Hey all! I wanted to quickly take you through some of the changes with Monday's update - it's not a huge one but there are quite a few changes.
Kite Beta 0.2.2
New Tips: In the briefing room players are encouraged to preview the stage goals and objectives, and now there is a little display which provides hints and tips about the game. Any feedback on this implementation is welcome!
Syphon Laser System
New Ultimate: Syphon Laser System - fires a 360 degree wave of seeking lasers every second for three seconds and Mags' Energy Leach is boosted by 20% for the duration. With a 30 second cooldown, it regenerates twice as fast as the Satellite Beam. It's meant to be a perfect fit for builds that rely mostly on Energy and don't require much extra Ammo.
Central Office
Central Office Updated: One of the first stages I designed, it was suffering from a very bland tileset and bad contrast. It's been retilled and redisigned a bit for easier navigation and had it's dificulty balanced.
End Challenge
End Challenge Updated: Also a very early stage, it was meant mostly as stress test when I first made it, but people love it's design so I've updated it to comforn with the quality of the other stages. Players will find it a bit more difficult and remember it's still a work in progress!
Time Bonus Changes: The time multiplier now ticks down every 1 minute instead of every 30 seconds, essentially making it twice as easy to get a 1.5x and everything but the 3x is easier to obtain. As an example, before if you complete a level in say 2:59 and it's par was <2:00 you would have recieved a 2x bonus because you were considered <1 minute away from the 3x so -1 to your bonus. Now the same time would only recieve a -.5 to their bonus netting a 2.5x final time bonus.
Ranking Changes: Most stages have had their score adjusted to make A and B ranks easier to achieve, while preserving the difficulty of S Rank. I'm always interested in feedback about the ranking system - once I've dialed it in rewards will enter the picture I swear! Secret items and weapons will be unlocked with S ranks, while A and B will grant you scrap.
Weapons:
Both Railguns have had their Energy costs increased.
Tech X Spread Ammo cost increased, damage decreased.
N.I.L.8.R. Energy cost increased, damaged decreased.
JLP Xbow Bolt Storm Ammo/Energy cost increased, cooldown increased, damage decreased.
All melee weapon damage increased by ~10%.
Mondays are patch days, so expect this to go live on 1/28 - see you all then!