We’re excited to announce that we’re opening applications to participate in testing for Season 6 of Last Oasis. Nearly every part of the game has been modified in some way, and we want to approach testing in a different way than we ever have before. We’ve already begun internal testing, but as you all know that can only get us so far. Our plan is to have some phases of invite-only testing to test balance and gameplay at a larger scale, before eventually having a Beta Branch which will be open to the whole community. If you are interested in participating in testing, please complete the application below. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34371660/55021dcf89ff41c8368f27482f7a6fab23592a8d.png[/img] https://forms.gle/bdPwSDAcxcv7hCkf7 As for what Season 6 is - well, as I mentioned, we’ve adjusted nearly every part of the game in some way. And, more importantly, everything is still subject to change. Since the game is so different, testing will be critical and we are committed to working with the community to consider all feedback and make adjustments. [b]Player-versus-Player[/b] First and foremost, Season 6 is a return to the player-versus-player roots of Last Oasis, particularly with a focus on emergent gameplay. We all believe that Last Oasis is at its strongest and most enthralling when the world is dynamic and unpredictable. Many of the features that have been introduced throughout the years undermine this and have resulted in stale, predictable gameplay. We have rebalanced everything that goes into raiding - from weapon damage, wall health and armors, ammunition types, etc. We will no longer have PvE tiles. The offmap lobby was replaced with a walker packer at the trade station that will cost flots after a certain amount of walkers. Our goal is to generate more frequent and spontaneous PvP, while still leaving enough safety that it doesn’t feel like you need to make the game a full time job. [b]Progression[/b] Progression has received a major overhaul. Technology will be unlocked by leveling up your character. This should resolve a lot of the issues that were present in both tablets/fragments, as well as the schematics system. We thought strongly before that progression should be linked to exploration, but we’ve decided at least for now to simplify the base system and add complexity on top. And secondly, quality crafting will require schematics. Quality will only be available on event maps, which should help to prevent many of the issues that existed in previous seasons, as well as contribute to more spontaneous PvP. Lastly, rather than maps being added to the pool of possible maps, the whole world will progress through each map at a linear rate. So, everyone will be on the Cradle together at first, then Cradle maps will burn and we will all move to the Canyons, and so on. The season is designed currently to last for 8 weeks. [b]Walkers[/b] Walkers are, of course, one of the most unique aspects of Last Oasis. The flexibility that walkers provide is unmatched in pretty much any survival game. However, with great flexibility comes significant opportunity for exploits and unfair and unsatisfying gameplay. Our attempts to put some guardrails on in Season 5 were misguided and I believe we’ve settled on something that has the potential to be a lot better in Season 6. The rig system has been overhauled to allow you to freeplace structures anywhere, and only limits the amount and type of structures you can place. This will let you customize your walker however you want, while requiring more thoughtful decision making when it comes to outfitting your walker. In addition, we’ve added crew limits to each walker, so that small walkers can no longer be overloaded with players. And finally, each clan has a Total Walker Power, which is a cap on the walkers that can be on a tile at any given time, with each type of walker having a unique value against that cap. [b]Exploration[/b] One thing that the fragment/tablet system did very well early on was to encourage you to go out into the world, take risks, and run into other players, which is the genesis of emergent gameplay. In Season 6, we’re attempting to emulate that with a few different mechanics. The previously existing asteroid mechanic has been repurposed, providing some scarce resources not available on the current map, potentially allowing you to progress faster. We have added a new Rupu Camp event, which will also provide unique rewards. And lastly, we are continuing to expand the number of creatures in the world, as well as continuing to improve the behaviors of existing ones, that will provide unique resources critical to progression. [b] Territory Control[/b] If emergent gameplay is the soul of Last Oasis, territory control is the engine. Claiming tiles has always been a way to measure your clan against another and we want to embrace the competition. We have overhauled the proxy mechanic so that it is no longer about racing your Proxy Walker to the center of the tile. Rather, claiming a tile is now accomplished by driving your walker a certain distance. This means that your enemies can try to deny your claim by attacking your Proxy Walker as you try to complete its journey. [b]Everything Else[/b] These are some of the major beats of the update, with some explanation about our guiding philosophy for how we want Last Oasis to develop, but it isn’t even close to everything. As we said, nearly everything in the game has been adjusted in some way. Gear balance, grappling hooks, crafting recipes, vitamins, experience, traveling, the list goes on. We'll start with closed testing for now and then move forward with a more solid S6 release when we're confident players are having fun and the design is working as intended. Please keep in mind everything here is subject to change based on the feedback we receive.