Chornobyl Liquidators News

This time we have a different kind of news for you but we are sure that you will like what we have to say. While you may still look forward to our weekly devlog - because we love seeing you react to our work and learn from your comments - we have a great opportunity for you to try the game before it is fully released.

As that is the case we are happy to announce that we are starting beta test sign-ups!



Starting from now on you will be able to sign up for a beta test on the main page of the game on Steam. In 2021 we will randomly select a few participants that will have the chance to test the game simply by playing through it. We are hoping to gather as much feedback from those lucky fellows as possible - all for the task of making our game the best it could be!

As it is a beta test you need to remember that some of the things might be still not fully implemented or might work in an inappropriate way. Please do remember that it is the nature of beta tests to find out what is working well and what is working… not quite as good. We’re hoping to hear back from you about any issues you might encounter during tests as we will be closely monitoring your suggestions, opinions and feedback. Your words are what matters the most!

While not everything will be available to you in the beta tests it will still be a first opportunity for you to take a mantle of a liquidator and walk through the world we’ve created. We hope that this experience will be valuable - both for you as a player, and for us as game developers. We count on you to provide us with as much feedback as possible - after all that is the purpose of this test. Thank you!

Don’t wait - sign up for the beta right now!


Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

This week we would like to tell you a bit more about one of the tools that are going to be available at your disposal in the game. As you probably guessed from the title of this devlog - it's Dosimeter DP-3B which is a real piece of equipment that have been used in the life of liquidators in the past. It is also a tool that can be said to be invaluable when faced with the threat of radiation.

Right off the bat we need to say that we have not spared any pain or expenses in order to make sure that this particular piece of equipment has been recreated faithfully to its original. We wanted to create it in order to evoke a special feeling in our players, feeling of participation in something "real". Graphically speaking - we really hope that you will like the model we've created. It is very important for the gameplay too!



Some of you might want to say that "this particular piece of equipment has been attached to a tank" and you wouldn't be mistaken. However in the first moments after the catastrophe the selection regarding the equipment wasn't very wide. Liquidators took what was available - even if that meant using a very heavy piece of equipment that wasn't initially designed for manual use. This particular sentence, unfortunately, is true for many of tools that liquidators had when they fought the effects of the catastrophe. In this case you might even see that this particular dosimeter that you can use in-game was produced in Poland. It even has Polish instructions written on it!



The dosimeter itself will be able to warn player's character before entering a radiated room or area. As you can see it consists of two very heavy parts - the main unit and the probe that you will have to use and walk with detecting the potential dangers before it gets too late. The alarm lamp of the DP-3B used to alarm liquidators about incoming danger by rapidly blinking that got even faster if they were entering areas that were radiated to a higher degree (and if you want to read more about radiation in the game - take a look at one of our previous devlogs for some extra insight that is still absolutely up-to-date).



The dosimeter itself was built to be very durable and while it was able to detect the radiation, it was also prepared to be able to resist it. The sturdy construction made it possible for this tool to withstand vibrations and temperature fluctuations. However it has been reported that the rubber that was partly used to make the probe had the tendecy to snap, damaging the whole tool. Unfortunately - equipment malfunction was always something that had to be taken into an account.

That's all for today and see you in the next devlog!

Treat your equipment well - it will treat you well back!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

There is an old saying and rule - show, don’t tell. We are quite fond of that little sentence because it encapsulates our approach to these devlogs. While trying to show as much as we can we always make sure to cover a variety of topics when talking with you. This time we want to come back to audio and show you something new.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As you can see (or hear!) in this particular devlog - we have few examples of how we are going to set the mood in the game through sounds, noises and different kinds of ambient we have prepared for liquidators venturing to various locations in the game. Combining that with atmospheric music that will be our companion during the tasks we need to perform will create an audio experience that will enhance the gameplay and set the overall mood of the game.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

For the task of making this experience as realistic as possible we have used a special system managing different types of ambience sounds. What you will be hearing in certain places might be a little bit different each time you visit them. Why? Because a lot of the sounds will be generated procedurally. That means that our system will find appropriate noises that should be played in particular locations and will add them to audio tracks you’ll be hearing in game. You’ll be hearing quite different sounds depending on whether you’re currently going through a dark and wet tunnel or through a relatively peaceful room. The system will intelligently craft the experience for you from different parts it possesses.

To quote our developers - what you actually hear in game is the combination of three distinct elements that make up the ambient sound-scape in our game:

• Static music track (library of which we grow steadily).
  
• Dynamic ambient system which is composed of spatial emitters spawning in the 3d space around the player and playing randomised ambient samples based on weight.
  
• 3D-sound changing volume which affects stuff such as reverb, echo and other parameters responsible for how the audio is being emitted.
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Helicopters flying, dogs barking or even wind howling louder or quieter - hearing them will completely depend on that system which will carefully find appropriate moments to insert into our audio experience which we’re trying to weave seamlessly into our story. More precisely - thanks to the system wind that you'll be able to hear up on the rooftop of any building will be much more pronounced than something you could hear over the window. It’ll be much more possible for you to hear dogs barking in the habitable areas than in dark tunnels. Those audio cues will also have different parameters - loudness is one of them but we are also incorporating many effects into them to make sure that they sound as natural as possible. Don’t be surprised when you’ll suddenly hear echoing sounds in places where those are absolutely feasible.

Let us know in the comments what you think about the examples we prepared for you. Do you feel the atmosphere we’re trying to create?!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

As you might already know one of the phrases we tend to repeat when talking about game development is that we take utmost care to make sure that even little details are well-polished and looking good.

That phrase encompasses all of our undertakings - no matter if we are talking about game balance, game mechanics or art style of the game. This time however we will present you something a little bit bigger that we can't simply call a "detail" with clear conscience.

It's a firetruck - let's take a look at it!

You have already seen it if you've watched our pre-alpha gameplay footage but we would love to give you another glimpse into the model of the firetruck we have painstakingly modeled and prepared for you. Well it might be a little bit more than a glimpse...

We won't lie - we ourselves love the design of this firetruck!

And while we sometimes talk about artistic liberties and so on - in case of this particular track we have a real-life equivalent that we have used to model this particular one. GAZ-53 is a model that we fell in love almost instantly and we couldn't imagine the game without this one being in our game.

Take a look at the firetruck in action..

You might be interested in the fact that this particular track was produced between 1961 and 1993 - quite a large period of time! This one was larger than virtually identical GAZ-52 and could carry up quite a heavier load (up to 4 tonnes!).

We just need to see the insides of it, right?

Over 4 million such trucks were produced in the Soviet Union - number speaks for themselves. They are one of the most popular trucks ever produced in the Union!

Just imagine riding one of those yourself...

Expect more from us very soon!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/

Story is an important factor of many games, often deciding about whether a particular production will be successful or not. As that is the case, we believe that Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator would be impossible to create without creating a unique narrative that will encompass the whole game - our players will feel that they are a part of something bigger and mysterious.



As you will walk through many of our carefully crafted locations you will not only be able to see and experience an environment that will faithfully call back to days when the catastrophe happened but also find different objects that will be important for the overarching plot of the game. Some of them will be a little bit vague and you will have to connect the dots to see the bigger picture while others might convey the story points in a clear and concise way.

Some documents might even turn out to be transcripts of discussions between the crew giving you a glimpse into their everyday communication.

As you might imagine the topic of “why did the catastrophe happen” will be something that we will definitely try to tackle in our storytelling. Your character will be able to find many objects and documents that would lead them to finding an answer for that ultimate question. It will not be easy however - aside from the obvious environmental threats that will sometimes make it difficult to collect the data it is also expected from the player to find multiple files and documents before it will all make sense and create a full image.

A look into inner workings of high officers... just what is in those documents?

And that is not all. Just finding those objects will not be the end. After all some of the documentation you might come across will be highly classified and you will have to make some difficult decisions in regards to who will be the one to receive them from your hands…

Expect more about the story in future devlogs!

Kind regards,
Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1113010/Chernobyl_Liquidators_Simulator/