There Will Be Ink News

Hello there, Billy! There Will Be Ink is coming out of Early Access on Friday, March 10th (2023, in case that needs specifying)! Here is a new release trailer for the game:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

There is also now a demo version of the game, allowing you to play the first 8 mission of the main campaign, which can be found over at indiedb, here.

It's been a long time getting here, but these are exciting times in TWBI land!


Along with the new trailer is a new game update. I've added support for a "Borderless Window" display mode, which may help some who have experienced audio or graphical issues playing with multiple displays. I've added a requested option to show unit class names on the battlefield, to make it easier to find what you're after. Engineers can now chop trees with the new "Lumberjackery" skill, and there have been several fixes as well. Full change log below!

[h3]Changelog (Beta 9.3.1)[/h3]
New

• Borderless Window display mode
  
• Renamed "Full Screen" option to "Display Mode": Fullscreen, Borderless Window, Window
  
• Game option: "Unit Names on Battlefield" - shows unit class name, disabled by default
  
• Engineer Ability: Lumberjackery - allows the Engineer to fall trees with wrench
  
• Added stat for trees chopped, counts towards Engineer progress
  

Fixes

• Fixed crash relating to mines and pathfinding
  
• Fixed crashes relating to T-Rex
  
• Fixed crash on "Lake Frendz" level when hovering over unit in Tactical Mode
  
• Fixed mine laying not working
  
• Fixed slight hitching when units are approaching target
  
• Fixed Jetpack not drawing correctly when unit crouches
  
• Fixed Stick Man boss bullets being too big
  
• Fixed arrows sometimes displaying at weird angles
  
• Fixed notepad holes punching through hero tags on Missions page
  
• Fixed timer advancing on "Lake Frendz" when game is paused
  
• Fixed progression from one-time intro page going to campaign page instead of main menu
  

Yoohoo! I’m happy to announce that There Will Be Ink is complete. ish! All of the game’s features are in place, the campaign finished, and it feels more or less, I think, like a complete game. There is still some polishing and tuning I’d like to do, but version 1.0 will pro-0-o-o-bably arrive in March. Having worked on this game solo for quite a long while now, this is exciting to me! Anyhow, let’s get on with what’s new in this update.



At last, the campaign is complete! The end boss and accompanying battle will hopefully be a challenge for anyone who’s reached the end. There is a little surprise afterwards as well. I’ve also added, for all campaigns, a screenshot from the moment of the end of the final battle to the Victory Page (accessed from the HQ page, once a campaign is complete). The new “Walking Talkie” ability, once activated, allows you tell units where to go in Tactical Mode. Commanding a squad leader will result in all units from that squad moving. I’ve always resisted making TWBI an RTS, but this seemed like a fitting way to open up unit command for those who really want to do that. Also it gives squads a little more meaning, which I think is needed. This update also includes several QoL updates based on my tester feedback (thanks, R!). For instance, players are assigned first to Heroes when joining; there is a “show controls” option from the pause menu; I added a sound effect that climbs in scale as your kill streak goes up; water/unit/bullet interaction is a little better; knockback has a little more impact, and so on. There is a full list below. And as usual there is a list of bug fixes as well.

Next I’m working on a release trailer, as the current trailer (and Steam page for that matter) is extremely outdated. Otherwise just more polish and tuning. I’ve also been working on a faction that includes melee units, but I first need to make melee combat fun before that will see the light of day. All right, cheerio!

[h3]Changelog[/h3]
New Features & Content

• Final mission and end boss for TWBI campaign, plus some other surprises!
  
• General Unit Ability/Unlock: Walkie Talkies – allows for the commanding of units during Tactical Mode
  
• Moving a squad leader (with the circle icon) moves all squad members
  

Changes & Enhancements

• Added end-of-battle screenshot from last campaign mission (if victorious) to Victory Screen background
  
• Players are deployed first to Heroes when joining
  
• Added “Show Controls” option to pause menu
  
• Significantly improved pathfinding performance
  
• Added sound for kill streak > 10 (pitch increases with each kill)
  
• Colour of text now changes with kill streak > 10
  
• Animation speed now varies with movement speed (eg slower in water, snow, etc)
  
• Units moving in water now leave wakes
  
• Added water ripple effect for bullets hitting water
  
• Reduced kills needed for 3- and 4-star generals
  
• Reworked knockback mechanic and increased knockback amount
  
• Tactical Mode: tooltips no longer appear when hovering over pause menu items
  
• Tactical Mode: Full UI is now hidden with tab/x toggle
  
• Tactical Mode: units on the move (approaching target or deploying) now show line indicating path
  
• Tactical Mode: left gamepad stick now works to move cursor when UI hidden
  
• Adjustments to unit tooltip in Tactical Mode
  
• Adjustments to scale and positioning during pause/Tactical Mode
  
• Updates to Tutorial text
  
• Revised some TWBI campaign text
  
• Added several tips to the randomized main page tips
  
• Reformatted tips and added count and ability to cycle through them
  
• Main menu now requires confirmation to exit game
  
• Changed “Barracks” page name to “HQ”
  
• Added shortcut to go to Victory screen once campaign is complete
  
• Changed hide button on Victory stats to TAB (from ‘v’)
  
• Smoothed out edges of the notepad/battlefield
  
• Added gradient to Victory text to make it so very flashy
  
• Added warning text for when I accidentally leave autoplay on
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed crash when cycling unit left and right at the exact same time (kbm only)
  
• Fixed crash with 4-star generals/heroes
  
• Fixed mission text being skipped after “lake frendz” mission
  
• Fixed custom campaign victory text not displaying on Victory page
  
• Fixed weapon error when moving/prone being reversed (Tactical mode)
  
• Fixed bullets hitting water often making dust instead of splashes
  
• Fixed bug that allowed Heroes to emerge during Tutorial missions
  
• Fixed mouse sometimes interfering with pause menu items when playing with gamepad
  
• Fixed bug where maps would not load in Map Editor if they contained units normally hidden from map editor
  
• Fixed units meant to be hidden from Map Editor being available to deploy
  

Happy holidays and what have you, everyone! Jolly Edition is live now until the end of the month/year. There are a few smaller changes and fixes for this update, and you can expect bigger news in the new year. And who knows, by the time you’re reading this the game might even be on sale!



Changes & Enhancements

• Added Evasion, Stealth, and Cover Penetration to unit tooltips in Tactical Mode
  
• Jolly Edition: Added glitter to snowballs (for visibility)
  
• Removed “Go to Barracks” shortcut at tutorial mission end
  
• Tutorial 2: Moved ammo crate position (so that it doesn’t get blown behind notes)
  
• Tutorial 3: Increased starting height of flagpole
  
• Updated text on mission select for Beta campaign
  
• Added title to “Select Campaign” page
  
• Moved end-of-battle Victory/Defeat text to bottom right of screen
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed ‘Helmets’ upgrade not working
  
• Fixed unit quick-select not working in non-camGen campaigns (TWBI, Tutorial, Beta, Alpha)
  
• Fixed helmets being drawn behind heads
  
• Jolly Edition: Fixed Yeti attacking while game is paused
  

Hey! This update introduces a new “Tactical Mode”, which makes available a series of tooltips when the game is paused that give you more information about units, buildings, and cover. This is part of an effort to make some of the game’s mechanics more transparent. There is also a new victory screen that shows up once you’ve completed a campaign, and I’ve added several smaller enhancements and fixes. Full details below!

[h3]Tactical Mode[/h3]

If you’ve ever wondered just how much cover that tree stump is providing, or how likely that sniper is to shoot right through the aforementioned tree stump, now you can pause the game and hover the cursor (with mouse or gamepad) over objects to get a tooltip with some stats and other visuals. Right now this covers units, buildings, and cover objects. I plan to expand on this system, but hopefully this is a good start. Further additions to better indicate what the heck is going on include production times over unit icons above barracks as well as some floaty text when unit production time goes down (by getting kills as that specific unit type). Cover objects, like rocks, sandbags, and trees, are also bolded when a player-controlled unit is nearby to indicate that projectiles are less likely to pass over that cover when a unit is adjacent.

[h3]Victory Screen[/h3]

Once the final mission of a campaign has been completed, the new campaign Victory Screen becomes available from the Campaign menu. On this menu can be seen some general campaign stats as well as player-specific stats for the campaign, including some new awards/badges for things like “Trigger Happiest”, “Best Supporting Actor”, and “Participatiest”, because every bit counts. Here is the changelog. Also TWBI is 20% off on Steam right now, cheerio!

New Features & Content

• Tactical Mode – When the game is paused, hover the cursor over units, buildings, or cover objects to get various stats about that object
  
• Campaign Victory Screen – Once a campaign has been completed, visit the new Victory Screen to see various stats and compare player performance across the campaign
  
• Added several new player awards/badges to the Victory Screen, one is displayed for each player
  

Changes & Enhancements

• AI/enemy unit promotions are now unlocked based on how far in a campaign the player is
  
• Added display above unit spawn icons over barracks to show total spawn times (in seconds)
  
• Added “powertext” over barracks when a unit type’s spawn time is reduced (achieved by getting kills while playing as that unit type)
  
• Added a slight “bold” effect to cover that is being granted an adjacency bonus due to an adjacent player-controlled unit (cover behaves this way for all units, but bold is just for player)
  
• Player-specific stats (kills, deaths, favoured unit, etc) are now tracked across a campaign, mostly for use on Victory Screen
  
• Gravestones now display which player was controlling a hero when the hero died
  
• Mission attempts and victories are now tracked (used on Victory screen)
  
• Re-added unit quick-select (keyboard only) – press 1,2,3,…0 to quickly select a unit of a given type (eg. 1 – rifle, 2 – assault, 3 – sniper, etc)
  
• Changed default player names to “KBM” and “Gamepad 1-8” (previously “Player 0-8”)
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug where “exposed” units behind cover were getting too much cover, and often vice versa due to a delay
  
• Fixed wrench not working for vehicle repair when unlocked
  
• Fixed bug loading some older maps that had a tank in the Map Editor
  
• Disabled campaign cycling with left/right from main menu – very old option that shouldn’t have been there
  

A wee update with some fixes and minor changes:

Changes

• Re-added Base unit promotions to Alt units
  
• Team3 colour is now fuchsia
  
• Hid new units/etc, until they're ready
  

Bug fixes

• Fixed crash bug on "Laser Worm Dance Party" mission
  
• Fixed crash bug on "Laek Frendz"
  
• Fixed rare crash bug on squad formation
  
• Fixed some missing end-of-battle killed/as stats
  
• Fixed boss kill stats being counted twice