Jun 8, 2021

Patch 5, hotfix 0.27.604.1055: important updates at the finish line

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

A couple of weeks ago, we released content patch 5 and soon after it — the first hotfix to it that eliminated a lot of annoying bugs, discovered by our players. Now it’s time for the second batch of fixes. Most of the team is working on polishing the final Encased build, final version of voice-over and translations so this hotfix released a little bit late.

In this short update we’ll tell you about the contents inside the second hotfix, news about the Encased release and remind you about the huge announcement from our Koch Media partners.

As always we’ll start with patch notes:

Interface

Character Menu: Changed icons in the Piloting skill tree
Inventory: Fixed overlapping of items while using filters
Inventory: Fixed freeze when moving certain objects
Inventory: Added icons to display items worn by the player and his companions
Inventory, Barter Window: Fixed handcuffs sticking
Fixed a placeholder in the description of the new variant of the container interfaces
Lots of minor changes in the layout
Fixed issue with scrolling a dialogue window
Bomb timer: fixed window closing

Improved behavior of characters when searching for a player who is in stealth mode
Fixed characters changing hostility during combat
Fixed the start of combat in the "Crossroads" event when the defeated man notices Lenny
Improved handling of the crime "Being in a restricted area"

Bugs

Fixed the "incorporeality" effect when exiting White Space
Fixed the display of quest items in containers
Character Creation Menu: Fixed Muscle leveling while clicking on an empty space

Gameplay mechanics

Fixed the ability to discard quest items
Balance: reduced the level of hungry rats in the basement of the cafe at the location "Roadside Picnic”
Balance: reduced the number of action points of the necroid in the basement of the gas station at the location "Roadside Picnic”
Balance: Nashville Station parking lot turrets set to level 3
Balance: sewerage of the "Nashville" station, lowered the level of the group of rats
Balance: sewerage of the "Nashville" station, reduced level of the group of cockroaches
Balance: -3rd floor of the "Nashville" station, lowered the level of a group of infected in the canteen, lowered the level of enemies near the communication room
Balance: "Concord" station, lowered the level of turrets
Balance: Changed the Learning curve of the "Servoshell Armor: Data Gathering System" ability
Roleplaying System: corrected bonus damage of the Action Hero perk
Roleplaying System: fixed the formula for calculating Action Points for non-player characters
Fixed the use of sewer manholes in servoshell armor
Fixed a bug while using the manhole on the -3rd floor of Nashville Station

Text

Fixed the description and logic of the Steam Injectors ability
Fixed a typo in the Tactics difficulty description
Fixed an error in log entry about Don Spencer's death in the Lost Caravan quest
Fixed the Psychonaut perk description
Fixed a typo in the message about a character joining a battle
Fixed the translation of the interface in the dialogue log tab of the PDA
Fixed a placeholder name for the Campbell's Station exit
Fixed the description of "Betamine" medicine
Fixed low intellect character's dialogue with Medcom-72
Fixed low intellect character's dialogue with Marjorie Stovard
Added low intellect character's dialogue with the blue car on the Concord Station
Fixed the display of extra brackets in the tooltip describing another character's move
Fixed the description of the "Analytical Mind" ability
Fixed the description of the "Trasser" ability
Fixed the description of the "Blood Transfusion" ability
Fixed the description of the "Short Circuit" ability
Fixed the description of the "Observation" perk
Fixed tooltips for Grenades, as well as for abilities of Medicine and Piloting skill trees

And while you downloading the second hotfix, here is the announcement:
11 June, 12:00 PDT / 15:00 EDT / 20:00 BST / 21:00 CEST our publisher Koch Media will be streaming. Everyone is invited!

We left the main announcement regarding the game release for last. Those who follow our social networks already know, so we'll let the rest of you know too: Encased release will happen this fall. Exact date will be announced later.

Jun 4, 2021

What’s next?

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

Dear subscribers! Once again, the latest issue of the post-apocalyptic CRONUS Weekly is on your screens. Can anyone hear us?

The release of the Encased content patch 5 is finally behind us. Thank you so much for your feedback and bug reports. We read them all carefully and are fixing bugs right now. But what awaits our players next? Today we'll try to tell you about it!

City. Bastion of the New Committee

The full version of Encased is scheduled for release in the fall of 2021. The city will be one of the first new locations players will see.

Many houses, gas stations, snack bars, the Maelstrom Church, the Senate and other important buildings await brave adventurers. This is where the elite of the Dome gather and the most important questions are discussed. Will you become part of the political games or will you choose your own path?

Carmine Heights. Engineer Paradise

Carmine Heights is yet another story location of the full release. Here scientists and engineers explore artifacts and conduct the most daring experiments. The settlement is full of high-tech weapons, armor and useful artifacts. Will you be able to get all of them or will the guards be stronger than you?

New Dangers

Players will not only travel through cities and towns. Right now we are polishing dozens of locations throughout the Dome. Abandoned stations, research camps and new arenas await you. Even familiar locations from before the incident will be presented in a new light of a post-apocalyptic setting. Your journey under the Dome is just beginning, employees.

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!

The game is still in the development so if you want to stay in touch on other channels than Steam you can follow us on social media and visit other cool resources with game updates information new artworks and lore pieces.

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

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[/list]

May 28, 2021

The devil is in the details

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

Dear subscribers! Once again, the latest issue of the post-apocalyptic CRONUS Weekly is on your screens. Can anyone hear us?

Employees, we’ve been telling you about the innovations under the Dome for over a week now, and guess what? We're still not done! Today we're going to tell you what else every employee under the Dome might encounter.

New random encounters

The southern part of the Dome has been opened for exploration to everyone, which means that dozens of unique and unexplored locations await adventurers. One of these locations will be an abandoned camp, full of life just a moment ago. Even the fire is still burning. What happened here? That's what you have to find out.

Suppressive fire

With the change in the behavior of the Dome inhabitants, many seemingly useless skills have gained a second wind. For example, Suppression Fire. Each hit of this skill will slow down your target, which will help you catch up and finish off a fleeing enemy before he calls for help.

Neanderthal

New Committee scientists have also discovered new traits that began to appear in employees under the Dome. For example, the trait "Neanderthal" will increase your damage in close combat, but in return you will have to say goodbye to pants and jackets, because Neanderthals do not wear them.

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

May 28, 2021

Patch 5, Hotfix 0.27.526.1806: small, but important fixes

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

Encased content patch 5, which was released the other day, brought a lot of good things to the game: improved optimization, new locations and random encounters and a crime system. We redesigned the game's balance and role-playing system, brought back dialogue for a character with low intelligence and greatly expanded companion interactions.

And although the team is currently busy working on the release version of the game, we found time and prepared a little update for you, fixing annoying imperfections of the fresh patch.

Here are the most notable changes.

Fixed the settings window

Some users have complained that the game settings window would not open and in general did not work correctly. We fixed the problem.

Almost everywhere the inability to talk to merchants after breaking into a store door is fixed

This is not even really a bug: our new crime system has taught the characters to react to the player's illegal actions. Merchants, on the other hand, are characterized by non-standard behavior, so they "broke" and simply refused to talk to the protagonist. At the moment, most vendors work properly, but there is a chance that some are still broken. Just for your information.

Containers on random encounter locations are now updated regularly

A small but nice tweak: purely technically, combat random encounters take place in recurring locations. Previously, the game would forget to update the contents of the containers and a box that you searched once would remain empty when you revisited the location. This annoying issue is now a thing of the past.

Character banners now display a fatigue scale

In case you didn't know: you can play through Encased without killing anyone. The parameter "Fatigue" is responsible for the possibility of non-lethal playthrough. After accumulating 1000 points of fatigue any character (including the main character) will collapse. Now you can monitor the parameter with the fatigue scale located in the character's banner just under the health bar.

Added customizable backlights for interactable objects

Another little improvement that makes life a lot easier for the player: by pressing the special button (the default is “alt”), you "light up" all the interactive objects at a location. You can turn the stroke on and off, and you can also choose which objects to show.

***

In addition to all of the above, we did the following:

Interface

Fixed: When pointing a grenade at some objects, its tooltip did not work correctly
Disabled undesirable stroke (F12 key)
Fixed the ability to reassign special Windows keys
Added a dialog log to the character's palmtop
Fixed a problem with sums equalization when trading

Gameplay Mechanics

Junktown: Miles Connelly, Henry Hatch, Hector Morales had the "alcohol treatment" status effect and could not be killed
Fixed characters' reaction to a call for help: now those who can't fight don't react to it
Fixed the inability to create items if the skill had an insufficient level and was increased by modifiers
The criminal system now handles killing animals and necroids correctly
Criminal system now handles access to restricted area correctly
Changed the difficulty of the doors at Concord Station
Nashville Sewers: Fixed a freezing fight with a psi cockroach

Graphics and effects

Fixed display of the “Unconscious rage” status effect
Displayed icons for shotguns
Displayed icons for Baba Yaga grenade launcher

Text

Concord Station: we wrote a dialog with a machine for a character with low intelligence
Changed the text on the epilepsy warning screen
Added description of the "Guts" attribute
Added description of the "Deftness" attribute
Added description of "Brains" attribute
Added description of "Perception" attribute
Changed descriptions for "Detox" and "Ray Desease Treatment" effects
Fixed description of Betamine effect
Fixed the display of penalties and bonuses from "Accuracy" trait in some tooltips

May 21, 2021

How do you survive the changes under the Dome?

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

Dear subscribers! Once again, the latest issue of the post-apocalyptic CRONUS Weekly is on your screens. Can anyone hear us?

This week marked the fifth major infrastructure upgrade under the Dome. The Maelstrom is retreating, opening up new territories, the strength and intelligence of opponents is growing, and battles are becoming more spectacular and dangerous. Read the CRONUS Weekly Special Edition to learn more!

The Maelstrom is retreating

Employees, get ready for new expeditions! The Maelstrom is retreating, opening up new territories beneath the Dome. Madmen, adventurers, and brave explorers are about to discover new southern territories. Who knows what dangers lurk in the new wastelands?

Ash Forest

Our reporters immediately set out on an expedition into new territories. One of the first discoveries was a mysterious forest shrouded in mist. It’s also full of mysterious flashing lights of unknown nature, but even this is not what surprised us the most. It’s literally swarming with madmen who have lost touch with reality.

What happened to them, how did they end up as lost souls in this fog? It is up to the most desperate travelers to find the answer.

Supersonic Strike

High-tech weapons have received new upgrades that every inhabitant of the Dome can't wait to test out. This is one of the strongest firing modes of the particle accelerator "Supernova". It is guaranteed to stun all enemies in a small cone, but can also hit your hero.

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

May 20, 2021

PRE-RELEASE ENCASED PATCH

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

This time we decided not to write a long text — just watch the attached video, where we talk about how the game has changed over the past few months:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uQnuLZigv8

For those who are curious about all the changes in the game, we have prepared a detailed list.

List of changes by category

Locations

New locations in the southern part of the Dome
New location "Ash Forest"
New location “Chicken Corn Cafe”
New location "Coast"
New location "New Committee Outpost”
New arena for random encounters "Bunker”
New arena for random encounters "Sewers”
Optimized environment for locations

Random Encounters

Unlocked random encounters of the second story act

Craft

Updated item creation system
Items available for crafting are divided into categories
More crafting tables
New weapon upgrade system
Weapon enhancement system
Added ability to upgrade unique weapons

Crime System

Reworked the crime system
Evidence visualization added
Reworked the stealth system
Added timer visualization
NPCs can initiate an investigation
Merchants refuse to buy stolen goods
New crimes added: entering forbidden areas, grave robbing
NPCs react differently to the player's illegal actions. Fighters engage in combat, civilians call for help
Unlawful acts lead to reinforcements coming to a location from guards to military in servoshell armor
Killing everyone in the location causes necroids to appear

Story and Dialogues

Reworked playthrough for a character with low intelligence
Added books and journals to learn skills

Companions

Companion dialogues were expanded
Improved companion AI
Improved squad management system
Shared inventory for the player's squad

AI and Gameplay

Unprotected locations can be attacked by bandits
Opponents have properly configured stats, weapons, and auras
One time use items moved to the quick access panel
Fixed the progression of enemies' attributes and weapon powers.
Enemies are better at selecting position and targeting, using weapons, and using combat skills.

Role-Playing System

Fixed flaws in the skill system. The player can level up a skill up to 150 and get additional bonuses, which are added to the maximum value.
Added new skills
Fixed bugs in previously available skills

Other

Reworked sound effects
Minor visual fixes
Combat animations updated

May 19, 2021

Encased Development Update. The fifth Content Patch will be released on May 20.

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

Hello everyone, Dark Crystal Games is here again! It's time to tell you about the fifth major content update for Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG. You will discover an expanded world after a mysterious Incident destroyed our way of life, and reduced the all-powerful CRONUS Foundation to rubble. Get ready for new adventures, locations, quests and enemies!

For those who pefer watching over reading, you can find a video version of this announcement right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uQnuLZigv8

Since the release of patch #4, we've continued to work hard. Encased is now very close to the final 1.0 release. We’ve been closely following your game reports and comments on our forums and social networks. With your help, we’ve compiled a list of everything that needs to be fixed. Thank you for your patience, and the awesome feedback!

We weren't planning on releasing a fifth patch, but we realized we needed this opportunity to sync up with the community, gather feedback, and issue a few last pre-release fixes. This will be the final update, patch #5. Encased is technically complete. Right now, we’re focusing on exhaustive testing and a last polishing pass.

The game can be played as a lone wolf or together with various interesting companions.
You can kill every living thing in every location, or not spill a drop of blood during the whole playthrough. You can not speak a word and skulk in the shadows, or make your way by persuading, intimidating and charming everyone you meet. There’s even a unique and fascinating play branch for an extremely low intelligence character. How your story plays out is 100% up to you!

Now that the picture is finally starting to take shape, we can see the fruits of our labor and are thrilled to be approaching the finish line. It's taken longer than we expected, but it's all about making the best game we possibly can.

We know you’re just as excited as we are to see the final version. Very soon, we’ll be able to reveal everything and announce the release date. For today, we present content patch #5.

New and reworked locations

We understand most of you have thoroughly explored all the available locations, and are hungry for new adventures. That's why this patch opens up additional territories under the Dome, including the mysterious south!

Once you complete the first act, Maelstrom retreats, revealing almost all of the main, final version locations. The City, the Phalanx base, the Carmine Heights colony, and the Fops junkyard will remain hidden, but they will of course be included in the 1.0 release in the not-too-distant future.

The locations you've already visited have also been seriously revamped. We're proud to tell you that with this patch, there are no placeholders or temporary solutions left in Encased. Our artists and game designers have completed every object under the Dome.

We’ve also invested a lot of time into optimization. The game is now much less demanding on hardware. Even players with low-spec machines will see a significant boost in performance, and the picture will become smoother.

For example, the Stone Forest – here, as with other locations, we redesigned the graphics, and optimized and stylized every bush and stone. We added new effects and points of interest.

Let's take a look at some of the new locations available in the fifth patch.

The Ash Forest is one of the least known areas under the Dome. Here you’ll have to contend with employees corrupted by Maelstrom. Did you think you were the only one lost in time and space during the mysterious Incident?

The roadside Chicken Corn Café is finally opening its doors! Here you’ll need to solve the mystery of its suddenly vanishing employees.

By the way, be sure to check out the menu. We've added lots of new foods.

The coast is a paradise among the wastelands. Rest by the water, relax in a small cabin, maybe do some fishing. Who knows what you might fetch up from the murky depths?

One can argue endlessly about who the true heirs of CRONUS are, but only the New Committee has the manpower and resources to build new outposts all over the Dome.

New and reworked game mechanics

By popular demand, the low intelligence playthrough returns!

Many of you uncovered this hidden path during gameplay. In the fourth patch, we temporarily removed it to polish and improve the dialogue and options!

Now this alternate playthrough is complete, with unique dialogues and character reactions from start to finish. Can you handle it? Don’t worry, you won’t have to think too hard about it.

New random encounters await you as well. In the fifth content patch, you step into the territory of the Second Act, where previously hidden encounters will be revealed. In addition, we've seriously expanded or redesigned existing ones. You’ll have additional dialogue options depending on your companions.

There are new arenas for combat encounters. For example, a destroyed bunker and sewers. And for every successfully completed random encounter, players will receive a valuable reward.

Updated craft system

Crafting enthusiasts, please enjoy the updated item creation and new weapons upgrade systems. We’ve updated the interface, and divided items into convenient categories. In your selected workshop, you’ll see the entire range of available items for crafting. We also increased the number of workshops, so you don't have to search around for a convenient place to restock.

Some feedback we received indicated you want to do an entire run with your favorite firearm, so we created the weapons upgrade system. Now even the starting gun can defeat high-level enemies, provided you’ve installed the right upgrades. Even unique items, such as the psi-katana or your companions’ weapons, can be upgraded.

New companion dialogues

By the way, your companions will have a lot more to say this go ‘round. Unless you’re a natural-born lone wolf, solo travel in the wastelands can get dangerous or boring, so the most colorful characters under the Dome will be there to keep you company.

In between bloody battles and dangerous adventures, try chatting with your companions. They will gossip about other heroes, and tell you more about their relationship with the factions of the Dome and their own past.

Reworked crime and stealth systems

Different characters will have different reactions to illegal activity. For example, if you steal from an NPC, your target may discover evidence and launch their own investigation.

But taking advantage of the new visualization of evidence and timers will help you cover your tracks and avoid pursuit.

Keep in mind, it won’t be so easy to sell your ill-gotten loot. Shopkeepers won’t buy stolen goods. Items are considered stolen as long as an investigation is underway. If you get caught, they’ll be returned to the owner, and you will be punished.

We’ve also improved visualization and added new types of crimes, and specific reactions to them. Entering forbidden areas and looting graves are two new categories. If you persistently break the law, you eventually won't be able to buy or talk your way out of it. You’ll have to do time in the local prison. But with the right skills, you can get out of even this situation.

By the way, characters now react differently to your crimes or aggression. Some behave as before, responding to danger with their fists and weapons. Others will try to avoid combat by running away and calling for help. No longer will you have to fight an entire location at once. Careful elimination of patrols will allow you to silently neutralize enemies without raising the alarm.

Don't forget about the long-term consequences of your decisions, which are especially noticeable in the reputation system. If you kill everyone in a location, reinforcements will be dispatched to eliminate you. The more of these squads you kill, the more dangerous the next ones will be. It starts with a couple of guards, and ends with indestructible terminators in servoshell armor.

By the way, killing everyone in a location will lead to even more serious consequences. We’re not going to spoil it right now, but try returning to the scene of the crime after a week or so.

The Dome is a turbulent place. If you leave a resource-rich location for too long, it may be attacked by bandits. Defend the location or leave it to its fate? You decide!

We fixed the flaws in the skill system. Players can now increase a skill up to 150 and get additional bonuses, which are added to the maximum value.

We’ve also added new skills and fixed bugs. Opponents have proper attributes, weapons and auras. We also adjusted their stat progression and weapon power. Difficulty now proceeds in a smooth arc throughout.

Enemies are better at using their weapons and combat skills, selecting a position and targeting. Players will have to study their opponents’ weaknesses to succeed.

The new combat system needed a new look. We're sure you'll appreciate the additional animations. Now when your character is on fire, they really burn! When you apply kung fu, you’ll look like a martial arts master, and monster attacks have become much more deadly.

Your allies have also gotten smarter, and will avoid mines and anomalies on their own. In addition, we’ve added a more convenient squad management system. Now you can order your allies to run to a specified point, or hold a position.

Managing a group is easier thanks to a common inventory with a collective weight limit, convenient sorting of items, and the ability to drag consumable items and skills to the quick access panel.

We understand how seemingly insignificant details can affect the overall experience of the game and the world. The sounds of footsteps, dirt and dust ejected from under your boots, the sound of a shotgun being reloaded, snakes slithering through deserted locations… Our game designers, artists, and sound designers have been working tirelessly to improve the world under the Dome.

See you under the Dome!

May 14, 2021

New buildings and locations under the Dome

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

Dear subscribers! Once again, the latest issue of the post-apocalyptic CRONUS Weekly is on your screens. Can anyone hear us?

This week we’ll see how the already familiar Junktown has changed, visit a new dangerous zone and talk about the latest invention.

New houses

The Junktown is one of the busiest places under the Dome, and it’s no wonder. The new Committee guarantees safety of the residents, the settlement has its own bar, prison, market, and even a research laboratory, which now and then gives jobs to daring adventurers.

Where’s work, there's money and it needs to be spent somewhere. So that the heroes of the Dome did not drink their lives away at the bar, the administration of the Junktown built and offered for sale new houses. There is a suitable offer for any purse.

Swamps

While traveling through the wasteland, our journalists stumbled upon a new swamp teeming with the most dangerous mutants. Remarkably, it hasn't existed yet just a week ago.

The Dome is changing very quickly, but we will try to keep you informed of all the changes.

New technologies

Speaking of changes, the energy pistol Pulsar got a new firing mode. Skilled shooter will now be able to hit several targets at once with a powerful beam that penetrates any armor. If you see it in battle — run, otherwise you risk repeating the fate of the poor employees from the recording.

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