Signs of Life News

Hey folks, we put out a new update today (version 0.8) that changes the engine that Signs of Life runs on and adds a few quality of life improvements as well as a sweet new grappling laser function for your wrist device. We changed the engine that the game runs on from XNA to MonoGame because XNA has been abandoned by Microsoft for awhile now, and MonoGame fixes a lot of issues that we had with XNA as well as lets us support platforms other than Windows. That said, If we did our jobs right you probably won't notice much of a change right now. The performance seems a bit better for us on our machines and it fixes some crash bugs that we were unable to fix with XNA, but really this update is about opening the door for more stuff down the line and making sure the game is as future-proof as possible. While the new version fixes some things, I'm sure there will be some new problems as well, so let us know what issues you run into.

• Added Linux OS support
  
• Added support for resolutions higher than 2048x2048 (tested up to 4k)
  
• Added Grapple Laser function to the MEG tool. Activated by holding and releasing C by default and uses energy to stick you to walls and ceilings. You can press S by default to release the grapple. The grapple laser is still a bit of a work in progress, but we figured it was too useful to hold back until we get it just right. Expect some changes to this over time.
  
  
• Emeralds - Can be inserted into the MEG tool in order to increase the efficiency of the grapple laser
  
• Added an option for the minimap that lets you use a UI popup instead of the projected minimap. The option is in the settings menu, and the popup is opened with the minimap key and can then be docked wherever you'd like on your screen.
  
  
• Reworked start screen menus to be easier to use and work better on all resolutions
  

• The new version of the game requires at least Windows 7 and an OpenGL 3.0 compatible graphics device. We believe that the vast majority of players should still be able to play, but there will be some players who will be unable to play the new version even if they were able to play old versions. We're still investigating what we can do to lower the requirements further, so if you are unable to play the game after this update please email your system information (OS version and graphics device) to [email protected]. We've put up the previous version as a beta option (xna_version_0.7.6.6) which you should still be able to play, but that version will not get future fixes or new content.
  
• Occasionally, certain sounds will play louder than they should. We fixed most of the instances of this, but let us know if/when you notice it.
  

• Increased the width of all map sizes by about 50%, we'll increase it even further after we spend some time optimizing the world generation speed.
  
• Tweaked some parts of the bases on the world to make them a bit more interesting
  
• Increased the player's base jump height slightly
  
• Reduced the damage of the infected sheep from 25 per hit to 10
  
• Made cooked food give you more fullness
  

This update doesn't add a lot of new content, but that is somewhat intentional. We've actually been working on two updates at the same time, and we wanted to get this version of the game out to players as soon as possible so we can get to fixing the issues that crop up with the engine change first. The next update should be ready in a few weeks, and will add several new creatures, a new boss, and a bunch of other fun stuff. Here is a teaser:

Happy Halloween! Some kind of spooky comet has been seen in the sky, and it seems to have resulted in some kind of Halloween related weirdness! You should find a stack of seeds for the new pumpkin bush and a random mask in your inventory. We've also heard reports of weird ghost-like energy beings that can be found on the surface of the planet.

We're still hard at work on the next larger content update, but we decided to do a small Halloween update in the interim because Halloween is probably the best holiday. As usual, let us know if you run into any problems or if you have any suggestions.

• Ghost creature
  
  
• Ghost Hide armor set
  
  
  
  • Ghost Hide Helmet
    
  • Ghost Hide Torso
    
  • Ghost Hide Leggings
    
  • Ghost Hide Gloves
    
  • Ghost Hide Boots
    
  • Ghost Hide Arms
    
  
  
• Ghost Blade
  
• Soul Vessel
  
• Another creature
  
• Pumpkin Bushes and Pumpkins
  
  
  
  
  • Pumpkin Berry
    
  • Small Pumpkin
    
  • Medium Pumpkins
    
  • Large Pumpkin
    
  • Very Large Pumpkin
    
  • Pumpkin Seeds for growing Pumpkin Bushes
    
  • Edible Pumpkin Rind
    
  
  
• Various Halloweeny masks
  
  
  
  
  • Pumpkin Mask
    
  • Jack O' Lantern Mask
    
  • Halloween Hood
    
  • Hockey Mask
    
  
  
• Plastic Pumpkin Bucket
  
• New crafting materials
  
  
  
  • Ghost Hide
    
  • Ghost Claw
    

• We changed the Flying Javelin to a Flying Harpoon, which fires darts with the alternate fire. This is unrelated to Halloween.
  

• Ghost Hide Armor
  
  
  
  • Ghost Hide Helmet - 2x Ghost Hide, 1x Leather Strap
    
  • Ghost Hide Torso - 5x Ghost Hide, 3x Leather Straps, 2x Ghost Claws
    
  • Ghost Hide Arms - 3x Ghost Hide, 2x Leather Straps, 1x Ghost Claw
    
  • Ghost Hide Gloves - 2x Ghost Hide, 2x Leather Straps
    
  • Ghost Hide Leggings - 4x Ghost Hide, 4x Leather Straps, 1x Ghost Claw
    
  • Ghost Hide Boots - 2x Ghost Hide, 2x Leather Straps
    
  
  
• Ghost Blade - 2x Ghost Claw, 4x Iron Ingots, 1x Ghost Hide
  
• Halloween Masks
  
  
  
  • Pumpkin Mask - 1x Medium Pumpkin
    
  • Jack O' Lantern Mask - 1x Medium Pumpkin and Something Sharp
    
  • Halloween Hood - 2x Ghost Hide and Scissors
    
  • Hockey Mask - 3x Plastic, 2x Leather Straps
    
  
  
• Plastic Pumpkin Bucket - 3x Plastic
  
• Flying Dart (5) - 5x Laminous Wings, 5x Sticks, 1x Bone
  

• Fixed some crashes related to being too high up in the map
  
• Fixed some issues with breaking deposits
  
• Misc other things
  

Happy Halloween! Some kind of spooky comet has been seen in the sky, and it seems to have resulted in some kind of Halloween related weirdness! You should find a stack of seeds for the new pumpkin bush and a random mask in your inventory. We've also heard reports of weird ghost-like energy beings that can be found on the surface of the planet.

We're still hard at work on the next larger content update, but we decided to do a small Halloween update in the interim because Halloween is probably the best holiday. As usual, let us know if you run into any problems or if you have any suggestions.

• Ghost creature
  
  
• Ghost Hide armor set
  
  
  
  • Ghost Hide Helmet
    
  • Ghost Hide Torso
    
  • Ghost Hide Leggings
    
  • Ghost Hide Gloves
    
  • Ghost Hide Boots
    
  • Ghost Hide Arms
    
  
  
• Ghost Blade
  
• Soul Vessel
  
• Another creature
  
• Pumpkin Bushes and Pumpkins
  
  
  
  
  • Pumpkin Berry
    
  • Small Pumpkin
    
  • Medium Pumpkins
    
  • Large Pumpkin
    
  • Very Large Pumpkin
    
  • Pumpkin Seeds for growing Pumpkin Bushes
    
  • Edible Pumpkin Rind
    
  
  
• Various Halloweeny masks
  
  
  
  
  • Pumpkin Mask
    
  • Jack O' Lantern Mask
    
  • Halloween Hood
    
  • Hockey Mask
    
  
  
• Plastic Pumpkin Bucket
  
• New crafting materials
  
  
  
  • Ghost Hide
    
  • Ghost Claw
    

• We changed the Flying Javelin to a Flying Harpoon, which fires darts with the alternate fire. This is unrelated to Halloween.
  

• Ghost Hide Armor
  
  
  
  • Ghost Hide Helmet - 2x Ghost Hide, 1x Leather Strap
    
  • Ghost Hide Torso - 5x Ghost Hide, 3x Leather Straps, 2x Ghost Claws
    
  • Ghost Hide Arms - 3x Ghost Hide, 2x Leather Straps, 1x Ghost Claw
    
  • Ghost Hide Gloves - 2x Ghost Hide, 2x Leather Straps
    
  • Ghost Hide Leggings - 4x Ghost Hide, 4x Leather Straps, 1x Ghost Claw
    
  • Ghost Hide Boots - 2x Ghost Hide, 2x Leather Straps
    
  
  
• Ghost Blade - 2x Ghost Claw, 4x Iron Ingots, 1x Ghost Hide
  
• Halloween Masks
  
  
  
  • Pumpkin Mask - 1x Medium Pumpkin
    
  • Jack O' Lantern Mask - 1x Medium Pumpkin and Something Sharp
    
  • Halloween Hood - 2x Ghost Hide and Scissors
    
  • Hockey Mask - 3x Plastic, 2x Leather Straps
    
  
  
• Plastic Pumpkin Bucket - 3x Plastic
  
• Flying Dart (5) - 5x Laminous Wings, 5x Sticks, 1x Bone
  

• Fixed some crashes related to being too high up in the map
  
• Fixed some issues with breaking deposits
  
• Misc other things
  

The primary goal with this update was to change the combat balance and armor/weapon progression to be more satisfying across the length of the game. This update is light on the new content because we're still working on the next major content update, but we figured we should go ahead and put out the balance changes in the meantime.

Previously, armor provided percentage damage reduction, which meant early armor sets protected very little, the high level armor sets ended up providing far too much protection, and going from one tier to the next didn't feel very satisfying because gaining a few percentage points of defense at a time is really boring. The new system uses flat damage reduction, so if you pick up a helmet that has a defense of 3 it will just prevent 3 damage, which might not seem like a big change but it allows us to make the progression much more satisfying and each new tier of armor or weapons should feel like more of an upgrade. There is a cap on the defense though, and you will always take at least 25% of the damage that is dealt to you. These changes required tweaking the balance of pretty much everything in the game. Most creatures have more health, most weapons do more damage, and we've changed the way armor piercing works so that individual weapons can have specific armor piercing values.

We've done a significant amount of testing, but with all the combinations of creatures and weapons we have I'm sure there will still be some balance issues, so let us know what you think. We're definitely not done tweaking the combat balance, but we decided now was a good time to start making some big steps towards a better system.

• Changed armor calculations to use flat damage reduction instead of percent damage reduction
  
• Shields no longer add to encumbrance
  
• Encumbrance values tweaked across the board
  
• Encumbrance can now slow your melee attack speed if it is high enough
  
• Projectiles now have individual armor piercing values
  
• The weird pink eyeball creatures can now only spawn spikes on appropriate block types. Also reduced their initial spawn rate.
  
• Sulfur gas now does its own damage type, we'll probably make a gas mask or something soon
  
• Tesla gun does more damage but uses more energy
  
• Base energy regen rate has been doubled
  
• Reduced energy regen rate bonus on the Jewel sets
  
• Increased damage of most projectiles
  
• Increased health of most creatures
  
• Increased armor on many creatures
  
• Fists now do more damage with better gloves
  
• Kicking now does more damage with better boots
  
• Increased rocket/grenade explosion range
  
• Reduced the spawn rate of creatures
  
• Spears no longer prevent you from moving while attacking
  
• Increased the amount of sand that generates on the surface of planets
  

• Changed quick slots to use Z/X instead of Q/E by default, and changed the default dodge behavior so that Q/E make you dodge left/right.
  
• Reduced knockdown received from creature
  
• Spiked wall creature updated, it is now much easier to damage in the soft spot and much harder to hurt it from the back
  
• Fruits can no longer spawn quite as close together
  
• During world generation, the area between the mining base and Pioneer Station have been cleaned up a bit. This means fewer spikes, etc.
  
• Deposits should now only generate on flat ground
  
• Added some grass golems to the far side of the planet during world generation
  
• Toilets can now be opened
  
• Tweaked some bits of the Pioneer Station and Mining Base. Nothing major, but we're working on fleshing them out a little bit at a time.
  
• Renamed Rifle Ammo to 5.56 Ammo
  
• You can now click quick slots in order to select them while the inventory menu is closed.
  
• Sheared sheep now drop 1 piece of wool when sheared post-mortem instead of 0.
  
• Slightly reduced the drop rates of sticks/logs when breaking trees
  

• Fixed some cases where certain energy bonuses wouldn't stack. Let us know if you see more.
  
• Fixed some graphical issue with the spike blocks
  
• Fixed a crash related to fireballs
  
• Fixed a bug with fall damage calculation related to using multiple fall damage reduction items
  
• Movement buttons no longer get stuck on if you were holding them while clicking in the search box of the crafting window
  
• AGIS message received when you equip the entire prototype mining suit now only appears once
  

The primary goal with this update was to change the combat balance and armor/weapon progression to be more satisfying across the length of the game. This update is light on the new content because we're still working on the next major content update, but we figured we should go ahead and put out the balance changes in the meantime.

Previously, armor provided percentage damage reduction, which meant early armor sets protected very little, the high level armor sets ended up providing far too much protection, and going from one tier to the next didn't feel very satisfying because gaining a few percentage points of defense at a time is really boring. The new system uses flat damage reduction, so if you pick up a helmet that has a defense of 3 it will just prevent 3 damage, which might not seem like a big change but it allows us to make the progression much more satisfying and each new tier of armor or weapons should feel like more of an upgrade. There is a cap on the defense though, and you will always take at least 25% of the damage that is dealt to you. These changes required tweaking the balance of pretty much everything in the game. Most creatures have more health, most weapons do more damage, and we've changed the way armor piercing works so that individual weapons can have specific armor piercing values.

We've done a significant amount of testing, but with all the combinations of creatures and weapons we have I'm sure there will still be some balance issues, so let us know what you think. We're definitely not done tweaking the combat balance, but we decided now was a good time to start making some big steps towards a better system.

• Changed armor calculations to use flat damage reduction instead of percent damage reduction
  
• Shields no longer add to encumbrance
  
• Encumbrance values tweaked across the board
  
• Encumbrance can now slow your melee attack speed if it is high enough
  
• Projectiles now have individual armor piercing values
  
• The weird pink eyeball creatures can now only spawn spikes on appropriate block types. Also reduced their initial spawn rate.
  
• Sulfur gas now does its own damage type, we'll probably make a gas mask or something soon
  
• Tesla gun does more damage but uses more energy
  
• Base energy regen rate has been doubled
  
• Reduced energy regen rate bonus on the Jewel sets
  
• Increased damage of most projectiles
  
• Increased health of most creatures
  
• Increased armor on many creatures
  
• Fists now do more damage with better gloves
  
• Kicking now does more damage with better boots
  
• Increased rocket/grenade explosion range
  
• Reduced the spawn rate of creatures
  
• Spears no longer prevent you from moving while attacking
  
• Increased the amount of sand that generates on the surface of planets
  

• Changed quick slots to use Z/X instead of Q/E by default, and changed the default dodge behavior so that Q/E make you dodge left/right.
  
• Reduced knockdown received from creature
  
• Spiked wall creature updated, it is now much easier to damage in the soft spot and much harder to hurt it from the back
  
• Fruits can no longer spawn quite as close together
  
• During world generation, the area between the mining base and Pioneer Station have been cleaned up a bit. This means fewer spikes, etc.
  
• Deposits should now only generate on flat ground
  
• Added some grass golems to the far side of the planet during world generation
  
• Toilets can now be opened
  
• Tweaked some bits of the Pioneer Station and Mining Base. Nothing major, but we're working on fleshing them out a little bit at a time.
  
• Renamed Rifle Ammo to 5.56 Ammo
  
• You can now click quick slots in order to select them while the inventory menu is closed.
  
• Sheared sheep now drop 1 piece of wool when sheared post-mortem instead of 0.
  
• Slightly reduced the drop rates of sticks/logs when breaking trees
  

• Fixed some cases where certain energy bonuses wouldn't stack. Let us know if you see more.
  
• Fixed some graphical issue with the spike blocks
  
• Fixed a crash related to fireballs
  
• Fixed a bug with fall damage calculation related to using multiple fall damage reduction items
  
• Movement buttons no longer get stuck on if you were holding them while clicking in the search box of the crafting window
  
• AGIS message received when you equip the entire prototype mining suit now only appears once