Patch 1.4 - The Final Update.
Hi! GoragarX here. Today, A Better Tomorrow is one year old. Time surely flies!
To celebrate this, I'm announcing a final update for the game with new content. The update will contain new systems that improve gameplay, a new game mode, and a lot of QoL changes.
The update will drop during the following month. Stay tuned!
What I've been up to
After the release of A Better Tomorrow, I was contacted by a professor at an institution to essentially develop a fork of the game. This new version introduced several changes to make the game more suitable for classroom use, as well as some other requests.
Not every new feature was salvageable... However, I still wanted to port back a few of them to the original Steam version, as well as add some extra content that I never had the time to include. Perfect for a one-year anniversary update!
Update Content
Endless Mode
An endless/arcade mode has been requested numerous times, and it's finally here. Since this will be the final update of the game, I wanted to provide a reason for players to revisit the game from time to time and have something to do. The game mode will feature a high-score system, and I set up a Steam leaderboard. Who will claim the #1 spot?
Behind-the-scenes content
I always loved it when developers gave their players extra, behind-the-scenes content. If you manage to get all the trophies, you can access a screen with fun facts about the development of the game. This is my way of saying thank you to everyone <3
Upgrades
The meat and potatoes of the update. The Upgrade System will allow players to level up all structures in the game, including generators and towns. These upgrades can affect the structure's stats (such as energy generated/requested), as well as introduce new mechanics, adding depth to the gameplay.
With these upgrades, players will be able to try new strategies, plan their runs, and adapt, bringing more variety to their games. In summary, upgrades make the game more strategic and less whack-a-mole-y. More thinking, less clicking. Talking about clicking...
Note: the upgrade preview image was made with AI as a mock-up. No AI content will be added to the game.
Understood, you don't like to click.
Even if the game was designed as a clicker first, almost every negative piece of feedback I received was about the clicking.
I believe this is because the game aesthetics clash with the heavy (sometimes even anxious) clicking. Many players expect a more idle, calm, and relaxing experience from a game with this art style. (Not) clicking is also the primary reason why players lose, which will lead to frustration.
To address this, all towns will have a free upgrade to enter "idle" mode. When this upgrade is purchased, the city/village will automatically drain energy as soon as its bar is empty.
Why an upgrade? I firmly believe the game is better as a clicker than as an idle, since it was designed to be played that way. I want to give players the option to play their way, but encourage the intended experience. Also, some new mechanics interact with the clicking, so a player may not want to have "idle mode" active on all towns at once.
Perfect Clicking
Not only souls have parries. If you frame-perfect click on a town right when it demands energy, you'll get a nice refund. Do it three times and you'll get a free "parry" upgrade. This mechanic encourages players not to stall the timer, making clicking more satisfying and enjoyable.
You can still buy the idle upgrade... but true gamers will go for the parry upgrade ;)
Weather Queue
As another change aimed at elevating the strategy aspect of the game, the weather now works with a queue. Previously, the weather was randomly selected at the start of each new day. Now, all weathers are decided from the beginning, and the game tells you the next day's weather. That way, you can further plan your strategy!
Nuclear Silos
As an educational game, one of the objectives of A Better Tomorrow was to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each type of energy. Unfortunately, I failed to show any downsides to nuclear energy (apart from "big structure occupies two tiles", which is more of a gameplay thing).
To address this, nuclear plants now generate nuclear waste, which needs to be stored in silos. Silos add some uniqueness to the nuclear plant's behaviour and showcase a real downside of nuclear energy. You can build silos like any other structure. If a nuclear plant has no place to deposit the waste, it will stop working until it can. Silos can be upgraded up to three times to increase their capacity
Don't worry, nuclear energy is still the cleanest and most powerful, just like real life.
A tutorial that does not suck
Let's be honest: the tutorial was one of the worst parts of A Better Tomorrow, if a wall of text can even count as a tutorial. The new, interactive tutorial provides a much better explanation of how to play the game.
So... What's next?
A little bit about me. This last year has been quite wild. After completing my studies and undertaking some contract work, I finally decided to pursue my dream of becoming a self-sustaining indie developer.
A Better Tomorrow was a great start, but it's time to move to other projects. I'm currently developing my first commercial game solo, a psychological horror anomaly game set in a liminal hotel, reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. (I know, quite a departure from the cutesy edutainment.). I will start dropping teasers about the game soon, so be sure to follow me!
I've also created a Discord server. I want to try my best to establish an audience and deliver the games you want to play. Join here! https://discord.gg/rvBNRCjBm7