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Devoid Prototype News

Operations, Anomaly and Invasion.

Greetings Voiders,

As some of you may know we have been very busy with the Operations update for some time to address many of the issues raised after our initial release and increase the overall quality of the game. We are also looking at creating an experimental branch for even earlier access to future developments.

Though slower than we'd hoped we are hard at work on delivering DP: Operations this May but may push it to June if we are not happy with the overall quality and game experience offered.

Beyond that we still intend to conclude our Early Access period with 3 Major Updates, spending no less than 3 months and (hopefully) no more than 6 months of development on each update, the early access period may be extended by 1 year to a total of 3 and hopefully no more, we are just 2 people on a zero budget but will give no less than our best to do what we set out to do despite setbacks and challenges.

For those who do not know, the updates are DP: Operations, Anomaly and Invasion.

Also for those who do not know, the game is not a prototype, the 'Prototype" in the name is suggestive of the story which involves a Prototype Warpgate which leads to first contact with the Khuuron - a precursor race which bioengineers species to be their workforce - we will say no more as we don't want to give away too much regarding the main story.

Operations

Operations introduces you not only to to the Anadeia Galaxy and some key characters, but also to the game through narrative driven story missions which start at getting you a ship and some flight clearance, to setting up a base of operations (tata tush) and the many ways you can build yourself up in the game. It also adds interiors which you can explore, dialogue and npc's, a rework of the 6 mission types, better visuals, a completely reworked user interface and so much more.

Anomaly

Anomaly will focus on adding galactic events such as anomalies which you can investigate to gather data about the Prototype Warpgate and learn about the Khuuron. We will also be adding new mechanics for the pilotable frigate class ships, so this will be the time to get out of those fighters and corvettes and use some of those resources gathered in Operations. The story will also receive new chapters in this update.

Invasion

Invasion will focus on concluding the story, adding new mechanics for capital class vessels which you can command naval style - bearings and broadsides etc. We also want to add interiors and docking facilities to some cap ships which will have similar mechanics to your base in Operations but be mobile. Spoiler Alert: This will also mark the start of the Khuuron invasion after the Prototype Warpgate is assembled which will serve as an end-game loop.

Then, we are working on some stuff that may or may not make it into the game, we will clarify each one below with italics

  • Planet side missions on foot and/or in a rover - scanning geothermal activity, collecting research samples etc. very likely, already work in progress.
  • Third person cover based combat both on bases and planets - skirmishes with outlaws, being ambushed when exploring the surface of a planet etc. somewhat likely, no work in progress
  • Ship and base customization and building. not likely, better for a sequel so its like that from the start
  • Colony management on bases, biodomes on planets etc. not likely and would be best for a sequel
  • Online Multiplayer of some kind, not servers but a way to host a game for at least 8-64 players. not likely as it would require a rework of the entire game and investment in expensive infrastructure, best left for a sequel or until we could actually afford to do this justice


Lastly, please check out the Official sub r/DevoidPrototype/ which we try and post to daily with teasers, screenshots, news and more!

Spreading the word, wishlisting and picking up a copy would be a great help and allow us to create an even better game and greater experience for you! (believe me, we could use it right now, not that we don't like ramen...).

Well that's it for now, as always, thank you for your helpful feedback and support. We aim to always listen to our players and do what's best for you within our tiny indie hands.

The V Team.

DP: Operations Progress Update

Greetings Voiders,

As it has been quite some time since we've put anything out we decided to share a few details about the Operations Update which has been in development for around 3 months now.

[h3]Why the change in development strategy?[/h3]
Our initial strategy was focused on getting the game in the hands of our fans and churning out monthly content updates. Quite frankly, we were underprepared for the workload that followed as some major technical aspects (key bindings, multi/wide monitor support etc.) were absent from the game.
Releasing as Early Access, we figured this would not be a big deal as many other titles did well enough without such functionality, turns out we we're quite wrong.
While some of this functionality was added through our old strategy, we found ourselves not having enough time to give every new development our full attention and was unhappy about having to settle for a 'good enough' approach, verity is our metric after all. Breaking up the early access period into 3 major updates makes more sense for us as it allows us some freedom to make major changes to the project based on feedback and prioritize quality.

[h3]What to expect from DP: Operations[/h3]
Operations aims to address all major issues raised by our community and significantly improve the overall quality of Devoid Prototype. We've decided to pull all the stops and make the game that we envisioned when we started development 2 years ago. Here's a short list of what we've been working on:

  • A complete GUI overhaul with a focus on User Experience and ease of use.
  • The first couple of chapters of the story behind Devoid Prototype including an introductory questline which helps the player understand the many aspects to the game and to provide a choice of direction to go in.
  • Adding new technical features and improving on existing ones - better handling and support for input devices, a comprehensive key binding system, support for as many monitor combinations as possible etc.
  • Interiors for all Shipyards, Stations and Starbases including a 'home base' for the player to give them a relative position in an otherwise directionless void.
  • Changes and improvements to missions to make them more engaging, challenging and fun, raise the stakes for failing a mission etc.
  • A complete game economy/market overhaul with a fluctuating economy and market events such as shortages and surplus adding a risk/reward system for passionate truckers.
  • A rework of achievements and collectables - making 'large' achievements that require 'do 100 x' incremental and adding new simpler to obtain achievements while avoiding frontloading.
  • Improvements to the soundscape, atmosphere and sound effects.
  • And just a bunch of cool stuff really.


Here's a couple of shots of the work in progress: (sorry for the low quality GIF's).























[h3]How long until DP: Operations drops?[/h3]
We are aiming to drop DP: Operations within the next 3 months and are crunching to get it in your hands as soon as possible as we are aware that some of you have been waiting for some of these features for a little while already.

[h3]We need your Support![/h3]
As we steer far clear of crowdfunding and stuff like that (for reasons), the best way to support us with Devoid Prototype is to help us spread the word and make the game known to anyone you know that might be interested in it.
As a small indie with very little to spare for marketing, exposure is something that we sorely need.
If you can think of any other ways that you could support Devoid Prototype then please reach out to us on the Official Discord, our trusty moderator CheeryPhoenix is almost always online and is always happy to assist and answer questions! Also, feel free to message me (SirKrato), directly on Discord but I may take a bit to respond as I sometimes get lost in the project for days on end.

[h3]Final Notes[/h3]
We know that we are making some major changes and have not shown much regarding what we are doing with the other aspects of the game, fear not, almost nothing is being removed, just improved.
Devoid Prototype is still the same game that you see on the store page, just better in almost every way, inching ever closer to the Space Sim that we've always wanted to play, after all, we were gamers first!

As always, we greatly appreciate your support and value your feedback!

Safe Travels,
Alex

New Update Cycle

[h3]Greetings Voiders,[/h3]

Firstly, we can't believe its been over a month since we've posted any patches or updates, time has flown by in the void! Fear not, we have been hard at work implementing some exciting changes to reaching full release in 1 to 1.5 years, through 3 Major game updates - Operations, Anomaly and Invasion.

The first of these updates: Operations, is focusing on a complete GUI rework, adding interiors to Yards, Bases and other structures in space, a starter questline to help get you situated in the void and more.

We will be releasing more information soon as well as confirming when Operations will drop.

As always, thank you very much for all your great feedback and loyal support!

See you all in the void.
Safe Travels

Progress Update

[h3]Greetings Voiders,[/h3]

We have worked through most of the items on the September Roadmap with the only real outstanding item being the key binding features which are currently in the last stages of development and will be enabled in-game soon,

In the meantime, check out some of the cool stuff we've recently added!

[h3]5 New Ships[/h3]
Introducing 2 new ship lines: CMS and HFC, check out these cool and capable ships:



[h3]New Weapons[/h3]
We've also added the Thermal Damage type and there are currently 2 thermal weapons to try out.
You can now also craft, trade, loot and equip an array of Mk2 weapons which pack more punch than their predecessors.



[h3]General[/h3]
We have added new visual effects, improved existing ones, and made various adjustments to colors and game graphics in general.

We have also ironed out a few issues on the GUI and are working on streamlining multiple menus as we work towards adding flexible features such as layouts and split-screen orientation options.

[h3]Screenshot[/h3]
The EGL Vulture drifting in the Velox Sector

Have fun with all the new stuff and,
As always we appreciate all your great feedback and loyal support!

Safe Travels.

10x Collectable Items weekend.

[h3]Greetings Voiders,[/h3]

From October 6 through 8, all 3 collectable item types are appearing in all stars at 10 times the normal rate! Here's what you are looking for:



In other news, we've started up a subreddit for the game: https://www.reddit.com/r/DevoidPrototype/

Please come and submit your screenshots and we will feature our favorite one in the upcoming major update!

Here's one we'd like to share:

The BGR Hammer, she's one tough cookie Submit yours here!

Thank you for all the great feedback and loyal support.
Safe Travels,