Steam demo released!

Hi. Dear survivors. Nearly Dead is finally released as a steam demo.

From now on, we will continue to update the demo version on Steam as well as on itch, and we will continue to post changes accordingly.

This build has several changes compared to previous versions of itch. First of all, the UI has been greatly changed, and action bars and key bindings that did not work properly have been made to work. In addition to this, weapon interactions and item/character/object information have been changed to make them look better.

We are still working on it, and there will be many unfinished parts. However, as we have been, we will continue to update and make the game better.

Key bind and UI improvement

Recently we have made a lot of changes, but since the work had to be completed, the update period was lengthened. Most of the work was focused on facilitating the delivery of information, or focusing on visibility and ease of operation.

Until now, in ND, left-click and right-click to use the weapon of each hand. This made it possible to operate intuitively, but there was a problem that ND wasn't just a battle game. So, if you left-click incorrectly, you often fire a gun and attack the furniture in front of you.

So first of all, left-click was made as a function to select an object like E (interaction) in the past, and the attack was restricted so that it was only possible after switching to the ready position by right-clicking. (We will soon be able to go back to the same way as the past through options.)

So, with the current default settings, the existing right click actions are C, V, B

And the old ring menu was once abolished. In the past, ring menus could be quickly selected with a mouse by holding down the E key. The advantage was that it was possible to make a quick selection, and the downside was that it was too fast.

If the player knew the location of the ring menu enough, there would be no problem, but I thought it was too cumbersome to understand and use it all because the location of the interaction is slightly different for each furniture.

So, it was changed to the current list type. The ring menu will come back again, but it will be a form that the player directly edits and uses the menu, such as a key binding.

And finally, weapon interaction has been improved. Previously, it was'impossible' to remove the mods of a weapon, and even when loading, you had to open the inventory to select the desired magazine. To solve this problem, a UI similar to the existing ring menu was created.

According to the default key binding, the main weapon will be used by pressing R and the secondary weapon by pressing F. This function has not been completed at this time, but actions such as turning on or off an item will be done on the top, detaching parts on the right, and loading lights on the bottom.

In addition, the problem of not being properly key binding in the past and the problem of not saving the settings of the action bar have also been resolved.

Supernatural equipment

Now it seems to pass an important point in the world of ND. Supernatural equipment started to appear. Of course, zombies are also supernatural creatures, but the content added this time is more supernatural.

Typical equipment is 'living bones' using zombie brain tissue, which can be obtained by butchering zombies. Just as possesed zombies perform arcane attacks differently from other zombies, these armors provide arcane defense.

However, you may have noticed that it uses zombie brain cells as material, but the character who equips it will suffer mental pain!

Weapons made of similar materials will be very effective against enemies without arcane armor. It's just that people in the ND world are actually the first to make these weapons, so they are made very clunky, just like the stone tools of the Old Poetry era. They probably won't be used to using zombie bones as weapons. So, it was mainly added in the form of thrown weapons. In a little more time, perhaps the survivors of the ND world will get used to handling these materials and will be able to craft better weapons.

Farming

Now, farming is starting to be added in ND. Currently, several types of crops have been added. But if ND is a survival game, it's usually an added factor, right? And waiting for the crop to grow will be tedious.

So we tried a new idea. If you plant a crop using 'Zombie Jelly', which can be obtained by butchering zombies, it becomes a fast growing crop.

Players now have more reasons to catch and slaughter zombies. To make good equipment, or to get crops quickly.