Year 2

During 2024 I kept working on Salvage, implementing many new things, improving and tweaking others, and making some changes. Some big decisions were made to the scope, which will shorten the development time of the game by simplifying things.

Please note that ALL of the UI you see here is placeholder and subject to change. As well as some models.

Here is an exhaustive list of all the significant changes:

Removing the inventory screen & Trader

The most fundamental shift in direction this year was to move the game from a looter/extraction game, to a narrative-driven game, with looting. What this means is that I have removed the inventory screen, and the ability for the player to change space suits or bags. They can still find and equip their tools like a flashlight, welder, battery, etc, however the focus is now on looting enough gear to get to the next level.

The player will have the choice of just playing it as an exploration game, and finding loot in the nooks and crannies of the ship, or they can investigate a bit deeper and try to piece together the mystery of what happened to these ships...

Removing the oxygen system

With the switch from being a looter/extraction game, I decided it was best to disable the oxygen mechanic. I believe this was now a 'cursed problem' (video) where there would be a conflict between the player having a limited time on the ship, being at odds with expecting the player to explore and find all the loot as well as solve a narrative mystery. I want the player to be able to take their time now, and take in the atmosphere, so it was removed, ironically.

Implemented a streamlined 'loot container' system

Taking some inspiration from other survival games, with the removal of the inventory screen, I needed a way to show the player looting items from containers. There is now a radial bar that fills up as the player loots containers, and it shows the item and its value as the player discovers them during the process.

To clarify - the player can find loot, but it will either be equipment the player can equip and use, or arbitrary items like documents, hard drives, food/water, etc, which only contribute to their 'collect enough loot' goal.

Received first player ship modules (ongoing)

It is always exciting to receive some new models, and I am very excited to share these images of the player ship interior. It is a WIP but I love the direction we're going in.

Added quickslots

With the removal of the player inventory screen I needed a way to show the player what their options are in terms of tools. Hence the good old quickslot bar. Now as the player collects tools, the quickslot bar fills up, allowing you to simply press a number to equip a given tool.

On top of this, the primary and secondary equipment slots are always visible, with keybind indicators to make life easier.

Added key binding UI to interact with objects

Now when you mouse-over an interactable object in the game, your crosshair will tell you what button to press to interact with it.

Added crouching

Now you can finally pick up those items on the floor! I also look forward to adding in some obstacles that force you to crouch, to take full advantage of this.

Added crushing

The world of 'Salvage' is a dangerous one, and what kind of sci-fi setting would be complete without doors that can crush you?

Implemented terminals with personnel logs and audio logs

In order to convey the narrative to the player, I have opted for personnel, ship and audio logs, which are available on terminals throughout the ships.

Started work on player ship computer for travelling to derelicts

As a placeholder I have created the player ship computer in a basic form, to allow you to select a ship to travel to and/or explore.

Added door cranks

Some ships have no power, and perhaps if you don't have the tool, you can use this nifty door crank to force open the door, albeit very slowly...

Implemented first person equipment models

You can now see what you are holding!

Added keypads

These are currently placeholder until I get the model, but they are interactable, requiring a 4-digit pin. In future there will be a keypad cracker.

Added 'goal' system

Now you can always see what your goal/s are, in the top right corner of the UI it will say so.

Fixed many, many bugs.

Speaks for itself!

No Demo this year

I know that last year I released a 'demo' but I regret it. It was like releasing a few sentences of a novel, and a work in progress novel at that. It was so far removed from the final vision of the game that it was not worth doing, and it still isn't. I'm going to avoid a demo until it is in a much closer place to how I want the final game to be.

Final thoughts

I believe this new direction for 'Salvage' being a narrative-driven game simplifies the design and direction I have to move in, so that's a good thing. I look forward to reaching out to writer/s to help flesh out the ideas I have for the story, to make it more realised and novel.

If you've read this or have shown an interest in this game, thank you, it means a lot to me. This is a passion project and I don't expect to make any money off it (and I don't care).

I put about 5-7 hours of work into it a week, so it is slow going, but I'm not about to stop :)

You can still always email me at:

radicals.radgames@gmail.com

Announcing 'Salvage'

For the past 12 months or so we've been working away on our next game: 'Salvage'.

Run-down

Salvage is a single player science-fiction game focussing on survival, exploration, looting and navigating the dangers within the world. You play as a deep space salvager, who moves from derelict spaceship to derelict spaceship, in the hopes of finding valuable items you can trade to survive. It is a harsh world where people struggle to survive, in the vastness of space, fuel and food are limited resources.

Story

The story is still being developed, however the primary gameplay loop will always be sandbox travel from level-to-level, or ship-to-ship. Though there is no focus on combat or weaponry, that does not mean there are no dangers. With mother nature, environmental hazards, foreign lifeforms and illnesses, you have enough to worry about.

Demo

This demo (we hesitate to even call it that), is simply a presentation of what has been accomplished in the past 12 months. It is still unfinished and it is only one small slice, of a whisper, of the essence of the final game concept. it is just one level, and would take the average player about 10 minutes to complete.

The gameplay loop.

The core gameplay loop will be:

• Starting in your own small craft, you search for a derelict spaceship

• You find one that seems to match your current abilities and preparations (small ship, minimal dangers reported)

• You travel there and start the level

• You have limited Oxygen, meaning you'll want to get in and out quickly

• You navigate hazards and find loot along the way

• You escape back to your ship, then find a nearby trading hub to sell your loot.

Goals

The goals for development are:

2024:

• Finish the player's ship

• Finish the first level

• Finish the first trading hub

This is as far forward as we want to plan, but we are excited by the idea of eventually having a dozen hand-made levels with the possibility of some random-generation. However we believe strongly that a hand-crafted world is usually far more interesting and nuanced than a randomly-generated one.

Credits

I (Radicals) have worked on Salvage in my spare time, as I work another job full-time. I'm doing the programming, level design, UI and sound. But I look forward to getting some help in some of these areas.

I have been assisted by a friend of mine who has created the amazing interior environment/3D assets for this first level, you can find their portfolio here.

Another artist has helped create the loot-able items in the level, they are on Fiverr here.

Inspirations

Being a lifelong fan of the 'Alien' movies there is a tremendous amount of visual and "feel" inspiration from them, particularly 'Alien' and 'Aliens'.

In terms of gameplay inspiration, I took inspiration from one of my favourite games: 'The Long Dark' as well as other looting games like 'Escape From Tarkov', 'Dark and Darker', 'DayZ' and 'Alien: Isolation'.

Concept art

A salvager emerging from a jammed door, exploring a lonely corridor.

A salvager collecting some hidden documents, being stalked by an unknown entity.

Screenshots

Playthrough Video

You can view a narrated playthrough here, be warned - it contains spoilers!

Thoughts

This game has a large scope for a small studio. With only one part-time developer and 2 artists, this project will likely be years-long and will be a work-in-progress for a long time. We are very excited to keep expanding this world and hope that you can join us for the journey.

Download & Play

You can download and play the demo here.

We will update this blog seasonally, so once every 3 months with progress.

Feedback

Feedback on the game is always welcome! There is an anonymous form and a bug tracker here, though it requires a Google login (to prevent spamming).

You can email us at:

radicals.radgames@gmail.com