[h1]Hello Miners,[/h1] In this development update, we want to talk a bit about everyone’s favorite all-purpose drone APD-B317 aka Bosco. It was always clear to us that if we wanted to make a single player Deep Rock Galactic game, we had to bring along this guy to help you out. When you land with the drop pod and exit onto the caves of Hoxxes IV, ready for your first mission, Bosco is right there with you. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43726543/5779de2a83381e27a2550ef07a5d04c07aa6ba6e.png[/img] [i]Thank you Syliss - we agree![/i] In the beginning, it’s not the most helpful robot but fortunately, management has graciously agreed to grant it many of the upgrades you have come to expect. Every few level-ups (currently 5), you will have the opportunity to upgrade Bosco with new tech, or upgrade his existing kit. Here’s one such choice: [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43726543/73d06b799e98135500108faa13cc8ef45b3ad259.png[/img] [i]Please don’t mind the placeholder graphics[/i] I chose [b]Rockets[/b] this time around, and here is the result - without upgrades of course. [img]https://i.imgur.com/CALCwZF.gif[/img] Now this is the [i]current state[/i] of Bosco in our very early version of the game. What follows will describe our [i]intentions and vision[/i] for Bosco in the future, and it comes with a classic Early Access caveat that you should print and frame and hang on your wall or tattoo on your forehead. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43726543/f710cd76590253f47f10f210ce1a920497385904.png[/img] We want Bosco to be a helpful companion that can be upgraded not just in means of destruction but also in utility. It’s easy to imagine the robot engaging in mining, healing, crowd control, collecting XP etc. Bosco also serves as a great ‘Point B’ for abilities such as the electrical tether from the upgrade screen above, which adds a layer of strategy to your positioning. The limitations of Bosco in an auto-shooter is that we will not be able to use laser pointers to command it around, since it goes against the genre idea of not aiming. As an alternative, we could have unlockable perks that change the behavior of Bosco to your desired need, such as: Aggressive, defensive, mining-mode etc. This opens up the challenge of doing full ‘Bosco Build runs’ where you transfer much of the power, and possibly your entire arsenal to the robot and make it a true killing machine while you are free to mine at will. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43726543/a5354a997cb088414699f534b618d30545864018.gif[/img] [i][b]V[/b] old friend[/i] [b][i]DISCLAIMER: Management advises against the personification and nicknaming of robots because of decreased morale and depression in the unlikely event of a malfunction.[/i][/b]