Cosmic Cowboy - Dev Log #7

It's been a minute since I last wrote about Cosmic Cowboy and there have been tons of changes, additions and fixes over the last few months (even a brand new Steam page - wish list today 😉)

If you're unfamiliar or new to Cosmic Cowboy let me fill you in 👇

Inspired by classics like Fallout 1 and XCOM, “Cosmic Cowboy” takes you on an adventure across the distant planet of Proxima Centauri B. In this character-driven Space Western narrative, you’ll navigate through a world filled with dangerous inhabitants and intriguing mysteries. The game offers a rich, immersive experience with its strategic gameplay and compelling storyline.

What's Changed?:

When in range, it is now easier to select between enemies using the new skull UI selection. This also shows a much more cinematic view of the enemy, giving the gameplay a much more XCOM-like gameplay feel.

We got lots of feedback for the enemy turn taking too long, so now only the enemy within the range of the player will move, instead of all enemies at the entire level moving at once. This stops issues in areas such as level 2, where the player had to wait a long time for their turn.

Level 2 now has a turn limit/timer. When this timer expires, the level fails. So you better be quick getting to the exit!

I wish I could list all the changes here but quite frankly there has been so many so you'll have to try them out yourself!

We've also done tons more quality-of-life changes such as fixing some UI glitches, game-breaking bugs and tweaking some values for gameplay balancing. There's so much more to discover and you should definitely check it out in our upcoming demo (see below for more details!)

New Levels Sneak-Peak:

We are also very keen to show off the next upcoming levels that we have planned, with each level (similar to levels 1 and 2) offering a unique gameplay experience for players such as level 2 having a turn timer before the level fails unless you can get to the exit quick enough.

Level 3:

Set a few hours after the events of level 2, where Cowboy and A.M.I snuck aboard a cargo ship, they find themselves within several tight rooms and corridors. At this point in the game, players should feel more comfortable in the skills they have chosen and this will be an excellent sandbox to test their builds.

Level 4:

Featuring much more open spaces and a much bigger use of height and verticality, this level takes place in the middle of town being shaken up for their goods and money. (Must be the right person in the right place and time) This level focuses more on your ability to neutralise all enemy combatants. This is where sci-fi truly meets the wild west.

Level 5:

Taking inspiration from Cyberpunk 2077 and giving players a multitude of tactical options, Level 5 takes place on a cargo train that Cowboy "borrowed". This level focuses on less player exploration and more on close-quarters defence as hostile forces attempt to board and retake the train.

Level 6:

I'm not spoiling this level, you'll have to find out in the full release ;) but we have some really cool ideas planned!

Future Plans:

Over the next few weeks, we are hoping to get the next few levels programmed and into a playable state, where we will be conducting private playtests so we can catch those pesky bugs. We are also planning to change how accuracy and range work. Instead of the accuracy being a set value, it will now change depending on how far you are from an enemy and vice versa.

Likewise, we are also adding more skills and abilities so you can have even more freedom and replayability within the gameplay and we will be sharing further details soon!

Steam Next Fest (October 14th - 21st)

We are also very happy to announce that we will be launching a brand new free-to-play demo during Steam Next Fest. This demo will feature all of the new changes and fixes that I have previously mentioned. We are looking forward everyone to playing our game on Steam for the first time, it's super exciting to finally see everything come together. We've been hard at work the last few months, ironing out pesky bugs so having an actual Steam page and playable demo feels super cool, I'm proud of all the work we have created so far.

Keep an eye on the store page for further updates and a release date!

Closing Thoughts:

While we had to delay the game as we felt that some features weren't up to scratch and up to our high standards of quality, we are 101% committed to creating the best possible gameplay experience that we can. We are hoping to announce a new release date very soon

We always deeply appreciate all wish lists we get on Steam, this not only makes us feel great to see so many eagerly awaiting the release of the game but also helps push the game more out with the Steam algorithm.

For those wondering why it's taking a little bit longer than we thought to get the game out the door, we are a group of volunteers and are doing this out of our love and passion for games, so we don't have tons of spare time to work on the game. But rest assured we are committed to getting a full release, getting things done week by week. We don't get paid for our work here and so we all have to work other jobs while we work on this in our free time.

The team and I can't wait for the release of the demo. We have around 1 - 2 hours of gameplay complete for you to enjoy!

Don't forget to wishlist on Steam :) -

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3010000/Cosmic_Cowboy/

Thank you for reading!

• Jack Mulford (Level & Game Designer)