roadtovostok
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Upcoming Events & Demo Topics
🕑 Added 2025-08-24 15:54:48 +0000 UTCHi!, here's a little info about the "final demo" and few events around that.
I just registered on two events (more coming later) which are:
Finnish Gaming Week: Steam Event (Oct. 6 - Oct. 10) https://www.finnishgamesweek.com/steam
Steam Next Fest (Oct. 13 - Oct. 20)
https://store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest
The main goal of these events is to start "ramping up" the exposure / marketing efforts as we get closer to the potential early access launch windows. This goal also involves providing a small taste of the early access features in a form of this "final demo" and getting some feedback about the new features etc.
Then few more topics related to the demo limitations that I partly discussed few posts ago here on Patreon.
When it comes to this "final demo" that will be released in October, that demo will be a bit different compared to the previous ones. Here's an explanation about the difference and some topics around that.
For the past ~9 months, I have been putting all my efforts on building this "commercial version" of the project. The main goal with the commercial version is to create a major experience gap between the free demos and upcoming early access. In other words, when you're eventually playing the early access, it should feel like you're playing a highly improved version of the demo with bunch extra features / content etc.
This experience gap topic is really, really important, since one of the ways I could potentially screw up the early access launch potential is a scenario where the commercial version would feel like "same old, same old..." or "this is just like that free demo..." etc. So, in order to make sure this experience gap is big enough, I have stored a huge number of commercial features for the early access, for example:
4x map size
UI overhaul
Magazine system
Grenades & lasers
Day & night cycle
Dynamic weather
Dynamic events
Shelter customization
Multi-shelter support
Voice acting
Boats & fishing
Faction bosses
New traders
New weapons
New animations
Visual improvements
220 unique items
much much more
And how all this is related to that final demo?
In the previous demos, I have basically shared everything that I have created at the moment, but this time if I would share everything for free, I would basically dissolve that experience gap for the early access that I have worked really hard for a long time. Also, if I would dissolve that gap now, it means that I would need to start building that gap once again which means huge amount of additional development time and missing certain suitable launch windows etc.
So the main difference between the previous demos and this upcoming "final demo" is that I have to keep this specific demo pretty limited, so the actual early access will still feel a highly improved version of the demo. To be totally honest, I'm kind of struggling a bit with this topic, since there's this dilemma and questions like:
What should I limit from this "final demo"?,
How I can keep that experience gap but still provide a bunch of new stuff in October?,
What kind of "a small taste" of the early access is enough to keep people interested?,
I have around one more week to fiddle around with this topic until I have to make final decisions about the demo features, what will be limited and what will be included. I will be sharing this info and more details about those potential early access launch windows in the next YT devlog which comes early September.
ps. Even though the tone of this post was a bit "it's complicated" this is still a positive issue when you so much new content that you don't know what to do with it.
psps. I had to upload some new media assets (attached to the post) to the Steam page because the Next Fest registration. So if you are wondering, all these screenshots like the new video asset on store page (store trailer) are there just as a placeholders before the actual early access media assets and trailer (later this year).
- Antti (Developer)
Comments
Joris Overeijnder
without giving things too much thought: definately add in all QOL features and visual stuff, this will give the best possible first impression. i think keeping out the bosses, dynamic systems, fishing, base building and some or all of the new weapons and attachments wwould be fine for the demo. that way there's a real upgrade from demo to game.
SKIDIA
I can't wait anymore...
