We already know that many areas and features will improve in the next phase after alpha, and many elements that we have on the roadmap are not yet in. We’d like to let you know some of these things we are going to work on, so you have an idea what lies ahead.
Animations
We know the game’s animation need polish, both on the gunplay and movement. Our team has been focused on making sure we get all the content in – and there is a plenty of it! We managed to get all the critical animations into this build, which by itself was a huge push from the team. In the next phase we are planning to make the guns really feel powerful, connect recoil into the animations and to do a pass on making sure the gunplay feels tighter.
Also, we are aware that the movement is not as fluid as it could be, especially around leaning and vaulting.
Visual customization and personification
In alpha, we’ve focused on core gameplay, second to second/combat and basic player progression and crafting.
Customization is an important part of the game and we want to make sure that, later down the line, you can create the type of mercenary you want to be. This applies both to your character and weapons.
On the character side, we want to let you change things like gender, ethnicity, or predefined faces. In addition, you will be able to customize your mercenary with different clothing and visuals. On weapons, we’re looking into adding more functional parts, cleaning some of the existing ones, and adding cool visual touches so you can make the gun truly yours.
Menus and crafting
While we haven’t put in all the info and polish on the menus yet, you can start seeing the final menus emerge.
Probably the biggest and most painfully obvious missing part are the more detailed explanations, tutorials and onboarding. We have several complex systems in the game, but currently there is little communication about how they work.
In alpha, you can either just breeze through these systems, or if you want, you can get deeper into it with us on our social media and Discord channels. Future iterations of the game will be updated to make sure everyone can understand these systems without having to join Discord.
Performance
We have done some performance improvements, but low-spec machine performance and server-side tick rate optimization are not the current focus in alpha. We will tackle this in the future.
We know there is a lot to optimize, and we want to allow players with older specs to be able to play and enjoy the game while not getting annoying glitches or unfair bonuses in visibility or playability. On the server side, we want to get the tick-rate much higher in the future, so players will be able to enjoy a smooth game.
Balance
In terms of gun and armor balance, alpha should show us how far off we are with our predicted values. This will give us a better starting position for future.
Game balancing is never done; it is a continuous process. Alpha is just the beginning on the long journey of looking for the right balance that create players with fair chances, options and variability.
Now that you know what to expect from the future of Nine to Five, we hope that you jump into the alpha and experience what we have crafted for you so far. Please leave feedback and join the discussions in Discord or social media. Thank you!
With love,
Redhill Games Team
