Hey everyone! The end of 2021 is slowly approaching so we figured an end-of-year development update would be in order before the team leaves for the holidays.
So first things first, let's cover what you're all here for...
[h2]Theme of the *Next Update*[/h2]
The upcoming update is going to be dedicated to the most requested features by the community regarding quality of life, the steep learning curve, production, and many other aspects of the game. There is still a lot of play-testing and figuring out how to approach the changes. But the main focus is on production, simplifying the systems, and allowing things that were not possible before.
[h2]Translated into features, you can expect stuff like[/h2]
[h3]Customizable toolbar[/h3]
We've seen so many players getting confused by the predefined toolbar. So in the next update, you will be able to just drag and drop items from your inventory into any toolbar slot like you're used to. No more hectic scrolling during intense firefights.
[h3]Remote access to periscope [/h3]
How annoying is it that the moment you decide to go exploring, you get a notification that your drillship is under attack? And now what... do you go back or continue exploring risking that you'll return to a destroyed drillship? Well, we are working on a feature that will allow you to access your drillship's periscope from anywhere so you can see how serious the situation is.
[h3]Damaged parts showing up on UI[/h3]
Say bye to running around checking each module's HP individually, any damaged parts will show up on your UI when holding the wrench.
[h3]New modules[/h3]
This module will passively produce energy when the drillship is close to lava underground.
[h3]Early-game improvements[/h3]
As mentioned in the beginning, the steep learning curve is a big issue, especially for new players and we really want to do something about that. Above is an example of one of the many improvements we'll be making. We've noticed that new players always have a hard time capturing the first drillship because they can't find the core.
[h3]Two big changes regarding production[/h3]
- Making online storage (the collective inventory of all storage modules) function underground
- Making it possible to keep production going even when underground
These two changes combined mean that you and your crewmates can do a lot more while waiting for the eruption to blow over. For example, you can arm yourself while heading towards the next laser cave, or set up the production line so that you can run out the door as soon as the drillship lands. No longer you'll have to sit underground with almost nothing to do, just waiting for the volcano to calm down.
So what's the point of deploying on the surface then?Production on the surface is going to be way more efficient than underground. Also in future updates, we plan to add more survival mechanics that will make underground production more resource-heavy than on the surface.
The idea behind these changes is that we want to reward players for having a deeper knowledge of the game's systems, rather than punish them if they don't. So the better the knowledge the better you will be at utilizing all the production systems and getting the most out of your resources and time, and therefore progress much faster. And if you don't have the knowledge yet, you won't be as heavily limited as you were before.
The impact of these changes already solves some of the most requested QoL changes:
- The front drill storage no longer gets full with items, forcing you to stop driving and move items elsewhere. Now those items will just continue pilling in the free storage modules you have on the drillship.
- Waiting underground can be now used much more effectively since all the drillship systems continue working (e.g. production, research)
- Many quests are no longer going to be interrupted by the eruption and you will be able to continue doing them underground.
[h3]And much more...[/h3]
But that will be leaked in the coming weeks because I don't want to spoil everything right away hehe.
[h2]Rough release estimate[/h2]
The to-do list for this update is still fairly big but we are definitely aiming for
Q1 2022. I'll let you know once there's a closer estimate.
[h2]New mods in Workshop[/h2]
While working on the new update, we also keep polishing the workshop guides and adding information that modders reported to be missing or confusing. To experiment with some new directions modding in Volcanoids could go, several new mods were created for you to check out!
For anyone who would like to continue fighting some more COGS after finishing the quests, this mod will send one last wave of COGs in the third area:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2688256552
Would you like to have some COGs in your crew? Well, turn yourself or a friend into one with this mod:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2683793090
This mod is great for keeping track of ongoing drillship production, as it informs you about every item that lands in your drillship's inventory.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2687954635
[h2]Happy Holidays![/h2]
Finally, the whole team wishes you a great holiday season and all the best in 2022! Hope you had fun playing or even just following the development this year. And thank you for all the support!
Rich
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