As we’re a few months into 2024, the Black Noise Team wishes you all a very, very late Happy New Year. It’s been a while since we've done a proper progress update or since you've heard much from us at all, but the project is alive and well!
And, since it's been a while, we’ve got something special for you. Though we’ve been fairly quiet since the release of our trailer, here's a sneak peek of what we've been up to since then.
Gameplay Systems and Features
Over the past year, one of the main things we’ve focused on is polishing the technical side of things. A good example of this is in fairly noticeable improvements to the AI, both in comparison to SOMA and previous versions of Black Noise. The new enemies are generally more dynamic and more responsive to the player than those in the base game—and are less liable to run into issues with navigation and pathing.
However, AI isn’t the only area where things have been improved. Other core gameplay systems have received a lot of attention over the past year. Some of these changes are less obvious than others, but they all go a long way into making Black Noise feel like a complete experience.
Some examples of the player using various tools and inventory items, fully animated for a more immersive experience.
The inventory has also received a major glow-up recently, both visually and technically. Ignore the placeholder text here, not all of this is final!
The inventory now has proper controller support! Whether you play with a gamepad or on Steam Deck, Black Noise will be fully playable without having to rely on a mouse and keyboard.
Level Polish
Another huge area that we've made progress in since the release of the trailer has been the mod's overall fidelity. Many of the levels have been finalized on the visual front, and the rest are in the process of being updated to meet our current standards. This isn’t just limited to visuals, however. The gameplay experience within these levels has also been improved, as have other elements such as sound design, scripting, and general events.
Art Assets
Along with technical, visual, and gameplay polish for the levels, art assets have received substantial upgrades to be more in line with SOMA's art direction. This includes new and improved 3D models, in-game artwork, and concept art—each used to bring the world of Black Noise to life.
Story and Cutscenes
While other aspects of Black Noise see significant progress, the mod's story is getting the same treatment. Story content is in the process of being edited, revised, and added to the mod in the form of thousands of words worth of text and dialogue. In addition, in-game cutscenes have been improved where needed—now feeling more visceral, cinematic, and appropriate within the context of the narrative.
As we talked about in our last blog post, we’re always looking for people to help out with the project. If that’s something that seems interesting to you, feel free to send us an email at team@blacknoisesoma.com, or reach out to us through any of our social media. We’ll try to make sure to respond to everyone as quickly as possible!
Addendum
Considering it's been over a year since you've last heard from us, we didn’t quite manage to meet the “2023” release goal that we set in our trailer—but that doesn’t mean that development on the project has slowed. We've made more progress in 2023 and early 2024 than pretty much any other year, and it’s fantastic to see it all come together. Make sure to keep an eye on our Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, and ModDB for any news and updates regarding the project as it progresses. Until then, we remain hard at work fully realizing Black Noise, and we hope that you’re as excited about what's to come as we are.
Delenda Est.
