Section 13 News

[h3]Patch Schedule[/h3]

• PT: 10:00 AM, May 26
• ET: 1:00 PM, May 26
• CEST: 7:00 PM, May 26
• ICT: 12:00 AM, May 27
• KST: 2:00 AM, May 27

Agents,

We’re almost there–Section 13 will go into official release very soon! This journey would not have been possible without the support and the feedback from all our Agents. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of you!

Here we are with Ver. 1.0.0 patch notes to share what’s new and what’s changing. Please continue to share your thoughts via Steam discussion boards or our Discord server so that we can continue creating the best Section 13 experience possible!

For the list of changes in this patch, please see below.

[h3]New Content/Features[/h3]

• Added the full narrative content to single-player mode
  • The tutorial now includes an intro sequence that touches upon how the agents have been scattered inside Section 13 base
  • Added Agent Casefiles entries for each character
    
    • For more details, check out our dev log on the topic
  • Beating the final boss presents an ending dialogue scene
  • Beating the final boss after unlocking all characters and all Agent Casefiles entries presents a special ending experience
  • USB sticks drop in both single-player and multiplayer modes, but narrative content can only be unlocked in single-player mode
• Added The Core level
  
  • This is where the final boss fight takes place
  • The Cell Sample item now drops after beating the final boss (instead of when you reach the final level)
• Added a boss fight in the Location Unknown level
  
• Added 2 new tactical gear
  • BlastWing Prototype: An autonomous combat drone
    
  • Tactical Shield: A deployable barrier
    

[h3]Changes/Improvements[/h3]

• Increased the amount of healing from medkits
• Increased the chance for medkit crates to spawn
  
  • Supermax Lab and Isolation Chamber levels will have at least 1 guaranteed medkit crate, with chances for up to 2 additional medkit crates to spawn
  • Parking Lot level now has a fair chance to spawn a medkit crate
• Slightly decreased Photon Cannon’s base damage
• Adjusted conditions for procedurally generated bonus levels to appear
  • Sanitation Tunnels level now appears regardless of the difficulty, as long as you picked up the DNS Bypass item
    
  • Location Unknown level now requires the Classified DNS Error Report item to appear
    
    • Location Unknown level has a chance to appear on either the Office level or the Supermax Lab level. It will appear in one or the other, not both
    • Classified DNS Error Report item has a high chance of dropping from the Exosuit field boss on the Isolation Chamber level
• Adjusted the drop rate of access code items
  • Cargo Elevator Code
    
    • Cargo Elevator Code can be found by investigating map objects on the Office level
    • The code is permanent; once you obtain it, you can check the code in your Character Info menu (default hotkey: I)
    • Increased the drop rate of the code
  • Security Room Code
    
    • Security Room Code can now be found by investigating map objects in the Deep Storage area, instead of being found in the Safe Area
    • The code is permanent; once you obtain it, you can check the code in your Character Info menu (default hotkey: I)
    • Increased the drop rate of the code
• Adjusted the Hardbody permanent upgrade
  • Increased the max HP boost values
  • Slightly increased the Data Nugs cost
• Adjusted Synaptic Enhancements
  • Fright Response I & II: Increased the damage boost values
    
  • Self Starter: Added back to the game
    
  • Marked Recovery: Now drops in both single-player and multiplayer modes
    
  • Physical Therapy: Now drops in both single-player and multiplayer modes
    
  • Optimist: Changed the effects
    
    • Previously, Optimist provided a passive damage reduction to allies within a certain radius of Beaker
    • Now, it reduces Beaker’s active skill cooldown, as well as provides a temporary damage reduction to allies within a certain radius (triggered when Beaker uses her active skill)
• Reduced the STAR Pin cost of unlocking higher tier Synaptic Enhancements and agent upgrade from the DNS Defragmenter
• Adjusted the unlock order of weapon perks, by switching some perks between the first two tiers of weapon attachments.
  • For example, the Assault Rifle will see the following changes:
    • +25% Critical Damage: Tier 1 → Tier 2
    • +10% Clip Size: Tier 1 → Tier 2
    • Tracking Bullets: Tier 2 → Tier 1
    • 25% Chance to Pierce: Tier 2 → Tier 1
• Added and polished various sound effects throughout the game
• Optimized various aspects of the game for improved performance

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed the issue that could cause the game to crash at the end of the Isolation Chamber level
• Fixed the issue where the game could crash in the Simulation Area and could prevent launching the game afterwards until you reinstalled the game
• Fixed the issue where you could fall indefinitely in one of the Restricted Area layouts
• Fixed the issue where the Pump-Action Shotgun’s reload weapon perk would reload the other firearm as well
• Fixed the issue where Restricted Areas would become unavailable if you were stunned while rerolling rooms
• Fixed the issue where you could get stuck between desks on the Office level
• Fixed the issue where you could get stuck in certain areas on the Isolation Chamber level
• Fixed the issue where an invisible wall blocked bullets on the Isolation Chamber level

[h3]Additional Note[/h3]

• We decided to keep the Plasmoid Launcher out from the game for the time being. We may revisit a full overhaul in the future

Please note that if you are playing at this time, your game will not be interrupted. You will be prompted to download the patch the next time you open Section 13. It is possible for teammates to play with mismatched game versions, which could potentially impact gameplay. So please install the update as soon as possible for the best experience.


- ODS Team

DISCORD | X/TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111870/

Hello, Agents! ODS GeeK here.
If you’ve seen me around on Steam discussion boards or Discord, hello again :)

Today I hijacked a dev log spot to propagate my (relatively less popular) take on what makes Section 13 special to me: it encompassess fun elements from many different genres–especially souls-likes.

The most obvious: roll dodge with invincibility frames! HP and healing are relatively scarce resources in Section 13, and one of the best ways to manage them is using the roll dodge. Each QT has different attack timings, and the direction you roll also makes a difference. Don’t fear rolling forward into an enemy, if you need to!

[noparse][I am curious myself how I did not get hit there][/noparse]

Next up are hidden areas. Ever had moments in souls-likes where you think, “I bet I can get there”? Guess what! It’s like that in Section 13, too. While the roguelite nature doesn’t guarantee certain hidden areas will spawn every session, when they do, I get to explore and find ways to reach there. The rewards are always a welcome plus as well!

[You see the chest on the bottom right? It took me some time to figure out how to grab it]

Also, being “skilled” isn’t always about reflexes: it can be about how you understand and utilize the different mechanics, which I consider a trait most prominent in souls-likes. For example, my utility-focused single-player loadout includes a beam weapon, a silenced weapon, and Mr. Chicken. Depending on the enemy type and group size, I use a different weapon to initiate the fight–sometimes drawing fewer enemies with Mr. Chicken’s noise. In multiplayer, I would bring a completely different set and go all guns ablaze.

[Mr. Chicken is my favorite melee weapon]

In case all my geeking out is not enough to sell you on how great Section 13 is, I also asked my colleagues to provide their take on what makes Section 13 special to them, and here are some excerpts!

I love shooters and I love vibrant characters, and this game has both! I particularly like playing with friends, so the fact that it has co-op is just an added plus for me!
- ODS Kangaroo

Section 13 has basically been my life for about a year and a half. I love this world and these characters, and I hope to get to play with them more in the future.
- ODS Brandon

The characters are what make S13 special for me. They're unexpectedly deep, with layered backstories that tug at the heartstrings.
- ODS Nicky

It is my hope that each of our Agents find their own elements of fun in Section 13–the game has a lot to offer. With our official release so imminent, see you down in Section 13!


- ODS GeeK

Hey all! This is Brandon Carbaugh, Narrative Lead on Section 13. With the game’s launch date barreling down the highway at us, we thought now would be a fun time to share our cast list! With some light redactions for spoilers, of course 😉

This isn’t a comprehensive list of every single role (gotta save a few surprises for the game and IMDb). But here are the headliners…

[h2]THE AGENTS (A.K.A. CHRONO TEAM GO!!)[/h2]

• 🐶 Red AKA █████ ██████: Jennifer Losi
  
• 🔍 Boy Scout AKA █████ ████: SungWon Cho
  
• 🧪 Beaker AKA █████ ████: Deva Marie Gregory
  
• 🔪 Dr. Emma Wahlgren, Ph.D, Director of Research, Who Declined to be Referred to by her Insipid and Arbitrarily Selected Callsign: Camilla Arfwedson
  
• 💾 Violet AKA Computer Lady: Allegra Clark

[h2]PROBLEMATIC HOTTIES[/h2]

• 🐍 Deputy Director Kimber Delahunt: Fryda Wolff
  
• 🧟‍♂️ Exosuit AKA ███ ██████: Michael Schwalbe
  
• 👽 Nephilim AKA Project ████████ AKA ████ ███ ███ █████ ████ ██████ ███ ██ ████ ███ ███ █████ ████ ██████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ ██████ ███ ██████ ███ ███ █████ ████ ██████ ██: Greg Chun

[h2]OTHER VOICES FROM THE WONDROUS WORLD OF S2P[/h2]

• Keith Silverstein: HR 👁; Agent ████ 🕵️‍♂️; Additional Voices
  
• Chester Rushing: Red’s Dad 🧔; ████; Additional Voices
  
• June Yoon: Young-Min Kim 🚬; Additional Voices
  
• Andrew Frankel: 📢 #JordanShaperson #TruthZonePodcast #LikeAndSubscribe; AdditionalVoices

Our casting and voiceover director was Christopher Bevins, with additional voiceover direction (and 47 other things) by Jennifer Losi. Recording was done through Marc Graue Recording Studios, with assistance from LaMi Productions, and many other contributions by many other talented audio people whose outstanding work will be credited elsewhere in more detail at a later date.

Anyway, that’s all I got for you today!

Oh, but before I forget: During the game’s intro, if you want to save Scalpel from █████, all you have to do is ███ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ██ ██████ █ ████ and █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ then █████ ██ ██ █ █ ███ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ██. But whatever you do, DON’T ████ the ████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ ████ █████ ██ ██ █ █ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ██████ █ █.

Howdy and hello, fellow agents! Nicky Silber here, one of the narrative designers on Section 13. I’m very excited to talk to you today about some of the juicy (and heart-wrenching) story that’s in store for you with Section 13’s full release.

For those who don’t know, the game takes place at the eponymous Section 13, a secret facility belonging to an even secret-er agency known as S2P. Equal parts X-Files and Area 51, S2P are the unscrupulous men-in-black who not only abduct the things that go bump in the night but then perform unethical experiments on them. Now, one of their high-risk test facilities has gone into lockdown without explanation. You play as an agent (or agents) sent to investigate what caused the lockdown and clear the threat. But nothing is ever quite that simple when you’re dealing with fourth-dimensional anomalies and brain-dead former office workers.

If you've been playing the Early Access build of Section 13, you’ll be more than familiar with this story, but what you won’t know is that this only scratches the surface of what you can expect in the full release.

When it comes to designing the narrative on S13, we decided to take an old-school visual novel approach that would utilize the fantastic artwork of our agents and the incredible voice acting of our cast. There were quite a few hurdles to overcome when implementing these visual novel segments into Unreal Engine 5, where S13 was built. For one, creating variables was a difficult process as we could only use booleans, so a simple branching scene could quickly get out of hand, like this brain-melter:

[Good luck untangling this spaghetti, Unreal]

Next, when discussing how to flesh out the world of Section 13, we decided the best approach would be to use supplemental narrative through unlockable media, as it would be the least obtrusive way to supply players with a vast amount of world-building content that would be cost-effective to develop.

In between bouts of butt-kicking (both giving and receiving), you’ll find yourself back at the hub, Section 13’s pivotal command center where you can perform upgrades and get to know your fellow agents. Here, you can use the collectible USB currency to unlock the mysterious Agent Casefiles. These aren’t just neat little extras (though I am a big fan of neat extras). No, these are whole swathes of story content so juicy they’re practically oozing.

[The Case Files screen, where you can spend your hard-earned USBs for tasty story snacks.]

Each agent has their own unique story arc to be unlocked, and the full extent of content won’t be fully accessible until you’ve recruited all four agents, giving you further incentive to explore the base. These story arcs dive deep into the agents’ backstories and not only flesh out the characters but the mythos of S2P and our game’s universe as a whole. How and why was S2P founded? Who trigger the Blackout Protocol at Section 13, and why? What doesn’t S2P want you to know?

[A sneak peek at Boy Scout’s case files 🤫]

By unlocking these casefiles you’ll discover how Boy Scout came to be psychically linked to an otherworldly being, why Beaker is so determined to reverse memory loss, where Scalpel’s vendetta against S2P comes from, and how Red’s mom went missing… if she really IS missing…

Through a series of de-classified documents, recorded phone calls, laboratory audio logs, and data-mined emails, the agents will learn about various characters that occupied Section 13 long before they ever came along – including Kimber Delahunt, the ruthlessly efficient Deputy Director of the base, who was responsible for initiating the blackout alert… and who Scalpel has a history with.

[Kimber Delahunt AKA Corporate Conspiracy Barbie]

But that’s just one thread of many in the glorious tapestry of S13’s newly fleshed out narrative.

It took our team months to weave together those threads, then months of recording to have an extremely talented (and star-studded) voice cast bring those stories to life.
Honestly, between this and our other Early Access project, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, we have worked with some of the most remarkable voice talent I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. While we’re not allowed to name drop just yet, I guarantee you will hear some familiar voices.

We had so many wonderful moments in the studio, I wish I could share them all with you. We spent half the time cracking up and the rest of the time wiping away tears. Our voice director gushed several times that this was one of his favorite game he’s worked on. Seriously, folks: These performances are going to blow you away.

We here at ODS can’t wait for everyone to experience the incredible content that’s coming your way with the full release. Get your tissues ready, everyone, because only those of you who are dead inside won’t shed at least a tear or two.

Thanks for staying up to date with all things Section 13 and we can’t wait to see you at launch!

Enigmatically yours,

~Nicky Silber, Narrative Designer

Welcome, esteemed potential investors in the S2P Corporation!

Are you ready for the financial opportunity of a lifetime? Sure you are, or you wouldn’t have let our unmarked van drive you to this bunker in the middle of the desert! But I’m sure you want to know a little more about our company before you generously open your wallets.

S2P. The Simply Secure Paperclip Company. Secure Staffing Procurement Agency. Even the Sugary Syrup Pancake Factory!

We’ve been known by many names, and had many fronts, over the past eight decades since our founding in 1939. Our mission, however, remains the same: procure and eliminate supernatural, paranatural, and paranormal threats.

[Contained and extremely safe Quarantined Entities.]

From defeating werewolf Nazis in World War II, to facing off against robot laser squids in the Cold War, S2P has been there on the front lines, defending the world from total annihilation. Over the years, S2P has evolved along with its threats, growing from a pure containment mission to a proactive research organization with bases around the globe. There’s no better way of understanding an enemy than by catching it and studying it to see what makes it tick. And there’s no better way of defeating an enemy than by reverse-engineering a serum from its blood that will make it explode upon impact!

[Marvelous machinations!]

These marvelous advancements in technology, however, do not come cheap. You can’t put a price on freedom or safety—but you can put a price on nitrous-oxide flamethrowers. Which is why S2P has always relied on the kindness and generosity of the private sector and investors such as yourselves.

Thanks to investor funds, we have been able to expand from a handful of facilities in the contiguous United States to over a hundred compounds worldwide. From laboratories to QT (or Quarantined Entity) holding cells to nuclear-grade missile silos, S2P is the proud umbrella corporation of a thriving ecosystem of divisions.

Take, for example, Section 6, known colloquially as “Northwest”. After entering the expansive marble lobby and passing through our two dozen security screeners, you can visit the Cryptoveterinarian offices on the third floor, take a peek at some cutting edge grenades in Experimental Weapon Research and Development on the eighth floor, or stop in to get your 2030 taxes assessed in the Fourth Dimensional Accounting Department. (Just don’t get too creative with your deductions, or you might have an unscheduled meeting with our Paradox Department!)

[Our state-of-the-art weapons testing facility.]

Your money will not only go a long way towards securing the future of all of S2P’s ventures, but becoming an investor also comes along with its own very real perks, such as joining our alluring and mysterious Board of Investors. If S2P’s many facilities are its lifeblood, then the Board is its head, making the big decisions and steering the entire company towards success. Having been without a single-leader system since the 1940s, S2P has always relied on the stability of a quorum of intelligent voices and vested interests to turn S2P into the global superpower it is today.

[One of our many biotech labs, where ethics is one of several priorities.]

We thank you for consenting to let us blindfold you and bring you here today for this presentation. We hope it has not only been informative but exciting. Donuts and our signature SuperCoffee™ will be made available in the lounge on your way out, and we hope you will be ready to make your decision to invest before the private helicopters arrive to take you home. If you have time, please fill out a comment card to let us know how you enjoyed our presentation and what psychological effects it may have had on you.

On behalf of us all: welcome to the S2P family!