Crush Depth is our first major roadmap milestone since releasing into Early Access back in May and it is jam packed with new content for your scientific brains to explore! As such, we’ll try to keep this short and relatively spoiler-free so you can get out there with untainted minds.
And if you’re not in the reading mood (worn out from getting all those PhDs no doubt) Community Manager Criss has new informative vlog ready for your viewing eyeballs:
NEW UPDATE - 0.9.0 - "Crush Depth"
Beyond The Labs
The story continues in the GATE Cascade Research Facility - first with a bold journey into the dark gauntlet of Security Sector and then a big splash in the watery Hydroplant! Each locale - and other worlds beyond - contain new resources, enemies, and [REDACTED]!
For obvious reasons, that is pretty much ALL we will say about the new locations. We want you to experience and explore at your own pace and without any preconceived notions about what to do, where to go, or how to conduct your scientific progress. And yes, you can continue your existing saves if you want - though you might find a few changes throughout the early game too, especially with the new boon of Fishing and whatnot.
We hope you enjoy exploring these new Sectors and portal worlds as much as we enjoyed building them. And don’t forget to bring a flashlight.
Fishing
Need a break from the day-to-day mad science? Tired of the same old Pest-burger? Grab some office supplies, cobble together a Makeshift Fishing Rod and cast your line! The new Fishing skill can be leveled to unlock fishing-related recipes and increase your general skill in acquiring those feisty fish.
With fishing also comes a whole new bait system (simply hold your Reload key to add bait to a rod) and many new ways to get certain resources - and a few new things you may not expect. And you better believe that Reload feature is a sign of things to come.
One thing you can expect is fish. You will get fish when fishing. Usually. Different fish can be caught in different types of water, and there’s even a few sneaky variants that may lurk below. As with most things in the GATE Cascade Research Facility, we’ll leave the thinking up to you.
Water, Water Everywhere
Well, not everywhere, but a lot of it, to be sure! We’ve even added a couple new spots to swim and fish about! The swimming system has been updated a bit for better navigation, and some new items lay in store to help you where you might need it. We won’t say more on this topic, because we feel we’ve said just the right amount.
Savory Sushi with the Chef’s Counter
Food is now exclusively crafted at a new early-stage bench, and the right-hand side specifically enables the butchering of fish. To procure the meat and other resources from fish, you’ll need a powered-up Chef’s Counter in whatever hovel you’ve decided to call home.
New Feature: Temperature
The Temperature System has been completely reworked from the ground up to require a little planning, but much better feedback and easy solutions, if you know where to look. As you increase cold and heat resistance, your temperature gauge will change to reflect your tolerances, and you’ll now have much better on-screen feedback when it comes to the ambient weather.
Equipment will indicate if it’s going to give you a nice bonus one way or the other. There’s a lot more nuance here, and once again - use that big brain to solve those big problems.
New Deployables
There’s a bunch of new scientific deployables for you to invent which should fill out the missing spots in your base.
Auto-Salvager
Moisture Teleporter
Carbon Bridges
Carbon Barricade
Carbon Storage Crates
The radiation-neutralizing Neutrino Emitter?!
THE PORTAL TOILET?
This is nonsense, absolute nonsense. And this isn’t even a full list!
Lock n’ Lasers
The Laser System has been expanded and there are now several new laser-based and laser-powered deployables. And some weapons, or so we’ve heard.
New Weapons, Armor and Enemies
We could not begin to enumerate the threats and theories you’ll uncover (nor do we want to spoil your adventure), but we can give you a handy breakdown of a few new technologies we feel you’ll be clamoring for in no time.
At least one new armor set, but probably more like three
New goggles, of both the swimming and night vision variety
The scoped Magbow
Several new craftable Heavy Weapons, and major buffs to Heavy Weapons in general
A couple new military-grade weapons, and Biomimic Armwraps
A jetpack?
That thing on the Exor’s arm??
You can drive the SUV now!?
The rest of this list is far too long, my fingers hurt!
We feel these weapons and armor will help you against the threats that lay ahead. But that’s just a feeling.
Skill Rank 15
You can now level your skills all the way to Rank 15. That’s a high number (but not the highest we have planned.) Maybe there’s a few new perks along the way! (There are. There are a few new perks along the way.)
Bench Upgrades
Two new bench upgrades have found their way into the Crafting Bench; the Metabolic Field and the Spontaneous Matter Synthesizer. We feel the names speak for themselves.
Warren: Man of the People
Warren has followed through on his threats and finally opened a small trading post. You can give Warren (or rather, his trading terminal) a bunch of different items, and more will unlock as you progress! He might have a few handy things for sale, including staplers. He also said something about strange dreams with orange skies, and reckoned he’d trade us a GATE Security Crate key if we could help him sleep a bit better. Weird. Maybe you can sort that out for him.
Fixating on Fog
Dr. Thule tells us he’s spoken with several scientist passer-bys that claim the foggy Facility weather is too dang foggy. We got him a few cups of coffee and he spent a bit of time tinkering around and upgrading the Facility ventilation systems. We’re happy to report that it worked.
The Facility now has two sensible locations for venting weather, both Fog and Radiation Leaks. Along with that change, the fog itself seems to have been reduced in intensity, just a bit.
As we parted ways with Thule, he gave us a small bite of something he said he “fished up.” He called it Fogiri, and when we ate it, we could swear the Fog came swirling in just the next day! Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe.
Holy **** They Might Have Optimized Something
Now now, don’t get too excited. We can’t promise we fixed all of the optimization issues some scientists have experienced, but we can guarantee one thing: we gave it a pretty good shot! We tore apart some of the Sectors and put them back together in a way that allows smaller chunks of the areas to load. The most affected sectors are the Laboratory areas - you know the one - and the new Sectors also benefit greatly from this. We’d like to do this with more sectors over time, but it does take time and a lot of care. We hope you enjoy these changes and we can say personally - we felt the difference.
Honorable Mentions
Various micro (and some macro) improvements have been made all throughout the Facility. Let’s just run down another (incomplete) list, shall we?
Holding interact on Charging Stations will now bring up a radial wheel allowing you to place any low-battery items.
Holding the Flashlight toggle button will now bring up a radial wheel featuring all your available flashlight, weapon, or headlamp illumination options.
Ovens do a ringy dingy now.
There are a handful of new plants, and we’ve even added some new ways to get things that were previously one-offs. Keep an eye out for things that grow. A lot of food recipes are hiding just behind a suspicious leaf, if you get our meaning.
A lot of food-related items have been rebalanced. See the full patch notes (linked below) for a more detailed breakdown.
Widened some roadways (or hallways) in a few key spots for better vehicular travel, something we’ll keep an eye on.
We’ve made improvements to the recipe substitute system, allowing more varieties of resources to be used in certain recipes. We’ve also looked at resources that were difficult to get and improved the rate you might encounter them.
Certain cabinets have had their space expanded (such as Med Kits) but now only allow a specific item type. This can be disabled in Sandbox Settings, but we feel this balances out some of the overuse of high-capacity refrigerators for things that aren’t strictly food.
The Compendium now shows when something new is unlocked, and what that something is. Look for an orange dot!
We heard The Order has given Ornate Keycards to more of their troops. The reasoning for this is unknown, but it can only help us science folk.
There has been an increase in sightings of IS-0407 in Flathill.
There’s so much more we could list, but we simply can’t cover it all here. See patch notes (linked below) for a more detailed look at the changes.
Keep in mind the patch notes will NOT include new content, for the most part, as we feel discovery is a major part of the experience. Thank you for your understanding.
Achievements
A good handful of achievements have been added - many will be obtained by visiting (for the first time or by returning) to your favorite portal worlds, as well as a couple new sneaky ones. Speaking of sneaky ones - let us know when you find the Hydroplant uniform.
Bugs Bugging You?
We’ve also made some changes to the in-game bug report form to make it easier for you to submit your bugs. It now has bug type categories to choose from, cutting down on the amount of information we’re asking you to type in. Quick and easy! That’s how all great science gets done. With your help, we will continue making Abiotic Factor the best it can be.
Be safe out there, scientists.
This has been a taste of the major highlights, if you're looking for the FULL PATCH NOTES, click the link to the left and explore the full list on your favorite dial up modem.
Be sure to update your dedicated servers and as always, please keep submitting your bugs through the in-game links so we can keep working on improvements.
The Road Ahead
While Dark Energy is indeed our next major, major update, we have a couple more things in store between then and now. A September Community Update? Maybe! A Halloween Special? Who knows! The potential is unlimited, but we are human, so we’ll have to narrow it down. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to spill the beans. And yes, we’re also looking into more robust Difficulty settings, because we know some of you just can’t get enough pain.
Alright, that’s enough reading outta you lot, let’s get in there and explore!
Thank you for all your work in the GATE Cascade Research Facility!
Greetings friends!!! We have some great news to share with you today.
Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona is now available on Steam! We are offering a special 15% discount during the launch period. The game is also available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch.
At its core this is a Souls-like game that features Metroidvania elements, filled with exploration and secrets to be found.
You're in for a great adventure inspired by games like Castlevania and Dark Souls. Bloodthirsty monsters, divine creatures and epic boss battles. The game’s story is shaped by choices that will define your journey.
Let's celebrate the game's launch!
In honor of the release, please watch the trailer and immerse yourself in the world of Makh-Abyss before fully exploring the story and finding out what actually happened after the death of Lord Derek Ericona.
This is a wonderful occasion to explore an amazing roster of Polish games, whether developed or published by talented Polish creators 💪
It's the perfect time to dive into some incredible indie games and discover the unique charm and creativity that Polish people bring to the gaming world! Check out the Polish Sale - From Poland With Love ❤️ or take a look at Anshar Publishing's roster and find your next favourite game! 🎮❤️
🔥 Liberte
Immerse yourself in the dark and gripping world of Liberte, a roguelike deck-builder set during the French Revolution. With its unique blend of strategy and fast-paced action, Liberte offers a fresh take on historical events. Build your deck, face formidable foes, and change the course of history. Vive la révolution!
Dive into the thrilling world of Coridden, an action-packed RPG where you (and your friends!) embark on an epic journey filled with adventure and mystery. Set in a vibrant, post-apocalyptic universe, you play as one of the four siblings, possessing an extraordinary ability to shapeshift into powerful beasts.
Explore a colourful digital world filled with cute characters and tricky challenges. Use your special electrifying skills to unlock secrets, beat virus, and cleanse the computer! With its fun story, bright graphics, and numerous puzzles to solve, Bytebond is a game that will keep you (and your friend!) hooked from start to finish.
Embark on an epic journey in Sigilfarer, a truly addicting adventure. It's time to roll the dice to decide your fate! Travel through a mesmerizing fantasy world in your trusty cart, and navigate a beautifully crafted hex-based map.
Step into a rich, immersive world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. Zoria: Age of Shattering is a tactical RPG that will test your strategic skills and keep you on the edge of your seat. Lead your party through challenging quests, uncover hidden secrets, and shape the fate of Zoria. Don’t miss out on this epic journey!
Ever wanted to be a detective in a cyberpunk world? Gamedec lets you do just that! As a private investigator in a dystopian future, you’ll solve intricate cases in virtual worlds. Your choices matter, and every decision you make will shape the story. Get ready for a thrilling narrative experience that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
Embark on a heart-warming journey with Weakless, a puzzle-adventure game that tells the touching story of two unlikely heroes – a blind creature and a deaf creature. Together, they must navigate a beautifully crafted world, relying on each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles. It’s a tale of friendship, resilience, and the power of unity.
Experience the magic of theatre in The Last Show of Mr. Chardish. This narrative-driven adventure game takes you on a nostalgic journey through the life of a once-famous actor. Explore stunning hand-painted environments, solve puzzles, and uncover the secrets of Mr. Chardish’s past. It’s a heartfelt story that will leave a lasting impression.
This is a wonderful occasion to explore an amazing roster of Polish games, whether developed or published by talented Polish creators 💪
It's the perfect time to dive into some incredible indie games and discover the unique charm and creativity that Polish people bring to the gaming world! Check out the Polish Sale - From Poland With Love ❤️ or take a look at Anshar Publishing's roster and find your next favourite game! 🎮❤️
🕵️ Gamedec
Ever wanted to be a detective in a cyberpunk world? Gamedec lets you do just that! As a private investigator in a dystopian future, you’ll solve intricate cases in virtual worlds. Your choices matter, and every decision you make will shape the story. Get ready for a thrilling narrative experience that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
Dive into the thrilling world of Coridden, an action-packed RPG where you (and your friends!) embark on an epic journey filled with adventure and mystery. Set in a vibrant, post-apocalyptic universe, you play as one of the four siblings, possessing an extraordinary ability to shapeshift into powerful beasts.
Explore a colourful digital world filled with cute characters and tricky challenges. Use your special electrifying skills to unlock secrets, beat virus, and cleanse the computer! With its fun story, bright graphics, and numerous puzzles to solve, Bytebond is a game that will keep you (and your friend!) hooked from start to finish.
Embark on an epic journey in Sigilfarer, a truly addicting adventure. It's time to roll the dice to decide your fate! Travel through a mesmerizing fantasy world in your trusty cart, and navigate a beautifully crafted hex-based map.
Step into a rich, immersive world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. Zoria: Age of Shattering is a tactical RPG that will test your strategic skills and keep you on the edge of your seat. Lead your party through challenging quests, uncover hidden secrets, and shape the fate of Zoria. Don’t miss out on this epic journey!
Immerse yourself in the dark and gripping world of Liberte, a roguelike deck-builder set during the French Revolution. With its unique blend of strategy and fast-paced action, Liberte offers a fresh take on historical events. Build your deck, face formidable foes, and change the course of history. Vive la révolution!
Embark on a heart-warming journey with Weakless, a puzzle-adventure game that tells the touching story of two unlikely heroes – a blind creature and a deaf creature. Together, they must navigate a beautifully crafted world, relying on each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles. It’s a tale of friendship, resilience, and the power of unity.
Experience the magic of theatre in The Last Show of Mr. Chardish. This narrative-driven adventure game takes you on a nostalgic journey through the life of a once-famous actor. Explore stunning hand-painted environments, solve puzzles, and uncover the secrets of Mr. Chardish’s past. It’s a heartfelt story that will leave a lasting impression.
This is a wonderful occasion to explore an amazing roster of Polish games, whether developed or published by talented Polish creators 💪 Bytebond is made by an ultra-Polish combo, having both the developer and the publisher from the land of onions and pierogis! 🧅🥟
It's the perfect time to dive into some incredible indie games and discover the unique charm and creativity that Polish people bring to the gaming world! Check out the Polish Sale - From Poland With Love ❤️ or take a look at Anshar Publishing's roster and find your next favourite game! 🎮❤️
🤖 Bytebond
Explore a colourful digital world filled with cute characters and tricky challenges. Use your special electrifying skills to unlock secrets, beat virus, and cleanse the computer! With its fun story, bright graphics, and numerous puzzles to solve, Bytebond is a game that will keep you (and your friend!) hooked from start to finish.
Dive into the thrilling world of Coridden, an action-packed RPG where you (and your friends!) embark on an epic journey filled with adventure and mystery. Set in a vibrant, post-apocalyptic universe, you play as one of the four siblings, possessing an extraordinary ability to shapeshift into powerful beasts.
Embark on an epic journey in Sigilfarer, a truly addicting adventure. It's time to roll the dice to decide your fate! Travel through a mesmerizing fantasy world in your trusty cart, and navigate a beautifully crafted hex-based map.
Step into a rich, immersive world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. Zoria: Age of Shattering is a tactical RPG that will test your strategic skills and keep you on the edge of your seat. Lead your party through challenging quests, uncover hidden secrets, and shape the fate of Zoria. Don’t miss out on this epic journey!
Ever wanted to be a detective in a cyberpunk world? Gamedec lets you do just that! As a private investigator in a dystopian future, you’ll solve intricate cases in virtual worlds. Your choices matter, and every decision you make will shape the story. Get ready for a thrilling narrative experience that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
Immerse yourself in the dark and gripping world of Liberte, a roguelike deck-builder set during the French Revolution. With its unique blend of strategy and fast-paced action, Liberte offers a fresh take on historical events. Build your deck, face formidable foes, and change the course of history. Vive la révolution!
Embark on a heart-warming journey with Weakless, a puzzle-adventure game that tells the touching story of two unlikely heroes – a blind creature and a deaf creature. Together, they must navigate a beautifully crafted world, relying on each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles. It’s a tale of friendship, resilience, and the power of unity.
Experience the magic of theatre in The Last Show of Mr. Chardish. This narrative-driven adventure game takes you on a nostalgic journey through the life of a once-famous actor. Explore stunning hand-painted environments, solve puzzles, and uncover the secrets of Mr. Chardish’s past. It’s a heartfelt story that will leave a lasting impression.
This is a wonderful occasion to explore an amazing roster of Polish games, whether developed or published by talented Polish creators 💪 Sigilfarer is made by an ultra-Polish combo, having both the developer and the publisher from the land of onions and pierogis! 🧅🥟
It's the perfect time to dive into some incredible indie games and discover the unique charm and creativity that Polish people bring to the gaming world! Check out the Polish Sale - From Poland With Love ❤️ or take a look at Anshar Publishing's roster and find your next favourite game! 🎮❤️
🎲 Sigilfarer
Embark on an epic journey in Sigilfarer, a truly addicting adventure. It's time to roll the dice to decide your fate! Travel through a mesmerizing fantasy world in your trusty cart, and navigate a beautifully crafted hex-based map.
Explore a colourful digital world filled with cute characters and tricky challenges. Use your special electrifying skills to unlock secrets, beat virus, and cleanse the computer! With its fun story, bright graphics, and numerous puzzles to solve, Bytebond is a game that will keep you (and your friend!) hooked from start to finish.
Dive into the thrilling world of Coridden, an action-packed RPG where you (and your friends!) embark on an epic journey filled with adventure and mystery. Set in a vibrant, post-apocalyptic universe, you play as one of the four siblings, possessing an extraordinary ability to shapeshift into powerful beasts.
Step into a rich, immersive world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. Zoria: Age of Shattering is a tactical RPG that will test your strategic skills and keep you on the edge of your seat. Lead your party through challenging quests, uncover hidden secrets, and shape the fate of Zoria. Don’t miss out on this epic journey!
Ever wanted to be a detective in a cyberpunk world? Gamedec lets you do just that! As a private investigator in a dystopian future, you’ll solve intricate cases in virtual worlds. Your choices matter, and every decision you make will shape the story. Get ready for a thrilling narrative experience that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
Immerse yourself in the dark and gripping world of Liberte, a roguelike deck-builder set during the French Revolution. With its unique blend of strategy and fast-paced action, Liberte offers a fresh take on historical events. Build your deck, face formidable foes, and change the course of history. Vive la révolution!
Embark on a heart-warming journey with Weakless, a puzzle-adventure game that tells the touching story of two unlikely heroes – a blind creature and a deaf creature. Together, they must navigate a beautifully crafted world, relying on each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles. It’s a tale of friendship, resilience, and the power of unity.
Experience the magic of theatre in The Last Show of Mr. Chardish. This narrative-driven adventure game takes you on a nostalgic journey through the life of a once-famous actor. Explore stunning hand-painted environments, solve puzzles, and uncover the secrets of Mr. Chardish’s past. It’s a heartfelt story that will leave a lasting impression.
We just wanted to start by saying a huge thank you to you all! We are blown away by how many of you have purchased the game and spent countless hours battling your way through the tavern in just a few days!
We thought we would take this opportunity to tell you a few of our short term plans for Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers.
While reception to the game has been incredible, there is always room for improvement. Firstly, we have been hard at work fixing critical bugs and will continue to do so. Secondly, we want to do some considerable work on the balance of the game. We hear your feedback that a few of the early encounters can be rather punishing, and this is causing some fights that should be straight forward to swing in the favour of the opponent. We also want to give players earlier access to more impactful cards that will allow for better deck manipulation. Finally, we will be making some adjustments to a few problematic encounters that appear later in the game too. Some of these encounters were resulting in the opponent building up too many shields and other issues which were turning some fights into much longer encounters than anticipated—our balance changes will make a big difference here!
If you have enjoyed the game so far, we would love for you to leave a review, this helps us out a lot! And remember, the launch discount will be ending soon so if you have not picked the game up yet, be sure to take advantage of the current price promotion.
If you are new to the tavern and want to stay up to date with all the latest news and info, join us on Discord here to become part of the community! We currently have a community design challenge ongoing, where you can submit ideas or art for new card back designs to be added to the game, and we have some more community activities coming up soon too!
