Desolate News

All games come through many iterations, and very rarely the game retains all its features. And today we wanted to share some of the details about the development of Desolate!

At the early stages of development, the game was set to take place on another planet. A fragment of introductory mission sheds light on more details:

" was sent here, to Ansora island, for researching and uncovering data about the great calamity that happened on planet Eilot a few years ago and forever changed it.”



But despite being set on another planet, the visual style of the game did already resemble that of dystopian USSR. Building a world similar to ours, but, at the same time different, also proved to be quite difficult - as well as conveying it to the player through the game’s surroundings. This two factors became the main reason to change the setting of the game to an alternate history USSR.

Back then the game also had a bigger emphasis on online . Upon starting the playthrough, a player had to start a server, that could incorporate up to 12 players! Ultimately, though, it didn’t go together well with the core design of the game -- the players were mostly completing solo story missions and their interactions didn’t go much further than engaging in PvP combat. As such, the system was scrapped and instead remade into online co-op for up to 4 players.



Other main components of the game remained mostly the same through the years. The only exception being the firearms and shooting mechanics. In the early stages the combat was melee-oriented.

Talking about old iterations of the game is always bittersweet. It’s fun to find out, how the project could turn out to be, but, ultimately, it would be a different game. And while we all can miss some of the earlier features -- with all things considered, the final product is almost always the best version of the game!

Greetings, Volunteers!

A new patch, which includes an updated save system, along with several other fixes and improvements, is live now.

Changes & Improvements

• Saving system of DESOLATE is improved. The full saving and loading functionality is available for Solo Mode and for Co-Op mode a host has an access to saving.
  
  
• Screenshot mode added. To remove UI you can press Alt+0 or enable it in the Pause Menu -> Settings -> Display. Even though DESOLATE was released quite a while ago, we’re still really happy to see your beautiful screenshots. We hope this feature will be a useful asset for those who capture the beauty of Granichni island.
  
  
• Hosts are now able to kick players from the game session or ban them. To do that, right-click on the player while holding TAB.
  

Fixes

• Sound issues are fixed and a new ambient in Blindman’s Boss Room.
  
  
• Level Design issues, visual bugs — fixed
  
  
• Optimized terrain for better player experience
  
  
• Numerous technical bugs — fixed
  

To keep up with the latest news and updates, follow DESOLATE on:




And of course, if you’re enjoying the game - please don’t hesitate to give us a review!

Hello, Volunteers!

New update for DESOLATE with some new features and fixes is out now!

Detailed information:

New features and fixes

• Increased UI performance (fixed several issues which caused freezes when opening some of the UI screens).
  
  
• Blank weapon could be picked up in some cases — we fixed some of the issues which caused the weapon to spawn.
  
  
• Lootable containers were displayed as full, if a player looted them and returned to the location earlier than new loot is spawned — fixed.
  
  
• Traumas could be changed by a pneumatic lift or anomalies teleporting the player — fixed.
  
  
• There was a question mark in Chernovsk which did not disappear after players discovered the location — fixed.
  
  
• Limit for the enemy damage in custom difficulty was increased to 600%.
  
  
• We have added “AI health” to the custom difficulty options.
  
  
• During faction fights event the winning party despawened after the fight — we have reworked this mechanic and now they stay in the world and can fight the player.
  
  
• We have added the scrollbar to the “Research” tab.
  
  
• The notification about new blueprints for the stimulators was added every time the game started — fixed.
  
  
• Several fixes and optimization in different locations of the map.
  
  
• Several fixes for sounds.
  

To keep up with the latest news and updates, follow DESOLATE on:




And of course, if you’re enjoying the game - please don’t hesitate to give us a review!

Greetings, Volunteers!

Update 1.2.5, featuring new changes and improvements to DESOLATE is already here!

Alongside this patch, Steam Trading Cards, Wallpapers, Emoticons and Badges are now available!

Below is a list of what was included in the patch:

Changes & Improvements

• Finalized work on Item Sorting mechanic. Instruments are now included in the “Crafting” category, along with materials neccessary for item crafting. Added a category for item without a specific use (Junk). Ammunition can be found under the “Weapons” category.
  
  
• Increased item stacks - you can now stack up to 20 Consumable items, and up to 100 other stackable items.
  
  
• The Journal now includes a scroll bar
  
  
• If you throw a weapon with the “Viking” perk equipped, the weapon will be highlighted, making it easier for you to find it.
  
  
• Performance Improvements.
  

Fixes

• A notification popped up in the “Research” tab, even when the creature’s Research rank was already maxed out - fixed.
  
  
• UI issue, in which your NPC Rank would appear as Level 7, when it actually was Level 5 - fixed.
  
  
• Materials (Snow, for example) would in some cases get layered on top of the weapon mod - fixed.
  
  
• Items in the Inventory screen would in some cases randomize - fixed.
  
  
• Jump attacks would not attack Dorgs properly in some cases - fixed.
  
  
• The amount of repairs on weapons would in some cases be displayed incorrectly - fixed.
  
  
• In some cases creatures would teleport back to their spawn area, instead of running back - fixed.
  
  
• Stealth kills now work correctly, locking you out of movement for a proper amount of time.
  
  
• Missing sounds in Pneumo-Elevators - fixed.
  
  
• If re-connecting to the game, Engineer quests could remove items from Player’s inventory, despite the quest being complete - fixed.
  
  
• Combat music would in some cases get “stuck” and not play properly - fixed.
  
  
• Level Design fixes
  
  
• Localization fixes.
  
  
• Fixes to some of the bugs that caused the game to crash.
  

To keep up with the latest news and updates, follow DESOLATE on:




And of course, if you’re enjoying the game - please don’t hesitate to give us a review!

Hello, Volunteers!

New patch with some changes and fixes for DESOLATE is already here.

The list of changes:

Changes and updates

• You can craft several units of the same item with one click. Right click the item in the craft menu and choose the number you want to craft. It will take the same time as one craft.
  
  
• There is a small icon to show that there is new information on one of the screens of the UI. For example a new task in the journal or new perks.
  
  
• You can see which items can be used for the quests you have during
  

looting.

Fixes

• Chernovsk and the bunker near it could unload when the player was inside — fixed.
  
  
• Sometimes players had problems switching between weapons — fixed.
  
  
• Sometimes client players was sitting behind the armchair in a scene — fixed.
  
  
• Rank points were given correctly but did not show the right amount — fixed.
  
  
• Perks could not be seen by the client players — fixed.
  
  
• We changed the way achievements for bosses are given — any boss kill with any type of damage will be counted towards the achievement progress.
  
  
• Experience for killing marauders and NL soldiers is awarded correctly now.
  
  
• Perk “Technician” did not work for clients players — fixed.
  
  
• Traumas are saved correctly after restart.
  
  
• The debuffs are applied correctly after restart.
  
  
• Time to heal a trauma for the perk “Regeneration” is saved correctly now.
  
  
• Perk “Super Soldier” works correctly now.
  
  
• Perks “Sommelier” и “Foodie” did not work for the client players — fixed.
  
  
• Perk “Storekeeper” did not work correctly — fixed.
  
  
• We have added extra checks for the third chapter achievement. If you have already finished the chapter and did not get the achievement, you will get it when you start the game.
  

To keep up with the latest news and updates, follow DESOLATE on:




And of course, if you’re enjoying the game - please don’t hesitate to give us a review!