What’s that? In-game footage you say? Yes! We have released our first pre-alpha gameplay footage.
I had considered doing some commentary over the video to explain some of what is going on, but I didn’t want to talk over the awesome music. So instead I will try to break down some of the new stuff here.
The biggest addition to the game in the last couple weeks has been the datapad. This is one of the tools that will be an invaluable resource for you as you explore and document the planet’s surface. We are trying to keep all the HUD and UI elements as immersive as possible, so nearly all the game’s menu screens will be contained within the physical datapad.
Audio playback is one of the datapad’s many functions (some others I’m sure you can gleen from the other menu items). In this video we hear an audio log from a previous crew member who discusses a drilling site where he accidentally left behind some tools. Despite his intentions he never did return to collect them as we find out later in the video (hmm, what happened to him?). Luckily he gives us the exact coordinates of the drilling site. In the final game you will have the option to input these coordinates as a custom marker on your compass, but for the purposes of this example the compass marker is automatically displayed.
On our way to the site we come across a decent sized dust devil which makes for some cool moments with the dynamic soundtrack. Moving on, we trek across the lowest point in the valley, eventually making our way to the drilling site. The music builds as we reach our destination and indeed we find the wayward tools. At several points you will notice a blue outline around the tools. This is an optional feature to help some players find key objects and locations. It can be turned on and off at any time just as is demonstrated in the video.
Finally we look upon the setting sun. We have sped up the passing of time just to show the full range of lighting effects. In the game time will pass quickly, but not quite this quickly. One real-world second will equal about 1 in-game minute. And as you might expect, Mars can be a foreboding place in the dark of night.
Thanks for watching our first gameplay video. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.