Suit for Hire News

Hey everyone,

The last Devlog we posted was back in Nov 2022 so it was only a matter of time that we had to put out a new devlog to update you on what we've been working on.


We finally pushed the Shipyard to the Beta Branch and we're looking for any feedback or bug reports that you may have!

We've already received a ton of feedback on things that we plan on improving, but we're always looking for more to make sure we're making changes that will improve the game as a whole and prepares the Miami series for release.

Check out the video below to see what you can expect!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Let us know what you think on the Beta Branch thread!


If you've played the newest version of the Test Branch, you may notice that the Cathedral is there, unfortunately it doesn't work just yet but we're definitely getting close to complete on it!

The Cathedral is the 2nd chapter of the Miami Series, tons of close-combat moments and an elite fight at the end is in store for all Suits.

We've been working on a C4 system for the underground segment and much more, it's starting to shape up, take a look below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


As we've been discussing in the past few Devlogs, we've also been working on new main weapons that you can choose from before beginning a chapter, the UI needed an upgrade for this so that's what we went ahead and did:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We do have more primary weapons planned but we're relatively happy with how you select them from a weapon rack, let us know what you think!


We're not done there, we've made a lot of other adjustments and improvements including but not limited to:

• Updated shaders on vehicles and models throughout the game
  
• Weapon throwing now improved and does not rely on physics (should register hits more consistently)
  
• Doors improved, have to interact to open them so kicking feels better (auto-open door option is in the settings)
  
• Weapon looting animation
  
• Diving animations for 2-handed weapons
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Thanks for taking the time to read this devlog, as per usual we're always on Discord and the Community Hub reading your feedback, suggestions and bug reports.

Thanks for your support, see you in the next one!

Hey everyone, hope you've been doing well!

I'm gonna get straight into the devlog as there's some important info to unravel and some explanations for why we're choosing to do things in that way.


As you all know, we've been working hard on getting the Miami series done. In the last devlog we pointed out we're putting more effort into the level design in an effort to make each chapter feel unique from one another, due to this change it does increase development time and we've already spent a LONG time trying to get this new update done (almost 7-8 months of no updates to the official branch, minus the Test/Beta branch).

Not having an update out for almost a year honestly makes me as a developer feel extremely guilty as I always strived to have consistent updates (we started out doing weekly updates with new mechanics almost each time), due to this guilt it definitely got in the way of me as a lead developer to function properly and get things done in a respectable time-frame. As a way of lifting up that guilt and hopefully getting into a more productive groove, we'll be shifting into a new release schedule for the Miami series.

The Miami series will Debut with 3 of the first chapters, all of the mechanics we've been working on, including a lot of changes and upgrades to animations and existing systems. We're kind of starting a "Season" of sorts (I guess, I wouldn't want to consider it as like, a game-as-a-service structure but more of our own thing).

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[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The video above shows a little sneakpeek of what we've been improving ranging from our character's suit cloth physics, recoil animations, and improving trickposing. Lots more to come!

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So I suppose we're introducing the Miami Series as a season of updates, once the debut begins, we'll work hard on resolving any bugs and issues you have. Before pushing the Miami debut to the official branch though, we'll have a important test session for 2 days on the Test/Beta branch to gather any important bug reports and issues that players are having so the official branch is smoother.

We'd appreciate anyone who's willing to test and break the sh** out of the game to try it out and provide feedback either through our Discord or the Community Hub, we want to make sure this big update runs smoothly (the Test branch isn't updated just yet).

After the debut of the Miami series, we'll be working hard on the additional chapters and releasing them at specific periods, we'll be aiming at semi-weekly but we can't promise that just yet. The goal for the Miami series is to of course have 7 chapters including some fun replayable ones like a Survival mode.

These updates may also come with new weapons, enemies, and more! So there's a plethora of things that you can look forward to as we do these new update sprints.

I'd like to personally apologize for not having this update done way earlier, like I stated earlier, it definitely has been eating at me the fact this update hasn't been released yet and I understand anybody's frustrations with the lack of content, etc. I'm hoping with this adjustment we'll be able to release things at a steadier pace again.

That means we're hoping to release the Miami series very soon (not like a developer soonTM, but like an actual soon)!

We'll have more details in a future announcement post as we begin the urgent testing for the update.

Let us know what you think, we hope you have a fantastic week, we'll be here working away on the game and reading any of your comments/feedback!

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all doing well, my apologies for the overdue update here on Steam, we've been busy at work on the new chapters and a few other things shown on Crimson's YouTube channel (fun behind the scenes videos of the Miami series development), I've also been streaming on Twitch if you want live updates and/or want to ask any questions/provide feedback.

In the last Devlog, I mentioned a development schedule that was waaaay too ambitious, but alongside that our overall ideals and goals for the new chapters took a turn. Our workflow adjusted to try to make them more unique, fun, and levels that make you want to come back for more. As developers we're always striving to improve the game and make it the best it can be, we're never settling for something that seems "okay", we want something that people can look back at and think "damn, that was a fun level".


That being said, the Miami update has been pushed back to December (hopefully, we're working hard to have it all done by then), before then we'll have the Miami series- or at least the blockouts of the chapters uploaded to the Test Branch to gather crucial feedback and bug reports ASAP.

The Test Branch is still live if you're interested in trying out the new mechanics and features that we've been working on.


We've made tons of progress on 2 more chapters and almost finalizing the Shipyard, we also have another chapter in early blockout phases (one that I think many of you will enjoy), we'll show that one off in a future devlog.

The two chapters after the Shipyard are the Cathedral and the Art Exhibit.



The Cathedral is split up into 3 different sections/floors, the Lobby/Atrium, the Upper Rooms, and the Catacombs- a place that originally was used for religious activity is now used for illegal activity for gangs, an interesting twist.



The Art Exhibit is big and has a ton of unique mechanics that we begin introducing from this level and onwards, things like destructible walls and specific enemies holding a keycard that you have to hunt down to progress should change up playstyles and make things feel a bit more fresh.

We're super excited to bring these new chapters to all of you, and we're doing our best to take what we learned in the Campaign and applying it to the new series. We'd love to one day revisit the Campaign to bring it up to par in terms of quality of all of the new chapters, that should be fun.

If you're curious about the new wall destruction, check out this video showing a technical breakdown of the details we've added.

Thank you everyone for your patience and support these past few months as we work on this update, even though we're a super small team (3 people), I personally feel bad that the update has taken so long, but we're certain it'll be worth it once it releases.



I'm not sure if I've ever gone in-depth on Steam about Godmode Interactive and its ever-changing numbers. Currently we're 3 developers all focused on different things:

Crimson - Lead Developer (that's me), I focus on gameplay, environments, level design, sounds... basically most of the game except for music
Tallowahh - Music, handles all of the music and parameters run through Fmod
Reckless - Level Designer/Environment Artist, relatively new to the team but contributing a ton to the blockouts and levels of the game (he's also the one working on the 4th chapter that we'll show off in a future devlog!)

That's the team currently, we used to have an animator but the team is always changing (that's just how things are), a big shoutout to Kyle Style who was handling the animations and is the past developer who worked on a ton of the execution animations you see in the game today!

Anyways, I'm sure not many of you would be interested in the team section above but I wanted to point it out anyway for those that are interested.

That's the Devlog for this month though, thanks to everyone for their bug reports and feedback as we work towards finishing this big update, we're reading all of your messages spanning from the Discord all the way to the Community Hub.

See you in the next one!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to post a fully fledged devlog but with how tight our schedule is, I sadly don't have all that much time to make a full devlog.

That being said, I'm really excited to show some screenshots of the Miami series so far, of course it's still the Shipyard but we've been blocking out all of the other levels behind the scenes.

The Shipyard is the very first level introducing the player to Miami and its series of chapters that the player will undertake, and wow, it's a long and exciting one.

I'd like to note that the screenshots below are all WORK IN PROGRESS, some images may have been taken before other ones, etc. but we're working on it!



This is just how big the Shipyard chapter is- you start out in a shipping container, almost as if you've been shipped to this new land far from Toronno. You work your way through the shipyard, going through hidden away regions surrounded by cargo containers all the way to being atop of one of the cranes.



This chapter should be super exciting for players, we're doing our best to take everything we learned from the Campaign and putting it all in this new series.







I'd like to apologize for how long this update has been taking, it's been around 5-6 months since the last major update, and that's definitely unacceptable. We're a new development team and sometimes planning out our time, priorities, etc. can be difficult. We're hoping that the Miami update is one that you've all been waiting for, we appreciate your patience as we work on it.

If you're curious what our current development schedule looks like, take a look:

- Miami Series (finish by 21st of October)
    - Shipyard - (Sept 19-22)
    - Cathedral - (Sept 23-26)
    - Tower - (Sept 27-30)
    - Art Exhibit - (Oct 1-4)
    - Club - (Oct 5-9)
    - Yacht - (Oct 10-14)
    - Drug Condo - (Oct 15-19)

We're trying our hardest to reach all of these dates so the Miami update can finally be released once and for all.

While you wait, there's the test branch that includes all of the new gameplay mechanics like grappling and customizing your weapon loadout. Additionally, you can tune into our development stream to watch Miami grow.

Thanks and have a fantastic weekend!

Hey everyone!

Welcome to another devlog, this time with more details on the Grappling mechanic, loadout system, and more.

Before we get started, I'd like to announce that we've opened up a Beta/Test Branch, we wanted to be able to test the new features/mechanics we've been working on without causing issues on the live version of the game so this was the perfect way to do it. If you want to get an early look at the grappling mechanics (and in the near future, the loadout system), feel free to follow the directions below:

Originally posted by Crimson

To enable the Test Branch, go to your Library > Suit for Hire > right-click and click Properties... > Betas > Select the dropdown and select the Beta branch. From there, let the game update and you now have the Test Branch! To go back to the live version of the game, just do the same steps but set the dropdown branch to None.

Currently the Test Branch includes the grappling mechanic, and will soon get a patch that'll include the Loadout system to play around with the new primary weapons.

Please post all bug reports and feedback to this thread, we appreciate any help to make sure the upcoming update is stable!

Thanks again to anybody who submits bug reports and feedback, it helps us a lot when it comes to improving the game!

Additionally, the game is currently 30% off for the Steam Summer Sale, give it a look or wishlist if you haven't!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1612420/

[h2]Grappling Mechanic[/h2]
The grappling mechanic has gotten some more work done to it, we've adjusted how the player tosses enemies around and can include a few different velocities based on how you're throwing them. Additionally you can now grab enemies from behind, knee them and punch them while grappling them. Some of these animations still need adjustments so bare with us as we continue to improve the mechanic.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
As we mentioned above, the grappling mechanic is now playable within the Test Branch, we'd appreciate any feedback and bug reports to make it as good as it can be for update release!

[h2]Loadouts[/h2]
This past week or so we had the chance to start work on the newest loadout system, for those that don't know what the loadout system involves- it allows you to change your primary weapon to exclusive guns like a Revolver, Nailgun, and a Silenced Pistol.



We started work on the Revolver, since we felt it would be one of the harder ones to develop since it involves an actual cylinder with separate bullets and slots. This means that if you're not keeping an eye on your cylinder, you may come across some empty slots that you need to reload individually.

Of course the Revolver also has its own unique sound effects, Ultimate, and more to make it a unique weapon of choice.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
You may also notice that the gun has been textured, all of our previous weapons had a solid color since we had to cut corners to save on time. We now had the chance to add some more textures to the weapons to make them pop a bit more.



[h2]Miami Series[/h2]
Now you're probably wondering where we're at in terms of the new series of chapters, the Miami Series. Unfortunately we'll have to push the release of the Miami Series to another update since there's quite a bit that we need to do on the environment and level design side.

Don't worry though, we have other content plans for this upcoming update, we'll be working on the Simulation Series (which we've had planned for an extended period of time). The Simulation Series is similar to that of a challenge mode or Virtual Reality mode from other similar genre games.

We'll have more info on the Simulation Series in a future devlog- we appreciate your patience as we work on this update though, we've got lots coming to Suit for Hire and we're excited to have you all trying it out. For those who are curious, the Miami Series is still being actively developed by our Environment Artist, so it's not being paused whatsoever.

Thanks again for your patience, we're working hard to get this update ready! Let us know what you think of today's devlog on Discord and the Community Hub.

Have a fantastic day!