Hello everyone, Nexxtic here.

I hope you’ve all been doing well! As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the state of the game and the progress of our Early Access.

I’ll summarize the major changes and improvements we’ve made so far, and give you a glimpse of what’s coming next. Chapter 2 has been in full production since July, but in the meantime, I’ve been dedicating time to maintaining the current Steam version with occasional help from other people in the team.

Let's get started!

If you’re just here for the highlights of what we've done so far, or just want to see the future plans, feel free to skip ahead.

The decision to launch Selaco in Early Access was made about three years ago, shortly after we posted our Realms Deep 2021 gameplay video. With the story already written we quickly realized that, given its scale, starting 'small' was the only realistic path forward. This wasn’t an easy decision, and we had long discussions about the best approach. The concept of Early Access isn't loved by everyone, and since we often play these type of games ourselves, we completely understand why some feel that way.

From the start, we aimed to make Early Access a meaningful part of development. Instead of releasing a small portion of the game and making players wait for new content (something that can take over a year), we launched with a 10-hour-long chapter to see how it landed among players. Then, as feedback rolled in, we apply course corrections where needed while simultaneously working on the second chapter. This approach helps us understand our own game better.

We looked at how Early Access was handled in its earlier days. Games like 'The Forest' and 'Don’t Starve' stood out to me, as they were actively building the game alongside their community.

I think we've done a good job communicating with players across multiple platforms so far, and have no intent to change this. There isn’t a single post on the Steam forums or Reddit that we haven’t read or acknowledged. The extensive list of changes below is a direct result of these dialogues.

We truly hope it shows!


Since our launch in May 2024, we’ve rolled out over 10 updates to improve the core game, fix bugs, and occasionally add new bits and pieces.

If you’ve reviewed the game in the past, please consider updating your review if your biggest issues have been addressed. As a small studio, reviews are crucial and help immensely.

Below is what we've worked on so far. Keep in mind that this is not everything we've done since then, only the most noteworthy changes.

• Added Special Campaign - a new take on New Game Plus and Randomizer Modes
  
• Introduced Unlocking System, allowing players to gain new modes or features by completing certain tasks
  
• Enabled Public Beta feature for early access to experimental features
  
• Added additional Weapon Upgrades and Weapon Kits
  
• Major reworks to difficulty, weapon balance and combat
  
• Added 'Selaco Must Fall' difficulty, an intentionally unbeatable difficulty mode
  
• Added Workshop Support
  
• Added an option to roll back to previous versions
  
• Added GeForce NOW and Steam Cloud Gaming support
  
• Option to play the original demo build from nearly 3 years ago
  
• Full Steam Deck support, including Valve's verification
  
• (Upcoming) Story content and character dialog updates

• Added Steam Trading Cards and Point Shop
  
• Weapon Kits now persist across playthroughs
  
• Introduced Smart Ammo Pickup system
  
• Save Protection system to avoid unfair deaths due to unpredictable AI actions
  
• Option to change campaign difficulty mid-playthrough
  
• Increased number of checkpoints
  
• Smart Tutorial System to ensure tutorials are not repeated on replays
  
• Reworked player dodging to be more useful and provide better visual feedback
  
• Improved headshot feedback for better readability and impact
  
• Added Backpack Reloading
  
• Improved grenade-throwing responsiveness
  
• Additional accessibility options
  
• Added ‘Resume Game’ button to the Main Menu
  
• Implemented Cloud Saving
  
• Improved visual readability for frozen enemies
  
• Engine rework to maintain save compatibility with every update
  
• Expanded map screen with more icons and better controls
  
• Rebalanced difficulty settings
  
• Improved keycard visibility
  
• Added 'Smoke Density' setting for additional visibility
  
• Enhanced weapon upgrade station UI
  
• Added Audio Device settings to switch playback device in real-time
  
• Added option to skip intro screens
  
• Improved enemy footstep audio localization
  
• Reworked Ice Damage for greater utility
  
• Added melee kicking when fists are equipped
  
• Implemented a proper framerate limiter
  
• Reworked certain game sections to improve combat flow and signposting
  
• Vastly improved stability, resolving nearly every crash report received (Not all, but many!)
  
• Improved menu descriptions and UI clarity
  
• Added a custom ammo system for the shotgun
  
• Default values are now displayed in the options menu
  
• Fixed at least 1,000 bugs (rough estimate as we didn't keep count lol)

• Numerous improvements to immersion, including refined audio, effects, and interactables
  
• Introduced 'Extended Bullet Casings' graphical setting
  
• Reworked rain visuals, including puddles and splatter effects
  
• Added Healing Stations
  
• Added numerous ambient sound systems to help make the world feel more alive
  
• Most objects now feature unique sound effects upon collision with the player
  
• Enhanced muzzle flashes for greater impact
  
• Implemented 'Object Bumping' system
  
• Greatly improved gore visuals and audio
  
• Added new statistics to the Data Pad
  
• Included additional Data Pads for world-building
  
• Improved interactions for falling objects
  
• Multiple iterations on particle effect improvements
  
• Drastically improved explosion effects, including surface-specific effects (e.g., wood splinters on wooden floors), force and more
  
• Upgraded weapon sound effects for added punch
  
• Added maggots
  
• Players can now pet VAC-Bots as often as they want

• Reworked enemy stagger system
  
• Enemies now react to the player’s flashlight
  
• Added dialog for sound-based alerts
  
• Enemies now throw grenades at the player’s last known position
  
• Enemies now throw grenades at allies (Combat VAC-Bots, Sentry Guns)
  
• Patrolling behavior added for enemies that lose sight of the player
  
• Added AI reactions for being shot in the leg
  
• Improved enemy tactics, such as being more defensive when losing squadmates
  
• Introduced new enemy callouts

• Introduced a system to unlock new Mutators
  
• Added customization options for Mutators
  
• New Mutators
  
  • "Hard-Boiled!" - Adds new layers of difficulty
    
  • "Armor Up" - Increases armor durability
    
  • "Extra Ammo" - Ammo pickups have an increase in quantity
    
  • "Defensive Enemies" - Makes enemies take on a more defensive combat style
    
  • "Half-Like" - Removes or reduces gamified elements like secrets and intermission screens
    
  • "Burger Flipper Start" - Begin the game with the true GOTY of 2024: Burger Flipper
    
  • "Legacy Item Pickups" - Removes Smart Ammo Pickups

Two things I want to get out of the way first:

• The goal of the roadmap is to provide a rough idea of what we're doing, not give deadlines.
  
• We will provide deadlines when we're confident with them, otherwise we'll be giving rough estimates!

Roadmaps, at least for us, often negatively impact development quality and leave little room to experiment with new ideas. Experimentation takes time, while roadmaps are schedule-focused and push us to chase deadlines without giving enough space to look back and improve upon older systems. I want to give the team (and by extension, myself) time to cook and try different things.

When something is in progress or priorities need to shift, we’ll let you know through blog posts like these almost right away!

Below is what we are currently working on, or are in the planning stages with.

• Chapter 2
  This is where most of our resources are currently being spent. As we've said since the start, both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 will be quite a bit shorter than Chapter 1, but in exchange, they're a lot punchier on a minute-to-minute basis.
  
  It introduces new weapons, new tools, new enemies, allied NPCs, hundreds of new voxel decorations, overhauls the 'weaker' gameplay systems, gives Chapter 1 a good facelift, and more. We'll need a good amount of time to cook this one up and will share an ETA when we have a release date.
  
  
• Story Elements
  Currently being worked on. Originally aimed to launch in November, but we shifted focus toward the Special Campaign instead to amp up the replay value early on. We’re aiming to launch this in Q1 2025.
  
  
• New Special Campaign features
  Enemy Traits, Battle Chests, and other randomization features are planned for the second half of 2025.
  
  
• Engine Upgrade
  We’re actively working on upgrading to a new engine version that brings better performance, improved rendering features, improved compatibility with specific hardware combinations and more. While we initially aimed to release a test build in December, we couldn’t quite meet that deadline. We want to avoid giving an ETA for the time being, but we’ll keep you updated! It should not be much longer!
  
  
• Making Safe Rooms More Interesting
  The Big Chapter 2 Update will upgrade every Safe Room in the game by adding new facilities.
  
  
• Wave Survival Mode
  This mode is called 'Incursions,' and we started prototyping this 5 years ago. We will eventually pick this back up and finish it. It will be a while, however, as it also requires us to get a new dedicated level designer onboard to create deathmatch-style layouts. We'll plan this out after we've launched Chapter 2.
  
  
• Swapping Weapon Kits During Gameplay
  Currently, you can only switch Weapon Kits in Safe Rooms. We plan to change this by allowing players to select two Weapon Kits in Safe Rooms and swap between them during gameplay, at the expense of a slight delay while switching. For example, you’ll be able to use both Nail Gun Turrets and the Shotgun Module without being limited to just one, but switching in combat will take a second or two.
  
  
• Enemy AI
  A ton of stuff is planned over the course of Early Access, including a cover system for enemies, a reliable Last Known Position system, the ability for them to prone, a buddy system where individual squad mates can group up and stay close together, and more.
  
  
• Reducing FOMO Elements
  One common piece of feedback is the frustration of missing out on Weapon Kits, which can feel like missing part of the intended experience given their significance. To address this, we’re introducing a system where missed Weapon Kits can be purchased in Safe Rooms using credits. While exploration is still the better approach since it doesn’t cost you any credits, this will give players an alternative method.
  
  
• Some upgrades aren't worth the Weapon parts
  We are aware. Consider a few of the upgrades placeholders for the time being. With the game being unfinished, there are only a limited number of parameters to work with, but we aim to redo a few of these closer to v1.0.

As ever, while we are confident with all of this, plans and dates may be subject to change.

And... that’s it for the last blog post of 2024! If you have suggestions or concerns, feel free to share them in the comments, and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

It has been an exciting (and somewhat strange) year for us. Launching Selaco has been a dream come true and not something we ever considered possible 5 years ago. Seeing the game grow over time and slowly shape into what we have today is a very surreal experience, yet something I’d gladly do all over again.

On behalf of the team at Altered Orbit Studios, we wish you a very Happy New Year! Take care, and we’ll see you in 2025!

- Nexxtic

Hey everyone,

As we actively work on the Story Update launching in February, we felt the need to address some issues in the current build of the game. As such, we’re releasing a quick update to improve stability and add a few new features. This update is now available!

The Winter Sale has begun, and we’ve put the game on another discount. Just like with our Autumn Sale, if you purchased the game earlier this week at full price, you should be able to get the difference refunded by contacting Steam Support. We're completely fine with you doing this.

Let's talk about some of the changes in this update!

• Added in-game credits upon entering Level 3-2.
  
• Introduced new shotgun visual effects.
  
• Minor health nerf for Enforcers.
  
• Improved debugging information. This should make it easier to solve technical problems moving forward.

• Added a 'Compensate Item Pickups' setting.
  
• Milestones are now available from the start.
  
• Earthquakes no longer break car hitboxes.
  
• Mammoth Turret is no longer affected by earthquakes.
  
• Fixed an issue where enemies would spawn inside doorways.
  
• Resolved a sloppy oversight preventing custom enemies from spawning. This ended up being more broken than anticipated. Apologies for that.
  
• Fixed the Vampire Trait not providing health correctly.
  
• Slug Generator now functions as intended.

• Prevented soft locks in Level 3-2b. An upcoming update early next week will see further stability
  fixes here.
  
• Pulling Metal Signs from walls no longer causes them to briefly clip through the wall behind them.
  
• In-game menus (e.g., Weapon Upgrade menu) no longer stay on-screen after a player death.
  
• Resolved accessibility issues where "Dim muzzle flashes" didn’t work as intended.
  
• Weapon auto-switching is now forced when the player acquires a weapon while unarmed.
  
• Fixed flames having an unintendedly large damage radius.
  
• Adjusted the static crosshair to be non-additive, improving visibility in bright environments.
  
• Corrected an issue where enemies wouldn’t react to taking damage.
  
• Tasked Zynzu Entertainment with fixing numerous bugs in Burger Flipper. They happily obliged as long as they may launch a feature update for Chapter 2!
  
• Fixed patrolling enemies lacking animations.
  
• Resolved spark effects spawning at incorrect offsets on metal signs.
  
• Fixed a progression issue with the Tychus Challenge not rewarding a Weapon Kit on repeat playthroughs.
  
• Attempted fix for a rare issue where the Cloning Plant Elevator Panel would no longer respond to input.
  
• Addressed multiple startup crashes -- please report any ongoing issues if you are still affected by this!
  
• Resolved Rifle Start taking unintended credits upon level entry.
  
• Dawn no longer takes damage when slide-kicking into dinner plates.
  
• Printers no longer display as an 'X' sprite when destroyed by explosions.
  
• Fixed a crash when punching Crawler Mines.
  
• Resolved a soft lock in Exploration Mode.
  
• Ensured "Selaco Must Fall" unlocks for players who completed the game in earlier builds.
  
• Medical Posters now display proper tags instead of "MedicalPaper2" or "MedicalPaper3."
  
• Fixed numerous typos throughout the game.

We’ll perform another quick round of bug fixes before Christmas. If you believe something crucial is missing, let us know so we can address it. Perhaps in the comments below!

Remember, our Public Beta Branch is available to everyone. This branch includes new content and fixes long before the Live Branch, providing an opportunity for players who prefer a quicker feedback loop over stability. Be aware that these updates are largely untested, so stability isn’t guaranteed.

We typically don’t ask for votes, but after learning we might stand a chance to win the First Person Shooter category, we’ve started taking it seriously. For small self-published teams like us, an award like this is a tremendous honor.

If you enjoy the game, please consider voting for Selaco or any other game you think deserves recognition. No account is required to vote, thankfully!

Click here to vote!

Thank you all for your continued support and for reporting issues. Your feedback makes a significant difference here!

We’ve aimed to be highly active during Selaco’s Early Access period, and we hope our numerous updates over the last six months properly reflect that. While Selaco is still far from finished, the progress we’ve made is staggering! Bigger updates are coming, including a gigantic Chapter 2 update in the far future, but for now, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on the upcoming story update; which is still planned to launch on February 2025.

Good luck out there, captains!