STARDROP - Leaving Early Access Feb. 1

Dear awesome community. In less than two weeks STARDROP will leave Early Access on February 1st, 2019. After working on this title for almost four years it's time to release it in full. The main campaign is finished and I have been and still am going over lots of smaller details and bugs while polishing here and there. I'm very happy with the state the game is currently in and I have been updating the public build the past few days. I've also been able to use a lot of the bug reports that you guys sent in over the years to do my best and fix issues. I'm incredibly grateful for that and I hope you'll keep reporting stuff so that I can make the game better and better.

I've been going over the androids post process effect, making the effect a bit stronger, yet still have it be subtle. One of the things I always think about is, since this game takes place in the future, technology should be really advanced, yet, I find it much more fun to take that knowledge with a gran of salt in favor of adding a distinct, aesthetic difference when looking through their eyes. Adding contrasts helps enrich the experience which to me is more important.

I've also been working on adding more contrast within the existing levels. I've been going over these levels and trying to add to the scenery in various ways. Be it by adding more smaller props, refining some of the triggers or just experimenting with materials. It's time consuming work but it's fun and it pays off, at least, that's what I'd like to believe. Having said all this, let's see what else I have on this update's agenda, shall we?

Post Release

I want to make it very clear that once the game leaves Early Access I will still continue to work on it. I will remain patching out as many bugs that I'm able to, some of which might have slipped through and I also still have new content planned. I also will keep going back to earlier parts and see what else I might add/tweak to make the game better but only if it adds to the game and not overdo anything in particular.

I am re-creating one of the old side missions because as some of the other older levels, was just not up to the quality standard and I felt I could take this chance to do more with it. I am planning to create a small story around it and I want to expand the entire mission a little bit more as well. Nothing drastic but to the extent that it will be more than what it used to be, hopefully along the liens of Echoes. Other new content is also planned as well but I don't want to discus this too much right now because I am still fleshing it out.

Mini-Map Mechanics Upgrade

With these new updates I have also, finally, taken some time to dig into my Mini-Map mechanics and was able to add new functionality to it, which people have been asking for.

First

You'll now finally be able to move the map around using the movement keys. There's a cap on the range but you'll be able to see a lot more of the map now, which should make things a lot easier.

Second

You can now also zoom in and out. The zoom levels are predetermined but I am sure that they are more than sufficient. Pressing the zoom key will enable you to toggle between the three zoom levels at will.

Third

This is a minor tweak but I am very sure it will be appreciated. I changed the icon color regarding DataPads from red to blue. So now you can more easily differentiate usable objects from actual DataPads which should clear up some confusion.

Stealth Mechanic Tweaked

Stealth has also been tweaked. When you walk you make sound but it felt that the androids ability to sense the player was too high, so I lowered the sound levels and I feel it's a lot more fair for the player making it a lot easier to remain undetected.

If you run, you'll make the most noise and they will still be able to pick up on that relatively easy, but walking really makes you a lot more quiet. Sneaking makes you basically undetectable.

Release Bug Thread

I also created a bug thread. This thread is meant for anyone to report issues prior and post release. Of course anyone can still post their own threads, but it would help me to have most issues in one place around release so I can make sure the game has no game-breaking bugs or other annoying issues. https://steamcommunity.com/app/552880/discussions/1/1741105805750624923/

Play Guide Revamped

It's been a while since I created the Play Guide and it was time to take a look at all the things it was lacking, which was quite a lot. I've gone over it and have been adding more and more to it. Steam post image It's not finished yet, but as it is, this should be of great help to new and even older players. I've done my best to explain most of the mechanics, yet I left out a few not to spoil everything. I will keep tweaking it where it makes sense. I hope you guys will find it useful and please feel free to suggest changes or additions, etc, if you think it could be improved. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=928579725

Store Page Updated

I've also been busy tweaking the store page. Removing all the Early Access stuff, since it will be outdated very soon. I also made sure all the screenshots are up-to-date and I cleaned out the text.

I'm also going over the Gif's. Lowering their size and also updating them to reflect the game on release.

Final Words

That's it for now. I will keep working on the Play Guide. I want to create a new overview video but I haven't had the chance yet. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let me know. I will always do my best to listen and act on them where I can. A new update will be popping up around release, so stay tuned. :) Take care everyone! Joure & Team V