Hey everyone,
I hope you all had a great start to the new year!
I had some spare time over the holidays, so I dove head-first into a few pretty big construction sites. Here’s what’s new in Fragmented Soul: Blackrock v0.6.5.0:
UI & PERFORMANCE
Major GUI overhaul with a cleaner look, tighter layout, and improved performance.
Internal optimizations for scenarios with large numbers of enemies (troop-related optimizations are still work in progress).
Many objects were simplified internally, reducing overhead and improving overall stability.
Fixed several physics quirks caused by very small particles behaving creatively.
AUDIO & ATMOSPHERE
Added tons of new ambient sounds, including location-based audio to better sell each environment.
Improved and rebalanced many existing sounds for clearer feedback and more punch during combat.
Explosion audio received a major rethink: some earlier “budgeting” experiments were rolled back. While they didn’t sound bad, they turned out to be unnecessary and actually reduced the impact. Explosions are now louder, meaner, and much more action-driven again.
Even more sound effects on top of that — because silence is suspicious.
STORY / GAMEPLAY CHANGES
Story 7 is still in development. There’s a lot of new tech and systems involved, and I’m still discovering the best ways to implement them properly. I want this to be good, not rushed garbage.
Story 2: some doors could previously be “cheesed” or bypassed — they should now be properly sealed again.
Story 2: improved visual feedback showing where Scientists need to go in order to open doors.
SHOP & BALANCE
Big shop redesign with a clearer structure, improved readability, and a better overall feel.
Corebomb and Solarbomb are now significantly cheaper. They were way to expensive, which made them less attractive — now they’re actually worth using.
CONTROLLER & QUALITY OF LIFE
The game now automatically pauses when a controller disconnects (yes, it notices when your controller rage-quits).
Full controller navigation is now available, including proper support for the Difficulty Settings screen.
POLISH
A lot of small improvements across the entire game: visuals, flow, responsiveness, and overall feel.
Happy New Year, everyone — and thanks for sticking around!
Joe 🎮🔥