Hired 2 Die News

[h2]The satisfaction of a job well-done![/h2]

Hey there folks! We are back with another Devlog. This month we will be showing you various new mechanics that complement the core of one of the themes of the game: pulling off an extraordinary job.

In Hired 2 Die the players are hired to observe, document and capture creatures for the shadowy “Intersection” agency. To avoid suspicion and civilian casualties a semblance of normalcy must be kept. So the areas affected by paranormal activity are closed under the pretense of being sold off or in need of serious repairs.

Therefore, it’s also the player’s job to execute cleaning, repairing, equipment installation and other various jobs. But these small jobs are not executed without reward! Everything done in the easier parts of the contract will be recorded by the game, making the final job of containing the creatures a lot easier.

Some examples of possible jobs and benefits are:

• Puddles: Stepping on them attract creatures. The player can clean any wet areas so that they won’t be a problem in higher difficulties.
  

• Trash piles: Traversing them reduces the player velocity, making avoiding monsters harder. Like puddles, they can be cleaned permanently after being burned in the incinerator.
  

• Blinds: Can be installed permanently and closed by the player to restrict the line of sight of hostile creatures.

• Doors: After installed, can be opened/closed to help in chases.
  

There are other jobs that can be done, but we will keep then a secret from now. Here is an example of an area after all jobs are done:



With all these new tasks it was necessary to make traversing the level carrying more stuff faster, so we added a cart that can move various objects at once.



However, using the cart restricts your vision, making chases more tense and harder.



There are other systems that are also shared between levels of the same contract, but we will be talking about that next month!

Hey there! My name is Vinicyus, I am the lead game designer of Hired 2 Die. Today I would like to talk about what we have been working on.

It's been a pretty busy month, hence the delay in Devlogs. So, to compensate for the wait, in this Devlog we would like to show you various changes we made since our last post.
When we last talked it was about the tutorial, so it’s only appropriate that we begin by discussing it. We felt that the old tutorial was not up to par graphically with the rest of the game. Instead of only adjusting the textures, we have opted instead of redesigning the whole scene. Here are our results so far:




Speaking of subpar graphics, we redid all the lighting in the project. We weren’t happy how players could easily navigate without any light sources. Now, navigating without a flashlight or turning the lights on will be a lot harder. Besides, the game looks a lot better now!



Another problem that we tackled these last weeks was how similar both our monsters look. Even though they behave very differently from one another, we felt that they looked too similar and were hard to discern. So, we redesigned the second twin to have a different silhouette and better fit his design concept, we hope you all like his new look!



On the gameplay front we improved the behavior of both Twins, making then harder to avoid and also act smarter. Various adjustments were made to systems that were not being used very often. One example is the radius that the alarms; previously they were too small to be useful. After various tests, we improved the system to consider walls and doors and attract the creatures more often.



Finally, there are various small fixes and new additions: a new interface for the security system, new player models, anomalies, concept art and so on.



As you can see, we have been very busy these last few weeks. Since we are now implementing new stages so we can finish a playable demo, we have decided to make the Devlogs monthly, that way we can focus more on the development of the game and still keep you guys informed.

That’s what we got this month! Thanks for your patience, keep tuned for all our new progress reports.

Hi, it's been a while since our last devlog (sorry about that). Releasing a game (even in the alpha stage) is difficult. It leaves us with a lot of things to fix and organize. In the last couple of weeks, we focused on tackling these problems, so the new features can be created smoothly.

Hired 2 Die is not the type of game you figure out what's happening and what you need to do intuitively. There are two things we thought we could improve in the game: clarity and story.

Before starting the closed alpha playtest, we noticed some people were having problems understanding the objectives, how-to's, and why the hell someone would work in a place with vicious creatures on the loose. So instead of creating floating arrows pointing to objectives, and on-screen text, we decided to design a tutorial with the basic situations of a job. It also gives the player a sense of what's going on.



To make things easier to understand, we put the player in the company's headquarters to start the "new worker's training." The player must perform basic tasks and fix incidents that might happen during the run, like energy shortage.



After the tests, we noticed small tasks are much more valuable than we thought, so we are currently designing more tasks for the player to do while designing new puzzles with interesting challenges.

Hello again,

Before talking about the bugs, I would like to ask: do you want to play Hired 2 Die? The registration for the alpha version is still open on our website, and it's free: hired2die.com

It comes a moment when you must stop what you are doing and see if you are on the correct path. Even though testing is constant, we had to go back sometimes and check if everything is working. And not just check the obvious things, but also make questions like:

• What happens if I try to use two flashlights at the same time?
  
• What if I close the door while standing in its path?
  
• What if I throw boxes in the enemy's way while being chased?
  

Not only did we find some strange behavior, but also some complicated bugs to solve. As the closed alpha approaches, testing and solving bugs become our main activity. We want to deliver the best experience possible for you.



If you are participating in the closed alpha, please, be aware that this is not a demo, and you will find some bugs during the test. So, we would like to ask everyone to use the bug reporting tool in the game to report these bugs. We are not worried about that, though. It is part of the development of a game. Hopefully, we will find a bug that will become a feature.

Here is the player working with his heart to inspire you.


Until next time!

Hello guys,

First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay in posting the devlog. It should be posted last week, during the Steam Survival Festival.

I believe I've already said it before, but during the last few weeks, the team has been preparing the game for our closed alpha. We created our website and added a form so anyone can request a free key. We send it by e-mail, individually.

Now, with the closed alpha getting closer, you might be one of those players wondering: I prefer to play alone, but the game seems to be designed for 2 players. Are the developers considering the singleplayer option?

Yes, we are! The basic principle of playing with a friend is the exchange of information. Usually, what happens is that one player stays in the security room watching CCTV cameras, collecting information, buying items, etc. And the other player is adventuring in dark corridors, doing the actual job, but also giving information about the system to the first player.

Now, when playing alone, it would be too hard to be in two places at the same time, travelling between two different rooms to check if the cable should go on the left or right plug is not exactly convenient. So, we gave the player the best gift ever, this:



[h2]The intersection companion[/h2]
The intersection companion is a tablet designed to give you access to all the information you need. It does not count as an item, so it won't occupy a slot in your inventory and prevent you from getting the items you might need.

The tablet has functionality from both computers. You can access the CCTV Cameras, use the same supported features of the main computer, and buy items on the go. There are two different views when using the tablet:

• Focus Mode - it's a fullscreen view, just like the ones on the PC, for you to focus on the information.
  
• Preview Mode - the character holds it in front of you, taking about 1/4 of the screen. It's useful to walk around while still checking for creatures. You can even hold an item in the other hand.
  

We are still exploring possibilities with the tablet, like navigation and actions through shortcuts, so you don't need to focus on it every time. The Intersection Companion is a powerful tool. We must be careful to keep things balanced and fun to play. That's why it is not available when playing with a friend.