Hey guys! So I am delaying the official demo release because the last patch had many problems.
So if this version is clean enough (gameplay-wise), it might be the actual demo (minus balance and some polish).
This patch mainly tries to address the recurring frustrations you guys had with the game.
If you want to understand my thought process leading to these changes, go read this Steam post where I talk about it:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/4911450/view/702152588870551872?l=english
Your feedback is now more important than ever because we are gonna set the foundations of the gameplay in stone.
That way, I can later focus on adding more content on top of the existing core mechanics.
Major gameplay rework
- Copies of the same weapon now share their level and upgrades (like in the old days).
- New XP system: having +50% XP means leveling up exactly 50% more. (The old system was functional but unintuitive.)
- New Mixed booster: utility and weapon upgrades in the same pack, next to the Utility and Weapon boosters.
- Level-ups now fill all 3 boxes before adding stars (they used to alternate between a box and a star).
- Removed the Epiphany power (XP boost): it did not fit the new XP system, and powers should be about surviving.
- Delusion boosters are now a free extra pick: they no longer take the place of an upgrade box.
- The Utility booster now offers as many choices as the others, and the upgrade choices tech now applies to every booster.
- Chatty animals now appear within reach of your highest-DPS weapon, instead of your longest-range one.
- The Yeti boss now spends more time at close range before jumping on you, so close-range weapons can deal with it.
- Weapon Swap delusion reworked: it now opens a rare weapon crate (two Tier 2 weapons and one Tier 3), and your pick inherits the upgrade levels of the weapon it replaces.
- Accepting Love reworked for the new XP system.
Balance
Combos have been greatly buffed, through their base stats but also through their techs and the combo damage upgrade.
This should make them compete more effectively with single-weapon builds,
and also prove their strength to new players earlier, as soon as they are discovered.
For obvious reasons, I had to nerf the techs that reward stacking copies of the same weapon.
The final result should be the same, but the experience seems to be more fun that way.
Laser Uzi seemed to dominate the meta, while Slingshot and Laser Shotgun felt underpowered.
Flamethrower is hard to balance because, in your feedback, it oscillates between useless and OP.
I think boosting its range by 18% makes it feel better to use.
Sniper should scale more easily with its projectile count reduced to 1 and its damage raised to compensate.
Balance will be an ongoing process throughout the demo.
- Sniper: Damage 30 -> 80, Projectile Count 3 -> 1
- Spear: Damage 30 -> 42, Fire Rate 0.75 -> 0.85, Range 65 -> 68
- Laser Shotgun: Fire Rate 0.7 -> 0.9
- Flamethrower: Damage 3 -> 2.5, Range 55 -> 65
- Laser Uzi: Damage 7 -> 5, Cooldown 0.85 -> 0.8, Duration 0.3 -> 0.28
- Laser Uzi: removed one level from its penetration tech.
- Slingshot: Damage 13 -> 20
- Many other minor balance on threat and animals...
QoL / UX
- Combos now show their stats when hovered, and in the tech tree.
- Upgrade cards now show a badge telling whether they are Utility or Weapon upgrades.
Minor stuff
- Threat level descriptions now only list what's new.
- Booster selection: the luck readout is now at the bottom.
- Opening a box without a booster choice now has its own sound.
- Clearer descriptions and tooltips for several techs.
- Delusions now unlock before higher upgrade tiers in the tech tree.
Optimization
- Optimized fire and electric arcs on tightly packed animals. (The Roundup power could cause lag spikes on burning units.)
Bug fixes
- Fixed the Bazooka quest: it now requires beating threat level 3 instead of 4.
- Fixed the Molotov quest: it now requires killing 500,000 animals instead of beating threat level 3.