Quickchat + QOL changes + Gameplay Tweaks
Howdy!
QuickChat:
Replacing the old "ping" system, Pressing the QuickChat (default "T" or clicking "Right Stick") will open up a radial menu where you can easily send common and useful message pop ups. This works in lobby as well as in-game as a Pardner. Currently, there is no QuickChat for the Worm players, but this will be added in the future.
While playing as Pardner, the QuickChat is context sensitive based on your camera mode. For example, if you select the "Healing" chat bubble while aiming, it will ping where you're looking and display "Cactus Fruit over here!" to all Pardners. Alternatively, if you're not aiming, it will display "I need Cactus Fruit!" and display your current health to all Pardners.
New Lobby Features:
* New Custom Match Settings: For Fuel Required, Train Blockers, Number of Cactus Fruit, Pardner Max Health, and Worm Ability Cooldowns - there's now an additional < Custom > match setting. You can find this by clicking the > until Custom shows up. A slider will appear and you can set these values to your liking.
* Saving Match Settings: When selecting "Play Again" at the end of a match, the settings for the previous match will be saved and applied to the new lobby. Note: match settings will be reset when you go back to the main menu.
* Added more event feed pop ups for players connecting, disconnecting, and more.
* Clients can now "suggest" rule changes by clicking the < or > arrows in the match settings panel. This will inform players in the pop up feed.
* Host can now force start the game, ignoring if players are readied up or not.
Escape Mini Game Changes:
* Cleaned up the effects when successfully entering an input, so there should be much less visual noise and clutter.
* Can no longer get duplicate inputs in a row
* The Mini game now accepts arrow key inputs as well as WASD
* Lowered how much progress you lose with a failed input on the Hard mini game setting. You now lose 6 inputs of progress, where previously you'd lose all progress.
Sundown Changes:
* New music added for when nighttime begins.
* Worm Scream now deals 10 damage to Pardners in the close AOE. Just to be clear: This only happens at nighttime and when a Pardner is in the normal AOE of the scream - not the global detection range. Design insight: Night time is supposed to be an extremely Worm-sided end game scenario to stop long stalemate games. Even with the previous changes to buff Worms at night, there were still instances of Pardners camping inside the train with dynamite traps on all of the doors, allowing for more stalemates. Note: This change is most likely a temporary fix for this issue until the new Worm abilities are added in the near future.
* The Worm healing rate of the second and third rings has now been significantly boosted at night. The center ring has been unchanged. Design insight: Dynamite should be very punishing for the Worm, but I felt healing back to full took too long at night. This also is a nerf to the above mentioned stalemate strategy.
Gameplay Changes:
* Dynamite explosions will now light the fuse of other dynamites, but at half their normal fuse time
* Ghosts now push objects slightly further and their push cooldown has been reduced to 25 seconds (was 40)
* Heart Jars now have a permanent ping indicator when in inspection mode (right click/left trigger camera mode), so Pardners no longer need to intentionally ping it's location. Note: Only applies when they are lying around the map, not when inside of an inventory.
* You now see other Pardners health over their head in inspection mode.
Misc Fixes:
* Fixed 9 players being able to join a lobby (again lol). Note: I'm still planning on raising the player cap in the future, but this bug was causing other issues so it needed to be fixed in the short term
I'm still working on the big content update with new Worm abilities and Pardner equipment items! (Sorry it's taking long than expected!)
Stay safe out there, Pardner!
QuickChat:
Replacing the old "ping" system, Pressing the QuickChat (default "T" or clicking "Right Stick") will open up a radial menu where you can easily send common and useful message pop ups. This works in lobby as well as in-game as a Pardner. Currently, there is no QuickChat for the Worm players, but this will be added in the future.
While playing as Pardner, the QuickChat is context sensitive based on your camera mode. For example, if you select the "Healing" chat bubble while aiming, it will ping where you're looking and display "Cactus Fruit over here!" to all Pardners. Alternatively, if you're not aiming, it will display "I need Cactus Fruit!" and display your current health to all Pardners.
New Lobby Features:
* New Custom Match Settings: For Fuel Required, Train Blockers, Number of Cactus Fruit, Pardner Max Health, and Worm Ability Cooldowns - there's now an additional < Custom > match setting. You can find this by clicking the > until Custom shows up. A slider will appear and you can set these values to your liking.
* Saving Match Settings: When selecting "Play Again" at the end of a match, the settings for the previous match will be saved and applied to the new lobby. Note: match settings will be reset when you go back to the main menu.
* Added more event feed pop ups for players connecting, disconnecting, and more.
* Clients can now "suggest" rule changes by clicking the < or > arrows in the match settings panel. This will inform players in the pop up feed.
* Host can now force start the game, ignoring if players are readied up or not.
Escape Mini Game Changes:
* Cleaned up the effects when successfully entering an input, so there should be much less visual noise and clutter.
* Can no longer get duplicate inputs in a row
* The Mini game now accepts arrow key inputs as well as WASD
* Lowered how much progress you lose with a failed input on the Hard mini game setting. You now lose 6 inputs of progress, where previously you'd lose all progress.
Sundown Changes:
* New music added for when nighttime begins.
* Worm Scream now deals 10 damage to Pardners in the close AOE. Just to be clear: This only happens at nighttime and when a Pardner is in the normal AOE of the scream - not the global detection range. Design insight: Night time is supposed to be an extremely Worm-sided end game scenario to stop long stalemate games. Even with the previous changes to buff Worms at night, there were still instances of Pardners camping inside the train with dynamite traps on all of the doors, allowing for more stalemates. Note: This change is most likely a temporary fix for this issue until the new Worm abilities are added in the near future.
* The Worm healing rate of the second and third rings has now been significantly boosted at night. The center ring has been unchanged. Design insight: Dynamite should be very punishing for the Worm, but I felt healing back to full took too long at night. This also is a nerf to the above mentioned stalemate strategy.
Gameplay Changes:
* Dynamite explosions will now light the fuse of other dynamites, but at half their normal fuse time
* Ghosts now push objects slightly further and their push cooldown has been reduced to 25 seconds (was 40)
* Heart Jars now have a permanent ping indicator when in inspection mode (right click/left trigger camera mode), so Pardners no longer need to intentionally ping it's location. Note: Only applies when they are lying around the map, not when inside of an inventory.
* You now see other Pardners health over their head in inspection mode.
Misc Fixes:
* Fixed 9 players being able to join a lobby (again lol). Note: I'm still planning on raising the player cap in the future, but this bug was causing other issues so it needed to be fixed in the short term
I'm still working on the big content update with new Worm abilities and Pardner equipment items! (Sorry it's taking long than expected!)
Stay safe out there, Pardner!