Hacknet's been the last three years of my life, my creativity, and most of my time outside of a day job - and I couldn't have asked for more from the response. Thanks so much to everyone in the community for being so great, and keeping the indie dream alive!

Instead of moving on to new projects, I've decided to dedicate most of this year to supporting and expanding the game.

I've been looking at all my options on what I should be focusing on next, and what the community really wants and in this post I want to give everyone an update on what my plans are, and when you can all expect new stuff. Lets get to it!



A lot of people have been requesting localized versions of Hacknet and some eager fans have even started submitting translations. Because Hacknet is such a text-heavy game and has an unusual structure, this isn’t super easy to do but I'm currently working on the technical side and will then be organizing translations for major regions soon. If you are eager to help with translating, please let me know on matt [@] hacknet-os.com!

Multiplayer is another feature that many people in the community have been clamoring for, and I'm still in the process of experimenting with various models for this. I've got some pretty crazy ideas, and this is something that I will be exploring and releasing later this year as a free update.



An unexpected set of requests started cropping up soon after release, with a number of educational establishments, training groups and security companies asking for a training version of Hacknet. Some amazing contacts in the US Department of Defence and cyber warfare groups are helping design special improvements, and mods to the game to be used in their training programs. In parallel, I'm investigating a version of Hacknet that can be deployed to students as a learning tool, and a training tool for companies. Some of this work will hopefully filter back into the main version of the game.

Since day one, mod support has been the number one, most requested feature. The good news is that, yes, I am working on the backbone system that will allow modders to create Hacknet stories easily, and more importantly, a way for players to download them seamlessly via Steam Workshop. Over the next few months I will be seeding these tools to game developer friends and existing Hacknet modders for testing. This will hopefully result in some great mods being available when we release official mod-support later this year as a free update.



Overall, the thing that the community seems to want is just more Hacknet. I definitely want to make a Hacknet 2 but after more than three years working on the game, I feel like I need to work on something different before embarking on a full sequel. As a solution, I'm thinking about creating a premium expansion for Hacknet, to give you all some significant new content but at a scale I can complete this year.

I am aiming for 3-5 hours of gameplay, with a new story, some interesting new programs, tonnes of new computers, servers, contracts, and some hidden surprises along the way. I’m planning to make this a premium piece of DLC with a price of $5 USD and launch it in the back half of the year.

Before embarking on this, however, I wanted to pose the question to you, the community - is this something you would want? If so, I'll add it to the schedule and get to work on these cool ideas I've had since the release. Otherwise, I'll stuff them into a closet and will look at implementing them in a possible sequel later down the track after I've worked on some other projects I have in mind.

How does that sound to everyone? If the community is really against charging for DLC, we'll work out a new plan, but to me, this looks like the best way to get everyone some new Hacknet as soon as possible. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Assuming that the community thinks that DLC should be developed, this is the rough timeline I’ll be aiming for:

• April / May - Translated/Localized Hacknet launches all over the world. Prototype mod tools seeded to developers and community members for feedback
  
  
• August/September - DLC + Mod support launch
  
  
• October/November - Multiplayer Launch

Thanks again for all your support. I have some pretty crazy ideas for the additions this year - I hope you're ready.

-Matt

Hacknet's been the last three years of my life, my creativity, and most of my time outside of a day job - and I couldn't have asked for more from the response. Thanks so much to everyone in the community for being so great, and keeping the indie dream alive!

Instead of moving on to new projects, I've decided to dedicate most of this year to supporting and expanding the game.

I've been looking at all my options on what I should be focusing on next, and what the community really wants and in this post I want to give everyone an update on what my plans are, and when you can all expect new stuff. Lets get to it!



A lot of people have been requesting localized versions of Hacknet and some eager fans have even started submitting translations. Because Hacknet is such a text-heavy game and has an unusual structure, this isn’t super easy to do but I'm currently working on the technical side and will then be organizing translations for major regions soon. If you are eager to help with translating, please let me know on matt [@] hacknet-os.com!

Multiplayer is another feature that many people in the community have been clamoring for, and I'm still in the process of experimenting with various models for this. I've got some pretty crazy ideas, and this is something that I will be exploring and releasing later this year as a free update.



An unexpected set of requests started cropping up soon after release, with a number of educational establishments, training groups and security companies asking for a training version of Hacknet. Some amazing contacts in the US Department of Defence and cyber warfare groups are helping design special improvements, and mods to the game to be used in their training programs. In parallel, I'm investigating a version of Hacknet that can be deployed to students as a learning tool, and a training tool for companies. Some of this work will hopefully filter back into the main version of the game.

Since day one, mod support has been the number one, most requested feature. The good news is that, yes, I am working on the backbone system that will allow modders to create Hacknet stories easily, and more importantly, a way for players to download them seamlessly via Steam Workshop. Over the next few months I will be seeding these tools to game developer friends and existing Hacknet modders for testing. This will hopefully result in some great mods being available when we release official mod-support later this year as a free update.



Overall, the thing that the community seems to want is just more Hacknet. I definitely want to make a Hacknet 2 but after more than three years working on the game, I feel like I need to work on something different before embarking on a full sequel. As a solution, I'm thinking about creating a premium expansion for Hacknet, to give you all some significant new content but at a scale I can complete this year.

I am aiming for 3-5 hours of gameplay, with a new story, some interesting new programs, tonnes of new computers, servers, contracts, and some hidden surprises along the way. I’m planning to make this a premium piece of DLC with a price of $5 USD and launch it in the back half of the year.

Before embarking on this, however, I wanted to pose the question to you, the community - is this something you would want? If so, I'll add it to the schedule and get to work on these cool ideas I've had since the release. Otherwise, I'll stuff them into a closet and will look at implementing them in a possible sequel later down the track after I've worked on some other projects I have in mind.

How does that sound to everyone? If the community is really against charging for DLC, we'll work out a new plan, but to me, this looks like the best way to get everyone some new Hacknet as soon as possible. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Assuming that the community thinks that DLC should be developed, this is the rough timeline I’ll be aiming for:

• April / May - Translated/Localized Hacknet launches all over the world. Prototype mod tools seeded to developers and community members for feedback
  
  
• August/September - DLC + Mod support launch
  
  
• October/November - Multiplayer Launch

Thanks again for all your support. I have some pretty crazy ideas for the additions this year - I hope you're ready.

-Matt

After months of retooling Hacknet to launch on Mac and Linux, last week Matt released an update that moved the PC version of the game onto a unified branch using FNA framework. Many of you would not have noticed a difference, but having the unified version means that fixes and updates can be rolled out across all platforms, and as an added bonus, a number of the issues people were experiencing should be fixed.

Now that the framework is unified, we wanted to share a few resources for those of you still having some weird issues. First of all you can view the Crash Fixes, Workarounds and Common Problem Solutions thread. If the answers that you seek do not appear there, head on over to the Bug Reports v2 thread to find out how you can report a new issue specific to your machine.

Also, you would have noticed that Hacknet was featured in a Steam Daily Deal yesterday for a 33% discount. We're also celebrating Australia day across a number of our titles, so we're continuing the Hacknet discount for another 24 hours! We also have a number of other Surprise Attack Games on sale:

• Dungeon League 20% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/362310/
  
• Super Mutant Alien Assault 20% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/368680/
  
• Fort Meow - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/352070/
  
• Vertiginous Golf - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/272890/
  
• Rogue Continuum - 20% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/357700/
  
• A Druid's Duel - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/333970/
  
• OTTTD - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/312630/
  
• Oscura: Lost Light - 60% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/320520/
  
• Particulars - 66% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/259470/
  
• Quarries of Scred - 66% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/346770/
  
• Rainbow Hero - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/343570/
  
• StuntMANIA Reloaded - 66% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/324750/

Finally, below you will find the changelog for the new FNA update for Hacknet. Until next time.

Steve - Community Manager

• Added a special recovery function to V's Bit mission chain to re-join it if it was abandoned partway through.
  
• Fixed many crash on startup and save corruption issues.
  
• Added an XNA branch of Hacknet on Steam! If you are unable to run the base version of the game, the XNA branch may work for you. Details here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/365450/discussions/0/451850849198782888/
  
• Fixed issues where some mission chains would incorrectly start earlier than intended.
  
• Fixed issues where some .exe files would run the wrong program (for new saves - most mission critical programs should auto-recover for corrupted saves too).
  
• Fixed many issues with instabilities and crashes during gameplay.
  
• Reduced base system requirements
  
• Added an option to disable Multisampling in the settings to improve performance
  
• Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to hit the apply button in the settings menu.
  
• Fixed crashes revolving around editing some files at very low resolutions
  
• Improved UI feedback for the early game and tutorial phase
  
• Fixed some issues that could prevent people progressing past /el
  
• Fixed an issue with some missions not auto-completing when ready
  
• Fixed an issue preventing progress through the Prometheus server
  
• Fixed an issue that would crash Hacknet if the host computer was running an unusual Date format
  
• Many other bugfixes and stability improvements. Retired old bug report thread completely!

After months of retooling Hacknet to launch on Mac and Linux, last week Matt released an update that moved the PC version of the game onto a unified branch using FNA framework. Many of you would not have noticed a difference, but having the unified version means that fixes and updates can be rolled out across all platforms, and as an added bonus, a number of the issues people were experiencing should be fixed.

Now that the framework is unified, we wanted to share a few resources for those of you still having some weird issues. First of all you can view the Crash Fixes, Workarounds and Common Problem Solutions thread. If the answers that you seek do not appear there, head on over to the Bug Reports v2 thread to find out how you can report a new issue specific to your machine.

Also, you would have noticed that Hacknet was featured in a Steam Daily Deal yesterday for a 33% discount. We're also celebrating Australia day across a number of our titles, so we're continuing the Hacknet discount for another 24 hours! We also have a number of other Surprise Attack Games on sale:

• Dungeon League 20% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/362310/
  
• Super Mutant Alien Assault 20% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/368680/
  
• Fort Meow - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/352070/
  
• Vertiginous Golf - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/272890/
  
• Rogue Continuum - 20% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/357700/
  
• A Druid's Duel - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/333970/
  
• OTTTD - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/312630/
  
• Oscura: Lost Light - 60% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/320520/
  
• Particulars - 66% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/259470/
  
• Quarries of Scred - 66% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/346770/
  
• Rainbow Hero - 50% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/343570/
  
• StuntMANIA Reloaded - 66% off: http://store.steampowered.com/app/324750/

Finally, below you will find the changelog for the new FNA update for Hacknet. Until next time.

Steve - Community Manager

• Added a special recovery function to V's Bit mission chain to re-join it if it was abandoned partway through.
  
• Fixed many crash on startup and save corruption issues.
  
• Added an XNA branch of Hacknet on Steam! If you are unable to run the base version of the game, the XNA branch may work for you. Details here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/365450/discussions/0/451850849198782888/
  
• Fixed issues where some mission chains would incorrectly start earlier than intended.
  
• Fixed issues where some .exe files would run the wrong program (for new saves - most mission critical programs should auto-recover for corrupted saves too).
  
• Fixed many issues with instabilities and crashes during gameplay.
  
• Reduced base system requirements
  
• Added an option to disable Multisampling in the settings to improve performance
  
• Fixed an issue where it could be impossible to hit the apply button in the settings menu.
  
• Fixed crashes revolving around editing some files at very low resolutions
  
• Improved UI feedback for the early game and tutorial phase
  
• Fixed some issues that could prevent people progressing past /el
  
• Fixed an issue with some missions not auto-completing when ready
  
• Fixed an issue preventing progress through the Prometheus server
  
• Fixed an issue that would crash Hacknet if the host computer was running an unusual Date format
  
• Many other bugfixes and stability improvements. Retired old bug report thread completely!

It's finally here! Mac and Linux fans can rejoice, the first release version of Hacknet on your platforms is now available on Steam! We would like to thank everyone for their patience while waiting for these new versions - Hacknet runs on a custom engine, and getting it to behave correctly on platforms outside of the Windows architecture was no mean feat. In fact, we called in the big guns and sourced help from Ethan "flibitijibibo” Lee, utilising his FNA framework. Hacknet is actually the very first game for release under the completed FNA library, which is very exciting!

A huge shout out to all of those who have helped us beta test the Mac and Linux version of the game. It's because of your help that we were able to squash the bugs, get the game running, and now to have it in the hands of the wider community. Without you, this would have taken a whole lot longer to make it a reality.

It's also worth noting that Windows users will benefit from these two new releases also - bending the existing engine meant that we were able to get some more performance out of it, and fix some of the niggling issues that still persist for some users. Now that we have a unified build, bug fixes and tweaks will be easy to implement across all platforms.

Finally, if you do experience some bugs on Mac and Linux specifically, please throw them into this Mac & Linux Bug Report thread so we can track them specifically. For the next week this is our focus, to make sure that any issues can be dealt with once we get more people playing on these platforms with a wider range of hardware specs.

Until next time!

Steve - Community Manager

It's finally here! Mac and Linux fans can rejoice, the first release version of Hacknet on your platforms is now available on Steam! We would like to thank everyone for their patience while waiting for these new versions - Hacknet runs on a custom engine, and getting it to behave correctly on platforms outside of the Windows architecture was no mean feat. In fact, we called in the big guns and sourced help from Ethan "flibitijibibo” Lee, utilising his FNA framework. Hacknet is actually the very first game for release under the completed FNA library, which is very exciting!

A huge shout out to all of those who have helped us beta test the Mac and Linux version of the game. It's because of your help that we were able to squash the bugs, get the game running, and now to have it in the hands of the wider community. Without you, this would have taken a whole lot longer to make it a reality.

It's also worth noting that Windows users will benefit from these two new releases also - bending the existing engine meant that we were able to get some more performance out of it, and fix some of the niggling issues that still persist for some users. Now that we have a unified build, bug fixes and tweaks will be easy to implement across all platforms.

Finally, if you do experience some bugs on Mac and Linux specifically, please throw them into this Mac & Linux Bug Report thread so we can track them specifically. For the next week this is our focus, to make sure that any issues can be dealt with once we get more people playing on these platforms with a wider range of hardware specs.

Until next time!

Steve - Community Manager

Hello everyone!

What a huge week it has been. Thanks to you lovely folks, we've managed to get Hacknet nominated as the third best Australian Game Of The Year on Kotaku! Thanks to everyone who put in their vote - being on that list is certainly a great honour. A big shout out to Hand of Fate and Armello, both of which are fantastic games, and I urge you all to check them out!

We need your help again. IGN Australia is hosting their annual Black Beta Select Awards, awards that celebrate the greatest games of the year, and Hacknet is a contender in both the Best Original Game and Best Aussie/NZ-Made Game awards. Voting is closing very soon, and if everyone could give us a push, that would be greatly appreciated! Go and cast your vote over here.

The last "help us take over the world request", I promise. IndieDB Game of the Year voting is open for another 5 days, and we would really appreciate the support. Don't forget that if you create an IndieDB account, your vote will count as 10, which will certainly help us skyrocket up the charts. Go cast a vote over here.

In terms of development updates, the porting to Mac and Linux is going through final testing now. We have some really dedicated members of the community helping us track down the bugs, and we're hoping to release these versions to the public very, very soon. Thanks to everyone who has helped out on this - Hacknet runs on a very unique engine, and tracking down the strange issues that come with forcing it to run on entirely new platforms is no small feat, especially when there are only two of us working on the code base. On the plus side, this is also helping us eliminate some of the more obscure issues on the PC version, which means when we released a unified version, everything will be running a little smoother for all!

Thanks again for your support - we are truly blown away by the dedication to the Hacknet community, and we can't wait to keep things moving in 2016!

Steve - Community Manager

Hello everyone!

What a huge week it has been. Thanks to you lovely folks, we've managed to get Hacknet nominated as the third best Australian Game Of The Year on Kotaku! Thanks to everyone who put in their vote - being on that list is certainly a great honour. A big shout out to Hand of Fate and Armello, both of which are fantastic games, and I urge you all to check them out!

We need your help again. IGN Australia is hosting their annual Black Beta Select Awards, awards that celebrate the greatest games of the year, and Hacknet is a contender in both the Best Original Game and Best Aussie/NZ-Made Game awards. Voting is closing very soon, and if everyone could give us a push, that would be greatly appreciated! Go and cast your vote over here.

The last "help us take over the world request", I promise. IndieDB Game of the Year voting is open for another 5 days, and we would really appreciate the support. Don't forget that if you create an IndieDB account, your vote will count as 10, which will certainly help us skyrocket up the charts. Go cast a vote over here.

In terms of development updates, the porting to Mac and Linux is going through final testing now. We have some really dedicated members of the community helping us track down the bugs, and we're hoping to release these versions to the public very, very soon. Thanks to everyone who has helped out on this - Hacknet runs on a very unique engine, and tracking down the strange issues that come with forcing it to run on entirely new platforms is no small feat, especially when there are only two of us working on the code base. On the plus side, this is also helping us eliminate some of the more obscure issues on the PC version, which means when we released a unified version, everything will be running a little smoother for all!

Thanks again for your support - we are truly blown away by the dedication to the Hacknet community, and we can't wait to keep things moving in 2016!

Steve - Community Manager

Hacknet has been nominated for Game of the Year on both Indie DB and Kotaku!
We want to thank everyone who's been playing and enjoying the game.

Unfortunately we can't Hack the polls so we really need your help to win this!
You can vote HERE for Indie DB and HERE for Kotaku.

If you create an account on Indie DB the vote counts 10 times the amount as a anonymous vote.

Thanks again for the support and see you soon.

Cheers,

Steve - Community Manager

Hacknet has been nominated for Game of the Year on both Indie DB and Kotaku!
We want to thank everyone who's been playing and enjoying the game.

Unfortunately we can't Hack the polls so we really need your help to win this!
You can vote HERE for Indie DB and HERE for Kotaku.

If you create an account on Indie DB the vote counts 10 times the amount as a anonymous vote.

Thanks again for the support and see you soon.

Cheers,

Steve - Community Manager