Hey Everyone!
It’s been nearly half a year since we started our survival attempts on the Martian base in Nemesis Lockdown. Gosh… how time flies! From a developer perspective, it was a period full of challenges and lessons learned.!
Since the very beginning of Early Access, its main purpose was to make the title as approachable as possible for everyone. Achieving this, while maintaining the unique atmosphere of the board game counterpart, proved to be a real challenge. Despite that, we think we were able to make it happen and that is in no small part thanks to your feedback and support!
We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together over the last few months - today, we’re SUPER excited to show you the Lockdown we’ve all been waiting for!
Before we move to the main part of the update, check out the cinematic trailer for the game:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Now, it’s time for all the new fun stuff and changes we've prepared for the full release!
Basically, almost every element of the game has been changed or polished in one way or another. Our current EA players will find major or minor upgrades pretty much everywhere. As for the new players, we believe that thanks to these updates, they will find the game intuitive and easy to get into.
To avoid making this update being unnecessarily long, we'll describe what’s changed in a general manner.
A detailed changelog will be posted in-game menu on release day and you’ll be able to access it from the main menu. We believe that (re)discovering the game can be pretty fun, but if you want to know all the details from the get go, you’ll be able to do so as well!
Let’s get started!
[h2]Fully-fledged tutorial with a mini scenario![/h2]
Yeah, that's correct - no more external videos to learn how to play the game!
Games from the Nemesis series are quite complex and unpredictable gameplay-wise. Executing actions, understanding the situation on the board, fulfilling objectives and surviving - all of this can potentially be quite hard to tackle for beginners. That's why we thought long and hard on how to improve the ease of entry and flatten the learning difficulty curve. The tutorial is the result.
Check out what we’ve prepared in 3 Special Scenarios below:
- The first 2 work similar to a traditional video game tutorial sequence, in which - with a narrator’s help - you’ll learn the basics of the game.
- The 3rd scenario is more like a playground with tailored Objectives - you’ll need to use all previously learned skills to get the job done and survive. You’ll be able to get to know Lockdown’s rules on your own here. This chapter has 2 difficulty modes:
- To be completely honest with you, though - This is Nemesis, so you’ll be dying here, too! But no worries - dying in this kind of a tutorial is NOT a shame!! Every single attempt gives you new knowledge of the game’s mechanics. Completing this Scenario in Regular Mode with all Objectives accomplished is a truly satisfying experience!
- Additionally, we’ve implemented a special Nemesis WIKI in the game for all those who would like to dig even deeper into the game’s mechanics. It explains every aspect of the game in detail and you can access it anytime during a session.
[h2]Even more of the unique Nemesis atmosphere! [/h2]
Recreating the Nemesis atmosphere was no easy task! We put a lot of effort into every detail of the game's audio and visual aspects. Each room and event in the game now looks and sounds like a sci-fi horror experience should.
Here’s a quick look at some example stuff we implemented:
- New character models for Janitor and Lab-rat. Other models were also given a visual update:
- New and improved animations:
- New object models and improved room decorations for some locations:
- Important Game Events (e.g. Autodestruction) will now be significantly more prominent! (unique sounds and lighting changes)
[h2]New End-game Summary with cutscenes and some Event Phase corrections[/h2]
Game Ending and Contingency resolving are crucial parts of each session and we felt that they were not presented in a clear enough manner. The full release provides a solution to this. Hopefully, the new summaries will clearly explain what happens at the very end of each session.
We also polished up the Event Phase UI, as it’s another crucial element in each survival attempt. All pieces of information about what happened at the end of each turn will now be easier to read and follow.
Cinematic cutscenes were also added at the end of each session - an additional reward for completing the game. We won’t spoil them for you - try to survive and discover them on your own!
[h2]Improved Readability and in-game information presentation [/h2]
As the game conditions in Nemesis can change drastically even within the span of a single turn (you can actually die due to just one wrong decision), it’s crucial to understand what’s going on around you. To improve those aspects we made some corrections to the game's readability and status notifications. Here are a few of those:
- New status system based on overhead pop-ups:
- New hover system informing about wounds and exploration tokens in detail:
[h2]Polished UI, UX fixes and text revision [/h2]
The UI got a lot better. There are adjustments and improvements all over the (digital) board that make Lockdown a more user friendly endeavour. All texts were proofread and the in-game naming has been unified.
Improved sections:
- Action Cards tab
- Computer Cards tab
- Intruder weakness tab
- Contingency tab
[h2]New social functions, team communication and server improvements [/h2]
Nemesis Lockdown shines its brightest in multiplayer, so the social aspect of the game is really important. Our team made a few improvements in this area, so you can get the best out of the multiplayer experience.
Here’s what’s been added:
- Private game servers with passwords
- Possibility of adding your Steam friends and recently met players directly to your server
- Friends list with easy access during the game
- Servers filtering (waiting/in-game)
- A better way of finding your disconnected games with option to rejoin
- If the owner of the server leaves, the server will not be automatically closed now. The next player on the list becomes the owner instead
- Improved voice chat with many customization functions
- Steam Achievements - 38 in total to be unlocked at the moment!
Apart from everything above, we have added TONS of other small changes and bug fixes that our Early Access players might notice after version 1.0 arrives!
That is what we wanted to show you about the full release version for now. There’s lots more to be discovered and we want you to jump in and see for yourself what Nemesis: Lockdown has to offer. We hope you’ll have fun finding all the details and secrets!
We’ve also got something special for Early Access survivors! As a way of saying “thank you!” for your invaluable, ongoing support, you’ll be able to play the full version of the game ahead of everyone else. And by ahead, we mean NOW! Update the game on Steam and enjoy the improved Nemesis: Lockdown experience!
Trying to answer a few questions that might appear in your head in advance, we’ve prepared a list of some explanations:
- “Will the Ladderboard be cleaned after Launch?” - Yes. Our current plan is to perform seasonal ladder resets - more about the topic will be announced in further updates. Current EA Top Players will of course be highlighted on the list. You’ve still got a few days until the wipe, so this is a great time to jump up on the leaderboard.
- “What about localizations?” - the game will be translated into more languages in future updates (subtitle translation) - Polish, German, French, and Chinese will be implemented as the first ones.
- “New game modes, solo campaigns - any plans for it?” - we definitely have some plans and concepts of how modes like hot-set, full-coop, or single-player campaigns could look and work. We also have more ideas in our minds… The EA phase was a tool to make an adaptation of - let's be honest here - a complex board game. Now that we have a solid base, the full release will define the future.
- “New content in DLC? New alien races, characters, expansions, skins?” - we would love to make more DLCs - Chytrids or Carnomorphs for example. The plan is to support and expand this great franchise during upcoming years - but once again, the scale will be defined by demand.
- “Solo-app from Nemesis Boardgame - will it be compatible with the digital game?” - We don’t have such plans for now.
- “I’m only a solo player - is full release for me?” - Nemesis games always show their full potential and fun in Multiplayer games, and that doesn’t change with full release. Version 1.0 is enriched with a Mini Campaign Scenario - It’s not like a serious story campaign, but it will definitely provide you with some unforgettable moments and a few unique hours of gameplay. Completing the Scenario with all Objectives done is not a simple task! The single-player mode still ensures dozens of entertaining and challenging gameplay hours.
- “I have an old PC, and the game looks quite nice. What about optimization?” - One of our priorities was to provide a game that almost every player can play and enjoy. The game has many graphics options which you can lower to your needs and PC capabilities. Check the game’s Minimum System Requirements for more details.
- “What about a Road Map for future updates?” - We will make a revision of our current internal Road Map after the launch. Our next big goals will be shared with you probably within a month after release.
- “I found an issue/bug in the game - where do I send it?” - Our Discord channel is probably the best way to do it (Invitation link: https://discord.gg/F6tBvUJD6j). Join to reach other players in the Nemesis: Lockdown Community. You can also use the in-game bug report form. The other way is to send an email to [email protected]
- “I would like to check each and every change in the Full Release Changelog - where to find it?” - A full and detailed changelog will be accessible from the in-game main menu. We’ll also post it in future posts.
That’s all we wanted to share with you today! We sincerely hope that all changes suit your expectations and that you’re about to experience numerous memorable and unique moments in Nemesis: Lockdown!
If you have further questions - do not hesitate to ask directly on the right Discord channel or in the comment section below. Expect some more pictures, videos and updates about the game within the next few days. If you enjoy the game - remember to leave a review on the Steam Store - it really helps and motivates us a lot!
OK, survivors - as one final piece of new content, we leave you with the gif below that should CATch your eye!
Take care,
Awaken Realms & InterStudio teams
