When you start a project like Regulator City, there is a certain vision and idea of what you want the finished product to be like. Getting from that first idea to that vision is sometimes extremely easy and straightforward, but in the case of Regulator City it has been a massive path of many ups and downs.
So it's hard to describe the relieve and many other feelings that unleash the moment I noticed that Regulator City became that game I originally had in mind. A great mix between action, stealth, coolness of leading a team, and finally the rogue-like elements I try to put in all my games.
Before I dive into the specifics for this v0.0.50 demo update, PLEASE grab yourself a copy of the demo and make sure to wishlist the game, I can't wait for you to play it and enjoy it!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1892750/Regulator_City/
The list of changes is LONG, so there's no way I'm going to cover all of it in detail. The key changes for this demo, and the gameplay, are most certainly the implementation of a Game Over state - if you (the Alpha) dies, it is game over in a traditional rogue-like sense. This gives you some extra things to think about on how you go into the missions.
I also restructured and streamlined the way your squad is made available and how you can revive new squad members, AND your team members can now actually level-up and learn new skills! This is a major difference in the gameplay, because you now WANT to keep your team members a live and help them out, so you don't have to replace them with a Level-1 grunt later on.
The way they learn skills will be improved in a later demo update, for now they will automatically get skills assigned as they level-up. This means that all the mission stuff is originally done by you as a player : place bombs, get intelligence, crack safe, etc. But over time your squad members will be able to take care of these things for you and much faster!
I also reworked all the interface things and cranked up the feedback to players to close to maximum! You will not miss out on important gameplay events happening!
So go check out the demo, it's a longer demo than before, you can now play 4 city blocks, so a lot more fun to be had. Come talk about it over on the Discord and don't be shy in dropping your ideas!
Here's the full list of changes and fixes, if you want to stay updated on these on a more daily and smaller version: there's now an automated update list being dropped in the Discord channel for the games I'm working on at the end of every work day! so come hang out!!
Full changes list:
- added: item drop boxes to HQ on first run (gives you starting items)
- added: mission icons in HUD have an effect when something gets completed
- added: Slow-triggered enemy spawns, can be avoided by sneaking
- added: Squad members now level up and improve their skills
- added: DNA pods now used to upgrade the player (extra HP)
- added: notification when a squad member dies
- added: quick replay to game-over screen
- added: Special power attention FX
- added: some inventory items can now be "activated" per mission
- added: Squad HP should restore when they level up
- added: EMP-bombs to disrupt power at any point in the building for certain time
- added: Items can now be depending on other items
- added: Inventory shows if item needs another item (EMP needs Nightvision)
- added: Previously shown mission-tutorial info now saved to player profile
- added: item: Training manual - levels up all squad members
- added: Squad skill to defuse mines
- added: different voices are assigned when generating new team members
- added: Squad members now have random faces
- added: Enemy spawns during boss01 fight
- added: item Blueprint, makes the whole map visible
- added: item Field-Incubator to generate a new squad member
- changed: cleaned up status bar
- changed: Special powers charge faster
- changed: increased item-box drops
- changed: Medikits are instant use (and ignored if full HP)
- changed: gear-shop spawns in direction of street-movement, not "behind" the player
- changed: shop prices need to increase faster in missions
- changed: Mission Failed (Alpha down) now equals a game-over
- changed: Explosive-placement can now be learned by Squad members
- changed: No new recruits until the whole city-block mission is cleared
- changed: Increase demo size to 4 cityblocks
- changed: Shop Prices kept increasing, while money drops don't.
- changed: task title bar doesn't need team-member avatar anymore (team won't trigger it, only players)
- changed: Made hostage-NPC more focussed on level-exit (cross long distance)
- changed: Make it rain in cityblock 4
- changed: decreased Ooze-hive spawns in early missions
- changed: proper random pool for Store items
- changed: Made hearing-aid an active item
- changed: Some items like grenades now come per X amount at once
- fixed: squad members won't open doors during a breach-able situation
- fixed: can't revive members in Gear shop
- fixed: AI moving to doors that are not really the best option at the time
- fixed: Squad will also slash/attack Ooze-spawn blobs
- fixed: GO sign on the street does a weird blink
- fixed: boxes in HQ shouldn't spawn medikit on new game
- fixed: Rope-spawned enemies not placed at correct spawn spot
- fixed: Squad member is sometimes invisible (only shows shadow on floor)
- fixed: boss fight has too much street-width
- fixed: take-downs on street lands the enemies body "inside the buildings"
- fixed: Level editor: cleared level would be seen as a usable-level
- fixed: Incubation also resets life squad members
- fixed: Level countdown now overlaps with mission icons
- fixed: shop-item collision overlaps, player can touch 2 items at once
- fixed: Player controller character also had double HP
- fixed: dashing can sometimes dash through items/walls
- fixed: squad-level digits are hard to read in HUD
- fixed: Night-missions don't show night in open-areas in buildings
- fixed: Picking up an active item resets the active state
- fixed: Ooze critters bite, but don't seem to harm/hurt
- fixed: saved NPC's in HQ don't say anything (do trigger a prompt)
- fixed: removed "CPU" from power bar in Tutorial mode
- fixed: Squad members don't seem to properly level up their skills
- fixed: gaining a weapon while morphed, replaces the melee weapon
- fixed: added some correction to camera-danger zone highlights