Heli-Cats News

With beta testing underway, starting from this update, info will be about the main game. All changes also apply to the demo, unless specifically stated.

Version 0.9.1 Update Notes:

• Added an option for auto bomb in Arcade Mode; auto bombing activates only when down to the last armor point and disqualifies the score from the online leaderboard upon its first use.
  
• Added a quick mission restart in the pause menu for early mistakes in a run; this option only appears during mission 1 in Trial and Arcade Modes but is selectable for all missions in Training Mode.
  
• Reduced the player helicopter hitbox slightly; the actual area is now smaller than the cockpit frame but still too large to dodge through very tight patterns.
  
• Increased the hitbox of small tanks slightly.
  
• Auto fire will resume firing if still held down when the focus shot is being used but the focus counter drops to zero.
  
• An active game will pause when any controller is disconnected.
  

Watch a mission 1 gameplay video using Cat A to learn the 3 main scoring methods. It shows how staying at a low power level, not using focus shots, and firing at close range allows attaining a score more than 3 times of that playing for survival. The score of 205,600 in this single mission alone is more than the majority of Trial Mode scores in the demo that encompass two missions! Cat A, in this case, is much more versatile than many believe it is capable of. In addition, mission 1 becomes an important start stage to get a much earlier first extend in Arcade Mode.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

All of this can be replicated in the demo so give it a try! Do note that getting hit 3 times in Trial removes any focus bonus at mission end despite having infinite armor. It will also be more difficult to attempt such moves as the missions get harder, so an optimal combination of the scoring methods that takes into account safety will be needed.

Formulating a good leveling strategy based on personal skill that balances score and survival is the key to higher scores and far more important than fast reflexes!

Watch a mission 1 gameplay video using Cat A to learn some useful survival tips. It shows how the player can control the difficulty of the game simply by deciding when to power up.

Unlike most shoot'em ups, power up orbs are dropped by all attacking enemies, meaning the player always has a fighting chance anywhere within the mission before the boss appears.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Scoring tips will be next!

Version 0.8.3 brings the demo up to date with the main game, which is almost complete and is currently undergoing testing.

Demo 0.8.3 Update Notes:

• Improved performance for machines near the minimum specs.
  
• Rebalanced difficulty.
  
• Remastered music from the completed soundtrack.
  
• Increased character length for online leaderboard names.
  

Version 0.8.2 brings the demo up to date with the additional Cat types and balancing tweaks in the main game.

Demo 0.8.2 Update Notes:

• Adjusted bomb damage to differentiate additional Cat types.
  
• Changed select screen displayed stats to differentiate additional Cat types.
  
• Increased the contrast of low elevation enemy fire to improve visibility under all mission background variations.
  
• Adjusted the colors of all player helicopters and enemies to improve visibility under all mission background variations.