Into the Radius 2 News

Hello explorers!
Today we’re continuing our talk about loot, but this time focusing more on the artifacts. We want to make artifacts a more crucial part of the game by delving deeper into the mechanics and systems related to them.

Artifacts, as items, will serve the following roles:

• Valuables
  
• Mission Items
  
• Player “Enhancements"
  

Each of these aspects touches upon its own set of systems.

[h3]Artifacts as Valuables[/h3]
Artifacts will become a more significant source of income for players compared to valuables, as was the case in ITR1. The Committee is exploring the Radius, and it's much more important to gather as many artifacts as possible rather than redeeming their own lost equipment or paperwork.

Other valuables will still be encountered, but not as often as before.

[h3]Artifacts as Mission Items[/h3]
Here not much will actually change. Many missions will revolve around artifacts or be centered on artifacts as part of UNPSC operations. But considering our new mission system, this should become more engaging and diverse (more on that in future diary entries).

[h3]Artifacts as “Enhancements”[/h3]
In ITR1, there were only a few artifacts that slightly influenced player gameplay. In the sequel, we aim to focus a lot more on them.

A whole range of artifacts will be added that directly affect the player. Each artifact will have one positive and several negative effects. Players can enhance the positive and remove the negative effects using a special stationary modification system located at the base. Money and "ash," as we mentioned last time, will be used to modify artifacts.

The positive effects of artifacts are passive perks. Among them will be permanent ones, such as "+10% maximum health," as well as semi-active ones. These effects have a certain chance of triggering, for example, "5% chance for bullets to ricochet off the player’s body." There won’t be any special abilities you can trigger at the click of a button!

The main idea is to give players an additional tool in customizing their "build." Such a "build" consists of their equipment (vest, backpack, helmet), weapons, and "enhancement” artifacts. Artifacts can help strengthen the "build," compensate for its shortcomings, or improve the player’s overall quality of life.

The player will have a special 3-slot glove where they can insert an "enhancement" and then its effect will start affecting the character.

The process of finding artifacts will also change. All artifacts will spawn inside unique "nests." Each "nest" is a container that requires a special action to "open" and retrieve the artifact. The detector reacts to the nest itself, not the artifact. Once the artifact is taken, the detector stops reacting to the "nest."

"Nests" will be divided into 3 types:
1) Unlocks with bare hands. The player needs nothing but their hands to retrieve the artifact.
- For example, pulling an artifact out of the nest.
2) Doesn’t require a detector but requires an item. Unlocks with simple equipment that the player has - a lighter, a weapon, food, a flashlight, etc.
- For example, a nest that needs to be broken open with a pistol shot or grenade explosion.
3) Requires a detector.
- For example, an invisible nest that needs to be illuminated with a detector flash to reveal it and the artifact (as was the case in ITR1).

Such "nests" will be located not only in anomaly clusters but also throughout the Radius. Of course, the most valuable artifacts can only be found in large anomaly clusters.

As you progress, the variety of "nests" on locations that players can encounter will expand.

This will make artifact acquisition more interesting and diverse. We conducted playtests with different types of "nests" within the team, and we have high hopes for this idea.
At the start of Early Access, there will be only one type of "nest" and no “enhancement” artifacts, only ones for sale. All of the aforementioned features will be added gradually.

We hope that this new and improved artifact system will appeal to our explorers. Naturally, adjustments will be made based on your feedback along the way.
See you in the Radius!


[h2]Previous Diary Entries[/h2]
[expand]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4193488293621894543?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4115799931687545740?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4130435365852766085?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4194610392076293661?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4059501135884135951?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3996449472307187236?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/5797888151162063655?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3862464213256385055?l=english

[/expand]

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Hello explorers!
We’re happy to present our first gameplay sneak peek of ITR2. We hope you enjoy, and let us know what you think :)

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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Hello explorers!
Loot is a vital part of our game. Valuable or not, these are items that the player can and will find in the Radius.

In ITR1, the loot structure looked like this.

1. Disposable loot - various items scattered manually across locations. They don’t refresh after the Tide.
   
2. Respawnable loot - specific points where items regularly appear after the Tide. They include:
   

• Small areas for 1-3 simple items like a toothbrush, flashlight, ammo, etc.
  
• Valuables - special items that can only be sold.
  
• Artifacts within anomaly fields.
  
• Equipment crates. Some with weapons, others with various items like ammo, med-kits, grenades, etc.
  

This structure has proven itself well, and we won’t change it significantly. But we will address some issues and add more depth. We carefully studied player feedback and identified several features related to loot:

• Players love finding weapons in the Radius.
  
• Players enjoy searching for and collecting small items—opening crates, crawling under tables, etc. But they get very tired of doing this. Constantly picking up single bullets isn’t fun!
  
• Artifacts aren’t very interesting to collect, and for the most part, they only serve as an alternative valuable.
  

[h3]Weapons in the Radius[/h3]
Weapons are a very important element of ITR2 progression. Therefore, finding new, unique weapons in the Radius will be practically impossible. We understand this news might disappoint many of you. We know that some of the most popular mods for ITR1 like “Scavenger Mod” and “STALKER Overhaul Mod” make it possible to loot any weapon and basically avoid using the shop entirely. But this just isn’t how we envision our game. Hopefully, when mod support eventually arrives for ITR2, it’ll be able to provide our players with the necessary tools to customize their experience as they so choose.

We want explorers to progress gradually. Gradually unlock new equipment, start with simpler weapons, try different gear, make choices at every stage, feel satisfaction when unlocking and buying new equipment. The Security Levels system allows for this. Yes, it is a restriction for the player. The player will be forced to use what is available to them, but each time it will be a unique experience! We want the player to fully try different weapons. We’ll discuss progression details in future dev diaries.

However, finding weapons will still be possible. Common civilian weapons such as double-barreled shotguns, pistols, World War II weapons - will be encountered quite often. Firearms with built-in modifications and enhancements will rarely be found, and only in hard-to-reach stashes.

We’ll also add a new category of weapons - it doesn’t have a name yet, but in the team, we call it "forgotten." This is a type of weapon that has been lying in the Radius for a long time and has been partially corrupted by it. The corruption is reflected visually and in degraded mechanics. Each such weapon has a major flaw. For example, an AK that only fires in single shots, or a Mosin rifle that only holds 1 bullet in the chamber. There will be limits on painting and upgrades. Thus, the player will still be able to find powerful weapons above their current security level, but they’ll have to deal with its drawbacks. Later, after obtaining the necessary security level, the player will be able to purchase a brand new full version of this weapon.

At the start of early access, there will be no "forgotten" weapons and unique firearms in stashes.

[h3]Items Everywhere[/h3]
First and foremost, we’ll reduce the amount of lootable furniture. To avoid tormenting players with constant cupboard opening. Scattered loot will be significantly reduced everywhere to avoid repeatedly taking off the backpack for a lone cigarette or a tenth toothbrush.

Rooms will more often contain crates - lootable points of interest. The current plan is to have 3 types - with medical supplies, with weapons, and with ammo. There’ll always be something more or less valuable in such a crate and all in one place.

A completely new type of loot will also be added - it also lacks a name yet, but in the team, we call it "Ash”. This "Ash" can be found anywhere - under a table, on the ceiling, on a tree or rock. It makes a faint sound to be detectable. When picked up, it crumbles and is absorbed into a special device on the character's glove. The glove has a capacity. At the base, in the shop’s computer, there will be a special receiver where all the "Ash" can be sucked out through the hand. This resource can be exchanged for money and also used to modify artifacts.

We want to deepen the mechanics of artifacts. This is a topic for another day, but in short, some artifacts will have properties. These properties can be changed and upgraded on special installations with the help of "Ash" and money.

Please note that at the start of early access, there won’t be any mechanics for sucking in "Ash" and upgrading artifacts. But the items themselves will be available. So you’ll be able to find and collect them, just only in the backpack for now, and then sold for money.

Expect a fresh diary entry in two weeks, see you in the Radius!


[h2]Previous Diary Entries[/h2]
[expand]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4115799931687545740?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4130435365852766085?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4194610392076293661?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4059501135884135951?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3996449472307187236?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/5797888151162063655?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3862464213256385055?l=english

[/expand]

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Hello explorers!
Co-op was one of the most frequently requested features in ITR1. So when we began work on the sequel, we immediately started thinking about how to realize it.

ITR was never meant to be a multiplayer game, the very essence of the conflict and structure of the game - You vs. World. It's always been a personal, lonely journey. There are hardly any other people in the Radius. We shared this in more detail in our previous diaries. Besides, we as a team have no experience in creating cooperative games. And, frankly speaking, when we started working on the sequel, we didn't want to create an online-only game. It was more important for us to deepen and expand the ideas of the original.

After weighing all of the above, having discussed this many times over, we decided that in our game co-op will be an addition to the single-player experience. What does this mean?

The player has the option to start two types of game - single-player or co-op. They’re completely separate. Progress is not transferable between them. You can't start a single-player game and switch to co-op in the middle of your play-through. There will be no unique co-op mechanics unavailable in single-player.

Single-player functions completely similarly to ITR1. This is what we focus on in our design. All features, mechanics, balance, etc. - all this in its core is created and adjusted for one player. This is the general experience of ITR2.

Co-op mode at its core is identical to its counterpart, but with a number of nuances.

There is always a host of the game. They start co-op mode, the server launches on their device. The host can invite only their friends (e.g. through Steam) - guests. There is no common lobby and list of available servers, everything is done exclusively through host invites.

The host can start a co-op game and play it alone, and then invite guests at any time. All guests, on first arrival, appear with the starting equipment. Further improvement of equipment lies squarely on their shoulders. To do this, in the settings of co-op mode you can increase the amount of resources received when selling items and completing missions.

All received equipment is stored within a specific server. If a player visited one server as a guest and was invited to another for the first time, the player will appear on the second server with the starting equipment. Unable to transfer equipment between servers. There will be no connection between multiple servers. The same is true of the role of the host. If a player was on their server as a host, and then they were invited to another server - they will appear with the starting equipment.

In co-op mode, all players are equal in their gameplay abilities - anyone can take missions, complete or cancel them, buy or sell goods - anything. Any conflicts the players will have to resolve between themselves. Friendly fire is turned on by default ;)

However, the host has a number of unique technical capabilities - they can invite guests to and kick from their server, erase player slots on the server, and take items from guests that are offline. Also, the plot will revolve exclusively around the host, guests can only watch from the side.

Regarding co-op player count, we’ve found the optimal number of players to preserve the atmosphere and complexity of the game is two people. Co-op mode will first and foremost be tuned and balanced for this number of players.

From a technical standpoint, there is no big difference between 2 or 4 people. Playing with 3 other explorers can be much more fun and chaotic. Though it must be mentioned that all this chaos can completely mess up the atmosphere and general vibe you’re used to in ITR. Not necessarily in a bad way, more so an unbalanced one. We won’t be able to adjust the difficulty in such a way to make 4-player co-op feel truly challenging. It'll be much easier. But it's still a lot of fun to play as part of an entire squad (at least our internal play-tests make us think so)! With these differences in mind, we still very much want to have the possibility of up to 4-player co-op, even if it will probably lead to a very different gameplay experience.

In co-op mode you’ll also encounter certain small details related to locations. Players can only be in one location at a time, so to move to another - you’ll have to gather together. In case of death, the explorer can be resurrected with a rare artifact, otherwise they’ll appear at the last used passage of the current location, and without their equipment (depends on the settings, but by default in case of dying, all equipment remains at the player's death spot). Other players will have to meet up with their deceased companion or hope that they make it back by themselves. In order to sleep and time skip, you will also have to gather everyone near a bed.

Co-op always involves communication. The game will use proximity chat at short distances and a special walkie-talkie for communication at long distances. The walkie-talkie, like in real life, will only allow one explorer to speak at a time. Each explorer always has one, and can't lose it.

Like we mentioned before, there won’t be any unique co-op mechanics/features. But, in many ways, VR itself is already cooperative - the possibility to take ammo from a comrade, feed them, lend them a smoke, hand over weapons, or just hold hands. These are little details, but they are an integral part of your overall gameplay experience.

Co-op permeates all the mechanics and systems of the game, which has made development significantly more complex. Early access co-op will only be for 2 people, but we’ll try our best to develop 4-player co-op in due time. As with the rest of the game, co-op will evolve and improve as the game approaches its full release. Changes are inevitable. We're looking forward to your feedback on this monumental feature in early access later this year. See you in the Radius!


[h2]Previous Diary Entries[/h2]
[expand]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4130435365852766085?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4194610392076293661?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4059501135884135951?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3996449472307187236?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/5797888151162063655?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3862464213256385055?l=english

[/expand]

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Hello explorers!
Enemies are a special part of ITR. We know this has been a much anticipated diary entry. But before we dive into the details, there’s a couple of things we’d like to point out.

One of ITR’s key aspects lies in the conflict structure. ITR is a lone journey in a vast and dangerous world. There is no one there to help or save you. The Explorer is practically always the only person in the Radius. Yes, there are other Explorers, but they are extremely rare. The Radius resists invasion into its territory - anomalies, monsters, and other dangers lurk everywhere. Hence the creation of a secure Base for the Explorers, dangerous locations within the Radius, and expeditions. Players metaphorically dive “Into the Radius”, but they always return home. This is the relationship between the player and the world around them. They must overcome it.

In similar games, conflict often revolves around the relationships between groups of people. The anomalous world around them serves only as decoration and background for player interactions. Hence the structure of the world - the player is always within a dangerous zone, moving between safe bases of groups and spending most of their time in the company of people. This mainly deals with the complexity of human relationships.

Based on our vision of the Radius, the existence of human enemies, other bases, groups, etc., is most likely impossible. We operate under the idea that encountering other people in the Radius is possible but extremely rare. And currently, within the scope of the sequel, it is not planned. Finding traces of human presence and their activities - yes, but no encounters, shootouts, trading, or anything of that sort.

Co-op is uniquely incorporated into this concept of ITR, but we’ll discuss it in one of our upcoming diary entries.

Now let's talk more specifically about the enemies you will encounter. In ITR1, we were often criticized for having enemies that were simply black blobs invisible in the darkness. They all looked alike and were fairly simple in terms of behavior and visual design. Back then, it was due to a lack of resources and the inability to do otherwise. However, now all enemies are being meticulously developed, both in terms of mechanics and appearance.

In general, enemies in ITR2 can be divided into two categories.

[h3]Mimics[/h3]
Mimics are humanoid creations of the Radius. They imitate the behavior of military personnel - patrolling areas, taking cover and positions, working as a team, and relaying information to their comrades.

Just like in ITR1, there will be several types of mimics that differ visually, in their combat behavior, and the weapons they use. Now they are not just dark silhouettes but strange creatures created by the Radius in the image of humans, each with a unique appearance.

We strive to make their AI as realistic and believable as possible. Currently, two team members dedicate all their working time to developing it. This is a long and complex process, so work on the AI will continue until full release.
[hr][/hr]
[h3]Monsters[/h3]
These are a variety of different creations of the Radius. They don’t work as a team or take cover, but each has its own unique behavior. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that they don’t use the AI being developed for mimics. It is a unified system that functions in multiple ways, separately for mimics and monsters.

A good example here would be the monster known as “Spawn” in ITR1. It will return in ITR2 in a new form. We have reworked its appearance while preserving its overall behavior. Like the mimics, it can hear, see, and react to the player, but within its own simpler limitations. However, we added a unique "feature" to it! Now, Spawns have the ability to set up ambushes, waiting for the explorer in dark corners. Thus creating a completely new gameplay experience.
[hr][/hr]
Among other changes, it’s worth mentioning the ways in which enemies can populate locations. In ITR1, enemies could "guard" a point of interest or roam the Radius, randomly encountering the explorer. In ITR2, this will remain the same, and a new option called "patrol" will be added. A "patrol" is a group of mimics or monsters that roam a location along a specific route. There can be several groups like this in one location.

In order to increase the replayability of populated areas, the composition of monsters, patrol routes, the number of monsters, and other parameters will change from Tide to Tide. The gradual increase in difficulty from location to location will be preserved, but the variety will change more significantly, including as the player progresses.

We hope that all of this together will allow our players to encounter interesting and diverse challenges more often in their adventures. At the start of early access, we plan to use two types of mimics and one type of monster, gradually introducing new enemies in the future.

Last but certainly not least, we’ve reached over 100k Steam wishlists! Seeing so many people interested in ITR2 means a lot to us. We hope to live up to your expectations. See you in the Radius!



[h2]Previous Diary Entries[/h2]
[expand]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4194610392076293661?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/4059501135884135951?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3996449472307187236?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/5797888151162063655?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2307350/view/3862464213256385055?l=english

[/expand]

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