Midnight Heist News

Hello everyone!

Finally you can try the demo that will be exhibited at the Steam Next Fest. The demo of Midnight Heist features some core gameplay mechanics and a large map to explore. Please keep in mind that there are still a lot of mechanics in development and the gameplay is constantly changing, as we still have a lot on our schedule. However, the demo will be a foundation for feedback that we would like to hear from you. Our philosophy is to involve our community in as many steps and decisions as possible to create a great game together. Both small and large feedback on the current version of Midnight Heist is welcome.

With the demo you get a small impression of what will be implemented. For example, the store, operations and wardrobe are disabled for the demo. You can still change your character in the wardrobe, only the clothes will remain the same. Also, the leveling system is disabled for the demo, as well as the black market where you can sell special valuables you find.

We strongly recommend that you play the tutorial first to get familiar with the core mechanics. You will find a button in the menu to select the tutorial level. Any feedback on this is also welcome.

We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are already looking forward to your feedback and ideas. Feel free to write us in the Steam discussions, on Twitter, on Instagram or via email. We read everything!

Until then, have fun with the Midnight Heist demo, and we'll see you in Midnight City!
Dan and Andreas

[h2]Hello everyone![/h2]

In this devlog we go over the current development of Midnight Heist, planned features, and a timeframe for a playable demo!

[h3]Hideout Computer[/h3]
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The computer in the hideout serves as an operations center to launch missions. We have extensively reworked this and made the interface simpler and more appropriate to fit the theme of the game. Each player will have a computer in his hideout to connect with other players. However, it can also do a lot more and there will be a lot more features added over time. In the emails, you will receive jobs from large organizations, which will earn you reputation points and larger rewards for completing them. There are also a lot of statistics to constantly monitor your game progress and compare it with others. Currently, we are also planning to introduce a black market, where you can sell valuables that constantly fluctuate in price and demand. These valuables can be found during heists.



[h3]Power and Light[/h3]
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During heists in the companies, monitoring of electricity usage will be available. To avoid drawing too much attention, this will be greatly reduced for your own protection. It will be possible to turn on lights in various rooms, with the risk of being exposed to greater danger. If more lights are turned on than the power limit allows, the automatic security system will create a blackout, so the power will have to be restored. We are also planning more fun ways to be able to use the electricity.



[h3]Horror and AI[/h3]
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To keep the horror factor as high as possible, we're adding a large amount of visual and audio elements that constantly change and provide ever-changing experiences in each round. The ghost will be able to hear and see you, so you'll always have to be careful, as well as sneaky to avoid making too much noise. You'll also be able to hide in closets and behind objects, but the AI can interact with them if it wants to. In order to introduce as much dynamics as possible, the AI will minimally adapt its abilities in each round. Thus, it remains relatively unpredictable, but can be studied with patience.



[h3]UI Elements[/h3]
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We want the experience of Midnight Heist to be very visually appealing, so there are animations and custom UI elements for most interactions and things to elevate the game experience. You get feedback for a lot of things that accompany the gameplay experience, taking the player by the hand with it to better immerse themselves in the game.



[h3]Midnight Heist Demo[/h3]
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Steam Next Fest will take place again in June 2023, where numerous developers will showcase their upcoming titles and promote them using a playable demo. We also want to participate in the Next Fest and therefore plan to present a playable demo of Midnight Heist. However, it is not yet clear whether this demo will be playable in singleplayer or in multiplayer. The basic functions are already there and work solidly, but there are still a lot of features to be added and for this reason we have to see which of them will make it into the demo and which will not. The demo will be very important for us to gather feedback.

There are some very interesting things coming up. We will keep you up to date, until the next devlog!

Until then,
Dan and Andreas

[h2]Hello everyone![/h2]

Welcome to the very first devlog of Midnight Heist, our upcoming co-op horror game where you work alone or together as a relatively inexperienced hacker to complete tasks for organizations by sneaking into companies and stealing their data. Just like our previous title Psych, you can expect behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive sneak peeks, and of course discussions with the community about content we're developing in these irregular devlogs so we can always incorporate and consider your feedback. We will keep our development the same as with Psych and always keep your opinions in the foreground, as well as let your ideas inspire us. Now let's get started!

[h3]Improvements in our technology and way of working[/h3]
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Many of you do not know how and with what we work. We mainly use the Unity Engine, Blender, Substance Painter and various other tools to create games. The biggest bummer with Psych was that we were using an old, in beta, so-called "HDRP" (High Definition Render Pipeline). Because of the HDRP, lights and shadows looked more realistic, however, the version was so broken that we gradually got more and more bugs that we couldn't fix. Porting to another version didn't work either, because that led to more bugs and we didn't want to start from scratch. That's why at Midnight Heist we start with a brand new version of Unity, which supports our work with rich features and stable functionality. Not only does this give us less headaches, but it also has a positive impact on development in the long run. After all the work of Psych, we have learned a lot. Often only thanks to you, our community.

[h3]The idea for Midnight Heist[/h3]
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We already knew during the development of Psych that we wanted to create a multiplayer game as our next project. There are many colleagues who have released good games, so we were even more inspired to create something new and fresh. It should also be horror, but related to hackers and thieves who have to complete tasks for organizations to increase their reputation and build up their own hideout. Just something that should also motivate in the long run. We also plan to have a character customization reward system, entirely without season passes or other monetized methods, to deliver you an honest "buy only once to enjoy" experience. The BIGGEST aspect is on gameplay and exploration. We want to deliver a great subliminal story that can be followed, but doesn't have to be. With that, we want to cover as many players as possible. Those who love story and the story behind games and those who just play for fun. Midnight Heist is meant to be easy to understand, but with difficulty levels you can choose how challenging you want the game to be.

[h3]New challenges[/h3]
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Since Midnight Heist will be our first online game, there was also a big learning curve around network technology this time. We have already successfully completed most of it, but are constantly working on improvements. With the idea of being able to customize the character, as well as the hideout, we are adding new features that we have never done before. Your feedback will definitely be important here to help us with the development. Another big challenge will be the AI from the threat (No spoilers!). The idea is to be able to let the player hide or run away when the threat approaches. However, the AI is supposed to be intelligent enough that it will also notice something is wrong during the course of the game round and take a closer look. For example, you can hide in the closet once or maybe twice, but the AI would open the closet at the latest the third time to take a closer look - that's the idea.

[h3]Hacking[/h3]
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In order to fulfill the mission and satisfy your employers, the large organizations, you'll have to steal data. With your Smartphone with the latest Hack OS, you will get access to various tools that will only enable you to hack the electronic devices of the companies. In order to hack a device, you will have to connect to it through your Smartphone. Once access to the electronic device is gained, the data transfer process will start. The closer you are to the device to be hacked, the faster it will proceed. If the hack is successful, the transferred data will be stored on your phone and the hacked device will be locked.



[h3]Looting[/h3]
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As hackers and thieves, loot will be of great importance to you. You can loot not only digital data of the companies, but also physical valuables such as important documents, jewelry, cash and so on. There are numerous cabinets and drawers that you can open and search. There is always something different hiding behind each one. Also, there will be sections in companies that are especially protected. These are difficult to reach, but contain especially valuable valuables. The loot that you acquire can be exchanged for cryptocurrencies, which you can use to expand your hideout, for example.



[h3]Companies[/h3]
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Each map in Midnight Heist will represent a company in some way. We have already completed the first map. A large company with three floors called Cemax Agency, where you can hack more than 40 electronic devices such as computers and laptops, to steal their data. We'll also have variations of companies, as well as secrets such as locked rooms that you can only open with certain items. Basically, each map will have its own challenges. Here you can see a few glimpses of the Cemax Agency:










[h3]The current state[/h3]
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Yes, we would also like to be ready and play right away, but unfortunately we are not there yet. Thanks to Psych we were able to adopt some scripts and models, but we have to and especially want to do a lot of things better and take our time to make things good. We can't give you a release date yet, but we promise that it won't take more than a few months. We're pretty far along, but we still have to tie all the systems together and test, test, test. We will keep you updated and share upcoming features and ideas with you!

We hope to have picked you up with this first devlog and are already looking forward to the next one!
Feel free to write us your opinions and ideas, we are looking forward to it.

Until then,
Dan and Andreas