Development Progress:

I'm making swift progress on developing the game and am happy to report that Alpha testing is going really well. I'm fleshing out features and gameplay mechanics from the first game so they work better in a co-op context and am improving them where needed. Needless to say Together will be a big upgrade from the first Keep It Running in many ways. The Factory: Of course the Factory is much bigger, now with 2 boilers, 2 engines and 7 machines on 3 production lines in total:

There's two steam engines: one to deliver power to the lights and machinery and the other to actually drive the machinery. These engines can actually break and will need fixing with the wrench, just like the production machines. Furthermore the Toys and Demons can mess things up, but players will be given ways to deter them.
Progression and Unlockables: Now with a much bigger factory and more things to deal with I've pondered hard on overall gameplay progression:
There will be a "tutorial" difficulty mode in which there is no Boss or other monsters and you are given much more time to get to grip with the basics of the game. Though most things are fairly easy to get to grips with, due to the overall improvements I've made, there will be instructions available at all times during gameplay: I'm planning to give players a little handbook which contains instructions on things like filling the boilers with coal, repairing machinery and completing the quotas. This book will possibly also contain notes the player character scribbles down on the various monsters and toys. The "custom" difficulty also makes a return, allowing players that have unlocked it to fully customize the upcoming shift to their liking, make custom challenges etc.
With every successful shift, with completed quotas, the Boss will reward players with not just harder difficulties with newly unlocked challenges but also... new outfits!
Players will be able to personalize their character with various unlockable clothing items, faces and hairstyles. And yes: there will steampunk outfits too :)
I'm not sure how many outfit items there will be yet, but I'm planning on at least 4 per item type to allow for a good variation of character looks. Aside from the unlockable difficulties, challenges and outfits I may also add some unlockable tools and such but I'm still pondering on that. Suggestions are welcome, of course. The Competitor Mines: There is a new area besides the Factory: the Mines. Once the Competitors start visiting the Factory to steal away players, one may find themselves kidnapped and taken deep underground.

Players will have to escape the Competitor, being chased down by it as you try to find your way out of the dark mine, with only a lantern to guide your way. if you escape you will find yourself back at the Factory so you can continue pleasing the Boss with your diligent work. At the start of March I'm hoping to have all the major elements implemented and decently tested so we can move forward to... Closed Beta testing!

The Closed Beta:

Though I can test a lot myself with the help of my partner and our main tester I want to do more extensive testing by having others play too. I know from experience that multiplayer games tend to have a lot of edge cases, often caused by different hardware and internet connections as well as different play styles. Certain bugs we may simply not find until someone else does something very specific that we'd never think to do. Now, because I want to release a demo for Steam Next Fest in June I do want to ensure a good experience. I am confident we can make this happen ourselves, but I like being thorough :) Another reason is... promo! I think it would be awesome to get some content creators to get an exclusive early preview going. I already got a few on my list that helped in the past, but am more than willing to add more to said list. So shoot me a message if you're interested, have an audience and most importantly have some experience with testing work-in-progress games!

Next Fest and Early Access release:

Yep! Keep It Running: Together is registered for Steam Next Fest in June and thus will have a demo available. I will also do one or more livestreams during the event so you can ask me questions and have a chat. Of course this will be further announced with more details when we near June. As for Early Access: I've decided to have a 2 to 3 month period in which I can further polish the game based on community feedback and make sure the full release is as bug-free and smooth as it can be. I may also add some new content or features that have been suggested either during Next Fest or during Early Access. If you have suggestions or thoughts you want to share, absolutely do so in the game's Discussions forum on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/3448380/discussions/2/

[ 2025-02-11 13:55:24 CET ] [ Original post ]