Hi everyone, I wanted to take a moment today to discuss the planned content for patch 0.3. This update is still heavy in development so some content may be subject to change or moved around. Patch 0.3 is focused on expanding what is already in game as opposed to an entirely new area as with Unknown Origins. The idea is to add more flexibility to player customisation, flesh out some features already in game that need a second pass, add some new locations to the existing world space and improve the overall feeling of progression in the game. Below I will list several but NOT all of the points being focused on to achieve this. More details will be shared soon as I now begin the build up to releasing this update. [h2]Difficulty Options/h2] The first thing to go over with patch 0.3 is the option to adjust various settings to tweak the games difficulty. You will be able to adjust several values such as toxic storm damage, loosing items on death, loot chances, damage values and more. This has been heavily requested since day 1 so I am very excited to be able to allow you all to tweak the game for a better experience. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43315919/ea8853e8da3dc02d0c47f4d4e2eb3e9f0feca97a.png[/img] [h2]AI 2.0[/h2] I have never shied away from the flaws of the current AI system. They have needed a second pass for some time and this is a feature I have been talking about for some time. This is currently planned for patch 0.3 and lots of time has already been put into it however due to the size of this task there is the possibility of it being pushed back slightly if it ends up holding back all the other content for too long. That being said let's talk AI 2.0. I will be breaking down each of the modules and explaining how they have been improved. AI Life / Idle Currently AI life and idle is very simple. If they are wandering the map they will simply pick a point and go in a straight line towards it. With the new system, they now will plot unique patrol paths that can weave through POIs and other interesting locations. You will see AI potentially plotting a path into a building mid-patrol to rest and overall have AI that roams the world more believably. AI Combat The big one, ai combat. Currently, AI has tons of issues in combat ranging from running away too easily, getting stuck not shooting, inconsistent weapon condition firing ability and clipping through the floor and walls. It's hard to break down exactly what's going to be new with this because everything will be new. This is being rewritten from scratch and I think the best thing will be for me to show it in action closer to the time. Just know, it will be ALOT better! [h2]Reworked customisation[/h2] With patch 0.3 the player model has been rebuilt from scratch. The reason behind this was to offer greater flexibility with equipment. With the current version of the game, you can equip a helmet, mask and an outfit. With the new version, you will able to equip individual pieces such as gloves, pants, tops and boots in combination with the existing helmet and mask options. This will allow for a far greater number of options for the player's equipment and will also expand loot options. This is one of the changes I am personally excited for most since the current system is heavily limited by the use of assets early in development so with the new system being built for Fargone I have far more control going forward as well as a being able to create far better and more unique outfits going forward. [h2]Attachement system 2.0[/h2] Patch 0.3 will also introduce what I am calling attachments 2.0. The primary focus for this is to overhaul how the player goes about fitting attachments to weapons. I find the current implementation to not work as well as I originally planned by forcing the player to craft attachments at benches and to only have one attachment per slot at a time. While the new system is still being worked on and may change, the current idea is to move attachments away from the crafting bench and integrate them into the world. You will now be able to loot and buy attachments at which point they will be stored in your inventory as opposed to going straight onto the weapon. You can then drag and drop these attachments onto either your primary or secondary to either equip or swap them out. Your old attachments will be returned to your backpack. This will allow players to bring a set of attachments and weapons with them to prepare for different engagements and again will offer greater flexibility. On top of this, a new scope system has been implemented to make scopes look far more realistic and clear incorporating a new 'true 3d' effect to the scopes. Some weapons will also be receiving new attachments or a greater number of options for attachments. [img]https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbTVyeWZ6Zm52dWhsdGN0aTZvNW01ZXNmNm00YTczamlvMXgzNDFnbCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/aD4OJMCl94TOycOQdq/giphy.gif[/img] [h2]Hordes/h2] Zombie hordes can now roam the world at random. Hordes can happen in one of two ways, they can either spawn at a random or can be triggered by heavy amounts of noise in a certain area. If NPC's or the player get into a large fight near a POI a zombie horde could begin to form and approach the area adding another layer of depth to open world engagements. Hordes range between 20-40 zombies and mutants. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43315919/ab8dce48613e89906dd7209c63db3fe90a2e5786.png[/img] [h2]Bunker system 1.0[/h2] As you may know, there is a bunker in the game with a system built around it to allow the player to unlock it. This was planned to be a far bigger system than what is currently in the game. With patch 0.3 the first proper bunker will be added to the game. With long tunnels connecting to a variety of rooms, platforms and levels, this bunker is designed to be a mini dungeon-type activity which will test the player in return for high-level rewards and even a few bunker-specific uniques. There will be many more bunkers in the future including replacing the current one however I think you are all going to love what has been done for the first full bunker. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43315919/021e9d0f404ed141ec9c6d6dbcb142a93c088a6a.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43315919/e75266f8e8a82c9cfc13e66774473ed0f327eac3.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43315919/cc72bc8ae416f852a4dc530a09fdabb1847af664.png[/img] [h2]Progression[/h2] The current skill point system is very simple and most players even forget to use it. Going forward this system will be entirely replaced with a new talent/skill system in which players can unlock skills with different effects to better create a build that suits their play style. Additionally, I am looking at whether or not to entirely replace the level/xp system with something more interesting. On top of this, I would like to expand the faction system to have ranks as well that you earn by helping your faction. These ranks will unlock new items and support options from your current faction. This feature is still in its planning phase but is something I will be beginning work on soon! [h2]Steam Achievements[/h2] Following progression, I will also be implementing the first set of Steam achievements. These have already been created internally and will be implemented with patch 0.3. [h2]More to come soon...[/h2] I have other things planned and even being developed for this update and will be sharing more info soon. As for the release, I will not be committing to a date just set like before as I don't want to create pressure and instead want to release this patch in its best form when ready. Thank you for taking the time to read this and also for playing the game, talk again soon!