Xenonauts-2 September Update!

[Chris]

We're now approaching the end of September and after a period of relative (public) inactivity the project is once again entering exciting times. We've been quiet for the last couple of months because the features we have been implementing were large enough to render the game unplayable until they were finished, but our core team and many of our freelancers have also taken a summer break last month.

We did get a lot of work done, though - which you can see in the changelog for Closed Beta V7! The biggest change was the addition of the X1-style base system, which also involved reworking a lot of the functionality around how radars and interceptors work (because they are now housed in bases rather than direct on the Geoscape). Since then work has continued on the code and UI required to build and control multiple dropships and allow assignment of soldiers between them, something the original design of Xenonauts-2 had simplified out (as it assumed one base and one dropship). This is a big task but it is nearly complete now.

Short-Term Goals:
Since the release of Closed Beta V7 we've begun making a concerted effort to address the problems that are stopping Xenonauts 2 being a playable and enjoyable game. This broadly involves three things:

• Stability fixes
• Fixing holes in the "foundation" gameplay
• Adding more content

V7 had a lot of bugs and technical issues in it, but we've largely got on top of them now. That means we've started looking at the "foundation" gameplay and working to address the gaping holes in it. What do I mean by that?

Well, much of the game is now functional from a code perspective, but right now the beta builds don't really feel like a game - there are a few missing / unfinished puzzle pieces that are spoiling the whole experience. To take the strategy layer as an example; from a code perspective the Geoscape works, the interceptors / UFOs work, the base mechanics work, the research tree works, the engineering projects work, base stores work, equipping your soldiers works, etc.

So why can't you properly play and enjoy the strategy layer? The biggest reason I can see is the lack of meaningful air combat. The builds are set up so any air combat can be won using auto-resolve until we make a final decision on what air combat model we want to use. But being able to win any air combat with a single basic interceptor means there's very little strategic challenge and the Geoscape ceases to be interesting. The air combat is part of the foundations of the strategy layer and without it the whole game collapses.

The three big things we are working on at the moment are the air combat, the soldier assignment management, and restyling and cleaning up the UI. In each case we're reverting to a model closer to the first Xenonauts in order to get the game playable and possessing a minimal level of polish as soon as possible - once we've got an experience people are playing and enjoying we can then resume changing things and adding new stuff. You can read more about the air combat changes in this thread here.

Some people may end up feeling like the game is regressing by moving closer to X1, and that's understandable - but in many cases this will just be temporary. The placeholder art from X1 will be replaced with better art in time, and the gameplay systems will be expanded and developed further. The base mechanics will hopefully be proof of this; if all goes well the final new base structure tile art will arrive in the next month and the base mechanics (which are already more complex than those in X1) will continue to improve.

Anyway, to counterbalance this feeling of regression, we're going to make an effort to get a bit more art and writing content into the game in the near future. I suspect people won't mind seeing a familiar UI on the Aircraft screen so much if the starting plane isn't the old Condor from Xenonauts 1 with exactly the same weapons as they remember. The same thing applies with the soldier armour designs, too. This may mean adding content that is not 100% finished, but hopefully people would rather see a semi-finished new piece of tech than finished artwork they already know from X1.

Anyway, that's probably enough for now. As a heads up we're intending to release V8 next week, on Tuesday 1st October - if it doesn't appear on that date, it'll be because we're working through technical problems. It's difficult to say right now whether we'll be able to get the X1 air combat model or the updated soldier management systems into V8, but if not then we'll likely release V9 two weeks later and include them in that!

[Sheelin]

Maybe this is not the right place to post, but didn't found a better one. Got this email Sept 26th. 
Is the code for Steam or GOG?

 

Xenonauts 2 was released today!

	You have access to its Xenonauts 2. Early access Your activation key: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXX

 

[Chris]

On 9/28/2019 at 11:06 PM, Sheelin said:

Maybe this is not the right place to post, but didn't found a better one. Got this email Sept 26th. 
Is the code for Steam or GOG?

 

Xenonauts 2 was released today!

	You have access to its Xenonauts 2. Early access Your activation key: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXX

 

No idea - but if you didn't specifically request a key for GOG then you'll have been sent a Steam key. The format looks like a Steam key but it's hard to tell for sure.

[mitrida]

patch notes for v8?

[Sheelin]

19 hours ago, Chris said:

No idea - but if you didn't specifically request a key for GOG then you'll have been sent a Steam key. The format looks like a Steam key but it's hard to tell for sure.

Uhm... so since Steam doesn't appear to have X2 Early Access available to download (if it does, then not in my country), I'll keep using the one I get through the "Goldhawk Xsolla Downloader"? Or is there another more recent version available somewhere else (a part GOG)? Sorry, but I'm not keeping up much with the news on the game, so I'm quite uninformed. :/

Edited October 2, 2019 by Sheelin

[Chris]

21 hours ago, Sheelin said:

Uhm... so since Steam doesn't appear to have X2 Early Access available to download (if it does, then not in my country), I'll keep using the one I get through the "Goldhawk Xsolla Downloader"? Or is there another more recent version available somewhere else (a part GOG)? Sorry, but I'm not keeping up much with the news on the game, so I'm quite uninformed. :/

Don't worry, the Steam key should work fine. Have you tried redeeming it? It's a special type of key that gives backers access to the current builds even though the game isn't on sale there yet.

[Sheelin]

8 hours ago, Chris said:

Don't worry, the Steam key should work fine. Have you tried redeeming it? It's a special type of key that gives backers access to the current builds even though the game isn't on sale there yet.

Didn't think about it. Done now. Worked. Thank you

[Alienkiller]

V8 Beta will come, but delayed. So we have to be patient. It´s better to have a stabilized Beta than a CTD-Beta about the new / changed Features.

And the news here about stability Fixes etc. are good, that´s what the Betas need with the reset to some old features without changes to X1 (like Basebuild ).