First and foremost, thank you to all the Stalkers who have shared their valuable time with Dungeon Stalkers. It means a lot to us that so many of you were willing to spend time playing the game that we helped create.
We have carefully read and considered all the feedback and constructive criticism provided during the recent beta tests and Gamescom demonstrations.
After reviewing the feedback, we have come to the conclusion that there are two major areas that need addressing. We need to enhance the overall gameplay experience, and work harder to ensure that when the game is played, it is played in a stable gaming environment.
Dungeon Stalkers have set these two core objectives as our primary goals as we prepare for the Early Access launch.
We will explain the details through the points summarized below.
1. Enhancing Gameplay
We are currently working on four main areas to improve gameplay, detailed as follows:
Strengthening Player Motivation and Maximizing the Fun of Farming
We believe it is crucial to strengthen the motivation and reasons to keep playing Dungeon Stalkers. We are reviewing various solutions to increase the diversity of items and reinforce gameplay incentives.
We also recognize that the fatigue from farming can accumulate when Stalkers repeatedly enter the prison dungeon without obtaining desirable items. We plan to improve this by ensuring that each dungeon run generates excitement for item farming.
We will enhance the fun of farming not just by creating more items with good stats, but by adjusting the options on equipment to be more useful, as well as adding legendary equipment with interesting abilities.
Refining and Improving Core Systems for Smoother Combat
We aim to address the difficulties in employing various tactics in some confined areas within dungeons, allowing for more strategic party battles.
We will ensure that character ultimates can be utilized more dynamically in all situations, allowing for more strategic combat flow.
Additionally, we will adjust the balance between ranged and melee characters to facilitate smooth and engaging gameplay.
Improving Character Movements
Many of you have provided feedback on the need for more intuitive character actions. We will enhance character running animations to provide a more immersive experience and review awkward attack animations for gradual improvements.
Revamping UI/UX and Matchmaking Systems
We are improving the UI/UX to make the game system more intuitive and user-friendly. Specifically, we are revamping the UI/UX to make preparation for dungeon entry more convenient and intuitive.
Moreover, we will enhance the matchmaking system to help new Stalkers get accustomed to the game and ensure that experienced players can enjoy more intense and exciting gameplay.
2. Providing a Stable Gameplay Environment
We have identified most of the causes of server instability, such as party matching failures, dungeon entry issues, and in-game delays from the last test. We are working on measures to provide a stable gameplay environment. Once again, we sincerely apologize for the server issues that caused inconvenience during the previous test period.
We are committed to providing a more seamless and stable gaming experience upon Early Access release, ensuring that similar issues do not occur.
Additionally, we are preparing to address several internal issues, including game mode adjustments..
In order for us to implement these changes and deliver a better experience, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the Early Access launch, originally planned for this fall. Dungeon Stalkers is scheduled to launch Early Access in the early part of 2025, after we implement these larger scaled improvements.
We fully understand how disappointing this news might be for those who were eagerly awaiting the game this year, and we acknowledge the frustration of extending the wait. We share your eagerness to bring Dungeon Stalkers to you as soon as possible, but we ask for your patience and understanding as we strive to create a game that will stand the test of time.
The Dungeon Stalkers team is committed to responding to your continuous interest and affection, and we will do our utmost to meet your expectations.
We will continuously share more detailed information about each improvement through developer notes and community updates to keep you informed and engaged.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dungeon Stalkers Development Team
