Monsters Loot Swag News

Welcome to Regular Update number FIVE! (total Early Access update number 10)
This will be the fifth of many major updates, usually once a month, which adds to, improves and expands the game during Early Access.

This EARLY ACCESS update means that the first 70% of all game levels are now complete.

This update features brand spanking new Level 7, it's guardian monsters and the Boss Monster, Zorra The Knife Enthusiast. The floor is lava - literally!

Here is changelog list!

1. Update 10: New Year Regular 2023; update to version 1.7.0.1
   
2. New: Level 7, The Temple of Pele has been added!
   
3. New: Level 7 enemies have been added!
   
4. New: Created enemy Orbital Cannon special attack for Level 7 Boss Monster.
   
5. Change: Nerfed Lava damage, and now works as a 2% of player health per 250ms submerged in lava.
   
6. Fix: Lava damage now turns off when not standing in lava.
   
7. New: Lava damage is now visually displayed to the player as a flaming particle effect.
   
8. New: Added a check to prevent the player being dropped in liquid to prevent lava damage on spawning.
   
9. Change: Moved finished terrain texture images to finalized folder away from working and temporary terrain texture images.
   
10. Fix: Added missing fx definition for some terrain textures.
    
11. Fix: Added a check to make sure that there preload group is not empty when looking for an initial player spawn point to use as a reference point.
    
12. Fix: Eger player character move side left and right had wrong final keyframes set.
    
13. Fix: Spawning without a preload group available could set the camera below the terrain during debugging, now there is a check for terrain height if no preload objects are available.
    
14. Fix: Re-enabled splash screen address link which was missing for some reason.
    
15. Change: Reduced distance check for spawning between nodes in the cache group.
    
16. Change: Removed unused Orbital Cannon startup model.
    
17. New: Stopped the permadeath deleting the dev's save game level progress when debugging ... should probably have thought about this earlier - derp!
    

Next update will start to bring in extra unlockable player character cosplays!

Welcome to Regular Update number FOUR! (total Early Access update number 9)
This will be the third of many major updates, usually once a month, which adds to, improves and expands the game during Early Access.

This update features brand spanking new artwork for the Level 5 Boss Monster, Lula The Non-Resident Alien. I also noticed that the later boss portraits were failing to display with the Boss Health Bar due to a missing code link, all of which are now fixed.

The portrait art for the Level 6 Boss, Kaeru The Horticulturist, also got a minor revamp as I wasn't fully happy with the shadowing around the leg. I bet AiArt doesn't have this procrastinating ... ːnotsohappychappyː



Here is changelog list!

1. Updated to version 1.6.2.3
   
2. New: Level 5 Boss in game portrait, save game portrait and loading screen are now in.
   
3. Fix: Fixed missing texture in Level 6.
   
4. Fix: Level 4 Boss Portrait now displays correctly when the boss spawns.
   
5. Fix: Level 5 Boss Portrait now displays correctly when the boss spawns.
   
6. Fix: Level 6 Boss Portrait now displays correctly when the boss spawns.
   
7. Change: Unneccessary spam in the console has now been removed.
   
8. Change: Reworked Level 6 Boss portraits because some of the shadowing and negative space was bugging me - I bet AI don't have this problem with procrastination.
   
9. Change: Removed unneccessary source files that were accidentally included, thus saving space on the download.
   
10. Change: Tweaked some values for damage balancing with monster special weapons.
    

It is also the end of Space Year 2022.

So a quick look back at the major points of the year, the first one being releasing Monsters Loot Swag on Steam via Early Access.

Since then I have made 9 updates, most of them bug fixes which included the most awkward to find crash bug involving audio emitters throwing an Out Of Range Array Whilst I managed to stop the crash in the Second Major Update (bullet point 48), it took some more time before I had finally tracked down what had caused it and fixed that. And boy did that take a lot of printf!



With bugs squashed left, right and centre - I have now been able to expand the game itself, starting with adding the all new Level 6 in Regular Update 3.

So, with 2022 ending, 2023 will be all about expanding the game until it is finished, and leaves Early Access completed! This will entail creating the final 4 levels (6-10) and their Boss Monsters, and the remaining unlockable Catgirl Cosplayers. There are a few other things to do, such as get the Souvenir system up and running, and of course open the whole thing up to modding, which will probably include a level editor and Steamworks Workshop integration.

I am aiming for final completion of Early Access around late Spring or early Summer.

Goodbye 2022, and Happy New Year everyone! ːsteamhappyː

Welcome to Regular Update number THREE! (total Early Access update number 8)
This will be the third of many major updates, usually once a month, which adds to, improves and expands the game during Early Access.

This update features numerous fixes, improvements and balancing changes. Especially new is Level 6 is now out and playable - if you can survive that long! This is "The Takiyasha Ornamental Water Garden" which introduces a new type of environmental hazard; water. Water slows both players and monsters down.

Another major change is that after months of bug-hunting I finally fixed the "out of bounds array issue" which I had stopped crashing in the first major update. Turns out it was an audio emitter issue, with object deletion getting out of synch when a lot of stuff was happening on screen - and this is a game where a lot of stuff happens on screen!

1. Updated to version 1.6.0.1
   
2. New: Level 6, The Takiyasha Ornamental Water Garden has been added!
   
3. New: Level 6 enemies have been added!
   
4. Fix: Nerve Gas could be defended against but Fun Balls could not, which was the wrong way around.
   
5. New: Added object of environmental hazard of Water which slows both players and monsters.
   
6. New: Added player water effects.
   
7. New: Added code for environmental hazard of Lava which damages players only.
   
8. Fix: Bikaver Special Evade "Hussar Charge" now checks for elevation off terrain or collidable objects to prevent getting feet stuck when landing.
   
9. Fix: Level 4 Boss Special Dash Attack now checks for elevation off terrain or collidable objects to prevent getting feet stuck when landing.
   
10. Fix: Player temperory SWAG power-up buffs audio now plays once instead of looping infinitely which it was never supposed to do.
    
11. Fix: Finally found the source of the Out Of Bounds Index Array when buying swag. If in doubt blame SFXemitters ... Swag/parcel buying audio now schedules off after 500ms. Crash for this issue had already been fixed in Regular Update 1.
    
12. Fix: Audio listener now references the position of the player object but uses the camera/screen rotation.
    
13. Fix: Audio descriptions for areas of sounds are back to normal and workaround for audio issues based on camera position have been removed.
    
14. Change: Removed distance checks for Exit Node placement from Preload Group which was introduced to workaround the original audio listener bug which I initially mistook for something else and is now fixed.
    
15. Fix: Finally found the source of the Out Of Bounds Index Array when buying swag. If in doubt blame SFXemitters ... Swag/parcel buying audio now schedules off after 500ms. Crash for this issue had already been fixed in Regular Update 1.
    
16. Fix: Audio listener now references the position of the player object but uses the camera/screen rotation.
    
17. Fix: Audio descriptions for areas of sounds are back to normal and workaround for audio issues based on camera position have been removed.
    
18. Change: Removed distance checks for Exit Node placement from Preload Group which was introduced to workaround the original audio listener bug which I initially mistook for something else and is now fixed.
    
19. New: Level 4 Enemy Boss Monster portraits for level, loading and saved game have been added. Thick thighs save lives.
    

Merry Christmas and see you in the 2023 with Regular Update 4! ːsteamthumbsupː

Hello and welcome to the 7th Update since Early Access release, and the 3rd Minor Update.

Finally, after what feels like many aeons has past, I hunted down the source of the previously known "Out of Bounds Array" bug, and now it lays smote in the game code ...

I had previously fixed the crash that this bug had caused way back in Regular Update 1, however the exact cause of the bug remained illusive ...

• They seek it here,
  
• They seek it there,
  
• This poor frazzled dev seeks it everywhere,
  
• Is it in Cpp or is it in script?
  
• That damed elusive - no wait it's a sfxEmitter!
  

I should have known, if in doubt, blame sfxEmitters ...
When a lot of "stuff" was happening on screen, and it's a game where a lot of "stuff" is supposed to be happening, and the player inserted coins to open a parcel and buy SWAG, the audio effects for spawning the new SWAG could get out of order when ghosting to the client. A simple pause of a few milliseconds helps to prevent this, allowing every other FX to play in order without fighting each other for spawning and then deletion. Boy did the cause of this take some hunting down ...

This was not the only audio issues which I had previously discovered, upon Early Access release I had opted for a workaround of increasing audio distance to prevent the player object and the player camera (which is offset high above) from fighting for who was receiving the audio, which on a desynch could cause the audio to warble. This has now been correctly rectified in the code with the audio listener coming from the client's player object but using the screen rotation from the client's camera camera.

So, here, in no particular order, is the full changelog for this update.

1. Minor Update to version 1.5.8.3
   
2. Fix: Finally found the source of the Out Of Bounds Index Array when buying swag. If in doubt blame SFXemitters ... Swag/parcel buying audio now schedules off after 500ms. Crash for this issue had already been fixed in Regular Update 1, but the bug itself remained.
   
3. Fix: Audio listener now references the position of the player object but uses the camera/screen rotation.
   
4. Fix: Audio descriptions for area/radius of sounds are back to normal and workaround for audio issues based on camera position have been removed.
   
5. Change: Removed distance checks for Exit Node placement from Preload Group which was introduced to workaround the original audio listener bug which I initially mistook for something else and is now fixed.
   
6. New: Level 4 Enemy Boss Monster portraits for level, loading and saved game have been added. Thick thighs save lives.
   

And here is a little sneak peak of the next Regular Update, which will include a whole new level, new monsters, and a new Boss Monster to defeat. Level 6 is the "The Takiyasha Ornamental Water Garden" featuring an army of Stone Golems under the command of "Kaeru The Horticulturist" and her monstrous champion.


Level 6, gameplay test.

Welcome to Regular Update number TWO!
This will be the second of many updates, usually once a month, which adds to, improves and expands the game during Early Access.

This update features numerous fixes, improvements and balancing changes. Especially new is the chat hud, allow for players to talk to each other on screen when playing in Co-Op online multiplayer (default key is "u" but this can be changed in the remapping menu of Tutorial and Controls screen), and level 5 has had a big visual makeover.

1. Updated to version 1.5.7.1
   
2. New: Multiplayer ChatHUD working, at cosplay selection screen, in-game and post game end screens.
   
3. New: Multiplayer ChatHUD activation key defaults to "u". Chat options are currently not available via gamepad.
   
4. New: Multiplayer ChatHUD activation key can be remapped via Tutorial And Controls screen.
   
5. New/Change: Level 5 has a whole new post-industrial, overgrown aesthetic.
   
6. Change: Level 5 map title renamed to "The Overgrown Federal Genome Research Labratory" to match the new aesthetic.
   
7. New: Level 5 Boss special attack now has 3 randomized electric/lightning bolts.
   
8. Change: Level 5 Boss special attack explosions have large firey emitter removed as it hid the more subtle effects.
   
9. Fix: Level 5 Boss special attack recoil/arms animation now stops at the end of the special attack, previously it would keeping looping when it should not have been.
   
10. Change: Level 5 Boss special attack second and third explosions are now more randomized in location.
    
11. New: Level 5 introduces environmental hazards, this time in the shape of toxic leaks which feature the radiation warning symbol that radioactive elite monster leave upon death.
    
12. New: Level 3 Boss has portrait and loading screen.
    
13. Fix: Level 3 Boss has correct audio for melee attack.
    
14. Fix: Level 3 Boss Special Attack animation was missing half it's frames, now plays all the way through.
    
15. Fix: A medium/spit-attack spider datablock was wrongly named and thus less enemies were spawning in level 3 than expected.
    
16. Fix: Some transparent materials were using the wrong transparency and displaying bad edges.
    
17. Fix: Water Hazard's special attack final explosion rotating flash mesh now has normals pointing up so the player can actually see it.
    
18. New/Fix: Added extra checks for the "player curtain" to remove once the player has spawned, but I am pretty sure that the issues I found only happened in debug mode.
    
19. Fix: Crash on False Flag is active on victim Monster being killed when auto-cash function is used on deceased Monster attacker fixed ... and boy did this take some debugging.
    
20. Change: Rare Swag attack False Flag now has a 1 second delay before initiating incase the victim was killed in the original attack.
    
21. Fix: Array for ACHIEVEMENT 25 "WALLOP" now checks that client has it set if it already exists and a new level has loaded.
    
22. Fix: Array for ACHIEVEMENT 26 "ONE SHOT WONDER" now checks that client has it set if it already exists and a new level has loaded.
    
23. Fix: ACHIEVEMENT 26 "ONE SHOT WONDER" now checks that sourceClient is not an Ai due to False Flag swag attack being initiated.
    
24. Fix: Beating the Early Access build now drops the client at the success screen with the Main Menu, and displays client's score and their best ever highscore.
    
25. Change: Summer duvet has been stored and now Autumn duvet is on the bed for additional comfy.
    
26. Change/Balance: Nerfed "Sticky Plaster" Common Swag, timer now heals after seconds and resets after 60 seconds total, stacks reduce timer by 1 second, minimum 10 seconds.
    
27. Change/Balance: Nerfed "Sticky Plaster" Common Swag, heals 10 damage, stacks, caps at 50% maximum player health per 10 seconds.
    
28. Change/Balance: Buffed Sunrise's Special Evade with a 3 metre impulse and 2 second stun.
    
29. Change/Balance: Nerfed Southern Hospitality's Special Evade to 3 seconds from 4.
    
30. Change/Balance: Buffed Southern Hospitality's Special Evade with an extra second of invincibility to cover decloaking.
    
31. Change/Balance: Nerfed Water Hazard's Special Attack final explosion now checks for distance of last contact over 10 metres, previously 7.
    
32. Change/Balance: Nerfed Water Hazard's Special Evade now uses 50% more energy, maximum distance without buffs or modifiers is now 44 metres.
    
33. Change/Balance: Buffed Tank Spider (Level 3 enemy) damage bonus +50%, big monster with slow attack should do more damage.
    
34. Change/Balance: Buffed Hive Warrior (Level 5 ranged enemy) standard bullet damage +20%.
    
35. Change/Balance: Buffed Hive Warrior (Level 5 ranged enemy) special attack bullet damage +28%.
    
36. Change/Balance: Buffed Genome Engineered Brute (Level 5 melee enemy) damage bonus +60%, big monster with slow attack should do more damage.
    
37. Change: Swag now spawns a further 2 units higher and has more vertical force to prevent automatic collisions with the player.
    
38. Change: Cosplay character statistics for special evade now include maximum Range of evasion without buffs or temporary/permenant swag modifiers out of 50.
    
39. Change: Reduced large Player Character and Monster Boss textures to more reasonable sizes to speed up loading.
    
40. Change: Removed unused textures to speed up downloading.
    
41. Change: If there are too many enemy spawned due to level/time challenge/clients/difficulty equation, Ai pending spawn are removed, but now all spawned Ai get small increase to damage bonus to compensate.
    
42. Fix: Mouse-over hints now correctly named in Statistics and Leaderboard screens.
    
43. Fix: Leaderboards got stuck in a loop if the local client's score was less than the highscore, should have been more than the highscore.
    
44. Fix: Leaderboard entries were being truncated to scientific formula by engine's 6 digit limit rounding; eg: 1.15734e+07 = 11573400, now passed as a string via details to be accurate; eg: 11573444.
    
45. Change: Level 5 rock mesh normal map renamed due to bad naming convention.
    
46. Change: Radar now has correct background bitmap.
    
47. Change: Removed Shipping Build flag from final executable because I still think it causes some instability, build now has a memory manager at cost of ~10% fps performance.
    
48. Fix: Sometimes an Out Of Range Array warning for NULL client ghost when charging swag/inserting coins, no longer crashes - still can't find out why it's returning NULL though :/
    
49. New: Console can be accessed via tilde key (US keyboard) or ` (UK keyboard) or whatever key is below Esc, above TAB and left of 1 (your keyboard).
    
50. Fix: Removed horrible printf radar debugging console spam which I had accidentally left in.
    
51. Change: console.log now saves the console log in main game directory, useful if anyone comes across a crash.
    

Level 5 revamp, though I have since dropped the ground fog that is in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp77uh6dUMc

See you next month for Regular Update 3!ːsteamthumbsupː