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Within the Cosmos News

July 2020 Update: Screenshots, Abilities, Crafting, and release date

Hello again everyone! It's been quite some time since I last posted an announcement here. I feel like it's about time I update all of you on what has been going on in regards to the development of the game, and what the future holds.

First and foremost, I want to thank you for your patience, and for hanging in there with me while I develop this game. I want to sincerely thank you all.

The last few months have proven to be a little hectic. This global pandemic has been troublesome for all of us. It had an impact on my personal life, and social distancing restricted my ability to get the voice actors to record the lines I needed by the time I wanted them. The positive of all of this is that I have been able to use this extra time to further optimise and playtest the game, as well as create more content.

I've been posting images across the games social networks (@withinthecosmos), I also have changed the screenshots on the store page. Here they are, if you haven't seen them.

Encountering raiders on the planet Berith II:



A cave in Berith II:



Encountering raiders on Delarus:


Dialogue options with one of the NPCs:


[h3]Inventory Upgrade[/h3]
One of the biggest changes since the last post, and trailer, is the inventory system. I added the ability to sort the inventory, and items are now categorised. There are Weapons, Armour, Consumables, and Miscellaneous categories. There's 2 Headgear slots (which can be used to have on something like a hat, and glasses), one armour slot, and one explosives slot. Here's what the inventory looks like now:



[h3]Crafting - Blueprints[/h3]
There are two parts to crafting. In the Blueprints section, you can create simple, single use items. The amount of parts needed, how many items get crafted, and how effective the items are that you craft is governed by your Skills, Perks, and Stats.



Someone with a higher Explosive skill would be able to craft a better Frag Grenade. One that deals greater damage, and has a larger radius.


[h3]Crafting - Modifications[/h3]
The other part to crafting is weapon modifications. In this section, you can customise weapons you have in your inventory. When you select a weapon, you will see what attachments can be added/changed. You will also see in depth statistics for each weapon, so you can see just how much damage a weapon does, or its range, among other things. Here's a preview of what the modification system looks like while modifying one of the pistols in the game.



[h3]Abilities[/h3]
Another thing I want to show you all are the abilities in the game. I spent a lot of time trying to get the balance right and letting players have fun using the abilities, without making them feel too overpowered. There are 7 abilities in the game which consists of the Assault Turret, Barricade, Combat Drone, Incinerate, Jetpack, Tactical Cloak, & Time Dilation. When used, they will drain some of your Suit Energy. Your Suits Energy will refill over time.



Here is a look at 3 of the abilities in action:

Tactical Cloak:
Turn (nearly) invisible for a couple of seconds to sneak passed enemies


Time Dilation:
Slow down time around you and plan your next move


Incinerate:
Select a target and fire a projectile that explodes on impact and has a chance of setting the target on fire


As most of my time is dedicated to developing the game, I haven't found much time lately to record a trailer. I realise it's been about one year since I last shared the gameplay video. Rest assured, creating a new trailer is the next thing on my marketing to-do list. The game has changed and improved since then, so I am itching to show you some new footage. In the absence of a trailer, I decided to create some GIFs for all of you to see for now!

Planet Alios:


The town of Chronos, situated on the planet Berith II:


Dialogue options with one of the NPCs:


I hope you like what you see!

[h3]Release Date[/h3]
With new content being added during the last few months, and now that I'm finally beginning to receive the voice actors recorded dialogue, I will need a bit more time to implement, playtest, and optimise the game prior to release. I am now aiming for a September 2020 release. I hope you can stick with me for a little while longer as I continue to work, and make this the best game it can possibly be.

Once again, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your support and patience has been helpful, relieving, and empowering throughout this journey.

Thank you!


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October Development Update

Hey again everyone! Sorry for the long wait since the last update! The last month and a half have given me some much needed time to add, and change a couple of things, as well as optimise the game more. Today's post will cover some of the RPG mechanics in the game, some additions and changes, as well as what's next for Within the Cosmos. Let's get right to it!


RPG Mechanics


Attributes




As you can see in the image above, there are 5 attributes in the game.

CONSTITUTION
AGILITY
INTELLIGENCE
PERCEPTION
CHARM


These are set at the beginning of the game, when you create your character. Aside from the bonuses (and penalties) you get from each attribute, they will also determine how many points your skills will begin with. i.e. Putting points into Intelligence will increase what your Medical, Engineer, and Science skills will begin at.

Skills




There are currently 14 skills in the game.

Bypass, Engineer, Explosives, Handguns, Heavy Weapons, Intimidate, Lie, Medical, Melee Weapons, Persuade, Ranged Weapons, Science, Sneak, and Unarmed.

Each time you level up, you will get skill points to distribute across these 14 skills, to help you forge the character you want to play as. When you put points toward a skill, you will get bonuses for that specific skill, and you will gain access to perks you otherwise wouldn't be able to get.

Perks




There are currently 62 perks in the game that you can use to tailor your character to your playstyle. Currently, every 2 levels, you'll get perk points to spend. Some perks have requirements before you can unlock them. An example being, if you want the Light Steps perk, you'll need your Agility attribute, and Sneak skill to be at a specific level before being able to unlock it.

With 5 attributes, 14 skills, and 62 perks, I feel like you can truly create, and play as the character you have in mind.

Additions & Changes


Damage Numbers






This wasn't originally intended to be included in the game, but people have asked for this, so I decided to implement it into the game. Damage numbers are completely optional. You can toggle it on and off in the menu.

Inventory




The inventory has been completely changed since the last video. This is much cleaner, and easier to navigate than the previous one, and as you can see, you can now view your character in the Inventory screen. You can see how your character looks when you decide to wear a really cool cowboy hat, or when you decide to change your armour!

What's next?


What's next is for me to do some more QA. During this period, I also intend to release the next gameplay video. The gameplay video will cover some of the first couple of minutes of the game on the planet Berith II, where the player comes across their first major town called 'Chronos'. You will see all of the changes and additions I've implemented since the last video, and some new stuff too. I hope you'll look forward to that! Once I feel the game has been properly optimised, I'll feel comfortable setting a firm release date. I'll announce that as soon as possible!

This has been such a long journey; over 5 years now, and I can't wait for all of you to get to play this. As you now know, I don't have a release date YET, but I'm aiming for Early November now. I apologise for not being able to meet the release dates I've previously set, but as this has been my life for 5 years, I really don't want to let it out until I feel it's ready, and it's nearly there.

I truly want to thank all of you for the patience you've shown me, and for sticking with me through all of this. It's because of you, and your understanding, that I feel like I can truly make this game into the game I had envisioned.



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Development Update

Hey again everyone,

I apologise for not being active on the forums, and social networks lately. Things have been a bit hectic, and I've been spending all day and night trying my best to finish up the game, and make sure it's in the best condition possible. I deeply regret having to say that the game will be delayed once again. This time I will not set a date, as I've, unfortunately, been unable to meet my previous deadlines. Creating, polishing, and releasing this game has been such a steep learning curve for me. I need a bit more time to continue polishing the game, and to implement a few changes.



As much as I wanted to release this game prior to the busy months of gaming ahead, I will not release Within the Cosmos until it is ready. I now have a target window of September. I will keep you all updated on how the game is progressing, and will set a firm release date in the coming days/weeks. This game has been life for the last 5 years, and I will only release it in the condition it was meant to release in.

Within the next couple of days/weeks, I intend to show you all how the game has changed since the gameplay footage was uploaded. There has been an endless list of changes, largely driven by the feedback you have all given me.

Just incase you missed the last announcement which stated some of the changes I've been working on, here's the list:

  • AI: Added cover system for AI.
  • AI: Enemies now vocalise their state changes.
  • AI: Enemies react to being hit, as opposed to just taking the damage without much of an indicator that they've been hit.
  • AI: Enemies accuracy has been changed. They are now less accurate.
  • Animation: Facial animations have been improved
  • UI: Improved visibility of the hit marker.
  • UI: Damage indicator no longer makes the screen flash red. It now only flashes the edges of the screen, and the intensity of the red has been dialed down to be less jarring.
  • UI: The Inventory UI has been completely revamped, as the one in the trailer was simply a placeholder.
  • Sound Design: Footsteps, and dialogue used to drown out the background noise/background music. This has been improved since then.
  • Sound Design: Gunshot sounds were drowned out by ambient sounds. This has also been improved.


I apologise for the delay, once again. I know many of you have been looking forward to the release, but as you've shown me last time, I know you will understand that this decision is what is best for the game, and for what you'll eventually experience. I hope you will see this as a sign of the commitment, dedication, and passion I have poured, and will continue to pour into this game.

Thank you all so much for being so supportive during this process! The support genuinely helps more than you can possibly imagine.



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Delayed until 30 August, and changes based on feedback

Hi everyone!

Over the last few weeks, I've received a large amount of feedback from the 8 minute gameplay video I uploaded. Since then, I've been taking all of that feedback, and have been using it to improve the game.

Changes based on feedback include:
  • AI: Added cover system for AI.*
  • AI: Enemies now vocalise their state changes.
  • AI: Enemies react to being hit, as opposed to just taking the damage without much of an indicator that they've been hit.
  • AI: Enemies accuracy has been changed. They are now less accurate.
  • Animation: Facial animations have been improved*
  • UI: Improved visibility of the hit marker.
  • UI: Damage indicator no longer makes the screen flash red. It now only flashes the edges of the screen, and the intensity of the red has been dialed down to be less jarring.
  • UI: The Inventory UI has been changed, as the one in the trailer was simply a placeholder.*
  • Sound Design: Footsteps, and dialogue used to drown out the background noise/background music. This has been improved since then.*
  • Sound Design: Gunshot sounds were drowned out by ambient sounds. This has also been improved.*


* - Still being worked on

Thank you to all of you for the feedback!


The process of optimising the game has taken a bit longer than I expected. I have decided to delay it by 2 weeks, until the 30th of August. This additional time will be used to continue polishing the game, as I work on nailing down the system requirements. I understand that this delay (and the last 2 delays) could cause some frustration to those who are interested, but I hope you can understand that my intention is to release this in the best state it can possibly be in, and I don't want to rush this.



I was hoping to update the release date a couple of days ago, but the process of changing the date on Steam is a bit more time consuming now. As the game is nearing its launch, and as a solo-dev, time is certainly not something I have in abundance at the moment. I apologise for this last-minute change.

(I've already submitted the release date change, just waiting for them to update it.)

Thank you all SO much for all the support, feedback, and interest in Within the Cosmos! I'm looking forward to the day you all get to play it, and when we can shape the future of this game together!

I hope you'll look forward to the launch trailer!



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8 minutes of gameplay, and a slight delay

Hey everyone!

It's time to finally show you all some gameplay! I was hoping to record this earlier in the month, but I had some unfortunate setbacks. Either way, here's an updated look at Within the Cosmos, along with its new release date. The video is just under 8 minutes long. Some things are still being worked on, mainly the UI and audio. I hope you all enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5J7nrHt9U

Now, regarding the release date change. About 2 weeks ago or so, UE4 crashed while I was working, and it corrupted one of the files that included one of the planets. I had to revert to an old save I had of it (about 2-3 weeks old at the time), and I've been working all day and night, re-doing all the work I've done since then. I was hoping I'd be able to make up the lost work, and still finish on time for the 1st of August, but I now see that that's impossible. As a result, the game will be delayed by roughly 2 weeks. The new release date is 16 August.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience and for the short notice. I hope you'll still look forward to the game!

Thank you all for your lovely comments, and wishlists!
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