Hello everyone! Welcome to the second Developer Blog in which we talk and present some cool features about our upcoming Dark Moon game! We know a lot of of you were expecting some new info so let’s get started! First, we would like to apologize for the delay in presenting new information as well as being a bit too quiet over the last couple of months. As you may have guessed we are working from home because of the ongoing pandemic, but thankfully the transition was a smooth one and we have been continuing our hard work ever since. We are confident that the upcoming months will be exciting for everyone as we want to share more and more Dark Moon related materials with you, so we’re definitely looking forward to seeing your comments and suggestions! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36350847/d91df121c8d3c4cbbbb3c2a583cc7e259f71b644.jpg[/img] Previously we’ve shared some information mostly in the form of concept art (which are so cool!). To make our players understand what is going on in Dark Moon, let's start from the basics by introducing… the world. Note that we are not sharing everything as there will be some surprises during your playthroughs, but this little piece should be an interesting read for all the lore enthusiasts out there. In year 2035, along with technological advances, mankind discovered faster and more efficient methods of extracting resources from the ground. These resources were mined with high efficiency, and although it was a breakthrough in technology, it led to some political tensions and foreshadowed the exhaustion of Earth's natural resources. A peaceful solution to this situation was the attempt to obtain valuable natural resources from the Moon thanks to the research already carried out at that time. The year 2055 was mainly famous for the devastating climate change and the almost complete depletion of resources, but it was also associated with groundbreaking methods of interplanetary movement. Furthermore, the discovery of advanced and more durable materials coupled with the advanced artificial intelligence systems, enabled the first steps in automatic construction of buildings. Hope bloomed when the Moon Rush project was launched in 2066, where humanity was able to extract materials from the Moon in a very short and efficient time. After numerous discussions and debates, an international compromise was reached on the exploitation of the Moon's resources. Due to the fact that this is a huge step for humanity, it has been recognized that all countries on Earth will be able to enjoy the lunar benefits. Within 6 years, the project turned out to be a gigantic success and a symbol of international collaboration thanks to the independence of Moon Shell (2072) - an organization funded by the project's member states. The Moon Shell Corporation, which is credited with the prototype of the iconic spiders (the mobile Moon bases), maintains all established bases on the Moon to reduce costs. For identification purposes, the Moon Shell crew has their own logo on the suits' patches, and only they have the legal and technical capacity to operate the organisation's equipment. Thanks to this, there is no risk that one country would be able to take control of the entire infrastructure on Earth's only natural satellite. Even though, thoughts of probably expanding to Mars started to surface, but these talks caused quite a number of controversial discussions where some politicians were against the joint expansion, considering that the resources extracted on the Moon fully met the needs of Earth, so states interested in conquering Mars should act on their own behalf. Little did they all know that all of their upcoming plans will have to be postponed... ### There you have it, that’s what had happened prior to the solar explosion that turned the international expansion into a survival mission. Of course, the world of Dark Moon also has interesting concepts of morality, desperate measures to survive, difficult choices etc. which all will be present in the game, but we just didn’t want to spoil too much of the game at this time. Speaking of the world… In Dark Moon you will encounter various astronauts from various countries that took part in the Moon Rush project. Again, we didn’t want to spoil all available countries right off the bat, so here’s one of the main characters that you will encounter on your journey. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36350847/141fa48128c7b44706b9c18b37a26099cfb0680f.jpg[/img] The very first character that we would like to introduce in this Dev Blog is Ignatiy! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36350847/37229f55ac3a28eb1cfeab3e3dff218d080d2b48.gif[/img] Ignatiy is a devoted patriot, a speed freak, and he loves to tinker with his machines where his only real obstacle is himself. There is no other person on the Moon who knows more about vehicles than him. Following in the footsteps of his father, Ignatiy loved to race back on Earth, but during one of the races he skidded and caused an accident killing four competitors while losing his right arm in the process. The devastating guilt made Ignatiy decide to cool down and give up on racing entirely. His artificial right hand constantly reminds him to remain calm in stressful situations, a grim keepsake. Looking for new challenges and to give back to society at the same time - he went through the entire process of becoming an astronaut, from the absolute basics to knowing every available lunar machine. He enjoys making difficult decisions, and the adrenaline rush during talks between other countries reminds him of the good old days. Naturally, you will have to take care of him along your journey as well as being cautious when making any new decisions. Ignatiy is a patriot and wants to leave the Moon in one piece, but if the convoy needs to get rid of some disturbing members of the crew - we’ve got a problem. He’ll also provide you with some extremely valuable bonuses and perks, so let’s try to keep him on our side, shall we? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36350847/fb8bb3bc97077ade1d5b58ea376bac66b0410342.jpg[/img] While we’re discussing who is on our side - L.U.V. (Lunar Utility Vehicle, or simply Gary for the crew) is going to be our loyal companion to the end. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36350847/1ba5cd07a100d8f50d159cd144d40e24a2bb1926.png[/img] Put into use in 2072 with the creation of Moon Shell, it is an outdated robot for the current times, but our hero has become attached to its logic and corny jokes, and treats him as a friend. Gary is a companion of the player and it has developed some form of empathy and reasoning of how humans behave - resulting in various pleasant and… unpleasant encounters. Although the player could exchange it for a new model in the past, Gary has become an extremely useful companion, cementing itself as a still operational part of the crew. For those of you who don’t know Gary was in the Announcement Trailer! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36350847/3564cb592b1e4c00d522d9a4a5f1f295ce4317a3.gif[/img] Whew! This concludes our second Dark Moon Development Blog, and once again we would like to apologize for not posting anything new sooner. We’re going full throttle to prepare you some awesome new content, so stay tuned for our upcoming updates! Right, if you enjoy this type of content let us know by leaving a comment, and if you have any questions, feel free to create a thread and we will answer any questions as soon as we are able! Be sure to include Dark Moon on your wishlist as that little click helps us a TON! Thank you! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1105330/Dark_Moon/ We've got plenty of more content incoming, so stay with us guys as we are speeding things up! Until next time guys! PS. We've got a Discord if you want to hang out with the community and the developers! Join here: https://discord.com/invite/5yQUqQa