We didn’t have a February post, so here’s a double feeding for this post about things we have been working on in the background.First of all, we’re delighted with the response we have received regarding the Pocket Dimension Visual Polish! But if you thought that, alongside SCP-127, is all that’s coming in 14.1, you’d be wrong.
Keycards
Over the last few days, Hubert and foodeater have been working very hard on a visual rework of our keycard system. Pictured below are the new designs we’re currently experimenting with.The most important factor of the rework is the new 3x3 grid that represents the cards' access abilities. The grid is split into 3 sections: Containment, Armory, and Administration, each having an icon to represent the column.
Our primary objective was to accelerate keycard recognition. Following this, we have split the existing SCP Foundation keycards into 4 designs. The standard Site-02 keycards discovered by exploring the facility (Scientist, Janitor, Facility Guard, etc.) will keep the standard shape you know and love, with a fresher look and some nice security features. The Guard keycard additionally features a reinforced case for easier identification.
Note: At the time of writing, implementation is still underway.While these images are real in-game screenshots, they are quick mockups.You may note that the “Research Supervisor” card found below contains an error, which has since been fixed.
The management keycards (Facility Administrator, Zone Manager) take on a new shape, keeping close to the rectangular shape of the other keycards, but allowing for faster identification compared to the regular cards.One reason we assigned a new shape for these keycards is to make it easier for those with colour blindness to distinguish between different cards, but more on that later.
Our Mobile Task Force keycards are just as exciting. They have a more heavy-duty design (pun unintended), featuring a reinforced appearance with a metal outline and a hole that, in a realistic scenario, would be used to clip the card onto a suit so it isn’t lost during intense-combat scenarios. Each ring around the hole represents a different rank. The more rings, the higher the rank!
Finally, the O5 keycard. It’s the most mysterious of them all, as an O5 keycard realistically wouldn’t even exist! We’ve taken a much more esoteric design for the keycard, with only the 3x3 grid (representing access to all areas) and the iconic black colour as its distinctive features.
Be on the lookout for future posts, as while we don’t have any pictures, the Chaos Insurgency Access Device is also receiving a facelift!Our primary motivation for redesigning the keycards isn’t only that they are among the oldest models in the game — created nearly eight years ago (we checked, and it’ll be exactly eight years on the 19th of May this year). We also wanted to address a longstanding issue: the current keycards differ only in colour, which has been particularly problematic in low-light conditions, environments illuminated by single-coloured lights (such as during an Alpha Warhead detonation), and for colour-blind players.Now, we’ll show you how the new designs compare to the old ones. To illustrate the improvements, we’ll include screenshots in various conditions, including some with a colour-blind filter applied. While there are multiple types of colour blindness, we’ll focus on red-green colour blindness, as it accounts for up to 95% of cases. Thankfully, the high contrast and distinct shapes of the new designs should also be easily distinguishable for other kinds of colour blindness. Let’s start by presenting how the old designs look to people with red-green colour blindness:
As you can see, aside from the MTF keycards, most of them look nearly identical. And that’s in our idealised scenario, where we’re viewing the raw texture. The issue becomes even more apparent when we examine in-game footage:
Naturally, Containment Engineer and Private keycards no longer spawn in-game, so they aren’t as much of an issue. As a result, they haven’t been a primary focus in the rework, but we’ve still made significant improvements to their designs. Now, let’s take a look at how the new keycards compare.
These designs are still a work in progress, and we’d love for you to submit feedback and suggest any changes you’d like to see!And that’s not all… Server owners, REJOICE! As a result of this keycard rework, you’ll have the ability to spawn completely customisable keycards via plugins and commands! You’ll be able to customise the cards' colour, permissions, and name, allowing your server to have some custom cards. This will be handy for those roleplay servers we are well aware of. This feature is available for the standard Site-02, Management, and MTF Keycards.
Body Armour
Alongside the keycard rework, one of our other artists, PurpleGoop, creator of the new playermodels, has also created a brand-new array of armour that will now be visible on characters!Wearing the ‘standard’ loadout results in an unchanged appearance compared to the current version. For example, MTF and Chaos members will look the same as they do now if they're wearing Combat Armour.Some models, such as MTF and Chaos, were originally completed back in 2019, before Body Armour was a mechanic. As a result, they weren’t designed with removable armour in mind. Due to this limitation, Guards and Militants don’t lose their armour entirely when unequipping it. Instead, smaller details like holsters, ammo pouches, or backpacks will be removed progressively.Because of that, the visual difference between Light Armour and No Armour on these classes is minimal. Fortunately, such cases are rare, and other roles will have a clear distinction between armour types. All classes will display Heavy Armour when equipped. Additionally, ragdolls will now spawn with their armour removed.
We were initially sceptical about the MTF having a visible helmet, as the absence of one was a key feature that helped distinguish them from Chaos Insurgency, especially in low-light conditions. However, after some internal discussion, we’ve designed a helmet model that ensures MTF remains easily recognisable in darkness. Additionally, we’ve added shoulder pads that further distinguish their overall silhouette.
Anniversary
A few days ago, we entered our ninth year of developing SCP: Secret Laboratory. It all began on the 1st of March 2017, as a small YouTube project aimed at bringing an SCP-inspired game to life. It took some time before our first release, and even then, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Yet through every patch, every server crash, and every unexpected glitch, you never lost faith.A special thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout the years, whether financially or otherwise. Your support has been the backbone of our progress, driving us to constantly improve and expand this project beyond what we once imagined. Thank you for standing by us all these years — SCP: Secret Laboratory continues to grow and thrive because of you. We couldn’t have done it without you.
~Northwood Studios