Hi everyone!
Today is the big day! The Lost Paws beta is now live. If you don't already own a copy of Lost Paws, you can access it by clicking on the playtest on the main Steam page. If you do own a copy of Lost Paws, you can access the beta by going to the game in your Library, right-clicking on the game name, and then going to Properties > Betas and entering the code: lostpawsbeta1224 and selecting it from the drop-down. We would love to hear your feedback on our playtest forums or Discord. Don't forget there is also the survey which you can fill out from the main menu! If you do, you will be entered into a giveaway to win a copy of Lost Paws to use as you please! Combined with our UI overhaul and graphics improvements, this is the best version of Lost Paws yet! As for what is in the beta......
The Beta Update
Government District
The most obvious addition to this beta is the new district we have dubbed the Government District. While still inside Doggo City, we wanted to make this place feel special and have a hard differentiation from the prior sections of Doggo City. The first element we focused on was the layout. The goal was to create a central area that served as an open hub to the rest of the district. The hub contains elements like the government city park, city hall, and the apartment entrance. It also contains the most important addition the Cat Trader. It also provides a convenient location to rest up, resupply, and plan between going into the various alleyways of the Government District. The alleyways are divided into north and south each having its own shopping square, places to loot, and special locations that can impact pricing for the Cat Trader each with their dangers. The only major outlier here is the Megsatore which is directly attached to the central hub.
The alleyways were designed to feel like dungeon runs when you go exploring for valuables to sell. In the park area, lower-value items and some resources are present with very few threats. As you go deeper into the alleyway system, more rewards become available at greater risk requiring the use of all the upgrades and storage the game now provides.
To give the district more flavor, we used a completely new set of buildings and props. Many offices and builds look sleek and official, contrasting the run-downness of many alleyways. In addition, we also felt it was important to create a whole new wave of crowd NPCs to make the transition to a more trading-focused district feel smoother. In total 15 new types of NPCs reside in the Government District.
Government Park Sample:
Shadow Cabal
The Shadow Cabal are the new enemies in town! These tough customers are responsible for a lot of the strange happenings in the city and hold the title of the hardest enemies in the game. Besides being more difficult to fight due to their increased attack power, health, and speed, they also function differently than any previous enemy. They cover each other in packs and can call for help from their squadmates and even other nearby squads if the fight takes too long. Initially, they are too tough to take down without equipment and will need to be avoided due to their anti-dog kit. But as you get more abilities and most importantly equipment, your dog will be able to take down even the best of them. When defeated, they may also drop valuable items.
Two types of Shadow Cabal units exist. The first is the Shadow Cabal Enforcer. This unit is a bruiser that uses a bat to incapacitate and capture dogs. They are tougher and relentlessly chase your dog down. The second unit is the Shadow Cabal Ranger. The Ranger uses a dart gun to take down dogs at a distance. They tend to hang back and retreat preferring shooting over melee but can defend themselves if your dog gets too close. Combined, they form formidable teams that will give even the bravest dog a hard time.
An encounter with the Shadow Cabal:
The Cat Trader
Now we get to the most important addition our good friend the Cat Trader! This shifty character will give your dog the means to survive the Shadow Cabal and thrive in the Government District. He is not interested in dollars or human currency but rather wants to trade in Kibble. All items in the game now hold a Kibble value and can be sold to the Cat Trader. Selling gives you Kibble to buy additional items from the Cat Trader that are either unique to him or provide better value than whatever you are holding on your dog. The Cat Trader's stock updates after several minutes. The prices fluctuate but you can keep track and get reminders of these changes in the Cat Trader Info panel. The Cat Trader also provides useful tips on changing the prices and what he likes. As you buy stuff from the Cat Trader, he will trust you more, and when enough trust is gained the next tier of times will unlock. Three tiers are planned, but for the beta, it is locked to just the first tier.
That being said, beware the Cat Trader isn't necessarily friendly. Depending on what you do you can increase the price based on your actions. For example, all items give you the option to haggle increasing or lowering the prices based on the outcome. If you win it will be discounted, but if you lose it will go up. You can modify the chances of what will happen by selling items like catnip, but it is a risk. It is always worth considering if your actions might have some sort of impact on the Cat Trader prices.
Speaking of, it is not always the best idea to sell items right away to the Cat Trader. Sometimes he buys them at a low price; other times it is much higher. It is valuable to wait and see if you feel like the deal is not worth it right now. You can always see the breakdown of why something is selling or being sold at its current price by hovering over the price text of the item. Naturally, you can always attempt to change the value by haggling, doing things the Cat Trader mentions, or selling certain items. Over-selling the same item too often can also cause the value of it to go down. By playing the market your dog can become the richest one that has ever lived!
As for what you can do with that Kibble, the Cat Trader sells many unique items the most important of which is new equipment. This equipment like the Viking Helmet will give you the edge in fighting against the Shadow Cabal and make it possible to engage them more directly. Combined with armor, fighting the Shadow Cabal switches from something to avoid to a viable way to make Kibble. In addition to equipment, the Cat Trader also sells high-value food that can satisfy your survival meters without taking many slots so you have more ability to loot. By playing with the market and getting the right items, your dog will be able to accomplish everything you want to do.
Sample of the Cat Trader peddling his wares:
The Apartment
With all these additions, where can your dog go get some rest? Well, now you can shut out all the dangers of the world by hanging out in your new apartment! You gain access to the apartment by working with Shibu in his new quest line. Shibu will give you a rundown of what is happening in the city and what to look out for. After doing a few tasks you will become the proud new owner of a brand new apartment.
This place is pretty important as it is where you will be able to store more loot for the future. As mentioned previously, prices fluctuate and danger abounds throughout the district. To prevent the worst from happening, your dog can store items here for safekeeping or just to hold them until it is a good time to sell. On top of that, no enemies can reach you here, and the apartment provides a few amenities to help keep you alive a little longer. In the future, we plan on adding a couple of new systems to the apartment. Chief among them includes customization and more you can do with Shibu including one surprise system we will reveal a little later. Combined with everything else it will truly serve as your dog's base of operations against the Shadow Cabal.
Sample Apartment Scene:
Thanks for reading! As a reminder, you can join the beta test on our Steam page or use the beta code: lostpawsbeta1224 to gain access to it if you already own the game. All of these changes result from the feedback and support we have received so far, and we are so grateful for every bit of it. The game is longer, more varied, and more streamlined than ever before. We hope you enjoy the experience and love to hear your thoughts about it. Thanks for your interest in the beta and see you all in the next one! 🐶