Selaco Update — Mod Compatibility Status & Broken Mods List

[p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/0714aaaba822c3aa1b33a7e270174cfa6694a359.png"][/img][/p][hr][/hr][p][b]Captains,[/b][/p][p]Hope everyone is doing well![/p][p]Three months have passed, which means we're back with another State of Development for Selaco. We'll be covering four topics this time around:[/p][list][*][p]Closed Beta Sign-Ups[/p][/*][*][p]State of Development[/p][/*][*][p]Modding SDK Information[/p][/*][*][p]v0.92b Patch Notes[/p][/*][/list][p]Plenty of exciting stuff. Let's dive in![/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]Closed Beta Sign-ups[/h2][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/72ea1ea9a046d56c096f4626323e2f6b33b22f63.png"][/img][/p][p]With Chapter 2 bringing massive changes to both the game and its engine, especially when it comes to lighting, shadows and performance, we want to make sure everything is rock solid before we hit our Chapter 2 launch date.[/p][p]To do that, we're running a Technical Beta for a portion of our Early Access playerbase - taking place in a Remastered Chapter 1 level so you can get an early taste of what's coming.[/p][p]Release date is TBD, but you can sign up now. No paperwork or NDAs required![/p][p][url="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUvav3IshexhykEpFZ0tWE9o-Y5ql1cn-0Oyyzfi3o_ORstw/viewform?usp=header"][b]Sign up for the Beta here![/b][/url][/p][p][c]NOTE: Due to the potential volume of submissions, we will not be able to get back to everyone. If you have been selected, you will receive an email in the near-future![/c][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/50bac0044a53f78806c16880c840c31dcbdec609.png"][/img][/p][h3][b]Development Summary[/b][/h3][p]As is tradition, here's another update on how development is going.[/p][p]Work on the update continues, and it's going well! In fact, we're planning on launching the Chapter 2 Update [b]later this year.[/b] A more specific timeframe will be announced once we're closer to the finish line -likely a couple of weeks in advance.[/p][p]We've written a more in-depth piece a couple of months ago that shows a tremendous amount of the new content that's coming your way. If you're interested in learning more, I recommend giving [url="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1592280/view/494963545565298689"]this blog post[/url] a read.[/p][p]Despite Selaco being made by only a handful of people, it's amazing to see just how fast things are moving! Below are some of the things we've been working on these last couple of months.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3][b]Voice Acting[/b][/h3][p]One of our goals with Selaco is to have such a high degree of voice variety, that players can put dozens of hours into the game and still hear new lines from time to time. We've largely succeeded with that in the current Early Access build, but given how much longer the game is about to get, the need for more variety became apparent.[/p][p]Over the past three weeks we've been doing a lot of recording sessions with our actors. [b]Roughly 1.000 new voice lines have been recorded[/b] for our enemy soldiers (Enforcers included). We'll be doing another batch closer to the Chapter 2 launch to get more context-specific lines in as well.[/p][p]We've also been holding auditions for other characters, and are currently getting ready for the ACE Security voices.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3][b]Boss Fight[/b][/h3][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/3ecd13b9baea1598e9bda3e39afa7873d113cf5d.png"][/img][c]([i]Not an in-game screenshot)[/i][/c][/p][p]On top of that, we're working really hard on a boss fight. But we'll remain tight-lipped about that one for the time being.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3][b]Weapon Kit Swapping[/b][/h3][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/3cdb8c70a1a80dc80ea5e4a4ec30270186a43b85.png"][/img]Swappable Weapon Kits have been finished! We talked about this before, but it was only an idea back then that we hadn't implemented yet.[/p][p]The way it works is simple: you select two Weapon Kits in a Safe Room, and during gameplay you can swap between them at the push of a button. Two seconds later, you'll be using the Reserve Weapon Kit you selected earlier. Applies to Throwable items, too![/p][p][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/ad3662e3043f32a2d8b949a80d5d4c1cac576b78.png"][/img][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3][b]AI Improvements[/b][/h3][p]Our enemy AI rewrite is complete! Well, mostly complete - enemy combat encounters are now more dynamic than they've ever been, we just have to iron out some of the remaining kinks before we can put a stamp on it.[/p][p]Here is a brief rundown on what has been changed:[/p][list][*][p]Enemies now have proper Line of Sight and 'vision cones', allowing players to flank or backstab enemies without being instantly detected - even when they're already on alert. No longer do they have eyes at the back of their head.[/p][/*][*][p]Enemies now have to physically turn around to face their target before being able to attack, rather than snapping directly onto their target. This was a common complaint.[/p][/*][*][p]Their navigation and pathfinding has been [b]fully[/b] rewritten with a focus on making their movement more natural and making it easier for them to reach their target. This new system also allows pathfinding to remain intact even when they're strafe-firing or attacking while retreating. If they want to be aggressive, they [i]will[/i] reach you.[/p][/*][*][p]Soldiers can now issue follow commands to one another. Essentially a buddy system where two characters stick together at all times[/p][/*][*][p]Many improvements have to made towards their target prioritization when there's multiple combatants. If you have a sentinel drone that's being a nuisance, they will attempt to take it down.[/p][/*][*][p]Enemies are less overly oppressive without losing their sense of presence, giving players a little more room to breathe, plan ahead, or reposition without getting swarmed. [/p][/*][*][p]And so, so much more![/p][/*][/list][p]This does not mean the game will be easier. Their updated navigation makes them more deadly than ever, so the other changes balances this out wonderfully.[/p][p]We're very happy with these changes. The combat feels much more addictive, and playtests have come back very positive. We expect the first thing players will notice is just how much better the combat flows while retaining Selaco's identity.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3][b]Character Illustrations[/b][/h3][p]We've brought an artist on board who is creating character illustrations for every single enemy in the game. As such, here is a rough sketch of one of the new Chapter 2 enemy types:[/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/bc557086a37cc16445196ce67ba1feb86de25a59.png"][/img][/p][p]And some of the finished ones:[/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/fbdd7f2640027ba8d0afad58dec97a6af1a58b95.png"][/img][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3][b]Oppressors[/b][/h3][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/2a5c38798989e86d3de4230e0007b3b4ef5ed9de.png"][/img][/p][p]Fine, let's show off one more enemy type then! This is an Invader equipped with a shield - and a very durable one at that. They're aggressive enemies who will actively try to push you away from their allies. And, this being Selaco, there are [i]of course[/i] a thousand different ways to deal with them.[/p][p]Now that enemies have to turn before they can attack, players can exploit the Oppressor's slower turning speed to get around the shield and shoot from an exposed angle. Alternatively, you can apply force to briefly stagger them and knock the shield aside - whether through a point-blank Shotgun shot, a Slide Kick, or other means.[/p][p]They're still in their early stages, but shaping up well![/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3][b]New maps![/b][/h3][p]We've already shown some screenshots in the past, but here are some new ones.[/p][p][i][c](All screenshots are Work in Progress and will change!)[/c][/i][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/65e723d4695b6cb412c70b478c074034a2f7510e.png"][/img][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/8f6d0913c57d7d59afd0636d1091e25f80771fdc.png"][/img][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/8d88b0a48714ae29a02cdf6cb299541364f68168.png"][/img][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/39d949636365adafe5df3fb14d219712ec2bc447.png"][/img][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/b6977e4cd840460366879a727443433b8135bd4c.png"][/img][/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/834d8c7e244439a0bde7f017d32417bc43678853.png"][/img][/p][p]And so, so much more. Honestly, it's impossible to fill a blog post with all the things we've been doing without exceeding the size limit of a Steam Blog (if there is one).[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/f4ecfdc713d09d772aeab4ae03369268a37c25e1.png"][/img][/p][p]We talked about introducing a Modding SDK before, which will become available a couple of weeks after Chapter 2 launches. Here's a brief look at what that will include.[/p][p]The Modding SDK will be free DLC that players can download. Upon doing so, a new folder is created in their game directory containing many of the source files we've used to develop the game.[/p][p]For instance...[/p][p]Every single Weapon Model[/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/a83b0828c408b9673eb85934575867aa30763d32.png"][/img][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/88750642c5d543be4b6fe738e21ed587889c2ae8.png"][/img][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/ac28de4f7405befb4923f9a48d6b649ac3423cff.png"][/img][/p][p]Fully rigged Player Arms to allow modders to create all new animations and / or weapons[/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/7d5c8d1b72425038635ce3400c5132151df60760.png"][/img][/p][p]And, of course, enemy models![/p][p][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/1a0e64617875821e04a1776976a74d061b265c0f.png"][/img][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40325504/e2c7c24eb859972dc44f8d808f5cb909ef727361.png"][/img][/p][p]The SDK won't just include assets, either. It will also include scripts to make sprite rendering easier, a converter to turn PNGs into