Dec 7, 2023

You are (Probably) missing the coolest part of DR4X. (Also Changelog)

DR4X - UntrustedLife

You Might Be Missing the Best Part of DR4X!

Hey there folks!

Did you know there's a 99.6% chance you haven't seen either a good or bad ending of the DR4X campaign? That's crazy, right?

What's more, a whopping 89.9% of you haven't even won a campaign mission yet.

How Can This Be?

You're probably wondering how this happened. Well. I lied by omission. These statistics are based only on players getting achievements since I implemented them a few months ago, not over the course of the last year or anything. And guess what? Only 18% of DR4X owners have even launched the game in that timeframe. So it can't be accurate right?
Well...

While these figures might not paint the whole picture, they're likely not that far off the mark actually.

The Real Reason I Added Achievements

No, I didn't add achievements just for fun like I claimed when i added them. They were actually a tool to track everyones progress on mastering DR4X mechanics and how deeply you all delved into my story/unfiction subgame.

DR4X: More Than Just a 4X Game

DR4X isn't just your run-of-the-mill 4X game. It's also a terminal emulator, a digital cosmic horror story, and a narrative about redemption, and a giant box of lore and puzzles. Sadly most of you have only seen the non-narrative bits.

Why the Skirmish Mode Dominates

The skirmish mode, as a standalone early access thing, is quite engaging and was initially meant to be a quick, COE-style roguelikeish 4X experience (And it still is!). But as development progressed, the focus of the game itself shifted.

Changing Expectations

In the 4X genre, most games prioritize the skirmish mode (Well actually most of them call that the campaign) gameplay, sidelining any actual story and characters to allow the player to play as whatever empire they want and focus entirely on the mechnics and have that conquer the world power/strategy game fantasy where they have no real connection to the world aside from maybe some roleplay. That's the current market standard. But with DR4X, while you can play as whatever faction you want (Kingdoms, Bandits, Wildlife, Mushrooms etc) In whatever custom setting you want (based on dropdowns anyway). Iactually had aimed to explicitly not focus on that part of the game in isolation. And that is fine, as I don't do this for a living or anything, just mainly for the fun of adding weird off the wall stuff to a 4x game. (Like making my own version of the backrooms and adding that as a setting you can play in, in a skirmish (its called Noderooms btw and it even has ENTITIES).

Instead, DR4X has both a campaign (In the style of Majesty The Fantasy Kingdom Sim mixed with DDLC) and a roguelike-esque skirmish mode (Like COE), and while gameplay and UI improvements benefit both, story enhancements impact only the campaign and lately, my focus has shifted more and more towards developing the story, inspired by the blend of unfiction and critique of common 4X mechanics.

The narrative of DR4X, drawing from the lore of my roguelike game RLDR and weaving in a DDLC-style meta-narrative, is currently my main focus. My enthusiasm for the story aspect is the reason for the recent slowdown in major mechanical updates. However, I'm actively working on introducing new elements like the powers I've mentioned before, along with enhancements to base building. I've even begun implementing the UI for these features, though they might remain in experimental mode (WHich i added a couple updates ago and can be toggled on in the options menu) for now.

Grimwit (My artist buddy) once said that DR4X itself is akin to a devlog because whatever i'm thinking at the moment, I add it.

So, Why This Devlog? Haven't You Mentioned This Before?

The purpose of this devlog is to highlight an important aspect of the campaign missions in DR4X. Each mission offers both conventional and unconventional paths to victory. Players can uncover clues for these through the codex and by paying close attention to the signs and notes within the missions. These paths are the keys to unlocking the Good, Bad, and Good/Bad/Neutral Neutral endings, and they're integral to interacting with DR4X's story, much like the exploration in Outer Wilds.

And it is worth it too, I think ive done a decent job (despite my inexperiance at making story based games) at actually making you care about some of these characters if you only put in the effort to see them.

Encouraging players to take these elements seriously in a game like DR4X is challenging, but I'm committed to it. I'm happy to share that at least one player has achieved the unconventional bad ending, which is quite an accomplishment. (Before abandoning getting the good ending due to a now fixed bug)

There is also some awesome music to accompany the more dramatic moments, composed by my friend Robert Matheson

Aswell as awesome art by Grimwit for some of these sequences.

Those ciphers you've seen? They're not just fluff.
Rant below: We tried so hard to clarify this during the Mireifield mission, but it seems it might not have been sufficiently evident despite our best efforts. Honestly, we practically guide you through it, so it probably takes a conscious effort to overlook them. Short of just giving you the answer directly. *eye roll* its so so hard to break the conditioning of other games that try to make you ignore these things unless you are the lore hunter type. Its not your fault Im not angry im just dissapointed in society.

What's Next?

I've recently introduced a new campaign mission, marking the beginning of chapter 2's mission additions. However, before proceeding with more missions, I need to implement significant updates to the codex and terminal emulators. Additionally, I'm integrating some intricate subgames that are crucial for laying the groundwork for the upcoming chapter. I imagine most of you didn't even know the terminal emulator existed. This oversight is my fault; the hint for how to access the terminal is at the good and bad endings for chapter 1, in one of the Nordic incursion messages from the campaign, and in a ciphered form in the codex. However, the codex wasn't sufficiently clear, and the actual command for accessing the list of applications in the terminal either relies on you having previous retro computer knowledge or being able to get to the FNAF-style subgame on the main menu. Clearly, I haven't hinted at this well enough (and I'm honestly not sure how to hint at it without 'giving away the game,' so to speak, but i'll try to figure it out, heh).

To guide you towards these game aspects, I've been making subtle additions here and there. You might have noticed recent updates to the DR4X codex. These additions are preliminary attempts to offer clues and nudge you in certain directions. They'll undergo some revisions in the upcoming update. While this update will be substantial, I might not release a detailed changelog to maintain development momentum. Expect these elements to evolve as I fine-tune what works and what doesn't.

Also, i am going to visit my parents in Arkansas for christmas starting on the 22nd and wont be back til January and i don't do computers on my vacations. So there will be a two week hiatus there.

PS:
I just now I updated the DR4X store/library art to be better. Let me know what you think!
I already have some feedback and its looking like we might have to make a whole new batch of art but im leaving the new art up for now.

Also, I fixed a hardlock if you got the neutral ending after getting fyegrayed killed. That has been in for awhile apparently and that is currently deployed as of this post.

Now that that is out of my system here is a paired down simplified changelog (This will serve as this weeks changelog)

Changelog

-Fyegrayed got so angry that he hardlocked the game if you upset him off enough under certain specific circumstances (Bad neutral end), I have now forced him to not hardlock the game.

-Made it easier to access restricted section in Nelrissa Library

-Made it more clear what you need to do to unlock things via a reworded codex puzzle

-Made tycoon ui slightly more readable

-Reworked mirefield intro

-Tweaks to chances in pop up code

-Reworked many more of the ciphers on the codex

-Made it so that you have to click okay before losing the mission on mirefield

-Reworked repeated bad end dialogue. To fit the character better and reveal less.

-Fixed the doggo in the tutorial so that the hourglass dissappears when you gain control of him

-As stated in the last changelog i added UI to make traveliong through deep entrances better

-Fixed key command for sentry to not match swap

-Actually fix lore signs in dungeon level

-Fixed typos in dungeon level

-Fleshed out tutorington dilogue on dungeon better.

Dec 7, 2023

Introducing Monster Hunter Wilds!

Monster Hunter: World - MH Community

Hey hunters,

Today, we’re incredibly excited to share with you all the next generation in the genre defining Monster Hunter series.

Introducing Monster Hunter Wilds.

Monster Hunter Wilds launches on Steam and console platforms in 2025, so keep that Hunter’s Knife sharp!

A Message From Series Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto

Hello hunters! We’re thrilled to announce Monster Hunter Wilds today and reveal the newest entry in the Monster Hunter series to fans all over the world.

Our team is working passionately to create the ultimate Monster Hunter experience, and we’re eager to play the game with everyone when it launches in 2025. Until then, please look forward to Summer 2024, when we’ll have more information to share.

- Ryozo Tsujimoto, Monster Hunter series producer

Celebration discounts are live!

To celebrate this announcement, Monster Hunter: World and its massive expansion, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, are currently on discount at all-time low prices!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/582010/Monster_Hunter_World/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1118010/Monster_Hunter_World_Iceborne

Don’t miss out other Monster Hunter deals too:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1446780/MONSTER_HUNTER_RISE/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1880360/Monster_Hunter_Rise_Sunbreak/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1277400/2/

That wraps up today’s special post! If you’re not already, feel free to follow the official Monster Hunter accounts on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook.

From everyone on the Monster Hunter Team, thank you all so much for your continued passion and support for the series. Here’s to the next generation!

We’ll see you in the hunt!

- The Monster Hunter Community Team

Dec 7, 2023

December 2023 | DEAD Revamp Part 3

DEAD - George

This is part 3 of the final overhaul of the game. This is part 3 of 4 (3/4).

In this update I focused on changing the sprites to be clearer by changing the colors, or updating assets that were literally from my "I made this in a month" build.

Here is the change log listed out:
Updates/Changes:
- All level selection images.
- The hit box of every enemy to feel better.
- Bullets look, feel, and speed for each weapon. (Feels better, still arcadey).
- Player looks a lot more visually appealing (changed the body, and skin colors)
- Various level backgrounds to make the player/enemies look a little clearer (I can only do so much without just re-doing all the art (though a lot of it ended up getting recolored)
- Recolored a lot of Assets....
- The weapon holding sprites are a little different.
- Walking Sound Effect
- Default Gunshot Sound Effect
- Music On/Off option
- X, not > for exit.
- Reorganized all folder structures for open-source release.
- Redid all item common item sprites, and buy station sprites.
- "Hedge" level and leaderboard.

Tweaks/Bug Fixes:
- Pausing properly pauses all enemies. Sorry this was not there before, I basically never pause the game, and only recently added the proper options menu.
- Fixed Studio Start-up Crash
- Removed a lot of redundant code/old images/old objects to prepare for open-source publish.
- Tweaked startup screen button colors/text
- Seeing despawn.
- Hearing despawn.
- Random Player2-4 deaths on some maps causing loud bit noise.
- Audio Mixing for Music
- Resized all Buy Text
- Correct Levels sometimes showing incorrect leaderboard

Future Information as of 11/29/2023 1amish
Realistically, DEAD 2 will be great and I am not worried about that.

I am currently spending 3-4 hours a day when I have the time/will to actually work on this. I usually listen to PKA, but this time I was listening to "The Making of an Internet Monster" by Art, or TheGamerFromMars. I've never really looked into Chris Chan aside form know of him and various happenings by him for the last 7 years.

I am enjoying revamping DEAD 1 for the final update and I did a lot in the last few days like re doing all of the coloring to be a lot clearer. I wonder how people will react, if at all. I know this game isn't anything huge but to me: finishing what you have started matters. Quitting when you could do better is what losers do, but knowing when you should move on is important. Sunk Cost Fallacy is very real in the world we live in.

Luckily, I do not make money off this game and enjoy spending my time making this and many other games. Over the last 4 years, my life has been very much a learning experience, but it has also been incredibly depressing in terms of my personal life and past as well as how I have been personally treated by people I thought close, including friends and family members. Treat people well, or have them out of your life.

It is such a pain in the ass to make maps for this game, a very big reason why I am moving onto DEAD 2, that, and having new AI. Part of me (like right now) thinks I should keep DEAD as a singular game and have maps in different categories considering how much this game has evolved on it's own over the years but I am not sure that makes any sense long-term when I could realistically just remake any fan favorites from this game but in a new format.

Call of Duty, and everyone involved are lazy, and have no work ethic. It is not hard to design things, it's actually incredibly easy. It's also easy to make maps, tweak weapons, change IDs, edit anything in your game in general. Those impressed with the very tiny are the reason we have bad games where people are impressed by audio bouncing off walls when if I wanted to have a gritty experience I could very easily have enemy a.i. detect you based off of sound alone and it would take me (took me) about 2 hours to do. "Oh but George, you aren't making Call of Duty!!" it's the same principles, design does not change at it's core, it's not hard to know what is fun, it's not hard to listen to your community, it's not hard to change the price of your 15 year old game, it's not hard to tweak some weapons, it's not hard to add new weapon skins, it's not hard to keep the game not an anime/rapper/invislbe skin fest. It's purely bad management, and bad design.

I fully plan to release this as an open-source thing people can dig through. This is one of the only GameMaker Studio 1, GameMaker Studio 2, and GameMaker Studio 2.3 games that has been not only released on Steam, but consistently updated over a period of many years. I hope that the open source of this project will help people learn the engine if that's what they want to do, or help them in them see what to/not to do for their own projects. Maybe someone will learn something, maybe it'll be universally hated.. at least I tried.

Dec 7, 2023

Developers diaries #15

City Car Driving 2.0 - MrWild

In Developer Diaries 15, we talk about mechanics that are not included in early access. Part of the mechanics are implemented, but for now we are prioritizing transportation physics and traffic. Soon we will provide a roadmap detailing which game mechanics are included in Early Access.

CCD 2.0. will have a full-featured economic system. With its introduction, you will develop in the game world and feel your progress in full. Thanks to the ability to earn money, you will see visible changes throughout the game.

From the point of view of creating gameplay, economy is one of the most complex elements. We tried to implement it in a way that would not cause too much difficulty for anyone, while still providing a clear sense of progress and development within the game world.

The economy of CCD 2.0. can be briefly described as earning in-game currency for taxi driving and cargo transportation and receiving rewards for completed tasks.

You can spend the money you receive on the development of your cars, their repair, and replacement of consumables.

In addition, the economy is involved in the interaction with various resources – you can purchase and sell them.

After such a brief answer, we will tell you in more detail about exactly how you can interact with money in the game.

The screenshots show a prototype UI. All screenshots are taken directly from UE5 and do not reflect the final quality of the product. The screenshots show mechanics that have already been shown in the format of gif-images. These are mechanics included in the economy system.

From the start of the game, the entire car fleet is not available to you, as it was in the original CCD.
But you will have the opportunity. For example, you can upgrade your starting car in any way you like, of course, within the limits of the capabilities we implemented.

Also, in CCD 2.0. you can spend money on all the essential things for driving a car: refueling, repairs, car wash.

As you earn money, you can abandon the development of your old car and consider purchasing a new one. But at the same time, you can keep your favorite car and upgrade it as you wish within the capabilities of the game.

One of the last mechanics we have implemented is car acquisition. The screenshot was taken at our testing ground, where we test all game mechanics before placing them in the city.

It should be specially noted that you can get cars and the possibility of upgrading them in another way. In CCD 2.0., we clearly show your progression as a player and add development opportunities within the game.

In addition to spending money on cars, you will also be able to fully trade with various enterprises: independently purchase resources of one type and bring them to those who need them.

In cargo transportation, this is an important element that allows you to track changes in the game world. If you act as an employee, you can spend your salary only.

If you act as an independent entrepreneur, purchase resources at your own expense and bring them to various enterprises, you will receive a different reward.

Thus, a unique relationship is formed between you as a player and the game world, based on the economy of the game. This gives a personalized experience for each player.

The connection between your cars, supporting systems and various resources forms a basic need for management. You must build your own progression tactics.

However, if you are not interested in creating the optimal route and choosing goods that bring the most profit, you will still not be left without money. When driving a taxi, for example, you get your reward depending on your driver rating.

Thus, you will receive a decent reward depending on your skills both in cargo transportation and taxi driving.

After completing various tasks, you will also receive an appropriate reward. This could be money, or, depending on the context, a new auto part for your car. We do not limit players’ ability to purchase cars and modify each of them to suit their needs.

You can have an unlimited number of cars of the same brand, however, each of them will be optimized for different purposes. All cars are provided with parking spaces, which you can also purchase.

In the logs about the game architecture, we briefly covered such an object as a garage. Your garage, which is also your home, is not only a parking place for your car, but also a place where you can replace car parts, wash your car, and change the time of day. This place is significant for the overall immersion in the game, where you will feel like part of the whole world.

Therefore, the final touch in the economic system is the opportunity to purchase a new house for yourself as a character and for your cars.

Will there be an expansion in dangerous situations? if yes, which ones?
Expansion of dangerous situations is planned, but we will not say yet in what form. We don’t want to disappoint you if it isn’t included in Early Access

Will there be biofuel?
No, it won’t be available in Early Access. The same as with electric cars

Will there be different types of gasoline (92, 95, 98)?
Yes, this was one of the earliest features that we introduced into the game

Will prices differ at different gas stations? Will prices at gas stations change depending on the time?
If the game designer remembers to configure the parameters

Developers Logs are published every two weeks. Don’t miss them!

Dec 7, 2023

GHPC Update 20231208

Gunner, HEAT, PC! - Josh

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20231208.

This is a regular update, introducing new features, adjustments, and bug fixes.

New feature: smoke systems

The most notable change included here is a brand-new feature: smoke systems. Vehicles equipped with smoke grenade launchers or engine smokescreen generation now have those systems available in-game. The smoke will blind non-thermal optics (including AI units without thermals) and create an obstruction for laser rangefinders.

A new control has been added to the Vehicle category for quick smoke grenade launch (default key: G), and the rest of the controls can be found in the Q menu. AI vehicles under severe threat are able to launch smoke salvos as well, provided that the relevant crew members are still able to operate the controls.

It's worth mentioning briefly that the smoke systems on Soviet designed vehicles are quite different from their NATO counterparts: unlike the short-range curtain of white smoke grenades used in US vehicles, the standard 3D6 smoke grenades are fired hundreds of meters forward. They are intended as a versatile tactical tool, able to block sight lines and clear space to maneuver in. The East German tanks and BMPs in GHPC have a set of these grenades loaded.

Meanwhile, the Abrams and other US vehicles have a fairly straightforward smoke setup: firing a salvo will blanket the frontal arc of the vehicle in a thick airburst of smoke. In the 1980s, this smoke was not multispectral, meaning thermal optics could see through it fairly well. As a result, some US vehicles are in the unique position of being able to pop smoke and continue to spot and engage targets from behind the cloud. But when using this strategy, be careful - your laser rangefinder will bounce off the smoke and prevent you from getting a firing solution the easy way. Set your range manually or lase ahead of time if you want to fight effectively through smoke.

A note on HEAT rounds

For a very long time, the M456 HEAT-FS-T round fired by US tanks in GHPC has displayed a glaring flaw: due to its fuzing mechanism requiring a good strike on the nose probe, it is easily thwarted by highly angled surfaces. Unlucky shots on the most severe angles of a BMP or BTR hull would often produce unfavorable impacts, crushing the round before it could properly form a penetrative metal jet. This was a frequent source of frustration and even bug reports.

After additional research, we've concluded that in 1985 the US did have a quantity of the successor round in inventory: the M456A2 HEAT-FS-T. The main innovation was - you guessed it - the addition of a shoulder fuze to account for shallow angle impacts. Owing to this fact, we've outfitted all 105mm US tanks with the M456A2 as their standard second slot round, and the M456 is now relegated to reserve supply, which can come into play when logistics are suffering in campaign mode.

Engagements against Pact APCs and IFVs using this new round should involve a substantially higher proportion of first-hit kills, and we think NATO enjoyers will be pleased with the results.

We've got plenty more in the works for GHPC! As always, you can get additional info by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

Changelog

Added smoke grenades to vehicles that equip smoke grenade launchers (activated from Q menu or using G key by default)
Added engine smokescreen generation to some vehicles (activated from Q menu)
Added ability for AI units to use smoke grenades in certain situations
Added "instant swap" feature: hold the unit swap key and look at a nearby friendly unit, then let go of the key to take control
Added M456A2 HEAT-FS-T shell (with shoulder fuze) as new default for all US tanks
Added logistics conditions to replace M456A2 with M456 in campaign
Added cloud shadows
Moved 9K111 missile emplacement in tank range to a position from which it can see targets
Reworked a large number of muzzle blast effects
Revised ammo loadout of T-55, including setting APFSDS to the first slot like in all other tanks
Changed BR-412D to a reserve round only used when Pact forces are suffering severe logistics issues in campaign
Adjusted armor properties for Kvartz composite (used in T-72M1 turret)
Reduced armor ratings on trucks
Slightly improved gain on night vision optics
Changed delta-D control to a toggle and made it start enabled by default
Fixed multiple issues in missions that led to stuck units
Fixed an audio issue that led to choppy or distorted sounds when AI fired machine guns
Fixed AI refusing to fire bursts and using entire belts of ammo in one go
Fixed composite armor being disabled in T-64A
Fixed a bug that could lead to the player's view being locked into an auxiliary sight optic
Fixed issues with map overlay sizing on certain screen resolutions
Fixed weapons being able to keep firing by themselves when a menu was opened while firing
Fixed a rare bug that led to infinite machine gun audio after the weapon stopped firing
Fixed commander voice calling for wrong ammo type
Fixed gunner voice spamming "on the way" when using machine guns
Fixed erroneous reporting of optics damage in HUD
Fixed flames not displaying correctly when T-64A was set on fire
Fixed T-64A continuing to fight while on fire

Thanks for playing!