Swarm Grinder News

v0.7.0


After Early Access, along with the feedback we received, we thoroughly reviewed the game to chart a roadmap for ourselves. We had a beloved gimmick, but the enhancements in the game were still rudimentary and superficial. Without making significant changes, none of the content we added would make the game satisfying in terms of depth and entertainment. So, we started working on a major rework where we revamped all the enhancements. This patch includes some significant extras along with the completed parts of this rework.


[h2]SUMMARY[/h2]

• The Dash gadget has been added, and a feature for extending the range of the Manual Trigger has been added.
  
• New soundtracks have been added.
  
• New upgrades have been introduced including specials, offering entirely new gameplay styles.
  
• The difficulty balance of the game has been overhauled.
  
• Reroll option has been added for abilities and upgrades.
  
• All menus in the game have been redesigned, and the ability to view the results of upgrades in-game menus has been added.
  

To make all these changes, we had to postpone our plans to expand content such as maps, characters, and modes that we had in mind. However, we are currently working on a content expansion that we want to present to you soon. The newly added Dash gadget is just a small part of this.


[h2]DETAILS[/h2] GADGETS

The Dash gadget has been added to the game with the revamp of the gadget system, first of many gadgets to be added to the game in full release. Now, when you find yourself in a tight spot or want to make faster progress in the game, you can dash in the direction you're moving by pressing the "Gadget Key". While the Dash gadget refills over time naturally, you can speed up access to it by opening cells!

Additionally, we've updated the Manual Trigger gadget to increase its trigger range per cell opened. This transforms it into a more tactical gadget in the early stages of the game and allows for triggering more enemies towards the end.

SOUNDTRACKS

New soundtracks have been added, including tracks for the final boss as well as for the Cave and Garden maps.

NEW UPGRADES AND PLAY STYLES

30 upgrade options have been added or reworked into the game, providing numerous different gameplay styles. Each ability now has at least two special upgrades. We plan to have three special upgrades for all skills in the full version of the game.

GAME DIFFICULTY

Alongside the new gameplay styles, we've reevaluated the game's difficulty. Dying has become much more challenging, but so has killing enemies. Our aim is to encourage players to explore gameplay styles that may break the game. Additionally, we've meticulously reviewed the waves, which we intend to be the game's primary challenge.

SKILL AND UPGRADE REROLL

We've introduced a much-needed Reroll feature to the game, free to experiment with until it will be unlockable using Bioshards in the full release. Currently, you have 2 Skill Rerolls and 3 Upgrade Rerolls that refresh at the start of each hand. This makes experimenting with play styles much more manageable.

MENUS AND UI

We've completely revamped the main menu, workshop, character, and map selection screens. Our goal is to make everything much clearer and selection much more comfortable before entering the game.

Before acquiring an upgrade in-game, you can now see exactly how that upgrade will change which ability. Additionally, from the pause menu, you can see the contents of all upgrades acquired and how they affect your abilities.

OTHER NOTES

We removed the Fuel Station from the game as it was emphasizing certain gameplay styles too much.

We are continuing our tease from last week! These changes will be coming with the next major patch in a week or two. Let’s see what we have…

MENUS OVERHAUL

Main menu is changing completely. We wanted more authentic, fresher look while also improving the ease of use.

Workshop now has a dedicated menu with a more meaningful setting.

IN-GAME UX IMPROVEMENTS

Upgrade descriptions used to be too similar to the upgrade effects under them. This feels a little awkward, so we are changing it. Upgrade descriptions are less filled with text and are easier to read. Just sentences with upgrade numbers embedded in.



Also, now we show how stats will change in the upgrade selection window! Now you will see the before & after of an upgrade before selecting it. This was hard to implement because of so many ways stats might change, and so it was hard to detect the before and the after, but it is finally here.



Build display in the Pause Menu now reads directly from the upgrade, so it will be consistent and more thorough. It will be able to show previous levels of the upgrade as well. That will come in handy during build theory-crafting.

As mentioned in the last week, rerolls are coming!

Hey all. We have been silent on the news for a while, because we’ve been working on a lot of big things! In this announcement we will tease a part of it and tease the rest in the next announcement.


UPGRADES OVERHAUL

The previous upgrades were sometimes lacking in specific synergies, and some upgrades did not lead anywhere at all. Some were downright a debuff. Now, the old ones are reworked into a lot of synergistic upgrades. They will be a lot more satisfying to combine.



2 MORE SPECIALS FOR EACH SKILL

With the new builds coming around, we are TRIPLING the amount of specials! Many people did not like the single choice of special, this should fix that. These specials will allow for a lot crazier synergies, let’s see what you can cook with the new arsenal of choices!



REROLL

Sometimes, the game forces you to take some upgrades or skills that you don’t want, and that is neither fun nor fair, as many of you rightfully told so. We are implementing a novel, never heard before mechanic, REROLLS! Now you will be able to reroll your skill drops and upgrades drops.


COMBAT OVERHAUL

No more instant deaths, no more rapid health loss and healing back up! The enemy damages and healings in the game has been lowered, so the combat will be much more stable.


ENEMY REBALANCE

Enemy types did not offer enough of a difference before, so they all felt the same. Now they are much more impactful, tanks will not be stalled so easily, and dashers will be flanking you unless you know how to deal with them, and more!

v0.5.1

We have been cleaning up our code, optimizing older systems and incorporating new systems to make the game run smoother and more consistent. This should increase FPS and minimize FPS drops noticably.

v0.5.0

[h2]SUMMARY[/h2]

• An Endgame Boss has been added to the Mining Expedition mode.
  
• New types of enemies have been added.
  
• In-game events have been added.
  
• Small adjustments have been made to game balance.
  

[h2]CHANGES[/h2] Meet Lecronator!

• To complete the Mining Expedition mission, you now have to confront and defeat the Lecronator, who appears in the Final Mining Zone.
  
• The Lecronator currently has two types of attacks. In the first attack, when the character approaches, it strikes around itself, creating a rush wave. In the second attack, it generates tendrils that attack the character.
  

In future updates, we will be adding different attack types and phases to the Lecronator. Please share your feedback with us!


New Enemy Types

We are adding 5 different types of enemies to the game. We are distributing them across the maps and evolution levels. Now, the basic enemies on the maps are different, and a new enemy type is added to the maps every 3 evolution levels.

• Scorpion enemies spin around for a while before targeting the character and attacking. They have similar health and damage values to regular enemies but are much faster.
  
• Slime enemies move in random directions after emerging from cells. They have high health.
  
• Fly Thrower enemies take a certain distance from characters and throw fly enemies. Fly enemies follow the character, and if they collide with the character, disappear and deal damage.
  
• The Slowdown Explosive enemy type creates a slowing area where it explodes. If the character comes into contact with this area, they are slowed down.
  
• The Poisonous Explosive enemy type creates a poison area where it explodes. If characters and enemies come into contact with this area, they take damage.
  

We have designed the new enemies to be strong against different builds, so don't hesitate to try different builds if you encounter a difficulty you can't overcome!


In-game Events

We are introducing 4 types of in-game events that can strengthen your character in various ways. These are Upgrade Parts, Station Areas, Cursed Upgrades, and Temporary Buffs. All in-game events are scattered randomly across the map.

• When you collect 3 Upgrade Parts, you receive two upgrades for the ability that your character is closest to getting a special upgrade for.
  
• When you enter a Station Area, your character benefits from the buff of the Station Area they are in.
  
• Cursed Upgrades are available in the game starting from the 2nd Evolution Level. Cursed Upgrades greatly enhance some of the character's attributes while significantly reducing others. Discretion is advised. 🙂
  
• Temporary Buffs are available in the game starting from the 5th Evolution Level. To obtain temporary buffs, you need to destroy Crystal Enemies with buffs on them.
  

Balance Adjustments

• Early and mid-game damage dealt by enemies has been reduced.
  
• Health drop chance of enemies has been decreased.
  
• Awarded bioshard for every run has been increased for every evolution stage.
  
• Prices for Workshop upgrades have been raised.
  
• Knockback Distance upgrade of Project Lute in Workshop upgrades has been strengthened. Burn Duration upgrade in the same project has been changed to Burn Chance.
  
• The base penetration value of the Spiral Shot ability has been increased, and the cooldown time has been reduced.
  
• The quantity of the Vortex Blades ability has been increased by 1, but the cooldown time has also been slightly increased.