Letter from the Producer #3
Happy Holidays!
Hey guys! Been a little while since my last update. Needless to say, production of Cepheus Protocol has been going strong over the Holidays. So, here is a bit of what we’ve been up to.
[h2]Squad System and Doctrine Changes [/h2]
We posted another Straw Poll to ask our community opinion about changes we wanted to make to the Squad System. Watching videos and gauging feedback has weighed on me that forcing users to use the squad system was a mistake. I believe the proper direction for Cepheus Protocol is a system more kindred to Age of Empires, Company of Heroes, or StarCraft, where units are recruited into the general population by default. Our community overwhelmingly supported this change.
https://strawpoll.com/2pj8d82wb/r
Furthermore, in another poll, our community gave their thumbs up to overhaul the doctrine system. Instead of three separate doctrines, we are combining them into one tech tree. We feel this will give players more flexibility to play the game as they want without sacrificing some of the cooler tech featured in certain doctrines.
https://strawpoll.com/jfd8r4fgz/r
Sarah had an accident that put her out of commission but now she's back and we'll have a new video next week catching up on all of this in video format,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v62T5r4HEHc
We put a poll on our discord regarding gas masks see more here. We will add this in as an option flag in the future .
https://strawpoll.com/q22sr3p8p
[h2]Pathfinding[/h2]
Pathfinding is something we’ll be working on continuously throughout Cepheus Protocol’s production. We frequently look back on it and make improvements when and where we can. Recently, we spent a decent amount of time improving it. My hope is everyone will notice that units and vehicles get around a little better now. There is still a lot to do, but as I said, this is an ongoing process. Keep sending us your feedback or comments if you are having issues.
[h2]Civilian Management System[/h2]
We’ve included our long-talked-about civilian management system. Right now, you can construct several buildings that are designed to house, contain, or eliminate troublesome civilians. However, as you build your base, you'll notice that civilians will start propagating around your territory, requesting your protection where you can choose to take them in or… things we don’t talk about.
For reliability, we are grouping the civilians into various archetypes that represent the personalities of certain groups of survivors. For example, one group of civilians might be more peace-loving and supportive of your efforts, while another group might be hardened by what has happened to their city and resentful of CERC abandoning them to their fate. This means that civilians will react to your actions based on their personalities – i.e., a more friendly group of survivors will take more time to turn hostile, while a more aggressive group with turn quicker. In response, these groups will gradually become better armed, starting with pistols and Molotov cocktails before gradually being armed with military-grade weaponry.
Each group will spawn randomly on the map when you start a new game. As a result, you’ll want to scout the map beforehand and determine what type of civilian group occupies a zone you want to set up your base. Furthermore, you won’t have to force these civilian from a zone to take control. What determines the civilians' attitude towards you is your actions against them. Nevertheless, civilians will act as their own faction, fighting the infected and occupying random ground and buildings within a zone.
For players that want to take care of the civilian population, soon, you’ll be able to scan them for infection after you’ve defeated the first elite lieutenant and researched the necessary technology. Those who aren’t infected can then be moved off-sight to a waiting warship, requiring players to escort survivors to an extraction point before safely being airlifted out of San Francisco.
We plan to continue to improve this system over the next few months, but for now, I feel we have a solid foundation to build from.
https://trello.com/c/k7xDVuXC/1100-civilian-management-system
[h2]New Unit Concepts and New Animations[/h2]
We continue to work on getting new concepts for all CERC units. So far, we’ve shared the Assault and Heavy units. More recently, we’ve gotten the Scientist, and Engineer added to the roster. Modeling on the first unit, the Assault is underweight and expected to be done by December.
Animations Revisements
Class Concepts
Current Modeling Progress Assault Female
We have also included some new animations to the standard infected, bringing them a bit closer to our final vision. This includes strafing and a crawl, which adds more fluidity to their movements as the AI considers their surroundings and reacts accordingly. Expect more changes down the road as it is our goal to make the infected as scary as possible.
[h2]Operator/1P[/h2]
I’ve touched on previously about our Operator update, which brings a special unit to the game, played from a first-person view. We’ve made many changes to this addition, which can currently be played, and are now refining the 1P mode, its animations, and incorporating several new weapons. Furthermore, weapons for the operator come with several attachments and other goodies.
Previously, I stated you’d be able to create your own operator. However, we decided to design six unique hero characters instead, each of whom will have their own backstories and be featured properly in Cepheus Protocol lore. Currently, we are toying away designing their facial features, with the development of their bodies starting in December.
Operator : Cassandra Yates
We shifted away from custom characters based on concerns from our community that the 1P would take away from the RTS elements of the games as it would require some significant changes made to the animations and other technical requirements. However, down the road, if our community requests it, we are open to bringing character customization back into the game once we can ensure the necessary changes won’t hamper our abilities to include it properly or negatively impact development.
Operator : Henry Corrigan:
Nevertheless, this mode has a lot of our community excited, and so far, the feedback has been very supportive from our community. So expect a lot more from the operator in the future!
[h2]Doctor Wu and Title Screens[/h2]
In addition to the Operators, our art director has been working on getting the final in-game models of Doctor Wu, Doctor Kira, and General Spiers ready for the game. So, expect to see their faces popping up from time to time in our overhaul of the title screens, briefings, and end game screens, etc., in the future.
Dr. Wu
Dr. Kira (Early Concept)
[h2]A Changing Landscape[/h2]
We’ve begun making physical changes to the environment based on the growth and spread of the Pangu Virus. Pretty soon, as you play and each new day that passes, if the virus is not contained, it will begin to spread not just across the landscape but up and around buildings and other objects. This blight not only shows just how frightening the virus can be but aids the infected as they begin to take greater control over San Francisco.
[h2]New Vehicles and Structures[/h2]
One of the most asked features is when we will be adding new vehicles and structures. This includes the two most requested vehicles, the M1Abrams, and the V22 Osprey, which we will add to the game soon. But that isn’t all, vehicle-wise, as we also will be adding an AAV and other tactical vehicles in the near future. As for the towers, expect a group of defensive towers broken into defensive tiers of light, medium, and heavy. And lastly, along with the new vehicles and towers, expect a handful of new buildings, including a structure that will automatically lay down a minefield based on your choosing.
[h2]Field Trip[/h2]
Since Cepheus Protocol takes place in the beautiful city of San Francisco, I recently took another trip to the Bay. I spent most of the day touring Alcatraz Island and the federal prison that occupies the island, which will feature prominently in the campaign. But before that, we plan to use Alcatraz as the player's starting area as we begin the development of a proper tutorial system.
We plan to design a kill house, similar to what was in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, where you’ll learn some basic 1P controls and tactics to better prepare players for the actual game. This addition to the game will also include an exterior starting zone on the island that will teach new players how to manage the RTS system before entering San Francisco properly.
We plan to expand on Alcatraz in greater detail down the road, making the whole island explorable in 1P, where you’ll be able to interact with CERC personnel and learn more about the game lore.
[h2]Censorship[/h2]
And lastly, I wanted to talk about something very personal for many of us on the team, and that was a recent demand that we censor our game as some players within and outside our community have taken offense with Cepheus Protocol’s usage of Chinese names, mythology, and current geopolitical tensions between the CCP and the United States. These concerns are regarding the origins of the Pangu Virus name, its development and first use within the lore, and the virus’ storage by the Chinese government. As a result, we have been asked to remove any reference to China entirely or refocus our narrative to favor the CCP's current guidelines for video games within their country.
This, however, is something that Halcyon Winds cannot abide by or support. Halcyon Winds does not support any form of censorship or compromise the narrative we want to tell.
It has never been or will be our desire to offend our community in any way. Cepheus Protocol takes place within an alternate history/timeline and does not reflect our current world or political standing among nations. Furthermore, Cepheus Protocol does not make one group or nation the antagonist or protagonist or favor one ideology, government, or movement over another. We feel strongly that villains and heroes come from all corners of the world, with no one group or nation being solely good or bad. To do otherwise would not be realistic or fit the kind of story we are trying to tell.
We also feel it is important to reinforce that Cepheus Protocol was not developed and released on Steam Early Access to take advantage of Covid-19 or exploit, narratively speaking, Covid-19’s alleged connections to the Chinese government. Cepheus Protocol began development in July 2018. Therefore, any references or similarities to real-world events surrounding China and Covid-19 are coincidental.
Lastly, at the current stage of development regarding Cepheus Protocol, which is still in Early Access, the game's entire narrative has not been realized or shared with our community. Therefore, any thoughts by outside parties that we want to slander or offend a specific nation or group do not have the complete picture of what we have planned for the story or the game and are basing their assumptions solely on what is presented in Early Access.
We know this is a complex topic for many game developers as specific markets are resistant to Western games and demand/force those developers to make changes to be officially released in their regions. While we respect other cultures, customs, and religions outside of our own, even if we don’t personally agree with all of them, we ask that they respect our right not to have our game censored. Freedom of Speech is a core belief that our developers share and feel and not something we are willing to compromise—not now or ever.
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