A little more than a day is left till the end of our Kickstarter campaign. Thanks to your activity, less than 24 hours passed from achieving one stretch goal to unlocking another! Now, not only will Encased include the Fallen Fortress encounter, but the game will also have an extended freeplay mode, entertaining you with additional quests and content after the initial playthrough is over.
Very little funding is needed until we unlock the next stretch goal: the auto-train mobile HQ.
We’ve already talked about Ursula in an earlier update, but a few more details remain to be revealed.
We need to rush to get it!
Ursula was designed before the Incident, and when Maelstrom was unleashed on the world the project had to be modified in a hurry. The engineers worked furiously to protect the machine and its crew from waves of damaging psychic energy, and they were quite successful: one of Ursula’s cars is equipped with a special air-tight compartment shielded by thick lead walls. This allows you to navigate Ursula through those rare sectors where Maelstrom is so strong that no exposed character, no matter how high his Psyche score, can survive.
Ursula will grant you access to places you cannot reach in any other way.
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To survey areas made uninhabitable by raging psychic energy, you can use a special drone with weapons and a manipulator arm which allows you to retrieve small objects, press buttons, and open doors.
Researchers were certain these autonomous robots would be very useful: according to maps compiled before the catastrophe, several unexamined complexes were located in areas with the highest Maelstrom activity. Perhaps the increased concentration of psychic energy has some relation to their contents, but... what could that be?
The answer to this question we leave for the player to uncover.
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Although rigorous testing showing the shielding to be effective, there was something even the research scientists did not know. The weird psychic energy affects not only organic matter, but technology as well. In sufficient quantities, the radiation will manifest itself by altering the behavior of onboard systems.
The change in Ursula’s “personality” poses many difficult questions: is this new development dangerous, or is it an opportunity to make direct contact with Maelstrom? What are the possible threats, and are there any positive effects?
This event could turn out to be a serious crisis, but it’s also one of the many interesting, major quests associated with the auto-train HQ.
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Ursula is unique, and there are many people in the desert who would like to lay hands on her. Sooner or later you will have to raise your defenses and fight against raiders intent on taking over your auto-train.
That's how stationed camp looks like
In the previous update dedicated to the mobile HQ, we talked about converting the train’s armored hull into a wall. However, that’s not all: the train can be equipped with stationary turrets directed by the on-board computer’s defense protocol. This program itself can also be edited by the player for maximum effectiveness.
The turrets must be serviced and repaired, and their ammunition replenished of course. Upgrades will be available.
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Prepare questions for AMA
It's time to ask us anything! We're doing AMA on Reddit with Developers team. Answers on any questions about Encased, our studio Dark Crystal Games and others which you may be interested in. The date is Monday, 15th October (11:00 PM CET/ 03:00 PM PDT!).
And finally, a bit of math. To date, campaign funds total $113,488, which means we need a bit more than $6,500 to unlock Ursula.
If you're still on the fence about pledging or increasing your pledge, take a look at this physical rewards update. Perhaps a researcher hoodie, a branded CRONUS t-shirt, or a specialty metal badge would motivate you to support us further.