds that require set up and timing. Right now, "area clear" strategies are overwhelmingly more important than intended, while dealing single target damage isn't as viable.
- Enemy spawns will be revised. Instead of always entering from the edges without warning, enemies might fade in from the depths of space, warp in from a portal, or enter via the borders with a HUD warning.
- The wave spawning system will become more dynamic and procedural, allowing greater variance while being easier for me to tweak.
- Rather than one big update that attempts to fix all these issues at once, these changes will be rolled out over a series of updates, mixed in with the usual content updates (albeit less of them).
An Example of Enemies 2.0
A Peek At An Upcoming Enemy
