Sword of the Stars: The Pit 2 News

Hi! How'd your week go? We had a tornado. In Vancouver. Our city motto is "Ha ha! We don't get tornadoes and you do!" So, suffice to say it was a strange week for us.

Besides the usual fixes and tweaks, we've also added some more variety to rooms and levels. The biggest change we made, to go along with the room work and new tile art we've done, we also made some big changes to how floors are dynamically created - if you got used to floors the way they were, don't get too complacent, we've made it so you can get some unique, dynamic, floor layouts! So pay attention to your mini-map!

Oh, and we added a few crawly surprises for you. Because at the end of the day, we're trying to kill you in the game AS WELL as giving you more tools to try and survive. You all know what you signed up for!

Here is this week's changelog. As is usual, post your feedback and bugs and questions and so forth!

For this coming week we are making it a Fleshing-It-Out week.

We have a number of additions we want to make to expand existing systems, like adding a new floor and tile art set, as well as more feedback from the game, including your... uh... OK, look, a small aside; Airplanes have long had alert systems using a woman's voice and way back when, pilots nicknamed that system a Bitching Betty. Not only is that straight up offensive, it's unfair! The nice lady voice is just trying to keep you from flying into a mountain! Don't be a jerk about it! Anyhow, we are adding a similar system, and we'll call her... Informative Ira? Gretchen Gotyourback? The point is, she's coming soon and she wants to help keep you alive.

And we'll likely toss in a couple more bitey things. We'll ALWAYS be tossing in more bitey things.


Update 1.0.3

Added

• New floor generation algorithm!
  
• Also, more lighting adjustments made and tile set content added.
  
• Two more monsters add, the Stinger and the Ghost Maker Psider.
  
• New pause and alert cues for when a floor trap is detected.
  
• Improved feedback when your inventory is full.
  
• Additional weapon abilities for enemies enabled.
  
• Unlocked recipe reward in searchable areas such as desks.
  
• You can now unload ammo from weapons.
  
• Grav boots enabled.

Changed

• Pathfinding optimizations made.
  
• Grenade target code updated.
  
• Option for expanded action list.
  
• Door health modified by floor.
  
• Device list limited to one of each type.

Fixed

• No more invisible enemies. (Not accidental ones, at least. Bwah-ah-aaaah. Just kidding. There are no deliberate ones either. Yet.)
  
• Breaching charge enabled.
  
• Hinge spike enabled.
  
• Door spike enabled.
  
• Glitch that allowed walking through walls.
  
• Potential fix for flicker glitch some players encountered.
  
• Charge Hub now works as intended.
  
• You can no longer zoom the recipe list in a crafting window. (Because why would you want to?)
  
• Envirosuit is now immune to radiation.
  
• Single-charge devices (i.e. improvised lockpick) use case fixed, additional devices in stack should no longer disappear.

We're not going to make you wait a week for the big update just to fix that little annoying bug you ran into or try out that simple ease-of-use suggestion you made, not if we can help it! That's right, it's our first official HOT-FIX! There will be more, but this is the first. Hat's off, hands on hearts, please...

BEST BUG! As weird as it was that sometimes monsters would faceplant thanks to an orientation bug, the winner for this update has to be that the game was trying to launch Steam VR for anybody that had Steam VR. We didn't set it that way, it was just in there by default. Imagine hunting a bug that's actually a switch you didn't know was on...


1.0.2b changelog
Fixed

• Right click XP farming with damaged cookers.
  
• Monsters getting a free attack after doing their full movement.
  
• Can now target "blocked" Enemies. Most helpful targeting ranged enemies while also fighting close-quarter enemies.
  
• Moving through door check (stop a door from closing if something is blocking the door).
  
• Unhooked Unreal VR default that was launching Steam VR for some people.
  
• Blocking doors for AI pathfinding.
  
• Monster rotating sideways. Or planking. They were planking.
  

Changed

• Lighting Adjustment.
  
• Adjusted Interaction points for the doors.
  
• Sec-bot alarm response adjusted.
  
• Durability equations adjusted.
  

Welcome to the second Touchbase Tuesday and boy is there a lot to talk about this past week!

For starters, we're giving you your first taste of where the story of The Pit 2 takes place... and it's not Arbuda IV. More and more of the story of the sequel will be infused into the game, but the introduction has been added and there's a lot there, including a menace from the earliest days of the Sword of the Stars universe of games.

Lots of chewy game options for have been added, letting you play with the movement tiling markers, framerate, brightness and contrast, plus new keys - someone requested arrow keys handle movement like WASD, so, we did it. A good example of player feedback in action!

But we're pretty bloodthirsty about changes and additions we've made to implement Stealth. Characters now have a Stealth skill, which determines how much the sounds players make - like moving around and shooting - is likely to attract attention. Hand in hand with this is the enemy's ability to sense these sounds.

Sound can alert enemies that a player is there, but it can also attract attention from enemies elsewhere in The Pit and they will now wander, looking for the source. And just to keep things interesting, hurt enemies may now make a run for it, which can be handy if you need a breather, but less handy when they jump you at a later time for some payback.

Oh, and if you fail to unlock security doors and alarmed props, make sure your gun is reloaded. Security bots will be with you shortly.

All our fixes, changes, and additions are outlined below, please check them out and as always, drop by the boards and let us know what you're digging, anything broken, and anything you'd like to see in the game!

COMING UP!
As always we have our plate full, but in particular this week we are going to be doing some work on the floor generation algorithm and room tuning. You've been playing with the initial floors for awhile now, time to dial things up a bit.


All games on Steam get noticed by a number of factors, including reviews, so be sure to give the games a thumbs up when you have a moment. All Early Access reviews are marked as such, so you don't need to be Roger Ebert, just let people know you're enjoying the game and looking forward to where it's going. Thanks everyone! Keep the feedback coming!


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Update 1.0.2

ADDED

• Beginning of new original story line and plot for the new Pit in intro screen.
  
• First kill bonus for enemies.
  
• Options screen now has tile grid color controls.
  
• Video Options now have limit frames choices of 75, 100, 120 140 and custom.
  
• Video Options now have Added brightness / contrast sliders.
  
• New recipes added and initial implementation of alternate ways to procure recipes (hint: search desks).
  
• Player sound creation and Stealth skill affect enemy ability to be alerted to player.
  
• Also added are flee and wander behaviors for enemies, to keep things unpredictable.
  
• Alarmed props now trigger a Security Bot response with a failed skill check.
  
• X key to interact with prop you are facing.
  
• Arrow keys for moving, like WASD keys.
  
• Shift G toggles grid view.
  
• Ruined crate obstacles.

FIXED

• Bed functionality for player to rest and heal.
  
• Armor loading bug on start (watching).
  
• Repair station uses charges.
  
• Various prop interface / feedback issues.
  
• Gas trap details (blank button).
  
• Opening / closing screens hides feedback.
  
• Corrected typo for Q, E, & R keys in Options.
  
• Infinite Cooker right click use.
  
• Level lighting profiles.
  
• Addressed pursue behavior issues.
  
• Fixed adjacent-to-prop bug.
  
• Now able to click to move to tiles with non-obstructing props.
  
• Various repair and loading bugs.
  
• Grenade loading bug.
  
• Player loading outside bounds on rare occasions.
  
• Repairing should reduce an item's max durability.

Changed

• Loot displays name tag all the time.
  
• Lock out mouse zoom when in menu mode.
  
• Exit / Start points invulnerable.

Note
Preliminary Controller support (basic functionality) added.
This is not feature complete, some keyboard support still required for full functionality.
Added here for curious players only.

Sword of the Stars: The Pit 2 launched Friday and we did as we always do, and kept an eye on our game as it had its first contact with the public. Below is the list of the things we fixed, tweaked, and added thanks to the feedback of players. Keep the feedback coming!

But first, a quick overview of one of the bigger things we are focusing on this coming week. We will be adding a new skill to the game, one that will bring a new challenge to the game;
STEALTH
(shhhhh)
sorry, sorry.
stealth

Originally posted by Cirulis

The Pit 2 adds deep stealth tactics with a skill dedicated to that mechanic. This week a refined sensor / reaction system will be added to enemy AI's that will make them more or less likely to come investigate what the player is doing outside of the monsters visual range.

With this system you will be much more aware of the difference between using a knife, rifle, shotgun or tossing a grenade! Now a characters Stealth skill will affect how easily a monster can hear you coming when you are trying to be quiet. High stealth characters will be able to reduce their walking or melee sounds to whispers. Whereas poor gunny? It will become very clear that being sneaky is not the man's strong point.

======================================================
Update 1.0.1

Fixed

• Invalid resolution issue fixed (more user confirmation welcome).
  
• Missing items from inventory on load game.
  
• Right click door exploit has been closed.
  
• Level loading fix.
  
• Issue with Utility Belt when reloaded addressed.

Changed

• Click to move improvements.
  
• Attach all adjacent tiles.

Added

• Enemy attacks included in the left-side action log
  
• Camera resets on player moving
  
• Click to move option (set in options menu)
  
• Auto reload option (set in options menu)
  
• Tile click will attack enemy on the tile

See you next week! Or drop by the boards to join the various discussions about The Pit 2!

Check out Lead Designer Martin Cirulis' launch day post.

Vancouver, Canada - October 22nd, 2021 -

Kerberos Productions has launched Sword of the Stars: The Pit 2 - a sequel to Sword of the Stars: The Pit, the science fiction Roguelike which many players still list among the best of the genre - into Early Access today.

In beta, The Pit 2 has moved from 2D to a full and vibrant 3D environment. Instantly clear to players will be new features, such as mini-bosses, and player advancements such as the ability to break down items into components which can then be re-used to craft different items. Alongside the perspective shift which allows for full camera control, and the more flexible approach to crafting, players get a preview of the variety of weapons, armors, and scavenged items that Kerberos fans have come to expect from the original game and its DLC.

The halls of the alien facility have a menagerie of creatures bent on bringing players down. "I am most excited about the opportunities we have to make the Pit smarter, deadlier and more detailed," said Kerberos head and lead designer Martin Cirulis. "Lieutenant-class monsters, floor-organized enemies, secret levels... We have so much more 'necessary sadism' to dispense!"

First released in February of 2013, Sword of the Stars: The Pit grew over the years with many expansions that added new player characters and their powers. A steady parade of game updates included new content along with bug fixes and game tweaks. Through years of developing the original game with a supportive fan base, Kerberos has learned a lot about what their players want.

"This sequel is being tailored to the needs and wishes of its players–the people who spent hundreds of hours in the original game over the past decade. That support has earned them the right to be part of the game's development," said Cirulis. "We invite fans to join Early Access not only to support the game, but to give direct input and shape the future of the franchise."

Like its predecessor, The Pit 2 will allow players to dive deep into an alien lab facility. The sci-fi setting is drawn from the lore of multiple Sword of the Stars games, a franchise that Kerberos has been building for eighteen years. Players start with only their Character's skills and gear: as they explore, they must seek out new supplies and improve their skills in order to survive the ever-increasing dangers of The Pit.

"Ultimately, my goal as a designer is to go beyond the first Pit. First we'll bring the old Roguelike up to modern standards, then we'll push beyond its original limitations," added Cirulis. "There is a whole universe of mad science dungeons out there, just waiting for rogues brave enough to explore their depths!"

Initial Early Access Features

• 4 Characters to choose from; Marine, Scout, Engineer, and Drill Sergeant, with more to come throughout Early Access.
  
• 20 Levels of ancient evil science for you to dive into!
  
• Turn-based combat lets players plan their way out of tight spots and deeper into The Pit.
  
• Improve your character by increasing your skills to help you survive the depths.
  
• Many enemies drawn from the Sword of the Stars universe!
  
• A wide variety of weapons and armors.
  
• Over 150 items to discover, ranging from the familiar to ancient exotic tech.
  
• Crafting lets you make special items from bits and pieces of your enemies.
  
• Dozens of room types containing a host of exotic devices to help - or maybe hinder - your progress.
  
• Decipher hidden messages, crafting recipes, and pieces of Sword of the Stars lore!
  
• Many fiendish ways to die including poisoning, disease, traps, radiation, starvation.
  
• NEW player camera controls!
  
• NEW disassembly feature lets you break up items into craftable components!
  
• NEW hero-class enemies add mini-boss encounters as players descend into The Pit