Hey y’all! Excited to share a new playtest update :tada:
@Player @Playtester
First off, a big welcome to our Alienware Arena players! We were lucky enough to partner with Alienware and get featured on their site, so if you’re joining from there, welcome and thanks for checking the game out. Really glad to have you here.
This update has a bunch of under-the-hood improvements, along with some pretty big gameplay changes that I’d love feedback on.
Progression + Onboarding
We made some updates to progression so cash and unlocks have more value. Tools now need to be purchased to unlock them, so if youdon't have one, you may notice you’ll need to go grab those tools first at the workstation.
The tutorial has also been shortened up a bit to get you in faster. Would really love to hear how that feels.
Vacuum + Grasshopper Updates
The vacuum is now suction-only (no more blow mode). As much as I personally liked it, it ended up being a bit confusing and harder to teach.
Good news though, cleanup is smoother now:
Garbage auto-recycles when you bring it to the back of the van
Grass auto-dispenses there as well
No extra button presses needed, just roll up and it handles it.
Tool Switching
Small note here: for the vacuum and grass cutter, you’ll need to empty your hopper before switching tools. The van is right there, so it should be quick, but it does add a step.
Free mow Updates
Free mow now has its own tab in the track select screen to make things a bit cleaner and easier to navigate.
I’m especially curious about this one. It still has a timer, but no scoring and no rewards, so it’s meant to be low stress. Are you all using it? Enjoying it? Not really touching it?
Mower Controls
We made some updates to the mower controls to try and make them feel less finicky.
This one I’d really love feedback on. If it feels better, awesome. If not, definitely let me know. Trying to find that balance between control and just feeling smooth and fun.
As always, really appreciate you all taking the time to play and share thoughts. Let me know what’s working, what’s not, and anything that feels off :raised_hands: