Hey there! Abstraction Point's Alpha 0.2.0 version has just been released into the public, and for the first time on Itch.io! So far, the launch has been great, and I wanted to address a few things about the game and its future.

The next goals in mind for the project are to fix some of the issues that hindered progress, fix smaller bugs, and start implementing the basis of new features. These being:

• Improved Inventory Management: Setting up the inventory for savestates and making it more versatile in functionality.
• Player Effects: Such things as Bleeding, Temperature, and Stress. Bleeding will be an effect that will constantly make you lose health until it is removed. Temperature will be an environmental effect, that can be affected by the world and yourself. Stress is still vague but is planned to be included in one way or another.
• Fixing Crouching and Sentry Issues: These are rare, and more specific issues, but I'll see what I can do.
  
• Optimization: The level titled "Research Center" is a significantly less optimized level, and as I suspect it, it's caused by the high amount of Video Player elements present on the level. This will be fixed in the next possible build.

I would also like to mention some of the more long-term plans I have in mind:

• Melee Rework: A complete overhaul of the functionality of melee weapons, as well as adding new ones!
• Stealth System Improvements: While both Audio and Visual side of the system works well enough, they can certainly see some updates in the future.
• More Equipment: Things like Night Vision Goggles, Flares, Walkie-Talkies, and many others!
• More, Different kinds of Sentries: There are currently only 2 sentries present in the game, which won't be enough later down the line. More diverse ones will be coming!
  

I also want to talk about some of the things I missed in this build, but will come along in the future:

• Weapon Attachments: As mentioned in the ingame changelog, attachments have been disabled because of the inefficient way the inventory manages items. As soon as that issue is out of the way, attachments will be re-enabled, as the system itself functions perfectly fine! There are currently Sight and Barrel attachments available. Not all weapons support all specific attachments, and some support none. It's a cool way to extend the versatility of your weapons!
  

• Transmit Station: This level was meant to be a puzzle-based level, where the player would have to go around the area, doing different tasks to complete the level. These would include sending signals out with the radio dishes, finding items, fixing the radio dishes, and others. The map didn't make it into 0.2.0, because it's still unfinished, but will be included as soon as it's ready!

• Static Clothing System: I slipped up with time management, and so this small feature never made it in. It was supposed to give the player's FPS hands an updated look, depending on a clothing ID. I'm still thinking about this, but it will probably make it into the next build of sorts.

Thank you very much for reading through this devlog! If you want to give the game a shot, I would highly appreciate it! Also, you can check the full list of changes done to the game from the previous build, up until Alpha 0.2.0, the current newest build, through the Changelog option in the game's main menu.