Apr 15, 2020

The second content expansion is already available!

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG - Stormtrooper

Reworked balance, fixed skill trees, improved locations, new equipment, cryogenic laser, story quests and much more. It took less than four months to work on the new patch, but it seemed like an eternity to us.

After the release of the December patch, we received a lot of feedback that made us rethink the game balance and how it feels. While developing the second patch, we tried to make Encased more stable, intuitive and friendly game that won't force you to restart your playthrough because of a "broken" character build or guess what you need to do in your new quest. We have also added tactical diversity to battles by implementing cover system and strategic points. We've also introduced grenades with an area of effect. Because of that, battles in Encased feel completely different.

RPG systems have been also changed a lot: skill trees (for example, "Psionics" and "Medicine") are starting to come to life. Abilities for certain types of weapons were added. There is no need to study them, they are weapon-related. That allows us to emphasize the difference between a pistol and a revolver. The outcome of the battle is also influenced by the time of day, the tendency of opponents to attack in packs or alone, and many other factors, which we will talk more about in one of our updates.

As avid RPG fans, we know that RPG is more than just a good combat system and a set of stats, skills and perks. RPGs are famous for a great atmosphere, and a lot of changes in Patch 2 are made with that in mind. Almost all locations have been reworked. We added a lot of new 3D models, worked with materials and light, making Concord look completely different from Magellan, and Magellan looks like no other bunker scattered across the desert. In addition to the bunkers, in the desert you will find separate dialog branches for a character with low intelligence (right now they are in a test mode, and present only in a few locations of the prologue!), new random encounters and a slightly revised storyline of the New Committee, preparing the player to meet with the other factions that will appear in the next patch.

And now, a list of new content, fixes and improvements v0.17.415.1748

Menu and interface

Reworked main menu scene;
Reworked character creation scene;
Reworked ability tooltips: now tooltip shows a formula for calculating skill values based on the character attributes;
Enhanced inventory item tooltip;
Minor interface changes;
Updated character portraits;

Story and plot

Expanded the main quest of Act I;
Added more than 15 new lore notes;
Changed intro voice-over and text;
We’ve integrated dialogs for characters with only 1-2 points in Intellect (partially, in test mode!);

Characters and enemies

Smokers now have pipes, cigars and cigarettes;
Fox now has her mask;
Church adepts now have teleglasses;
Added new enemy type: hyena;
Added new enemy type: cyberhyena;
Added new enemy type: toxic cockroach;
Mutated rabbit enemy is now called Volper;

Companions

Crump attributes were rebalanced;
Yoko attributes were rebalanced;
New recruitable character added — Fox;
Fixed Crump recruitment dialog;

Equipment

Rebalanced the grenade launcher;
Grenade launcher now deals AOE damage;
Added frag, stun, flash and incendiary grenades;
Raven pistol was rebalanced, added additional variations of that weapon;
Added APS pistol, added additional variations of that weapon;
Changed Andromeda energy pistol attributes, added additional variations of that weapon;
Added Boreas cryolaser gun, added additional variations of this weapon;
Changed МС110 SMG attributes, added additional variations of this weapon;
Added LPD-66 machine gun;
Changed Horizon machine gun attributes;
Changed Kamyshin machine gun attributes;
Added Matilda revolver;

Technical changes

Improved lighting on locations;
Added “Fog of war”;
Fixed location grid;
Reworked leader tracking system;
Reworked pathfinding system;
Characters no longer stuck in doors;
You can now switch places with companions;
Reworked state machines;

Game mechanics

Added day and night cycle;
Some character act differently depending on the time of a day;
Revolvers got Fast Hand unique ability;
Pistols got Double Shot unique ability;
SMGs got Stuff with Lead unique ability;
Shotguns got Slam Fire unique ability;
Rifles got Pinpoint Burst unique ability;
Sniper rifles Sniper Shot unique ability;
Pulverizers got Chemical Shower unique ability;
Penetrators got Lodge unique ability;
Emitters got Charged Shot unique ability;
Added Marking Shot ability;
Fixed how Laceration and other similar statuses work on turrets and other inanimate objects;
Added additional level of hacking, stealing and lockpicking;
Psi damage increases when player levels up and is linked to the Psycho attribute;
Fixed Medicine skill tree abilities;
Player reputation with a faction now affects the value of items while trading;
Drops from opponents and containers now depend on the player’s level;
Ability to deactivate traps was added;
Added new status effects;
Added new effects when you miss;
Changed hit rate formulas;
Changed evasion formula, added Evade attribute;
System for calculating armor hits has been changed: an attack can now be completely blocked by the armor;
Added Cool, Marathon Runner, Optimizer, Tactic, Jackal and Prowler perks;

Animations

New animation for character in the main menu;
Enemy animations: hyena;
Fixed door animations;
Fixed rifle holding animation;
Small animation fixes;

Audio and music

Added new music theme in the main menu;
Fixed the sound of the character's steps on different surfaces;
Added sound effects in most story vignettes;
Added sound effects in some dialogs;

Visual effects

Fixed burning fuel barrels;
Updated smoke VFX;
Updated gun shots;
Added psy powers VFX;
Frozen VFX;
Gravitational Debuff VFX;
On Fire VFX;
Electricity Stun VFX;
Blind VFX;
Near Death VFX;
Love Power VFX;
Falling Shells VFX;
Sphere Shining VFX;
Ceiling Collapse VFX;
Flickering Beacon VFX;
Death of Holo Target VFX;
Water in a Sink VFX;
VFX to indicate the range of effect for anomalies;

Global map

Fixed Birds on Branches encounter with illustrations;
Added Blisters encounter;
Added Broken Robot encounter with illustrations;
Fixed bugs in combat random encounters: now players can face MOBIOS and fight hyenas and rats; players can also use Survival abilities now;
Added Beggar encounter;
Added Abandoned Armor encounter;
Added Ingrown Human encounter with illustrations;
Added Scream encounter with illustrations;
Added Stains encounter;
Fixed text in the Frank Talk encounter;
Added Rusted Car encounter;
Added Salt Marsh encounter;
Small visual changes to the global map: different icons added to objects, cell exploration logic fixed;

Concord station locations

Added Nelson Cunningham character (undertaker);
Added Dennis Catch character (guard);
Added Tuen Yun character (engineer-communicator);
Added Darren Niles character (guard);
Added vignettes with coffins;
Added a vignette with a giant dead cockroach;
Added a vignette with a cargo capsule in loading area 1;
Added an ability to kick open the door in the cargo pod;
Fixed dialogs with cargo capsule passengers;
Fixed interaction point with video communication terminal;
Completely remade dialog with Leticia Rivares, partially redesigned her AD;
Fixed script errors in the dialog with Margarita Tkachenko;
dialog with Andriy Mikhai was changed significantly;
Fixed script errors in the dialog with Dean Reichet;
Instruction quest can now be taken correctly, psyonics are also included in the quest now;
“Concord” Station was redesigned, additional decorations and effects added;
Added table model with holographic map;
Added an opportunity to register Monty James in Orange Wing;

Roadside Picnic locations

Added Inactive Brass Apple item;
Added effect on the microlux stone;
Added side quest to fix the turret;
There are new options for completing the clash with bandits;
Added consequences of completing the event at the Roadside Picnic Transfer Point;
Added the ability to mine the bandits’ car;
Added a short puzzle on the roof of the gas station;
The gas station, cafe and both cellars are redone and additionally decorated;
Picnic event reworked and fixed;
Added Travis Brightman character (black market relic trader);
Added Rabindranath Krishnaswami character (hippie);
Added Swallow character (hippie);
Aaron Melville dialog (refueling supervisor) is completely redone;
Fixed anomalies and radioactive areas at the gas station;
Fixed dialog with Clara Morgan (driver);

C-12 Nashville locations

Nashville Parking location and Nashville station floors (and the cave itself) are reworked and decorated additionally;
Nashville Residential Floor turrets position is fixed;
Generator interaction fixed;
Triskele relic event fixed;
Vega Drinks vending machine interaction fixed (on station’s floor -1);
Servoshell armor helmet material missing fixed;
Minor fixes in Nashville station dialogs;
Afflicted avatars created;
Nashville station floor -3 attacking Afflicted vignette illustrated;
Louise Dekker-Schulz character dialog significantly revised;
Ronald Steele character dialog significantly revised;
Nashville station Afflicted dialogs slightly fixed;

Junktown locations

The main quest of the New Committee faction has been supplemented;
Church sermon added;
Fixed errors and inaccuracies in the quest log;
Emulator Project location reworked and additionally decorated;
Junktown location reworked and additionally decorated;
Arena location reworked and additionally decorated;
Added standings vignette illustrations;
Added bets vignette illustrations;
Added Arvydas Mazhulis character (doctor in the arena);
Added Andy Vazquez character (viewer);
Added Gail Summers character (viewer);
Added Mikhail Belyaev character (viewer);
Added Taylor Dunn character (ransomware guard);
Added Thomas O’Connor character (guard);
Added Thomas O’Connor character (guard);
Added Jason Wormbeard character (guard);
Added Lin Wang character (guard);
Arena events fixed;
Added Nina Orbelli character (deputy sheriff);
Added Umar Hazred character (deputy sheriff);
Added Oliver Kid character (suburban);
Added Theresa Goddard character (resident of Carmine Heights);
Added Sam Bossman character (city dweller);
Added Barry Robinson character (pimp);
Added Strange Cave location;
Added Tarja Berger character;
Added Trevor Penn character;
Added Junktown Jail Basement location;
Added Maelstrom Border Camp location;

Picnic neutral zone locations

Added Galina Baskanova character;
Added Peter Zinchuk character;
Added Dora Paulson character;
Added Albert Green character;
Added Poisoned Water quest;
Added swamp clearing quest;
Added Abnormal Essence item;
Added Well location;
Added graveyard;

Magellan station locations

All of the Magellan station inner locations completely redesigned;
New loading screens the Magellan station inner locations created;
Heat's Coming Up quest fixed;
MINERVA Acting Up is a separate sidequest now.

Encased community is the most important for us - we are going to follow up those closely for your feedback on the game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/921800/

Please Wishlist and click Follow to stay updated!

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Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

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Dark Crystal Games

ːRideCheckː Dark Crystal Games dev page on Steam
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ːRideCheckː Artstation (art production and stories)

Black Tower Publishing
:tower: Black Tower Publishing on Steam
:tower: Black Tower's Blog

Apr 10, 2020

World under the Dome is changing and you’re with it

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG - Stormtrooper

Employees and first settlers under the Dome!

Every day we receive dozens of letters with questions about upcoming changes. The new issue of the newsletter will answer the most important of them: it will tell you about the new IT inventions, as well as present the latest video report of the Silver Wing to the public. It’ll help you better prepare for the upcoming changes.

6 facts about Dome’s future

Attention, employees!

Every day we work for the brighter future. We solve riddles, explore mysterious territories and study technologies left by an unknown civilization. All this leads to inevitable changes. Very soon C.R.O.N.U.S. will provide a detailed report of the work done. Each of you will be able to visit new territories, admire the updated station interiors and get unique equipment with no equals in the outside world.

Notice: every employee must sign a confidentiality agreement before viewing the video. If the contract is breached, the offender will be brought to justice immediately.

IT inventions

Every week White Wing scientists delight the world with technological innovations. Today they introduced the first computer with a holographic screen. Thanks to the technological breakthroughs under the Dome, the new screen is not only safe for eyes, but also has an intuitive interface. The prototype has already been approved by the C.R.O.N.U.S. management and will soon go into mass production. The first deliveries are expected next quarter!

Panic in the living quarters

C.R.O.N.U.S. Corporation once again thanks all the employees who follow instructions and stay at home. Remember, your safety is in your hands. Only a small fraction of the settlers have panicked over rumors of an impending product shortage. The administration has received a huge number of complaints about the theft of personal hygiene products. The C.R.O.N.U.S. management assures you that all facilities are regularly and thoroughly sanitized, and everything you need will be delivered without delay. For safety reasons, it has been decided to put special signs on the property of the corporation. All those caught with such things in personal use will be declared criminals and immediately detained.

Stay under the Dome.

Encased community is the most important for us - we are going to follow up those closely for your feedback on the game.

Apr 3, 2020

The First Journalistic Investigation Under the Dome

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG - Stormtrooper

Dear subscribers, in this issue of the newsletter, we have prepared a new format of journalistic investigation for you!

Life under the Dome is almost impossible without products of many corporations. These industrial giants supply us with equipment, weapons, food, clothing and much more. Each company owns many brands and has earned a certain reputation.

Today we will tell you about Stanton Motor Co. One of the largest suppliers of cars and special equipment under the Dome. We will conduct a short investigation and get acquainted with the founder and permanent head of the company.

Cars

Despite the fact that the Dome is isolated from the outside world, it has a large and diverse set of vehicles. It already has about 5500 units. The C.R.O.N.U.S. management receives many requests to own a personal, comfortable car, but almost all of them are denied. The main task of the committee is to create under the Dome a favorable environment for the working class. To provide all with comfortable and safe public transport.

Thus, 5500 vehicles. Most of them are trucks, buses and minibuses.

Stanton Motor Co.

The young, developing company Stanton Motor Co. was founded 17 years before the discovery of the Dome. During this time it has managed to grow into a corporation with a loud name and an odious leader.

The corporation has two subsidiary brands at its disposal: MM Trucks - production of trucks and buses, and Jupiter Moon - small Satellite cars.

Slogan: Let others talk

Stanley Stanton, Director and Founder

Stanley is 62 year old. From the first minutes he makes an exceptionally positive impression: he jokes well, smiles a lot, is confident and not fussy. The ideal image of a reliable business partner who can fulfill any order and solve any problems. Unlike most corporate executives, Stanley moved himself as well as part of the production line under the Dome.

But if you get to know Stanley a little bit closer, you start to see a lot of other qualities too. His whole business is growing by attracting investments, lucrative contracts and aggressive PR. Delivery times are regularly interrupted, cars often come incomplete, and entire batches have flaws that have to be corrected on site. If MM Trucks provide more or less acceptable quality of machinery, Jupiter Moon has earned a reputation as a manufacturer of buckets with bolts. Factories are miraculously kept afloat, at least they’re still operating.

Music Changes in Waiting Rooms

Recently, rumors reached the head of the Silver Wing that the Oranges are very actively signing a petition to reduce the number of Silver Wing leaders. Apparently, there are too many managers, and there's not enough actual workers. Many believe that the top management does not deserve five-digit salaries and that they just sit in their offices and steal money from the budget.

"Preposterous! Just a few days ago, through the efforts of a team of top specialists, another real breakthrough in the field of labor optimization was achieved. Special players with the new melody will be installed in all waiting rooms. Not only will it help to pass the time, but it will also set the working mood," says the Silver Wing press secretary.

New melody available here:

Encased community is the most important for us - we are going to follow up those closely for your feedback on the game.

Apr 2, 2020

Vagrus - The Riven Realms Open-World Release is now LIVE

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG - Stormtrooper

Our dear Friends at Lost Pilgrims Studio have just released the Open-World main campaign for Vagrus - The Riven Realms.

Vagrus is a turn-based, open-world, dark fantasy RPG. The development team has been playing table-top RPGs (like DnD) on their home-brew setting, the Riven Realms, for over two decades, then based this game on it, so it has incredibly deep lore and immersive stories.

They have just posted a huge announcement on their Steam development blog about releasing the open-world main campaign of Vagrus to all their Crowdfunding Backers in preparation of bringing the game to Steam.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/909660/Vagrus__The_Riven_Realms

Vagrus is an award-winning Roleplaying Game with strategy elements, where the player takes the role of a vagrus - a sort of a caravan leader who makes a living on a strange and dangerous dark fantasy world by leading a traveling company on all kinds of ventures.

Feature list

A DARK CONTINENT
A vast realm is yours to explore, filled with unique locations, strange factions, lurking dangers, and a slew of characters you can interact with.
BRANCHING NARRATIVE
A large selection of longer and shorter stories make up the game’s narrative in the form of events and quests. The choices you make in these can significantly affect the characters and the world around you.
TURN-BASED COMBAT
Take part in turn-based, tactical combat that involves your characters and a large variety of enemies, both humanoid and monstrous. Use a range of character skills and abilities to succeed. Fight against outlaws and monsters commanding your whole traveling company in pitched battles for resources.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Most journeys have to be planned and prepared for carefully, lest they end in disaster. Manage your supplies, cargo, and crew effectively to survive. Take on contracts and follow rumors or trade opportunities.
UNIQUE COMPANIONS
The player can recruit fully-developed characters into the caravan to serve in versatile roles, such as scoutmaster, guard captain, spellweaver, or slavedriver. Each of them comes with their own background and personal quests lines.

Wishlist and follow Vagrus

for up-to-date information about its development milestones, upcoming features, and ultimately to get notified about its release when the time comes.

Mar 27, 2020

New Concord management. Forbidden zones.

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG - Stormtrooper

Greetings, employees! I hope you're reading this issue in the housing unit and taking the necessary safety precautions. Despite the fact that the C.R.O.N.U.S. weekly also works remotely, we continue to work the same.

New Concord management

The C.R.O.N.U.S. management has reported on personnel changes in the top management of the Concord Station. The reason for this is the endless flow of complaints on former managers. Employees reported unacceptable working conditions, unfulfilled plans, salary delays and constant free overtime.

We were able to talk to the new manager. He claims that it is no longer numbers and savings that come first! He replaced them with a warm home atmosphere, a complete free medical examination and an individual approach to each employee.

"The Concord is first and foremost the people who work at the station. After all, our faces are the first to be seen by new workers. We are the Dome's warm embrace," said the new station head manager.

Mysterious Rift Opened

We repeat the announcement to all employees of the corporation and owners of portable devices! The information was confirmed. The rift leading to the parallel Sin Slayers dimension, where souls of damned are held, is now open.

On March 26, the first expedition was assembled from each wing. At the moment, communication is interrupted, no news from the pioneers. Any future daredevils who decide to explore a new world must come to Nintendo Eshop to receive all the necessary equipment to survive in Sin Slayers.

Forbidden zone in sector 25

Urgent warning. The entrance to the marsh area in sector 25 is now closed. You’re prohibited to enter it. Communication with the last expedition has been lost. According to our latest intelligence, the area is teeming with various creatures that have not only adapted to extreme conditions, but have also learned to use anomalies to hunt. All research teams working in Sector 25 must urgently undergo a full medical examination and sign a non-disclosure agreement. All collected samples must be delivered to White Wing representatives.

Be safe! See you under the Dome.

Encased community is the most important for us - we are going to follow up those closely for your feedback on the game.

Mar 13, 2020

Exclusive schemes and new weapon prototypes. What Blue Wing is working on.

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG - Stormtrooper

You have in your hands the 20th anniversary issue of the C.R.O.N.U.S. Weekly. It is entirely dedicated to our conversation with the Chief Engineer of the Blue Wing. We discussed the implemented projects and studied the early schemes that were top-secret until recently.

Turret “Chimera”, mk. III

Many won’t remember the times when the whole Dome was guarded by Black Wing employees. The introduction of high-tech security Turrets freed a lot of human resources.

Thanks to the technology and knowledge gained under the Dome, AI research is noticeably ahead of the outside world. Chimera identifies enemies with an accuracy of up to 0.01%. But that's not all. During the tests, they showed amazing results, outperforming the best Black Wing operatives in terms of accuracy, reaction time and firepower. Thanks to automation, there was no need for tedious night shifts.

Impulse energy rifle “Shiroyama”

This rifle is a real masterpiece among its energy peers. It was created by the best engineers using the most advanced military technology. It has no close analogues in terms of piercing power both inside and outside the dome. Mass production has been delayed for security reasons. Currently only one rifle is made.

Teleporter

The creation of the teleport is a real breakthrough in science. While the whole world is dreaming of ultra-fast travel, C.R.O.N.U.S. introduced the first working teleport. Of course, it will still take years of detailed research, but even the first results are astounding. According to Silver Wing preliminary calculations, teleportation can be up to 17600% more profitable than ground transportation.

Notice: teleportation is intended only for inanimate objects. All experiments on volunteers have failed.

Encased community is the most important for us - we are going to follow up those closely for your feedback on the game.

Mar 6, 2020

What lurks beneath the wastelands? C.R.O.N.U.S. test sites. Rumours of mutants.

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG - Stormtrooper

Welcome, employees and new recruits!

Today we’ll tell you about the safety measures in the wastelands, share results of anomaly research, as well as dispel rumors about volunteer mutations.

Attention, recruits!

We have prepared an educational video for the daredevils who are ready to go on a wasteland research expedition outside the stations. Researchers and experienced travelers will talk about safety measures and possible dangers, as well as share ways to save both life and mind in the wastelands.

Video is a must-see for employees of all wings.

Notice: C.R.O.N.U.S. video footage is strictly confidential and intended for internal use only.

C.R.O.N.U.S. test sites.

Yesterday, the first experiments on the new test site were concluded. The White Wing has made great efforts in simulating dome biomes. Scientists have managed to recreate most of the currently known anomalies. Thanks to observations and tests on volunteers, we were able to better study the effects of anomalies on living organisms. In the near future, all employees will receive necessary protective equipment according to the results of the research.

Notice: no oranges test subjects were hurt during the test.

Rumours of employee mutations.

As you might know, any convict can escape punishment and serve the community. Moreover, by joining the ranks of White Wing volunteers, your family will receive generous compensation. The administration assures that all rumors about monstrous mutations, are pure fiction and fantasy. All experiments have received approval and the necessary certificates. Our scientists only act within the law and protocols. After the tests are concluded, all your crimes are forgiven.

Encased community is the most important for us - we are going to follow up those closely for your feedback on the game.