In the past month, we released Section 13’s new demo, which showcased some of the results of our ongoing work on the game.
We’ve been hard at work all year, and a lot about the game has grown and changed based on your extensive feedback. Today we’d like to share the current state of development and details about the upcoming 0.20 update.
Although we still have a long way to go, we hope that by providing more updates, we can continue to take in the community’s feedback and steadily make improvements to Section 13. In this dev log, we’ll discuss recent changes, new content, and things to come in the future.
New Content
Some of the most exciting new content is the addition of several new levels to the game.
Those of you who have played the demo may have already seen the unlockable Cargo Elevator, which provides a shortcut from the Parking Level, in the form of a wave-based survival minigame. We’ll now be adding this area to the live game.
We’re also adding the Sanitation Tunnels: a truly modular and procedurally generated area that we discussed a bit earlier this year. The Sanitation Tunnels unlock the first time the player defeats the Exosuit, via an entrance that can be discovered in the Parking Lot level, and offer players an alternate route to the lowest levels of Section 13 that’s different each time you visit.
We’ve also added a really fun new map variant to the Office level, which both new and returning players can encounter simply by playing.
[Some layouts of the Sanitation Tunnels level]Next, we’ve added a new enemy type, the Banshee.
Upon sighting the player, the Banshee lets out a scream, alerting all nearby enemies, and possibly even spawning new enemies if there are spawn points like manhole covers nearby (another new addition to the game). Keep an eye out for their red hair and AoE effect, and take them out first, or things can get bad pretty quickly!
[Banshee's scream is almost palpable]We’ve also added a new narrative intro that doubles as a tutorial, which some of you may have already experienced through the demo. The goal of this intro is to better ground the player in the setting and characters, while giving players new to top-down shooters (or unfamiliar with our game’s particular spin on the genre) a chance to get acclimated.
In future updates, this introduction will be modified and expanded upon. We’ll also be adding several entirely new story-rich systems for the game’s final release, which will allow players to fully explore the mysteries of Section 13 and the world of S2P.
[The narrative intro is the early glimpse of the complete story experience at official launch]Lastly, we’ve added some new tactical items (throwables). So keep an eye out for incendiary and freezing grenades while you play!
Changes Related to Combat and Controls
The biggest change from our Blackout Protocol days is a major adjustment to basic movement speed.
While Blackout Protocol emphasized slower, more methodical gameplay, Section 13 is now faster and more responsive. We've focused on simplifying controls and speeding up the action, allowing for combat that behaves more intuitively and doesn’t present such a high bar to entry.
Additionally, the game is now much less stingy with dodge-rolls, and the way they behave gives players more options. Dodge-rolls now push through crowds of QT’s (instead of hitting them like a brick wall), provide i-frames during the rolling animation, and the player will be able to dodge twice before the cooldown triggers. The cooldown has also been shortened while playing on default difficulty.
However, we’ve parameterized every one of these elements, which means the game can adjust them at higher difficulties. On the highest levels, players will find the experience becomes a lot like the game’s previous incarnation, with limited ammo to manage, tighter cooldowns on dodge-rolls, high-damage enemies, etc.
Lastly, as discussed previously, we’ve simplified the Panic system.
For enemies, it’s been removed. For players, Panic has been renamed to Fear. The system has been streamlined, given clearer UI. Agents will still enter a panicked state when their Fear reaches beyond the threshold, but we plan to gradually expand Synaptic Enhancements to give the system some optional risk vs. reward elements, instead of being purely punishing.
To recap:
- Increased Movement Speed: Basic movement speed increased by approximately 30%.[/*]
- Changes to Dodge-Rolling: Players on default difficulty can now roll twice consecutively before cooldown triggers. Cooldown time increases at higher difficulty.[/*]
- Reserve Ammo Unlimited: On default difficulty, reserve ammo is now unlimited (though the player still has to reload when their clip runs out). On higher difficulties, ammo functions normally.[/*]
- New Partial Reload: If a reload fails with less than 30% of the animation remaining, the next reload is twice as fast.[/*]
- Weapon Perk System Overhauled[/*]
- Panic System Overhauled[/*]
Systems Changes Relating to Long-Term Play
First, we've implemented a new difficulty system orienting around a new collectable item, Cell Samples, in order to better address difficulty progression over time.
Previously, difficulty (and thus tougher combat situations) was tied to player progression, which was not always perceived in a tangible manner. This resulted in a poor experience for a lot of players due to the difficulty not scaling properly, and sometimes leading to repetitive experience across multiple runs. It was also badly communicated and totally automatic (meaning, not optional).
We’ve removed that system entirely, smoothing out the difficulty curve overall. Now, completing a full run at each difficulty level unlocks the next, and difficulty can be set manually at the start of every run.
We’ll be continually tuning the difficulty curve, and we welcome your feedback on that!
[Left: You will find information on the difficulty modifiers before you enter the base; Right: The Cell Samples can be found in the Safe Room at the end of the Exosuit battle]
There have also been changes regarding persistent upgrades.
In the previous version of Blackout Protocol, if players failed to reach the Safe Room at the end of every level, they would lose any uninvested resources, which was quite punishing.
Now, at the end of every mission attempt, win or lose, players will retain persistent resources, and be able to spend them at their Command Center, the new central hub.
This change allows players to avoid the frustrating feeling of being stuck in the same place, making progress through the game smoother and more gradual.
- New Difficulty System Using Cell Samples[/*]
- Persistent Growth Overhaul; Upgrades in the New Hub Area (Command Center)[/*]
- New Currency (STAR Pins) and New Unlock System for Weapons[/*]
- Name Badges Removed; Steam Trophies Added
Changes to Single-Run Progression
In Blackout Protocol, progression within an individual run was dependent entirely on Synaptic Enhancements, with weapon perks being determined pretty much at the start of the run. It was volatile, random, inflexible, and reduced freedom of choice.
In Section 13, we’ve addressed this by offering two new systems: Body Modification and Weapon Customization.
[A rare Body Mod case of having only positive effects!]
[The new Weapons Bench UI for adding/rerolling perks]
We’ve also added new shops (Chillax Corners) which will randomly appear at set points in each level, allowing players to grab a different weapon and try new modifications, as long as they have the money.
Players can also now search objects throughout the game to find both single-run and persistent growth items, adding some incentive to fully explore each level.
- New Body Mod System[/*]
- New Weapons Bench System for Adjusting Weapon Perks[/*]
- New Reroll System for Restricted Areas[/*]
- New Lootable Objects[/*]
- New Random Shop System[/*]
Some Content Temporarily Disabled
As part of the 0.20 update, some content and systems will be temporarily disabled, until we finish development on them and are satisfied they’re jibing nicely with all the other changes.
- Player Character: Beaker (Planned to be brought back in Early 2025)[/*]
- Weapon: Plasmoid Launcher (Planned to be brought back in Early 2025)[/*]
- Multiplayer Functionality (Planned to be brought back in May 2025)[/*]
In addition to the things discussed in this post, we have other changes and new content currently underway. We encourage you to play the game and share your feedback. Because we’re still a small development team, it may be difficult for us to act on all of it (or do so quickly), but rest assured we read everything and are working hard to further improve the game.
Thank you,
Jaeeun Park
