Greetings Space Citizens!

After a lengthy hiatus we're happy to announce that a fancy new update is coming for the game on the 17th of this month!

Here are the highlights:

• Total overhaul of how player stats and mods work in the game!
• A new rent and debt system!
• New content, including a major new quest and a whole bunch of smaller scenes!

We'll go into much greater detail about these systems on the 17th, but for now...

Stats, Mods and You

In the old system stats were treated as a simple gate, blocking the player from certain choices and were usually invisible. Meaning that the player often had no idea there were even additional story options hiding around the corner. Xp for gaining new stat levels was rare and inconsistent. As a terrible cherry on top, players also often reported being unsure what the purpose of mods were in the game.

As a designer that's rough to hear, but ultimately something we own up to. So, the team has heard your feedback and now...!

We've flipped the table and rebuilt the whole thing from the ground up.

The Statistical Economy

The DL: Stats are now treated as a currency in the game. 

In simple terms this means that when the player encounters a situation which requires a stat, it can be "spent" and will temporarily reduce. If a given stat reaches 0, it now represents a state of exhaustion. Once the player sleeps, all spent stats will be refunded for the next day's adventures!

Digging deeper, the underlying system now breaks stats into "Hard" and "Soft" values. The soft stat is the one that is used as a currency and is seen via the character menu. Underneath that is a hidden hard stat value, and this is the value the soft stat will reset to on sleeping.

In general, soft stats are spent on dialogue choices and working. They can also be directly buffed or debuffed on a given day by eating or drinking. Conversely, the hard stat comes exclusively from two sources: The player's initial choice of background, and mods. 

Xp and leveling have been completely removed in favor of the new system. Additionally, we've made it so that most of the previously hidden choices are now visible to the player. So even if you don't have the stats or mods for a given choice you can still prepare for the next encounter!

An Example

The player starts a game and selects the Soldier background. This means they have an initial hard stat value of 2 in Body and 1 in Heart. They also opt to purchase a basic mod that brings the body stat total to 3. At the start of a new day they head over to the Ramen Den and consume some fortifying goodies, bringing that body stat temporarily up to a majestic 4. 

Afterward it's time to clock in at Processing, thus spending 1 Body stat to get through their first shift. This brings Body to 3. During their shift they encounter an unexpected situation that can only be solved with even more Body! The player spends another point, and now the Body total is at 2. They clock out and earn a nice bonus for all their efforts.

...but what's this? Sully wants to hang out and have a drink? Well, thankfully the player has 2 Body left and spends it keeping up with Sully on the rounds - earning a nice reputation bonus with the pilot!

After an exhausting but rewarding day, the player hits the sleep button and rests. Their stats recharge and return to 3 Body and 1 Heart respectively.

Final Thoughts

There's a lot more in this update, and we hope you'll enjoy it! Unfortunately the major overhauls coming mean that old saves will not be compatible, and so a new game will be required.

The lengthy development hiatus we went on had to do with a combination of life changes for some team members and major medical issues for others. We're happy and grateful to say that for now, despite everything, we're back to bringing you some lovely updates and new content!

See you on the 17th!

-The SNB Team