A contest entry for The Future 2124!

The company has called on you to investigate the now silent Installation Echo. Initial field reports mention sightings of strange latex-like creatures who appear to have taken over the facility.

Search for the truth in a secret research facility while braving peril and unknown creatures that threaten to change your entire identity every time you face them. Seek out allies, in any form that they may take to help you navigate the depths of Installation Echo. Animated scenes, and a unique blend of extraction looter and text based gameplay accompany a dark storyline about corporate secrets and unethical research. Keep an eye out for collectable weapons and upgrade materials, you'll be needing them to truly survive and even thrive as you carry out your mission.

The storyline will see you dive deep into Installation Echo, where you'll encounter various aliens that all are able to corrupt and transform others. Initially, you'll likely be resistant to these changes, but as you go deeper, will the advantages to the changes outweigh the risks? Additionally, the game has an intentionally light cast of side characters, focusing instead on repeating combat encounters that can all lead you down various paths, both in terms of long reaching decisions and short term gratification.

Finally, the game is much more focused on a linear story direction, and while there will still be a large freedom of choice, the intent here is that you are always moving towards a clearly defined goal, which for the most part will be your initial missions resolution. Various events and situations along the way might change you and your companions in ways you couldn't dream of, but at the end of the day, you are still an elite operative sent in to get the job done, no matter what it takes.

Featuring animated scenes, a unique blend of extraction looter and text based gameplay, the game revolves around a dark storyline about corporate secrets and unethical research. Keep an eye out for collectable weapons and upgrade materials, you'll be needing them to truly survive and even thrive as you carry out your mission.

It's been a lot of fun for us to work on this thing and we're glad we finished something playable and decent in time for the contest's deadline. We're looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback!

Preview

Version 0.2.0a

This release fixes some issues found in the previous release.

- Bugfix: You can now equip clothes in Chapter 2 as soon as you reach Corruption level 2 if Emilia was left behind. Thanks to Smallfrie for reporting this issue.
- Bugfix: Fixed inconsistent text in the canister scene in Alix's office. Thanks to Emmeken for reporting this.
- Bugfix: Corruption 4 is now properly displayed in Sylvia's paizuri scene.
- Bugfix: Emilia will no longer show up during Chapter 1's boss encounter if she isn't meant to be there.

Version 0.2.0

The first half of Chapter 2 is now available, with new campaign content, new enemies, new allies, locations, items, sex scenes and more to find!

The combat system has also received significant changes, with 9 damage types instead of 3 for an improved experience. Some skills have also been rebalanced or given new damage types, making them interesting picks in different situations.

Our next updates will be focused on adding content to the new locations in Chapter 2. Feel free to give us your feedback about the changes and new additions of this update!

- Content: The first half of Chapter 2's campaign is now available. Trouble awaits!
- Content: Added corruption levels 3 and 4.
- Content: Added a new unique event in Alix's office. Requires Emilia to be a squad member.
- Content: Added a special event with Ava when resting in chapter 2.
- Content: Added a new companion to find in chapter 2.
- Content: Added two new outfits to find in chapter 2.
- Content: Added new enemies and sex scenes in chapter 2.
- Content: Added one new hairstyle to find for corruption 2+.
- Content: Side Quest "Unlikely Alliance" has a new stage.
- Content: Added one new patron exclusive weapon.
- Content: Added one new patron exclusive outfit.
- Change: Skills and damage types have been reworked. There's now 9 damage types instead of 3. Check the bestiary codex entries to see the enemies' updated weaknesses.
- Change: Piercing Shot and Grenade Toss are now piercing type abilities instead of physical.
- Change: Added a new upgrade tier for the Personal Shield Module.
- Change: The slimesuit variant of the Warrior Nun outfit now also benefits from Aegis upgrades.
- Change: The base armor of the Civilian Outfit has been buffed to 50 armor instead of 10.
- Change: The upgrades for the Civilian Outfit have been removed from the game in favor of a new upgrade tier for the shield module. With this change, we hope to reduce commitment to single outfits and make swapping between outfits more enticing.
- Change: Bonus resin gains are now consistent and will always amount to 50% of the base gain.
- Change: You can now have sex with Ava more often. (15 rooms > 10 rooms).
- Change: You can now have sex with Emilia more often. (15 rooms > 10 rooms).
- Feature: You can now disable music from the settings menu.
- Feature: You can now hide helmets from the settings menu. Only works for corruption level 2 and above.
- Improvement: Added a darker background to technical locations like the workbench and recycler. This should greatly improve the ability to read text in these scenes.
- Improvement: Keyboard navigation hints will no longer sometimes appear multiple times.

Version 0.1.5c

This release fixes a few issues that made their way into the previous release and adds a few additional enhancements to the game.

- Improvement: Added a tip in the lab sequence after reaching corruption level 2 about Agent 11's armor.
- Improvement: Added a tip after the first combat encounter, making the consequences of killing the drones clearer.
- Improvement: Updated the paperdoll visuals in preparation for Chapter 2.
- Improvement: Hovering on an enemy's status bar during combat will now highlight it.
- Improvement: Updated the display of the workbench on mobile devices. Thanks to Arso Claim for reporting this issue.
- Improvement: Viable squad members will no longer be forcefully added to the squad prior to Chapter 1's boss fight. The point of no return message has been updated accordingly.
- Balance: Divine Hammer now costs 200 resin, up from 100.
- Balance: Plasma Accelerator now costs 200 resin, down from 250.
- Balance: Base damage of the Plasma UMP-69 has been raised to 40, up from 20.
- Bugfix: Fixed an issue where removing a squad member would sometimes remove other squad members as well.
- Bugfix: Fixed the Aegis Integrated Suit upgrade incorrectly showing a check mark if the player didn't have enough money to purchase the upgrade. Thanks to Agent069 for reporting this.

Version 0.1.5b

This release fixes a few issues that made their way into the previous release and adds a few additional enhancements to the game.

- Improvement: Optimized many images related to the combat system to reduce loading times in online play.
- Improvement: The game will no longer wait an extra second after a combat turn ends if there are no status effects to process.
- Improvement: Piercing Shot now has a visual effect.
- Improvement: Skill pages will now display the cooldown and damage type of the ability.
- Improvement: Achievements will now show their method of acquisition, unless they are a secret achievement.
- Improvement: Fixed keyboard navigation generating multiple keybind hints when going back in history too fast.
- Improvement: Updated the style of notifications to match other aspects of the game.
- Bugfix: Fixed the drone defeat scene incorrectly referencing the slime suit if the player was wearing the civilian clothes. Thanks to ? for reporting this.
- Change: The "Lost Signal" achievement is hidden until its completion is possible. It wasn't meant to be visible.

Version 0.1.5a

This release fixes a few issues found in the previous release.

- Bugfix: Fixed some keyboard shortcuts causing javascript errors in online play mode.
- Bugfix: Fixed a few occurences where Ava would be referred to by her default name rather than the custom name.
- Bugfix: Squad perks will no longer be displayed if they have not yet been acquired. Thanks to Daijena for reporting this.

Version 0.1.5

This release adds new content, new abilities, new sex scenes, squad perks, improvements to the combat system and whole lot of other changes! This update concludes the development of Chapter 1. Thanks a lot for playing the game. New adventures, enemies, survivors and transformations await in Chapter 2!

- Content: The administrative floor is now available. New content and discoveries await you!
- Content: Added a new heavy skill: Cryogenic Grenade.
- Content: Added a new heavy skill: Incendiary Grenade.
- Content: Added a new special skill: Concussive Strike.
- Content: Added a new special skill: Adaptive Nanites.
- Content: Added a new character, Gwen. You can meet her in the break room.
- Content: Added two perks to find in chapter 1. One for Lina, one for Ava.
- Content: Added a moment of team building in the break room. Requires either Emilia, Ava, or both of them to be in the squad.
- Content: Added two unclaimed packages to the vending machine. One may be unavailable depending on your playthrough.
- Content: Added three patron exclusive items to the vending machine.
- Content: Added a new sex scene with Emilia in Lab 1A. Requires to have found the pink dildo and have at least 3 trust points.
- Content: Added a new sex scene with Ava and Emilia somewhere in the administration floor. Requires for both of them to be active squad members.
- Content: Quest "Knee deep in the goo" has been updated. The alternative, non-slimesuit path is now available.
- Feature: Added experimental support for keyboard navigation. The feature can be enabled in the game settings menu. Number keys are used for navigation and the enter key can be used to progress in scenes with a single choice. We will continue to improve this feature in future versions.
- Feature: Added the skill book to the tool menu. The skill book is used to switch abilities.
- Feature: Added support for cosmetic items.
- Improvement: You can now remove Emilia and Ava from your squad by interacting with them in their original location (Lab 1A & Storage Room 1A).
- Improvement: Added the ability to show incompatible clothing items at the workbench if currently wearing the slime suit.
- Improvement: Dialog window buttons will now always be visible regardless of screen size. This should help players using mobile devices.
- Improvement: Added alternative scenes and logic in various scenes featuring Victoria and Emilia.
- Improvement: Added an alternative scene prior to the boss fight if both Ava and Emilia are already in the squad.
- Improvement: Corruption level 2 evolution scene now plays out differently if Emilia is in the squad.
- Improvement: The rendering of enemies in combat has been improved. They should no longer spazz all over the screen on mobile devices.
- Improvement: Slime suit variants are now in their own category in the inventory.
- Improvement: You can now recycle Emilia's loaned civilian outfit if you never plan to use it.
- Bugfix: Fixed some disabled buttons not displaying notifications when clicked.
- Bugfix: You can no longer manage clothes in the inventory until you're supposed to be able to do it.
- Bugfix: The slime suit quest can no longer be started until you receive the ability to manage clothes. Related to Emmeken's bug report. Thanks for reporting it!

Developer notes: Adaptive Nanites is an addition targeted at solo players who may sometimes find themselves in a tight spot. We don't expect players with squad members to need this skill.

Version 0.1.4

This release adds new content and features.

- Content: You can now ask Ava to join your squad early. The option is available in Storage Room 1A once she reaches evolution level 1. Some adjustments have been made to various scenes to account for her presence.
- Content: Emilia can now join your squad early. This option is available in Laboratory 1A once you have made enough progress on the campaign quest and have raised her trust score to 5.
- Content: A new character, Lina, is available on the Compliant path.
- Content: Added a new dual drone random enemy encounter and threesome sex scene in Chapter 1.
- Content: Added a new character, Victoria Cross.
- Content: Added a new side quest, Knee deep in the goo.
- Content: Added slimes as a new enemy encounter in Chapter 1 with their accompanying sex scenes.
- Content: Added a new clothing item, the slime suit.
- Content: Added a new achievement "One Man Army".
- Feature: The combat system has been entirely reworked to be more flexible.
- Feature: Added the ability to have squad members.
- Feature: Combat turn action order is now determined by an initiative statistic. Player, allies and enemies have all received an initiative value.
- Feature: There is a new option in the settings menu to display values instead of percentages.
- Improvement: Player statistics in the sidebar will now update in real-time during combat.
- Improvement: Some scenes have been altered to have additional content when Lina is in the squad.
- Improvement: Ambient music now has additional variety.
- Improvement: Calling Ava after defeating an enemy will no longer be possible once she has evolved to level 1 as it serves no purpose.
- Improvement: There is a new "join squad" option for Emilia if players handed out the campaign quest before the "Memories" side quest.
- Bugfix: It is no longer possible to get a handjob from Emilia if you have a parasite. Thanks to vitegram for reporting this.
- Bugfix: Fixed a few instances where Ava would be referred to by her default name instead of the customized one.

Version 0.1.3
This release fixes some of the issues found in the initial release.

- Content: Added a new scene after defeating the Guardian, teasing the events to come in Chapter 2.
- Content: Added Emilia's missing fifth trust point on the compliant route.
- Feature: Enemies now possess resistances and weaknesses to damage types. You can find more information about this on bestiary codex pages.
- Feature: You can now find a recycler in Storage Room 1A, which will allow you to convert excess consumables into resin.
- Change: Grenade Toss base damage no longer depends on the currently equipped weapon. Its base damage is now 25 and its dexterity modifier has been buffed to 5, which should make it more useful in early game.
- Change: Piercing Shot's dexterity multiplier has been buffed to 3.
- Change: The event selection system has been entirely reworked. You can now open your inventory without losing the encounter upon exit.
- Change: Resistance stat has been renamed to Defiance for consistency.
- Change: The unknown key can now be found in the lobby if it was missed during the intro sequence.
- Improvement: Small talk actions with Emilia now return you to the interaction menu instead of the lab scene.
- Improvement: Campaign quests are now handed in via Emilia's interaction menu. This allows to turn-in the Memories side quest before the campaign quest.
- Improvement: The family picture for the "Memories" quest has been updated.
- Improvement: The minimap has been updated with a marker and room highlight system.
- Improvement: Scavenging has been updated to show cans and nanite boosters inside drawers when found.
- Improvement: Saves will have better naming when possible.

Developer notes: The changes to Grenade Toss now allow it to one shot drones if you have at least 5 dexterity boost upgrades.

Version 0.1.2
This release fixes some of the issues found in the initial release.

- Change: Slight changes have been made to the initial intro scenes. Thanks to DirtyWolf11 for his feedback.
- Change: Killing enemies now provides more resin.
- Change: Scavenging for too long will sometimes be met with consequences.
- Bugfix: Fixed a few cases of extra empty lines appearing in some scenes.
- Bugfix: Fixed the storage room blowjob exploit prevention somehow being even more exploitable than before.
- Bugfix: The missing predator outro variant n°4 has been removed.
- Bugfix: Restored a missing audio track.
- Bugfix: Fixed the bottom modal window buttons not appearing on mobile devices.
- Misc: Updated the descriptions of the unknown key and the pink dildo to state their usage is not yet implemented.
- Misc: Updated some social links now that the game has been released.

Version 0.1.1
This release fixes some of the issues found in the initial release.

- Content: Added a new sex scene with Emilia. Requires player corruption level 2.
- Content: There are new interactions with the friendly drone in the storage room. Requires drone evolution level 1.
- Feature: Added a new damage upgrade for the rifle.
- Feature: You can now see your abilities out of combat from your character sheet.
- Feature: The bestiary is now implemented in the codex.
- Improvement: Inventory list is now sorted.
- Improvement: Fights now have several text variations.
- Bugfix: The storage room blowjob exploit is no longer possible.
- Bugfix: The drone's assists no longer print as undefined.
- Bugfix: Fixed the stretched scaling of zoomed images on iOS.

Version 0.1.0
The initial release of Silent Echo's first chapter.