Space Salvage Blog #3 : Navigation – Job Types – Upgrades
It’s that time of month again Space Salvage Cadets and we have a lot of things to show you. Ranging from how you navigate through the menu, how you make money and upgrades for your pod!
We’re hoping this blog will give you more of an insight for what’s to come and you can see Space Salvage really take form.
A couple of mentions before we begin though!
We have currently set up a discord server! So if you want to talk to devs or get the latest news come join us! Link is below:
DISCORD
We have also been approved by Oculus and our demo is on the SideQuestVR store and App lab! If you missed us at EGX and want to try out the demo, don’t worry, follow the link below and give it a try! Please leave us a review and any feedback, it would help us greatly.
DEMO
Navigation
An entirely new Home UI system has been built to satisfy all of your button pressing needs! As we all know, pressing buttons in VR is VERY satisfying so why not add more!
SSC has kindly provided you with a navigation tablet! It may look a bit rusted and old but it works perfectly fine and that’s all that matters right?
You will be able to select your jobs as well as purchase upgrades for your pod through the shop menu.
The tablet starts as a small handheld which is ambidextrous, so no matter what your dominant hand is, it will know! Do you see how kind SSC is to provide you with such a luxury?
Once a button is pressed for example “Job”, a panel will pop out, giving you a bigger screen and more options for you to press.
We believe that this type of menu system is a lot more intuitive and fun to interact with as it gives you a more real world application but in a Sci-fi environment. We all love the types of gadgets Sci-fi offers in various movies or other games; so what better way to showcase it than having your own personal handheld.
Enough about that though, let us go more in depth at what the options available to you are!
Job Screen
Once the “Job” button has been selected, a panel will pop out from the side showing you a selection of job types. The jobs available will depend on your player rank; the higher your rank the more options.
Using the four buttons on the side to determine which one you want, once selected, it will then take you to another screen. This will show you your client, the description and possible hazards in the area.
Once you are happy with your selection, pressing “accept” will move you forward into your pod to start the job.
Shop Screen
Similar to the “job” screen, a panel will pop out when the shop is selected, or if the panel is already out, the shop screen will appear on the panel. Multiple categories will appear, this includes:
- Promotion
- Upgrades
- Weapons
- Cosmetics
The promotion screen will show you a set of requirements needed to advance your rank; this could include an upgrade purchase or a job type you need to complete. SSC also does not offer free promotions, you will need to pay them to advance but don’t worry, a little surprise will happen when you promote! Maybe…
Upgrades will allow you to purchase items for your pod to make your job easier. This could include more health, bigger fuel tanks or shields!
We decided to give weapons its own category as we will be adding a multitude of them. There will be alot for you to shoot or mine! We look forward to creating them all and showing you the possibilities different weapons can provide
Lastly we have cosmetics. Everyone wants to design their pod their way. If you want a decal, change the interior walls, bobble heads or dinosaur figurines, you name it, SSC has it and they will give it to you… for a high price of course.
Quick Job
SSC has also installed a button into your handheld that will let you instantly jump into a random job. This allows for faster efficiency with no hassle, so if you’re grinding for money to get that certain upgrade or cosmetic, this is the button for you!
Job Types
During this sprint, we have created four different types of environments for you to explore through but only two different job types to begin with. First, let us talk about the ranking system and how this ties in with the Job types
Ranking System
Players will be given the “Trainee Operative” rank to start off with. To progress further, they will need to complete a set of requirements which are available under the “shop -> requirements” option in the handheld. This will tell you what you need to do to acquire the next rank.
Each rank is broken down into stars. For example, you are a Trainee Operative, you complete the requirements, you will go up by 1 star but are still a Trainee Operative.
Once 3 stars are claimed in that rank, you will be boosted into the next stage which will be a Junior Operative.
Each rank requires a different amount of stars to progress further but it will also unlock a lot more for you.
Currently for Trainee Operative, there are only two Job types: collect and destroy. Later on you could unlock mining jobs or even racing, we can’t wait for you to see what you will get! Harder jobs will appear but that means more money and loot!
For now, we will talk about the current job types available.
Collect
Collect jobs are your standard missions where you need to fly around the environment and gather a certain amount of loot the client has requested. However, don’t get used to the layout as everything could change the next time you’re in there. It’s better to focus on your flying abilities, the trusty radar as well as your eyes and ears to spot them all.
You will have a chance at the end of the mission to keep flying around and find more “hidden” loot that could be worth a whole lot!
On the other end, if you choose to leave the mission before even completing it, SSC will fine you and take half of your credits.
Destroy
Destroy jobs will give you the chance to fire your laser beam (once you’re purchased it) at enemies. Various things are in space and one of them are mines which are placed by the other faction; the Scavengers.
Don’t worry, considering your low rank, SSC will not send you out to the super dangerous places, these mines and/or probes will not fire back or chase you. However, remember to shoot them from a distance because they will explode and they will damage you.
This job does require you to destroy enemy objects, but don’t forget to look around for loot! There will always be loot for you to pick up and get some extra cash
Below are some environments you’ll be flying around completing these types of jobs.
Upgrades
We have spoken about what jobs are available, what rewards you can obtain, ranking system and more. However, what do you do with all that money you get from completing jobs? SSC will gladly take it all but they aren’t tyrants mostly. In your handheld, there is a shop option available, there are multiple options here for you to spend your credits! But one of the most vital pieces for Space Salvage is upgrading your pod.
The upgrades range from Pod health, Fuel tank increase and many more. Again, the higher your rank the more different options at things you can buy will become available.
These upgrades are vital in making your jobs a lot easier or even helping you complete a job which is too difficult. Some promotion requirements will make you purchase certain upgrades so grab as much loot as possible when you’re out and about! You’re going to need it!
Another category which will help you are the weapons. You won’t just have a laser beam to help you, later on you’ll be able to purchase homing missiles, better combat lasers, target assists and so much more. But of course, this will only unlock as you progress further into the ranks! There may even be a special surprise when you reach the top, or maybe SSC won’t care, you’ll have to find out.
What’s to come!
This concludes our Dev Blog for December, we hope this has given you more of an insight for what’s to come and makes you excited to play!
We are currently working on the different factions which will be in Space Salvage, giving our game a bit more story-rich environment. Get to know the Scavs, SSC and even civilians more. The type of objects they want you to scavenge for them and their general aesthetics.
We are also having a revamp of our visual effects, this includes bigger and better explosions, a shield to protect you from enemies and even some speedy lines to make you zoom through space!
Thank you for reading this dev blog and don’t forget to join our discord server as well as follow our other social media to keep up to date!
We also have the demo available for you to play for free on the Sidequest and App Lab!