Hello Rebels!

[p][/p][p]Time for our grand finale playtest session of STRIDEN before the Early Access launch! On June 27th, we’re opening up our playtest app to the public for one final free playtest weekend. To join, make sure to sign up for the playtest on our Steam page.[/p][p]If you’ve played before, just sit back and relax, you’ll automatically get access when the beta starts.[/p][p][/p][p]So, what have we been up to this past week?[/p][p]We’ve been fully focused on tracking down bugs, fixing performance issues, and preparing our back-end systems.[/p][p]Every week, we run at least one internal test, and we’ve also held two stress test sessions with full servers playing STRIDEN for about three hours each to make sure everything works as it should.[/p][p]Our talented, tight-knit team has been hard at work developing fresh new content and replacing placeholder assets.[/p][p][/p][p]Our team of interns has made fantastic progress on our new urban map, Nuke 08.[/p][p]Nuke 08 is set in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, where a tactical nuke has destroyed large parts of the city. This setting brings a fresh twist to the game and stands out from our other maps — with a mix of tight close-quarters combat areas and wide open streets with varied elevation.[/p][p]This new map won’t be included in the Open Beta, but we’re aiming to have a playable version ready by late summer 2025.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

Progress with our Powerspikes

[p]The biggest update is that we’ve added a new system to how Powerspikes work. Now, you have to choose which Powerspike (animal) you want to play before each match — and you’ll be locked to that animal for the entire match. You make your choice in the match lobby before deploying onto the battlefield.[/p][p]This means your team will need to think more strategically about which Powerspikes fit the map and your overall tactics. Powerspikes still charge up based on your individual player score, and when you activate them, you must place them carefully on the map no more Moose Tanks spawning inside Strongholds! It also now takes time to channel into your chosen animal, so you can’t instantly spawn a Powerspike anymore. Enemies can attack you while you’re channeling, so pick your moment and location wisely.[/p][p]We’ve also removed the timer for how long you can stay in your Powerspike. Now, you can cancel it at any time. Plus, you can now spot enemy Powerspikes to alert your teammates.[/p][p]With these changes, Powerspike balance has improved significantly not every player can just summon a bear or a Moose Tank anymore.[/p][p][/p][p]Our beloved Moose Tank has received a lot of love too. We’ve reworked its driving and movement to make it feel less clunky. Enemies can now destroy the Moose itself, which disables the cannon turret — so if you’re facing one, aim for the Moose! Think of it like tracking a tank in other games.[/p][p][/p][p]The Radioactive Bear has also been polished for smoother movement. The biggest new feature is that teammates can now ride a friendly bear! Just approach it, hold the interact button, and voilà, you’re basically Rambo on a Scandinavian bear.[/p][p][/p][p]For the Eagle Hook, we’ve continued improving the flight controls. This Powerspike is quickly becoming a STRIDEN favorite, it opens up a whole new dimension for transporting teammates or trolling enemies by grabbing them and dropping them from the sky.[/p][p][/p][p]The Bomber Eagle is both amazing and terrifying, depending on which side you’re on. Having a flying bomb plane in STRIDEN is perfect for clearing out an Air Supply zone or blasting a pesky sniper hiding on a hill.[/p][p]But once we added birds to the game, we realized something was missing. A counter to hunt them down. So, naturally, we made a fighter jet… well, a Fighter Eagle! This bad boy comes equipped with a light machine gun (MG-42) and two air-to-ground missiles. So keep an eye on the skies during the next playtest![/p][p][/p]

Personality for the Class Soldiers

[p]All of our soldier voices have now been replaced with real voice actors — a huge milestone for us, finally replacing all the placeholder lines in the game. Some lines have already become iconic, so we made sure to keep a few classics while adding plenty of new ones. With real voice talent, we were able to get much more creative and bring our soldiers to life.[/p][p]We’ve also programmed soldiers to react more naturally to what’s happening around them. For example, they now shout warnings about incoming grenades, scream or curse when suppressed, and react vocally when they take damage. These changes have made a big difference to the game’s immersion — now it really feels like you’re in the middle of a chaotic, intense battle.[/p][p]More shouts, more personality, and even more epic moments for everyone![/p]

Suppression & New Death Camera

[p]As I mentioned when talking about the new soldier voices, we’ve now added a suppression system to the game. Before you tear your hair out, don’t worry! It’s very subtle, but it makes the combat feel more intense and realistic, adding to the immersion when bullets whip past your head.[/p][p]We’re also planning to fine-tune it so that different weapons cause different levels of suppression. For example, light machine guns will create more suppression than a submachine gun.[/p][p]So, if you get suppressed, take a few bullets, and get killed you’ll now see it all through our improved death camera. Previously, we had a first-person death sequence, but in about 80% of cases, you’d just see your body flying away like a happy dolphin in the ocean. It looked odd, and we also got feedback that the kill cam lingered too long on the enemy who killed you.[/p][p]Now, your view follows the head of your soldier as they fall, making the sequence feel much more grounded and realistic. We’ve also added new camera effects to enhance the impact. Plus, the time spent showing the enemy who killed you has been shortened for a smoother experience.[/p][p][/p]

Construction System — Almost Finished

[p]A big part of the game is our construction system, which isn’t just for base defense and team resources it also plays a key strategic role out on the battlefield. We’ve now polished the repair system, including how the Sentry Gun works. Enemies can destroy a Sentry Gun, but not completely the owning team can repair it and bring it back into action.[/p][p]We’ve also renamed our Vending Machine to Loot Storage to make its purpose clearer: it’s for storing loot. A new feature is that Loot Storage now generates new consumables over time. So, when you respawn at your base (Stronghold), you can grab a can of beans or other supplies before heading back into the fight.[/p][p]If you raid an enemy Stronghold and destroy their construction items, you’ll be rewarded with blueprints. And if you destroy an item that stores loot like a weapon station all the stored items will be dropped on the ground.[/p][p]So make sure your base defenses are solid![/p][p][/p]

Respawn System

[p]We’re currently working on a spawn protection system to reduce spawn killing, with a main focus on protecting Strongholds (bases). This has been a common piece of feedback for a long time players getting killed by base campers and we hope this update will help solve that issue.[/p][p]We’ve also added a change so that you always respawn with a full clip/magazine after being killed. Additionally, we’re working on a system where, if you join a match already in progress, you’ll spawn with a basic submachine gun to get you into the action right away.[/p][p][/p]

Radioactivity — Less Deadly

[p]After replacing our placeholder radioactive fog with our epic dynamic weather system, we realized we wanted players to engage in more battles during radioactive storms. So, we’ve tweaked how much radiation drains your gas mask filter and how much damage it deals. Now, your filter lasts longer, giving you more time to fight in radioactive zones.[/p][p][/p]

Audio

[p]We’re still working on sound mixing to make sure we don’t blow out your eardrums during intense firefights. With so many sounds playing at once and a lot happening on-screen, getting the balance right is a big challenge, especially since we don’t have a dedicated audio engineer in the studio. But we’re doing our best to deliver a great audio experience for Early Access, with proper reverb zones and realistic sound behavior at different distances.[/p][p][/p]

UI/UX

[p]We’ve started production on new menus to make navigating the settings and other screens much easier. Up until now, we’ve been using very basic placeholders, but what the team is working on now looks really promising.[/p][p][/p]

Bugs and Performance

[p]Of course, we’ve also been busy fixing bugs and improving performance over the past week. We spend a lot of time on this to ensure a smoother experience for everyone. One of the biggest fixes was resolving screen tearing and flickering, this was a nightmare to track down, but switching to a different anti-aliasing method finally solved it.[/p][p]We’ve also made server performance more stable, especially on our 60 Hz servers.[/p][p][/p]

Less Than a Month to Early Access Launch!

[p]We’re working around the clock to deliver an amazing first version of STRIDEN, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with players around the world. As mentioned in earlier blog posts, this is just the beginning of our journey. Together with you, our community, we’ll shape a fast-paced, fun, and action-packed looter shooter.[/p][p]We’re committed to listening to your feedback not only for fine-tuning gameplay but also for shaping future content. Your voice will truly have an impact on the development of STRIDEN.[/p][p]Early Access will be priced at $24.99, with a special 20% launch-week discount to thank our early supporters. This pricing ensures we can maintain servers and continue developing the game without relying on crowdfunding. When you buy STRIDEN, you’re directly supporting our team and the game’s future.[/p][p]We’re also planning cosmetic DLC soldier skins, weapon skins, and more that will be purely optional and won’t affect gameplay. No pay-to-win mechanics or map-based DLCs that split the player base.[/p][p][/p][p]Starting now, we’ll post weekly updates here on Steam leading up to launch, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from our studio where 80% of the team is hard at work bringing STRIDEN to life.[/p][p]Get ready STRIDEN’s Early Access is just around the corner![/p][p]Join our Discord to join our community and say hey to the devs![/p][p]Take care and see you at the Open Beta June 27th.[/p][p][/p]