Since December, I've been working constantly on Signal Lost: Uplink. I picked up where I left off, and have gotten a great deal done already in just these past 2 months alone. This article will go over a few things, but first lets kick it off with a brand new gameplay video. Lets take a detour into the ARCHIVAL LABS...
The Archival Labs are a large part of Chapter 2, serving as one of the main locations alongside Data Control, and the dome. A massive neighboring complex to the Communications Center, complete with facility housing & research labs. You'll eventually find yourself at the High Security File Storage, from there, you must retrieve the USNRC "All clear" codes required to align the satellite array, and ultimately transmit the signal.
Gameplay wise, the Archival Labs will play akin to a mixture of Questionable Ethics and Office Complex, containing loads of exploration, interactivity, and secrets to uncover. Its all coming together, slowly but surely. This was one of the first areas I dove back into when work began again in December, I evaluated the entire chapter, eventually cut a level that just wasn't working, and went from there. Since then, this has been shaping up to be one of the most expansive parts of Chapter 2, almost large enough to be a chapter in itself. I feel pretty confident in saying that out of the 3 main areas in Uplink, the Archival Labs will be the biggest part of it.
There's so much more to come in regards to Chapter 2's locations, but I'll touch more on that later!
A major visual upgrade comes in the form of fully 3D skyboxes. 2D skies have been phased out of Signal Lost entirely in favor of model based 3D skyboxes.
The system I've created for these is incredibly hacky, but it allows for each map to have its very own 3D skybox, complete with realistic cloud effects & an absolutely immense sense of scale.
Finishing, and releasing SIGNAL LOST: Uplink is now my main priority.
I won't set a deadline for release just yet, but I'm still hoping to have it at least fully playable by sometime this summer. Progress has been going excellent, and if I'm able to stay in the fight & keep up this pace, then I'm confident that I can do it. Levels are getting finished, and things are coming together piece by piece. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but I'm taking it one day at a time. Remember, I'm just one person, and I can only do so much!
In the next article, I plan to touch on some pretty significant updates that have been made to Chapter 1, as well as some more Chapter 2 stuff! In the meantime, I plan to start updating the ModDB page a lot more frequently, much more akin to how often I post development clips & media over in my Discord server.
Speaking of which, if you want to catch up on what I've been making for Starlight & Signal Lost, I regularly show off development & behind the scenes media over in my community on Discord! Always feel free to stop by & join the conversation! You can show off your work, your art, all that good stuff! I also stream work on my projects every now and then.
Today marks exactly one year since I released the first chapter of Signal Lost, and in that time, the mod has completely exceeded my expectations & then...
Its time for the year end update. Lets talk about Chapter 2, and beyond.
SIGNAL LOST enters early access, with a full playable chapter to boot & then some.
INCOMING TRANSMISSION... ATTEMPTING CONNECTION: BLACK MESA CENTRAL COMPLEX...
The initial early access release of SIGNAL LOST. This contains the first chapter, and part of the second.
Please, it's been almost 3 years...
And I'd gladly spend 3 more if it meant the mod gets the time it needs to be as good as it can possibly be when it's ready to release. Reminder that Uplink is over 3 times as large as the first episode, and that I'm only one person. It'll be done when it's done, have patience.
do you use hammer editor or J.A.C.K to make your own maps?
J.A.C.K, The last free, non-Steam version to be exact!
Honestly, this is the BEST Half-Life Mod that tries to recreate things that were scrapped from Half-Life I really hope this mod gets finished because usually most Alpha/Beta type mods get cancelled after a while of development. Fingers crossed this can be finished!
That means alot, I really appreciate it! Fingers crossed aswell, really hoping I can get something new out this year ^^
Congratulations with honorable mentions at Players Choice!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! One of these days I'll finally update the banner to add the one for last year! ^^
why i cant use no more the dev console?
You can launch the game with the console enabled by double clicking "Launch - Console.bat" in the same folder as "Launch.exe".