Latest news about the update
28 JANUARY -
ATOMTEAM
Hey, guys!
With great regret, we have to state, that as January comes to a close, we are sensing that we won't be able to deliver the new planned update on time more and more. For this, we would really like to apologize. There is no need to worry about the future of the game, though. We're late not because of some problems, or because of lack of dedication. We simply miscalculated when we predicted the work will be over in January. Something that looks easily done "on paper" needs a lot of trial and error to actually implement. Therefore, to avoid accidentally misleading you again, and to get some breathing room for testing and tweaking the changes we made for the game, we shift the release date of the major update to February 28th. We're really sorry for this, and we promise to be less idealistic in future release date calculations.
To at least start making it up to you, we finally compiled a full, comprehensible list of changes ahead. It going to be a long one, since despite this date mix-up, January was actually one of the most productive months for the project.
Let's start with one of the larger and complex additions, which actually made us lag for a bit: a new NPC follower! He really turned out to be one of these "easy on paper hard in real life" kinds of things, but we still mostly made him! He's an infiltration agent named Fidel, and he will join you, boasting a better AI system, which now should recognize that it's a part of a larger team and act accordingly. Fidel will also know when to shoot and when to use melee. There are also thoughts of a second, four--legged companion we might just make to make it up to you for the late update.
You should also prepare for:
* More than 20 new NPCs, each one, as tradition goes, with a unique portrait, skill set, and dialogue.
* New quests - because how can you go without them? We'll have everything - from talk-quests localized to one individual, to a huge b-movie plot epic, that will make you run around the global map, adding grizzled mercenaries to your team for a last battle for what is right!..
* The factory quest line will finally see it's end. Ever wondered what will happen, once the bandits use your services enough times? Well wonder no more!
Also, just to prove that ATOM has the best audience, we're adding a ton of little objects and features, that were first thought of by our Steam commenters, or inspired by the ideas some of the backers shared on the forums.
Some of the minor tweaks are:
* Weapons will now have perks. For example, knives get a chance to go between chinks in armor, dealing raw damage, sniper rifles get a long range bonus, but lose most usability in CQC, etc.
* Crippling blows! Aimed shots now get to have special effects like blinding, slowing down, disarming and otherwise incapacitating opponents.
* New ammo types that will use the new damage/penetration formulas.
* New kinds of armors and clothes
* New usable items, most of them inspired by the players, like the "Krasnaya Moskva" deodorant.
* New maps and map variants for random encounters.
* Balance improved for: items, weapons, consumables, random encounters, crafting.
* New craft recipes inspired by the forums.
* New animations for the NPCs. The little fellows will not just react to new traumatic experiences that the aimed shot overhaul brings forth. They will also do more daily activities, and not just mope around. Remember The Fall? We really want to make daily cycles for the NPCs just like it was in that good old game.
* A much larger sound library! More sounds for everything!
Thank you for waiting, we really hope the result won't disappoint.
Best regards, ATOM TEAM.
