The Future of SCP: Secret Laboratory - Version 13.5 and beyond
Hello, everyone!
It’s been a while since the last content update, and with 2024 approaching its midpoint, we’d like to break the radio silence by outlining the general shift of development direction that we've recently taken.
After many reworks and adjustments to the playable SCPs, we’ve reached the point where we’re comfortable dividing our focus onto other problematic aspects of the game, such as human gameplay and level design. In the following months, we’ll be working on changes to multiple items — primarily usable SCPs and firearms, as well as changes to the respawning system, and obtrusive level design aspects.
That being said, we’re excited to show you our most recent projects, including a few long-term goals.
We'll begin by discussing Version 13.5, which has been our primary focus as of late. This update features a wide spectrum of balance changes — ranging from simple value tuning, to new mechanics and full item reworks. The update itself has just entered its public beta phase! If you wish to try it out before its final release, follow the instructions below:
Our exact date of release is yet to be determined, but we're expecting it to be sometime later this month
[h2]SCP-1853 Rework[/h2]
The flagship feature of this update is the long-awaited SCP-1853 rework. We’ve heard many voices over the years commenting on SCP-1853 (‘Performance Enhancer’) and its lacklustre impact on the gameplay loop, especially when compared to its direct competitor — SCP-207 (‘Cola’). Our first solution to this problem was prototyped months ago with our Patreon Supporters, and we’ve been satisfied with the results. We’ve decided to iron out the details and implement it permanently.
The effects of SCP-1853 remain mostly the same. Upon consumption, a number of effects are given to the player:
These effects no longer scale with the number of SCP-1853s consumed. Instead, it now operates on a system called ‘Danger’, which quantifies the strength of the aforementioned effect. SCP-1853 will give temporary buffs to its users whenever they find themselves in a dangerous situation. This can be triggered by a number of events, including, but not limited to:
We believe that these changes will increase survivability when entering combat, and reward more active gameplay. This is in direct contrast to SCP-207, which primarily promotes an evasive playstyle. To further improve the dynamics, we’ve decided to adjust the effects of SCP-207.
SCP-207 was introduced back in 2019 during the Megapatch 2 Update, which was before the introduction of the stamina system. Over the years, the game has been constantly changing, but SCP-207’s stats have never been adjusted. Due to its relatively high availability and stackability, it has become a quick and easy way for players to improve their own mobility.
Over time, more players have recognised its potential, often resulting in a lot of frustration for the SCP team — being unable to chase down the last target. We’ve decided to address this issue by reducing the maximum number of stackable SCP-207s to three, which resolves the issues presented by the more “extreme” gameplay scenarios.
The infinite stamina granted after consuming the first bottle is quite a powerful benefit on its own, so we've decided to reduce the speed boost(s), while increasing the damage inflicted by the SCP-207 status effect.
Alongside these changes, SCP-1853 and SCP-207 will no longer be obtainable through SCP-914.
[h2]Other Improvements[/h2]
13.5 will bring a number of other in-game changes. We'll continue to fine-tune the stats and mechanics of playable SCPs based on the variable gameplay experience.
The update will also contain a number of bug fixes and backend changes. If you wish to learn more about this update, please refer to this document for a full list of changes.
Please note that the exact values are subject to change, as they may be adjusted when the testing phase concludes. Now, let’s move onto our long-term goals.
We've recently welcomed a number of new artists to the studio — artists who have since been working incredibly hard to bring you a visual update to the existing Heavy Containment Zone!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Please note that these are still in its early stage, and are subject to change. New room variants and layouts are also planned, but please note that this is primarily a visual touch-up for the existing Heavy Containment Zone. Its current version features room models from different eras of our development timeline, resulting in noticeably inconsistent aesthetics. Resolving this issue is something which our artists are excited to work on, and is a goal which they can comfortably work towards — as it doesn’t detract from other level design projects.
Towards the end of the last year, we’ve announced our plans to rework the Experimental Weapons (covered in this post), but we’ve encountered several limitations during implementation. The weapons system was written as part of the Parabellum update nearly three years ago, alongside the rework of all in-game items. While working on the implementation of the new Experimental Weapons, it became clear that our framework would have difficulties supporting such unconventional guns.
We’ve decided that shifting our focus to a firearm-focused refactor is the best course of action. This also gives us an opportunity to adjust some core mechanics. It’s important to note that while most of the firearm code is being written from scratch, this refactor isn’t nearly as massive as the one that occurred during Parabellum.
The following section is a summary of an older Patreon teaser, which is publicly available here. We recommend that you give it a read if you wish to learn more.
[h2]Conventional Weapon Changes[/h2]
Our general goal is to slightly lessen the learning curve to make it easier for beginners to grasp more of the weapon system(s). The intent of these changes are to place players on a more level playing field in the event of a gunfight, while still allowing skillful plays to shine. We also hope to address some problematic attachments such as scopes, lasers, and suppressors.
[h3]Line-of-fire Indicators[/h3]
Our game lacks sufficient indicators when stepping into line of fire, especially when the shooter is using a suppressed weapon. To counter this, we’ve decided to add more audiovisual cues.
Firing a weapon will now have a chance to produce a tracer — a bright particle effect simulating the bullet's trajectory. This allows for easier identification of the shooter’s direction, and warns players before they step into a line of fire. The game still utilises hitscan, meaning that the effect is purely cosmetic — playing after the hit is already calculated. Tracers produce a “whooshing” sound as they fly next to the player.
Bullets hitting an obstacle or player will now produce an impact sound. While this is a simple feature, it serves as an important cue. This significantly lowers the effectiveness of suppressors in hallway camping situations. The bullet holes themselves have also received a number of additional effects, making it easier to identify what other players were/are trying to shoot.
[h3]Running Accuracy[/h3]
In Parabellum, we introduced a system that hampered accuracy while running or jumping. It was introduced as a means of solving a problem involving awkward gameplay in gunfights, as the most effective method used to be jumping around in an attempt to lower the chance of an enemy hitting you. Our current running accuracy penalty is very high, forcing players to rely on lasers to make their weapons usable. To address this issue, we’ll be lowering the baseline running penalty for all firearms, allowing more guns to remain usable while running. In addition, the lasers will no longer affect running accuracy, only the baseline hip-firing accuracy. This'll mean that the accuracy penalty added while sprinting will only depend on the type of weapon used, weight, and length.
In addition, accuracy will now be presented as ‘accurate range’, which sounds more intuitive than ‘angular dispersion of inaccuracy’ to newer players, but you may choose to switch back to the old units in the UI settings.
[h3]Other[/h3]
There’re a number of smaller issues which we’re planning to resolve during this rework:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Revolver Rework[/h2]
The .44 Revolver was the first model created for Parabellum, made by Mikel — our newest artist at the time. Mikel has since learned a number of new skills over the years, and has always kept a vested interest in improving upon the Revolver's model — but we’ve never had a good opportunity which would allow him to do so. However, the recent weapon rewrite, combined with Mikel’s lack of current assignments, opened a window for a relatively seamless integration of this project.
As of now, the Revolver is the divisive gun in the game. It’s not friendly to new players, not easily adaptable to different playstyles, and generally has little place among the other guns the game has to offer. We’ve decided to redesign the revolver to become a much more adaptable and powerful sidearm, so that a greater number of players actually find use with it.
The Revolver will be remodelled and will receive a new set of attachments, mechanics, and animations. It will remain a sidearm for Chaos Insurgency Marauders, with the Shotgun serving as their primary weapon. It'll also retain a similar attachment layout, with options to change barrels, cylinders, sights, and grips.
The most noticeable change will be the new 7-shot cylinder, which'll replace the current 8-shot one. It features .410 buckshot rounds, turning the revolver into an effective close-quarters weapon at the cost of headshot capability. This adaptability is sorely lacking from the current revolver; which forces the user to adapt to a certain playstyle, instead of the player customising the revolver to their liking. We’re also adding a flashlight attachment, which means the Revolver is no longer the only gun in the game to lack one.
We’re currently working on several other smaller projects, which we’re planning to cover in future posts. As an example, we’ve been working on solutions that would address the elevator camping problem, but we haven’t yet decided on our final course of action — so we aren’t comfortable sharing any details.
In addition, we’ve started work on the Reinforcement Overhaul, which is another project focusing on reworking the respawn system. It incorporates a number of new objectives, affecting which team will spawn, and how often. We’re also introducing a concept of ‘mini-waves’, a smaller wave of reinforcements which can be earned by a respawning team shortly after a full respawn, designed to compensate those who have died too early.
From other exciting news, we've finished work on all our reworked character models, and our teams have been working on animating them during these past few months. Stay tuned for future posts, which will provide more details about these changes.
It’s been a while since the last content update, and with 2024 approaching its midpoint, we’d like to break the radio silence by outlining the general shift of development direction that we've recently taken.
After many reworks and adjustments to the playable SCPs, we’ve reached the point where we’re comfortable dividing our focus onto other problematic aspects of the game, such as human gameplay and level design. In the following months, we’ll be working on changes to multiple items — primarily usable SCPs and firearms, as well as changes to the respawning system, and obtrusive level design aspects.
That being said, we’re excited to show you our most recent projects, including a few long-term goals.
Version 13.5
We'll begin by discussing Version 13.5, which has been our primary focus as of late. This update features a wide spectrum of balance changes — ranging from simple value tuning, to new mechanics and full item reworks. The update itself has just entered its public beta phase! If you wish to try it out before its final release, follow the instructions below:
- Right-click SCP:SL in your Steam library, then select 'Properties'.
- Select 'Betas', then from the dropdown box, opt-in to 'publicbeta'.
- Close the menu. After waiting for the game to update, click play.
Our exact date of release is yet to be determined, but we're expecting it to be sometime later this month
[h2]SCP-1853 Rework[/h2]
The flagship feature of this update is the long-awaited SCP-1853 rework. We’ve heard many voices over the years commenting on SCP-1853 (‘Performance Enhancer’) and its lacklustre impact on the gameplay loop, especially when compared to its direct competitor — SCP-207 (‘Cola’). Our first solution to this problem was prototyped months ago with our Patreon Supporters, and we’ve been satisfied with the results. We’ve decided to iron out the details and implement it permanently.
The effects of SCP-1853 remain mostly the same. Upon consumption, a number of effects are given to the player:
- Increased item pickup speed.
- Weight of armor and equipped items no longer reduces movement speed and stamina duration.
- Reduction in the time needed to employ items such as — grenades, medicals, SCP items, etc.
- Improved handling of firearms, including better accuracy, recoil control, reload times, and switching between hip fire / aiming down the sights.
These effects no longer scale with the number of SCP-1853s consumed. Instead, it now operates on a system called ‘Danger’, which quantifies the strength of the aforementioned effect. SCP-1853 will give temporary buffs to its users whenever they find themselves in a dangerous situation. This can be triggered by a number of events, including, but not limited to:
- Receiving damage
- Receiving certain negative status effects, such as Cardiac Arrest or Corroding.
- Encountering SCPs or armed enemies.
- Alpha Warhead becoming engaged.
- Being an active target of SCP-096.
We believe that these changes will increase survivability when entering combat, and reward more active gameplay. This is in direct contrast to SCP-207, which primarily promotes an evasive playstyle. To further improve the dynamics, we’ve decided to adjust the effects of SCP-207.
SCP-207 was introduced back in 2019 during the Megapatch 2 Update, which was before the introduction of the stamina system. Over the years, the game has been constantly changing, but SCP-207’s stats have never been adjusted. Due to its relatively high availability and stackability, it has become a quick and easy way for players to improve their own mobility.
Over time, more players have recognised its potential, often resulting in a lot of frustration for the SCP team — being unable to chase down the last target. We’ve decided to address this issue by reducing the maximum number of stackable SCP-207s to three, which resolves the issues presented by the more “extreme” gameplay scenarios.
The infinite stamina granted after consuming the first bottle is quite a powerful benefit on its own, so we've decided to reduce the speed boost(s), while increasing the damage inflicted by the SCP-207 status effect.
Alongside these changes, SCP-1853 and SCP-207 will no longer be obtainable through SCP-914.
[h2]Other Improvements[/h2]
13.5 will bring a number of other in-game changes. We'll continue to fine-tune the stats and mechanics of playable SCPs based on the variable gameplay experience.
The update will also contain a number of bug fixes and backend changes. If you wish to learn more about this update, please refer to this document for a full list of changes.
Please note that the exact values are subject to change, as they may be adjusted when the testing phase concludes. Now, let’s move onto our long-term goals.
Heavy Containment Visual Overhaul
We've recently welcomed a number of new artists to the studio — artists who have since been working incredibly hard to bring you a visual update to the existing Heavy Containment Zone!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Please note that these are still in its early stage, and are subject to change. New room variants and layouts are also planned, but please note that this is primarily a visual touch-up for the existing Heavy Containment Zone. Its current version features room models from different eras of our development timeline, resulting in noticeably inconsistent aesthetics. Resolving this issue is something which our artists are excited to work on, and is a goal which they can comfortably work towards — as it doesn’t detract from other level design projects.
Weapon System Enhancements
Towards the end of the last year, we’ve announced our plans to rework the Experimental Weapons (covered in this post), but we’ve encountered several limitations during implementation. The weapons system was written as part of the Parabellum update nearly three years ago, alongside the rework of all in-game items. While working on the implementation of the new Experimental Weapons, it became clear that our framework would have difficulties supporting such unconventional guns.
We’ve decided that shifting our focus to a firearm-focused refactor is the best course of action. This also gives us an opportunity to adjust some core mechanics. It’s important to note that while most of the firearm code is being written from scratch, this refactor isn’t nearly as massive as the one that occurred during Parabellum.
The following section is a summary of an older Patreon teaser, which is publicly available here. We recommend that you give it a read if you wish to learn more.
[h2]Conventional Weapon Changes[/h2]
Our general goal is to slightly lessen the learning curve to make it easier for beginners to grasp more of the weapon system(s). The intent of these changes are to place players on a more level playing field in the event of a gunfight, while still allowing skillful plays to shine. We also hope to address some problematic attachments such as scopes, lasers, and suppressors.
[h3]Line-of-fire Indicators[/h3]
Our game lacks sufficient indicators when stepping into line of fire, especially when the shooter is using a suppressed weapon. To counter this, we’ve decided to add more audiovisual cues.
Firing a weapon will now have a chance to produce a tracer — a bright particle effect simulating the bullet's trajectory. This allows for easier identification of the shooter’s direction, and warns players before they step into a line of fire. The game still utilises hitscan, meaning that the effect is purely cosmetic — playing after the hit is already calculated. Tracers produce a “whooshing” sound as they fly next to the player.
Bullets hitting an obstacle or player will now produce an impact sound. While this is a simple feature, it serves as an important cue. This significantly lowers the effectiveness of suppressors in hallway camping situations. The bullet holes themselves have also received a number of additional effects, making it easier to identify what other players were/are trying to shoot.
[h3]Running Accuracy[/h3]
In Parabellum, we introduced a system that hampered accuracy while running or jumping. It was introduced as a means of solving a problem involving awkward gameplay in gunfights, as the most effective method used to be jumping around in an attempt to lower the chance of an enemy hitting you. Our current running accuracy penalty is very high, forcing players to rely on lasers to make their weapons usable. To address this issue, we’ll be lowering the baseline running penalty for all firearms, allowing more guns to remain usable while running. In addition, the lasers will no longer affect running accuracy, only the baseline hip-firing accuracy. This'll mean that the accuracy penalty added while sprinting will only depend on the type of weapon used, weight, and length.
In addition, accuracy will now be presented as ‘accurate range’, which sounds more intuitive than ‘angular dispersion of inaccuracy’ to newer players, but you may choose to switch back to the old units in the UI settings.
[h3]Other[/h3]
There’re a number of smaller issues which we’re planning to resolve during this rework:
- The recoil will be simplified, reducing the sudden changes in horizontal sway. This makes the weapons more controllable, even to players with no knowledge of their recoil patterns.
- To increase the relevance of semi-automatic pistols, they will now fire continuously upon holding the fire button. This turns them into less powerful SMGs, with near-instant draw time, greatly increasing their viability as a backup weapon.
- The Night Vision Scope will now produce a less blurry image, while Telescopic Sights will slightly increase the density of fog, levelling out the chances of two players spotting each other.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Revolver Rework[/h2]
The .44 Revolver was the first model created for Parabellum, made by Mikel — our newest artist at the time. Mikel has since learned a number of new skills over the years, and has always kept a vested interest in improving upon the Revolver's model — but we’ve never had a good opportunity which would allow him to do so. However, the recent weapon rewrite, combined with Mikel’s lack of current assignments, opened a window for a relatively seamless integration of this project.
As of now, the Revolver is the divisive gun in the game. It’s not friendly to new players, not easily adaptable to different playstyles, and generally has little place among the other guns the game has to offer. We’ve decided to redesign the revolver to become a much more adaptable and powerful sidearm, so that a greater number of players actually find use with it.
The Revolver will be remodelled and will receive a new set of attachments, mechanics, and animations. It will remain a sidearm for Chaos Insurgency Marauders, with the Shotgun serving as their primary weapon. It'll also retain a similar attachment layout, with options to change barrels, cylinders, sights, and grips.
The most noticeable change will be the new 7-shot cylinder, which'll replace the current 8-shot one. It features .410 buckshot rounds, turning the revolver into an effective close-quarters weapon at the cost of headshot capability. This adaptability is sorely lacking from the current revolver; which forces the user to adapt to a certain playstyle, instead of the player customising the revolver to their liking. We’re also adding a flashlight attachment, which means the Revolver is no longer the only gun in the game to lack one.
Other projects
We’re currently working on several other smaller projects, which we’re planning to cover in future posts. As an example, we’ve been working on solutions that would address the elevator camping problem, but we haven’t yet decided on our final course of action — so we aren’t comfortable sharing any details.
In addition, we’ve started work on the Reinforcement Overhaul, which is another project focusing on reworking the respawn system. It incorporates a number of new objectives, affecting which team will spawn, and how often. We’re also introducing a concept of ‘mini-waves’, a smaller wave of reinforcements which can be earned by a respawning team shortly after a full respawn, designed to compensate those who have died too early.
From other exciting news, we've finished work on all our reworked character models, and our teams have been working on animating them during these past few months. Stay tuned for future posts, which will provide more details about these changes.