General Update #7

Hello everyone!

We have some cool news to share with you about both projects.

Silent Echo

The combat system is currently being completely reworked. For the first version, we had a very tight deadline as it was a contest entry and this caused the implementation to have many limitations.

With the rework, we are switching to a turn based system that allows multiple enemies and allies to participate in combat. This obviously requires some changes to how the battles play out as it no longer always will be a 1v1.

To determine the turn order, we have implemented an initiative statistic for all combat participants. This will be familiar to any DnD players. Our implementation is much simpler than DnD, but we hope to make the gameplay more interesting that way by also implementing buffs and debuffs that will influence initiative and therefore the way the fight plays out, making tactical choices a considerable benefit to obtain the desired outcome.

In addition, the assist system that existed in the previous version will be removed in favor of a fully-featured squad system. This will allow Ava, Emilia and potentially others to play a bigger role in the story and give you an extra edge in fights with their new kits and perks to unlock.

We don't plan to change Chapter 1 too much in regards to the overall difficulty as it meant to be a tutorial area for players to get used to the game, but you can expect a few new encounters featuring multiple enemies and the sex scenes that come with it.

In addition, Grenade Toss will be reworked into an AOE attack dealing damage to all enemies.

Starwatch Academy

With 0.3.9 coming out publicly this weekend and our writer back in full capacity, we're looking at the future with a new look. With Starwatch Academy's second anniversary coming this August, we're looking to release a significant update with 0.4.0 to shake things up with new and exciting content.

Up until now Starwatch has mostly been about going around the academy and interacting with a couple of people. In our initial plans for 0.4.0, we were looking to expand the game with areas beyond the academy, however Silent Echo's success has been a breath of fresh air and showed us we shouldn't be scared to experiment and change the formula a little bit to make the game more interesting.

In that spirit, we will be porting over Silent Echo's enhanced combat and squad system to Starwatch Academy.

With 0.4.0's campaign sending you to the stars as you take command of the Alliance cruiser AMS Eos, you will have access to Lieutenant Ann and Zara as squad members for your away team as you encounter the strange creatures scattered around the galaxy.

We will reveal more about 0.4.0 as development on that version continues. As it will take some time to complete it, we will release an intermediate patch, version 0.3.10 that concludes the events of Act 1, adds many fluff scenes with the current cast, and also introduce the first pieces of alternative underwear for the main character.

Our objective with this change is to broaden the possibilities of what we can offer to our players in the game. The academy will remain a central and important location where much of the game will happen, but we hope you're looking forward to this evolution as much as we are.

Have fun out there!