Right here we go once more! But One other Annual Evaluate, the twelfth of its type, whereby we spotlight milestones from the previous 12 months and perhaps additionally catch a glimpse of the way forward for Cogmind. Not like 2024 which was cut up between technical developments and content material work, this yr was pure content material as we proceed diving deeper into our string of deliberate expansions.
To start out off, right here’s our normal visible collage of photographs shared in varied locations all year long:
Choice of photographs from the previous yr of Cogmind-related improvement as posted on this weblog, Patreon, and social media (bigger measurement right here).
Improvement Time
Amongst my long-term inside graphs, of explicit notice this yr is that I simply barely broke the 20,000-hour mark on this venture 😛
Cumulative Cogmind improvement hours, 2013-2025.
That’s calculating from the beginning of full-time industrial improvement, so the summer season of 2013, and excluding the pre-pre-alpha 7DRL months, and all of the work on the engine in years previous to that, earlier than I even knew I’d be making a 7DRL named “Cogmind” and ultimately turning it into one thing approach larger…
Because of well being points, whole hours recorded for 2025 alone have been decrease than the multi-year peak of final yr, however nonetheless got here in second among the many previous 5 years, and once more retained the development of comparatively extra work on the sport itself than community-facing endeavors. Actually, as a subset of that sport work, in my graphs I additionally observed that for the primary time since 2017 when Cogmind was launched extra broadly by way of Steam, particularly the cumulative quantity of coding work lastly caught as much as group hours:
Cogmind improvement time breakdown by class, 2013-2025.
The group facet of issues was centered nearly completely on the core participant base by way of Discord, which is the place I hang around most days serving to people, fielding points, participating in design dialogue, or simply staying updated with the most recent methods and runs in progress.
There definitely hasn’t been a lot exercise right here on the weblog in comparison with earlier years, however as a substitute I’ve been writing extra on Patreon as a substitute, in some instances content material that might have been appropriate to adapt for this weblog however I by no means received round to it 😛
I did do this Roguelike Radio interview again in August, and because it was close to the beginning of my newest spate of well being points and didn’t come out all that nice (or not less than didn’t meet my very own maybe unreasonably excessive private expectations xD), I ended up placing collectively an accompanying in-depth article to essentially do the subject justice! It was nonetheless good to revisit the podcast after a decade, additional driving dwelling the truth that since my final look there I nonetheless haven’t moved on to a different venture, heh.
Anyway, whereas I’d’ve most popular to have the ability to put much more time into each side of improvement, progress was nonetheless good within the space that issues most: extra playable sport 😀
Releases
This yr noticed two main releases, ending off one growth and kick-starting one other.
Beta 15 “0bPrime” added a major new map, 100 new objects, and Cogmind’s tenth distinctive ending concluding the UFD plot line. It was additionally recognized for eradicating free monitoring by Extermination and Assault squads, a welcome change that has turned out fairly properly.
We’re one.
That cycle having since been accomplished, the leaderboards for Beta 15 have been archived and I analyzed participant stats to share outcomes right here.
We’re one additionally in our love of knowledge.
Extra lately this yr got here Beta 16 “The Unchained,” introducing the primary members of, and mechanics for, that long-anticipated subfaction. Rather more to do on that entrance in coming updates, however preliminary outcomes are good in that they’re producing fairly just a few fascinating challenges and tales, and any points by way of steadiness or equity are properly on the trail to being resolved as they’re fleshed out.
Who let the canines out?
Unchained exist primarily for skilled gamers, however amongst different basic enhancements and new mechanics the discharge was additionally accessible to others with the addition of a giant set of latest achievements to facilitate and/or acknowledge interplay with the remainder of the a whole bunch of hours of Cogmind content material added within the years for the reason that final batch.
A screenshot from Steam Replay, 2025, from Hermelin. They’ve been very lively recently, sharing entertaining run after run, as long-time gamers have naturally used the chance to not solely meet the Unchained problem, but additionally make amends for all the brand new achievements.
The primary batch of Unchained was smaller and fewer developed than I’d have preferred, however I additionally didn’t need to maintain everybody ready too lengthy, and did need to put them on the market for extra folks to mess around with whereas the remainder are underneath building. Plus different new stuff was already lined as much as play with, so it was price getting that launch on the market and simply plan to comply with up with a minor launch so as to add extra (quickly!).
Group
These pesky new well being points have saved me from streaming for the previous a number of months, which is unlucky as a result of there’s lots of streaming I need to be doing (each Cogmind and different roguelikes!). I think about I’ll get again to it in some unspecified time in the future, simply unsure when, and for now can spend that point engrossed in content material improvement anyway, so I suppose it’s not all unhealthy information 😛
So far as getting my group Cogminding repair, I can not less than accomplish that vicariously by means of runs shared on Discord. And for anybody else in search of out streams in my absence, these are just about a every day prevalence among the many frequent gamers, be it pleasant backseating, loopy runs, or simply random play.
I’ve additionally actually loved the large quantity of fan artwork that gamers proceed to create. Going again by means of my earlier bulletins, or simply looking photographs within the Discord channels (together with pins) you’ll discover a number of cool stuff, however listed here are some newer entries…
Derelict bots printed from Runia’s 3D fashions and painted, by chrome_knight. It’s possible you’ll not simply acknowledge a few of these variants 😉
Hyperstylized Cogmind themes, by ivelieu. (There are extra, however spoilers, and these have been compiled right into a collage by me–they have been created individually. You could find extra on Discord, together with these of their unique type.)
Hypothetical Exiles FarCom hyperlink with 8R-AWN, by sergeooo (small secondary part spoilered for content material). (sergeooo has put collectively a variety of neat spoiler artwork and memes, some pinned in Discord)
Okay, not terribly spoiler however right here’s one other good piece by sergeooo.
A specific physician and buddies, by plasmoidman, who has been doing a ton of idea bot drawings, typically with some very fascinating views.
A printable sticker sheet made out there by McSaucyNugget. (The pattern above is a subset rearranged by me for the reason that full set contains large spoilers, however yow will discover the correct model in the primary #cogmind channel right here in case you’re .) Simply so colourful!
Actual Genuine Licensed Service provider Bot Salesman, by CaptainWinky. “Subscribe to BotBuddy Prime for normal ally dispatches. Common so long as you have got the credit, that’s.” Or subscribe to CaptainWinky’s big and always-growing fan lore thread.
The group has all the time had lots of enjoyable making memes as properly, although I don’t usually share these since they’re typically a bit too insider, esoteric, or spoiler anyway. However right here’s fast collection of this yr’s, from amongst many.
Varied memes by aoemica, CaptainWinky, EPacifist, erkyperky, Jamba27, muesli, Runia, and sergeooo (open for bigger measurement).
2026
As at the moment deliberate, the approaching yr shall be filled with content material, content material, and, sure, extra content material. Additionally perhaps a shock or two 😉
I’ve already coated the long-term roadmap in my Cogmind Imaginative and prescient 2025 announcement from final yr. All that also stands, and you may see from reviewing it that we’re at the moment partway by means of that course of proper now. You too can see that as 2025 involves a detailed there’s nonetheless so much left to do, as a result of I’ve a behavior of creating every thing many occasions larger and higher than crucial… Can’t assist myself, it’s simply too tempting to flesh out the world with an increasing number of mechanics and lore, all whereas doing no matter it takes to take care of the proper steadiness to maintain it enjoyable however difficult on the identical time.
I promise the approaching releases will blow your cog-mind.
Beta 16.1 shall be out early subsequent yr, because it’s already reaching the tail finish of improvement. Exactly when will rely upon how lengthy it stays in prerelease testing as soon as it hits that part, however shouldn’t take too lengthy in that regard, on account of its focus.
Beta 17 is coming in 2026, to make sure, in addition to most likely the start (however not the conclusion) to the Retailers growth, which itself shall be one other game-changer that may impression your runs proper from the beginning.
In between I’m positive Patrons will vote so as to add different stuff that injects some delays by including content material and options chosen from my giant ongoing listing of non-obligatory potentialities.
Trying ahead to extra Cogmind within the new yr 😀
“You’re simply the droid I’m searching for.”
