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Steam News6 June 20224y ago

The Road to 3.0 - Exploration Update

Hey folks. It's been awhile. A few months ago, I started working on some changes to the core gameplay of Debris Field.

In this update7

Full notes

Full Debris Field update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

Repeated intro

Hey folks. It's been awhile.

What changed

0 fixes5 additions9 changes1 removal
  • Gameplay
  • Maps
  • Store
  • Events
  • Performance
  • Balance
changedA few months ago, I started working on some changes to the core gameplay of Debris Field. I felt like there were some aspects of the game that could be improved on, and some of those changes ended up being pretty radical.
addedThe main new tool for that is the world map.
addedWorld MapThe map shows terrain in your vicinity as you explore, and you are able to freely pan around to see all of the terrain you have explored so far. By default, it only shows basic objects and objectives, however it can be upgraded to show the locations of enemies, upgrades, and resources, which ties into another new system:
addedMeta ProgressionThere are now various persistent upgrades that can be purchased using a new resources that can be found during a run: Ore.
addedMeta ProgressionThese upgrades are part of the new main menu experience, which is now set up like a Hub world, allowing you to learn the controls in relative safety.
changedGame ProgressionGame progression has also changed. To progress through a level, you now simply need to find and activate 3 nav beacons, which previously only served as guide points. The larger event stations are still present, but are now optional, and will serve a narrative purpose I will talk about some other time,

Debris Field changes

changedA few months ago, I started working on some changes to the core gameplay of Debris Field. I felt like there were some aspects of the game that could be improved on, and some of those changes ended up being pretty radical.
addedThe main new tool for that is the world map.
addedThe map shows terrain in your vicinity as you explore, and you are able to freely pan around to see all of the terrain you have explored so far. By default, it only shows basic objects and objectives, however it can be upgraded to show the locations of enemies, upgrades, and resources, which ties into another new system:
addedThere are now various persistent upgrades that can be purchased using a new resources that can be found during a run: Ore.
addedThese upgrades are part of the new main menu experience, which is now set up like a Hub world, allowing you to learn the controls in relative safety.

A few months ago, I started working on some changes to the core gameplay of Debris Field. I felt like there were some aspects of the game that could be improved on, and some of those changes ended up being pretty radical.

My goal with this update was to focus more on the exploration aspect of the game, while giving more tools to help navigate the world.

The main new tool for that is the world map.

World Map

The map shows terrain in your vicinity as you explore, and you are able to freely pan around to see all of the terrain you have explored so far. By default, it only shows basic objects and objectives, however it can be upgraded to show the locations of enemies, upgrades, and resources, which ties into another new system:

Meta Progression

There are now various persistent upgrades that can be purchased using a new resources that can be found during a run: Ore.

The mutators also tie into this system

These upgrades are part of the new main menu experience, which is now set up like a Hub world, allowing you to learn the controls in relative safety.

Game Progression

Game progression has also changed. To progress through a level, you now simply need to find and activate 3 nav beacons, which previously only served as guide points. The larger event stations are still present, but are now optional, and will serve a narrative purpose I will talk about some other time,

Story

The previous story content has been completely removed. I felt it didn't really fit the tone of the game, and just felt kind of pointless. I do still intent to tell a story, but from now on it will be told with game mechanics, not exposition.

Other Changes

Beyond that, I have done a extensive performance and detail pass on every level of the game. I rewrote a lot of core systems, such as world generation and object interaction, which should result i some nice performance improvements.

What's Next

Not all aspects of the update are implemented yet. I still need to do an overall balance pass on the game, and the so far none of the story content is implemented. Also, some of the mutators aren't currently working as intended.

I also plan on adding cloud saved and steam achievements.

Beta

You can try out what I have done so far by selecting the 3.0 beta under properties > betas. I can't promise it will always be stable, but it should be good to get an idea of where the game is heading.

The beta is available in the demo as well.

I will also be posting development updates on twitter @BinaryNomadDev, I will be sure to let you know if I break anything.

If you find a bug, or just have general feedback, feel free to post it on the steam forums or tweet it at me.

Anyway, time to get back to work. I hope that all of you are as excited as I am!

Source

Steam News / 6 June 2022

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