VERSION: MYSTICAL BOG #1.062
Sorry to keep you all waiting on the next update, but here it is.
This is still for the OFFLINE ONLY EXPERIMENTAL BUILD, so you'll need to switch to that build if you want to see these changes.
If you want to download the experimental build, you need to do the following:
1. Right Click Metal Heads in your Steam library.
2. Go to properties.
3. Go to "Betas".
4. Next to "Beta Participation", select "Experimental" from the drop down box.
5. Metal Heads will automatically update to this version.
THERE'S A NEW TUTORIAL!
For new players, and existing players who aren't too clear on the gameplay loop, there is now a more in depth tutorial available with videos and the ability to navigate back and forward, plus view the board's points of interest.
This took a bit of time to get working properly due to the ability for players to create their own custom gameplay modes; There's no point having a section of the tutorial about mini-games if the mode has mini-games turned off.
I initially tried to make the tutorial just play sequences on the board (so that I didn't take up hard drive space with videos, and so that I could better accomodate custom settings), but this turned out to be a pretty big task (at least until I can think of a better way to do it), so I opted for creating a bunch of tutorial videos.
The tutorial UI definitely needs work, like most of the game's UI, but it's a LOT better than it was before.
I tested it with my girlfriend, who isn't a gamer, who really did not understand the gameplay loop at all before, and she has given me the nod of approval, so I consider that a success!
In future, I intend to add a "guide" to the options menu, or an extended tutorial which can be viewed at the end of the basic tutorial, which will go in detail about everything in the board game mode, but for now, I think it's just important that new players get a basic understanding.
I still need to make improvements to the turn order mini-game, this is what confuses players (and my girlfriend) the most, so I intend to try and make this easier to understand, and allow the host/player 1 to replay the turn order mini-game if they so choose.
NEW PATH ON THE SLIME FACTORY BOARD
The SLIME FACTORY board has an additional path next to the conveyor belt. This creates more pathing opportunities and makes the board a bit more interesting.
In future, I intend to create even more paths, including an indoor area on the right side of the map.
FIXES, CHANGES AND OTHER NOTES
I forgot to note all of the fixes, but there were a few.
Here they are in no particular order.
- Mini-Games no longer repeat themselves.
- Fixed another bug where after the first mini-game plays, no more mini-games would play.
- Fixed up CHECKPOINTS goals not displaying correctly. Checkpoints that are not the CURRENT checkpoint will now display in a transparent red colour.
- CHECKPOINTS now have a 3D number representing which checkpoint it is.
- It is worth noting that CHECKPOINTS still aren't functioning as intended, the idea is that players must reach all of the checkpoints before getting bonus points, otherwise they are not much different to Golden Gears at this stage.
- If a player is cursed, they can use the GIFT item to reduce the curse effect as an incentive to use the GIFT item. At this stage, this pretty much removes the curse effect. Later on I intend to balance this better, I also intend to allow players to customise the curse reduction for individual items.
- Fixed the LAPS mode. It wasn't really working before.
- Added particle effect to LAPS goal whenever the player would cross the start line. I will eventually add sound FX to this to make it far more obvious.
- Fixed issues with the MODIFY TILE radial menu where it would do a massive big spin in order to get to the next selection.
- Fixed a similar issue with the inventory menu, although there's some other issues that need to be fixed up now where the currently selected item is offset. Players will need to exit the inventory and go back into it for it to work properly again.
- Player can no longer spin the inventory menu if they only have 1 item.
- Added temporary fix to the THIEF item icon, for some reason it is not displaying correctly, it was appearing as a red angry face. This item icon still isn't working correctly, but at least the icon is better for now.
WHAT'S NEXT?
I will continue to hunt down bugs and polish up the experimental offline build.
I intend to improve quality of life and increase how intuitive certain aspects of the game are, including improvements to some visuals, such as placing items, spawning etc.
ONLINE MULTIPLAYER is a big focus, so once the functionality for the experimental build is working offline, I will continue to convert this to online functionality, so that I can finally update the current regular build of the game.
WHAT ABOUT AFTER THAT?
The main things... in order, are:
More board game maps!
More Mini-Games!
More Tile types
More Items!
More Metal Heads!
More everything!
There's a lot more bugs to find and squish, so your feedback is incredibly important and critical to finding any and all bugs, so help me hunt them down, and let's squish em' all!
If you like Metal Heads, please consider spreading the word, or if you really like it, feel free to leave a positive review, it helps a LOT for small indie games.
If you don't like Metal Heads, I apologize, I hope that you will message on the forum or the Discord channel as your input could severely help improve the experience for everyone else who may not like it for the same reasons.
Thank you to everyone who has purchased the game, and those who purchased it recently too!
The Steam Couch Co-op fest is almost over, so grab Metal Heads for 50% off while you still can, the next deep discount likely won't be for a while!