Urban Strife News

[h2]Reputation checks and faction affinity in RPG[/h2]
The RPG layer got an update with a new set of checks: faction checkpoints that allow you to pass through only if you accumulate enough reputation and a faction affinity check during dialogues that opens shortcuts and interesting avenues if you bring along the right team mate.

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[h2]Shared inventory for quest items and crafting[/h2]
Inventory management was made a bit easier when it comes to delivering quest items - no need to browse through everyone’s backpack anymore. If a party member has the needed object, you can deliver it and finish your quest. The same shared inventory system will be applied when backpack crafting, but only if the player specifically allows crafting to use the shared inventories. This way you won’t need to explain to Billy Bo why his favorite whiskey is now a Molotov cocktail.
And since we never mentioned this - yes, we do have a shared base storage for stashing all those precious looted candy wrappers and second hand syringes. Rejoice!

[h2]Special weak point for zombies[/h2]
We have promised body parts damage that makes a difference and the first step in this direction is a classic - hitting zombies anywhere but the head will only result in minimal damage, while headshots will usually put them down in one turn. This makes even the vanilla zombies a bit of a challenge (and a waste of ammo if you didn’t get the memo and start spraying from a distance).

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[h2]KO state from stamina/blunt damage[/h2]
When it comes to human opponents, we promised stamina will play a big role in combat and it does now. Blunt weapons in particular will have the same calming effect on agitated enemies as a mule kick to the face. Good option if you either want to pass through a zone without potentially embarrassing (allied) faction kills or you just want to save ammo and deal your enemies quietly.

[h2]Faction makeshift armor[/h2]
Nothing says post-apocalypse more than crazy armor outfits and your Urban warlords will not disappoint you. Your first taste of madness will be The Scavenger Legion, parked just outside your base and dressed up as Roman legionnaires. Well, whatever they could come up with that resembled Roman armor at least. So do not miss the chance to get your hands on a fancy bladed helmet. Owner’s head attached optional.



[h2]Female avatar & classic ballistic armor choices[/h2]
More customization options for your avatar are coming. Our artists have completed a set of female body alter-alter egos that will be available when you start your adventure in Urban. John Doe, meet Jane Doe. Speaking of the player's avatar, we have designed classic ballistic protection as well, for those who would stay away from makeshift faction armor.



[h2]New cover animations[/h2]
Peeking around corners now has a special animation that exposes you only partially. With realistic ballistics, what-they-see-is-what-they-shoot so presenting your entire self to the enemy isn’t smart. You’re still exposed because you do have the advantage of preserving line of sight on the incoming enemies so there’s a factor of risk vs reward that has to be balanced. Also, while peeking in and out of cover your NPC needs to know how to deal with occupied tiles, so we programmed a special, team-friendly, step back move.
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[h2]Save/Load system[/h2]
No more Ironman runs when testing the build! Only those who managed to finish the entire 2h of the alpha test can understand how harsh it is to make a mistake somewhere near the end and be forced to restart. Definitely not for everyone and while we salute the brave ones who will try that in the full campaign, the rest of us normies are content to have a working Save/Load system in USG.

[h2]Shelter economy prototype[/h2]
We’re testing the first prototype of a shelter industry/upgrade tree. It is the first step into designing a complete, functional base economy and also the foundation for the whole survival metagame. Once complete it will also be linked with the RPG layer in order to produce meaningful and satisfying mission rewards.

[h2]New Maps Sneak Peek![/h2]
Our level designers have also been hard at work making awesome, handcrafted levels for the game. Here are three major landmarks of our beloved town of Urban:


The Courthouse

The Railway Station

The City Hospital

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

PS: Thank you for the continued support and if you have made it this far down the text, why not add Urban Strife to your wishlist? And get more people to do it, it really helps!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/710230/Urban_Strife/

[h2]Life & Body Parts Health[/h2]
Urban Strife is about combat and survival so all things considered, we decided to turn health into a system, instead of a character stat. LIFE, or overall health, has a very special meter. Life meter is, of course, critical because once it reaches zero, you are dead. This being said, body parts have their own internal HP too and damage received by them is weighted differently when applied to a NPC's life. For example, a head shot will do about 3x damage to global health, but a wounded hand will have a much smaller effect. This makes body armor (that protects the head and the torso) way more important and leaving the limbs exposed avoids the Juggernaut effect (which is not desirable in a survival, low-tech game). Killing an armored enemy simply by attacking the limbs is a difficult feat, but bleeding and crippling will severely impact his/her combat ability so at least you have a fighting chance.

[h2]Bleeding[/h2]
Any attack type can generate a bleed tick so for each wound you will lose a small amount of HP, over time. Of course, a blade will cause worse bleeding than a blunt weapon. If someone in your group is bleeding, that character will try to remind you, from time to time, to patch him/her up. You should do so because, while not overly aggressive (unless you are full of holes), bleeding drains from global health directly, no matter where the wound is located. This can cause massive life loss if left unattended. First because these "bleeding ticks" are cumulative so more holes means more gushing blood. Second because it will take a while for the bleeding to stop on its own and the wound to close. If you bandage early, you'll avoid losing a lot of HP and keep fighting. Of course, trauma itself will remove a portion of your life, too. So trying to bounce bullets off your chest is still a bad idea.



[h2]Bandages and Medical Kits[/h2]
Bandages are the most basic and readily available hemorrhage fixes. One bandage stops all bleeding on a body part and is consumed thereafter. Bandages stack in inventory.
Med kits are advanced tools and they will consume a portion of their condition when used to stop a wound from bleeding. Partially consumed kits can be merged one into another to save inventory space.



[h2]Immolation[/h2]
Fire deals damage over time to exposed body parts. Walking through fire will result, for example, in burns to the feet. But once you catch fire, immolation will spread to adjacent body parts and can result in a very unpleasant death. Even if you walk away from the fire, immolation will persist and keep your character in a “disabled” state for a short period of time, unable to do much beyond desperately trying to extinguish the flames.

[h2]Crippling Effects & Damage Types[/h2]
When their HP meter drops below a certain point, all body parts generate “crippling” penalties. Crippled hands will lower your dexterity, gravely wounded legs will drop your agility, etc.
Body armor will come with different protection for each type of damage. Possible types of damage are:

• Ballistic (kinetic damage done by bullets and arrows)
  
• Stab/Slash (bladed, pointed stuff that makes you bleed profusely)
  
• Blunt (weapons that will cause less bleeding, but generate increased pain)
  
• Blast (from stuff that goes boom, like grenades)
  
• Fire (damage over time, causes character to enter “disabled” temporary state, can spread)
  
• Bite (one of the zombie specific attacks, WIP, will tie into infection and other effects)
  
• Tear Gas (WIP, hits stamina and causes exhaustion, ignores armor, more efficient in closed spaces)
  
• Toxic Gas (WIP, hits global HP directly, ignores armor, dissipates faster outdoors than indoors)
  

[h2]Stamina, Pain and Exhaustion[/h2]
Stamina is a particularly important trait because it affects maximum Action Points. You cannot directly “heal” your stamina, but you can deal with what is draining it, aka Pain and Exhaustion. As expected, if you neglect it, you will pass out when it reaches zero (the faint state is WIP).

Pain is generated by any damage taken, same as life loss & bleeding. Different types of weapons generate different amounts of pain, with blunt weapons being the most effective. Pain goes away with time but can also be removed/numbed using various substances (meds, booze, etc.). When in pain, a character will suffer a penalty to stamina and other attributes.

Melee will consume stamina for both defense (dodging) and attack (wielding). Both activities will increase exhaustion. Heavy weapons will tire weak characters faster so unless you’re a big Russian bear called Dmitry, leave that sledgehammer alone. You will recover from exhaustion in time unless you’re sprinting around or still in melee combat. It can also be compensated by drinking water, fizzy drinks, and other refreshments. When exhausted, a character will suffer a penalty to stamina and other attributes.

[h2]Items: Stacks vs Containers[/h2]
We mentioned medical kits and bandages behave differently in inventory. This goes for every other common item too. Basic items will come in stacks that can be divided as you wish and moved in piles. A good example would be a stack of bullets. Containers, like medical kits, bottles, gas canisters, etc. have a meter showing their “fill” condition and while not stackable, they can be merged into an item of the same type to save space. The above rules do not apply to weapons so no "merging" two bad guns to make a good one for you (we have other solutions to that, way more entertaining).



[h2]New Enemy Types[/h2]
The art team is working on new enemies since the basic civilian refugees don’t look able to put up much of a fight. So, they came up with some “muscle” types that are going to give you more of a challenge and look badass while doing so.



UNTIL NEXT TIME!

PS: Thank you for the continued support and if you have made it this far down the text, why not add Urban Strife to your wishlist? And get more people to do it, it really helps!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/710230/Urban_Strife/

After the big announcement of our partnership with MicroProse and all the buzz in the media, yesterday we saw Urban Strife enter Steam Top Wishlists! And we want to extend you all a big THANK YOU! But there is still a lot more work to be done, so distractions aside, here's what we have been busy with in the last two months since the August update:

[h3]Character Customization[/h3]
We are expanding the choices for the player avatar by adding new skins for the Asian and African races. And yes, there will be more haircuts too. A female hero is planned, also.



As for player’s apparel, we decided to add a couple of sets of tight clothing, but without going overboard. Instead you will be able to add more diversity where it counts, using various body armor pieces for that crazy post-apoc look and with the added bonus of personal protection.




[h3]Shelter (Base Upgrades)[/h3]
There are about 30 base upgrades planned and currently under development. Each of them satisfies one or more shelter needs:

• Defence
  
• Electric Power
  
• Food
  
• Health / Hygiene
  
• Morale Boosting
  
• Vehicle & Vehicle Upgrades
  
• Equipment & Equipment Upgrades
  

[h3]New Campaign Maps[/h3]
Three new maps are in advanced stages of production (a new gas station, a hardware store & a motel map). Another three maps are in incipient stages. These are locations where story critical events will take place and where you will be able to influence the faction war directly, either by going against or helping the current owner.


A new gas station map


A hardware store map


A motel map

[h3]RPG - Story[/h3]
The script for the first major faction conflict is nearly done, pending gameplay testing. It follows the player while he/she is engaging in negotiations with Army and Biker factions to attack a Cultist camp in the Urban suburbs. Led by a madman, the cultists went rogue, robbing the passers-by and killing those who do not pay up.
Now a friend of the Shelter is in on their hitlist and you cannot sit on the side-lines anymore. You can confront them alone or befriend the bikers or the army patrol in the nearby sectors. With a bit of legwork, you might get under their skin. And being their buddy comes with several advantages, specific to each faction.

[h3]RPG – Dialogue system[/h3]
Some of the NPCs that can be recruited in the player’s party already belong to a faction, as part of their biography. This means that engaging in dialogue with them as a speaker gives an affinity bonus if the target is of the same faction. We have modified the dialogue system to allow any member of the player’s party to be the speaker and have his/her personal bio and skills influence the outcome. Even if the dialogue has been initiated by another NPC, if a party member has a faction affinity and is in proximity, he/she can intervene in the dialogue flow and take over.



[h3]Body Armour[/h3]
We have introduced body armour, an element very much needed to balance the combat, especially when high powered guns come into play. The armour comes with specific resistances to bullet, blunt and slash damage and varies in quality, with options such as additional throw-away plates that you can loot and/or manufacture.



[h3]Cripple Effects, Pain & Bleeding[/h3]
We are separating global health from body parts health, so that a damaged limb will cripple a person while not severely affecting their overall health (the logic being that people have survived losing a limb, but losing the torso is pretty much game over).

Another notable change is that all damages are getting linked to an internal pain meter. This way, a freshly wounded character will have some penalties in combat. Gone are the days when the last enemy will take you down with his very last HP left.

Finally, bleeding & heals are receiving an update. You will need to bandage each source of bleeding and doing this will start the process to recover health over time. How fast or how slow you regain full health depends both on the severity of the wounds, your perks but also on how advanced the medical treatment is. For example, a sterile bandage is the slowest boost to health regen, while receiving medical aid from a qualified nurse/medic equipped with a medkit is one of the fastest way to get on your feet.

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

PS: Thank you for the continued support and if you have made it this far down the text, why not add Urban Strife to your wishlist? And get more people to do it, it really helps!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/710230/