Section 13 News

S2P Intel Report #1: The World of Blackout Protocol

Howdy Agents,

I'm Brandon, localization editor and narrative designer at Ocean Drive.

Blackout Protocol is entering early access on July 19 PT, and we're all super excited for you to get in there and start blastin' some zombos. As part of our pre-launch preparations, I've been asked to grab a pick-axe and come work a shift in the Content mines.

So today we're gonna talk about the game’s setting.

Our studio's first game, Lost Eidolons, is a story-heavy behemoth of a tactical RPG. Blackout Protocol ain't like that. This is a fast, fun multiplayer game that's light on words and heavy on bullets. But like any good multiplayer game, it's got a flavorful world that sets a strong mood.

And that mood is: oh f*** oh f*** OH F*** AHHHHHH NO GET AWAY

In Blackout Protocol, you'll play as an employee of The S2P Corporation: a shadowy, globe-spanning organization dedicated to the containment and study of Quarantined Entities (also known as QT’s) for science and profit.

But mostly science. Promise.

The jewel in S2P's crown? Section 13, a remote research base located somewhere in the American southwest, with a purpose so top-secret even most of the people who work there don't know what it is.

Normally that kind of compartmentalization works great. In a crisis? Not so much.

Now the QT’s are loose, the eldritch ichor’s hitting the fan, the whole place is on lockdown, and nobody on the outside knows what's going on. Even worse? It's a weekend, so all the real badasses are off the clock!

And so, it's up to you — the best of the rest — to grab a flashlight, strap on a holster, and get on in there, champ.

But don't worry. S2P doesn't just send its valuable team-members into certain death without taking precautions. You know that slight stinging sensation you felt in the base of your skull about five minutes ago? That was senior management activating your Death Nullification chip.

What’s that, you ask? A cutting-edge quantum medical device, which ensures that any time you die during a field mission, your consciousness will zip backwards in time to the start — retaining certain skills and abilities, but jettisoning all those pesky productivity-killing memories of being disemboweled by a former coworker in a dimly-lit parking garage.

Or, yknow, whatever silly stuff happened in there. The past is the past! Don't think about it too much. Just get back on that horse, cowboy up, and have fun with it.

And if you can, try to collect some good data while you're in there.

You know. For science.

- ODS Brandon

DISCORD | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

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

Your Demo Feedback

Agents,

Congratulations for getting through part of Section 13 successfully (or not) during the demo! We hope you enjoyed fighting off some QTs while getting more insight into how the game has been progressing throughout the months.

As you already know, we’ll be launching Early Access for Blackout Protocol on July 19th at 4PM PT! Before we head into what to expect the week leading up to Early Access, let’s take a step back and review what our team has learned from the demo feedback.

[h3]Re: Agents[/h3]
We saw many new players try out Blackout Protocol during the demo, and many of them heard about our game through Steam’s featuring and recommendations! Thank you Steam Next Fest and the push for indie games!

[h3]Re: Combat[/h3]
As many of the Agents were new to the game and spent less time playing the demo–there were so many games to try in this summer’s Steam Next Fest!–we saw that some Agents weren’t able to pick up on the various combat mechanics in Blackout Protocol as previous Agents had in our Closed Betas. We are exploring different ways to help Agents notice these nuances as they continue to play Blackout Protocol.

We received feedback largely similar to previous CBs, focusing around character movement speed, difficulty, friendly fire, and reload mechanics. Combat balance is something we are constantly monitoring and reviewing, so we will continue to make adjustments throughout Early Access.

[h3]Re: Permanent Growth and Roguelite Elements[/h3]
Less agents found permanent enhancements and unlocks to be helpful compared to previous betas, most likely due to the limited content of the demo and Agents spending less time playing. Also only 3 tiers of Permanent Upgrades were available through the DNS Defragmenter. We will continue to monitor Agents’ feedback regarding permanent growth during Early Access and ensure that Agents feel a difference in their growth as they progress.

[h3]Re: Key Art[/h3]
We saw that many Agents found our current key art to be a good representation of the game. When presented with multiple images, the current key art was clearly the favorite with 45.3% of the votes, with a distant second coming in with 17.3%. Lore and immersion was incorporated into the demo with the addition of voice acting and we hope to bring even more throughout Early Access and beyond!

[h3]Re: Early Access[/h3]
Don’t forget that Early Access starts on July 19th at 4PM PT! We know that all of you cannot wait to get playing, so in order to help with the wait, we’ll be starting a daily blog series tomorrow! We’ll be launching a blog post every single day until Early Access release day with in-depth information regarding Blackout Protocol that you may or may not have known previously!

We hope you all enjoyed playing the demo of Blackout Protocol and are looking forward to Early Access and more! See you all in Section 13 soon.

- ODS Kangaroo

DISCORD | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

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

Thanks for Playing the Demo!

Agents,

With Steam Next Fest ending, we are wrapping up the demo period for Blackout Protocol as well. It was great to see you enjoy Blackout Protocol–in some cases, playing with ODS staff. As we continue working on the game for Early Access and beyond, telling us about your gameplay experience and feedback will give us a better idea on how the game can be improved.

We will keep the Steam Next Fest demo feedback survey open for a couple more days. The survey includes questions that help us determine what type of art style we want to explore for Blackout Protocol’s key art in the future.

We will share our learnings from the demo in the near future, and we hope to find opportunities to share what you can expect in Early Access. Please stay tuned to hear more from us in the future! Also, don't forget to wishlist us on Steam to be notified when we enter Early Access on July 19, 2023.

- ODS Team

DISCORD | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

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

Blackout Protocol Developer Interview

Agents,

We ask the masterminds behind Blackout Protocol (Jaeeun Park & Dongsoo Oh) about what we should expect during Early Access phase and beyond! We'll get some insights on the origins of Blackout Protocol development and perhaps a deep dive on game mechanics not yet seen in the game!

Of course, we'll be playing Blackout Protocol and hope we don't accidentally shoot each other in the back! Come join and watch the chaos!

PDT: June 24th 4 PM
EDT: June 24th 7 PM
CEST: June 25th 1 AM
ICT: June 25th 6 AM
KST: June 25th 8 AM

Blackout Protocol in Next Fest & Let's Play Stream!

Agents,

Welcome to Steam Next Fest June 2023! We are doubly excited for this one--Blackout Protocol demo will be available until the end of Next Fest with an updated build (details can be found here), and we're excited to play demos of other cool indie games!

Join Ocean Drive Games as we feature our new Roguelite, Twinstick Shooter with Multiplayer Co-op!
ODS Orbit, Kangaroo, and Geek will talk about basic gameplay fundamentals and talk about unique aspects of Blackout Protocol. Friendly fire is always on, so watch some friendships end during the stream!

PDT: June 19th 1 PM
EDT: June 19th 4 PM
CEST: June 19th 10 PM
ICT: June 10th 3 AM
KST: June 20th 5 AM