Patch Overview
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In this patch we have done extensive testing and checking to bring the evolved machine gun tower a viable option that can be considered in any build. When going through some code we've also identified some performance related changes that will reduce jitter in the later stages of the game.
Evolved Machine Gun
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Evolved machine guns have had an issue for a short while now and haven't worked correctly. Once we had them working as intended, we noticed that it just wasn't worth evolving for the associated costs. The bleed would tick for 10 seconds once out of range and they also overkill enemies, so they need a good positive to counter these negatives but also keep the regular machine gun tower relevant.
As always, we have spent a lot of time simulating scenarios and running the numbers and we believe we have now placed them in a great place whilst also keeping the regular machine gun tower relevant. Evolved machine guns are not great at the start of the game - regular machine gun towers are much more efficient. In the mid to late game however, you may want to consider these new evolved variants! The old damage increase was 75%, we've now increased this to 400%! We look forward to seeing these being used in some of your strategies and it'll be good to see how you now introduce them into any regular strategy you may have and do some testing with them.
Performance
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When going through code to make machine gun towers work correctly, we went through some old code and profiled some changes and I'm happy to say that we have increased performance, reduced garbage that is generated (technical people can relate to this) and reduced some stutter in the mid to late parts of the game. Performance is a never ending task for us and have made many significant changes throughout the years, this is just the next step.
Website
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We have many ideas with the website, all of which take time. The first step is improving the design and getting the basics right. Therefore the upcoming version will allow you to explore maps, scores and player profiles. You will be able to sign into Steam directly through the website and make games private or public after the game has finished - just in case you forgot to tick the option in the game lobby, you'll be able to view your profile, search for friends and all sorts! Here's a little screenshot in progress which is subject to change and is not yet final:
Changelog
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* Improved performance of tesla's, kappa's, flamers and evolved machine guns
* Improved lighting performance on forest 8
* Improved coin spawning performance
* Evolved machinegun damage has been increased from 75% to 400%
* Resolved issue when placing towers in range of a tower disabler - towers would be incorrectly disabled when out of range in certain circumstances
* Enemies are now more likely to face the correct way when spawned
* Added condition to improve consistency of running animations
* Tower performance improved for towers that shoot projectiles