Mechajammer – Gamescom Demo Available

Whalenought Studios, the team behind the upcoming cyberpunk RPG Mechajammer, have put together a new demo build just in time for this year’s gamescom. By the looks of it, anyone can play this new demo on Steam, but this here Kickstarter update shares some additional information.

Check it out:

Greetings!

There’s a new demo area for testing and feedback — everyone at this point can now join in on the forums and ooze out your thoughts. There are details below on how to get your keys.

Some of the main changes we’ve made based off feedback are some quality of life improvements — movement models are now more similar in and out of turn based mode (tile distances without the grid), getting into turn based mode is now only automatic to make that more streamlined, and cars also have a turn-based driving mode. A lot of physics and visuals like the MFI street-scanners still needs another layer of polish, but they are available to play around with. We’ll be getting to those as we finish things up in 7.X.

You can check out some driving, shopping, local trouble and one of the gang factions. This is a small slice of the city, though we had to remove cross-map characters and and things to do to make it more compatible with the area, you can still get a feel for the atmosphere and mechanics. It’s still buggy and lacking in some more cohesive itemization, but there are typically one of everything hidden around the zone to find and play around with.

7.X also rounds out city systems like the faction hub mechanics, like calling for backup (interruptible) and their relationship with you, dictating if you’ll be able to ally with them. While it’s not included due to the smaller scope of this test, if their reputation gets in the red, you wouldn’t be able to ally with them. So it would be best not to lay waste to scores of their laborers if you want to be friends. There are a few more things we need to add to start expanding the testing zone, and you can check that progress on the update log, and we’ve pasted the current at the bottom of this post.

ALL NEW TESTERS

To get your key, please logon to the whalenought website with your email you used here. If you haven’t setup an account, generate one by resetting your password with the email you used with this kickstarter.

In your accounts should be an added item with your Steam key for testing (I think I added that line item twice, but it’s the same key). You just have to click on a little arrow letter on the Details section.

If you have any issues please let us know, or shoot us an email and we’d be happy to assist.

COOL TESTING ZONE

If you’d like to be involved with some more in-depth testing until release, we’re gathering some forces for the cause, just let us know on any of our channels and you’ll be [redacted] contacted!

Current 7.2

Features a mission to infiltrate a gang base in a small section of the city. This is localized, and will have the following completed before adding more areas for testing.

Test build includes:

• City section
• Level streaming
• Police alert hunt and radar functionality
• NPCs radio for help if available
• Gang/Faction Spotlights trigger NPC swarm
• Streamlined movement for turn mode and explore mode
• Driving has improved turn based controls in combat
• HUD tweaks for readability
• Gang mood meter for determining ally status
• Load and saving functionality from main game implemented into demo
• Merchants
• Mercenaries
• Rumors and bribing
• Traffic

Fixed from last build:

• Cars and barrels missing explosion effect
• Can get stuck after death loop
• Vent entrances difficult to enter
• Interaction distance too far (jumping to cars)
• alarm noise for police patrol
• allow free move when search timer is up
• missing sprites back in
• drag bodies
• body detection -> alarm state by gang hubs
• need to pause everything at end and make everyone flee and go missing
• end of demo not pausing game world
• shooting ground
• radar turns off before backuptimer
• two cars at base
• interaction distance
• leg aim triggering correct wound to slow down
• dialogue not close enough together
• driving improvements with turn speed and acceleration
• explosion sound
• big van not hitting things
• hover on civilians (need their own color)
• ground items have sheen on them
• ground items can click on pop-up inventory items on bottom of screen (or hotkey)
• puddles
• doors flapping open and shut
• explosion particle on barrels
• quips
• Enemy type 3 can start conversation with you
• crouch takes two clicks
• merchants open inventory automatically

Known Issues: UI/ruleset

• Ammo bug
• UI layering bugs with radio and radar
• Fire barrels difficult to target
• Can’t shoot computers
• Terminal screens are overlapping when selecting buttons
• Note viewer in terminal repeats first one clicked
• Some hovers not linked up in character sheet
• shouldn’t pass rolls with no dice
• drop more than one round of ammo per person
• pick up bodies like items in icon list on bottom of screen
• ammo gets stuck in INV on occasion

Known Issues: visuals/audio

• Need a hold/drag body animation
• Mismatched some character heads/portraits
• reload animations matching items
• sound effects for dialogue
• arbitration music
• wheels need to turn the correct direction on all vehicles
• civilians sometimes just idle and move instead of walk and move

Known Issues: mechanics

• NPCs should run out of cars when they take too much damage (prior to blowing up)
• Balancing key-holder zones and street-thug health
• Enemy spawn from alerts (MFI and Gangs) should swarm from more locations instead of in a closed group
• MFI scanners need additional scanning visuals for where they can see, should follow PC if detected
• MFI scanners need to be more consistent with detection
• Barry’s (current) van subscription always stays at base
• hovering over doors
• melee distance
• NPC type 1s need to attack you if you start combat near them
• stun gun to require head shot to work
• turn mode vehicles need more gravity
• throwing impact weapons not working

To implement in area for testing:

• Hit squads from gangs/locals you’ve upset
• jungle toxin zones, requiring breathers to access any jungle areas without getting killed
• boating!
• Barry activity and money added to ledger
• Test skills: ORGANICS: CorpseController companions
• Test skills: REPAIR: INV repair kit and Itemoid robot companions
• Test skills: CHEMISTRY: bomb making kit (bring back in)
• Day/Night curfew with MFI
• shadow cursor to help with knowing where shadow colliders are exactly

As always, hope you are all safe and well.

Hannah & Joseph