Chapter One Overhaul Released Originally I planned to overhaul the first chapter when the game went into the polishing phase but it just felt right to do it before that happened.
Full notes
Full STARDROP update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
1 fix5 additions0 changes0 removals
Gameplay
Fixes
addedChapter One Overhaul ReleasedSo what can you expect from this overhaul? Well, every level from the original first chapter has been completely re-made from scratch. I kept a few designs choices that I liked and I also tried to retain some of the aesthetics but I mostly used new and higher quality assets while keeping as much of the original levels in tact. STARDOCKS has changed a lot too. I wanted to try and keep the oval architecture style but I just didn't have the proper assets to re-create that. However, much of the layout is still there and ultimately I do believe the new changes are for the better.
addedChapter One Overhaul ReleasedI wanted to address the fact that I also recreated the SD-01 Cargo Bay. While nothing drastic has changed there gameplay wise, it felt disconnected from the rest of the SD-01 design. There's still some work to be done with it but for now it'll do. I have play tested the new levels quite a lot but if anyone finds any bugs, please report them so I can take a look and fix them.
fixedNew STARDROP Demo ReleassedThe demo, as you might have guessed, has been updated as well. I have been thinking a lot about what to do with the old demo, which was starting to be really outdated and I feel that the new demo represents the game a whole lot better. So let's get into what has changed. I removed the SRO side missions. While they were a fun little extra, they should only be accessible once the main story is resolved. I also want to polish them some more as they feel too outdated to be left in there.
addedNew STARDROP Demo ReleassedObviously chapter one's overhauled levels will be replacing the old ones in the demo.But, there's another problem I faced. The new version of chapter one is significantly shorter than the old one. So by removing the side missions and adding in the "new" chapter one it would mean even less content and that didn't sit with me. I then remembered something long lost to the world of gaming. "Shareware". In the spirit of that I decided to add chapter two to the demo as well. Give players a proper chunk of narrative and gameplay to get a really good taste of what the game is like in its current state.
addedNew STARDROP Demo ReleassedWhile there's a bunch of stuff I want to address in chapter two before release I do feel that it still holds up well enough to get people invested. So I hope that I made the right decision by doing so. The only real risk I feel there might be with this move is that the main game might feel shorter because of this. Now I do believe that once the game is truly completed, it will make up for that. I have planned a proper optional side story when you're nearing the ending. But as I said, this is in spirit of the older shareware releases of days gone by. Very much like how the SD-01 opens up at the end of that chapter which then lends to a very small optional engine room section, I want to do something similar with the STARDROP. Only this time, there will be a meatier chunk of story involved that will add some more depth to the overall narrative but I will leave that for another day.
addedFinal WordsAs always I would like to part with some final words. Besides redoing these level I have also been making progress regarding new content. Chapter 4 part two is coming along and I am now at a one heck of an important part of the story. I can't wait to get it all done but as always, I need time to do it right. I would also like to mention that I am not sure if older savegames will still work with all the changes I've made. If you experience some issues you might have to restart whatever chapter you're on from the chapter selection menu. It's an annoying part of being an Early Access game and I have yet to get confirmation that savegames actually don't work as intended but I wanted to make sure just in case. I really hope you guys like the new content but if you've been waiting for a reason to replay the game I would say, yeah sure it's a good enough reason but I would probably suggest to wait until after polishing is over to really get the most out of replaying it. So, yeah, that's it for now. Thank you all for supporting and helping me out. Take care and let me know what you guys think of the new stuff. :) Take care and have fun! Joure & Team V
STARDROP changes
addedSo what can you expect from this overhaul? Well, every level from the original first chapter has been completely re-made from scratch. I kept a few designs choices that I liked and I also tried to retain some of the aesthetics but I mostly used new and higher quality assets while keeping as much of the original levels in tact. STARDOCKS has changed a lot too. I wanted to try and keep the oval architecture style but I just didn't have the proper assets to re-create that. However, much of the layout is still there and ultimately I do believe the new changes are for the better.
addedI wanted to address the fact that I also recreated the SD-01 Cargo Bay. While nothing drastic has changed there gameplay wise, it felt disconnected from the rest of the SD-01 design. There's still some work to be done with it but for now it'll do. I have play tested the new levels quite a lot but if anyone finds any bugs, please report them so I can take a look and fix them.
fixedThe demo, as you might have guessed, has been updated as well. I have been thinking a lot about what to do with the old demo, which was starting to be really outdated and I feel that the new demo represents the game a whole lot better. So let's get into what has changed. I removed the SRO side missions. While they were a fun little extra, they should only be accessible once the main story is resolved. I also want to polish them some more as they feel too outdated to be left in there.
addedObviously chapter one's overhauled levels will be replacing the old ones in the demo.But, there's another problem I faced. The new version of chapter one is significantly shorter than the old one. So by removing the side missions and adding in the "new" chapter one it would mean even less content and that didn't sit with me. I then remembered something long lost to the world of gaming. "Shareware". In the spirit of that I decided to add chapter two to the demo as well. Give players a proper chunk of narrative and gameplay to get a really good taste of what the game is like in its current state.
addedWhile there's a bunch of stuff I want to address in chapter two before release I do feel that it still holds up well enough to get people invested. So I hope that I made the right decision by doing so. The only real risk I feel there might be with this move is that the main game might feel shorter because of this. Now I do believe that once the game is truly completed, it will make up for that. I have planned a proper optional side story when you're nearing the ending. But as I said, this is in spirit of the older shareware releases of days gone by. Very much like how the SD-01 opens up at the end of that chapter which then lends to a very small optional engine room section, I want to do something similar with the STARDROP. Only this time, there will be a meatier chunk of story involved that will add some more depth to the overall narrative but I will leave that for another day.
Chapter One Overhaul Released
Originally I planned to overhaul the first chapter when the game went into the polishing phase but it just felt right to do it before that happened. It has been nagging at me for quite some time that the older levels just weren't up to the quality standards of the rest of the game. Chapter 3 is where I truly felt like I was coming into what I wanted STARDROP to be and while chapter 2 is not below that standard, it needs work. Chapter 1, while still barely holding up did not feel right anymore and I simply decided that enough was enough.
So what can you expect from this overhaul? Well, every level from the original first chapter has been completely re-made from scratch. I kept a few designs choices that I liked and I also tried to retain some of the aesthetics but I mostly used new and higher quality assets while keeping as much of the original levels in tact. STARDOCKS has changed a lot too. I wanted to try and keep the oval architecture style but I just didn't have the proper assets to re-create that. However, much of the layout is still there and ultimately I do believe the new changes are for the better.
This overhaul also gave me a good reason to re-think a few layouts and most importantly, I was able to create a much tighter narrative flow. The game's tutorial section has been revamped and is much more streamlined yet also a lot shorter. I believe the main game mechanics are easier to pick up and are better explained. I also properly introduce the object inspection feature.
The tutorial section flows immediately into the main story. A number of dialogues had to be rewritten to make sense, which again gave mean opportunity to iron out some of the old dialog that didn't make much sense. This is something I want to continue once I hit the polish phase. There are other dialogues in the game that would benefit from it now that the story is much better laid out.
I wanted to address the fact that I also recreated the SD-01 Cargo Bay. While nothing drastic has changed there gameplay wise, it felt disconnected from the rest of the SD-01 design. There's still some work to be done with it but for now it'll do. I have play tested the new levels quite a lot but if anyone finds any bugs, please report them so I can take a look and fix them.
New STARDROP Demo Releassed
The demo, as you might have guessed, has been updated as well. I have been thinking a lot about what to do with the old demo, which was starting to be really outdated and I feel that the new demo represents the game a whole lot better. So let's get into what has changed. I removed the SRO side missions. While they were a fun little extra, they should only be accessible once the main story is resolved. I also want to polish them some more as they feel too outdated to be left in there.
Obviously chapter one's overhauled levels will be replacing the old ones in the demo.But, there's another problem I faced. The new version of chapter one is significantly shorter than the old one. So by removing the side missions and adding in the "new" chapter one it would mean even less content and that didn't sit with me. I then remembered something long lost to the world of gaming. "Shareware". In the spirit of that I decided to add chapter two to the demo as well. Give players a proper chunk of narrative and gameplay to get a really good taste of what the game is like in its current state.
While there's a bunch of stuff I want to address in chapter two before release I do feel that it still holds up well enough to get people invested. So I hope that I made the right decision by doing so. The only real risk I feel there might be with this move is that the main game might feel shorter because of this. Now I do believe that once the game is truly completed, it will make up for that. I have planned a proper optional side story when you're nearing the ending. But as I said, this is in spirit of the older shareware releases of days gone by. Very much like how the SD-01 opens up at the end of that chapter which then lends to a very small optional engine room section, I want to do something similar with the STARDROP. Only this time, there will be a meatier chunk of story involved that will add some more depth to the overall narrative but I will leave that for another day.
Final Words
As always I would like to part with some final words. Besides redoing these level I have also been making progress regarding new content. Chapter 4 part two is coming along and I am now at a one heck of an important part of the story. I can't wait to get it all done but as always, I need time to do it right. I would also like to mention that I am not sure if older savegames will still work with all the changes I've made. If you experience some issues you might have to restart whatever chapter you're on from the chapter selection menu. It's an annoying part of being an Early Access game and I have yet to get confirmation that savegames actually don't work as intended but I wanted to make sure just in case. I really hope you guys like the new content but if you've been waiting for a reason to replay the game I would say, yeah sure it's a good enough reason but I would probably suggest to wait until after polishing is over to really get the most out of replaying it. So, yeah, that's it for now. Thank you all for supporting and helping me out. Take care and let me know what you guys think of the new stuff. :) Take care and have fun! Joure & Team V
