Henriquejr spotted that Within the Cosmos will be released in 2022:

Hello again everyone!

Unfortunately, Within the Cosmos won't be released in 2021, the release window has now been set to Q1 2022.

I initially wanted to reveal the new release window during the upcoming gameplay video, but I felt like letting the release date be known as early as possible is for the best. Also, I wanted to avoid setting another release window that ends up getting pushed back. Within the Cosmos continues to be developed, of course. As many of you know by now, I don't intend to release the game until I'm completely satisfied with every aspect of it. It is almost there. I simply need more time to finish incorporating some new aspects of the game that I've added over the last few months. More testing is required, and more polish. These next couple of months will allow me to fully accomplish the goals I've set for this game. Ultimately, this will lead to a much better experience for you when you finally get to play the game.

Regarding the upcoming gameplay video, I intend to publish it in September. In the video, you'll see one of the early missions in the game, along with some dialogue, RPG aspects, hacking, and some combat. I can't wait for all of you to see how much the game has changed and improved since the last video. Once the gameplay video has been published, I will continue doing the monthly/bi-monthly blog style development updates. As Within the Cosmos gets closer to its targeted release window, I'll get a better idea of when the exact release date will be. I will share that with you as soon as I am able.

I appreciate all of you for being so understanding throughout the development process, and I cannot thank you enough for all of your support!

- debdev

Henriquejr spotted a development update for the scifi-RPG Within the Cosmos:

June 2021: Development Update

Weapons: Skills, Attachments, Customisation, Ammo Types. New GIFs and screenshots!

Hi everyone! For this development update I'll be talking about Weapons & Ammo Types. This isn't a complete list of every weapon that's in the game, but it's more of an overview of how the weapons and ammo types work together and how they tie into the RPG aspects of the game.

Initially, I had intended on going with a Mk. I, Mk. II path of progression for weapons (finding better versions of the same weapon as the game goes along), but eventually, after playing through the game a few times, it didn't feel right. I ended up with weapons that no longer served a purpose, as I was able to find better, upgraded versions of them. After this experience, I wanted to make every weapon viable from the beginning to the end of the game. I wanted to ensure that if the first weapon you find in the game is your favourite weapon throughout the journey, then you should be able to use that until the very end. As a result, there are no longer any Mk. I's and Mk. II's in the game. With the extra time I allotted for the games development, I was able to add new weapons to the game. I set out to make sure every weapon can stand on its own. However, there still needs to be some form of progression for weapons, and that progression comes in the way of Skills, and Weapon Attachments.

Weapon Skills
Since this is an RPG, how effective your weapons are in your hands will be largely influenced by your Skill in that particular weapons field. These are the major skills that will govern how your character handles each weapon. This also gives you an idea of the type of weapons in the game.

Automatic Weapons: Determines your proficiency at using Assault Rifles & Sub-machine Guns
Explosives: Determines your proficiency at using Explosive Weapons, like, Grenades, and Traps
Melee Weapons: Determines your proficiency at using Melee Weapons
Ranged Weapons: Determines your proficiency at using Sniper Rifles & DMRs
Small Arms: Determines your proficiency at using Pistols & Shotguns

Improving the skill that you desire will reduce the recoil while firing the weapon, and increase the damage, as well as unlock some perks. Don't forget to add Skill points to them when you level up!

[...]

Henriquejr spotted a development update for scifi-RPG Within the Cosmos:

April 2021: Development Update

Stealth, Non-Lethal, new GIFs and screenshots!
Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely March. The game continues to be developed, and as more systems fall into place and come together, the closer it gets to being the game that I was dreaming of making. Today, I'll be covering an important aspect of this game, which is, Stealth. Stealth touches on so many different aspects of the game, ranging from skills, perks, AI, weapons, etc. I'll be showing some Stealth features which overlap with each of these topics, and I'll also showcase some of the non-lethal options you'll have at your disposal.

Let's get right to it!

Gameplay Features
The "abilities" in the game have been re-worked and they're now known as Software. There are some Software that you can install which will greatly benefit people who are attempting to play stealthily. One of the Software that you can get is the:

CLOAK Software
I believe I've shown this before. The CLOAK Software will render you nearly invisible for a couple of seconds (the duration can be improved based on how you upgrade your character), allowing you to evade any enemies that are in your way, or allowing you to move closer to an enemy to perform a sneak attack.

To be able to really use your Software to its fullest ability, you'll want to upgrade your Sneak skill! There's no point of being cloaked when the enemies can still hear you! Improving your Sneak skill will ensure that enemies take longer to detect you, and that your footsteps produce less noise, thereby allowing you to effectively sneak up on unsuspecting enemies.

If you want to maximise how effective you will be while sneaking, you'll also want to invest some of your Perk points into some of the Sneak perks, some will allow you to do more crit damage while sneaking, or increase your crouch movement speed, or increase the chances of a malfunction on a trap that you accidentally set off.

When you feel confident enough in your sneak skills to takedown an enemy, you'll be able to sneak up behind them and perform a non-lethal takedown.

If you take down an enemy in a location where you're afraid that enemies will spot the body, you can pick up and move the body to a location where they won't think of looking.

If your sneak skill is high enough, you'll be able to successfully pickpocket people without alerting them. If you're pick-pocketing with a low sneak skill, there's a chance you'll be caught immediately, and you'll have to pay a fine or you'll be outright attacked.

AI
When playing a game stealthily, you need to be cautious about how you take out or evade enemies. Observing their patrol route to time your movements is crucial, but if there's no obvious way around the enemy, you'll have to get a little creative. One way of doing this, as shown in the previous dev update, is by hacking nearby objects that produce noise, which will distract enemies and lure them out of the way.

Enemies also display a detection meter, which will let you know just how close they are to detecting your presence. How fast it fills is determined by your Sneak skill, your distance, whether you're cloaked or not, and whether you are standing or crouching. It is also determined by the difficulty you're playing the game on. When an enemy enters the Alert state, they will alert nearby enemies to your presence, so make sure you're not detected so you can avoid any unnecessary confrontations!

Weapons
Aside from all the Skills, Perks, and Software you can upgrade, you'll also have some choices when deciding what weapons you want to use to suit your play-style. One very important part of playing stealthily, is having the ability to equip silencers on your favourite weapons. You can equip them on nearly every weapon in the game. You'll see how the silencer will affect your weapons base stats when you equip it. Using a silencer will greatly reduce the sound your gun produces when fired.

If you want to be non-lethal, you have some weapons at your disposal. You will be able to use the Tranquiliser Pistol, which will put enemies to sleep immediately if you land a headshot. If not, it will take a couple of seconds for them to fall asleep.

If you're a person who likes to take people out from afar, you'll be able to make use of the Tranquiliser Rifle, which works like the Tranquiliser Pistol, but at a much greater distance. Headshots will put enemies to sleep immediately, body shots will take a few seconds before the effect kicks in.

If you see a group of enemies that are too close to each other, using a Tranq. Pistol or Tranq. Rifle probably isn't the best idea. If you want to tranquilise them without being spotted, you'll be able to use Gas Grenades. Throw it near their location and the Gas Grenade will put enemies to sleep after just a few seconds. If you're infiltrating a location, and want to plant traps to take people out non-lethally, you can plant Gas Mines, which will only activate once someone gets near it. These gasses will affect you too unless you have the appropriate Software installed.

Closing Statements
These are just some of the ways that you'll be able to approach situations in Within the Cosmos. There are some things I wanted to cover here that totally fit into these categories (like the Smart Tranq Pistol) but I'd rather leave some stuff strictly for the gameplay video that I'll be recording and releasing in the coming months. Please remember that the game is still in development so some things may change, and things are still being worked on, but I hope you like what you've seen so far!

I'm trying to post a development update (roughly) once a month now, and I hope you'll look forward to reading the next one next month! I will never tire of thanking all of you for your patience, understanding, and support throughout the development process. Thank you so much!

Henriquejr spotted February development update for the Scifi-RPG Within the Cosmos:

February 2021: Development Update

Scanning, Hacking, Crime, new GIFs & screenshots!

Hi again everyone! Since the community update I posted in January, I've been really eager to post a more informative community update for all of you, getting more into specifics about the game, rather than just talking about the current state that it's in.

Today, I will be showcasing two important aspects of the game, which are, Scanning Mode & Crime. Each one presented unique challenges for me, but I finally feel like they're both in a place that I am happy with.

Let's start with...

Scanning
Here's how it works:
Upon entering scanning mode, your weapons will be holstered, and you'll be able to see everything near you that can be hacked, as well as any related upgrades that you've made to your scanner. Hacking can only be done while in scanning mode, and will use up some of your suits energy. How much energy the hacking will use is displayed when you look at the item you want to hack.

Hacking
Hacking was one aspect I was debating on how to handle while I was developing the game. I wondered if it would be best to have a mix of quickhacks & a hacking mini-game for certain things. I created a few different mini-games for the hacking aspect but none of them ever felt "right" to me. At the end, I decided that hacking should be determined strictly by your characters skill level (skill check), as opposed to it being determined by skill level and then also requiring you to complete a mini-game. So in turn, the only hacking in the game are quickhacks. Here are some of the quickhacks offered in the game:

Some places in the game are restricted, and as expected, these areas have some security measures in place to prevent and catch trespassers. Disabling security cameras in these locations will allow you to pass by the area that the camera is surveilling without being detected.

[...]