Private Mining Company News

This update focuses primarily on improving the armor mechanic with a new enemy & increased feedback.


[h2]Armored Bugs[/h2]

The new armored bugs help introduce the armor mechanic earlier and in a more forgiving way.





[h2]Armor Overhaul[/h2]

Enemy armor has now been given increased feedback through additional sound & visual effects when bullets do not penetrate.




[h2]Reworked Repair Kit[/h2]

The repair kit has been changed to now apply healing slowly over time, and it now has a cooldown to limit how often it can be purchased.



This is in preparation for the next mini update, which will focus on new ways to defend against attacking enemies.


[h2]HUD Redesign[/h2]

The HUD has been streamlined to take up less screen space while still showing relevant info.





[h2]Balance Changes[/h2]

Difficult enemies have been pushed to higher difficulties, and the overall amount of enemies spawned at each difficulty has been decreased.

Next Fest is almost here, and with the planned release date approaching real soon Private Mining Company will be participating!

I have been working on some large overhauls to the core gameplay for a while, and they are ready just in time for Next Fest!

So I present to you,


[h2]Level Redesign[/h2]
Each level has been redesigned to give a more engaging gameplay experience where space is more limited.









[h2]Contract Overhaul[/h2]
To address many of the issues in the core gameplay loop, I have reworked how contracts are completed.

Contracts will now have a progress meter that is separated from the ore you can spend on upgrades.
This progress meter is linked directly to your mining output, but it will not go down when ore is spent.



On top of that, each contract now has a timer for completion. Once this timer is up, the contract will be ended. To reach the contract requirement in time, drill power will need to be increased.

The goal of this change is to encourage the active spending of ore throughout each contract.



Drill power has also been changed. You now will be able to trigger power increases on demand, taking out the tedium of balancing drill power.




[h2]Soldier Overhaul[/h2]
Soldiers have been changed to take a more active role during gameplay.

During missions, you can now purchase temporary boosts for your soldiers using ore.



Soldiers can now also have a unique class that grants them special abilities.
The first class you will get access to in the demo is the Engineer, which provides a buff to nearby turrets.

Soldiers also now can only be healed in between missions and will heal slowly passively. Be careful! Bringing an injured soldier into battle could be a death sentence.




[h2]Base Redesign[/h2]
The home base has been redesigned to have a more streamlined appearance, while also providing more information than ever.




[h2]Planetary Travel[/h2]
Although locked for the demo, in preparation for the full release you can now see some of the planets that will be available.




[h2]Rank System[/h2]
Completing more difficulty missions now rewards you with higher ranks. Ranking up will give access to new planets and upgrades as well as more difficult contracts.



Naturally, this will be used as an overall progression goal for the full game. The Demo now concludes upon reaching rank 5.

I hope you enjoy the new update. Many more changes and improvements have also been made that I have not listed here.

Leave your feedback here!

I am back with a new update for the demo!

This is a smaller update, with the primary change being the addition of salaries for soldiers. You will now need to pay a small fee to each soldier on contract completion. The goal is to push players towards more difficult missions later in the game.

I have also made significant balance changes in terms of ore mining and economy.

Give the new changes a try!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3057900/Private_Mining_Company_Demo/

Please consider leaving a review for the demo! It is a new Steam feature. Each review helps me a ton, and helps me evolve the game based on feedback.

The first major update for the Demo is now live!

I have noticed a major problem in the current gameplay. Currently there is little incentive to invest ore into defenses. The optimal strategy to earn money is to complete contracts as quickly as possible by hoarding ore.

To address this, I have completely changed the way ore mining and difficulty scale during missions.



Difficulty now primarily scales with a new resource called "Drill Power". The drill power will increase while mining is active, and quickly decrease while mining is paused. Drill power controls both how fast ore is mined, as well as the current difficulty. The goal is to encourage spending of ore during missions.

I have also made some improvements to the HUD during missions. You can now see exactly how much you will receive as an ore bonus, and there is now a visual indicator for when the contract requirement is met.

The update is live right now, so go check it out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3057900/Private_Mining_Company_Demo/

You can now also leave reviews for demos, so please let me know how you feel about the game! What would you like to see added or changed next?

The Demo for Private Mining Company is now available for free download. The demo will be available for a limited time up until the full release of the game.



As development continues, I will continue to provide regular updates to the demo, so be sure to check in from time to time for new features and improvements!