Patch Notes beta.0.342 - 22/06/2017

The New Bomb!

• Now the bomb is a physical and heavy object inside the arena and the players can collide with it! Check out this video for more information on why we changed the bomb.
• Grabbing the bomb:
  • To grab the bomb, players must hold the space bar button on the keyboard or the "B" button in the joystick. This lasts indefinitely until you grab the it, so you can press while you race towards the bomb!
  • While the grabber control is activated, players cannot use their weapons.
  • You only can grab the bomb if it is loose in the arena and no other enemy player is inside the bomb fight area trying to grab it too.



• Bomb dispute:
  • The bomb dispute happens when two players from different teams are inside the bomb grab area with the grabber control activated.



• Dropping the bomb:
  • The bomb can be dropped by the player anytime using space bar.



• Launching the bomb:
  • Launching is a new mechanic that allows players to launch the bomb as a pass.
  • If a player wants to launch the bomb is necessary to create the launching state by spinning it so it gains power.
  • Once you enter the launching state (the bomb will shine), you just have to press space to launch it.



• What happens after launching:
  • The bomb goes in high speed and pushing and damaging enemies on its way - the faster it is, the more damage it does.



• New rule on scoring:
  • Only the bomb needs to cross the finish line to score a point.
  • The score happens indifferently of who was carrying the bomb - so be careful how you launch! You may end up scoring against your team.



• On Droppers:
  • The bomb will only be dropped if the player's car goes through the Dropper.



• On Blockers:
  • Only the bomb cannot pass through the Blockers, players can.

• For a full tutorial on the new bomb, check out this video!

The New Nitro!

• The Nitro's cooldown has been removed. Players can use the Nitro anytime.
• Nitro now has a warmup and two active stages - it'll only start after holding the button for 1 second. One more second after that it'll reach maximum speed. The sequence is:
  • Player presses the nitro button, it will start warming up.
  • One second after that, it'll start giving a speed boost.
  • One more second after that, it'll give the maximum speed boost.



• Nitro can be used indefinitely.
• Nitro stops working if the player:
  • ​​​​​​​Turns.
  • Uses any weapon.
  • Receives the Nitro Jam effect (Read more on balance changes).

General Improvements

• New loading screens have been added.
• The tutorial has been adapted for the new bomb.
• The minimap now has some transparency.
• Improvements have been made in the bomb progression meter in the top of the screen.
• Improvements have been made in the characters' portraits.
• A new Heavy Metal Machines logo has been added!

Balance

General

• New effect added to the game: Nitro Jam - it prevents and cancels nitro.
• Upgrade - Monocyclic Cooler:
  • ​​​​​​​No longer reduces the cooldown of Nitro.
  • Now it reduces the cooldown of your Weapon 2 by 10%.

• Advantage - Swift Thrusters:
  • Artificer takes only 0.25 seconds to receive the first velocity boost, but 2.5 seconds to enter the second one.
  • This should allow her to escape the heat of the battle much easier than other pilots.

• Advantage - Perpetual Motion:
  • Black Lotus reaches Nitro's maximum speed boost in only 0.5 seconds.



• Weapon 2 - Spectre, Upgrade - Hunger for Action:
  • ​​​​​​​No longer steals Nitro.
  • Now applies a slow of 40% for 1 second when it hits an enemy.

• Weapon 2 - Thunder Tow: Now behaves like an elastic, it slow down at maximum range and start speeding up again as it moves towards Clunker.

Full Metal Judge

• Weapon 1 - Missile Gun:
  • The hitbox of the projectile has been reduced by 50%.
  • The scrap collecting range has been reduced by 60%.
  • These changes were made so that instead of nerfing Full Metal Judge further, we made him harder to play. A good player will still be able to deliver the same amount of damage, however, more skill is now needed to excel with Full Metal Judge.



• Weapon 2 - Blockade Breach:
  • Fixed a bug that made the car receive more speed than it should.

• Weapon 1 - Laser Drill, Upgrade - Power Drain:
  • No longer steals Nitro.
  • Now enemies get the Nitro Jam effect for 0.5 seconds.

• Weapon 1 - Stellar Track, Upgrade - Abduction:
  • No longer steals Nitro.
  • Now enemies get the Nitro Jam effect for 0.5 seconds.