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Development roadmap

In the section below, you will find a development roadmap.
SpaceCatch Development Roadmap
Updated: October 17, 2023

Upcoming


Q4 2023


UI feedback implementation

Partially implemented
  • Implementing various UI and visual effects to provide feedback to player’s actions.
  • E.g. the map will provide visual feedback to player’s taps, no matter if player taps valid object on map or not. There will be different feedback to guide the player if they performed correct action or not.
  • The scope of this is both map and the AR combat.

Map update & VFX V1

Partially implemented
  • Updating the mapbox style (map visible on the ground) and skybox (background).
  • Later update of the map by adding different VFX onto the map itself like weather effects (e.g. clouds) or minor non interactive objects/effects

UI animations V1

Implementation in progress
  • More engaging transitions between screens, dynamically rendering UI content within screen

Inventory

Implementation in progress
  • Player inventory where player can manage their equipment in use
  • Access to storage of all items player has

Hubs & Shelters V1

Partially implemented
  • Basic shelter that user can access, replenish their health and items and offload aliens
  • Introduction of “handler” NPC, which will later give quests after Tasks/Quest V1 are implemented
  • Hubs and shelters are the same in this version

Tasks/Quests V1

Partially implemented
  • Procedurally generated quests in a format: “[eliminate/catch] [1 < x < 10] aliens of [type/species] within [timeframe from 24h to 7 days]”

Invasions V1

  • Shelters can be invaded by small scale alien invasions
  • Alert is sent to nearby players
  • Players have to locate the “invasion zone” and fight unusually higher numbers of aliens
  • Players have to repel the invasion together (designed to require multiple players)
  • Simple XP rewards for now, more rewards related to Hubs & Shelters V2 and Crafting V2 coming later in iterations

Level scaling

Partially implemented
  • Aliens scale based on players level so that the game stays challenging

Continuously adding new aliens

  • Focus on creating main ~5 types of aliens, specifying and implementing their move sets (animations) and basic attacks and abilities.
  • More aliens can be later created faster that are based on these types (variation of textures, visual effects and strength)

Q1 2024


Sounds implementation

  • Implementation of sounds and music to everything added into the game so far
  • Sound effects to be part of implementation to every new content from now on

Alien & damage types V1

Partially implemented
  • Implementing different types of aliens with different damage and resistances.
  • Implementing different types of player with weapons and items boosting resistances.
  • Player can ultimately create builds that are better against certain alien types and weaker against others
  • The types are added into the UI (for both aliens and weapons) and alien and weapon mechanics updated.

Tutorial V1

  • Simple tutorial introducing key mechanics on the map and in the combat – mainly using static content and “explainers”/tooltips, not interactive.
  • Player can open tutorial any time from the menu.

Dynamic alien zoning

  • Can be only implemented after Aliens & Damages V2 is implemented
  • There will be zones with different probabilities of different alien types all around the world
    • The implementation will be based on “hotspots” with 100% chance of spawning certain kind, these hotspots will mix between themselves so players will always have different chance as they move around
  • The zones will change every [week/month]
  • “Dosimeter” implemented into player’s UI, where player can see the approximate probabilities of spawning certain alien types in the exact location where they stand

Finishing 1st batch of aliens (~20-30 aliens)

  • Creating 1st batch of production ready aliens including all animations, attacks and sounds based on the initial 5 types from continuosly adding new aliens in Q4 2023.

PUBLIC BETA LAUNCH

  • Public beta launch where anyone can sign up and play the game freely
  • The beta is expected to be limited (TBD) and main purpose is to get feedback from players all around globe and create hype around core gameplay
  • Expectation is that this version will provide enough content to play potentially several weeks, but will lack long term gameplay loop for most players.

Crafting V1

  • Simple crafting mechanic
  • Players can collect few basic resources (one or few types, TBD) and craft basic items such as healing items, shields or ammo.
  • Players can only craft in shelters

Tasks/Quests V2

  • More interactive and varied quests that will include location based tasks, tasks related to physical activity or collecting certain items etc.
  • Introduction of more NPCs

Hubs & Shelters V2

  • Splitting hubs and shelters into different locations
  • Shelters are community based places that players can upgrade together and use to:
    • Offload aliens for smaller reward (as handler takes a cut)
    • Get simple repeatable/generated quests
    • Replenish health and core equipment
    • Craft simple items
  • Hubs are main locations for players in their area, hubs upgrade themselves based on player base and players can use them to:
    • Everything shelter provides, but also…
    • To get better quests
    • To offload aliens for a bigger reward, as there is no middleman (handler) involved
    • Later also form guilds, find guilds or craft more advanced items and weapons – this is dependant on future implementation of epics such as Crafting V2, Multiplayer V1

Continuously adding new aliens, weapons and items

  • Adding more aliens based on the core types
  • Adding more varied weapons and items, slowly preparing for NFT implementations

Q2 2024


Tutorial V2

  • Playable quest that walks player through main mechanics of the game
  • This is a highly curated and interactive first time player experience, player meets different NPCs and gets curated quests that teach players all the main mechanics
  • The tutorial will take user about 1h to finish – it can be done over multiple days
  • This is also proof of concept of future content type Story extensions

Implementing move-to-earn mechanics linking into blockchain

  • Syncing players stats into blockchain, providing blockchain related rewards based on players’ activity

Implementing NFTs

  • Implementing NFTs into the game

Marketplace

💬 We might need to dedicated a separate team to implementation of the web based marketplace itself, so core SC team can focus on implementing relevant calls into the game
  • Creating a web based marketplace where users can link their ingame accounts and purchase NFTs or get blockchain related rewards

PUBLIC V1 LAUNCH

  • First official “in store” launch providing enough gameplay until new version is introduced/new expansion is added
  • This is to be the first time users can download and play the game without any previous waitlist/sign up/onboarding

Crafting V2

  • Crafting of more items, related to Items V2
  • Ability to craft different items in shelters and hubs
  • Ability to craft unique items that are not obtainable by any other means
  • Potentially improving/expanding types of resources

Items V2

  • New types of in-game items with special abilities such as ability to higher chance to spawn certain aliens or being able to locate hub more easily or predict invasions

Continuously adding new aliens, weapons and items

  • Adding more aliens based on the core types
  • Adding more varied weapons and items and NFT based items

Q3 2024


Advanced RPG mechanics

  • Introducing specialisations/skill-tree
  • Introducing non-combat activities and specialisations
    • Aka “hacker/netrunner” support role where player can support friends’ fights from home
  • Specialising in one skill-tree will make it harder (=impossible) to fully specialise in other skill-trees, we want to incentivise multiple characters
  • When Story expansions is implemtented, users have to finish special quests in order to unlock the new content and specialisations.

Tokenise player characters and allow transfers

  • Allow players to “package” their characters into an NFT and sell them on official marketplace
  • This allows for varied gameplay and experiencing the game differently

Multiplayer V1

  • Ability to form groups/guilds
  • Ability to support friends in their fights or be supported
  • Ability to share resources or items in a limited way

Leaderboards

  • Leaderboards of best players and guilds in my region or worldwide
  • Preparation for regular tournaments or rewards for best players
  • This is to be tracked over time

Premium accounts

  • Introducing level-cap for free accounts and adding premium accounts based on subscriptions

“Story expansions”

  • Introducing first big new content update adding new aliens, items, weapons, quests, visual effects
  • This can be paid or free update
  • First story expansion is expected to work around Advanced RPG mechanics and different user roles and should contain both mix of new cosmetics and actual new mechanics
  • There should be new NPCs and curated story quests available that users have to perform in order to unlock new content
    • This option will always give us ability to control the transition from old mechanics and weaker items to new mechanics and items.

Continuously adding new aliens, weapons and items

  • Adding more aliens based on the core types
  • Adding new alient type based on 1st of Story expansions theme
  • Adding more varied weapons and items and NFT based items