M.I.N.E. Project Update news

We here at Odd World Inhabitants are in full-swing continuing the development of M.I.N.E. A brief recap of the current on-going work is as follows:

New Movie

A new movie showing us some of the new features we have working in-game has been delayed again, as the machine being used to compile the MPEG-4 final build of the video is overheating during compression. We have ordered a new CPU heatsink and new additional case cooling fans, and this should resolve the issue and allow us to compile the video without further issues. Our apologies to everyone who has been eagerly waiting for the next window in the M.I.N.E. Zone.

Weapon Restrictions Based On Suit Type

A new feature, provided by Fluffy22, allows us to restrict the heavier weapon types [Barrett .50 BMG sniper rifle, other larger weapons] to specific suit types; meaning, you won't be able to use the weapons unless you have a suit capable of managing the weapon's recoil, and overall weight. This means that only certain suits will be able to utilize these awesomely destructive weapons, and improving the overall balance of gameplay.

NPC Damage Correction

Fluffy22 has also provided us with code which will make an NPC character take more damage than usual. In the default vanilla game, a standard NPC takes about only 33% of the damage that they should when they are hit by a projectile. With the new code, they take full damage - resulting in a more realistic damage model throughout. While some of you may enjoy the old behavior, we can still add that in as an options pack. The new result is that you won't have to shotgun a bandit in a trenchcoat four times to kill him. Groovy!

Additional Weapons Debugging

Right now, we are in the process of debugging the 60+ new weapons that have been added in the current build of M.I.N.E., some of which are causing random crash-to-desktop errors. Most have been resolved, but we still want to put the screws to each one before we release anything concrete.

Additional Weapons Upgrade Scheme Improvements

Although we have many new weapons, there are around two dozen more that will (if they don't cause our systems to explode into an incandescent fireball) make the final cut - provided we can alter them to work well with the others. These new weapons will be bridging some gaps in the current weapons list, and filling out weapon types which may only have one or two weapons in them currently.

Icing On The Cake

In addition to "guns" and "more guns" and "did we mention guns?", we're also adding in some additional features which will enhance the overall experience in M.I.N.E. At this point, they remain unannounced as we are determining their feasibility in the current build of the mod. We are considering the deployment options, and may opt to add these features into a future update. However, they may also make it in to the current build. Unfortunately, it will entirely depend on how easily some of the concepts we've come up with can be integrated into the core game. We definitely don't want to delay our release to you guys (and gals) without having a good reason for doing so.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The very next thing on the list is to get you guys a video showing you at the very least, the new NPC damage code in effect, and how you can expect that to influence battles in Clear Sky. Apart from that, we might also be able to work in the new "suit" (restriction) code to show that off.

I'd like to take this time - while we have your attention - to thank each and every one of you for your support for M.I.N.E. What began as a simple, personal, offline, flavor-to-taste mod has become something much larger than we ever could have imagined. With your support, your encouragement, and your constructive criticism, we have been able to shape a project truly unique in the STALKER universe, and I hope that the wait during development, and your time between, will be worth the final product.

Thanks for helping us every step of the way!

See you next time!

Separation | Anxiety
Team Lead, M.I.N.E.