Game News NEO Scavenger Officially Released

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: NEO Scavenger

The survival roguelike NEO Scavenger, featuring a complex crafting system and unique "1D" combat based on the distance from your opponent (yes, I took that description from our Steam curator page), has officially launched today after having spent some time in Early Access.

NEO Scavenger has officially launched! After almost four years of development, nearly three of which were in Beta/Early Access, it's finally time for the big v1.0!

NEO Scavenger is my first commercially released game, and is a sort of love letter to the pen and paper role-playing games I grew up playing. In it, the player takes on the role of a character who wakes up in a strange facility where the world has experienced some cataclysm. Using their wits and anything they can scavenge from their surroundings, they explore this strange wasteland, piecing together clues about their past.

It's a hard game, where the player must take care to think of everything from dressing appropriately to disinfecting wounds. The story will not come spoon-fed to you, and the game will not hold your hand. But for those who are persistent and clever, rewards and answers await!​

Aside from Steam, the game is also available on GOG.com.

 

[General Maxson]

Anyone have any opinion or review on this? Is it fun? Some kind of roguelike seems to me...

 

[Gozma]

Fun to figure out. Novel thematic stuff, novel 1v1 combat system. Fun to play different perk/skill sets too, fun to find bizarre weirdness in the world. It's good, buy it.

Note: I played the beta quite a lot a long time ago, where the "main plot" content would run out almost immediately, and now I'm kinda too sick of it to finish the game (I've gotten killed at the point of having a character that's just ready to really explore twice) so I dunno how that holds up or how long it goes on.

 

[felipepepe]

Great game, very detailed survival mechanics and one of the coolest combat systems I've ever seen.

And you can play as a cannibal hobo that wears skirts. 'NUFF SAID.

 

[himmy]

And you can play as a cannibal hobo that wears skirts. 'NUFF SAID.

Glasgow Simulator 2014.

 

[Scroo]

Cool, good to know. I'll immediately start the DL in steam. Honestly I almost even forgot I own it

 

[UnknownBro]

Cool Game... made in Flash.

 

[28.8bps Modem]

Cool Game... made in Flash.

Gah, is it really made with flash? I really interested up until I head that. Binding of Isaac was enough janky flash crap for one lifetime, thanks.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Cool Game... made in Flash.

Gah, is it really made with flash? I really interested up until I head that. Binding of Isaac was enough janky flash crap for one lifetime, thanks.

Yes, it is. However, I'm playing it now and it isn't janky at all. Maybe being turn-based helps, in contrast to Isaac.

 

[UnknownBro]

By chance you have a Core i7 don't you?
:incloosive:

 

[Crooked Bee]

I do, actually. Is that a crime?

 

[EG]

Cool Game... made in Flash.

Gah, is it really made with flash? I really interested up until I head that. Binding of Isaac was enough janky flash crap for one lifetime, thanks.

Haxe (http://haxe.org/), exported as a Flash project, if I recall correctly. Plays very well, considering it isn't a game that requires real-time reflexes.

 

[Cazzeris]

I hope Steam Winter Sales don't hurt this game's sale numbers too much.

 

[himmy]

I hope Steam Winter Sales don't hurt this game's sale numbers too much.

It used to be that releasing a game in the weeks before Christmas was considered a really good marketing move.

 

[MurkyShadow]

Neo Scavanger really has that old school vibe, and not as in retro. I was playing the demo a year ago and got immediately hooked,
getting the beta and playing it for months. The developer was also very active, giving progress reports almost on a daily basis,
talking about technical details, the choice and challenge a of programming language as a one man studio.

 

[dcfedor]

Hey guys, thanks for the shout-out! Been a pretty wild day so far. Chest is all tight with nerves

Re: Flash vs. Haxe, it is actually Flash. Haxe is what I intend to use in future projects, though. This is mainly due to the limitations Flash seems to be accumulating as it ages. Flash-cookie-based save system is one of the big deal breakers, and would accurately be considered "janky." Escape key hard-wiring is another. That said, I think I've managed to pin down the major issues this time around, I just don't want to wrestle that beast in the future if I don't have to.

Re: releasing before Christmas, this is indeed a big risk. I'm sure Steam's Holiday Sale will kick off before long, and that'll cannibalize sales to some degree. But on the other hand, NEO Scavenger's sort of a slow burner on the market, and seems to sell pretty well without front-page fanfare. In fact, early access got a real shot in the arm with the Steam Visibility Update, as many more were able to see the game in their recommendations list. That, and the reviews seem to be pretty positive so far!

In any case, despite being nervous as hell, I'm feeling pretty confident that it'll do well enough to keep making games in the future. Thanks to all here who provided valuable feedback and suggestions during the beta!

 

[EG]

Re: releasing before Christmas, this is indeed a big risk. I'm sure Steam's Holiday Sale will kick off before long, and that'll cannibalize sales to some degree.

Wouldn't be too worried. PZ released last year around the same time. Sold well enough to hire half a dozen people, including myself (just tech support), and is still going well enough a year later. That's without the Holiday sale. You'll be fine.

 

[pakoito]

one of the coolest combat systems I've ever seen..

My copy of the book depends entirely on this description hitting the spot. I let Xulima slide because I'm a terrible person and couldn't force myself to play.

 

[pakoito]

I'm joking, I'm getting the book regardless. Keep on truckin' my good sir.

 

[Gozma]

I think the combat is not that inherently amazing (certainly not tactically) BUT it is fresh/novel and interacts well with the survival roguelike stuff, like infected wounds and that kind of thing.

 

[felipepepe]

I'm not saying it's ultra deep & tactical, but I find cool how he hides damage & hitpoints, how fights usually end with people on the ground kicking each other, the drama of releasing whatever cart / sledge you're carrying stuff to be able to run in combat, how wounds matter a lot and all that... as you said, it fits very well with the game. You're desperate, getting tired, rolling in the mud and wondering just when will this motherfucker drop dead.

Hiding the weapon damage is especially interesting.... You don't go "the baseball bat deals 1d4 more than the knife", but instead "I feel more confident with the bat than with the knife". In this DPS-driven era, it's very refreshing.

Seriouslly, hats off to you dcfedor.

 

[dcfedor]

Thanks felipepepe ! It's good to hear you're experiencing the combat the way it was intended. I think some folks prefer stats, and stats definitely have their place. But I wanted to see how it felt hiding that stuff to make it more about judgement calls and play experience. That, and the absence of information makes us fill in the gaps with our own interpretations. Usually those are cooler than anything I could come up with!

So basically, the game gives you lots of hints to drape your imagination off of

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Thanks felipepepe ! It's good to hear you're experiencing the combat the way it was intended. I think some folks prefer stats, and stats definitely have their place. But I wanted to see how it felt hiding that stuff to make it more about judgement calls and play experience. That, and the absence of information makes us fill in the gaps with our own interpretations. Usually those are cooler than anything I could come up with!

So basically, the game gives you lots of hints to drape your imagination off of

I love roguelikes in ANSI for this very reason. If you have embodied that, it's a win in my books. Bought.

 

[Sensuki]

In this DPS-driven era, it's very refreshing.

Obfuscation can be very fun. the RTS Battle Realms uses this to great effect. No numbers for anything.

 

[MicoSelva]

Bros, how long is this game in terms of hours, more or less?