v0.5 and first release on itch.io


Hello, everyone!

This is a first Itch.io release of a roguelike project I've been working on and off for a couple of years now. Up to this point the game was completely free and open-source but from now on there will be two versions - one with commercial art available on Itch.io and the other one with ASCII art available for free on my website. The web version on Itch is also the same as the desktop download so you're not missing on anything ingame if you do not purchase the binary and just play using the browser.  Codewise there are no significant differencies in the free and paid versions.

Looking back, I see that the previous version was released in July, 2017. Ouch, that was a long time ago, something like a 1.5 year hiatus. So, what changed for this one? Apart from the addition of commercial art, there was an engine change. I've removed all Haxepunk-related code and moved to using much faster Heaps.io.  The city streets are now properly generated in the area mode (before that it was just a collection of random buildings thrown around), there is a structure to the area map.  There are a lot of convenience changes resulting from the feedback: the HUD now displays current player goals, some keyboard commands were changed, config now allows to scale map tiles and there are a lot more messages to the player in the early game stages to hint about various game mechanics that are not obvious.

Currently, the game is completable to the end (and has been for quite some time) but it needs a lot of polish in a lot of  areas.

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Comments

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I really like this game, but I've found that if I enter a special area like a lab or testing facility, there's no sewer covers and I can't find any way to leave the area. Is this a bug or am I missing something?

(1 edit)

Hmm, weird. If you enter the lab/facility/military base, you should be right on top of the sewer cover (since you enter via sewers).  Otherwise more covers should spawn, too. Check the browser console for any suspicious messages :)

EDIT: No, you're correct. I missed that due to the new area generator. Will fix this in the next release or hotfix.

Hotfix version 0.5.1 is up.

Thanks! Completed now (everything on normal).

**Spoilers ahead **




In terms of other issues, I noticed that the map always seems to have a "?" point of interest marker at 0,0.

Also it's possible through bad luck/timing to create a habitat, enter it, and already have the Group there waiting for you. 

On the random comment side, I died to ambushes several times - but it gets much easier to survive them once you realise that the blackops agents don't start alerted to your presence (apparently they either can't see your host in the dark or don't mind random civvies showing up at their ops).

They're also the only real reason combat body features are useful. For pretty much anything else keeping a low profile makes much more sense. That isn't a criticism though.

I like that there are lots of sub-objectives, including hidden and non-essential things like finding the original host and developing dopamine control. 

I also like the horror feel. Learning your victims' names through brain probe is a nice touch. And I like that the game doesn't tell you how to play - I started off trying not to kill people but that obviously makes life much more difficult - the safest way to play is be paranoid, stay out of sight, and murder dozens of people by starting up evolution in the sewers then running their bodies into the ground.  It all really forces you to think like an amoral alien body-snatcher.

Thanks again!

Thank you for your feedback, I'll answer point by point.

> In terms of other issues, I noticed that the map always seems to have a "?" point of interest marker at 0,0.

I'll keep an eye out for it. Could be a bug, there's only one event marker that should spawn in the wilderness but it's location is randomized.

> Also it's possible through bad luck/timing to create a habitat, enter it, and already have the Group there waiting for you. 

That's intentional :) The Group knows about you from the start so if you're not careful enough, there could be a situation like this.

> On the random comment side, I died to ambushes several times - but it gets much easier to survive them once you realise that the blackops agents don't start alerted to your presence (apparently they either can't see your host in the dark or don't mind random civvies showing up at their ops).

Currenly implementing a habitat growth that will warn you of ambushes (right now the game only does that on easy difficulty). You're correct, they're not fully alert giving player a chance to survive. But they will burn the habitat anyway, reducing your max energy so it's not a total win in any case.

> They're also the only real reason combat body features are useful. For pretty much anything else keeping a low profile makes much more sense. That isn't a criticism though.

No, you're right. Combat evolution is in need of a revamp. I'm thinking of making a separate combat-heavy gameplay mode and moving it all there so as not to confuse anyone.

> I like that there are lots of sub-objectives, including hidden and non-essential things like finding the original host and developing dopamine control. 

> I also like the horror feel. Learning your victims' names through brain probe is a nice touch. And I like that the game doesn't tell you how to play - I started off trying not to kill people but that obviously makes life much more difficult - the safest way to play is be paranoid, stay out of sight, and murder dozens of people by starting up evolution in the sewers then running their bodies into the ground.  It all really forces you to think like an amoral alien body-snatcher.

The sewers in this city probably have whole mounds of bodies hidden :) Glad you like it! The possibility of a non-lethal  playthrough never leaves my mind but it's pretty far until I get to it. The next release will focus on sounds, music and some fixes. Were there any parts of the game that you were confused about and spent significant time figuring out?

Nothing that caused a significant hindrance.

It took me a while to get that evolution can kill people even without depleting their energy because (I assume) it lowers their underlying stats, which you can't see until you get to Brain Probe 3. But there are plenty of warnings about that.

Didn't grasp straight away that evolving a better biomineral doesn't upgrade your existing formation(s).

It also took a few plays to realise how to get into the sewers. At first you don't even know it's a possibilty, whereas in later playthroughs I would pretty much try to head down there the second I evolved brain probe. Which, again, isn't necessarily a bad thing - a lot of the fun for me was in discovery and "emergent gameplay" - figuring out little things like storing weapons and smartphones in the habitats, or going after a specific person by letting your current host die in the sewers then (hopefully) riding a dog to hunt for the right human,  so you don't have to leave any bodies behind.

Maybe it'd be possible in future iterations to add challenges that can be solved with combat, but have other possible solutions as well. For example, objectives like the ship could be guarded. To get past, you could just kill or invade a guard... but it might also be possible to walk in if you're camouflaged and your host has security clearance.  Each has their own potential risks, etc.

> It took me a while to get that evolution can kill people even without depleting their energy because (I assume) it lowers their underlying stats, which you can't see until you get to Brain Probe 3. But there are plenty of warnings about that.

Yeah, there's a message about your host degrading, that should be enough.

> Didn't grasp straight away that evolving a better biomineral doesn't upgrade your existing formation(s).

Interesting, evolution does not change anything  automatically except brain probe strength and habitats count.

> It also took a few plays to realise how to get into the sewers. At first you don't even know it's a possibilty, whereas in later playthroughs I would pretty much try to head down there the second I evolved brain probe. Which, again, isn't necessarily a bad thing - a lot of the fun for me was in discovery and "emergent gameplay" - figuring out little things like storing weapons and smartphones in the habitats, or going after a specific person by letting your current host die in the sewers then (hopefully) riding a dog to hunt for the right human,  so you don't have to leave any bodies behind.

Okay, this one  I've heard already - I've added a specific goal to enter the sewers, will be there in the next release.

> Maybe it'd be possible in future iterations to add challenges that can be solved with combat, but have other possible solutions as well. For example, objectives like the ship could be guarded. To get past, you could just kill or invade a guard... but it might also be possible to walk in if you're camouflaged and your host has security clearance.  Each has their own potential risks, etc.

That's a cool idea. Hitman style disguises are definitely interesting and tie in into some things I've been thinking about, I'll write it down for later. I like the example, too. Actually getting into the ship could definitely be an challenge in itself.