Hello! Today's 20XX patch gets the game where we want it as we head into beta. This includes a huge visual (and less huge mechanical) update to Frostor, a new mode, and more!
We're pushing this patch a little early to give the community time to break it before the 15th. :)
We'll be updating these patch notes until the 15th, when the beta officially launches.
Disclaimer: 20XX is in alpha (OR IS IT??). As we develop the game, we may make changes that require us to invalidate or wipe your 20XX save files, Steam Leaderboard info/achievements, and other save-y stuff like that. Be aware!
We will almost certainly be wiping save files (or at least, invalidating them) when beta launches. We'll probably wipe the all-time Leaderboards, too.
Note: The closer we get to release, the closer the price will get to our planned Full Release price of $15.
TL;DR for today's patch: So, so much. Big Arctech revamp. Casual mode! A million other changes.
For the next patch or two: Beta stuff.
As always, let us know if anything's busted or if we missed a change!
BIG CHANGES:
- A new mode has been added (Casual), aimed at smoothing the getting-into-20XX experience out a bit.
- Casual mode runs begin with the player choosing three of his unlocked passives to start with. Any three! No duplicates.
- Casual mode runs are not Leaderboard-eligible.
- Casual mode is available for any number of players (local or online). In online co-op, whatever the host picks is also awarded to the client.
- Normal mode awards slightly more Soul Nuts than Casual.
- Arctech (Frostor) has received one million changes.
- Complete visual overhaul! (There's still a lot of tiling polish to do.)
- Many/all level bits have been cleaned up, improved, or totally overhauled.
- Enemy placement diversification +1000%.
- New Hazard: Motion Traps (name pending). They're basically flame geysers that only trigger when you pass in front of the trap.
- Teleporters now transport the player much faster.
- Targeters now reset when the player takes damage, preventing the terrible double-whammy scenario. This includes fall damage. (The actual rule is "the targeter can't target the player during his invuln frames.")
- Targeter damage no longer scales (capped at 1).
- Beta Creepers (late-game exploding spiders) no longer also explode on death.
- All Creepers now explode much faster once activated.
- Penguins now require line of sight to start dashing at the player.
SMALL CHANGES:
- Kur's fire breath attack now only fires off one salvo before level 5.
- Kur's Quintlaser attack now fires 2 cubes before level 5 (down from 3). The cubes now move 25% faster at all levels.
- Death Lotus now no longer damages players that bump into him while he's hiding.
- Touching lava (and lava-like things) now sends the player back to his last safe landing, even if the player has recently taken damage (in which case no further damage is incurred).
- Starting the Daily Challenge/Hardcore no longer clears your Soul Nuts. Additionally, Soul Nuts no longer display during challenges.
- Added a "really continue?" prompt when you try to start a game in Normal/Casual, but could still afford to buy something with your Soul Nuts. This prompt does not trigger during online play.
- Added tooltips for the various game modes and for the Skulls menu.
- Added in some bonus Skytemple level pieces!
- Improved the corner of Skytemple's track platforms that'd bump you upward as the platform changes direction. (It still wobbles a tiny bit.)
- Revamped the boss gate visual.
- Dialogue/Lore's taking a nap until we're sure of how to do it right.
BUG FIXES:
- Fixed a bug causing Rollster Gamma's late-game split ability to produce lame offspring.
- Fixed a bug causing the Mace Knight's shield to continue to block Ace's attacks for a bit after the shield falls.
- Fixed an issue where lategame bosses with Undying would bug out the boss HP bar.
- Fixed a bug causing Ace's Axe to deal no damage in net co-op if the player is not the host.
KNOWN ISSUES:
- The new Penguin Boss sometimes gets a saw blade stuck in his mouth.
- One Arctech chunk has been disabled (due to not being tiled yet).
- The drop-down tooltips at level starts and boss fights will have a boss portrait accompanying them; they don't yet.
- Arctech's End Chunk teleporters display a little oddly.
Thanks for reading!