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Horde Hunters News

v. 0.5.0 - Major feedback update

Hello. This update took some time for a number of reasons but mostly because of all the feedback I received lately. There's more to come but I wanted to get an update out in time for Bullet Heaven Fest.

[h2]New menu UI and structure[/h2]

GUI work is slow and not the most exciting part of game development but it's an important one. The main menus have gotten a bit overhaul to make navigation easier and faster. You can now start a game with just a couple of clicks. Gamepad navigation in particular has improved a lot. A new "retro font" has also been added but the "modern" version is still available if you prefer it.

[h2]New tutorial[/h2]

The old tutorial was boring and quite easy to skip entirely. This has been replaced with a new training map which will be the default when starting the game (also for existing players until you select something else) and introduces the mechanics as you play.

[h2]New QOL features[/h2]

These quality of life features have been highly requested and here they are now. There are arrows (with timer) pointing to mission locations on the screen. Level up is now manual by default so you can choose when to do it without interrupting your play. Both of these features can be turned on/off in the settings. Then there's the run mode - the ability/energy bar can now also be consumed by running with a new key toggle.

Many more additions, changes and balance fixes have also been made. For more details check out the full changelog below. Hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more!

[h2]Bullet Heaven Fest (BHF)[/h2]

This festival starts today and includes a massive amount of games from this genre. Be sure to check it out (click the banner below)!

[h3]Full changelog[/h3]


General
  • New item: Spoon - Automatically consume health items when health is critical
  • New power-ups for each of the main character attributes (STR, PER, END, CHA, INT, AGI, LUC)
  • New menu UI and structure
  • New map: Training Grounds (tutorial)
  • New setting: Font style (Default: Retro)
  • New setting: Arrow pointing to mission location (Default: On)
  • New setting: Level up is automatic (Default: Off)
  • New control function: Run mode - Use the ability/energy meter to move 50% faster
  • Using the default ability (non-super mode) no longer consumes the full ability bar but half
  • Added a brief invincibility period after using a character's ability
  • Added enemy death sounds
  • Level up first screen offers now a character stat, weapon, item and consumables/gold (50%). The second screen are for weapon upgrades only
  • Level up has more information on the choices
  • Hotkey setting also allows selection for upgrades on level up with the number keys
  • Large on-screen event messages are gone and moved over to the event log
  • Added a heart icon next to player indicating low health
  • Gold Ores give gold twice as fast
  • Replaced the air alert warning effect with a simple arrow
  • Information on how much player is healed is shown above player, also when the game is paused
  • Enemy projectiles have an outline and darker smoke for better visibility
  • Unlocking new characters does not grant bonus skulls anymore. Kills needed to unlock characters lowered from 2000 to 1000
  • Church healing is cheaper initially but more expensive the more times used
  • Mission changes: The radius is initially bigger but gets smaller over time, the 2s time limit for outside area has been raised to 5s but being outside doesn't count for mission goal
  • Mission maps change: Goals have been raised to make them more challenging
  • Magnet item pull range reduced by ~15%
  • Mission health reward reduced max health from +10 to +5
  • Multi-Fire consumable no longer doubles the attack rate for weapons
  • The first 3 minutes of the game are a bit easier on enemy amount and frequency
  • End-game difficulty raised a bit
  • Leaderboard shows the power-ups used in the run
  • Added Hungary flag to leaderboards
Bugs
  • Potential game crash when selling a weapon and selecting a consumable directly after
  • Party members had some issues with staying and colliding with the boss arena area
  • Weapon upgrade damage numbers were not reflecting the new large numbers e.g. +0.5 was displayed in some areas instead of 500
  • Small graphical glitch when using melee primary weapon with auto-aim
  • Mission rewards disappeared if opening character screen and coming back (but came back after doing it again)

Feedback galore

Hello. I just wanted to fill you in on what's currently happening. One of the major reasons I released Horde Hunters in Early Access was that I could get feedback and develop the game with the help of the community. I'm grateful for the players that have provided feedback thus far but the reality is that I need more of it. Lots more.

The more feedback I get the better I know which areas of the game work and which areas need improving upon. I also equally need feedback from new and old players alike. In order to help with the former, I've joined G.Round - a playtesting community that provides critical, early feedback to indie games devs. As a result the next update(s) will see a greater focus on the new player experience.

As for other content please keep on voicing your ideas and suggesting features you would like to see. There is only 1 person working on this game so essentially you are my team. Come brainstorm with me on the discussion forum or discord and let's make this one of the best bullet heaven games out there!

Much appreciated,
Antti

v. 0.4.9

Hello. This is a small maintenance patch. Also announcing that Horde Hunters will take part in the Steam SHMUP Fest starting today and will also go on sale. We welcome all the new players!

General
  • New air alert enemy aka "Big Boy"
  • Added a message if not having enough gold when trying to repair a building
Bugs
  • Monocle doesn't show the critical chance bonus on the weapon details if it's not purchased yet
  • Mines mission map was missing the darkness effect for rain

v. 0.4.8 Hotfix

Hello. Just a quick update due to a game breaking bug. Squeezed in a new requested setting too and a minor change to Sword bonus.

General
  • New setting: Show small damage numbers (not x1000) (default: Off)
  • Warrior's Sword 100% bonus changed from additional damage to stunning enemies
Bugs
  • Game crash when choosing Pirate Hat on any of the desert maps

v. 0.4.7

Hello. This is a small update addressing a few balance and QOL issues. Please don't be shy in letting me know your ideas for improvements or frustrations over anything at all in the game. It's the best way to make the game better and into a more enjoyable experience. You can post in the Steam Discussions or Join the Discord channel. Cheers

General
  • The number of power-ups you can choose for a run are not locked behind a kill count anymore. You can now choose up to 8 power-ups from the very start
  • Enemy fireball initial damage is reduced and scales slower over time
  • Air attacks are warned earlier giving the player more time to prepare. The direction of attack is also shown
Bugs
  • Auto-aim setting had several issues; Melee weapons were inaccurate, Necromancer was always creating the undead where the player was, Ranger's super ability did fire behind as expected, and multiple projectiles did not fire in expected directions