DIGGERGUN News

[p]Hello everyone, it’s Kabloop here. I’m writing to give an update on the status of DIGGERGUN.[/p][p]In late 2024, DIGGERGUN reached the massive milestone of being “content complete”. This meant that players could play through the game from start to finish, experiencing all the character storylines, choices, and various endings.[/p][p]As a developer, this was an exhilarating time as the game was “done”... kind of.[/p][p]Unfortunately, it also meant that one of the hardest parts of the game’s development began. The polishing and testing phase. This is the time where sleeves are rolled up, a game is combed through, analysed, ripped apart and put back together again, fixed with varying degrees of digital duct tape and morphed into its final form.[/p][p]I had originally intended for this to take three months, but game development is never easy, especially for a solo developer. Even though the game was technically “content complete”, a huge heap of story content, features and quality-of-life changes have been added to DIGGERGUN, so much so that the game feels almost indistinguishable from how it was before this final phase of development started. Such is the flexibility of indie-game development![/p][p]Yet, here I am, six months later, exceptionally proud to announce that DIGGERGUN is finally complete.[/p][p]The game has been polished and balanced, tested and fixed, and I’m extremely happy with the current state of DIGGERGUN. There are still bugs to fix, and I’m sure more will crop up as new testers get their hands on the game over the next month or so, but DIGGERGUN is finally ready to move onto the next phase, which is: preparation for launch.[/p][p]If I’m completely honest, I’m in a bit of a state of shock! I’ve been working on DIGGERGUN for several years at this point, and I honestly thought this day would never come. But playing through DIGGERGUN as a gamer, not as a developer, has been a real treat. I never imagined being able to play through my game without nitpicking every little thing. But here I am, playing and enjoying it! What an amazing feeling![/p][p]I’m still finalising the details with partners, and there are a few more stages left, such as localisation, until DIGGERGUN is ready for sale; however, the hope is that players can get their hands on the game soon(™)! [/p][p]Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be reintroducing DIGGERGUN, talking about the game's various features, characters and world. Until that time, I wish to thank everyone for their continued patience and support. I wouldn’t be anywhere without you.[/p][p]Until next time![/p][p][/p][p]~ Kabloop[/p][p]
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Hello there, Kabloop here! Thanks for joining me for another blog post.

This month I’m sharing some exciting news: DIGGERGUN has been nominated for the BIG Impact: Social Matters award at the gamescom latam BIG Festival!



Gamescom latam is one of the most important events in Latan America, with its award ceremony, gamescom latam BIG Festival, celebrating the best of the global games market.

It’s such a huge honour that DIGGERGUN has been nominated for this award. Over 922 games were submitted to the BIG Festival from 74 countries and I couldn’t be happier to see DIGGERGUN listed beside some of the other exceptional nominees.

As DIGGERGUN is about inequality and the cost-of-living crisis, I hope that DIGGERGUN contributes to a wider conversation about our duty of care to each other.

Gamescom latam takes place at the São Paulo Expo in Brazil, from 26-30 June, with the awards ceremonies held on Friday, 28th June and Sunday, 30th June. Good luck to all of the finalists!

During gamescom latam, you can play a demo of DIGGERGUN at the São Paulo Expo. If you’re not able to make it, the demo will be available to play on itch.io. No matter where you are, you’ll be able to play DIGGERGUN!

Until then check out the new Steam trailer for DIGGERGUN if you haven't already:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

~ Kabloop

Hello there, Kabloop here! Today I’m talking about upgrades, and what players can expect in terms of character progression when they get their hands on DIGGERGUN later this year.

In DIGGERGUN there are two ways to improve your character: increasing their stats and obtaining DIGGERGUN abilities. Both of these have been implemented in such a way as to encourage player choice, either when deciding which stat to invest your points in, or which DIGGERGUN ability to use in moment-to-moment gameplay. After all, what choices we make and how we make them, is a key theme of DIGGERGUN.

Let’s look at character stats first. Your character, Alex, will gain experience points as you do things in the mines. This can be anything from collecting resources, to defeating enemies or depositing lithium. After earning a certain amount of experience points Alex will level up, gaining a stat point.

Your stat points can be put into any four of the following categories:

Aim: Improves Alex’s aim when using the DIGGERGUN. Increases damage dealt by your DIGGERGUN.

Strength: Enables Alex to carry more lithium. At certain thresholds, Alex will be able to carry more food in their inventory.

Energy: Increases the total amount of energy Alex has.

Luck: Increases Alex’s luck, allowing them to find more lithium, rare materials… as well as a few other things.



A maximum of ten points can be applied to each stat, with the effects of these stats being passive. Due to the way DIGGERGUN has been designed, increasing a stat by just one point can make a huge difference to gameplay.

For example, at the beginning of DIGGERGUN, Alex can only carry five lithium. However, they’ll be required to deposit eight pieces of lithium a day to get paid. If the player invests one stat point into Strength, Alex will be able to carry eight pieces of lithium. This means the player won’t have to make return trips to the lithium deposit to meet their quota.

DIGGERGUN isn’t a mechanically demanding game (it’s not Elden Ring!), however, it has been designed to be oppressive. And making use of your stats points will help you even the odds… especially considering time is money.

Let’s move on to DIGGERGUN abilities. This is quite different from the levelling system outlined above.

Whilst stat increases are passive and can be done in any order, upgrading Alex’s DIGGERGUN is done linearly by progressing the Trader’s storyline. To do so, Alex will have to give the trader various resources.

Upon gaining a DIGGERGUN upgrade, Alex will be able to use a new DIGGERGUN ability when in the mines. Each of these abilities is unique and is designed to help in a variety of situations.

Here are just a few of the DIGGERGUN abilities you can obtain:

Beam: Fires a laser beam, which blasts through multiple enemies until it collides with a solid object.

Shotgun: Fires multiple bullets at once, in a variety of different directions.

Block: Creates a solid block in front of Alex, allowing them to jump on top of it. Can also be used to block enemies.

Using a DIGGERGUN ability costs energy, with each ability’s energy costs being unique. The beam, for example, costs two energy, whilst the shotgun only costs one.



These upgrades have been designed in such a way as to provide interesting moment-to-moment gameplay choices to the player, especially as they dig deeper into the mines and encounter tougher scenarios.

A good example of this is the fly enemies. These little buggers periodically spawn from plants. They are small and difficult to hit with a standard bullet. They are, however, easy to hit with a well-aimed shot whilst using the shotgun ability.

On the flip side, the Laser upgrade is great for clearing a path, but its energy cost is high. This means the player has to choose wisely when to use it.

It's important to note that if Alex's energy drops to zero they will collapse, losing half their money.

How much players will be able to use these upgrades will depend on the stats they invest in. If the player upgrades Alex’s energy stat a lot, then they will be able to use the beam ability a lot more frequently than someone who hasn’t done so.

That’s it when it comes to upgrades… or at least, those that are of use in the mines.

One very important aspect of DIGGERGUN is the various character storylines. The choices players make during these storylines will determine the outcome of Alex’s story. But they also provide a variety of rewards which can help Alex.

Some of these items are small, such as an umbrella which stops the player from losing energy when walking in the rain, while others are exceptionally useful such as lithium storage.



The intention isn’t for players to “min-max” the storylines to get rewards (although I’m certain some players most certainly will), but being a good person can pay off. Sometimes.

That’s all for today! Thanks for reading! Hopefully, now you have a better idea of what gameplay choices you’ll be expected to make when DIGGERGUN launches later this year. Until next time!

- Kabloop

[h3]Hello there, Kabloop here with a new blog post about DIGGERGUN![/h3]

Today I’m answering a question I get asked quite a lot: “What is a DIGGERGUN?”

DIGGERGUNs are tools used by the miners on Bal Island in the world of DIGGERGUN. They are high-powered guns which fire out small drills that break soft Earth on impact. They are exceptionally powerful tools but they have a very short range. This is primarily due to how the device was designed but also acts as a safety measure.



DIGGERGUNs are expensive pieces of tech, meaning that employees have to pay to lease them. This is deducted from their daily paycheque. If someone loses their DIGGERGUN then it will be replaced, but miners will be expected to pay out a lump sum to cover the cost of the lost tool.

The miners on Bal Island aren’t treated very well, this is a running theme in DIGGERGUN, so there are a variety of security measures in place to stop DIGGERGUNs from being used as weapons in a rebellion.

For one, DIGGERGUNs can only be used in the mines. They are tracked using a variety of sensors on the island. Once the user reaches the surface, their DIGGERGUN is unusable and useless. Not only does this tracking technology control whether the tools can be used or not, but it’s also used to track individuals around the mines. This enables the Cornwall Mining Corporation to keep tabs on miners at all times.


Whilst continuous surveillance can come in handy if a miner collapses due to exhaustion (though this “service” will cost you), the constant scrutiny that miners face is overbearing.

DIGGERGUNs are standardised pieces of kit, with nothing in the way of additions to improve their proficiency. However, this hasn't stopped unscrupulous types from finding a way to modify them, unlocking their true potential. Interested miners will have to pay for such power.

For miners who wish to get more out of their DIGGERGUN whilst in the mines, improving their “Aim” stat is key, as it will allow miners to deal more damage by enabling them to identify and shoot weak points.



So, why name the game DIGGERGUN? Well, my hope is that the name is memorable! But also, given that DIGGERGUNs are such important tools in the game’s world, and with them being the key gameplay mechanic, I felt like it was a good name for the game.

Also, I feel like there’s something self-explanatory about the word: after all, in DIGGERGUN players do dig and they do shoot things with a gun!

Thanks for reading, I can’t wait to share more information about DIGGERGUN in the future! For now, I’m going to go lie down as I think I’ve typed the word DIGGERGUN far too much in the last hour. DIGGERGUN.

~ Kabloop

[h3]Hello everyone, Kabloop here![/h3]

I know it’s been a year since my last update on DIGGERGUN, but what a year it’s been! I wanted to write this blog to give an update on the game’s progress and what’s been happening behind the scenes.

Firstly, on a slightly sour note, 2023 was a rocky year for me. Unfortunately, a few months in, I had some serious issues with my eyes and, on doctor's orders, I wasn’t able to work for two months. I was exceptionally fortunate that the issues didn't get worse.

After recovering, my development speed slowed down a bit as I tried to be careful and look after myself more.

In an attempt to catch up, for the remainder of 2023, I focused on completing as much work on DIGGERGUN as possible. Unfortunately, this meant that things like community outreach fell by the wayside. This is something I am hoping to fix in 2024.



Despite all this, I did manage to end 2023 on a high!

At the end of 2023, I finished programming the “critical path”, meaning that DIGGERGUN can be played from start to end credits! This is a huge moment for the game and brings it much closer to launch.

Now my focus is on finishing the remainder of the side quests and tying up any loose ends. This is no small feat, as some of the side content is just as expressive as the main storyline, but considering I’ve already done quite a lot of work on the game’s side content, I’m confident progress will be swift and smooth.

Whilst I will be concentrating on finalising DIGGERGUN, especially in the first half of the year, I will be making more of an effort to keep fans up-to-date. Expect more Steam blogs sharing characters, enemies, development information and more! There are a ton of cool things in DIGGERGUN which I can’t wait to share.



This all leads to my last point, DIGGERGUN will be released in 2024!

I know I said that last year too… but, providing there are no surprise health issues, I’m fully expecting to release DIGGERGUN this year.

We’re still working out the release date, and I suspect it won’t be finalised until the game is completed in the first half of the year but I’m super excited that players will be able to get their hands on DIGGERGUN soon!

Additionally, there are still plans for a demo to be launched before then, but more about that a bit later.



Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported DIGGERGUN and me over the last year or so. I’m exceedingly thankful for all of the love, care and assistance I’ve received, and I hope that DIGGERGUN will prove to be worth the wait.

Here's to 2024! I hope everyone has an amazing year!

- Kabloop