The preview is available to play right... now. ːsteamhappyː

Just to reiterate a little, many of EXOME’s systems have undergone full reworks to support my long-term plans for EXOME’s future. In the initial build, many of these implementations were glorified prototypes. I didn’t put much effort into them at the time because I wasn’t sure if EXOME would find an audience. But it looks like it has and this means that many systems and mechanics needed to be reworked to be more modular. This will reduce the time required for future content and potentially allow for more frequent updates.

The main goal of this update is to implement the boss fight and properly conclude this area. With modular systems now in place, Update 2 and future updates won’t take as long to develop. By taking the time to restructure things now, subsequent updates should be able to be released much faster.

This update has been a monumental task for me. Going forward, I’ll be switching to smaller, more manageable updates - not only for my own sake, but also to help everyone stay better caught up on things as EXOME develops.

During this testing phase I'll be getting things ready for the full release and updating the preview branch as things get fixed. The full release will happen after I'm satisfied that most the problems are fixed. I'm not sure how long this is going to take, but I don't suspect it will take super long.

As you play the preview, keep in mind that there is a higher potential for encountering bugs that haven't been seen yet. I highly appreciate it if you leave in-game feedback by pressing F8, or by leaving it in the EXOME Discord (https://discord.gg/eUVQDBVNVE) or Steam Discussions. I thank you in advance!

I hope everyone enjoys the preview for Update 1!

1. Navigate to EXOME in your Steam Library

2. Right click -> Properties

3. Betas -> Beta Participation dropdown, select the preview branch

4. You may need to restart Steam if it doesn't start updating automatically

• New Procedural Event System
  One of the major developments has been the implementation of a new procedural event system. This system introduces dynamic and unpredictable outcomes to the platforms, ensuring that no two playthroughs are alike.

• New Weather System
  From torrential rainstorms and snowstorms to scorching heatwaves, the weather will not only influence the visual aesthetics but also alter gameplay dynamics. For instance, a sudden downpour might decrease visibility and intensify combat, while clear skies could make things more manageable.

• New Difficulty System
  There is a now a difficulty system to cater to a wider audience. Whether you're a seasoned gamer seeking a challenge or a casual player looking for a more relaxed experience. This ensures that everyone can play at their own preferred pace.

• New Partial Controller SupportCan be played with a controller but menus aren't supported yet.

• New Poise System for players and monstersPlayers and monsters now both have a poise. Players will visual stumble, fall or get thrown back if their poise breaks in a short enough time. Monsters can be staggered if their poise breaks.

• New Player Dodging
  Added a dodging mechanic for the player. I've wanted the player to have more options on how to deal with attackers.

• New Player MeleeGet your steel toes on because you're going to need them with all that worm kicking.

• New Explosive Weaponry
  Added explosive weapons in order to help the players deal with larger swarms of enemies. Who doesn't love blowing things up?

• New Bullet Ballistics
  Added bullet drop and ricochet to all weapons. Some weapons also have tracer rounds. Bullets also have travel time, influenced by the muzzle velocity of the weapon being fired.

• New Companion: T.E.S.A.
  Added combat assistant to support solo players in their playthroughs. She will draw some of the monsters’ aggro and help deal damage accordingly.

• New Save SystemAfter every update in the past, players would be required to start a new save game. This new save system will allow save game migrations for future updates so that you don't have to keep starting over with every update.

• New Long-awaited Boss Fight
  I'm thrilled to share that the long awaited boss fight is finally in the game. I hope you find this fight as fun and challenging as it was to make!

• Monsters have poise now and are capable of being staggered if they receive enough poise damage in a short time period

• Monsters will now look at their target

• Monsters have a varied set of abilities that they will use

• Monsters have a incoming damage buffer that will let them update their target to the highest incoming damage source

• Monsters' ragdoll will now freeze in place if it is old enough

• Monsters now have a chance to study their target before trying to attack again

• Event monsters that are unable to be collected will quickly dissolve

• Addressed framerate issues when there are many monsters active

• Wildlife can now lay down to rest

• Wildlife will now react to gunshots they hear or bullets hitting nearby

• Fixed issue where wildlife would spawn en masse in tight spaces on the map

• Added micro-wormholes that monsters jump out of

• There is now a chance of a "wild wormhole event"

• Added Grenade Launcher

• Added Rocket Launcher

• Added Glowstick throwable

• Added Secondary Weapon upgrade

• Players weapon reload animations are smoother

• Fixed weapons being visible while using their scopes

• Scroll wheel now goes to next/previous weapon slot

• UI fixes regarding weapon information presented to player

• Reload cancelling is now much smoother

• Weapons now have their own unique muzzle velocities

• Sniper rifle now shoots a tracer round

• Bullets have drop, travel time and can use tracers for select weapons

• Bullets have a chance to ricochet and continue to cause damage

• Disabled 4th weapon slot for now - it will be utilized in the future

• Adjusted visuals of Frag Grenade

• Various visual updates to sniper rifle scope

• Players now have poise and will get staggered, fall down or get thrown if their poise breaks hard enough

• Players can be revived in place instead of being respawned in place

• Players can now perform a melee attack

• Added a square reticle to indicate if an interaction available

• Added in-game military time to top left of player HUD

• Players can now boost the rematerialization process while respawning, this costs MTR per second while boosting

• Players can now dodge roll in any direction

• Players can now switch camera to other shoulder

• Added new HUD mini-map that shows your immediate area

• Players no longer start with pistol

• Added T.E.S.A. and her deployment throwable

• Fixed player hand placement on all weapons

• Increased sitting health recovery

• Added notifications when buying weapons and upgrades

• Can now rotate character around in lobby

• Player stamina bar will flash if there's not enough stamina to do an action

• Reduced respawn materialization time from 60s to 45s

• Joining players to a boss fight in progress will be put into spectator mode, until the boss fight is over

• Updated to Unreal Engine 5.6

• Added radial menu that is used for various functions the players can do

• Changed currency of CR (Credits) to MTR (Matter)

• Added Tab panel for Map

• Added Tab panel for Logs

• Added Tab panel for Inventory

• Map is now grid cell based and cells are hidden until visited

• Updated various markers on map

• Map icons for platforms now indicate if the platform has been completed or not

• Added sharpness slider in display settings

• Added weather volume slider to audio settings

• Added difficulty setting, can be changed mid-playthrough if desired

• Some upgrades will now require another upgrade to be purchased first

• Kiosks can now scroll if the content is long enough

• Moved gamma, field of vision, and motion blur to display settings

• Added new log entries and updated others

• Updated lobby to be a little more "ethereal"

• Added several new POIs

• Added underwater effects

• Default Global Illumination is now Lumen. There is an option to turn GI off completely or use Screen Space Illumination

• Added NVIDIA Reflex toggle

• Lobby browser details showing correct values for number of players and ping

• And tons of other bug fixes and quality of life improvements...

• Gamepad vibration feedback is currently missing

• Player indicators on the map can become stuck after a player revives. Rejoining the session resolves it temporarily

• Clients may not see the host’s recently purchased weapon

• T.E.S.A. may acquire an incorrect target and stop firing. Redeploying her fixes it for now

• T.E.S.A. initially runs to the host even when spawned by another player

• The boss’s dust foot particles may remain active after it's Phase 1 death

• Throwable items thrown by clients may appear to remain in-hand, then snap to the ground where they were thrown

• Rare bug causes players to appear to be firing a holstered weapon. Most commonly occurs when acquiring all weapons for the first time. Switching weapons fixes it for now

• Update 2 is already in development. It will introduce a new map, new weapons, new enemies, new upgrades, and additional systems - all built on top of what’s now in place with Update 1.

• If you encounter a bug or want to provide feedback, you can do so through the in-game feedback panel or on the EXOME Discord (https://discord.gg/eUVQDBVNVE).

• Content creators: all music in EXOME is properly licensed and safe to use in videos or streams.

• From the bottom of my heart - thank you for your patience and support. Your feedback continues to have a direct impact on EXOME.

RudeFrog Studios