HIBERNACULUM UPDATE - NOVEMBER 2024
Greetings Hibernians!
Welcome once more to yet another Ship-board update - but you'll have to forgive a somewhat rambling (moreso) format this month as we just have SO much to get through!
The team, myself, my partner as well as our faithful programmer have been diligently smashing away at the last few threads and anchors preventing a full run of the engine in it's entirety. There hasn't been a lot of art, music, or writing underway because we have most of that in the bag and being placed throughout the game, it's really just the last rafts of this math under the hood we had to knock down before fully forging ahead into the new year, with gameplay now possible throughout all class and role type progression as well as many of the ancillary systems required for the full main game loop experience as well.
takes deep breath!
We also managed to knock out virtually every bug plaguing us along the way in a nice massive round of testing and ironing out engine details, including finally tackling and fixing the last big bug we had in our main event window which was causing all kinds of issues. We're glad to have that one behind us. It's really no-holds-barred until the finish line now, barring any unforeseen hurdles - space knows we've had a few of those! I am supremely confident in our team, our engine, our game, and now more than ever as we rocket towards 2025 and finally sharing that experience with all of you - our amazing backers, and crew members.
So just a quick list here now, as to the meat and bones of what we've added this year and now have working, or in many cases fully fledged and tested (that's my favourite kind of "working" hehe).
- Full role type progression (class) for all 6 role types, capped at 10 levels each, with all STAT adjusters and related engine mechanics in place
- All weapon and item mechanics fully functioning (as well as really too many extras to even list at this point!)
- All backer exclusive weaponry, armour and items now fully functioning in-game
- RIO now functioning and usable
- Enemy behaviour across all types has had some major upgrades, more on this in our next update
- Hit Box UI graphics and crippled limbs - but more importantly crippled arms or legs now play into to-hit rolls and damage adjustment, as well as encumbrance/carry weight which is now functioning as well
- Combat rolls have had a major update with now all STAT adjusters (including LUCK) added across the board
- Every stat now subtly or strongly adjusts & changes how every "dice roll" under the hood happens depending on how high or low your stats are - to varying degrees both in combat, dialogue, survival, scavenging & events
- Vending and recycling terminals (akin to System Shock 2) are now available for use throughout the Ship and fully functional
- Healing and food/survival items are now fully functional & usable
Plus so much more - and probably some major stuff that evades me for now... It's been a busy few months and year - and my mind does get lost with all the details as I'm not used to developing quite so much in the way of survival mechanics for my games - it's been really exiting despite requiring simply massive, MASSIVE quantities of caffeine.
But yeah! Please hop on our Discord if you are so inclined as I'm moving towards smaller updates there as we move forward day-to-day, and also look forward to (I do!) more YT videos outlining our major systems, showing off atmosphere and last and certainly not least - very soon showing off some more in-depth and glisteningly brutal glimpses of gameplay from the darkest reaches.
Of course there is also my Patreon available - with extra Hibernaculum related materiel there where I do try to reward our supporters there as well, as often as I can with even more juicy details and glimpses of Hiber, before we head towards the final showdown. All your support just means more than say, anyway - so thank you. Hugely.
Anyway let's run through some moving images real quick, then I can get back to level building!
Your mostly ever-present robotic companion R.I.O. is now functional, and in the lower levels of the Ship will aid your progress in a few minor, yet perhaps crucial ways - of course depending on how your prefer to explore the game world.
Our item purchase vending machines are now fully functional throughout Ship.
Recycling items that you no longer find useful is now possible at various terminals throughout the Ship.
Battle damage now appears on hit boxes to display injuries and HP loss in real time in a more visceral and easier to "read" manner for the player.
Encumbrance and carry weight are now a fully fledged feature of Hibernaculum, and are also based partly on a character's strength attribute and role type chosen.
The new dialogue system works a lot better for building out side-quests as well as of course hammering out all the main quest line mechanics.
Asset testing for crippled limb & combat damage to hit boxes. A definite call-back to Horrorsoft's classic RPG game Elvira 2: Jaws of Cerberus but with our own rusted sci fi twist... And more blood.
Many minor food types are available for sustenance and a small HP gain - we have most medical & healing items working in engine now as well.
So, to part ways with you all I'll keep this brief as we are now knee-deep in fully building out all the levels in the game, our "realms" - so to speak.
This is where things now actually get more interesting for me, and I think for you all soon as well. This is where the art department (me) the music department (me) and the level designer (also me hehehe) get to leave the maths behind completely for a while and go back to creating and finishing out the world of Hibernaculum, alongside my partner Tootsie, once and for all.
I can't wait to share that with you.
...Be seeing you
-Mords
