Progress update: 2018.02.24

Status report:

I know I've been quiet for the last year or so. I've been working hard!

SP2 is rapidly nearing completion - it's about 88-90% done already! Here's a few screenshots that barely even scratch the surface of the depth in this game. The world is almost entirely finished, with only two distinct areas left to do. The screenshots don't even cover all of the areas added since the last video. Here's a breakdown of what to expect on the station:

• The docking bay and general hub area is the starting location and provides access to the other wings of the station.
• A large Cargo area where supplies were stored for the crew, that functions as a proper first level after the intro.
• A medical sector, taken over by strange entities.
• A completely wrecked engineering sector that houses the two main sources of station power - the whole area has been flooded from coolant pipes bursting, and the flooded water has been electrified.
• An extremely dangerous Research sector flooded with a mysterious gas. Entities seem to fade in and out of existence here and surround Portia, passing freely through walls and solid matter.
• A secret area not marked on Portia's map that becomes critical to her mission later.

Gameplay has also been steadily updated with several different weapon upgrades, an all-new weapon equipment menu and a completely new mission log feature. Storytelling in this game is done through brief sections of dialogue and reading crew logs, as well as Portia's mission log. I'll just go over a few of these key points now:
The weapon system: Complete overhaul from the last game. Gone away is the basic, "here's a mag extension" or the "here's a fire/ice weapon" system. Portia's weapon this time around comes with three slots for additional modules, and each module changes the properties of her weapon in some way. Weapon modules are found around the station.
The mission log: Not even touched in the original. This is some new stuff for the series, it's simply a journal that Portia updates as she encounters different xenoforms or notable events happen. Since Portia is very focused and reserved during her mission, an easy way to get insight on her thoughts and feelings is to read over the journal.

Technical aspects of this game are leaps and bounds ahead of the original, with a higher resolution and 60 fps framerate, and the palette restrictions are gone entirely. 60fps is exactly what the original needed - it doesn't just mean smoother graphics, it also means tighter controls with double the precision.

If anyone is interested in a demo, please message me and I'll be glad to send one.