Hey Scavengers! Thanks so much for the overwhelming support for the game since launch! You've blown us away and we couldn't be more happy. To address some feedback and maintain open communication, we wanted to talk a bit about what we're planning on implementing going forward. We won't have any hard dates for any features mentioned here, so this is more of a priority list of what we'll be working on in the coming months. [h1]High Priority[/h1] These are at the top of our list and will likely be implemented within the next two months. [h2]Boss Training[/h2] The number one complaint we've had from players is that they find the bosses frustrating, since they can't get a handle on their movesets and patterns without being heavily punished before learning anything. To address this, we're going to be working on a boss training mode, selectable from the hideout. Players will be able to practice against bosses they've fought in the past, without worrying about having to grind back up to the boss because they were hit with something they didn't expect. Hopefully this will make the overall progression of the game more enjoyable and less like slamming into a brick wall over and over again. [h2]Boss Skip Cost Reduction[/h2] We'll also be reducing the cost of skipping boss levels from the hideout. At the moment, skipping a boss level is twice the cost of skipping a regular level. This was intended to offset the added difficulty of the boss being skipped, but we failed to factor in the reward the player should get for beating the boss in the first place. Hopefully, after this change, beating a boss for the first time will feel more like a "checkpoint" since skipping them will be a bit more affordable. [h2]Late Game Rebalancing[/h2] At the moment, the third boss feels a bit weak to us, so we'll be giving them a bit more offensive capability. [h1]Secondary Priority[/h1] These are changes we'd like to get to once the high priority changes are in effect and we have a more solid foundation of the core game to build off of. We hope these will be in the game within the next 4 months. [h2]Alternate Progression Modes[/h2] We hear you; not everyone was expecting (or wanted) a risk-reward extraction system with such a grueling punishment for failure. While this design choice is still core to the original intention of the game, we understand that there are a significant number of you who'd very much like to play the game more linearly, and we wouldn't want your experience to be hindered by these mechanics. So, we'll be working on some alternate progression modes. These are subject to change, but at the moment here are the two modes we want to add: [h3]Story Mode[/h3] For players who want a fully linear progression system, with minimal stakes. Getting scrapped lets you keep your items, and resets you back to the beginning of the sublevel. Extract anytime with no risk of being ambushed, and skip to any unlocked sublevel for free. [h3]Descent Mode[/h3] For players who want a linear progression system, but wish to retain some stakes in combat. If you're scrapped, the guard who scrapped you takes your inventory. Find the guard and take them down to get it back! Getting scrapped again before retrieving your items will send them to the Contraband Station. Skipping previously cleared layers is free, so you'll never have to pay a ton of grymite to skip to the later parts of the game. Extract anytime with no risk of ambush. Yes; this mode will essentially turn the game into a souls-like. [h2]Difficulty Modifiers[/h2] We've always wanted the game to be challenging, but we never wanted it to feel like a brick wall for our players. For those of you who are struggling with stealth or combat to the point where the game isn't fun, we'll be adding some difficulty modifiers to assist with some aspects of the game. Such modifiers will include dodge/parry assist, extra health, and detection speed/range reduction. At the moment, we're planning on disabling relevant achievements while these modifiers are active. [h2]Accessibility/Quality of Life Features[/h2] There are a number of ways we can make Raw Metal more of an enjoyable and comfortable experience for many of our players, so we want to implement some features to help with this: [list] [*]Full subtitles for guards, voice messages, and boss combat [*]"Eye friendly" mode that modifies certain visual effects to reduce eye strain and make the game more playable for photosensitive players (i.e. finisher screen) [*]Full button remapping [*]Alternate control scheme for players who don't like hold inputs [/list] Thank you all again so much for all the support and feedback, we're so lucky to have such an awesome community! - Crucible