Project Haven News

[h3]Hey Steel Dragons![/h3]
At the end of August we debuted our Gamescom 2021 trailer, and since that time, we’ve been hard at work on not only refining the game, but also looking closely at many of the common issues you’ve encountered.

Before we get onto those, we thought we’d point out a few things that have been happening since Gamescom.

[h3]A Little Bit Of Our Development Process[/h3]
First up, we’ve continued trickling out some small videos showcasing our development process.

You might have missed a couple of the last from “Camera Control” that lets you use the middle-mouse button for far more flexibility.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We also showcased “Floor Visibility Control” to manually toggle between visible floors, along with more UI Updates. A few days ago we released “Continue Move”, a long anticipated feature to continue your movement after a mercenary stops, if they detect a new enemy midway, allowing you to re-evaluate your strategy.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

To see similar improvements and updates, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube or follow us over on Twitter.

[h3]We Were A NGDC Grand-Finalist![/h3]

The Nordic Game Discovery Contest (NGDC) recently selected its grand finalists for this year's Game of the Year and People’s Choice award, and we’re proud to say Project Haven, against a selection of brilliant games, made the final three! While we didn’t lift the trophy, we’re thrilled to have made the final round. You can view all the entrants here, and the final results here.

[h3]Project Haven Is A Fan Favorite Winner![/h3]
We’re also incredibly pleased to say that we were not only part of, but have won round 32 of GDWC’s Fan Favourite selection. Amongst the company of 8 other incredible games, readers were able to cast their vote to support Project Haven for the crown. We were up against some exceptional games, and we’re humbled to have been chosen as the winner. You can view the GDWC Trailer below, as well as our winners page here.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Finally, and before we dive into our FAQ, YouTuber Brought To Bear recently chatted with us about all things Project Haven.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We’re not only grateful for him taking the time out to talk to us, but also his knowledge of the game and his support of it. His first video from June 2021 perfectly captures our journey.


Finally, to answer some of the most frequently asked community questions, we’ve pulled them together in one place. We’ll do our best to get into the habit of this, so you know exactly the direction we’re taking.

[h2]Game Information[/h2]
When is Project Haven coming out? I can't wait for the release!
2022, a more specific date will be announced at a later date.

Are there plans for Project Haven to be released into Early Access or as a full release?
We have no plans for Early Access, and instead will simply be releasing the full game when it’s ready.

Will Project Haven be on Epic Store or GOG besides Steam?
The current plan is for a Steam release only, but we may be on other storefronts upon release.

Will the game be exclusive to Epic Games Store or available everywhere?
There won’t be any exclusivity for the Epic Games Store.

Will [insert language here] be added?
While we haven’t finalized the list of languages we will have in the game, confirmed languages include Portuguese (PT-PT) and English (EN-US). We are using Wishlists and the locations of those who Wishlist the game to gauge further regions.

Will players be able to add mods?
Absolutely, the game will be moddable and we can’t wait to see what you all implement!

Will the game support pad control?
Not planned for the initial launch.

What are the system requirements?
Windows 10 64-bit • 8 GB RAM • DirectX 11 compatible graphics card.

The game seems to have problems on Windows 7 or 8. Will improvements be made? (Some players reported that it runs on Vulkan but crashes during Gecko’s mission.)
We will try to keep Vulkan support working on Windows 7, but it will not be officially supported. As a very small team it’s difficult to support an operating system that’s past end-of-life.

Is a Linux release planned?
Yes! We plan to release a Linux version at the same time as Windows. GamingOnLinux also gave us a lovely shoutout after discovering the game is coming to Tux machines.

[h2]Gameplay and Mechanics[/h2]
Are there plans to implement armor?
Armor is already in the game, but no helmets. We’re intending to implement those.

Will there be melee weapons?
As for melee weapons, yes! Currently, we only have melee without weapons, but melee weapons are planned.

Will autoloot be added when each mission ends?
Yes! There will eventually be an end-screen where you can pick up loot, up to your character's limit.

Will permadeath be added?
Definitely. It will be a difficulty option that we’re intending to add.

Will inverted mouse controls be added?
Of course!

Will lobbies be added?
Yes!

Will damage and weapons be rebalanced?
Absolutely. Balancing weapons is something that’s never finished, and as we implement new features and mechanics we will continue to evaluate the games overall balance.

Will grenade throwing in first-person mode be tweaked? It feels a little odd...
Yes, we are working on improving the throwing mechanics to be more user friendly and they aren’t where we want them to be. Stay tuned on this one.

AP drain could use some tweaking. Could any improvements be made? (Could you add an option where you’re shown how much AP is drained before you make your move?)
Great question. AP is part of the game balancing that we’re constantly trying to improve. We are tweaking the UI to better display your available AP’s so that you can anticipate costs more easily

Is there a difference between hard and soft cover?
Yes! The game uses a ballistics system, so soft covers will only slightly reduce a bullets effectiveness. In contrast, hard cover can stop the bullet in its tracks. Ammo types can also affect these properties and how much they can penetrate each type of cover.

Will the UI be improved to make it easier to use?
Yes, as we finalize the mechanics we’re adding to the game we will be improving the UI to make it as readable and as accessible as possible.

Are there any plans to make combat smoother? It sometimes feels clunky and unintuitive.
Most of the combat issues are related to UI and as we improve that, it should alleviate most of the issues. We will also have better tutorials that explain mechanics in far greater detail so players have a greater understanding of the game’s mechanics.

Could options be added to lock your viewing direction so you don’t spend AP?
We’ve recently added a way to select the viewing direction at the end of a move so you don’t need to spend an extra AP after moving if you’re not facing the correct direction.

Will any improvements be added to camera controls?
We’ve recently added new camera controls, so you can pitch the camera for better visibility in certain situations. We’ve also added a way to manually control which floors are visible too.

Are any changes planned for the path finding system? Sometimes characters either don’t move, collide into each other, or cling to objects.
Absolutely. We’ve recently improved pathfinding to prevent most of those issues!

Will dialogue be tweaked? Some of it feels a little...immature?
We only have a small number of dialogue lines recorded, mostly the “unique” ones that aren’t meant to be played too often. We’ll continue to evaluate these if players feel they’re below standard.

Can players customize their characters?
Character customization and character builder is something we would definitely want to do, but because of the size of our team, we don’t have the capacity to do it. If the game does well enough on launch, it's something we'd like to add as post launch content.

Cutscenes can sometimes look a little janky. Will these be polished over time?
Animations are very much a work in progress, and we will be recreating them before release.

The swearing can be a bit much sometimes. Are there ways to tone it down or play it less frequently?
The option is already available in the Demo, just like mentioned before though, due to the low amount of recorded lines per character some “special” lines are playing too often.

Thanks to all of you for providing your FAQ questions and reading our November update! Don’t forget to wishlist the game (if you haven’t already), sign up for our email newsletter, join our official Discord and social media channels to follow Project Haven’s progress.

Code Three Fifty One


https://store.steampowered.com/app/443190/Project_Haven/

Hello again Steel Dragons!

Join us August 27th 8pm CET/11am PT as we watch our brand new trailer debut live during IGN's Gamescom Studio!
As always we'll be live answering your questions, hope to see you there!

Edit: And here it is, now live on IGN!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hey Steel Dragons!
As part of the Gamescom 2021 and Indie Arena Booth we're hosting a livestream tomorrow the August the 26th at 7pm CET/10am PT where we will be playing and talking about our updated Demo and chatting with you all. Come join us and ask any questions you may have!

Don't forget to set a reminder! See you there! ːsteamhappyː

[h3]Greetings Steel Dragons![/h3]

It’s showtime again! This time we’re bringing Project Haven to Germany (and beyond - it’s a largely digital event) at gamescom as a featured title in their surprisingly exclusive Indie Arena Booth. It’s not just show-and-tell time, either. We’ll have a spot on gamescom’s digital show-floor for you to visit, a fresh new trailer and (most importantly) an updated demo featuring an all-new mission.

[h3]Join us at gamescom![/h3]
From August 25h to the 29th, all you aspiring mercenary commanders will be able to visit our digital home-away-from-home in the Indie Arena Booth. Check out the Power Plant zone and make sure to swing by our familiar little corner in the South-east corner of it.

We hope you’ll all have a great time there. Hang out, take some photos (screenshots?), and say hello to our booth attendant NPC - they’ve got a few interesting things to say about the game.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]There’s a demo this time, right?[/h3]
Indeed there is! Starting on August 25th there’ll be a new demo build to download here on Steam. Not only will you get to check out our latest improvements to the UI and cover system, but a whole new mission. Rather than extend the demo and risk padding it out too far, we’ve swapped out the third mission for a new one to give you a fresh experience to tackle.

Let your friends know, challenge them to a round of PvP or bring them along for the ride in co-op. Don’t forget that as with previous releases, the Skirmish mode will provide near-endless new combat scenarios once you’re done with the campaign missions.

The new demo will be available for a while after the show, but not forever, so dive in while it’s still fresh out the oven.

[h3]And what’s this about a new trailer?[/h3]
Ah, you’ll just have to be a little more patient there. Later in the week on August 27th, keep your eyes fixed on gamescom studio at around 11am PT/8pm CET for our latest trailer. We’ve been keeping a tight lid on our boss battles so far, but we reckon it’s about time we give you a peek at one of the campaign’s earlier climactic battles. Just to get your imaginations running, we’ll say that it features an interestingly improvised armored vehicle - deadly, if lacking in glamour.


Thanks for checking in! Remember to wishlist the game (if you haven’t already), sign up for our email newsletter and join our official Discord channel and introduce yourself to our ever-expanding community of tactical experts.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/443190/Project_Haven/

[h3]Greetings Steel Dragons![/h3]

We’re just days past our last big show appearance at Dreamhack Beyond, and we’re already diving straight into another - The Yogscast Tiny Teams festival! Can anything stop us? The answer is obviously no. We’ll be part of the Yogscast celebrations from August 7th -14th, and you’ll be able to see the game in their opening ceremony stream at 5pm BST on Twitch.

Not all of you have been following us and the game since the start, though, so we’re here to introduce ourselves for anyone who might have found us through Tiny Teams, but first answer a frequent question:

[h3]Where’s my demo!?[/h3]
Well, that’s what a lot of you are asking. It’s a reasonable assumption, as we’ve rolled out new demo builds for our last two show appearances. Sadly, we won’t be deploying yet another build for the Tiny Teams showcase for one simple reason - we need time to finish our biggest and best public release yet, and need a little more time to prepare. You’ll see the fruits of our labor at Gamescom later this month (starting August 25th), and we’re sure it’ll be worth the wait.



For those who did check out our Dreamhack demo build, we hope you had a great time playing with our enhanced cover system and clashing with our less accident-prone AI. We’ll be making further refinements to both plus some fresh challenges for you to tackle later this month.

[h3]I’m new. Who are you, and just how tiny are we talking?[/h3]
First up, if you’re new here, or curious about the people making this game, welcome to the party, and thanks! We’re Code Three Fifty One, a very small indie team based in Portugal. We used to be a downright tiny outfit of just two (strategy and story loving couple Joana Dimas and Sérgio Gil), initially collaborating with Edwin McRae for the narrative design, and recently adding a new member to the team, Jason Woronicz, to help us with the level design. So, three people at present now - small enough to fit into an elevator, which is good enough for Tiny Teams.



[h3]Okay, that’s pretty small. Why, and how, are you tackling this genre?[/h3]
Because we love squad tactics games! Specifically, the Jagged Alliance series from the dark and forgotten nineties. If you’re familiar with that series, you can see the (extended) family resemblance; larger-than-life mercs, deep ballistic modelling and a focus on making money through efficient violence. One thing that Jagged Alliance 2 and its mods couldn’t offer us was co-op play.

Fun as it is to look over someone’s shoulder and criticize their every move, we wanted something we could play together, and that other dynamic duos could too - or up to four players we don’t judge. The end result is Project Haven. A deep combat engine fully playable with a friend or three, all wrapped up in an involved (yet grounded) dystopian story.



[h3]That’s cool! What’s on the roadmap for Project Haven, then?[/h3]
As mentioned above, we’re going to be participating in the Yogscast Tiny Teams festival. Running from August 7th to the 14th, it’s a celebration of indie innovation from tiny development crews just like ours. You can see the Yogscast crew streaming a preview build of our game in their opening ceremony stream at 5pm BST on Twitch. Make sure you tune in!

Once that’s wrapped up. The big thing on the horizon is Gamecom! From August 25th to 29th, we’ll be part of the Indie Arena Booth, where we’ll have a tasty platter of announcements to make and an updated demo. For more details closer to the time, follow Project Haven on Steam (and add it to your wishlist if you haven’t already), join our community Discord server and sign up for our email newsletter to make sure you don’t miss a thing.



That’s all we’ve got for today! Thanks for your time, and we hope you’ll tune in on Saturday at 5pm BST.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/443190/Project_Haven/