In the last test we ran on Oct 2, we let players rip up the world, experimenting with a ton of world manipulation tools.

This next test, we’re going a completely different direction, removing all of those terrain deformation capabilities and concentrating instead on some of our core game loops: combat, progression and (just a bit of) crafting.

This one is a complete change of pace.

Players are Rangers that have landed on a world deep within a dense pine forest on a twilit planet. They’ll each have a basic weapon (Omniblaster), a survey tool, and a ranger tool. Their objectives will be to a) survive, and b) complete a survey of the entire planet.

With that, they’ll venture out into the forest…and those woods will be fraught with peril. Creatures abound within the forest, and most of them are more than a match for a single player.

“It’s dangerous to go alone.” There will be deaths!

New features for this test:

    • Combat: Players start with just a single weapon, the Omniblaster, but there are ways to gain others as they adventure. Some notes:
      • This is a long way from the final form of combat. This is an early test.
      • Weapons are not yet client-predicted, so you’ll see some lag effects, depending on the latency of your connection.
    • Creatures: There are six types of creatures on the map: Deer, Jackalopes, Skysharks, Ballhogs, Owldeer, and Ballhives. They all have differing characteristics and behaviors, they drop different types of loot, and they are varying degrees of risk. Their AI is still somewhat basic, but they have some nasty surprises in store for players.
    • Skill Trees: The first basic skill trees are in the game, allowing players to advance as Rangers, gaining XP and advancing along the Scout and Surveyor skill tree branches.
      • Scout: This tree branch uses the Ranger Tool and is all about forward base camps. As you unlock nodes you’ll be able to establish larger and more elaborate base camps for your friends to use that include ReLife stations and crafting stations including the Stove, Toolmaker, and Lathe. Additionally, the Ranger Tool lets you use a flamethrower to burn away underbrush (and trees) and a freezing tool that you can use to bridge waterways…and put out fires.
      • Surveyor: This tree branch explores setting waypoints and gathering nav nodes from the world, allowing you to (eventually) map a planet’s surface and make that information available to other players. For now, it’s a simplified version letting you map the nav node network for the planet and succeed in your mission.
  • Crafting: You can use the Stove (once you gain access) to create consumables to restore stats while you fight, and there may be a few things you can do with the other stations also…if we have time to sneak in some other stuff before the test.
  • Flora Burning: Only you can prevent forest fires. But you can also start them. Be warned…fire spreads!

Additionally, there’s a host of bug fixes from previous tests (including better support for AMD video cards and fewer crashes) as well as performance improvements.

We’re really looking forward to players trying these new systems and continuing to grow the game beyond. Soon!