STLD Redux: Episode 02 News

Holy smokes it's been a while. This is the unveiling of the final arc for this crazy thing, Episode 02 was the act of destroying a rotten foundation to rebuild something stronger, something that could stand alone. But could also act as a Template for any and all future episodes of STLD. This is the last stage of that template and the outline of my dreams for STLD.

Outside work has been so crazy these days, I've been adding content and attempting to make modifications that users have suggested, my last big post mentioned that things were going to slow down around here because of financial issues, but I didn't want this place to become a ghost town. I wanted to have something interesting for people every time I came out with an announcement, even if I couldn't show it off right way. Sometimes development on an indie-game just doesn't work like that though. I think in the future I'm going to use announcements to keep the players in the loop on what's new, weekly if I can manage it. And then just Sticky the major outlines for the project goals in the Discussions section. Does that make sense? Probably not. I'll shut up.

Here's the complete list of progress and some visuals of what's going into the final Version of Episode 02, and the final monster patch I'm titling : "STLD Night Mist".















Achievements Tier 1. As far as progression goes, these are all done. However I have not had any time to test them, which means as much as I'd love to, I can't just go smashing that update button and assuming they all work the way I'd imagined. Unfortunately they rarely do. Rest assured they are coming .






Plans are as follows: When the player dies in STLD they either just collect their Tokens and try again, go to the Reward menu, or use their Tokens on the Slots feature and gamble for a temporary gift. Since it's randomized you'll never know what you're getting. The items can range from special buffs, to devastating weapons like the mini gun. Maybe you want to get that 18 minute mode completion achievement, so you play the slots to get a better edge. Maybe you just really want to kill that Red Cultist who keeps launching spells at you.. play the slots to get a weapon to take into the next round to do the job! I'm also really hoping this feature acts as an incentive to keep new players interested even after they die the first time.



Scroll to the very bottom for a glimpse at the Dev list for the Slots Feature. I've made it a spoiler, it pretty much shows everything planned.






This is the Inquisitor. As featured in the cover art for Night Mist, he is pretty much the last boss for Episode 02. He's a strong sword wielding Cultist, that has his own specific move set. He will only appear under certain circumstances, but will drop a special Sword Weapon reward if defeated. I'll explain more on him later on, and update you guys with his new animations as they progress.




I'm still working to update the visual aspects of the game as well, the trophy caliber is determined by how high your Score and Ranking are when you finish the level. So instead of just getting a letter grade ( like "A" or "B" ) you'll get a unique and shiny trophy. yay. Here's some more progress art..








On top of all that other stuff, I've been tweaking and making a ton of changes to help the game run smoother and feel like a quality experience.

Thanks to some helpful information from Esperwareinteractive, I'm raising the frame rate to around 60 fps. The weapons feel and handle a bit faster, some new gameplay graphics have been lovingly added to accompany this smooth addition.

The Main Menu interface is a bit bare as of now. If anyone recalls STLD episode 01, there were more controls over just about everything and over all it felt more accessible. I'm striving to bring that back in a series of changes and additions made to menus.

I've been thinking it over and will more than likely have an in game guide to unlock that will explain all the little quirks for each weapon Amber finds. As I develop more and more content for STLD I realize that this is a HUGE aspect of the game and really part of the thing that makes it so fun. You'll be able to unlock this guide with Tokens just like the rewards from the reward menu. And check it whenever you need to, to best utilize and kill with each unique weapon in the game.


This is taking a bit of time, but is also a very serious thing I want in the final version of the game. I know new controls can be a pain in the ass to learn. And some keyboards outside of America just aren't built the same way and therefore are awkward or unusable. I will address this.

Alright I think that's it, that's all I got. Putting this update thing together alone took a lot of time, and production takes even longer. If you care about the project please consider Gifting a friend a copy or donating here: Here


If you ever need any freelance artwork I am available for commission work here: [email protected]

Thank you guys for stopping by and staying interested in the project.

-Pyro












ALL SLOTS REWARDS

1.Power bars x5 ( restores 1 bar of health) 3 orbs and full stamina
2.Kills cure infection.
3.Explosive grapple break.
4.Fire at the foot of a kill. ( Chance )
5.Antivenom Capsule.
6.Blazing Speed.
7.Slowed infection.
8.Infinite Bear Trap.
9.Time Taken off the clock. 4 minutes off 10. 6 minutes off 18.
10.Double Ammo
11.Ammo increase

--------

Goblin (Mp5) good damage close, decent fire rate, decent damage med range, low damage fire with chance to miss ( aka the bullet has a lifespan that destroys sometimes ) X ( Phase 1 )

Vyper Twenty-Fourty, ( very special pistol ) X (Phase 1 )

Dragon Fang, a fast Sniper Rifle. shots cost stamina, fast fire rate, lower stamina lower odds for headshots, highest stamina means crit . (Phase 1 )

Heart Breaker. ( Auto Shotgun ) causes gory upper torso explosions. quick fire rate X ( Phase 1)

Arctic Rose. ( Headshots cost PWR ) X

Rocket Launcher. you get 4 rockets ( Not OSLR ) X

The Ogre ( Minigun ) ( Remastered with wind up rate ) X
Hold shift while stopped to pre charge up the minigun without firing it.

Razor Bow ( Composite ) ( pierces and causes bleed ) X

Chainsaw Remastered X
(close range detector is overlapping enemy: go for thorough slow chainsaw dip ) otherwise do a single chainsaw slow slice. with a running charge (costly on ammo). tapping shift 3 times sacrifices a little gas for a chainsaw taunt that rewards a power orb. PWR attack is a high damaging chainsaw slice combo. ( no ammo cost )

---------------------------

Minor Slots rewards:

4 Coins
3 Coins
2 Coins
1 Coin
No gain
Skeleton key
All Coins Taken

Holy smokes it's been a while. This is the unveiling of the final arc for this crazy thing, Episode 02 was the act of destroying a rotten foundation to rebuild something stronger, something that could stand alone. But could also act as a Template for any and all future episodes of STLD. This is the last stage of that template and the outline of my dreams for STLD.

Outside work has been so crazy these days, I've been adding content and attempting to make modifications that users have suggested, my last big post mentioned that things were going to slow down around here because of financial issues, but I didn't want this place to become a ghost town. I wanted to have something interesting for people every time I came out with an announcement, even if I couldn't show it off right way. Sometimes development on an indie-game just doesn't work like that though. I think in the future I'm going to use announcements to keep the players in the loop on what's new, weekly if I can manage it. And then just Sticky the major outlines for the project goals in the Discussions section. Does that make sense? Probably not. I'll shut up.

Here's the complete list of progress and some visuals of what's going into the final Version of Episode 02, and the final monster patch I'm titling : "STLD Night Mist".















Achievements Tier 1. As far as progression goes, these are all done. However I have not had any time to test them, which means as much as I'd love to, I can't just go smashing that update button and assuming they all work the way I'd imagined. Unfortunately they rarely do. Rest assured they are coming .






Plans are as follows: When the player dies in STLD they either just collect their Tokens and try again, go to the Reward menu, or use their Tokens on the Slots feature and gamble for a temporary gift. Since it's randomized you'll never know what you're getting. The items can range from special buffs, to devastating weapons like the mini gun. Maybe you want to get that 18 minute mode completion achievement, so you play the slots to get a better edge. Maybe you just really want to kill that Red Cultist who keeps launching spells at you.. play the slots to get a weapon to take into the next round to do the job! I'm also really hoping this feature acts as an incentive to keep new players interested even after they die the first time.



Scroll to the very bottom for a glimpse at the Dev list for the Slots Feature. I've made it a spoiler, it pretty much shows everything planned.






This is the Inquisitor. As featured in the cover art for Night Mist, he is pretty much the last boss for Episode 02. He's a strong sword wielding Cultist, that has his own specific move set. He will only appear under certain circumstances, but will drop a special Sword Weapon reward if defeated. I'll explain more on him later on, and update you guys with his new animations as they progress.




I'm still working to update the visual aspects of the game as well, the trophy caliber is determined by how high your Score and Ranking are when you finish the level. So instead of just getting a letter grade ( like "A" or "B" ) you'll get a unique and shiny trophy. yay. Here's some more progress art..








On top of all that other stuff, I've been tweaking and making a ton of changes to help the game run smoother and feel like a quality experience.

Thanks to some helpful information from Esperwareinteractive, I'm raising the frame rate to around 60 fps. The weapons feel and handle a bit faster, some new gameplay graphics have been lovingly added to accompany this smooth addition.

The Main Menu interface is a bit bare as of now. If anyone recalls STLD episode 01, there were more controls over just about everything and over all it felt more accessible. I'm striving to bring that back in a series of changes and additions made to menus.

I've been thinking it over and will more than likely have an in game guide to unlock that will explain all the little quirks for each weapon Amber finds. As I develop more and more content for STLD I realize that this is a HUGE aspect of the game and really part of the thing that makes it so fun. You'll be able to unlock this guide with Tokens just like the rewards from the reward menu. And check it whenever you need to, to best utilize and kill with each unique weapon in the game.


This is taking a bit of time, but is also a very serious thing I want in the final version of the game. I know new controls can be a pain in the ass to learn. And some keyboards outside of America just aren't built the same way and therefore are awkward or unusable. I will address this.

Alright I think that's it, that's all I got. Putting this update thing together alone took a lot of time, and production takes even longer. If you care about the project please consider Gifting a friend a copy or donating here: Here


If you ever need any freelance artwork I am available for commission work here: [email protected]

Thank you guys for stopping by and staying interested in the project.

-Pyro












ALL SLOTS REWARDS

1.Power bars x5 ( restores 1 bar of health) 3 orbs and full stamina
2.Kills cure infection.
3.Explosive grapple break.
4.Fire at the foot of a kill. ( Chance )
5.Antivenom Capsule.
6.Blazing Speed.
7.Slowed infection.
8.Infinite Bear Trap.
9.Time Taken off the clock. 4 minutes off 10. 6 minutes off 18.
10.Double Ammo
11.Ammo increase

--------

Goblin (Mp5) good damage close, decent fire rate, decent damage med range, low damage fire with chance to miss ( aka the bullet has a lifespan that destroys sometimes ) X ( Phase 1 )

Vyper Twenty-Fourty, ( very special pistol ) X (Phase 1 )

Dragon Fang, a fast Sniper Rifle. shots cost stamina, fast fire rate, lower stamina lower odds for headshots, highest stamina means crit . (Phase 1 )

Heart Breaker. ( Auto Shotgun ) causes gory upper torso explosions. quick fire rate X ( Phase 1)

Arctic Rose. ( Headshots cost PWR ) X

Rocket Launcher. you get 4 rockets ( Not OSLR ) X

The Ogre ( Minigun ) ( Remastered with wind up rate ) X
Hold shift while stopped to pre charge up the minigun without firing it.

Razor Bow ( Composite ) ( pierces and causes bleed ) X

Chainsaw Remastered X
(close range detector is overlapping enemy: go for thorough slow chainsaw dip ) otherwise do a single chainsaw slow slice. with a running charge (costly on ammo). tapping shift 3 times sacrifices a little gas for a chainsaw taunt that rewards a power orb. PWR attack is a high damaging chainsaw slice combo. ( no ammo cost )

---------------------------

Minor Slots rewards:

4 Coins
3 Coins
2 Coins
1 Coin
No gain
Skeleton key
All Coins Taken

Hey there everybody, I'm excited to announce the game is now 50% off for a limited time!

As mentioned in the last update production is currently a bit staggered due to financial issues. I work when I can find the time.

Things are still moving along though. I'm currently working on all aspects of the Achievements due to popular demand. But as I can't really showcase a glimpse of those, I did have time to polish the first trophy you'll be able to earn for your "Finish Rank". It's the C rank, which is a bronze, here's a sneak peek at that since it's just about done.



These will all have unique designs, the letters D to A, and even the S. I have sketches ready for the rest it's just development time I need to set aside now.

Some time back I did a bit of promotional artwork for a very cool game called Anathema,



The people behind the game ( Esperware Interactive ) are some of the nicest , and talented folks I've had the chance to work with. Aside from always answering all my random questions about programming and run-time efficiency they are also responsible for the kickass soundtrack of STLD EP 02!

It's a pretty exciting time for those guys, they just went live with their first free Demo for Anathema , check it out and show them a bit of love! The demo itself is packed full of retro platformer/horror/action vibes.










I'll be popping in with news here and there, I still have lots of plans for STLD so please stop by or tell a friend about the game when you can. As previously mentioned achievements will likely be what appears in the next physical update.

Cheers guys, take care and check out that free demo. You won't regret it.




--

This Update was all over the place. It began as about 1 week of intended work but quickly grew into a multi-faceted snowballing living turd from hell.

It happens sometimes.






The tutorial covers controls and should give the player a basic understanding of what things are going to be like. I notice when people first start playing STLD they are trying to take their time to understand a bit and investigate.. too soon do they realize the zombies are already there. The tutorial is different in that it moves at your pace for the most part.



You may feel it's a little short, but then again maybe not. I don't think I've ever heard someone actually say aloud " that tutorial wasn't long enough!" It can be replayed multiple times, and I actually recommend that if you'd like to train a bit. I saw someone do that to learn how to use flash-items. (the down button).



The controls are the same as always, but I've added a little bonus for players who like to play with the "WASD" setup. If you're used to playing games like CSGO or any other fps(s) on your pc then you're used to one hand resting on the Mouse . Well now you can shoot, pick up weapons and drop weapons using just the mouse.



Also, the controls menu on the main screen has been updated so you have a bit more of a visual queue to work with before heading straight in.





There's been many complaints on the controls, mainly weapons and how you find them. I think just about every "lets play" I've seen on STLD touches on this subject. "Touches" might be a nice way of putting it.

Believe it or not I am listening. Amber no longer ever uses the Investigate Button to equip a weapon. Instead every weapon is notably identified with colorful flashing discovery text and a unique sound effect. On top of not equipping newly discovered weapons, it also never disarms them. e.g maybe you want to keep the Revolver in your hands and run around discovering the rest of the weapons without ever dropping it. You can do that now.




This should also completely eliminate that damned bug that occurs for players with a low frame rate. I mean the bug where you pick up certain items like the land mine or bear trap and the character never receives them.

I have a feeling this weapon change might be a bit off putting to vet players. (NEW). You can now toggle the old way back on in the options menu, if you experience issues with weapons disappearing please leave "WEAPON OVERIDE" unchecked in the options menu.



If you get through the tutorial you'll notice the new weapon. Well more of a revival really, but with cleaned and updated animations and sprites. (and a bigger punch too). "The Goblin" (MP5 basically) will be available as a slots reward in the final patch for Episode 02. Meaning you will be able to bring it into the real game for further devastation.






Amber will no longer stay downed for long periods of time after getting struck by a Magic Missile spell or by tripping on a trap.
This was never intended, she should pop back up after tapping sprint multiple times. ( 5-8 )



That damned rock bug. A lot of bugs seem to occur for players with a lower frame rate. This bastard would occur when Amber has a rock equipped. It was funny at first, then I believe it tried to ruin my life. If you don't know what I'm talking about you can see it first hand here, thanks for all your helpful information rooting this out Gladiator. It should be gone now, I don't know. Fuck.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05b5TJ2FbVc&t=25s

Just gonna quickly bullet point the last few.

• Amber remarks less vocally when she gets multiple kills. Her sound files we're playing just a little too often.
  
  
• You could skip the game too quickly on the death screen. Players who spammed the button didn't get to see their kills add up before the screen faded in. That should be all better.
  
  
• Getting stunned by the Priest cultists stun spell wouldn't remove the aiming cursor for the Sailfish if the player was Aiming at the time of spell impact. That should be better now.
  
  
• There might be new bugs with the recent changes, if you experience any, please report them to me. You will have my gratitude!
  

STLD is a strange beast in itself. Years ago, when I first created Episode 01, and it was known only as "Survivor: the Living Dead " I was young, depressed, and didn't really care. I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't know why I was doing it, and I still don't know how or what drove me to finishing that game. But I did.

I finally released that game on a website my dad had helped me host called RadicalEndeavors(.)com. I was going to make video games and help him sell his comic book collection all in one place. It never really happened that way though. As I said, I was depressed and unfocused but on top of that I began having severe anxiety which eventually manifested as partial blindness in my right eye. I didn't know what I was doing, I was confused , afraid , I certainly didn't believe in myself or the game.

Not long after the website went up it began crashing from an overwhelming amount of traffic. STLD was a hit. People loved it. It was hard and buggy, but intense and rewarding. The Story was brief and grim, but left the player satisfied with Amber's vengeful body count, while also yearning for more. More content, more back story, more characters... But I didn't care.

This was not a happy time for me, I had decided before going live with the game that it would be free, and that it would always remain that way. I didn't know how the game would perform on other peoples PCs', what if they didn't like it? What if it was a waste? What if people thought I'd just completely ripped the story right off of Night of the Living Dead?

My family did not agree with this "free" aspect. And it became an awkward conversation point with anyone I knew. " Why would he do that? " I couldn't answer then. But I know now making it free gave me the confidence to actually finish it. I wasn't hurting anyone, whether it was good or not I wasn't ripping anybody off. It wasn't much of a reason but in the end that's what I ran with...

And now I'm here. People wanted more years ago, and I was too much of a mess to deliver. I didn't know how or where to take it from there, and I certainly didn't have the passion....

Years later, the passion and confidence came back. After becoming dangerously dependent on the drugs I took for my anxiety, ( and eye) I eventually kicked them. And during my long months of recovery I clung to art and exercise like they were oxygen.

..The place I stand these days is somewhere between poetry and irony.

For these last two years I've worked on re-building and redesigning every aspect of the game, while trying my best to stay true to it's core nature and listen to a fluctuating audience. This is easily the hardest I've ever worked on anything. Thousands upon thousands of hours of my life have been put into STLD, and I've honestly never felt more passionate about it than I do now. I've written a 10 episode story Arc with over 20 characters designed, some intended to be playable characters once developed.

Unfortunately this passion doesn't pay the bills. And even with Summer here, this games LIFETIME sales do not add up to enough to pay for 1 months rent of living in California. I don't know what you guys want, I don't know if I'm delivering on my promises or if times have changed and I just waited too long. Regardless I have to tackle real life bills and issues, because as of now STLD is not paying them. I hope it can stand on it's own as of now, and it's worth the 5 dollars to you.

I do love this game, and I love you, the followers and community. But things might be slow around here for a while. I still would like to do a kick-starter for more episodes down the road, but as of now I don't think the following would even be strong enough to support it.

I'm not giving up, I will be adding updates when I can, STLDs been a part of my life for a long time. I don't know where the future goes from here but I do hope we can embark on it together.

P.S.

Thanks for the endless nightmares of inspiration George. Where would I be without you?



Rest in Peace.

Hey guys, it's been a minute I know.

Most people play the game without knowing that I've designed just about every weapon in episode 02 with a little side quirk, or cool ability! Here's a list of what they all are. Hopefully this can tide you over while I work on the tutorial.


Has an accelerator property that gains a damage multiplier the longer the fire button is held.


Has a 35% chance to inflict a bleeding effect on enemies. Zombies will bleed to death over time.

( Has an Alternate fire that acts as an extremely deadly shotgun. )

can be used to Stun cultists


- When holding the "SPRINT" while stopped you can aim the sailfish for continuous headshots. ( Deals critical damage when landed on cultists )


- Undetectable by cultists.


- can potentially kill as many zombies as a land- mine
and can be lobbed explosively at the tower.

***SECRET ( is extra useful as a trap if dropped in a certain spot )


- Generally the most mundane melee weapon, but has high reach.

**PWR ATTACK = A smash swing that deals extreme damage at the cost of durability. ( I'll explain how to use PWR ATTACKS at the bottom. )

( can also be used in a secret spot to dig up the magic )



- Has a 20% chance to decapitate zombies.

PWR ATTACK - Every time this ability is used the Mace gains +3 damage permanently, it also makes the Mace immune to durability loss for 8 seconds.





. The Knife can deal serious damage if used on enemies who are turned with their back facing you.


PWR ATTACK - The knife gains Flurry and can swing 3 times as fast for a limited time. The knife has a higher chance to cause zombies to recoil during a flurry attack as well.


attacks can be performed while using melee weapons. To do one you'll need 3 orbs on the PWR meter. After that: Hold "SPRINT" button down and press the "ATTACK" button. You must not be moving to perform a PWR attack.

This video goes over the Combat Knife extensively and how to perform PWR attacks!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLkjbjrbqJM&t=1s





I'm still working on the tutorial. And it's coming along but it is not finished yet. I'm taking this time to also add and fix some things that have been on my list for some time now. I think it will actually be a pretty exciting update even if you don't want to do the tutorial.

Also the zombie Raffle race will have two winners this week, and is being pushed back a few days. So if you want double the odds to win a free copy of the game. Do anything listed here, like Tweet at us.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=941944119


A side shout out and thanks to Vyper2040, I know the game is a bit difficult to learn at first and may have a bug here and there, but it's awesome players like you that keep me motivated to continue the repairing and adding content to make this everything we want it to be.


I'll see you guys soon.


If anyone's interested in seeing a fellow named The Hidden Object Guru
play the game you can check it out here. He suffers quite badly in the beginning but ends up kicking ass and having a good time. ( I apologize for the rock bug ) I'm still working to figure out how to fix that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIpK4p7m__I&t=2s