Prison City News

Note: If you would like to enjoy these bugs for yourself, I suggest holding off on updating until your curiosity is quenched.
Just make sure you read through the changelog to know the severity of the bug before you try to replicate it!

[h3]2023-10-6[/h3]



[h3][Preface][/h3]
A lot of these changes/updates are being made in consideration from watching people play both lurking on streams and from PAX- which I find to be one of the most valuable things you can do as a developer.
I've also spent a lot of time during development focusing on trying to make this fun for speedrunners, so I've been taking a lot of cues from that community as well.

This should be considered the "definitive" update- I've had a chance to make some adjustments and more dialog related things that I was unable to do before, and this is a version of the game that I'm comfortable with having on all platforms.

[h3][New Content][/h3]

• A new "Training" mode has been added to replace the tutorial tips in the Train level. Even if you're seasoned at the game, I suggest checking it out. There are easter eggs if you can cheese it. It also has a couple of rooms that teach some advanced tech. A new demo build of the game will be uploaded to Steam with this training available as well.
  
  Some backstory:
  The Train was meant to literally train you how to play. You have to perform most required actions at least once to finish the level. The problem is however that people were able to brute force their way to the end, and weren't fully understanding grabbing/hanging mechanics. When tutorial tips were added, they were being ignored, leading to confusion. Having an actual tutorial that forces you to learn these mechanics is a must. You don't
• need* to do the tutorial, but if you start a new file without doing the tutorial it will prompt you.
  
  
• You can now play minigames from the level select by choosing the level they belong to! Use this to farm lives/Power Chakram!
  
• There are now a couple of super secret achievement/trophies. They won't appear in the list until you unlock them. They're also not part of achievement lists, as they're more in-game accomplishments than anything else- but also, it's kind of hard to add more trophies and achievements to all platforms when they're very specific about point values (sorry). These ones are silly anyway though so...
  
• Added a gargoyle to DCP2 so people will be like "hey, that's a pretty cool gargoyle" :)
  
• You can now see unlocked trophy/achievement info in the menu by selecting the trophy. This will also give you the date unlocked.
  
• The introduction has been updated to have artwork during the story scroll. This was always intended, but never implemented. As a result, the title screen how returns you to the story crawl on inactivity.
  
• New teleportation sound effect was made to replace the existing one. Pitched down/up sounds never sound authentic, so I've fixed that.
  

[h3][General Bugfoolery][/h3]

• Fixed issue with background mortar missiles still being able to hurt Hal when respawning from a pit.
  
• Security Eye pink damaging THINGS (official name) could hurt you while waiting to respawn- this has been fixed. (Same issue as above)
  
• Fixed issue where Yoku blocks wouldn't trigger when spamming jump and when jump attacking (which could be quite annoying). Basically just rewrote them again, nbd.
  
• Removed Herobrine
  
• Shield Drones (you know, the derivative enemies you remember from that ONE series that float back and forth that you can only destroy by attacking from behind, or very persistently spamming attack on their fronts) have been fixed up a bit. I don't think anybody's reported it, but if you picked up any item that pauses the game (health) while they're turning, they'd just sit in the turn state for a bit. This has been fixed.
  --> Also, grenades used to not work while they were turning. This has been fixed as well.
  
• Not really a bug but I changed the flicker rate of the Light Drone trail from every other frame to turning off every 4th frame. This is just so when streaming at 30fps instead of 60 it doesn't disappear completely.
  
• There was an erroneous 2nd "Language" option specifically in the Settings menu you get from pausing the game in-level. Selecting it brought you to a version of that menu that isn't meant to be accessed in-level and can cause the game to go into a sort of "lost worlds" state, where the game doesn't really know what to do with itself anymore when you select it under certain conditions. There's a really simple explanation for this but it sounds more complicated and crazy than it really is. It's gone now.
  

[h3][Text/UI][/h3]

• Some text has been updated and relocalized for the sake of clarity.
  
• A prompt appears when you attempt to perform any action that exits gameplay via menu. This is to prevent accidental quitting.
  
• Warden Rush now has a unique quit option that's different from the Warden Practice. Before they were the same.
  
• The notifications you receive after completing the game the first time for the unlocks now tell you where to go to enjoy the unlocks.
  
• Vinny credit is now randomized so there's no confusion about which Vinny it belongs to. (But also Vinny would very likely not enjoy this game lol)
  
• When copying or deleting files, the color of each bar would become the same regardless of bomber mode or normal mode. This has been changed.
  
• For consistency, the "Get Ready" and "Blow This Joint!" level start text(s) are now capitalized in English.
  
• Made the Trophy/Achievement unlock prompt scale a little bit better for localizations.
  
• The Game Mode selection screen now shows "FOR SUPER PLAYERS" on Bomber Mode to match the tradeshow version to indicate that it's a much harder game mode.
  

[h3][Gameplay Adjustments][/h3]

• Because of the new Training Mode, the tutorial tips (and option in the menus) has been completely removed- it's obsoleted. If the player decides to start the game without playing the training mode and has issues with knowing how to grapple and stuff that's on them!
  
  Some backstory on THIS:
  Turns out having little tips that explain how to play can be a very big problem for porting. You have to be very specific in your verbiage, and as a result you may have to drastically change it. You can see this between the original demo of the game (not the jam version) and the final release how much it changed. It was originally changed (and ultimately diminished) out of necessity, but now there's something that is a lot more in-depth and more in-line with how I want to do it.
  
  
• Mistress Drosera's fakeout can be manipulated. Now she will commit to appearing if you're far enough away, but if you're close and she's planning a fakeout she'll still fakeout. This means if she's at the point that she's doing fakeouts, you can just move to the opposite side of the room and she'll appear as normal. Note: This isn't something most players will notice, and you have to be fast. When you see her start to appear, move away from her until she does fully. There are 4 frames of animation where she checks if the player is nearby or not.
  
• Coolant Drive can be damaged by grenades. It counts as 1 successful volley. Hal doesn't care about cheating at Pong, tbh
  
• Fury Rhoads will shoot forward if you die while he's firing his pistol, instead of still shooting toward you. Before it made it look like he was shooting his gun backwards.
  
• I had a catch in the game that removed particles if the FPS dropped at all, but I've removed that. It was really such a negligible amount of time save if for some reason there was slowdown, and it only caused visual confusion with explosions and stuff.
  
• Aim Diagonal Down button works differently on the motorcycle now. Instead of it aiming your chakram down-forward when you attack (useless on the bike), it now aims behind you and up. This gives extra control for the warden of Freeway.
  
• Crates originally "quietly destroyed" when broken off-screen, causing no explosion or item to appear. This has been changed to allow the box to drop the item regardless.
  

[h3][Level Adjustments][/h3]

• Changed a rail in Stadium to extend a bit further. When making rails stop you from falling off, it became impossible to jump off to a certain ledge from the rail without getting creative.
  
• Adjusted the vent in the secret room in Stadium a bit. It was kind of hard to jump into it off of the ladder while holding the hang button. This has been solved by adding a little distance.
  
• Enemy and layout adjustments in Stadium (Bomber Mode) for the sake of flow.
  
• Improved performance in Stadium when both BjortFX and palette swap options are toggled (both very taxing). On PC it's not so much of a problem, but now it's a little more potato friendly.
  
• Changed some ground graphics slightly in Power Plant just to make them more readable.
  
• Some crates have been adjusted/moved/added. This is to make better use of the trap crates in Bomber Mode, as well as make sure the player has plenty of opportunities to get more lives.
  --> For example, DCP2 has a 1-Up crate in close proximity to almost every checkpoint, but more have been added.
  

As Hal Bruzer continues his infiltration into each of the eight security zones, he comes across an unusual, mechanized Warden--the MOD LOADER! Learn about this Warden's attacks before taking it on!


[h3]1. Missile Barrage![/h3]
Mod Loader's signature attack will be a barrage of six missiles launched into the air! These will drop one after the other in quick succession, so be sure to dodge them if you're on the ground or hanging on one of the horizontal pipelines!


You can also tell where each missile will land by noticing the incoming impact icons on the ground! You can even stun the Mod Loader with its own missiles landing on it! Use this opportunity to attack the angry pilot at the center!

[h3]2. Mechanized Leap![/h3]
Following every Missile Barrage will be one or two Mechanized Leaps! The Mod Loader will tuck its robotic legs together and jump really high! Watch out if you're hanging from the pipes, and time your jumps well to avoid being hit!


[h3]HINT: You Can Attack from Below![/h3]
This isn't an attack by the Warden, just us giving you a hint! Did you know you can attack the Mod Loader from underneath it? For those willing to take on a challenge, you can slide underneath the Mod Loader either when it stays still to fire off missiles, or after it leaps into the air!

Just...be sure not to get crushed by one of its mechanized legs or its body!


You can take on the Mod Loader deep in the Factory security zone of Prison City--available NOW!

Follow the Retroware publisher page to keep up-to-date with all our games, news, and more!

https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/retroware

[h3]1. Please introduce yourself and describe your role in Prison City's development.[/h3]

Christian: My name is Christian "Siz" Czmar. I've been on the QA team since the start of Prison City's development. I've since been promoted to Senior Game Tester and I'm the person responsible for finding and squashing all the bugs with Programancer, the lead developer.


[h3]2. What's it like, having played so many versions of Prison City, going from the earliest builds to the finished product now? And can you list a few memorable bugs that stood out to you across the builds you tested?[/h3]

Christian: It's pretty crazy to have spent so much time with a game like this. I have more hours with the Steam release than anyone on the planet, and that doesn't even take into account every build before we were up on Steam, and all the testing done on every version of the game for every console.

As for bugs, some of the most memorable would have to be Hal not respawning in boss rooms and just watching the boss hang out alone in the room. Another one that comes to mind is: If you fell from the highest areas of the second to last level and respawned, the game would do this slow crawl up on the side of the tower, until it finally reached Hal--the player character. It was pretty cinematic if you put the right music behind it.


[h3]3. Lots of people tend to think QA testing is just about playing games, nothing more. How would you describe the nature of your work and why QA testing is important in the development process as a whole?[/h3]

Christian: I mean, it is a lot of playing games--that isn't wrong, but you're only playing the game normally a few times. Once I've learned how to play a game at a high level, I spend the next several weeks of work acting like I have no idea what I'm doing. Every hole needs to be fallen into, and every wall needs to be run into. That's the simplest part, honestly; bugging and reporting is the trickier part. Once I find a problem, I need to tell Programancer what the exact conditions are that caused it. You'd be shocked how many problems only happen when you fall at the right speed and angle. The actual hardest part is knowing we won't find everything; there is always another obscure thing around the corner.


[h3]4. What's it like communicating with Programancer as you went through multiple builds of Prison City?[/h3]

Christian: Yo, I love Programancer. I was nervous at first reaching out to him. It's always hard to go to someone and say, "Hey, you did something wrong." Programancer always takes news well and he's always a pleasure to work through issues with, or just talk about the game. One of my favorite people to work with.


[h3]5. How do you think QA testing blends together with other game disciplines, like art, design, marketing, and writing?[/h3]

Christian: You need to be trying to keep in mind all the other disciplines in QA. If something is wrong with the art, game design, or even the writing, it's a part of my job to note something down and keep the relevant party aware of it. That's not just bugs and errors. If something is just not made well or coming across right in-game, that needs to be heard as well. The position blends in as the safety net for everything else.


[h3]6. Bonus: What are some recommendations you'd suggest to anyone thinking about getting into QA testing for a game studio? What might someone expect jumping into QA testing for the first time?[/h3]

Christian: I would highly suggest that you think about if you're someone who can self-motivate. Most times, there isn't one big thing you need to test; you are usually going out of your way to make up problems and then seeing if the issue has any truth to it. What if I pause here? What if I let this enemy live and continue moving? Does the respawn work in this situation? You need to be okay with the fact that some days you have nothing to show for your work, and that's a good thing. If it's hard to find problems, it means the team has been doing a good job.


Take on the Techno-Terrorists in Prison City--available NOW!

Follow the Retroware publisher page to stay up-to-date with all our games, news, and more!

https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/retroware

The Factory–a security zone home to monstrous machinations and a whole ton of FIRE! In addition to Techno-Terrorist guards, you’ll encounter even more when you begin your infiltration!


[h2]Chain Walls and Crawlers[/h2]
You’ll find plenty of chain walls lining the interior of the Factory. Hold on tight as you move from side to side or up and down. Watch out for the robo-spiders–aka Wall Crawlers–also moving about the chain walls, and be sure to eliminate them before they can fire their own projectiles!


[h2]Belts Upon Belts[/h2]
Conveyor belts transporting metal blocks, flammable barrels, and large crates can be seen across the security zone. At some points, you can choose to ride the belts forward, but beware the punch press machines that will seek to flatten Hal as he moves under them!


[h2]Pools of Lava[/h2]
As this is a Factory complex, you’ll want to stay away from slipping into one of the many pools of lava throughout the security zone. You’ll typically find these below or near conveyor belts, so you’ll want to approach these areas with caution!


[h2]The Mod Loader[/h2]
Deep within the Factory, you’ll find the Mod Loader Warden hiding in the shadows! Destroy this mechanized beast before it can wreak havoc on the outside!


Think you can survive through the Factory? Play through this and all of the security zones in Prison City–available NOW!

"When Doc Diver used Mistress Drosera to test Vine Sauce--his newest mutie juice--she transformed into a plant-controlling mutie."


[h2]Hiding and Seeking[/h2]
As a mutant with the power to control plants, vines and all kinds of natural greenery, Mistress Drosera makes use of the tunnels burrowed into the walls of her Warden room. When she manifests from one of the tunnels, Drosera will drop three lethal spores that can damage Hal. Pay attention to which tunnel she appears at, and be mindful of when her flower pretends to blossom!


[h2]Thorny Vines[/h2]
After appearing (or feigning an appearance), Drosera will call forth three large vines lined with thorns–two from the top and one from the central bottom–to scale either up or down the Warden room. Upon impacting a solid surface, the top petals will cause smaller fines to spring up, which can deal damage to Hal if he’s caught on one of the two platforms to the left or right!

Time your jumps as the vines get faster and faster, and be careful where you choose to land!


[h2]Dangerous Flowers[/h2]
During the fight, several wall flowers will spawn infrequently, which can add further disruption to Hal if they aren’t dealt with quickly. Attack the green and pink flowers before they can fully blossom to prevent them from releasing lethal spore bombs at Hal!


Think you can take on Mistress Drosera?

Hop into the Preserve security zone in Prison City–available NOW!