Thank you everyone for all the positive feedback about Raw Data in the last few months! We are thrilled to finally bring you the first public build of Raw Data. Launch day packs a ton of features, and we will be constantly updating the game with more missions, enemies, heroes, weapons, defenses, and tons more throughout Early Access and beyond.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what is available to play starting now for Early Access v0.1:

• Online Co-op! Battle against killer death machines together in VR, over a network
  
• Starting Hero: Bishop, the Gun Cleric
  
• New Weapon: Crusader Pistol
  
• Starting Hero: Saija, the Cyber Ninja
  
• New Weapon: Flash Blade
  
• Special Abilities for Bishop: Charged Shot, Timewarp, Proximity Reload, Dual Wield, Bullet Storm
  
• Special Abilities for Saija: Shuriken Stream, Reflection Counter, Katana Throw, Gravity Thrust, Levitation Smash
  
• New Map: Eden Showroom, where you can join up with friends, browse your main menu, and practice with gameplay tutorials.
  
• New Mission: Hard Point, the first sector in Eden Tower you visit as a part of Simon’s “investor tour”
  
• New Mission: Dark Source, a 100-year-old abandoned robotics laboratory with a dark past
  
• New Mission: Skybound, located in a shipping harbor with some very deadly cargo
  
• New Mission: Vapor Exploit, where a dense fog shrouds one of Eden Corp’s largest skyports
  
• Nine Enemy Types: Walkers (Rigid Automo), Runners (Nimble Automo), Exploders (Nitromo), Jumping Crawler, Rocket Mechs (Military Dynomo), Charging Mechs (Industrial Dynomo), Flying Drones (Hornet), Laser Bots (Burstfire Mekamo)
  
• One Defense Type: Laser Turrets
  
• Tutorials for Pistol, Melee, Data Core and one "goof around area"

In addition, we are sharing our current plan for the Raw Data Roadmap throughout Early Access. We will be continually pushing updates and bug fixes to the game, with new features launching every two weeks. Keep in mind, a big part of the development of Raw Data is the response, feedback, and ideas from players. Based on this we may change priorities, modify release cadence, or add/remove features to improve the game. Balance adjustments and specific fixes are not detailed here, but will happen continuously throughout Early Access as well.

Early Access v0.2

• New unlockable special ability for Bishop: Fusion Charged Shot
  
• New unlockable special ability for Saija: Telekinesis
  
• Locomotion system update, with ability to change direction mid-dash
  
• Improved Enemy AI pathing system

Early Access v0.3

• New Mission: Nuke Fusion
  
• New Enemy type
  
• Rack up screen and updated scoring system
  
• New Leaderboards System
  
• New Difficulty System with multiple options

Early Access v0.4

• Two new Deployable Defense types
  
• New Boosts System, accessible via the replicator touch screen menu
  
• Pioneer perks released for Early Access players
  
• New Mission
  
• Two new weapon accessories for Boosts system
  
• New Weapon: Plasma Grenades
  
• New Enemy type

Early Access v0.5

• New Hero: The Street Merc
  
• New Special Abilities for Street Merc
  
• New Weapon: Dominator Shotgun
  
• Two new Missions
  
• New Enemy type

Early Access v0.6

• Three new Defense types
  
• New tutorials
  
• New Special Ability for Street Merc
  
• Two new Items for Boosts system

Early Access v0.7

• Two new Missions
  
• New Hero: The Rogue Hunter
  
• New Special Abilities for Rogue Hunter
  
• New Weapon: Viper Bow
  
• New Challenges System
  
• New tutorials

Early Access v0.8

• Three new Defense types
  
• New special ability for Rogue Hunter
  
• Two new Items for Boosts System

Early Access v0.9
[to be announced!]

Raw Data v1.0
[to be announced!]


Finally, here is a short list of known issues to be aware of:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/436320/discussions/2/366298942103430286/


We are looking forward to the journey ahead with all of you!

The Survios Team

Thank you everyone for all the positive feedback about Raw Data in the last few months! We are thrilled to finally bring you the first public build of Raw Data. Launch day packs a ton of features, and we will be constantly updating the game with more missions, enemies, heroes, weapons, defenses, and tons more throughout Early Access and beyond.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what is available to play starting now for Early Access v0.1:

• Online Co-op! Battle against killer death machines together in VR, over a network
  
• Starting Hero: Bishop, the Gun Cleric
  
• New Weapon: Crusader Pistol
  
• Starting Hero: Saija, the Cyber Ninja
  
• New Weapon: Flash Blade
  
• Special Abilities for Bishop: Charged Shot, Timewarp, Proximity Reload, Dual Wield, Bullet Storm
  
• Special Abilities for Saija: Shuriken Stream, Reflection Counter, Katana Throw, Gravity Thrust, Levitation Smash
  
• New Map: Eden Showroom, where you can join up with friends, browse your main menu, and practice with gameplay tutorials.
  
• New Mission: Hard Point, the first sector in Eden Tower you visit as a part of Simon’s “investor tour”
  
• New Mission: Dark Source, a 100-year-old abandoned robotics laboratory with a dark past
  
• New Mission: Skybound, located in a shipping harbor with some very deadly cargo
  
• New Mission: Vapor Exploit, where a dense fog shrouds one of Eden Corp’s largest skyports
  
• Nine Enemy Types: Walkers (Rigid Automo), Runners (Nimble Automo), Exploders (Nitromo), Jumping Crawler, Rocket Mechs (Military Dynomo), Charging Mechs (Industrial Dynomo), Flying Drones (Hornet), Laser Bots (Burstfire Mekamo)
  
• One Defense Type: Laser Turrets
  
• Tutorials for Pistol, Melee, Data Core and one "goof around area"

In addition, we are sharing our current plan for the Raw Data Roadmap throughout Early Access. We will be continually pushing updates and bug fixes to the game, with new features launching every two weeks. Keep in mind, a big part of the development of Raw Data is the response, feedback, and ideas from players. Based on this we may change priorities, modify release cadence, or add/remove features to improve the game. Balance adjustments and specific fixes are not detailed here, but will happen continuously throughout Early Access as well.

Early Access v0.2

• New unlockable special ability for Bishop: Fusion Charged Shot
  
• New unlockable special ability for Saija: Telekinesis
  
• Locomotion system update, with ability to change direction mid-dash
  
• Improved Enemy AI pathing system

Early Access v0.3

• New Mission: Nuke Fusion
  
• New Enemy type
  
• Rack up screen and updated scoring system
  
• New Leaderboards System
  
• New Difficulty System with multiple options

Early Access v0.4

• Two new Deployable Defense types
  
• New Boosts System, accessible via the replicator touch screen menu
  
• Pioneer perks released for Early Access players
  
• New Mission
  
• Two new weapon accessories for Boosts system
  
• New Weapon: Plasma Grenades
  
• New Enemy type

Early Access v0.5

• New Hero: The Street Merc
  
• New Special Abilities for Street Merc
  
• New Weapon: Dominator Shotgun
  
• Two new Missions
  
• New Enemy type

Early Access v0.6

• Three new Defense types
  
• New tutorials
  
• New Special Ability for Street Merc
  
• Two new Items for Boosts system

Early Access v0.7

• Two new Missions
  
• New Hero: The Rogue Hunter
  
• New Special Abilities for Rogue Hunter
  
• New Weapon: Viper Bow
  
• New Challenges System
  
• New tutorials

Early Access v0.8

• Three new Defense types
  
• New special ability for Rogue Hunter
  
• Two new Items for Boosts System

Early Access v0.9
[to be announced!]

Raw Data v1.0
[to be announced!]


Finally, here is a short list of known issues to be aware of:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/436320/discussions/2/366298942103430286/


We are looking forward to the journey ahead with all of you!

The Survios Team

Lights, camera, stream: join Survios for a Raw Data‬ Early Access Twitch livestream TONIGHT at 6pm PST on Survios' Twitch channel!

Come hang out and watch our team play RAW DATA's Early Access build on HTC Vive and discuss the new heroes, abilities, and maps that we have in store for you. See you soon!

Lights, camera, stream: join Survios for a Raw Data‬ Early Access Twitch livestream TONIGHT at 6pm PST on Survios' Twitch channel!

Come hang out and watch our team play RAW DATA's Early Access build on HTC Vive and discuss the new heroes, abilities, and maps that we have in store for you. See you soon!

Now that you’ve gotten a GIF-heavy dose of Bishop’s weapons and abilities , we’re sharing a bit of the development process behind our interpretation of the traditional gunslinger character, updated and revamped for Raw Data‘s immersive world and VR gameplay.

With Bishop, we wanted to create a classic gun-wielding hero that embodied all of our favorite trigger-happy action movies, but with a thematic twist that suited Raw Data‘s futuristic Asian fusion culture and setting. That’s where Hong Kong action cinema came in–its characteristic stylized shootouts were a perfect fit–and, when merged with our favorite flicks from the action sci-fi genre, we had Bishop, SyndiK8’s elite Gun Cleric.

In personality, Bishop possesses an almost religious mystique, clearly motivated by righteous ideals and ready to take down anything that violates his moral code or stands in the way of human purity. Even early on, we started exploring a simple, neutral design for Bishop’s costume featuring white as the predominant color and minimizing the look of tech and armor.



Because of his strict training and beliefs, Bishop needed to look sophisticated, centered, and confident, even in the face of grave danger. With this as motivation, we eventually arrived at his final outfit. The clean lines of the tailored Nehru jacket (complete with mandarin collar) and subtle textures hinting at advanced armor further reflect the precision and zeal of a martial artist.





We originally toyed with giving Bishop sense-enhancing facial accessories, which would be expected in Raw Data‘s society, but eventually decided against it. As a Gun Fu master, Bishop wouldn’t need to rely on technology to improve his aim.



Similarly, Bishop’s Crusader 10mm pistol is deceptively simple in appearance, looking like a classic heavy one-hander. The exposed bullets in the clip is our one touch that hints at the true punch this pistol packs.




In our opinion, nothing says “futuristic gunslinger” than martial arts combined with firearms: the classic “Gun Fu ” style. We wanted Bishop’s special abilities to encourage players to embody this type of “bullet ballet” physical motion (read more in our complete Bishop hero feature ):

Timewarp gives players precious extra moments to blow back enemies in slow motion, while enjoying the sparks and muzzle flashes and bullet trails in all their glory for a touch of cinematic flair.

Charged Shot delivers deadly piercing power for only a second of buildup. Holding your fire is doubly effective when you fire off simultaneous Charged Shots from dual pistols, and the destruction dealt by the upcoming Fusion Charged Shot special ability will prove that patience pays off.

Finally, with Bulletstorm , you can mow down everything in a hail of bullets, many times provoking players to spin around and switch up aiming in multiple directions, feeling like a true badass akimbo master.


And here he is, in the final render you will see in-game (plus a bonus action shot, because why not?). Well, if you play as Bishop you’ll mostly just see his hands and guns, but you’ll get to enjoy Bishop’s character model in action if you’re teamed up with him. Effective and efficient, Bishop is always a solid choice for any SyndiK8 mission, so choose him and let your guns guide the way.

Now that you’ve gotten a GIF-heavy dose of Bishop’s weapons and abilities , we’re sharing a bit of the development process behind our interpretation of the traditional gunslinger character, updated and revamped for Raw Data‘s immersive world and VR gameplay.

With Bishop, we wanted to create a classic gun-wielding hero that embodied all of our favorite trigger-happy action movies, but with a thematic twist that suited Raw Data‘s futuristic Asian fusion culture and setting. That’s where Hong Kong action cinema came in–its characteristic stylized shootouts were a perfect fit–and, when merged with our favorite flicks from the action sci-fi genre, we had Bishop, SyndiK8’s elite Gun Cleric.

In personality, Bishop possesses an almost religious mystique, clearly motivated by righteous ideals and ready to take down anything that violates his moral code or stands in the way of human purity. Even early on, we started exploring a simple, neutral design for Bishop’s costume featuring white as the predominant color and minimizing the look of tech and armor.



Because of his strict training and beliefs, Bishop needed to look sophisticated, centered, and confident, even in the face of grave danger. With this as motivation, we eventually arrived at his final outfit. The clean lines of the tailored Nehru jacket (complete with mandarin collar) and subtle textures hinting at advanced armor further reflect the precision and zeal of a martial artist.





We originally toyed with giving Bishop sense-enhancing facial accessories, which would be expected in Raw Data‘s society, but eventually decided against it. As a Gun Fu master, Bishop wouldn’t need to rely on technology to improve his aim.



Similarly, Bishop’s Crusader 10mm pistol is deceptively simple in appearance, looking like a classic heavy one-hander. The exposed bullets in the clip is our one touch that hints at the true punch this pistol packs.




In our opinion, nothing says “futuristic gunslinger” than martial arts combined with firearms: the classic “Gun Fu ” style. We wanted Bishop’s special abilities to encourage players to embody this type of “bullet ballet” physical motion (read more in our complete Bishop hero feature ):

Timewarp gives players precious extra moments to blow back enemies in slow motion, while enjoying the sparks and muzzle flashes and bullet trails in all their glory for a touch of cinematic flair.

Charged Shot delivers deadly piercing power for only a second of buildup. Holding your fire is doubly effective when you fire off simultaneous Charged Shots from dual pistols, and the destruction dealt by the upcoming Fusion Charged Shot special ability will prove that patience pays off.

Finally, with Bulletstorm , you can mow down everything in a hail of bullets, many times provoking players to spin around and switch up aiming in multiple directions, feeling like a true badass akimbo master.


And here he is, in the final render you will see in-game (plus a bonus action shot, because why not?). Well, if you play as Bishop you’ll mostly just see his hands and guns, but you’ll get to enjoy Bishop’s character model in action if you’re teamed up with him. Effective and efficient, Bishop is always a solid choice for any SyndiK8 mission, so choose him and let your guns guide the way.

Welcome to the first Raw Data hero spotlight! In this series, we’ll give you insight into how SyndiK8’s top operatives utilize nanotechnology to gain enhanced abilities, both through their weapons and with their minds.

Raw Data’s Early Access build comes with two SyndiK8 heroes: Bishop and Saija. Today, we’re going over the loadout for Bishop, the Gun Cleric.



Bishop is one of two starting heroes you can choose from (more heroes to come), and he’s a lot more than a basic run-and-gun guy–he’s a master practitioner of Gun Fu who channels energy through his akimbo pistols, turning any shootout into a ballet of bullets at superhuman speeds.


(Pistol) Whip It

Bishop’s starting loadout includes his pistol of choice: the powerful Crusader 10mm. It fires as fast as you can pull the trigger, and its slugs pack a serious punch. You’ll always find the Crusader on your dominant hip, with a 15-bullet magazine on the other at the ready for rapid reloads.



As the game progresses, you’ll have the option to unlock Dual Pistols, and why wouldn’t you? A true Gun Fu master always goes akimbo.

Another ability Bishop gains in the game is the Proximity Reload ability, which skips the whole “insert the clip” step and just automatically reloads the pistol when you touch it to your hip or lower back. Precious seconds saved to get you back in the fray!

Yes, you can pistol-whip enemies with it, or throw the gun at them. The gun excels in close and medium range combat, so go ahead and let those Eden Corp synthetics get nice and close…



Well, maybe not that close. So: load, aim, shoot–that’s it, right? Not so fast.


Charrrrggggeeee!

One of Bishop’s weapon-based abilities is Charged Shot, which fires a powerful slug that penetrates nearly any surface and deals deadly piercing damage to multiple assailants. This is the most efficient, effective way to quickly blow a hole in something you don’t want coming too close.



A well-aimed Charged Shot can one-shot Hornet Drones and, with careful aim, take out most basic synthetic models. Just hold the Trigger down for a brief period to fully charge your gun before shooting. And, as you can see, a double Charged Shot with dual pistols is super effective.



Most of Raw Data’s abilities have unlockable upgrades, and Charged Shot is no exception. Although not available in the initial Early Access release build, soon Bishop will be able to unleash a Fusion Charged Shot that utilizes dual Charged Shots to release an unblockable, unstoppable blast of energy.


One with the Gun

However, Bishop wouldn’t be an elite SyndiK8 operative if all he did was just pepper-spray enemies with bullets. That’s where the nano-enhanced special abilities come into play. These punchy powers can turn the tide in a fight, so keep an eye on their cooldowns on your in-game forearm display; you’ll want them ready should you get overwhelmed.

First of these is another sci-fi classic: let’s do the Timewarp again! Our take on bullettime slows down time for a few crucial seconds, so you can use the rare gift of more time to do all sorts of actions: set up a Charged Shot, build an extra turret, or–if the situation is truly dire–GTFO via Teleport (available for all heroes).



Eden Corp doesn’t believe in subtlety, so they prefer to send out their droves of synthetics in sizable hordes. While strength in numbers is usually effective, it meets its downfall when Bishop activates Bulletstorm.



An automatic fiery barrage of self-replicating nano rounds, Bulletstorm not only delivers a massive amount of damage to anything unfortunate enough to be in its way, but it does so without depleting your ammo. So once the insanity’s over, you can continue to put bullets in whatever’s still left standing. How’s that for efficiency?


Mix & Match

Bishop is not just a great starter character for someone new to Raw Data (or new to VR gaming in general), but a solid choice in any SyndiK8 team. It never hurts to have some firepower, and when Bishop pairs up his abilities, the results–heaps of scrap where synthetics once stood–speak for themselves.



When you’ve gotten the hang of Bishop’s abilities, try these combos for deadly results:


Timewarp + Teleport: get into the perfect position to line up that fatal headshot

Timewarp + Bulletstorm: slow down time and mow down enemies like they’re standing still

Timewarp + Charged Shot: excellent for one-shotting crawlers or exploders

Charged Shot + Teleport: charge up your shot, then teleport to an enemy to unleash it at close range (and damage any enemies behind it)


Have fun with your first takes on Gun Fu, and stay tuned for our next spotlight on Saija, the Cyber Ninja who favors an in-your-face attack strategy.



P.S. And of course you can do gun tricks. Consider this our unofficial challenge to see what you can come up with!

Welcome to the first Raw Data hero spotlight! In this series, we’ll give you insight into how SyndiK8’s top operatives utilize nanotechnology to gain enhanced abilities, both through their weapons and with their minds.

Raw Data’s Early Access build comes with two SyndiK8 heroes: Bishop and Saija. Today, we’re going over the loadout for Bishop, the Gun Cleric.



Bishop is one of two starting heroes you can choose from (more heroes to come), and he’s a lot more than a basic run-and-gun guy–he’s a master practitioner of Gun Fu who channels energy through his akimbo pistols, turning any shootout into a ballet of bullets at superhuman speeds.


(Pistol) Whip It

Bishop’s starting loadout includes his pistol of choice: the powerful Crusader 10mm. It fires as fast as you can pull the trigger, and its slugs pack a serious punch. You’ll always find the Crusader on your dominant hip, with a 15-bullet magazine on the other at the ready for rapid reloads.



As the game progresses, you’ll have the option to unlock Dual Pistols, and why wouldn’t you? A true Gun Fu master always goes akimbo.

Another ability Bishop gains in the game is the Proximity Reload ability, which skips the whole “insert the clip” step and just automatically reloads the pistol when you touch it to your hip or lower back. Precious seconds saved to get you back in the fray!

Yes, you can pistol-whip enemies with it, or throw the gun at them. The gun excels in close and medium range combat, so go ahead and let those Eden Corp synthetics get nice and close…



Well, maybe not that close. So: load, aim, shoot–that’s it, right? Not so fast.


Charrrrggggeeee!

One of Bishop’s weapon-based abilities is Charged Shot, which fires a powerful slug that penetrates nearly any surface and deals deadly piercing damage to multiple assailants. This is the most efficient, effective way to quickly blow a hole in something you don’t want coming too close.



A well-aimed Charged Shot can one-shot Hornet Drones and, with careful aim, take out most basic synthetic models. Just hold the Trigger down for a brief period to fully charge your gun before shooting. And, as you can see, a double Charged Shot with dual pistols is super effective.



Most of Raw Data’s abilities have unlockable upgrades, and Charged Shot is no exception. Although not available in the initial Early Access release build, soon Bishop will be able to unleash a Fusion Charged Shot that utilizes dual Charged Shots to release an unblockable, unstoppable blast of energy.


One with the Gun

However, Bishop wouldn’t be an elite SyndiK8 operative if all he did was just pepper-spray enemies with bullets. That’s where the nano-enhanced special abilities come into play. These punchy powers can turn the tide in a fight, so keep an eye on their cooldowns on your in-game forearm display; you’ll want them ready should you get overwhelmed.

First of these is another sci-fi classic: let’s do the Timewarp again! Our take on bullettime slows down time for a few crucial seconds, so you can use the rare gift of more time to do all sorts of actions: set up a Charged Shot, build an extra turret, or–if the situation is truly dire–GTFO via Teleport (available for all heroes).



Eden Corp doesn’t believe in subtlety, so they prefer to send out their droves of synthetics in sizable hordes. While strength in numbers is usually effective, it meets its downfall when Bishop activates Bulletstorm.



An automatic fiery barrage of self-replicating nano rounds, Bulletstorm not only delivers a massive amount of damage to anything unfortunate enough to be in its way, but it does so without depleting your ammo. So once the insanity’s over, you can continue to put bullets in whatever’s still left standing. How’s that for efficiency?


Mix & Match

Bishop is not just a great starter character for someone new to Raw Data (or new to VR gaming in general), but a solid choice in any SyndiK8 team. It never hurts to have some firepower, and when Bishop pairs up his abilities, the results–heaps of scrap where synthetics once stood–speak for themselves.



When you’ve gotten the hang of Bishop’s abilities, try these combos for deadly results:


Timewarp + Teleport: get into the perfect position to line up that fatal headshot

Timewarp + Bulletstorm: slow down time and mow down enemies like they’re standing still

Timewarp + Charged Shot: excellent for one-shotting crawlers or exploders

Charged Shot + Teleport: charge up your shot, then teleport to an enemy to unleash it at close range (and damage any enemies behind it)


Have fun with your first takes on Gun Fu, and stay tuned for our next spotlight on Saija, the Cyber Ninja who favors an in-your-face attack strategy.



P.S. And of course you can do gun tricks. Consider this our unofficial challenge to see what you can come up with!