Whisker Squadron: Survivor News

Hey all, we decided to take this past month and focus on refining the game with a bunch of bug fixes and quality of life improvements!

[h2]Cursed Choices and Rerolls[/h2]

There are three changes related to Cursed Choices in this build:
1. Most Cursed Choices have had their rewards redesigned to give you a bigger benefit.
2. Cursed choices are now mandatory when they appear.
3. We've added a "rerolls" system. For now, you get one reroll per run.

Early feedback from beta testers has been that this feels more interesting, but let us know what you think!


[h2]0.66.3 FULL PATCH NOTES[/h2]

[h3]NEW FEATURES/CONTENT:[/h3]

• Item Rerolls! Don't like the given level up choices? Use the "reroll" option on the level up screen (You get one reroll per run for now).
  

[h3]CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS:[/h3]

• The "Survivor" Challenge is now in the "Extreme" difficulty category.
  
• Fortify Hull now gives 10 hull per level.
  
• Ship base Hull values adjusted slightly.
  
• Redesigned the rewards for most Cursed Choices to be more... Rewarding.
  
• Cursed Choices are now mandatory. Good luck!
  
• Twitch voting: Increased default voting time.
  
• Made particle FX for grabbing scrap a bit smaller.
  

[h3]BUG FIXES:[/h3]

• Fixed Smooth Sailing and Skeleton Key achievements.
  
• Fixed Cursed Choice items staying active at the end of a run.
  
• Fixed bug where item and enemy sounds were playing after the player died.
  
• Revive won't be offered again if you already used it.
  
• Two drones will no longer double up on one side of the ship.
  
• Fixed bug where enemies got stuck in Translink Evacuation.
  
• Fixed issue where enemies shot through walls in Translink Evacuation.
  
• Fixed bug where character dialog played at awkward time during zone transition.
  
• Fixed tutorial videos not showing up on Linux/Steam Deck.
  
• Fixed various music-related bugs in Challenges.
  
• Timed Challenges will start the timer at more appropriate time.
  
• Fixed issue with UI text being removed when Healing Fog & Ghost Gambit are active.
  
• Fixed "new" badge drawing on top of patch notes.
  
• Fix for Twitch options in menu being interactive even when feature was disabled.
  
• Fixed various typos and formatting errors in item descriptions.
  

[h2]JOIN THE BETA![/h2]
Want to see our next round of updates early? Join the "beta" branch on Steam, now available to the public. We publish betas at a more frequent pace, and we also have a very active Discord community where we monitor feedback. We'd love to have more players testing early features and helping us shape the game.

Join the Discord here and look at the "Roles and Channels" section for instructions to join the private Beta channel.

[h2]WHAT'S NEXT?[/h2]
Here's a little teaser of what we're working on next. Join the beta branch and jump in our Discord to see it early and share your thoughts with the team!

We've been hard at work over here at Flippfly, preparing a major new update that includes a new way to play, new items, and a redesign of the ship stats system.

Your feedback has been essential in shaping the direction of the game, so please keep it coming!

This update introduces "Challenges", a new screen with short pass/fail challenges that will test your skills in various ways.



We've also begun a major redesign of the stats and items in the game. The two upgradable ships each have a unique attribute now, and we've added some new items, and redesigned the "stats" upgrades to be random items. We've heard your feedback loud and clear that you'd like to see more interesting options in the in-game level-up screen - this is just the start!

We've also made a myriad of improvements, including major improvements for the "Roll Deflector" item.

Check out the Content Update 3 preview trailer here:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h3]FULL PATCH NOTES[/h3]
0.65.3:
NEW CONTENT:

• A new way to play! Introducing "Challenges" - small, concentrated snippets of gameplay, each with their own pass/fail conditions and score.
  Try them from the main menu!
  
• New item: Combo Shooter: Increase firing rate with combo level.
  
• New Item: Pierced Healing Shot - pierced kills restore Hull.
  
• New Item: Roll Magnet: Pull in items at a large range by doing Barrel Rolls.
  
• New Item: Piercing Rounds: Increase weapon piercing.
  
• New Item: Boost Berzerk: Increase firing rate while boosting.
  

CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS:

• Removed "stats" upgrades, and replaced them with the following items:
  1. Fortify Hull - increase hull capacity.
  2. Rapid Fire - increase firing rate.
  
• Combo Hull now has a chance to refill hull completely.
  
• Pulse Laser charge time is now reduced by increasing firing rate.
  
• Pulse Laser width is now upgraded with weapon levels.
  
• Items that are picked up without a magnet now animate into the ship.
  
• Tight Boost Damage Charger now increase firing rate and crit chance instead of damage.
  
• New items and item upgrades are a little more frequent during level-up (relative to Weapon upgrades)
  
• Reduced radius of lock-on for missiles to make precise targeting easier.
  
• Roll Deflector has a few improvements:
  - Projectiles are deflected at enemies by default, and move faster when deflected.
  - You can "chain" deflections to extend the deflector.
  - Lots of visual/feel polish
  
  
• Ship stats have been rebalanced:
  - Hammer has higher max hull
  - Dagger has higher firing rate
  - Arrow has a bit higher energy
  
• The Dagger ship has a new unique trait: Combos don't reset between zones.
  
• The Hammer ship has a new unique trait: All "Barrel Roll" items recharge twice as fast.
  

BUG FIXES

• Fixed bug where Twitch status was showing on the HUD even if you hadn't enabled that feature.
  
• Fixed Revive not working sometimes.
  
• Fixed bug where lock-on for missiles was blocked by player
  

We hope this message finds you soaring through the galaxy and having a blast with Whisker Squadron: Survivor! Your support has been incredible, and we're reaching out with one more request to you!

🏆 Nominate Whisker Squadron: Survivor for Best Game on Steam Deck! 🏆

The Steam Deck is revolutionizing the gaming experience, and we believe Whisker Squadron: Survivor is the perfect fit on this platform. Your nominations can make a real difference in getting our game the recognition it deserves!

Here's how you can help:

1. Log in with your Steam account: Make sure you're logged in to your Steam account to participate in the nominations.
   
2. Nominate Whisker Squadron: Survivor for the "Best Game on Steam Deck" category and enter "Whisker Squadron: Survivor."
   
3. Spread the Word: Share the news with your fellow pilots! The more nominations, the better.
   

Your continued support means the galaxy to us, and we couldn't be more grateful for the fantastic community that has grown around Whisker Squadron: Survivor. Let's make our mark on the Steam Awards and show the gaming universe what the Whisker Squadron is made of!

We just launched a new Digital Extras DLC for Whisker Squadron: Survivor. These digital extras include a beautiful 24-page digital behind the scenes art book for the game, created by our amazing artist Jin Li.

It also includes a fun print-your-own papercraft.

Get it here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2666630/Whisker_Squadron_Survivor__Digital_Extras/

Deluxe Edition
Additionally - we've created a Deluxe Edition bundle, that includes the game, Digital Extras, and the original soundtrack by Chel Wong.
Pick up the Deluxe Edition here:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/36057/Whisker_Squadron_Survivor__Deluxe_Edition/

Are you a streamer gripped by indecision, second-guessing every upgrade as viewers wait in anticipation? Let them make the hard choices for you with Twitch integration. Just sit back, let your audience pick your mid-run upgrades, and deal with the (surely unintentional) catastrophic consequences.

And, the decisions are getting even harder with the introduction of Cursed Choices. Blended into the mid-run upgrades, every Cursed Choice will give you an edge over the Swarm. But, at what cost? Some of the Cursed Choices awaiting include:

• Galactic Gamble: Summon black holes that attract and kill everything nearby, including you.
  
• Rush or Die: Kick your boosters into overdrive for two zones, but die if you let off the throttle.
  
• Chaotic Compass: Restore your hull, if you can last two minutes with inverted controls.
  
• Glass Cannon Party: For two minutes, everything dies in a single hit. EVERYTHING.
  

Check out the trailer here:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

See full patch notes below for 0.64.4:
NEW CONTENT:

• Introducing Cursed Choices! Every 10 levels, you'll be offered one or more Cursed Choices. Each cursed choice has an upside and a downside. Dense fog that also heals you? Check. Black holes that suck you in but also kill enemies? Check. More to come, please let us know what you think!
  
• New item: Tight Boost Assassin. Doing tight boosts insta-kills random enemies.
  
• Twitch Integration. Activate from options screen and let Twitch viewers vote on upgrades!
  
• Added tutorial popups for tight boosts and barrel rolls.
  

CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS:

• Unlocks on the loadout screen now show progress.
  
• Gatling gun balance tweak: Energy recharges slower when weapon is in a charging state. Charge level resets to zero faster.
  
• Pulse Laser balance: Energy stops refilling while weapon is charging up.
  

BUG FIXES:

• Fixed bug where level-up screen was obscured if it happened during elite explosions or level transitions.
  
• Fixed bug where character dialogs would pop up at inappropriate times.
  
• Fixed bug where level up screen would occasionally not show all items.
  
• Fixed low quality rendering glitches.