Hello there! After last year's embarrassing lack of Halloween event, I've tried to come up with some appropiately disgusting stuff.
CHALLENGES
The main new feature here is the introduction of the Challenges (and, with them, cosmetic unlockables). Located on the same screen you select your match setting presets, those are single-player matches that will often have unique gimmicks.
For now there's three "normie" challenges, good for testing your skill as the Robot, with increasing difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert. Completing the Expert Challenge will get you a shiny new achievement, and a cool new medal cosmetic to brag to your friends.
But you're here for the Halloween event, and this year's is the Infestation Challenge, which introduces the "unique gimmick" part I mentioned before.
INFESTATION
You can immediately access the Infestation Challenge by opening this box, but it will remain available forever from the Challenge menu.
The Infestation Challenge is, as you might have guessed, Insectoid centric. Armed with a plasma revolver and a flamethrower, you'll have to carefully navigate through the facility while trying to avoid triggering an Insectoid swarm. There's also Mandrillians on the loose but there seems to be something... wrong with them. The fact that they don't appear to attack Insectoids should tip you off on what's going on.
Completing the Infestation Challenge will get you the CERTIFIED EXTERMINATOR new achievement, as well as the Gas Mask unlockable.
IMPROVEMENTS TO NPC ENEMIES
Besides the addition of the Challenges, this update comes with a massive amount of improvements to NPCs. Both Mandrillian bots and Insectoids should feel way better to fight against now, with both improved behaviors and quality of life tweaks so they feel challenging but not unfair or annoying. Mandrillian bots now react in a more natural way to the player being cloaked near them. Insectoids will do some "warning attacks" if they are approaching you from behind, to avoid frustrating situations where you get hit by a sneaky Insectoid out of the blue. Also, you can now use glowsticks as bait for Insectoids, which is kinda cute.
WHAT NOW?
I would have really liked to have the Firing Range ready for this update, but sadly there's been just too many small things getting in the way. At least, now there's nothing holding me back from getting into it, and this update is packed with a lot of small tweaks and improvements to get Mandrillia closer to full release. Check the changelog for all the details!
FULL CHANGELOG
- NPC POLISH PASS
- Insectoids will now use "warning attacks" when attacking the Robot from behind. These warnings have them doing the noise and jump (sometimes the little squeal sound), but won't do any damage. Each insectoids starts with 1-2 warnings in storage, which get used up every time they do either a warning shot or an actual attack: once an insectoid has used all its warnings, it will just attack normally until it dies.
- Improved Insectoid textures (they look goopier now)
- Lit glowsticks can now be used as bait for Insectoids
- Improved a lot of Mandrillian bot behaviors
- Improved the way Mandrillian bots detect a nearby cloaked Robot
- Removed the speed penalty from rubbing against a Mandrillian bot
- Flamethrower pilot and flames now count as a sound that brings the attention of nearby Insectoid and Mandrillian Bots (until now they only made the Robot be considered as uncloaked)
- CHALLENGES AND UNLOCKABLES
- Introduced "Challenges" (can be selected on the same screen you select presets) -single player matches with predefined settings that can include unique quirks
- Added the folllowing challenges: BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, EXPERT and INFESTATION
- Introduced the unique challenge quirk "infested Mandrillians", where the Mandrillian Bots can sometimes burst into a swarm of Insectoids
- Added a new type of cosmetic: Body Gear
- Introduced cosmetic unlockables from completing certain challenges
- Added the GAS MASK face gear and the MEDAL body gear as unlockables for completing the Infestation and Expert challenges
- Added the CERTIFIED EXTERMINATOR and DID YOU WANT A MEDAL? achievements for completing the Infestation and Expert challenges
- GENERAL TWEAKS AND FIXES
- Added settings for the Scent Tracking cooldown besides on/off (the default's slow at 80 seconds, medium at 55 seconds, fast at 30 seconds)
- Adjusted corpse loot system still using the old multitool values to determine you don't need batteries -corpses will no longer spawn with batteries if for example you have the cloak and stun disabled on match settings, as the motion sensor doesn't use any battery unlike the old radar
- Theres a small chance you'll get glowsticks on worker corpses
- Improved pipe collision behavior, smashing insectoids with it is now quite a bit satisfying
- When playing "solo mode", the FMOD sound will be muted, as you're supposed to just hear the VR player's side anyways, so no sense in duplicating them
- Fixed index finger clipping through the SMG trigger guard FINALLY
- Cosmetics are now visible on spectator camera and security camera feed
- Added a little sound at the Victory Room when to indicate you successfully called for a Rematch, Menu return, or Mandrillian liberation
- Fixed oversight that prevented Mandrillians to spawn in Victory Room after being liberated if the match was a "solo" round