Changes A lot of what I believe makes a game better is iteration. One of the scary things of being in Early Access, for me, is wondering how people like what you done so far but maybe even more so, when you go back and
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Full STARDROP update
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What changed
1 fix6 additions0 changes0 removals
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Gameplay
Events
fixedMCCV-2 Redesign - First LookToday I want to show you guys the new version of Aryn and John's ship, the MCCV-2. Mainly the new interior. I went for a more industrial look. I think the old design had this going on but in a much lesser capacity. Lighting has been another issue as well, it just didn't feel right before, compared to as it is right now. One of the most important changes besides the visual changes is how the game's narrative will flow from here on out. I've done away with the entire wall panel puzzle. The engine room / cargo bay is gone. (At least for now, I'm not sure if I'll bring it back yet.) It doesn't offer much in terms of story progression as it just feels like filler. And while this section was supposed to be a small tutorial it was simply too lengthy. I am currently rewriting all of the scenes but don't worry, most of the dialog will be kept in tact. Some of the jokes will return but in context with how the new narrative will flow. This means that this section of the story will be a lot shorter. I don't care about milking game time at all because to me what's important is the actual story itself and it just felt too long for the actual main story events to start unfolding. I hope this change will address that issue and make playing the game a lot more fun. I am also going to remove the secondary scanner function as it feels worthless. I've been trying to figure out a use for it in the game but whatever I came up with didn't feel fun at all, so it'll be gone once the new levels are out. I'm not sure when it'll be released but I don't think it'll be that long. Some users have been kind enough to report some bugs in the new chapter and these will be fixed soon too. Now with all that said, I'll go over some of the new sections of the redesigned interiors.
addedAryn's RoomAs you can see it's much more spacious. I also think the new visual look resembles an actual room much more than the old one. I also been able to add more props to it and place objects much more effectively with a lot more sense to their placements.
addedThe GalleyThe Galley was a bit of a challenge. I wanted to retain the feel of the old one but the assets I used were simply not the same quality of assets I've been using ever since chapter two. I also wanted to create a more spacious room and I decided to also add windows. I feel there's still room for improvement here, and I plan to see what else I can add to it but for now, it serves its purpose I think.
addedHallways + KitchenThe new hallways, I believe, look so much more interesting. Lots more details and the overall layout of the ship has been designed to "flow" a lot better. I know I keep using the word "flow" a lot but it really best describes the biggest drive behind all these changes. I also added a kitchen area, which I also believe can do with a little more work. There's not much to do here but it just adds to the overall feel of the new interior. Assets in this regard are tough because I don't have anything that really looks very Sci-Fi but I think it works well enough.
addedBridge + CockpitA lot of work went into designing the new bridge. As before, it was important for me to keep the old 'feel" of the area in tact as much as possible while doing away with things that simply didn't make much sense. I removed the non-functional computer terminal. It never had a purpose so that was a no-brainer. On top of that I felt the old "Hologram Table" was done in a way that made it look like a hack-job, which it was. As you can see, the new version looks A LOT more like an actual Hologram. Besides the table I also upgraded the actual visuals and effects of the hologram itself. There's no real purpose to it but I always liked having it so I brought it back. The save station is still there as well. So don't worry about that. The cockpit was also in need of a proper update. I think the new one looks the part so much better. John has a lot more small devices and stuff like that for him to play around with. While it's all aesthetic it adds to the feel of what a cockpit should look like, I think. Lastly, I also made sure the window is a lot larger now. Making it much easier to view the SD-01 as John and Aryn check it out.
addedBack SideThe back side of the ship has undergone an upgrade as well. There's an actual purpose to it but you'll have to figure out what that is once the new levels are released. John's room has been always accessible but I don't think many people figured out how to unlock his door. The new design of the ship, and other information that is being presented, should make this so much easier.
STARDROP changes
OOfficemap
fixedToday I want to show you guys the new version of Aryn and John's ship, the MCCV-2. Mainly the new interior. I went for a more industrial look. I think the old design had this going on but in a much lesser capacity. Lighting has been another issue as well, it just didn't feel right before, compared to as it is right now. One of the most important changes besides the visual changes is how the game's narrative will flow from here on out. I've done away with the entire wall panel puzzle. The engine room / cargo bay is gone. (At least for now, I'm not sure if I'll bring it back yet.) It doesn't offer much in terms of story progression as it just feels like filler. And while this section was supposed to be a small tutorial it was simply too lengthy. I am currently rewriting all of the scenes but don't worry, most of the dialog will be kept in tact. Some of the jokes will return but in context with how the new narrative will flow. This means that this section of the story will be a lot shorter. I don't care about milking game time at all because to me what's important is the actual story itself and it just felt too long for the actual main story events to start unfolding. I hope this change will address that issue and make playing the game a lot more fun. I am also going to remove the secondary scanner function as it feels worthless. I've been trying to figure out a use for it in the game but whatever I came up with didn't feel fun at all, so it'll be gone once the new levels are out. I'm not sure when it'll be released but I don't think it'll be that long. Some users have been kind enough to report some bugs in the new chapter and these will be fixed soon too. Now with all that said, I'll go over some of the new sections of the redesigned interiors.
addedAs you can see it's much more spacious. I also think the new visual look resembles an actual room much more than the old one. I also been able to add more props to it and place objects much more effectively with a lot more sense to their placements.
addedThe Galley was a bit of a challenge. I wanted to retain the feel of the old one but the assets I used were simply not the same quality of assets I've been using ever since chapter two. I also wanted to create a more spacious room and I decided to also add windows. I feel there's still room for improvement here, and I plan to see what else I can add to it but for now, it serves its purpose I think.
addedThe new hallways, I believe, look so much more interesting. Lots more details and the overall layout of the ship has been designed to "flow" a lot better. I know I keep using the word "flow" a lot but it really best describes the biggest drive behind all these changes. I also added a kitchen area, which I also believe can do with a little more work. There's not much to do here but it just adds to the overall feel of the new interior. Assets in this regard are tough because I don't have anything that really looks very Sci-Fi but I think it works well enough.
addedA lot of work went into designing the new bridge. As before, it was important for me to keep the old 'feel" of the area in tact as much as possible while doing away with things that simply didn't make much sense. I removed the non-functional computer terminal. It never had a purpose so that was a no-brainer. On top of that I felt the old "Hologram Table" was done in a way that made it look like a hack-job, which it was. As you can see, the new version looks A LOT more like an actual Hologram. Besides the table I also upgraded the actual visuals and effects of the hologram itself. There's no real purpose to it but I always liked having it so I brought it back. The save station is still there as well. So don't worry about that. The cockpit was also in need of a proper update. I think the new one looks the part so much better. John has a lot more small devices and stuff like that for him to play around with. While it's all aesthetic it adds to the feel of what a cockpit should look like, I think. Lastly, I also made sure the window is a lot larger now. Making it much easier to view the SD-01 as John and Aryn check it out.
Changes
A lot of what I believe makes a game better is iteration. One of the scary things of being in Early Access, for me, is wondering how people like what you done so far but maybe even more so, when you go back and change things. Suddenly what was familiar is not there anymore. You might have really grown fond of a certain area in a game and you find that it's gone... As I look back at some of the earlier parts of the game I wish I've done things differently. I wish I had the assets I have now or that I had the knowledge I have today. But I'm not going to let that deter me from going back and re-create some of those earlier levels.
MCCV-2 Redesign - First Look
Today I want to show you guys the new version of Aryn and John's ship, the MCCV-2. Mainly the new interior. I went for a more industrial look. I think the old design had this going on but in a much lesser capacity. Lighting has been another issue as well, it just didn't feel right before, compared to as it is right now. One of the most important changes besides the visual changes is how the game's narrative will flow from here on out. I've done away with the entire wall panel puzzle. The engine room / cargo bay is gone. (At least for now, I'm not sure if I'll bring it back yet.) It doesn't offer much in terms of story progression as it just feels like filler. And while this section was supposed to be a small tutorial it was simply too lengthy. I am currently rewriting all of the scenes but don't worry, most of the dialog will be kept in tact. Some of the jokes will return but in context with how the new narrative will flow. This means that this section of the story will be a lot shorter. I don't care about milking game time at all because to me what's important is the actual story itself and it just felt too long for the actual main story events to start unfolding. I hope this change will address that issue and make playing the game a lot more fun. I am also going to remove the secondary scanner function as it feels worthless. I've been trying to figure out a use for it in the game but whatever I came up with didn't feel fun at all, so it'll be gone once the new levels are out. I'm not sure when it'll be released but I don't think it'll be that long. Some users have been kind enough to report some bugs in the new chapter and these will be fixed soon too. Now with all that said, I'll go over some of the new sections of the redesigned interiors.
Aryn's Room
Aryn's old room design, and John's for that matter,has been bothering me for a very long time, simply because it felt too narrow. Too small. I also grew tired of the assets I used there. At the time I just didn't have the wide variety I have at my disposal now, so it's been nagging at me steadily and with the release of chapter 4 part one I felt that it was time to go back and just overhaul the entire MCCV-2.
As you can see it's much more spacious. I also think the new visual look resembles an actual room much more than the old one. I also been able to add more props to it and place objects much more effectively with a lot more sense to their placements.
The Galley
The Galley was a bit of a challenge. I wanted to retain the feel of the old one but the assets I used were simply not the same quality of assets I've been using ever since chapter two. I also wanted to create a more spacious room and I decided to also add windows. I feel there's still room for improvement here, and I plan to see what else I can add to it but for now, it serves its purpose I think.
Hallways + Kitchen
The new hallways, I believe, look so much more interesting. Lots more details and the overall layout of the ship has been designed to "flow" a lot better. I know I keep using the word "flow" a lot but it really best describes the biggest drive behind all these changes. I also added a kitchen area, which I also believe can do with a little more work. There's not much to do here but it just adds to the overall feel of the new interior. Assets in this regard are tough because I don't have anything that really looks very Sci-Fi but I think it works well enough.
APD Suit Station
The APD Suit Station is now located on this deck. Again making the flow of the narrative much tighter. I think it also looks a whole lot better too.
Bridge + Cockpit
A lot of work went into designing the new bridge. As before, it was important for me to keep the old 'feel" of the area in tact as much as possible while doing away with things that simply didn't make much sense. I removed the non-functional computer terminal. It never had a purpose so that was a no-brainer. On top of that I felt the old "Hologram Table" was done in a way that made it look like a hack-job, which it was. As you can see, the new version looks A LOT more like an actual Hologram. Besides the table I also upgraded the actual visuals and effects of the hologram itself. There's no real purpose to it but I always liked having it so I brought it back. The save station is still there as well. So don't worry about that. The cockpit was also in need of a proper update. I think the new one looks the part so much better. John has a lot more small devices and stuff like that for him to play around with. While it's all aesthetic it adds to the feel of what a cockpit should look like, I think. Lastly, I also made sure the window is a lot larger now. Making it much easier to view the SD-01 as John and Aryn check it out.
Back Side
The back side of the ship has undergone an upgrade as well. There's an actual purpose to it but you'll have to figure out what that is once the new levels are released. John's room has been always accessible but I don't think many people figured out how to unlock his door. The new design of the ship, and other information that is being presented, should make this so much easier.
Not Done
I'm not done of course. The Airlock needs to be redesigned as well. Deck 2 will be a whole lot smaller, which should also help optimizing that part of the game. Once I'm done I'll make sure to show that off as well and hopefully be able to release it along the same time, or very shortly after. I hope this post was interesting and I can't wait to finish and release it. There are still other areas I want to take a good look at. Finix Operations office is another area I feel can be greatly improved but not sure how to go about it yet but I'll wait for that when I get into the polish phase. There'll be a lot of things that needs attention. The Cargo Bay on board the SD-01 can be improved. I need to address some of the scenes in there as well that needs to be rewritten, etc. So till then I wish you all a very good day and keep an eye out for when the new update goes live. Take care and have fun! Joure & Team V
