New features for the next patch/update and the Road[map]
[p]It has been a little over two months since we released the Contain Genesis Update. Genesis was a major step, but it was just the beginning. Now that the foundation is much more solid, we’ve shifted our focus to expanding the world, the gear, and the threats.[/p][p]We can see that we are good, but we are not fast. We are a small team, and we have to be careful with our promises (mistakes were made and lessons were learned). We would have loved to grow the team and ship things faster, but we simply can't do that right now.[/p][p][/p][p]Anyways, let's move on to the fun part of this devblog![/p][p][/p][h2]What are we actively working on?[/h2][p][/p][h3]New Type of Guns[/h3][p]First, we are currently adding Shotguns and LMGs for the armory. These aren't just simple additions; they require their own handling and weight to feel right in the game. Here is a look at some of the FPS animations we are working on in Blender for Shotguns.[/p][p][/p][h3]Shotgun:[/h3][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]LMG:[/h3][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]Map Progress[/h3][p]While we work on the weapons, we are also building new environment. This is a raw look at an upcoming operation map, there are tons of placeholders, and also the ligting is not final, so it is still a work in progress and needs more polish, but the scale and layout are getting there. Of course, this new operation will introduce new anomaly enemies as well. [/p][p][/p]![]()
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[/p][p]It's very simple. The player needs to find the terminal and connect their DataPad. Once the UI appears, they must rotate the octagons to hack the system. There are some anomaly-influenced nodes (the red ones) that cannot be rotated. All you need to do is create a path from the start node to the end node. Of course, all nodes will be randomly generated on every attempt. To add to the challenge, higher game difficulties will introduce time pressure, requiring you to complete the connection before the timer runs out.[/p][p][/p][h3]Armor and Health Systems Rework[/h3][p]We have started to chage players armor and the health system. Let's get into details for who likes it![/p][p]Armor Actually Protects (But Only Where It Covers) When you equip a heavy plate, it doesn't just artificially boost your total health. We have implemented a true armor plating system. The game tracks the exact physical impact of every bullet. If you hit an enemy in the chest, the plate catches the round, absorbing and reducing the damage.[/p][p][/p][p]But what if you shoot them somewhere else? [/p][p][/p][p]Flesh Hits & The Armor Bypass [/p][p]If you are facing down a heavily armored enemy aiming for center mass might get you killed. Because armor only protects what it physically covers, arms and legs are fully exposed. If you shoot an enemy in an unarmored limb, the bullet completely bypasses their armor and instantly damages their raw health pool.[/p][p][/p][p]To keep this balanced, we’ve introduced a dynamic body-part damage system: [/p]![]()
[/p][p]Swapping from a light to heavy plates instantly changes how your character handles. Do you want to be fast and vulnerable, or a slow-moving fortress? The choice is yours, and you will feel the weight of that decision the moment you step out of the equipment screen.[/p][p][/p][h3]Interactable NPCs[/h3][p]We wanted to add interactable NPCs into the Base of Operations (HUB). With these NPCs, we believe we can reveal more about the Contain universe. Who/What is the Contain Organization? Why they do what they do, and what kind of danger is coming? What are those giant circling rings with the red stuff in it? The NPCs will start answering many questions and unfold the story piece by piece.[/p][p][/p][h3]Codex[/h3][p]With the NPCs, we are also adding a Codex. The Codex will work as an encyclopedia, where everyone can reach and read all the details about what they have encountered before. Such as the Queen (named by the community). What is that crawling creature, where has it been seen before, what is its weakness, or how should you encounter it? [/p][p][/p][p]Many answers will be revealed in the Codex.[/p][p][/p]![]()
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[p]Dev Note: We will share new anomalies visual details for this later on.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][carousel]
[p]Dev Note: The working title for this map is "Bermuda" for now. But we believe this may tease the main concept of the map for everyone. Also, we wanted to include one of (ours too) the most beloved SCP environment (we will share visual details for this part later on) into this operation map; but as we always try to do, we want it to have its own style with just the right combination of novelty and familiarity.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Weather Conditions[/h3][p]This has been one of our personal most-wanted features since the very beginning. Our plan is simple: adding randomly occurring weather to missions, while eventually giving players the ability to select their preferred conditions. Initially, all missions will feature random weather; the manual selection option will be added later. To start, we’re planing to introduce classic rainy weather, then snowy and then stormy variants of these.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Terminals Mini Game[/h3][p]At first, we thought it would be fun to run commands like in the MS-DOS era. However, it was hard to make it both simple and challenging for everyone. We wanted players to find usernames and passwords in the terminal with simple commands to unlock doors. But in the end, gameplay tests showed that asking other players for the password had already "killed" the mini-game. We iterated on this by making the passwords randomly generated for every session, but the result was the same—the password was in the same text file anyway. So, the terminal mini-games are changing; for now, as a starter, we are adding a classic "Pipe-link puzzle" game.[/p][p][/p][p]Here is the very first WIP version;
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- [p]Headshots: High risk, devastating reward. Unarmored heads take massive bonus damage.[/p]
- [p]Chest (Armored): Takes standard damage, but it gets heavily absorbed by the plate you chose to equip.[/p]
- [p]Limbs (Arms/Legs): Limb shots deal less base damage than a chest shot. However, because they bypass the plate entirely, aiming for the legs might just be the smartest way to take down an armored enemy.[/p]
- [p]Armor HP: How much total dmg the plate (armor) can take before it breaks.[/p]
- [p]Damage Reduction: How effectively the material absorbs the kinetic impact of a bullet.[/p]
- [p]Movement Speed: The mobility penalty for carrying all that weight.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Dev Note: We may have push the codex release into Q3. It's on Q2 schecule right now.[/p][p][/p][h3]AI Teammates[/h3][p]Currently, we already have different team systems for the AI's working in the background (We have shared a video about it in our Discord few months before). Players, Anomaly creatures, and Anomaly-affected soldiers are three distinct teams. As players, you are fighting against the other two. So, with a simple variable change, we can already make them fight each other.[/p][p]Then, why are we telling you this? [/p][p]The answer is simple: we could easily add follower teammates to fight alongside you. BUT![/p][p]We’ve already tried this in our development tests, but having them just fight alongside the player felt... empty, not engaging, and (of course) buggy.[/p][p]So, what we want is, players to be able to give them commands, just like in many other similar games nowadays. That is why you haven't seen them in the game yet. We are working on it, and once it’s ready, we will introduce this feature in an update in the near future[/p][p][/p][h3]Steam Achievements[/h3][p]We have already introduced a few Steam Achievements for the game, but as the game evolves, we want to add more. Alongside our future patches and updates, you may notice that new Steam Achievements will continue to be added.[/p][p][/p][h3]Text Chat[/h3][p]We have already introduced voice chat into the game, but not everyone wants to speak or some may have technical difficulties with it. You’ve asked for a text chat, and we have good news for those who want it: it’s now WIP![/p][p][/p][p]We have talked about the current WIP, which includes the Q1 features. For the Q2 feature details, we will introduce a new devblog when they have found more solid ground. That’s all for the in depth details we'll share "for now".[/p][p][/p][h2]So, The Roadmap[/h2][p]We hope everyone sees that things have shifted since the Genesis release. We are no longer just fixing the game; we are focused on adding new stuff to it. As we mention all the time, being a small team makes sharing long-term details risky, as we want to keep our promises. [/p][p][/p][p]So, we decided to reveal the Roadmap partially, for now.[/p][p][/p][p]
[p]A reminder;[/p][p]The dates and content listed are our current goals. These plans might change based on technical needs or your feedback. Instead of releasing one massive update every few months, we plan to release content in parts within the quarters. This lets us stay flexible and get new things to you sooner.[/p][p]Items listed as "Ongoing" will be updated or added regularly throughout the roadmap, rather than waiting for a specific quarter.[/p][p][/p][h3]Early Access is a journey[/h3][p]And we are excited to keep moving forward. While we already have quite a vision for Contain, even though we don't have a huge community yet, we are still getting great ideas from players and we’re taking notes from all of them.[/p][p]We are trying to benefit from Early Access as much as we can, and the best part is that we can always switch things up a bit, or even more. So, please keep those ideas coming. While some are very close to what we’ve already come up with (obviously, we cannot tell you which!), others are very different from our own. [/p][p][/p][p]Please keep the feedback coming.[/p][p][/p][p] - Contain Dev Team[/p][p][/p][h2]Join our Discord![/h2][p][/p][p]