About two months ago, Due Process entered an unlisted Beta. Since then, the game has been available for sale but it was kept hidden from Steam search. Shortly after, we announced our "Road to Early Access" and today we have the next big announcement:
Due Process is in Steam Early Access!
While the link to the store page will stay the same this comes with a few changes:
You’ll be able to find the game in Steam search. Finally!
We’ll be on launch sale for 25% off!
Our buy-one-get-one offer will continue through the game's launch sale. This game is best played with friends, so if someone you know is interested, shoot them your free copy (check your Steam Inventory) and hop on!
Unfortunately, Alpha-keys are now revoked. This means everyone who got the game for free as part of Alpha testing has lost access to the game, but…
Anyone who played 30 games during the alpha just got a free copy. BAM!
Thanks for helping us make the game better, we couldn’t have done it without the players who stuck it out through thick and thin.
How do I know if I have an Alpha-key?
If you activated the game on Steam by entering a code, you almost certainly got an Alpha-key and will need to buy the game if it’s not in your library..
NO ONE WHO BOUGHT THEIR KEY THROUGH STEAM HAS LOST THEIR COPY.
If you bought the game via Steam, or you were gifted a copy through Steam, you have a permanent copy of the game that will not be revoked at any time. Hope to see you online!
If you bought the key through a reseller, it could have been an alpha key.
Our Progress
We dedicated the last two months to two important topics:
Bug Fixing
Our testers have reported a lot of bugs in the past, and we knew it would be important to fix as many of them as possible before we enter into Early Access. So we equipped ourselves with bug-spray and butterfly nets and went on the hunt. And let me tell you: it was a very successful hunt! We squashed the game-breaking bugs and significantly reduced the number of minor bugs as well. Because as is common knowledge:
Performance Optimization
A very common piece of feedback we got during the Alpha was that Due Process was not running very well. So we made a huge effort in improving its performance. The hard work paid off. We made huge improvements, and a lot of people reported that their frame-rate finally reached a playable level. Performance optimization is not a sprint, though. It's a marathon. We will continue to work on performance, and “how fast does it run” will be a constant question when writing code. To help with that, we hired a new engineer specialized in performance optimization. He already identified multiple areas in the code base that look like promising targets for further optimization work, as we also agree that a game like this needs to run at a much higher framerate.
2020/08/06 vs 2020/10/25: 55 fps vs 101 fps
New goal: Improve Communication
While bug fixes and performance boosts have made the game significantly better throughout Beta, we identified another area we want to focus on.
This is a game about teamwork and coordination. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of games where teams are failing to coordinate and communicate, so we worked on several features to get people talking:
Mic-config Prompt
We added a mic-config screen, which prompts and helps you to set up your microphone correctly. This has eliminated most of the issues where players did not have their binds set correctly or did not have the correct audio device assigned. Surprisingly helpful first step.
Squad Names
You can name your squad now! This is a great ice-breaker that immediately creates an esprit de corps.
But be good. Argus is watching.
Direct-Join Casual Matches
It's easier to talk to people you already know. If you see a familiar face in a match, and there is still an empty slot on their team, you can now directly join that match from the main lobby.
Leaderboard
It’s still very much work in progress, but we felt it was important to add to reward the players investing their time gittin gud at our game.
Now I know, I’m terrible at the game :(
Best of 12 Ranked Mode
While casual is good to learn the ropes and have some fun, ranked is where this game really shines as that is where the gameplay is at highest quality.
Our first step was eliminating the bias of a best of 9 game mode so that we wouldn’t have to grind our gears making attackers and defenders perfectly fair. If there is a bias, it’s okay, because you play an equal number of rounds on each side. We even switch the maps at halftime to account for the bias of knowing the maps before you commit attacker gear to a round. So the structure is:
3 rounds, side switch, 3 rounds, map switch (but no side switch), 3 rounds, side switch, END.
We’re aware of two major drawbacks:
Ranked games take longer now. But hey, they’re still nowhere near as long as CS:GO’s.
Ties are the most likely outcome. We’d like to solve this one by implementing a ‘rematch’ feature where you double the stakes. You know, unless you’re chicken.
What's next?
During Early Access we will continue to work on bug fixes and optimization but also have more features planned. All of which are coming soon, naturally.
Icon System
Players have often suggested more sophisticated map-drawing tools in the past. We always agreed that it's a good idea, and we will ship an icon system soon. It will allow you to put down icons on the map to indicate where and how to use equipment (e.g. flash-bang icon for where you want flashed, a door-charge icon for a door you want breached).
Queuing for ranked while playing casual
This one is huge. We really want you guys to play ranked games as that’s where the game shines best. But we get it. You don’t want to sit around all night hoping for a ranked game to happen. So we’re implementing a system where you can queue for a ranked game while continuing to play a casual game. When a game’s found, simply confirm you’re ready to go like in any other ranked mode and you’re good to go. Now you can have the best of both worlds.
Challenge System
This will help out our friends at the Due Process League (which, like, you should totally join). You’ll be able to directly challenge another team to a match, and have the results post to a verifiable source.
Casual Match Consolidation
We’re working on a feature to consolidate games together if they have low playercounts. So rather than two 2v3s games, we’ll have a 5v5. We’ll have more information on the feature as it develops.
Something else:
More surprises lay ahead. Some of them core gameplay, and some of them map related.
Tell your family, tell your friends, tell everyone you know:
Due Process will be in Steam Early Access on October 27th!
If you haven't played the game in a while, this is a great chance to play again! We've got plenty of improvements planned down the road, and the game is already in a much better state than it was when we went into beta.
See you in game!
th_pion and Baard