Oxygen Not Included Roadmap September 2018

[Bigfoot]

Hello, everyone!

With the release of Rocketry Upgrade we're getting close to the end of the roadmap we shared last August, so it's time for us to step back and assess where we are and where Oxygen Not Included is going from here.

Oxygen Not Included is a game built on intertwined systems. Since Pre-Alpha we've been introducing systems and weaved them together to create a simulation that provides players with dynamic challenges to the survival of their colony, as well as the tools they need to exploit those systems to improve the Duplicants' lives.

Throughout this process we've added a ton of new content, tweaked and added to the simulation, and created new systems. There's still a lot of room for new and interesting content within these existing systems. In addition, the balance of the game has often shifted as new features were added, and we now need to stabilize that balance.

After the next Upgrade, we'll be changing gears and going back over the whole game to focus on polish, performance, balance and missing content. In addition to solving technical issues, we want to make sure that the beginning of the game is approachable and fair for new players, and that the situations a colony encounters have enough variety that each playthrough feels fresh.

We're going to add another batch of space industry content in the October 18th upgrade. From there we'll begin releasing updates on an 8-week cycle, with an open testing branch 3 weeks before each release. This is similar to how it is now, but at a longer pace.

Each of these updates will be focused on content, stability, and user experience improvements. They won't necessarily have a big unifying theme like they do now, but there will still be new smaller pieces of content to play with.

Does this mean the game is done?

Definitely not! This just means we're going to shift our attention to fixing issues and polishing up the experience. When Oxygen Not Included officially launches, it will be a complete and accessible journey that anyone interested can play and enjoy, and we have a fair bit more work to do before we feel that we are there. We’re also scheduling a new feature and content update for that launch to mark the occasion.

We're extremely grateful to all of you for your feedback and encouragement so far!

Oxygen Not Included is a complex game, and we appreciate that we can grow the game with the help of our community. We read your feedback every day and try to bear in mind the diverse play styles and experiences everyone has as we're designing this game.

So for everyone who has already joined us on this journey, and those who haven't joined yet, an enormous “Thank You!” from the whole team!

[BlueLance]

Thank you very much for the updated Roadmap and I am looking forward to seeing where everything goes!

[_Q_]

Fire? Any danger beside impossible running out of oxygen?

 

[Tobruk]

Finally they will start interweaving the systems more. I feel like you nerfed diseases to much and there are too few of them as well. As @_Q_ said - fire could be interesting, but I don't find it critical though, as heat can pretty much destroy a colony on its own. QoL additions will be a very welcome change of focus, because some elements of the game are still tedious (measurements, for example, or debug-locked feature called blueprints).

[blash365]

1 hour ago, Bigfoot said:

So for everyone who has already joined us on this journey, and those who haven't joined yet, an enormous “Thank You!” from the whole team!

Likewise! It is always a pleasure to be part of an active early access/beta project. This is how games should be developed - if possible.

 

Since you are stating that the remaining updates will most likely include only small parts of contents, that seems to be a pass on things like: a new systems such as a medical overhaul, fire/flameables, radioactivity etc.

So our hope would be a dlc/addon model similar to DS, i guess.

[Christophlette]

I'd like to say thank you to the devs and all the people that works to make ONI. I've already spent 427 hours on the game (though half of it may searching forums, sleeping or eating with the game pause in the background ). I consider you've already made me happy with this game and you could stop it now it would have been an awesome time playing still.

And I thank you a lot more for continuing your work. That's an awesome game you've made and I'm really glad my brother gave it to me for my birthday last year. It's been an really good experience and I've learned a lot of things while having fun. Cheers !

[lunazone]

heck yeah

[mkurzke]

Really hope some of the tweak and polish will go to creating a challenge beyond the first couple of playthroughs. Even with disease and stress at most difficult setting and additional self-imposed rules it becomes too easy. Otherwise awesome game.

[Ashrayn]

Thanks for all the hard work. Polishing the existing content sounds good; I think occupations and stats in particular could use another pass through and rebalancing.

[Kabrute]

Woven

double starting food

Have vending machines drop something worth while or make nutrient bars a higher quality food item

increase upper limit of fumeroles

Investigate interaction between Liquids and (heavy watt join blocks/doors/blueprints with sand in them)

Stop transfering temps between hydroponic contents and its surroundings

investigate storage items interacting with the cell beneath the storage device

investigate rotation issues (sieve)

remove fixed output temperatures (sieve, carbon skimmer, et al)

if we are allowed to make requests.....

make oil well blueprint only placeable on oil well

[AzeTheGreat]

No mention of mods...are there plans to add mod support?  I think with solid mod support this game could have an incredible modding scene that adds a ton of gameplay.

[SamLogan]

That's a great news !

[Giltirn]

+1 support for balance and polish!

[mr peeps]

YES!!! I've been wanting this for ages! But.

One thing, will you be ever adding some sort of natural disaster type things? I've been wanting them for ages. Its part of a post a made a few days ago for more details. Polishing is something I've wanted for ages, but regardless, I've been wanting something to make the game more unpredictable for ages.

[babba]

Steam Engine feedback:

Please make the steam engine work and be operational without using exploits, by playing the game normal. Thank you.

 

[ClarkOps]

Nice to have some info on what's coming up  Communication is key, good job guys.

[Djoums]

2 hours ago, Kabrute said:

make oil well blueprint only placeable on oil well

Hopefully not before they fix that whole regolith situation

[Gurgel]

This roadmap update sounds entirely reasonable to me. Thanks for sharing it.

[Novo]

I love the space industry idea alot.

[The Plum Gate]

Kind of feels like I can settle into a map for once...

[ImDaMisterL]

I really like how you're doing this, Klei. Great job!

[The Plum Gate]

8 hours ago, Bigfoot said:

...fixing issues and polishing up the experience.

Feel free to Vulkanize the matter simulator. 

[kamyk4000]

Really hoping that when you are rounding out systems that you expand the medical/disease systems, add fishing to ranching or as it's own skill, and give dupes more things to do on downtime (especially if it builds skills ala The Sims style - reading upping intelligence, working out increasing strength, treadmills upping speed, etc), but even just watching tv to relax would be a plus.

[Mariilyn]

18 hours ago, blash365 said:

Since you are stating that the remaining updates will most likely include only small parts of contents, that seems to be a pass on things like: a new systems such as a medical overhaul, fire/flameables, radioactivity etc.

Nah not letting go of my hope to see radioactivity added as long as radium has an entry in the codex. It could even be included in the next update alongside the new space industry content.

[Gurgel]

11 hours ago, Mariilyn said:

Nah not letting go of my hope to see radioactivity added as long as radium has an entry in the codex. It could even be included in the next update alongside the new space industry content.

I noticed that we have a "Petroleum Engine" now. A nuclear engine as alternative would be entirely plausible.