Thanks for playing the demo!
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for playing the demo of Nothing Beyond This Point. The game was flawless and absolutely no things will need to be addressed. Just kidding.
It got a bunch of players, and there were quite a few issues - some expected, others coming out of nowhere. I will do my best to properly address all of them over time. Better now than at launch! But overall, the concept was well-liked and I'm happy. Therefore, I thought it'd be nice to give an overview of what will happen next.
[h2]Better Tutorial[/h2]
The biggest problem was the tutorial area, which experienced a lot of player drop-off. With the path having two whole corners to navigate through, it was hard to know where to go next, and many players kept backtracking or going the same way over and over. Once you get to the Obelisk and get the map, it's all a lot clearer, but I need to communicate this better.
To address it, I'm changing the layout of the rooms. It will be a straight line up that is clearly communicated via decoration and two early locks. I realize this is boring, but it prevents players from quitting too early. The Brewer and Cutter will be moved to the side, and indicated by a waypoint machine, so fewer players run into it and try to backtrack to it, getting lost. The rest will remain the same: slash, refuel, fireball, dash, combust/void locus, campfire.
[h2]Difficulty[/h2]
Difficulty isn't a major issue right now. I did have to nerf the two consecutive Void Locuses, to again make accessing the Obelisk and maps easier, but apart from that it's alright.
One thing that does bother me, is that most players are hesitant to do anything but Slashing. Fireballs are rarely used. Not using Dash or Combust in the demo is fine, they'll be more useful in the full game, but I'd still like to somehow teach players that fireballs are much more powerful than the Slash, and refueling is fast enough to do is consistently in combat. Maybe a new early-game enemy or changes in enemy behavior can fix this. It's not a huge issue, though - believe me, later areas give you plenty of reason to keep your distance.
[h2]Steam Deck support[/h2]
I want to add proper Steam Deck support, as I understand it's suboptimal right now. I don't have a deck to test it with, but will do my best to optimize for it anyway. Remember you can remap buttons for now!
[h2]Outside of the Demo[/h2]
I'm hardly worki- uh, hard at work on the latest areas and bosses. Here's a sneak peak! The game is pretty much completely planned out at this point, but I could add or remove some bosses depending on how much time I have. The game is set to release early 2026 with 16 areas, 12 bosses, and 3 endings... and you get to meet the Gods! But do they even like you?
I've decided that the demo will stay up for now. Also, progress from the demo will carry over into the full game. So be sure to complete it, you'll get fireworks in the room with the Engine beacon if you do.
Oh yeah! If you haven't already figured it out, there are two bosses in the demo, not one. You find the second boss by going east from the first boss, though you'll have to go around a Void Wind room via north/north/east/east/south/south.
Cheeri-o!
It got a bunch of players, and there were quite a few issues - some expected, others coming out of nowhere. I will do my best to properly address all of them over time. Better now than at launch! But overall, the concept was well-liked and I'm happy. Therefore, I thought it'd be nice to give an overview of what will happen next.
[h2]Better Tutorial[/h2]
The biggest problem was the tutorial area, which experienced a lot of player drop-off. With the path having two whole corners to navigate through, it was hard to know where to go next, and many players kept backtracking or going the same way over and over. Once you get to the Obelisk and get the map, it's all a lot clearer, but I need to communicate this better.
To address it, I'm changing the layout of the rooms. It will be a straight line up that is clearly communicated via decoration and two early locks. I realize this is boring, but it prevents players from quitting too early. The Brewer and Cutter will be moved to the side, and indicated by a waypoint machine, so fewer players run into it and try to backtrack to it, getting lost. The rest will remain the same: slash, refuel, fireball, dash, combust/void locus, campfire.
[h2]Difficulty[/h2]
Difficulty isn't a major issue right now. I did have to nerf the two consecutive Void Locuses, to again make accessing the Obelisk and maps easier, but apart from that it's alright.
One thing that does bother me, is that most players are hesitant to do anything but Slashing. Fireballs are rarely used. Not using Dash or Combust in the demo is fine, they'll be more useful in the full game, but I'd still like to somehow teach players that fireballs are much more powerful than the Slash, and refueling is fast enough to do is consistently in combat. Maybe a new early-game enemy or changes in enemy behavior can fix this. It's not a huge issue, though - believe me, later areas give you plenty of reason to keep your distance.
[h2]Steam Deck support[/h2]
I want to add proper Steam Deck support, as I understand it's suboptimal right now. I don't have a deck to test it with, but will do my best to optimize for it anyway. Remember you can remap buttons for now!
[h2]Outside of the Demo[/h2]
I'm hardly worki- uh, hard at work on the latest areas and bosses. Here's a sneak peak! The game is pretty much completely planned out at this point, but I could add or remove some bosses depending on how much time I have. The game is set to release early 2026 with 16 areas, 12 bosses, and 3 endings... and you get to meet the Gods! But do they even like you?
I've decided that the demo will stay up for now. Also, progress from the demo will carry over into the full game. So be sure to complete it, you'll get fireworks in the room with the Engine beacon if you do.
Oh yeah! If you haven't already figured it out, there are two bosses in the demo, not one. You find the second boss by going east from the first boss, though you'll have to go around a Void Wind room via north/north/east/east/south/south.
Cheeri-o!