It’s been a hell of a long time since the last update here. As well as focusing on my work, I really wanted to ensure there were plenty of interesting new things to show off. But most importantly, I wanted to ensure that the player actually gets the intended game experience. For a long time it was too easy for the player to blaze through the existing level as a generic run-and-gun FPS, instead of being tactical and using the game’s more unique mechanics. So I’ve put quite a lot of effort into improving that, through both balancing tweaks and better tutorialising

General changes:

• New title
• New logo
• The game now runs on a Steam Deck

New player mechanics:

• Kicking! Stuns enemies and knocks around physics objects.
• Picking up and throwing physics objects! Stuns enemies from a distance, and is much quieter than shooting.
• New pistol firing mode – a 3-round burst! This replaces the original full-auto mode, and occupies a more unique and balanced niche rather than overlapping with the rifle.

Enemies now:

• Have actual (placeholder) models
• Respond to loud noises
• Get staggered and knocked down
• Take damage from physics impacts
• Get pushed and launched by physics forces
• Have ragdoll physics!

New level and environment additions include:

• New tutorial level – Power Plant! This level is designed to more thoroughly showcase and tutorialise the game’s mechanics.
• Fire extinguishers and steam valves, which can be shot to release blinding clouds
• Exposed electrical wiring and steep ledges, to pose a massive hazard for enemies that stand too close.
• Doors!

For balancing, I:

• Nerfed player guns and reduced accuracy while hip-firing, to force greater commitment to shots and encourage use of stuns and smoke.
• Tweaked enemy range and attack telegraphs, to make them simultaneously be easier to fight but feel more dangerous.

I also improved the quality of life with:

• Controller aim assist
• Interactable objects can be selected without needing to directly aim at them
• Slightly improved HUD and GUI elements
• More sound effects

I also implemented a massive mess of bugfixes and optimisations, most notably improving the player collision (so you can no longer phase through walls by sprinting into them).