Hi all! Firstly: thanks to everyone who played the beta, and an even bigger thanks to those who sent through feedback!
Full notes
Full Hot Brass update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
0 fixes0 additions4 changes0 removals
Compatibility
Balance
changedFirstly: thanks to everyone who played the beta, and an even bigger thanks to those who sent through feedback! We received a fantastic amount of responses, and they're full of helpful insights into how people are experiencing the game. It's incredibly valuable to see if our intentions are being communicated and received properly, so thanks again!
changedOur main focus in the beta was to gauge the results of the difficulty tweaks we've been making since the alpha: we want the game to reward careful and considered play. Death is swift, but should be the result of a mistake (such as approaching in the open, or not taking cover). The updated difficulty appears to have been almost unanimously well received. As always, it's not perfected yet, and we had some great comments about areas that could be improved. But we're getting close! A number of players felt the jump in difficulty between the Real-World Experience and Hammond Kidnapping missions was extreme, luckily we've got a buffer between the two to blend them in the full game!
changedThe infraction system received a number of comments, some saying it was too punishing, others confused about why the mission fails but allows you to continue playing. The former is something we're always considering: the balance between condemning any kind of irresponsible or excessive action, while understanding that people make mistakes, especially when they're afraid. (Incidentally that's a theme that's interested us since the game's inception.) As for the latter, we've found that force-restarting the mission frustrated players, as maybe they wanted to experiment a bit with the opportunity (or blow off some steam...). Giving them the option to learn or experiment generally makes them less upset about failing, and helps them do a better job in subsequent runs. We are looking into communicating this better though!
changedAgain, thanks to everyone who spent time with the beta, it's so useful (including some excellent bug reports), and we look forward to showing off more of the game in the future!
Hot Brass changes
changedFirstly: thanks to everyone who played the beta, and an even bigger thanks to those who sent through feedback! We received a fantastic amount of responses, and they're full of helpful insights into how people are experiencing the game. It's incredibly valuable to see if our intentions are being communicated and received properly, so thanks again!
changedOur main focus in the beta was to gauge the results of the difficulty tweaks we've been making since the alpha: we want the game to reward careful and considered play. Death is swift, but should be the result of a mistake (such as approaching in the open, or not taking cover). The updated difficulty appears to have been almost unanimously well received. As always, it's not perfected yet, and we had some great comments about areas that could be improved. But we're getting close! A number of players felt the jump in difficulty between the Real-World Experience and Hammond Kidnapping missions was extreme, luckily we've got a buffer between the two to blend them in the full game!
changedThe infraction system received a number of comments, some saying it was too punishing, others confused about why the mission fails but allows you to continue playing. The former is something we're always considering: the balance between condemning any kind of irresponsible or excessive action, while understanding that people make mistakes, especially when they're afraid. (Incidentally that's a theme that's interested us since the game's inception.) As for the latter, we've found that force-restarting the mission frustrated players, as maybe they wanted to experiment a bit with the opportunity (or blow off some steam...). Giving them the option to learn or experiment generally makes them less upset about failing, and helps them do a better job in subsequent runs. We are looking into communicating this better though!
changedAgain, thanks to everyone who spent time with the beta, it's so useful (including some excellent bug reports), and we look forward to showing off more of the game in the future!
Hi all!
Firstly: thanks to everyone who played the beta, and an even bigger thanks to those who sent through feedback! We received a fantastic amount of responses, and they're full of helpful insights into how people are experiencing the game. It's incredibly valuable to see if our intentions are being communicated and received properly, so thanks again!
Our main focus in the beta was to gauge the results of the difficulty tweaks we've been making since the alpha: we want the game to reward careful and considered play. Death is swift, but should be the result of a mistake (such as approaching in the open, or not taking cover). The updated difficulty appears to have been almost unanimously well received. As always, it's not perfected yet, and we had some great comments about areas that could be improved. But we're getting close! A number of players felt the jump in difficulty between the Real-World Experience and Hammond Kidnapping missions was extreme, luckily we've got a buffer between the two to blend them in the full game!
The infraction system received a number of comments, some saying it was too punishing, others confused about why the mission fails but allows you to continue playing. The former is something we're always considering: the balance between condemning any kind of irresponsible or excessive action, while understanding that people make mistakes, especially when they're afraid. (Incidentally that's a theme that's interested us since the game's inception.) As for the latter, we've found that force-restarting the mission frustrated players, as maybe they wanted to experiment a bit with the opportunity (or blow off some steam...). Giving them the option to learn or experiment generally makes them less upset about failing, and helps them do a better job in subsequent runs. We are looking into communicating this better though!
And finally, the tokens/icons. To be honest, even we're surprised at the positive feedback the icons received, and we love them. The vast majority of players say they liked (or loved!) the icons. There were of course a few players who even after playing the game didn't click with them, and we 100% understand! However it was fantastic to see such a large amount of players enjoying them, both those from the outset, and the converts once they got their hands on the game! If you're interested in reading some of our insights into the design decision, we wrote a post on the Steam forums here.
Again, thanks to everyone who spent time with the beta, it's so useful (including some excellent bug reports), and we look forward to showing off more of the game in the future!
