Steam News3 August 202614d ago

(ETHOS) Project Direction

PROJECT DIRECTION With active development now announced for ORION: Prelude, I think it’s important to give a gauge as to what to expect and where things are headed.

In this update4

Full notes

Full ORION: Prelude update

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

What changed

0 fixes3 additions7 changes0 removals

Performance
UI and audio
Gameplay
Maps
Store

changedTHE PILLARSFoundation = FPS, TPS, Vehicles, Combat, AI. The stuff everything else sits on.

changedTHE PILLARSSystemic Control = Multiplayer, UI, AI, Combat, Content Pipeline. I needed to own the whole stack which means getting the project, files, backend and workflow into a state where fixes can ship quickly, content integrates fast and I am not blocked by any one thing.

changedTHE CORECo-op has always been the main draw for ORION: Prelude and that holds true here. The goal is to make the gameplay feel incredible for both Solo Players and groups of Friends. That target shapes the entire foundation for which this has been formed around.

changedTHE COREPvP is not an immediate focus. Once Co-op is in a great place, if you’re hungry for PvP we can look at that together. Splitting attention now would mean neither module gets what it deserves.

changedTHE SCALEThe first release will ship likely with one game mode and one map

addedTHE SCALEIt’s a new foundation built by me for you.

ORION: Prelude changes

changedFoundation = FPS, TPS, Vehicles, Combat, AI. The stuff everything else sits on.

changedSystemic Control = Multiplayer, UI, AI, Combat, Content Pipeline. I needed to own the whole stack which means getting the project, files, backend and workflow into a state where fixes can ship quickly, content integrates fast and I am not blocked by any one thing.

changedCo-op has always been the main draw for ORION: Prelude and that holds true here. The goal is to make the gameplay feel incredible for both Solo Players and groups of Friends. That target shapes the entire foundation for which this has been formed around.

changedPvP is not an immediate focus. Once Co-op is in a great place, if you’re hungry for PvP we can look at that together. Splitting attention now would mean neither module gets what it deserves.

changedThe first release will ship likely with one game mode and one map

PROJECT DIRECTION

With active development now announced for ORION: Prelude, I think it’s important to give a gauge as to what to expect and where things are headed.

This will be a slower build up over time rather than one sudden and immediate drop. If you’re into following development journeys and behind-the-scenes this could be fun for you^^

THE PILLARS

When I decided to come back to ORION: Prelude there were a few core pillars that I was focused on in particular:

Foundation
= FPS, TPS, Vehicles, Combat, AI. The stuff everything else sits on.
Conquest
= Large-Scale Co-op that compounds over time.
Systemic Control
= Multiplayer, UI, AI, Combat, Content Pipeline. I needed to own the whole stack which means getting the project, files, backend and workflow into a state where fixes can ship quickly, content integrates fast and I am not blocked by any one thing.

THE CORE

Co-op has always been the main draw for ORION: Prelude and that holds true here. The goal is to make the gameplay feel incredible for both Solo Players and groups of Friends. That target shapes the entire foundation for which this has been formed around.

PvP is not an immediate focus. Once Co-op is in a great place, if you’re hungry for PvP we can look at that together. Splitting attention now would mean neither module gets what it deserves.

THE SCALE

To set expectations honestly the first release will be smaller:

The first release will ship likely with one game mode and one map
It’s a new foundation built by me for you.
It grows from there, map-by-map, mode-by-mode.

THE GOAL

The goal up through now has been to get the technology and workflows to a point where making changes, new content and experiences is as frictionless as it possibly can be with all things considered.

The more maps and missions and modes I can add once the core sandbox loop is feeling amazing the better.

TL;DR

I want to make the best action-adventure co-op game I possibly can for you and your friends, and I believe I can. Step by step, patch by patch. More soon!