Next week we will announce our rollout schedule for the Closed Beta and the upcoming version 0.9. For the missing Kickstarter rewards (namely the Funcom items) we will update you as soon as we can. But for this weekend, I wish to take the time to share with you something I am truly excited about: our new mission system. Before I spoil you with the new UI and screenshots, here is some technical information about how this will work. The storyline in NT4 is organized in Theaters. Each Theater is a uniquely immersive experience in its writing and narrative style. Some of them will be more military; other Theaters will be more occult and enigmatic. A core organization is always at the center of a Theater. They are the one contracting NT4 in various missions and keeping tabs on our progression. A Theater also involves various actors: enemy factions, allies, etc... Non-linear progression lets you start with the mission you want, but some missions will have pre-requisites. A unique zero-day exploit, a specific piece of intel or a specific reputation level with an ally may be required to unlock a mission. Each mission may take from 1 to 5 chapters to complete. Secret mission a.018 parts 1, 2 and 3 are a good example of what would have been a 3 chapter mission in NT4. The mission center will give you a complete view of all the Theaters worldwide. Some Theaters will be added over time, and optional/secret Theaters will show up only if you have the specific requirements. For example, a Theater that involves real-life interaction (ex: email, LinkedIn, cell phone SMS) will be visible only if you opt-in as an orange level agent. We felt it was important that your work as a military hacker doesn't go unnoticed. Missions in NT4 will have various impacts on your reputation in the Intelligence Community. In that spirit, optional tasks are specifically designed to let you 'shape' this reputation. You can complete your mission as requested, or go the extra mile and help another faction, attack an enemy state or steal assets for your own profit. Each of your actions will affect the NT4 universe, and when you reach a tipping point, it will result in positive or negative consequences. Keep in mind that the NT4 political landscape is complex, and you will not be able to be friends with everyone... Mission briefings also have gotten a major overhaul. The briefings will be done by voice actors (original content) and crafted to be as immersive as possible. Instructions, maps, diagrams, intel, reports... some of the hardcore missions will include dozens of slides and a good 10 minutes of briefing. Don't worry, though; there will be plenty of casual missions to have fun with. But hardcore fans from the IC community will also have the ability to sharpen their skills on missions inspired by real life military events. In the past two weeks, we have built from the ground up all of the backend structures required to: - Create Theaters, missions and chapters - Redesign the mission center and the mission structure - Design a requirements system to let you unlock specific missions - Implement a reputation system This new system enables us to create a highly compelling and complex ecosystem. For example, a hypothetical scenario involves a series of 3 missions with the NSA. During your assignment, you have an opportunity to flag a list of compromised assets that you came across to MI6. (Optional Mission) By doing so, one of the compromised agents gets caught and extradited to their home country. (passive debuff) Later on, during a different mission, you are prevented from trading with a faction involved with this asset. (Not enough reputation due to the debuff) Eliminating the asset or gaining more reputation with this faction are two actions that could help you overcome the situation. Such rules may be complex to develop and, inevitably, prone to bugs. This new system enables us to manage complex scenarios with a very very limited amount of code and therefore fewer risks of bugs or sequence breaking. That's about it for now. I will be around on discord if you want to chat. Stay tuned for next week's announcement and have a great weekend!
Omg. Love it! I knew it things were going to change through alpha and beta but that’s a massive update and it looks great!
Man, I've been testing this game since right before the stinger OS got a facelift and it's been such a treat to watch it mature and shape into a seriously fascinating work of art. I feel lucky to have been a part of it and I can't wait to see what else lies in store. Future plans aside, this is one amazing-looking update!
The plan is to launch it Friday! We tweaked a little the mission panel: Mission Overview > We improved the Theater look so it can be more epic and have various level. Mission Details > The mission panel was also change to make it more unique compare to the mission overview. The rectangle projection will show real time data related to the mission. Reputation bar will now show the bonus you will get by completing the mission. A rollover on the optional tasks will also reveal the positive or negative impact this tasks may have on your reputation. Prototype> We have a prototype working and hope to release it Friday!
Don't get me wrong, I'm just as excited as the next person to see this become available! Updates have been very timely as it is and this is a big one. I am looking forward to Friday - but if it takes longer than that, I say take your time ; )
I got really excited when it started patching - then it said version 0.8.9. >.< DOH. I will just have to climb back aboard the hype train and wait for the next patch!
I did, really enjoyed this new approach. The implementation of the hydra terminal also adds a lot to the realism imo. Great job guys!
