Seasonal greetings and we at Stitch Heads wish you a great Christmas! The long awaited update post is here.
Please click the above image links to watch a video update. Aside from the video update we wanted to share some of the recent developments.
UPDATE CONTENTS
- Steam Store Page, Thumbnails & Release Date
- Beta
- Gameplay
- Multiplayer
- Customization
- Levels
- Mini-games/Challenges
RELEASE DATE
On the Steam Store page you can find new screen shots and our update video. As for our release date, we are aiming for mid 2017 as a full release. Around May-June.
We feel this date will both serve our goals in development as the quality we want to provide you at release. The game simply does not conform to our standards right now to release it to the public. As much as we appreciate everyone being anxious to try it, we want to ensure you receive a quality product, instead of another botched product.
BETA
To sign up for the Beta please head to our website and sign up for our news letter at the bottom of the page for a chance to be selected for a Beta.
We'll start Beta testing at the end of January. The first batch of invites will be very small but as we continue to move towards release expect to see a much larger closed Beta for plenty of participants. Beta will be free to participate in.
GAMEPLAY
We've been experimenting with some additional Game Mode settings and how players score points. We've also added a Speed Boost, and looked into a new ability a 'Force Field' which acts as both a defensive and offensive ability. Internal testing has not been too favourable of this ability but you can see it in action in the update video.
In the next update we'll cover the combat and core gameplay updates we have been making. Currently it can use more polish before we announce any gameplay changes publicly.
MULTIPLAYER
We have been updating the multiplayer backend of our code. While this is not something tangible that we can show, it is there. These updates should provide more stability, and allow us to move forward with a more robust network system.
We are also in talks with a third party provider and are looking into having full dedicated server support at launch for you to enjoy. Current systems were reliant on players to host; however, in a competitive multiplayer game we realized this may not give use the quality we are looking for.
Kabounce now also features offline - and online - split screen support with 2-player, 3-player, and 4-player split screen. Complimented with bots this should allow players to even enjoy Kabounce on the couch in the company of friends!
CUSTOMIZATION
Please refer to the video to see some of the new content options and our more robust pinball customization system in action! Our current customization system works as follows:
- Select a base pinball
- Add modifications
- Compliment it with accessories (top, middle, and bottom slots)
- and add a pinball trail effect
LEVELS
We're working on some completely new levels and have finished a few visual styles or themes in the Kabounce neon-style. Current themes:
- Arena
- Asian Temple
- Under Water City
The Under Water City is still being worked on, the Arena and Asian Temple theme are close to being completely final.
MINI-GAMES/CHALLENGES
We will soon start working on mini-game like challenges for players to enjoy as a single player experience.
The idea is that these single player challenges will provide offline as well as leaderboards competitiveness. Pinball is originally a single player experience, therefore we would also like to cater to single player and pinball enthusiast looking for a different experience of pinball.
Thanks! We hope you enjoyed this update, let us know what you think or if you have any questions.
Enjoy the holidays!
-Tim