Hey there, folks! I'm excited to let you try out the upcoming major update through a new "noderoomsbeta" beta branch on Steam. I opted not to do a full release today because there is a lot of stuff i want to polish and flesh out still but I still wanted to give you guys access to the new version in a more controlled way. This update is kinda like a little passion project for me. The goal was to somehow make a 4x game feel liminal and to make it really feel like you are trying to survive in a backroomsy place. And i dont think anyone has really done this (as a 4x) before, I am aiming to really be the "backrooms kingdom simulator" I based my overhaul quite a bit on the wikidot version of the backrooms so for those of you who like that stuff this will be a treat, I even have some item analgues (fire crystals, kinda like fire salt and so on) but most of it is completely my own creation. And there are also improvements to the game overall for those who arent interested in the noderooms stuff.

How to Join the new "noderoomsbeta" on Steam

Step 1: Accessing the Beta

Open Steam and navigate to your Library. Find DR4X in your Library list and right-click on it. Select Properties from the dropdown menu.

Step 2: Opting into the Beta

In the Properties window, navigate to the BETAS tab. You'll see a box labeled "Enter beta access code to unlock private betas:". Type in 'nodicincursion' (without quotes all lowercase) and click Check Code. After the code is accepted, you'll be able to select the beta click on the dropdown menu under "Select the beta you would like to opt into:". Select "noderoomsbeta" from the list.

Step 3: Downloading the Beta

Once you've selected the "noderoomsbeta", Steam will automatically start downloading the beta version of the game. This process may take some time since the update is very large.

Step 4: Play and Provide Feedback

After the download is complete, you're all set! Launch the game as usual from your Steam Library. Dive into the new features and content i've been working on the last three weeks and see what you think. Important Notes: Providing Feedback: Your input is invaluable to me so please share your thoughts, experiences, and any bugs you encounter on the discord or steam forum.

Switching Back:

If you wish to return to the main version of the game at any time, simply go back to the BETAS tab in the Properties window and select "NONE - Opt out of all beta programs" from the dropdown menu.

How to access the new content in game!

Create a new skirmish, ideally on the three smaller map sizes (I haven't done much testing on the larger ones) , choose your settings (they can create some wildly different gameplay) and once you get to the "forces" page for "setting" choose one of the "noderooms" settings (Noclip, which will have creatures running around based on the world age you chose, noderooms which is the NoClip map but only patrolled by a special very creepy entity enemy, or magic noderooms, which has entities + magic monsters (Which is a personal favorite)

Changes

So there are loads of changes, so many that I don't want to list them all out (also spoilers) as the new noderooms maps are meant to be learned over multiple skirmishes rather than directly told to you. With equally vague tile effects and artifacts. So ill just do highlights.

Some important bits:

Noderooms maps are now completely overhauled with unique control points, unique tile effects, (A ton of them) and (as of writing) 14 new unique artifacts totally unique to noderooms maps and any maps with noderoomss tiles (pipeland too!) , unique random events, unique units and much more. -When you click the unit portrait to show the bigger version of it on screen it is now 400x400 instead of 300x300 so you can see more details, this is to show off the liminal art better, I also reworded the tooltips and changed it so if you click the blown up portrait it will also close it. -Most noderooms specific stuff has multiple unit portraits just randomly chosen on game start, so its worth looking at more than one safe or apartment for example as they sometimes have different art and its all very liminal heh. -If you're taking forever to click that ranger in the tutorial, your "advisor" has you covered. Fyegrayed will now begrudgingly do it for you and center your screen on the ranger. Shoutout to the player from Germany who couldn't figure it out and refunded the game for that reason this fix is for you. -Tinkered with the ships wind mechanic a tad, so now the wind wont drive you nuts anymore. -Big improvements on the UI front, especially what you're seeing at the top of your screen.

Major Bug fixes:

-Squashed a pesky bug where saving and loading would break on your second try. -Fixed another glitch tied to scenario keys during save/load. -Patched up the mess I made with health bars not disappearing when they should. They behave now.

Performance Improvements:

Ive kicked the AI and unit movement code into high gear. Theyre running together smoother than ever (Boy do i like multitrhreading)

AI Gets a Brainlift:

Gave the AIs exploration skills a major overhaul. They're smarter and more methodical, whether they're wandering around the noderooms or on regular maps.

Gameplay Tweak:

Units can now just walk through stuff like treasure chests. Given the large amount of artifacts in the noderooms, it's a god send. I am also planning to make more tweaks to this to mak eit even less clunky with new ui etc. So keep tabs.

Important Notes

Most of the new deco item art in the noderooms are placeholders, the more important control points (Liminal Apartments etc) And safes all have proper art though. Only reeason is there are 10 of them and they all need multiple portraits, so we will be working through that art for the next while even when i move on to updating other settings. Shout out to my artist friend Grimwit for getting so much done in a short notice though.