Captains,
It's finally time to start talking properly about Chapter 2. We've been eager to share more, and we’ve now reached a stage of development where we can do so, with teases continuing in the months ahead.
But first, Selaco is 30% off during the Winter Sale. If you picked up the game within the last week at full price, you should be able to contact Valve to have the difference refunded. To increase your odds, link them to this blog post!
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592280/Selaco/"]
We usually kick things off with a State of Development, but we know most of you are here for Chapter 2 information, so let's break tradition and jump straight into it!
- New Chapter 2 Info -
Summary of prior information
Let's start by summarizing what is always known. We previously went in-depth on several of the changes coming to Chapter 2, which you can read more about here. To summarize the key points discussed:
Chapter 2 Levels will have bigger environments, and will introduce allied soldiers who can fight by your side.
All Chapter 1 levels will be improved, both in terms of level design and visuals.
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) elements tied to Weapon Kits will be reworked. More on that later in this post.
Optional Goal Markers can be enabled on the map to make navigation easier. These markers don't show you how to reach the objective, but they provide a much better frame of reference and greatly reduce frustration for players who tend to get lost. This feature is disabled in Hardcore Mode.
AI has been significantly improved. Pathfinding has been completely reworked from the ground up, and enemy decision-making is far more advanced - resulting in more dynamic fights and smarter ambushes.
A brand-new Light Baking System has been introduced, enabling proper shadow casting from all light sources while also improving performance. A wonderful win-win optimization.
All visual effects now use the new Particle System, leading to a major performance boost, especially during combat. Smoke has also been completely reworked from scratch to capture the same intensity but be far less demanding on your hardware.
Much more VO will be added! Including player barks, enemy callouts, friendly radio chatter and much more.
Safe Rooms now feature a machine that allows you to adjust Mutators. You are no longer locked into the same Mutators for an entire run.
If you have the time, I highly recommend reading the full post, especially if you had concerns you were hoping to see addressed.
Now, for the new stuff!
New Screenshots
These screenshots are from the first level of Chapter 2, which will be the largest level in the game. Much of it takes place outdoors and guides players through everyday locations many people will find familiar, including apartments, a college campus, a sushi restaurant, a subway, and more.
All screenshots are Work in Progress and will very likely change
The Kessler Estate
Exodus Apartments
Streets
Subway (One screenshot because this map is in the middle of its Polishing Pass!)
Heavy Weapons
Heavy Weapons are a new addition in Chapter 2 and add an additional layer of decision-making to combat. These guns are extremely powerful, but they come with a major trade-off where they cannot be stored in your inventory and will limit your movement options.
Here is one of the Heavy Weapons:
The Mutator Machine
These can be found in every Safe room and allows you to adjust Mutators during the campaign. On top of that, Chapter 2 will introduce many new Mutators to play around with to further improve the replay value of the Campaign.
New Enemy Type: Tanks!
Our development build now supports vehicle AI, and with that came the introduction of a Tank unit! We will show him off properly very soon. There's a snippet of the tank in action on this Social Media post.
Other enemies
Here are some teases:
These aren't all the new enemies, though! More to be announced later.
Drop Pods
Chapter 2 takes place when a brand new wave of Invaders are making their way to Selaco. As such, you'll frequently encounter them right as they land, surprising you with a sudden attack.
In the Randomizer Mode, Drop Pods can land randomly when venturing the exterior regions.
(This is the authentic in-development build experience, so please ignore the 'Replace Me' text that we did not notice until after the GIF was made!)
New toys!
Chapter 2 more than doubles the number of available Grenade Types compared to Chapter 1. Players can carry up to three different grenade types at any time. If you attempt to pick up a fourth, it will automatically replace the currently selected grenade.
As with other weapons, all grenade types can be fully upgraded and feature their own Weapon Kits, allowing for deeper customization.
One of the new additions is the Sentinel Drone - a robotic companion that follows you and provides covering fire.
Dawn Upgrades
Chapter 2 introduces a new resource that lets you upgrade your character directly and allows you to lean into your preferred way of playing. Do you enjoy Heavy Weapons? You can invest in upgrades that increase their ammo capacity, allowing them to stay in action longer. Lean more toward mobility? Pick upgrades that boost your mobility options instead.
You won't be able to unlock every upgrade in a single run, so your choices matter. We're also experimenting with Classifications, which let you gain a powerful bonus in one area at the cost of a trade-off elsewhere.
Requisitions
A new tab in the Weapon Upgrade Station lets you spend Credits to purchase items you might need along the way. For example: if you want to use Sentinel Drones more often but haven't had any luck finding them, you can buy them instead! Missed a Weapon Kit and don't want to backtrack? Just buy it here.
You're still encouraged to find items naturally, as it saves a lot of Credits, but now you have the option to get what you need later - as long as you've got some Credits to spend. Players who check their corners will find plenty of those.
Improved Interactions
Players have proven incredibly creative with props in Selaco. From sequence skips with barrels to using Melon Crates as (overpowered) portable healing items. The Chapter 2 Update takes this even further by adding a secondary "Hold" action to many objects.
Now you can pull and push barrels, or even power on a desk lamp and carry it around as a mobile light source.
Is this fluff? Damn right it is - but the good kind of fluff! Take this portable rubber ducky as an example here. You can now carry it with you as long as you like, and squeeze it as often as you like. Things like this just weren't possible in Chapter 1.
Chapter 1 Remaster
As mentioned earlier, all of Chapter 1 is being overhauled with updated assets, enhanced atmosphere, better performance, and the new lighting system.
We take great pride in the game's immersion, and the engine improvements allow us to push it further than ever while staying true to Selaco's visual identity. Exploring Selaco now just feels right! Interiors pop more with stronger lighting and appropriate shadows, while exteriors become more believable with new atmospheric effects, functioning streetlights, sunlight shadows, and more.
Both factions also have additional military equipment scattered throughout - from destroyed vehicles to their own type of barbed wire, creating a much stronger sense of conflict, something that was lacking in the current version of the game.
\[Work in progress - Everything shown is subject to change]
Gifs add a lot of compression which doesn't do them justice. We've uploaded the screenshots here!
Misc
We've shown these a while ago, so we're reposting them here for the newcomers among us!
Also chicken
- Patch Notes v0.92 -
This is a very small patch for once, so apologies for that. Blame it on Chapter 2 development, which has been taking up all of our time!
Added an Grenade Selection Wheel for the Grenade Launcher. Hold Secondary Fire while wielding the Grenade Launcher to select different ammo types.
Added Equipment Wheel when holding the 'Switch Throwable' button.
Fixed an issue where the Workshop Downloader CMD window would appear on Windows 11.
Made refinements to input buffering.
Fixed the Invert Mouselook option not working on Steam Deck.
Improved overall stability on Windows 11.
Fixed a gamepad button conflict.
Fixed an incorrect datapad count for save files from older versions.
Fixed a spelling error in Burger Flipper.
- State of Development -
Let's briefly talk about where we are in terms of development.
How finished is the Chapter 2 Update?
In our Development Build, Chapter 2 is nearly fully playable from start to finish, with a moderate level of polish. That said, it's still not close to where we ultimately want it to be.
Most of the foundation is already in place: all new weapons and grenade types are functional, the majority of new systems are implemented, and nearly all maps are playable. The main exceptions are the first and final levels of Chapter 2.
We're currently running playtests with a small group of players outside the development team to ensure everything works as intended. Even in its incomplete state, feedback has been very positive.
It will still take a while, but it's going well! As said above, expect a lot more to be shown from here on out.
Special Campaign (Randomizer Mode)
Randomizer Mode will see significant improvements in Chapter 2. All Chapter 2 content will be usable in Chapter 1 levels, giving players more options from the start while also facing all new enemies who originally weren't there. All new mechanics will also be fully customizable.
This includes features like spawning allied units, Drop Pods, Heavy Weapons, and much more. We're also working to make the randomness feel more organic, without sacrificing variety. We think immersion still matters even in a mode like this.
Will the game still receive regular updates while Chapter 2 is being worked on?
Updates to the current live build will slow down for a while. Chapter 2 introduces major changes, making patching Chapter 1 difficult without duplicating a lot of work.
During this period, our focus will be on bug fixes, though occasional quality-of-life improvements will still be made. Our top priority is delivering Chapter 2 to you!
Incursion Mode
Originally prototyped years ago but shelved to prioritize the campaign, Incursion Mode will resume work closer to version 1.0, after Chapter 2 is complete.
This mode is inspired by Unreal Tournament bot matches, Rainbow Six Terrorist Hunt, and Gears of War Horde Mode. Incursion Mode allows players to create their own matches by selecting a game mode, map, mutators, and more. Some maps will be repurposed from the campaign (like The Kessler Estate), and we plan to hire an additional level designer to create exclusive maps for this mode.
We're super stoked to resume work on this!
Modding SDK
Yes, it’s happening! Shortly after Chapter 2 launches, we'll release a Modding SDK, including the tools we use to develop the game and many of our own in-house assets, such as character and weapon models - free for anyone to use.
We're also working on a Selaco Wikipedia page with all the information modders might need.
Steam Blog Archive
Some older blog posts have broken image links due to changes with image hosting websites. We're restoring them one by one and will upload them to Archive.org. As big preservation nerds ourselves, we're obsessed with archiving Selaco's history just like LibTerra would have wanted!
General Early Access updates
Just to clear the air on questions we often get:
Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 will be free. It was always included in the price of Early Access.
We still have no plans to increase the price after launching Chapter Updates or leaving Early Access.
All the new Chapter 2 music will be added to the Official Soundtrack. If you already own the Official Soundtrack, you will be getting them for free via an update.
Selaco continues to be made by actual human beings and a pet lizard.
We are very satisfied with the current state of things. The current Chapter 1 build on Steam is in a good place, we're not hitting any significant hurdles for Chapter 2 and progression happens at a steady pace.
Behind The Scenes
If you’d like to stay more up-to-date on the game's development, we post regular Behind The Scenes content on our Patreon Page! It's also a great way to support us and get a closer look at how Selaco is made or what is currently being worked on!
- Conclusion -
That's it for this Blog Post! Truly hope you enjoyed what we have shown so far. There's a lot more still in motion, and we'll gladly show them off once they're a bit more finished.
We know we usually post gigantic patch notes so it's a bit of a bummer we could not prepare a big update this time around, but trust us that it's for a good cause. Working together with our playtesters to ensure the game keeps moving forward at a steady pace is a very demanding task, and Chapter 2 is currently what we are prioritizing the most.
If you want to see the aforementioned teases for Chapter 2, I recommended checking the following pages:
Happy Holidays and have a good Winter Sale!
