Section 13 News

[UPDATED] Blackout Protocol Demo in Steam Next Fest June 2023

[June 19, 2023 at 9:45 AM PT - Added the detailed list of changes with the updated demo build]

Agents,

Blackout Protocol is part of Steam Next Fest June 2023. While the demo has been available for some time, we updated the build with additional changes for Steam Next Fest. Please note that the demo will no longer be available once Steam Next Fest ends.

We also have a new feedback survey to make further improvements to the game. Please make sure you fill it out and help shape the future of Blackout Protocol!

Below are some changes from CB3 that you will find in the Steam Next Fest demo. Some features you may have already noticed in the previous demo build, but we would like to use this opportunity to go over them altogether.

[h2]Changes Since Closed Beta 3[/h2]

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

Fixed some untranslated text showing in the game
Fixed the issue where Scalpel was unable to fire weapons after reloading, if she used her active skill while wielding a Sawed-Off Shotgun with an empty mag (Reported on Discord)
Fixed the issue where the damage reduction modifier was not consistently applied under certain conditions on Intern (Easy) difficulty
Fixed the issue where some room names and Agent names were showing as question marks

[h3]New Features[/h3]

Added the S2P Archives menu that provides a better sense of growth in a lore-friendly way
- The Armory shows all weapons and tactical equipment you unlocked
- The Nethersphere shows all permanent enhancements you unlocked
Added visual/sound effects for unlocking new weapons with blueprints
Added VO/sound effects for combat barks, pings/quick chats, and UI interactions
Added difficulty selection in the Lobby screen, and updated the names to Intern (Easy) and Full-Time (Normal)
- Added UI for providing details for each difficulty
- Intern (Easy) Difficulty Overview
  - Reduced friendly fire damage: 60% on Full-Time (Normal) difficulty → 20% on Intern (Easy) difficulty
  - Removed Panic Gauge loss when taking physical damage while in the dark: 100% → 0%
  - We plan to continue monitoring the Intern (Easy) difficulty and make further adjustments as necessary
Added ways to invite Steam friends, change characters, and swap weapons while waiting outside the Section 13 base entrance
- To invite friends or change characters, interact with the telephone booth outside the base
- To swap weapons, interact with the frunk of the trusty ride that brought you to your mission
Added text chat for better communication with other Agents

[h3]Changes[/h3]

New character selection screen that shows both the general S2P lore and character backgrounds better
Revamped the Synaptic Enhancement selection UI so that it is easier to see how certain card choices will affect proficiency points and weapon perks
- Information on the left shows the 4 categories (Firearms, Psionic, Bionic, and R&D) and proficiency points
- Information on the right (expanded when you press Tab) shows how the currently highlighted Synaptic Enhancement may affect the weapon perks of your loadout
Combined the “Quick Start” and the “Lobby” buttons into the “Start” button in the title screen
- “Start” button will take Agents to the Lobby menu where they can create/join rooms
Lobby menu will now show all rooms regardless of the region
Changed so that weapons you haven’t unlocked show only as silhouettes in the weapon selection menu

Don’t forget to wishlist the game on Steam to be the first to get notified once we start Early Access on July 19, 2023 PT! The team continues to work hard for Early Access to bring you even more content and changes, including menu navigation using the mouse. All the more reason to look forward to Early Access!

- ODS Team

DISCORD | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

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

Early Access Date Announced: July 19, 2023!

Agents,

We hope you are enjoying the demo and are eagerly looking forward to the Early Access as everyone at Ocean Drive Studio is. Today, we are announcing the Early Access date: July 19, 2023 PT (July 20, 2023, depending on your time zone)!

If you have played the closed beta, you probably saw some changes make their way into the demo. Guess what–more changes are coming with Early Access! We hope to have opportunities to highlight those changes as we draw nearer to the Early Access start date. For now, please enjoy the awesome trailer we made for today’s announcement:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Make sure you wishlist Blackout Protocol if you haven’t already. That way, you will know as soon as Early Access goes live. Can’t wait until July? Play the public demo from our Steam store page!

- ODS Team

DISCORD | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

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

Demo Minor Hot Fix - June 9 2023

Agents,

We are releasing version 0.8.2.1 BuildNum 33 to address some issues reported to us.

The patch will be live at:

PDT: 2:00 AM
EDT: 5:00 AM
CEST: 11:00 AM
ICT: 4:00 PM
KST: 6:00 PM

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 Blackout Protocol.
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.

[h3]Change List[/h3]

Made changes to the difficulty adjustment feature
- Made the default difficulty setting to Easy
- For Easy difficulty, you will no longer lose Panic Gauge when you take physical damage while in the dark. We plan to continue monitoring the Easy difficulty and make further adjustments as necessary.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

Fixed the issue where, if Scalpel wielding a Sawed-Off Shotgun with an empty mag used her active skill, she could not fire her weapon even after reloading (Reported on Discord)
Fixed an issue where the Nethercube description could show as untranslated text

Your CB3 Feedback

Agents,

Your efforts to regain control of Section 13 base during the last beta has provided us with valuable intel for our future missions. Your feedback counts–even if it’s feedback on the survey: the beta feedback survey this time was different from that in CB2, based on notes we received from you.

Some of the changes you asked for have been in the works, and we have been able to bring them to you in our demo on Steam. Other feedback, we will take careful note and plan further changes and improvements for our Early Access, coming this year–and it could be sooner than you think!

[h3]Re: Agents[/h3]
We saw more Agents experience Blackout Protocol for the first time in CB3 than in CB2.

[h3]Re: Matchmaking[/h3]
This time around, we saw a greater portion of Agents playing in duos. However, when asked what their most wanted group size is, most Agents told us they would like to play in a full group of 3. We are happy to find out that Agents agree that the Blackout Protocol experience is much enhanced when you have good teamwork with a full squad.

[h3]Re: Combat[/h3]
Even though quite a few of the CB3 Agents were new to the game, we saw that many Agents quickly picked up the various combat mechanics in Blackout Protocol.

We received similar feedback as CB2, such as difficulty and overall combat balance in various forms–friendly fire, character movement speed, reload mechanics, etc. Combat balance is something we are constantly monitoring and reviewing, so we will continue to make adjustments for Early Access and beyond.

[h3]Re: Permanent Growth and Roguelite Elements[/h3]
Many Agents found permanent enhancements and unlocks to be helpful, similar to previous betas. We will continue to work on improvements in this area as well. For example, we are working on improvements to the weapon perk system including UI changes, as well as reviewing new weapon perk options.

[h3]Re: Other Topics[/h3]
We saw that many Agents found each character’s appearance to match their background, which players found on the character selection screen. Lore and immersion is something that we’ve been working on diligently, so please look forward to seeing more of this. You can actually see some of that already in the demo, with the S2P Archives and new character selection screens!

[h3]Re: CB Feedback Implemented in the Demo[/h3]
We’ve been working on quite a few changes based on your feedback from all the betas, and some of them have made their way into the public demo for Blackout Protocol available on Steam! While it has limited amount of content, we wanted to share some changes you may spot:

The new character selection screen provides better lore and immersion of Agents, showing them “at work” before they came to the gate of Section 13
Make sure you check out their full idle & selection animations in the game!
The new S2P Archives menu, where you can get a better sense of your permanent growth, presented in a way that fits what you will uncover at Section 13 base in the future.
Right now, you have access to the Armory (for all weapons you unlocked) and the Nethersphere (for all permanent enhancements you unlocked).
The new Synaptic Enhancement selection UI, which is part of our effort to facilitate which enhancement to choose, especially with weapon perks in mind.
In addition to the 4 categories shown on the left, you now see information on the right that tells you your current weapons’ categories, as well as indicators for how many points you need for unlocking the perks on them. If getting a certain enhancement would unlock a perk, you’ll see that show on the UI as well.

Once again, thank you so much for playing CB3 and providing your feedback. We will continue to work on Early Access and bring more news to you. Don’t forget to play the demo!

- ODS GeeK

DISCORD | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | TWITCH

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

Blackout Protocol Demo Is Live!

Greetings, Agents.

We are in the process of analyzing all feedback we received from the last closed beta, and plan to share our learnings with you soon.

Today, we’re here to open up a public demo for Blackout Protocol. The demo features limited content from the earliest parts of the game, in order to showcase what Blackout Protocol is about, as well as to identify and address any bugs or issues for a better gameplay experience during Early Access and beyond.

Below is what you can expect from the demo:

4 playable Agents
13 weapons (unlockable via blueprints) and 5 tactical equipment items
All weapons we currently have planned are available in this demo, but only their first few levels
The earliest 2 stages of the game (out of a total 6 planned for Early Access)
Alternate variants of those first 2 stages, which you'll encounter over multiple playthroughs
The first 3 tiers of unlockable Agent Upgrades (out of a total 7 tiers planned for Early Access)

We’d also like to note that localization has not yet been finalized in all languages, so you may encounter a few minor text issues. Another thing we're working on is adding VO to the full game, so more things for you to look forward to beyond the demo!

Please share your feedback and report bugs through Feature Upvote or our Discord server. Your feedback plays an important role in shaping the game.

We wish you the best of luck down in Section 13!