Demo overhaul
Hello everybody! Welcome to the first patch notes for From the Top!
A lot has changed since the original release, and while the game is still in the “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” stage of development, I want to make sure all existing players of FTP know that the game is still being actively worked on, it is getting updates.
Balance
Tops
"I actually like when the game make me feel overpowered. I just don't like it when the overpowered thing is the only thing worth using."
That’s basically my philosophy when it comes to balance. Since FTP is a single-player game, this mindset generally isn’t harmful long-term. In any case, here are the changes!
Control Wheel
Increases max stamina from 30 to 40
Reduces maximum duration of ability from 3s to 1s
Guard Shield
Added new effect to ability
Recover Stamina for all tops while activated
Map
One of the annoying things about the original version was how much focus was placed on combat, rather than top-building. You’d get into two fights before encountering a single non-combat event. It meant you spent more time fighting than planning.
As one of my friends put it:
“For a top-battling roguelike, there’s a big lack of roguelike here.”
So I’m flipping that ratio, you’ll now encounter two non-combat events after each battle.
As a bonus, this gives me more room to make each fight harder without the game becoming too exhausting. A new mini-boss-style enemy has been added (optional!), with more to come!
Feature
Tutorial Rework
The game has been received pretty well so far. Battling tops feels great, the dialogue gets a few chuckles, and the game systems show a lot of potential.
BUT nobody knows what they’re doing.
One thing I want to absolutely nail is the tutorial. At the same time, I know some players prefer figuring things out themselves. So, the tutorial is now its own separate game mode.
I’ve also added some helpful instructional text in the first encounter, in case you skip the tutorial but still want a hand.
Upgrade
New Non-fight encounter alert! New Non-fight encounter alert!
We got upgrades! Here you can upgrade individual parts! They're rather generic for now, but I hope to explore more design space like parts specific upgrade down the road. No promises though!
Characters
We’ve got a character system in the game! Woooooo!
You can now choose from two starting characters, which means double the build possibilities! (I think.)
Visuals
New banners! New Logos! New Top GUI! Countdown timers!!
Not gonna get too much into this since I think it's easier to see if you just play the new update ;)
Release Date Announcement
Announcing your release date for a game that isn't done yet is a bad idea.
Unfortunately, I work better with a deadline.
So with this, I announce that the game will be released November this year! (Probably, most likely, hopefully)
The idea is to time the game's release immediately after 2 big events, SXSW and Steam Next Fest, both happening in October.
So something something something, November it is.
This might change, hopefully it doesn't.
From The Top to be shown in SXSW!
Yes! From The Top is getting showcased at SXSW this year in Sydney! Hope to see you there!
P.s. If you want to stay updated with what FTP is up to, be sure to join the discord server and follow us on social media ;)