The update with a number of new features and fixes is now available to all. Thanks for feedback in BETA.
I'll be reviewing feedback on this new version and expanding the dog companion with some new features soon, but wanted to get this out in time for the Steam VR event. Please leave feedback in the forums. It's been a very busy 2022 for me, sorry for the delays.
Once I get feedback from the community and shore up any issues, I'll be posting a poll on what features / changes I tackle next that you can vote on. Have ideas for new artifacts? I'd love to hear!
Known Issues
Schnitzel will slide around a bit sometimes, particularly when sitting and a guard approaches. He also looks a bit off going up/down stairs. Looking to improve Schnitzel in the coming weeks.
Improvements since BETA
- The cost of perks has been reduced, especially items that are not easily found in the dungeon.
- The dungeon start collapses behind you when you enter
- Schnitzel is always in his cage when you start now, but will escape and can be found in the dungeon if you do not purchase him as a perk.
Artifacts
I’ve had several requests for special perks or gameplay modifiers that can be reused without purchasing them each dungeon run. Artifacts fill this role. The Third Reich was notorious for stealing or obtaining artifacts from all over Europe and Africa. If you discover one of these, it provides perks that will always be available to use when you start the dungeon and not cost anything. The catch is, you can ONLY select one artifact to gain its perk when you start a dungeon. Combining these with standard purchasable perks can help people with different strategies and gameplay preferences. After discovering them, there is also some historical background on the artifact at the start of the dungeon.
Artifacts are only behind one breakable wall in each dungeon so you will have to search for them.
There are currently three artifacts:
Nefertiti Bust
Allows you to see the approximate locations of all your inventory objectives on the map. This will not necessarily be the location of the closest object.
Discobulus Statue
This artifact prevents your enemy alertness from increasing for the first five minutes of the game. This is designed for players who want to play the game a bit more aggressively without worrying about SS. Use those five minutes wisely.
Aphrodite Statue
Shows the location of wells on the map in your soldbuch and vastly increases the odds of finding an item in them.
More artifacts coming soon based on player input! If you have ideas for artifacts, please post on Discord or Steam.
Secret Passageways
Secret passageways can connect two different rooms. You can spot them by looking for a crack in the wall you can peer through. These provide a way to bypass some areas to avoid or surprise a guard.
To break the wall, hit it three times with something like your gun, brick, helmet or even a body. If you are in a firefight, it is possible for enemies to even collapse these as they fall or move around..
Passageways may also contain medieval remains that are required to complete an objective.
New Rooms
There are two new room types which are now complete. These include an infirmary and a classified area. These areas are locked, so you must find a key on a guard to enter them. There are times where there is an objective you need to complete in these rooms, but there are other reasons to seek these areas.
The Classified Area has a random large weapon you must sometimes photograph but always contains additional ammo for all weapons on a second level within the room. So, if you are low on ammo seek it out. I’ll leave the weapons you can photograph a surprise for now.
The Infirmary always contains food and drugs, so if you are low on health, target this area. An additional drug, D-IX, has also been added. D-IX was a real experimental concoction of various drugs. In the game, it will give you a couple of minutes of full health before reverting to your previous health stats. The catch is that this drug causes hearing loss, so everything is muffled which makes hearing guards, prisoners or your dog much harder.
You can take this drug multiple times if you stock up on them, but your addiction trait will increase which will eventually influence your soldier’s outcome. Repeated use of this drug can also cause permanent hearing loss even after its effects wear off.
In the infirmary, you will also have a chance to find deceased soldiers with generated medical charts detailing their demise. As always, you can search their bodies. The medical chart summaries are based on real cases I uncovered during historical research.
Dog Companion
Schnitzel is a German Shepherd you can find locked in the dungeon. Once you find and free him he will start following you. In addition to gaining an increase to your empathy trait that will eventually impact the outcome of your character, he also brings a passive ability. He will growl when there is an unalerted guard nearby which is helpful when storming into a room or through a collapsible wall. He also barks if there are any guards who are actively attacking you.
You can make Schnitzel stay or come by simply placing an empty hand to your face and pulling the trigger to whistle. Make him stay to pet him or keep him in front of an entrance to guard.
Schnitzel cannot die.
Once you find and free Schnitzel five times in the dungeon, you will unlock an achievement and his location will always be shown on your map. You can also bribe a guard at the beginning of the dungeon if you want to start off with Schnitzel by using your earned coins.
Movement, Stealth and AI
Adjustments have been made to some gameplay elements to improve some of the stealth/gameplay mechanics and AI.
- Evasion has been totally reworked. You can escape regular guards by running into a hole after being out of their site for a couple of seconds. Guards will investigate your last known position after you evade them and you will be notified in your HUD (if this option is not disabled). The run speed of enemies was slightly reduced to make it a little easier to escape them. Keep in mind running from an enemy may just land you in front of another. Keep a mental note of hiding spaces so you know where to escape to.
- The player now has a faster max walking speed for those long hallways and to get the jump on guards before they can retrieve their weapon. This should make taking down an enemy a little easier as they come around a corner or you are coming up behind them.
- Previously, when nearby guards heard gunfire they would automatically home in and follow the player even if they did not see them. Now, they will investigate the source of the gunfire but will not automatically unholster their weapon or know the player’s location. This will give the player a little extra time time to react or hide. Guards that see another guard firing will still automatically unholster and home in on the player. SS (Schutzstaffel) still function the way they always have. They are relentless and will find you anywhere.
- When a guard spotted the player, the enemy alertness meter would immediately increase. This did not give the player a chance to knock them out before increasing alertness which leads to the SS being spawned. Now, the alertness meter will not increase if you take out the guard within a couple of seconds.
- Added HUD messages when guards hear a noise, discover a body or are evaded. This setting is now on by default, but can be turned off in options.
Play Enhancements
New Book / Larger Map
The Soldbuch has been redesigned to show more information including a more detailed biography, personality traits and images of your objectives. The map is now separate and much larger with a legend. To cycle through the Soldbuch views simply pull the trigger.
New Radio Broadcasts
There is additional music that plays on the radios now. These are compositions by the Austrian composer Mozart. In addition to German operas, there are some Italian librettos I included because they really lend themselves to the mood of the game. These include his requiem death mass and his opera Don Giovanni. These also happen to be two of my favorite compositions by him and I was able to acquire recordings of these performances from the time period!
Other Stuff
- Grabbing velocity tracked objects no longer as jittery. Wont break nearby objects when grabbed.
- Radios can be thrown and smashed to turn them off or you can use them as a melee weapon (once).
- Hiding Spots are larger making it easier to get in and out of and optimized for performance.
- Personality traits empathy and addiction are now tracked. They will be used to help determine outcomes in a future update. Empathy is increased when you free prisoners or free the dog. Empathy is slightly decreased when shooting guards instead of knocking them out. The addiction trait is increased when you take stimulants/drugs. It cannot be reduced.
- Added more tracked game stats to the player’s soldbuch related to the new features in this update.
bHaptics Native Support
bHaptics Vest, Arms and Face are supported in the game. This really adds to the immersion and allows some neat effects for key player states and special actions.
Here are a list of the game events that use bHaptics:
- Firing Pistols
- Reload Weapon
- Pickup/Grab an Object or Body
- Turning Key in Locked Door
- Taking a photo with camera (shutter click)
- Grabbing/dropping item from/to back: Feel item drop behind back
- Grabbing or putting weapon away
- Hit Secret Walls with Held Object
- Hit Enemy
- Searching Grabbed Enemy
- Opening Door / Chest
- Smashing through a wall
- Getting Hit by Boobytrap/Grenade
- Clip Wire
- Taking a Drug (Feel Heartbeat while effect lasts)
- Wearing Uniform (Feel Heartbeat while effect lasts)
- Falling into a Floor Trap
- Air Raid
- Climbing a ladder
- Extinguishing a Torch with Welding Glove
- Fire MP40 / One or Two Handed
- Placing Helmet on Head
- Helmet Shot off
- Eating Food
- Getting Hit By Bullet (Feel Correct Direction)
- Pulling Lever
- Petting Dog
- Surrendering (fast heartbeat)
