New Year, New Update

Hey everyone, hope you’ve had a good start to the new year!

So for the longest time I’ve been working on the next update, however, it is still not yet ready to fully release. But, despite this, I am making an early release in the form of an experimental release.

Defining Experimental

So what makes this release experimental? Well for one, it’s not fully finished. It contains new weapons, enemies, and a new level. But some of these things may not be fully implemented or completed, and as such, these features could have a few bugs. Specifically in this update, the new level isn’t decorated, and has a lot of gaps in it. So if you’re scared of Developper Textures, avoid this update then.

You may also notice that the update is called E0, as this is only the first experimental version of this update. I have way more content planned for update 1.8, so there will definitely be a version 1.8 E1, and perhaps an E2 too.

I expect to do this more often going forward, as this allows for more regular updates, along with getting more feedback on new features and levels.

What’s new?

Three new enemies have been added; The Sniper / Watchman, Nailgunner / Nail Knight,  and the Plague Doctor. There’s also a new weapon; The Poison Crossbow. As the name alludes to, it also comes with a new damage type, that being the Poison damage type. This also comes with lingering damage types, which creates an area that deals a certain type of damage over time.

There’s also a new map, which is in its testing phase. This new map comes at the cost that both of the old maps have been removed. This is due to two major changes: Firstly I did not feel the old maps were designed that well. They also did not really allow for any of the new enemies to be implemented easily. And also some asset modifications made the old maps not look all too nice either.

Lastly, there’s some more fixes and adjustments.

What’s next?

Obviously the new map will be finished, but in addition, another map which will follow my new map design guidelines will be put into development. Enemies will receive new sounds to make them more distinct from each other. The older / original enemies (Knight, Gunner, and Zombie) will also receive a visual overhaul to match with the newer enemies.

Random / Procedurally generated levels will also be developed further, and I know that I’ve said this for quite a long time, so let me talk about where it’s at: It works. Functionally it does work, It can create random levels and they can be played and explored. However, I need to figure out how to make the random levels fun to play, and add value to the player experience. So while they do work, they currently do not add much to the overall experience of the game. Therefore they will need more work, to be at their absolute best.

Detailed Changelog:

Here’s all the details of the things that’ve been changed:

ADDED:

Added Poison Damage Type:

Causes Poison buildup, which will drain health after enough time.

Added lingering damage types:

Creates an area which deals damage to anyone within. Currently only used by the new weapon Poison Crossbow.

Added Poison Crossbow Weapon:

Creates lingering damage areas with the poison effect. Can be found in levels, and is used by Plague Doctors.

Added the Sniper enemy type:

Dangerous at long ranges, but stationary. Chained to the ground, the Sniper is unable to move, but deal too much damage to the Snipers chains, and they’ll be set free. So often it might be best to try and avoid the sniper all together, and sneak around them instead.

Added the Nailgunner enemy type:

Armed with a nail gun, the nailgunner will shoot multiple nail projectiles quickly in succession. This knight is also covered in nails and spikes, and standing to close may hurt quite a bit.

Added the Plague Doctor enemy type:

The plague doctor is armed with a poisoned crossbow, and a large knife. Stand too close and you’ll get cut, further away, and the doctor will try to poison you or create a poison boundary. Additionally they heal nearby enemies over time.

Added ability for enemies to carry keys:

Certain enemies will now carry keys needed for doors. These keys will usually be attached to their hips or thighs, and glow their color. To get their key, simply eliminate the enemy.

Added damage buildup bars to player hud:

When taking poison, electric, or heat damage, a buildup bar will be shown in the bottom of the player HUD.

LEVELS:

New level: Beach Fortress

Complete overhaul of the earlier Beach Fortress level, made from the bottom up.

MISC:

Various bug fixes and adjustments

End

If you end up playing the update, I'd love to get feedback! Any bugs, mistakes, errors, or changes you'd like to see made... I'd love to hear all of it!

Thanks for reading!