Development Roadmap Update: Content has been shifted around a bit as priorities change and feedback is received. Though overall the content is still on pace with my previous expectations.
- Patch 0.35: Augments and Achievements. Persistent unlockable upgrades, and more achievements. ETA: June 16th
- Patch 0.40: Weapons and Warriors. Weapons, utilities, Symbionics, and new pilots. ETA: June 22nd
- Patches 0.41 - 0.44 will be smaller in scope, but will expand all types of content.
- Patch 0.45: Trials and Tribulations. New difficulty system with multiple levels of challenge. ETA: July 12th
- I've gotten a lot of requests around the net for a longer or endless mode. I can confirm that I will be adding this feature, but it will happen closer to the end of Early Access once most of the content is in the game and I've optimized significantly.
- Community trading items will be coming in the near-ish future. Trading cards, badges, backgrounds, emoticons. You get the idea. They're in the works. They'll arrive some time in July.
Patch v.0.32: Symbionics and Synergy
This week's big new feature is Symbionic Upgrades
- These super upgrades are unlocked when a specific weapon reaches max level and the correct utility is also equipped. They are extremely powerful upgrades, and can not be unlocked before the 10 minute mark (this is subject to change).
- When the correct requirements are met, a special kind of upgrade beacon will appear that must be fully charged. Once charged, a popup menu will explain what you've unlocked, what it does, and how you unlocked it.
- These are not meant to be upgrades you can easily get every run. They are meant to feel special, though one of them is easier to get than the others. Still, future updates to how loot rolls work, and the addition of more Symbionics will make them a bit easier to obtain (just not yet).
- 4 Symbionic upgrades have been added so far. It shouldn't be too hard to figure which upgrades are needed...but i'll leave it up to the big brain 900 IQs to figure it out - Kinetosweeper - Magnemines - Rupture Wave - Chargeback
- Each symbionic weapon has synergy with the utility that helps unlock it, and can continue to gain power/effectiveness as that utility is leveled.
Features
- Ship Color (beta): In the mission menu you can now select between standard green, orange, blue, and silver ship colors. New ship skins will eventually be unlockable as well, and will also have multiple color variations. Ships offer no statistical bonuses.
- A new 1280x720 (at 2x pixel art size) resolution windowed option has been added
- Split the synergy bar into "type" and "synergy" for more clarity. Some types have no specific use/synergies at the moment (i.e. gravity wave = force type), but hint at upgrades to come! - Note: Upgrades of the same type that do not directly affect the selected upgrade will no longer be shown. This seemed to be confusing people.
- Screenshake has been enabled, but is used sparingly: destroying bosses and large elite enemies, grabbing nukes, trap explosions, and the player ship taking damage. Can be disabled in the options menu.
Balance
- Enemy density has increased slightly between 2 and 5 minutes in both zones.
- Gunlock: Sweeps 25% faster at level 2, and sweeps 20% faster and farther at level 3.
- Light Rail: Moved the level 3 targeting speed increase to level 2, and combined the range gain from levels 2 and 3 into level 3.
- Leymines were reworked to move more immediate power to the early levels, and add more raw damage to later levels, while removing relatively meaningless upgrade values. Mines also now always fire one projectile straight up. - Recharge: 2/2/1.8/1.8/1.6 seconds - Range: +50% projectile range at levels 2 and 4 - Damage: 17/17/17/25/30 (previously did not gain damage) - Projectiles: 6/9/10/12/12 - Maximum Leymines: 1/1/2/2/3/
Visuals
- Low shields alert visuals (and sound fx) trigger on the player ship and user interface, when below 20% shields.
- More feedback when the player takes damage
- The Hive Queen has gotten updated art to better match the style of the Sting King, and allow her to stand out against normal enemies
- Both bosses now have appearing animations. You may have noticed they just sort of popped into existence, previously.
Bugs
- Fixed an issue that prevented leymines from creating projectiles during the overcharge powerup
- Fixed an issue that prevented saving your last selections if you clicked "abort" with the mouse in the mission menu
- Fixed a bug that would leave the powerup meter stuck on screen if damaged exactly when activating the auto-repair powerup