We've started pushing new test builds for the upcoming update that everyone is welcome to preview. To switch over you'll need to select the 'alphastaging' branch which can be found in under the 'Betas' tab in the properties menu. Please note that the test build uses a separate profile for your player progress, so anything changed in the test build won't affect your live progress.
Here's a preview of some of the changes in the update...
New in-game menu
We've made a new in-game menu that allows you to quickly switch between weapons mid battle while also keeping all of the game options easy to access. You can toggle it by tapping the menu button, or use hold/release for quicker access mid-fight.
The quick menu also exposes all of the social gear which you can equip to each hand just like normal weapons. The pixel builder has been expanded with a color picker and we've updated the visuals so it's now possible to make much more colorful 'art' with it.
Strafe 2.0
For those who love smooth locomotion in Gunheart we've overhauled the strafe code to make it much smoother and less likely to get snagged into objects. We've also added the option to allow smoothly strafing off ledges if there is valid ground below. The goal is to make smooth locomotion as frustration-free as possible when battling the Anthromite hordes, and we appreciate feedback/suggestions on how we can further improve this mode of locomotion for everyone.
Creature polish
As you can see from the screenshot some of the Anthromite's have been updated with new skins. We've also tweaked their aggressiveness and combat distances to ensure they're always presenting a good challenge for players. Several of the creatures have also received an audio polish pass with more VO callouts and reactions.
New custom death animations have been plugged in, impact effects have been polished up, and we've also iterated further on their hit reactions. Headshots have never been more satisfying in Gunheart.
Physics upgrades + melee!
Throw any physical object into an enemy has a good chance to send them flying, and you can use your weapons in hand to smack them away as well. Weapons also have boosted impulses when impacting physical objects and we've also taught the AI how to smoothly recover from being knocked around (unless their dead of course...).
Grabbing a grunt with the multi-tool and sending him into his comrades is now an effective form of crowd control, which is particularly useful now that their even better at swarming players. Also swatting a Hopper in the face with a fish and watching them sail away is highly recommended.
Waypoints
We've replaced the old manual 'ping' functionality with a smart waypoint system that always highlights where you need to go or what you need to shoot. Our goal is to have it there when you need it while also avoiding cluttering up the view with markers everywhere. We're happy with how it's functioning in the latest build but would appreciate feedback if you ever find yourself lost in a mission and not quite sure how to proceed.
Jump on in!
As with the previous updates there's a mountain of bug fixes and polish that are included in this build as well. If you have a chance, please check out the test build and let us know what issues you encounter so that we can quash all the bugs! Hit us in the forums or on discord to share feedback directly with us.