General Update #27

Hello agents!

Today we'll talk about some of the changes we have made for Silent Echo's next update, and a very special challenge coming to the game!

Early Access

A very short note to let you know we plan to put the new update in early access this weekend if all goes well!

Game balance

We've looked at the feedback on the previous version of the game and have already made a few changes to the game.

For Lina, we have doubled MechaLina's flamethrower ability damage. It now deals 80 fire damage instead of 40, which you will find to be particularly useful when fighting multiple enemies with a weakness to fire.

For Sexbot Lina, we feel she's at a good spot with her current toolkit and don't see any need to buff her at the moment.

Last, for Lina's evolved drone form, we have buffed her Energy Surge ability from 40 base damage to 60 damage.

In regards to Victoria, we also feel she's at a right spot and her Slime Barrier ability is a good trade of lower damage for higher survivability.

Another change coming to the game is the ability to purchase 5 extra points of stamina and dexterity from the upgrade station in Chapter 2. For players who struggle with some fights, this will provide a way to get an extra boost and face the challenges that lurk in the shadows. It will remain capped to 5 points in Chapter 1.

Sylvia & Ava

Based on our current schedule, we are looking to finish implementing Sylvia as a squad member in this patch.

In regards to Ava, we were also initially planning to add her second evolution in this patch, however we've faced a couple of issues with it.

The idea was to provide two paths of evolution based on the player's previous actions, but this idea has suddenly become a lot more difficult to implement due to the addition of squad member skins in the patch.

We're currently evaluating if we want to continue with the current concept or if we do things differently. Unfortunately that means Ava's evolution needs to be delayed for the next update while we assess how we want to move forward with this, as otherwise we will have to delay the entire patch for it.

A challenge

In the update, we've added a spicy challenge waiting for you in the Training Room! We'll keep the details limited so you guys get to experience the full surprise (and new feature!) of this event.

With this event, we are testing two new features. One of them is the adaptive combat scenarios, which will cause less enemies to be involved in the fight if you are solo or with only one squad members. The other one is brand new and hopefully a nice surprise that will catch you off-guard ;)

It is a tough fight, but one that will provide great rewards and a dedicated achievement for those that overcome it.

Starwatch Academy

A small note about Starwatch, we are currently in the process of porting some of Silent Echo's updates to the game, such as the fast combat setting option, which we feel is essential for Starwatch to have.

Another thing that's currently being looked into is the talent system that was planned for the game. At the moment it feels cumbersome to use, so we're looking at what we can do with it to make sure it is a fun system to use rather than something that will cause frustration.

On the story side of things, the writer has indicated that they want to delve into more TF options, and wilder story arcs. We've noted how some of the more fast paced payoffs of Silent Echo have worked, and we've already discussed a few interesting ways to try and implement faster arcs related to this. Idea's like a planet with a society based entirely around gender changes alongside potential squadmates resulting from exploration there.

 Additionally, we're looking at ways to continue story and event's at the Academy, alongside the upcoming exploration and story beats tied to the cruiser in a way that interacts with each other, while not making too many branching paths that make it hard to track where you need to be for the most content at any given time.

Essentially, we want to make it possible to follow storylines tied to each of the characters you've already met, while still making it possible to have wilder, no holds barred, encounters and activities that don't rely on jumping through hoops to explain why everyone's favorite French Cadet is somehow attending classes and getting into misadventures with the player character.

That's it for this week!
Have fun!