After the release

Hello there!

So, it's been a week from launch and things are looking pretty good! We've been really happy with the reception and feedback on the game so far.

There's lots of bug fixes and suggested patchwork under way, which we will tackle with in the future versions. Some of the bugs the players have listed will take longer time to fix, and some will affect the balance of the gameplay, and we will have to come back to those later.

Right now we're working on a larger content patch. That will include some more in-depth exploration texts and few minor story fixes. Also, player's movement model and collisions will receive a small revision.

Inside Rayhouse there's also been talk about doing a larger "Redux version" of the game, which would include some of the suggested gameplay improvements, and add some length to the story. There's no plans for its release date right now, but it would be available as a DLC type of add-on at Steam.

During development, a couple of scenes were dropped from the package, which would add to the game's length and flesh out the story a bit more. Admittedly, the game's ~3 hour length is a bit shorter than we originally planned. Although, we would rather make a game that delivers throughout its length, rather than adding some tedious and meaningless fetch quests or filler to the story.

Considering that this is our first launch on the Steam platform, let alone our first commercial release, things have gone quite smoothly. We talked about doing a postmortem piece a couple days after the launch, but I think we'll need more time to reflect on the whole process.

Instead, we could list five improvements that we would love to see in an extended Developer's Cut version ourselves. This is not a set list of features, but things that we, as developers, would like to improve on.

1) Three more playable scenes 
 Yes, the original design doc had three extra scenes to the town map. Those would've been too art heavy and time-consuming to do in our original time frame, and they would've had to be done whilst we were finishing the gameplay mechanics. And that proved to be impossible, so we decided to work on the core gameplay instead. But when the dust has settled, we could take a look at those original designs.


2) Item containers
One of the ideas that we had, which was scrapped, was to add these System Shock / Fallout style containers to the maps. They would bring up a small popup window, with your current inventory on the right side, and the container on the left. This would've required quite a lot of extra work with the inventory screen and its graphics, so it was ultimately scrapped. If we're going to return to add some extra content, these could also be added. This addition would reduce the amount of pickups the monsters drop while dying.


3) Better NPC graphics and animation
One of the things that we would've loved to see was more detailed non-playable characters. They're passable in the current version, and fit the art style, but are not as well-made as Bob or the monster selection. It would also be fun to see few generic townsfolk, who run around in panic, and react to the environment and player's actions dynamically. Bob also could use a couple of extra animations, like reloading and using the scenery.

4) Special-use enemies
Some of the scenes could use some special-use enemies. Like adding a monster which crawls in the sand on the beach, or a monster which patrols around the hardware plant. Creating special-use enemies would've taken a lot of time to develop, and we opted to put the time and effort into the standard roster. But who knows, maybe we'll get to them in the future.


5) More craftable items
You could put together guns and the axe from different parts. This would add more explorational items and stuff to collect. The existing guns could also be upgraded and enhanced with crafting. These crafting items would be rarer than the normal pickups, like food or ammo items. Adding a couple of extra weapons, like mines, would also be really exciting.

I personally have a strong opinion about maintaining the classic version of the game, instead of directly modifying the core game. Otherwise, if we end up chaning the standard package of Kalaban, we end up with this kind of Star Wars effect, where you can only find the special edition, and not the original piece. So that's why we would want to keep the "redux version" as a separate release, and not make it a patch.

We're aiming to get everything that's currently in the game to work properly, and everything that changes that core experience, is extra or stuff that goes in the redux. Thanks for tuning in! 

Updating the user interface

Hello there, readers!

We're now in the progress of going through the assets, and giving them the polished look that they need. One of the first things we're going to update, is the dialogue screen.

From the above you can see the new design on its graphics. We've beefed up the size on the dialogue, and given the portraits these little animations. Now the characters blink, move their head, or do some little movement like that.

It's weird and exciting to see the new dialogue screen in-game, as you've watched the previous version for so long. Every day of gamedev requires constant testing, running the game with different fixes and seeing what's fixed. The former iteration of  the dialogue screen just seemed like an alpha version of the design, and not something that belongs in the full game.

One of the major things that we're updating is the main menu. We're not only giving it a graphical re-haul, but adding some features like the Horde mode, Art gallery and Encyclopedia. The horde mode will be an extra survival-type game mode, where you can visit a couple of the environments from the actual game in a different, alternate timeline. 

In this timeline the corruptive forces have spread much further, and all the locations are crawling with enemies. The environments will have a different look in this playmode, and will be redesigned to fit the mood. In horde mode, you will collect powerups and top your high score, as you survive further against the enemy onslaught. 

Our inventory screen is also going through a new iteration, along with the objectives and map screen. The old version was never meant to be shipped as a part of the finished product, and was made only to display all the important information. We're trying to enhance up the UI elements, but also trying to keep the simplicity of it. The hud should represent the theme and evoke the right kind of feeling about the gameworld. 

The paper doll graphics of Bob also needed to be redone. The previous one was intended as a placeholder from the start, and was waiting to get replaced. As our character designer Vesa-Pekka is currently busy with the last animations of Bob, I had to take on the task of creating these little images. 

We might do another iteration of the Bob picture seen above. It really depends on how much time we'll have late in development. We have this principle that we'll focus on the assets which are most regularly seen during gameplay, and give those a facelift. We will also go through the scenes, write some new stuff for them, and add some new interactive objects.

There's still no set release date, but we'll deliver the finished game by the end of this year. After that, we'll see if there's still something that needs fixing and patch it. We can't wait to get the game to players and hear their feedback. Although we've had internal testing and QA on the game, it's impossible to predict how the game will work with a larger audience.