[p]We received a lot of questions and wanted to share some more background and insight regarding a few topics here: what we just released, why we released it, and how that affects the future of the project, and more specifically, the main campaign mission:
Raid on Area-12.[/p][p]We’d also like to thank you for your feedback and announce we’re releasing a Hotfix on
September 5th*. You can find details at the bottom for our
0.17 Hotfix along with plans for
0.17.1 Patch.[/p][p][/p][p]
*Originally planned for Wednesday 9/3, but we had a couple of unexpected issues pop up so this is pushed to Friday 9/5.[/p][p][/p][p]
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WHAT IS THE DISCOVER PROGRAM, REALLY?[/h2][p]The Discover Program is our new PvE wave survival mode — or more accurately, an improved version of the wave survival system that’s been in the game since launch. It’s not a massive campaign update like Antarctica (and it’s not meant to be), but it’s just as important in its own way.[/p][p]In-universe, it acts as a thematic testing ground for Area-12 and the D-Class. For us developers, it’s a practical testing ground for new mechanics and new creatures. This is critical to our work on the campaign because it gives us a way to release more content more regularly, without being bottlenecked by the heavy burden that puts on our QA team and programmers with patching and releasing smaller sections of the Raid on Area-12.[/p][p]This means two things:[/p]
- [p]You’ll get fun, replayable content with a faster turnaround to dive into during early access.[/p]
- [p]We can continue building the campaign’s tactical horror experience behind the scenes without constantly breaking it every time we add something new.[/p]
[p]At a glance the Discover Program may seem like a distraction, but it represents much more than that — it’s an efficient way for us to give you engaging content now, while still pushing forward on the bigger vision of the full 1.0 game.[/p][p][/p][p]
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WHY A NEW GAME MODE NOW?[/h2][p]The reality of early access is that we need to keep a healthy balance: meaningful updates for players now while still developing the long-term vision.[/p][p]If we only dropped small slices of the campaign, people would play once, say “that was cool,” and move on. That doesn’t help sustain development — and more importantly, it risks breaking the pacing of the story we want to tell.[/p][p]Wave survival, made the most sense for these reasons:[/p]
- [p]It uses assets and systems we’re already building for the campaign.[/p]
- [p]Easier to pick up, making it a great entry point to new players curious about SCP or tactical horror.[/p]
- [p]It keeps the conversation going, gives us valuable testing feedback, and helps keep the lights on without turning the game into a “money printing machine” with microtransactions.[/p]
[p]We’re not rushing the campaign out the door in broken fragments. We’d rather take the time to deliver a horror experience that lives up to its full potential — and Discover helps us get there.[/p][p][/p][p]
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HOW DOES THIS AFFECT PLANS GOING FORWARD?[/h2][p]Here’s the short answer: it doesn’t. The campaign remains the heart of this project.[/p][p]Everything we’re building — from small mechanics like throwing objects, to bigger additions like new creatures, locations, and systems — ties directly into the larger story of Area-12. Even the testing chambers themselves are part of Act 3 in the main campaign. The D-Class, the timeline (2018), and the voices you’re hearing, like Arly, are all relevant to the Raid on Area-12.[/p][p]The roadmap you’ve seen is out of date — not because we’ve abandoned it, but because game development shifts, priorities change, and we refuse to crunch the team or push out broken content just to hit a deadline. Our next step is to refresh the roadmap so you can follow along with us more closely, but what we’ve always promised is this:[/p]
- [p]We are taking the time needed to make the game right.[/p]
- [p]We will continue to be transparent with you about what’s happening behind the scenes.[/p]
- [p]We will always stay true to the SCP spirit — this isn’t just a horde shooter or mil-sim. It’s tactical horror. It’s F.E.A.R. with SCP monsters. And it’s a story we want to execute with care.[/p]
[p]Early Access means what you’re playing right now is a prototype. Every update is an experiment we’re willing to put in your hands to test. The final game is neither “good” nor “bad” yet — it’s unfinished. But with your feedback and support, we’re building toward something the SCP community and tactical horror fans have been waiting for.[/p][p]And yes — more updates in the form of shorter dev diaries like this one, so you’re not left in the dark.[/p][p][/p][p]
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[/p][p]We are an indie studio. I say that not to excuse us from making a good game, but to remind everyone why it does take time. As always, thanks for participating in Early Access. We look forward to scaring the shit out of you in the near future. Thanks, Test Buddies!
Respectfully,[/p][p]
BISHOP // GAME DIRECTOR[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]
0.17 HOT FIX[/h2][h3]Release Date: September 5th*[/h3][p]First up, we have a Hotfix for 0.17 that fixes some of the more prominent issues introduced in 0.17, as well as some old ones. The following non exhaustive list of fixes have been implemented, and are currently undergoing QA:
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- [p]Fixed players losing tokens when another player leaves the game[/p]
- [p]Fixed players losing tokens when another player dies during the staging area/waiting room[/p]
- [p]Fixed collision issues on silo walkways[/p]
- [p]Fixed ironsights not flipping down when an optic is equipped[/p]
- [p]Fixed a bug where cosmetics would not appear when joining a server[/p]
- [p]Fixed a bug where the player character preview would not appear when joining a server[/p]
- [p]Made tablet close if esc is pressed (game also pauses)[/p]
- [p]Fixed human AI looking wistfully into the distance[/p]
- [p]Improved soldier investigation selection[/p]
- [p]Fixed a crash on the server when a player leaves during 914 room[/p]
- [p]Added ban syncing on server restart and standby[/p]
- [p]Added the ability to execute server commands from the server console[/p]
- [p]Fixed black artifacts on some materials due to pixel depth offset[/p]
- [p]Improved third person animation on the tire iron[/p]
- [p]Fixed guard animation being rotated weirdly while moving[/p]
- [p]Optimized human character replication, improving network performance with many players[/p]
- [p]Various other optimizations and bug fixes[/p]
[p][/p][h2]
0.17.1 PATCH[/h2][h3]Release Date: Q4 2025[/h3][p]Meanwhile, most of the team are working on the patch release 0.17.1, which includes some improvements for the testing chambers gamemode:[/p]
- [p]General Chamber Balancing and Improvements[/p]
- [p]Improved Challenges[/p]
- [p]Randomized chamber selection – we planned this for .17 but ran out of time to implement it[/p]
- [p]Improved SCP-914 balance – we’re not quite happy with it yet and collected feedback from you[/p]
- [p]3 new chambers – required for randomization – generating more chambers to release is an easier and quicker thing to do while we work on the campaign[/p]
- [p]A face-lift to Classic Survival[/p]
- [p]Achievements[/p]
- [p]We’re not going to be focusing on campaign achievements until closer to 1.0 release, but we’d like to include some achievements for the new mode, and fix/remove some of the older achievements that are no-longer achievable.[/p]
[p]As well as some improvements for the rest of the game - including but not limited to:[/p]
- [p]Modding support[/p]
- [p]This has been a pet project being worked on in the background for a while[/p]
- [p]This is not an official SDK, but an official mod loader which handles loading of resources and server checks[/p]
- [p]Right now this specifically includes support for custom weapons, maps, cosmetics, factions and enemies
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