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Dan is the founder of Blue Bottle Games. Before that, he worked at BioWare for 7 years on AAA rpgs, and as a lead artist and web developer before then. He is a huge rpg nerd, with a deep passion and long history of RPG and strategy gaming. He loves science fiction, post apocalyptic, and fantasy genres.

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dcfedor
dcfedor @ New Beta and Demo Builds: New Music, DMC Encounter, and Endless Turn Fix?

Whoops, sorry for the delay in responding! I didn't see this until today.

Yes, the beta on Desura is the same version as that on the official site and Steam. I try to keep all outlets for the game lock-step, within a day or so.

Hope this helps!

Good karma+1 vote
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Should be! Sometimes the Desura build is a day or two later, but both should be in sync right now.

Good karma+1 vote
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Hey kayakbob75,

The link for key activation is a bit tricky to find on this site. It's near the bottom of the page, and goes here:

Indiedb.com

Let me know if that helps!

Good karma+1 vote
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

It does, but you're right about it being a while. I added an 0.981 update a couple weeks back, but there were some last-minute issues. Since I didn't want a buggy build live while I was away for the holidays, I reverted to 0.980.

However, I did upload an 0.982 "test" build to the official site, so folks could play around with it in the interim. So far, that one seems to be stable, so I'll probably be pushing it live to Desura today.

If you'd like to try it before then, this link explains how you can get access to it:

Indiedb.com

Hope this helps, and I apologize for the delay!

Good karma+3 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Thanks for deciding to purchase the game, wogudwkd12!

Yes, you are eligible for a Steam key. The following news post explains how to obtain it:

Indiedb.com

Let me know if it gives you any trouble!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Hi james2314,

I think Steam and Desura use different currency conversion rates, so that's not intentional. I have set the same USD price on both Steam and Desura (and bluebottlegames.com).

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it so far, though!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

I think I responded to your other post about this issue here:

Indiedb.com

(Saw that one before this.) Let me know if that helps!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

I do want to add more clothing variety, yes. It might not be right away, though.

Good karma+3 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Hey jackloko99,

This link should explain the process:

Indiedb.com

Let me know if it gives you any trouble!

Good karma+3 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

I think it'll be okay for 10 inch screens. I've only used a 7 inch tablet so far, though, and I can barely click on text links correctly :)

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Me too! I think it should be possible, or at least I'm going to try. One of the trickier elements might be managing really small items, though. I tend to fat-finger a lot of things on the small screen, so it could be annoying to do precision stuff.

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Thanks, Rlear! I'm honored to be considered a welcome addition!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

That's good to hear! And thanks for following-up to let me know!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Thanks for posting the solution, Carnival73! I forgot about the Desura client!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Sorry, I created a news item to explain the process, but it's still under review by Desura.

You can use Desura's Connect feature to connect an account here to one at the official game site:
Indiedb.com

Once you do, you'll be able to see your assigned Steam key on this page:
Bluebottlegames.com

It'll be a Steam button near the bottom of the page.

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Easy HooterBabby :)

To be fair, ThreeSon doesn't know if I'm any different than a money-obsessed data-peddler, so I think it's a valid concern. I tend to be pretty protective of my own personal data, too.

Hopefully, I can find a way to satisfy the concerns of customers with similar reservations!

Good karma+3 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Hey ThreeSon,

I apologize for the hoop-jumping to get your key. I'm not sure if you saw it yet or not, but I try to answer some of your questions in more detail here:

Moddb.com

Hopefully, that post will help shed some light on the situation. And if you have any additional concerns, feel free to PM me. I'm sure we can work something out!

Good karma+3 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Yeah, that sounds about right. The wraith was designed to be sort of like the Terminator. Impossible to fight, but easy to escape. However, it'll never tire from following you once it's on your trail.

It doesn't despawn, so really the only options are to either find the talisman again, or defeat the wraith. A lonely few have done the latter, and there is game material to support that path.

You do bring up a good point about exhaustion, though. That's one case where the design seems to fail. The player may not find the talisman nor be strong enough for a fight before collapsing and being overtaken.

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Camouflage is actually a pretty tricky concept. I've grappled with it before when looking into doing it for campsites. The trouble is that camouflage is very context-specific. A ghillie suit is less effective when trying to hide in a pile of concrete rubble than it would be in marshlands.

There isn't yet a way for the game to know contextual info like that, nor a way to communicate it to the player. I do like the idea, though. If there isn't a chance to add it in this game, I'd definitely consider it for future ones.

Re: bargain food in the sprawl, that's a good idea. It probably wouldn't be a ZZ "franchise," but there would definitely be food for purchase outside DMC's walls. I've made a note on my to-do list.

I'm not sure how much I'll add for exploring the swamp yet, as it's sort of designed to be a barrier instead of a goal (except maybe as a finale). However, something like a poncho or other wrap is missing from the game, so I'll keep that in mind for future updates.

Of course, I don't want to promise anything in case other features take priority. My to-do list is a pretty big one, so it's more of a place for me to harvest ideas for "what's next?" than it is a list of things I'll definitely finish!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

That's actually a good point.

From the perspective of realism, this outcome makes sense. But from a game design perspective, surrender is an invalid move.

I wonder if this is only the case with "offer surrender?" If the player "agrees to surrender" after the AI demands it, the player escapes to an adjacent hex, giving a chance to run away from the wraith.

With "offer surrender," however, items are lost instantly, the wraith appears, the AI freaks out and leaves, and you're left with the mess.

Maybe this latter case is the only case that needs fixing?

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Yeah, US tipping is a custom even some American's debate. And I'm not sure if that custom needs to survive the apocalypse or not :)

Re: surrendering suicide, have you tried escaping the outcome? I thought I made it possible to survive if one runs (and potentially tracks down the talisman again later). But maybe the resulting situation is inescapable, in practice.

Zom Zom's is something that predates the cannibalism content, so there's a bit of a disjoint there. One of the perils of developing story before the game is complete. I have a few sections like this to smooth out.

And glad you appreciate the sleeping bag encounter! I was rather pleased with that solution, too :)

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

You must've hit the waiter was having a bad day :)

Seriously, though, that encounter might need some tweaking. It's meant to be unusual, but a lot of folks are confused by some of the outcomes.

As for surrendering, I dunno. I mean, if a bandit's holding you up for clothing, boots, and carried junk, don't you think he'll take that shiny necklace, too?

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Ah, I see what you mean. At the risk of spoiling the mystique, those are genuine mistakes. Philip truly doesn't know what's going on, so having him narrate faction histories *is* weird. I think the game also has some mismatches as the result of narrative elements being written at much different times (e.g. early 2012 plot colliding with more-recently-expanded features and setting info).

Thanks for the Pathologic tip. I hadn't heard of it before, and it sounds intriguing! (Albeit opaque.)

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Wow, thanks! NEO Scavenger was definitely meant to scratch that STALKER scavenging itch, at least to some degree. So I'm glad to hear it hit that mark!

As for multiple starting scenarios, which areas seemed like they hinted at that? I'm genuinely curious.

My experience so far has been that even a single origin story is tough to follow-up with a satisfying conclusion, so I probably won't be able to do more. I'm trying to make the conclusion one that's a bit open to interpretation, based on which clues the player uncovers and how.

I.e. finding answers to who you are, why you were frozen, who's after you, etc. In some cases, I'd like these answers to be false, or partially-false, so the player needs to separate wheat from chaff, so to speak.

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Hi jP2809!

Thanks for the kind words. Glad to hear you're still finding it fun!

And I agree about the food items. I have some on my wishlist, and hope to get at least a few more in circulation. I'm also in the process of adding some more fast-food to an inner-city encounter that'll be in an upcoming build. Mmm shaved donair over cabbage, and fried tofu sticks!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Sometimes, NPCs will hide small items inside containers, too. So if they stole ammo from you, and it didn't appear in the dropped loot, it might be nested inside a pocket or container.

However, if there wasn't room for even small items on the ground, they probably got deleted. As for making the ground more spacious, it's something I have on my wishlist. I can't promise it, but I'd like to do it if there's time.

And have you tried using the Trapping skill with two branches in the crafting screen? That should let you start a fire without a lighter.

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Thanks, I'm glad to hear the new update is worthwhile! There are a couple of new creatures I'd like to add, as well. Hopefully, I'll have the time to do them!

The disappearing loot sounds odd. Was there room on the ground when he died? Perhaps the game couldn't find space for the dropped items?

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Hey, welcome back! And thanks!

Good karma+1 vote
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

Thanks, will do! And I appreciate your appreciation!

Good karma+2 votes
dcfedor
dcfedor @ NEO Scavenger

It's possible, but there are some rules that complicate matters (e.g. limitations of, and penalties for accessing items during combat). Making it too easy conflicts with those rules.

Good karma+1 vote