I just finished Expedition, and like a number of people, am thinking about Underrail 2. I'm not sure if there will be more DLC, as this one took a long time to make, and it is hard to situate new DLC in an existing game. (Like, where in the game does the DLC become available, and how does it affect game balance?)
Underrail 2 is a long way off, most people say. I'm not in a hurry, so I'm okay with that. Since Styg may have a whole development team now, as well as an existing engine and graphical assets, he has some advantages he didn't have previously.
With that in mind, I am thinking of a few (potential) features of Underrail 2.
1. Graphics
The original graphics, and even font, of Underrail, are very unique. But they were a little more 'lo-fi' than they had to be, because Styg was originally using MS Paint for UI, maps, and other assets.
I understand that they are also using 3D models and prerendering them into the game?
Whatever the case, it should be possible to have improved graphics, while still sticking to the art style.
The artist that joined development later on had to hold his talents back because his artwork had to match Styg's earlier style.
But with an artist on-board from the beginning, the art could be more hi-fi for Underrail 2, without changing the art style. There'd be no toning down of the art assets as there was in Underrail 1.
You could use the same engine, even, and still get more defined art.
Second, an area for improvement could be lighting. The lighting system is great, but the use of gradient squares to indicate light availability is a bit mechanical. The gradient / dithering could apply more smoothly, and a square grid could be overlaid based on user preference. If using a new / updated engine, I think that lighting would or should be a key priority.
Third, there could be greater transparency and area effects for lasers, torches, and the like. Maybe a more subdued palette [gray/blue like most of underrail] but with a greater emphasis on smooth lighting. Instead of garish colours to denote everything.
2. Stealth and suspicion
Underrail has one of the more functional stealth systems, but it could still use improvement. Enemies could have more levels of escalation between found/not found. Styg added a level of escalation, high suspicion, in recent builds, which is great. The suspicion level of enemies could give them a greater array of responses and patrolling behaviours.
I remember in early release builds when enemies would not really react much to seeing their friends suddenly dead. It was all too easy to learn enemy patrol routes and eliminate an entire base one-by-one.
Multiple levels of alert and suspicion could add variety and realism.
Some users have also said that they would be happier with more indicators of their stealth status than just the portrait / stealth rating.
There are also some weird quirks with the existing stealth system, involving coming in and out of stealth. Like, you can't eat while stealthed, because that is too noisy. But you could change outfits while remaining stealthed!
The annoying part, for me, was that going in and out of elevators automatically took you out of stealth, removing all the hard work you did getting there. Isn't it possible to enter an elevator quietly, somehow? Maybe that needs to be implemented.
More important, using a console gets you out of stealth. This is a big one. Someone on Steam remarked that one of the best parts of using stealth in Underrail is hacking a terminal or something while hiding from the enemy gaze. It's very time sensitive and satisfying. So why can't you do that with a computer? I remember in DC it was so annoying that I'd stealth my way through that robot building, and then in the Eastern section I'd have to use a terminal, and so I'd come out of stealth and the freaking robot in another room would see me through the glass. Surely, I can use a console while stealthed? It should just reduce your stealth rating, or make hacking less efficient, or something.
Finally, stealth is too easy if you have a high rating. I can take my character with 180 pounds of gear and stealth them through populated, guarded areas. Shouldn't all that crap you are carrying affect stealth? There could be a more common-sense approach. You need to be light-footed. Not too encumbered, not having too many utilities hanging off you, and needing light, muffled footwear. Maybe even reflectivity should be a concern.
3. Shields
Styg has repeatedly said he wants to alter shield mechanics. Right now, there's not much of a tradeoff. Shields protect you, so it's better to have them on. But I get that he's maybe thinking of a more Dune dynamic [he's halfway there already, with slow weapons penetrating more easily], where maybe it amplifies certain types of weapons against you while blocking others. Or maybe affects your perception/aim, or your own weapons' effectiveness.
It will be tricky to retrofit such changes into Underrail 1, so maybe most of it should be saved for the sequel. A clean slate makes it much easier to rework shield mechanics.
4. Less emphasis on ventilation duct cheapness / More emphasis on duct integration with storyline
I enjoyed sneaking around ventilation ducts throughout Underrail. I often played stealth glass cannons, so hiding from enemies and observing them from the security of the ducts was very fun.
But it got old, to the point where it's pretty much mandatory or expected to run into the ducts as soon as you see them. That's how I felt in the Grey Army Bunker.
It's not supposed to be so much of a cliche.
If we're using ducts in Underrail 2, maybe make them more gradient in terms of their engagement with the rest of the level. Can people outside the duct line hear you moving around, if you are too fast / heavy / unmuffled? Can they hear you shooting rats in there? Will they open up a duct and throw a grenade in?
Also, if some ducts are hard / impossible to open, could you maybe trick an NPC into opening one by causing them to think there is a problem there? The NPCs could interact with the ducts more.
Look, I understand that ventilation ducts are tied to the lore. We learn in Expedition, and especially from Styg's recent comments, that air purification is a big issue in Underrail. There must be massive systems to generate and purify air. So that's a story advantage. Ducts are important in Underrail, which is kind of shocking that they're so neglected by NPCs and organizations.
Maybe tie them closer into the storyline. Quests involving ducts and air purification. Factions living in / abusing ducts. Make them more part of the story, instead of something neglected and forgotten that you can easily exploit. [The ducts being an easy transit made some sense in GMS compound and parts of Junkyard, since in GMS especially, you are dealing with non-sentient robots on predetermined patrol routes. But human enemies should be more alert to and aware of the ducts].
5. Weapon crafting system
Underrail already has one of the most satisfying crafting systems in existence. So there isn't much to radically rework here. But I think guns in particular would benefit from
-A crafting feat that allows an extra improvement slot [other weapons would benefit from this, as well]
-a more universal silencer system. Not just 5mm, but all calibres, but it reduces damage, and possibly range and accuracy.
-this is more radical, but maybe better weapon part quality doesn't simple scale up your damage / item quality. In real life, you can have a beat-up junker AK-47 that hits just about as hard as a factory-new one. The real-life difference would be in accuracy and reliability. So maybe the base weapon parts affect reliability and accuracy, and also range a little, but not so much in terms of damage.
So I guess I'm talking about realistic gun crafting. The frame components affect the general build quality, modifying accuracy and reliability, and to a lesser degree range. Base damage is less variable in a given calibre and barrel length. And parts could be more meaningful: match barrel, pencil barrel, heavy barrel, short barrel, long barrel would all have their impact.
Likewise, as others have indicated, the type of 'handle' for various melee weapons could also lead to different results, making it more meaningful to include.
Also, it would be cool to be able to 'name' your weapon after a certain point, just like there are legendary weapons in other RPGs.
6. Headwear
There's lots of cool headwear options to pick from. But is it really necessary to lose your goggles because you are wearing a gas mask? Mixing and matching those items should lead to lots of fun. There could be a toggle where you either have no helmet, just a hat + goggles + gas mask [don't have to have all three], or you could have a helmet that integrates the hat + goggles + gas mask options.
In short, even with the existing engine, a lot of this could be implemented. But I think a clean sequel could modify the existing engine, and just utilize more high-resolution art assets. And changes to the lighting system.
Anyway, I'm not the one in charge here, and don't expect this to be taken too seriously. I wonder what other people's priorities are for improvements in the sequel.
