SWAPMEAT News

[p][/p][p]One of the first design documents we wrote—before we even had the idea of swapping body parts—outlined the structure of a run: [/p]

1. [p]Start on “the mothership” (now ROX-1)[/p]
2. [p]Select a Galaxy (yes, it took about 8 months before someone pointed out we were calling solar systems “Galaxies”)[/p]
3. [p]Deploy onto a planet and complete or fail it[/p]
4. [p]Return to “the mothership”[/p]
5. [p]Purchase upgrades[/p]
6. [p]Repeat this process for two more planets[/p]
7. [p]Deploy to a boss arena and complete or fail it[/p]
8. [p]Run complete – return to “the mothership”[/p]

[p]Here’s a screenshot of our User Story Map that we used to make sure we were all on the same page while we were building the initial experience: [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]User Story Map of the game loop from June 18th, 2024[/p][p][/p][p]Well, there’s a few more steps in there than I noted above, but one thing that you’ll notice in Early Access or even if you’ve tested SWAPMEAT prior is that Step 4 of that shortened flow is missing.[/p][p]Our intent was to allow the player to break their run into 10-15 minute sessions and bring them “back to base” to cash in rewards, upgrade or change their equipment, take a bathroom break, or just socialize with friends and take a breather after a hard fought escape.[/p][p]We dropped the return to ROX-1 because we didn’t have all of the affordances necessary to communicate to players that a run was more than just a single planet. Objective trackers, on screen markers, or even anything for the player to even spend on upgrades, so we decided to “keep it simple ‘for now’” and chain the planets together.[/p][p]Over the last few months we’ve heard from many of you that you’d like to be able to take a break and resume a run and, while we did enable that feature a few updates ago, its still not very clear when its okay to quit out of the game.[/p][p]Additionally, we’ve heard you loud and clear that the core-loop of fighting and upgrading is much longer than expected, so we’re going to tighten it up.[/p][p]In today’s update you’ll now return to the ship after each planet you complete. You can interact with everything normally on ROX-1 except for changing your equipment before launching down to the next planet.[/p][p]We weren’t able to get this in for this past Tuesday’s update but we wanted to get it in your hands before our holiday break (starting tomorrow). This is a big structural change, so please let us know what you think in Discord or on the Steam forums.[/p][p]– Jamie Stormbreaker - Game Director[/p][p][/p][h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]Reduced the Out of Combat Timer from 15s to 5s. If you don’t receive damage, deal damage, or heal another entity in combat you’ll begin to move 30% faster after 5s.[/p]
• [p]You’ll return to ROX-1 at the completion of each planet[/p]
  • [p]When this is mid run, you’ll be unable to make equipment changes but can make upgrades through terminals, talking to carl, and the currency trader[/p]
• [p]Increased overall director cost of “Siege Enemies” – Highbeam, Eyeclops, Paper Bobby[/p]

[h3]Abilities[/h3]

• [p]Increased Elemental Accumulation for all Abilities[/p]
• [p]Reduce Explosion Impulse on most Ice Abilities. This will leave the enemies closer to the player where they can more easily shatter them[/p]
• [p]Tuned Squishy Blast (on default Rangus Torso) so that it gets enemies off of you more consistently. Some flying enemies weren’t really responding well previously. Some larger enemies can’t be knocked back, but it should feel more natural and useful now, for clearing some space. (Hint: you can also use it to get rid of some projectiles!)[/p]

[h3]Meats[/h3]

• [p]Assigned Quake Rush Ability to Eyeclops Legs[/p]
• [p]Assigned Turbo Boost Ability to Belly Grinder Legs[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Meta Progression[/h2]

• [p]Added new Lunar Rifts for fishing from on Barbecuria and a corresponding fish collection quest[/p]
• [p]Added new Sludge Rifts for fishing from on Calypso and a corresponding fish collection quest[/p]
• [p]Updated icons for ancient tech tiers 2 through 5[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Animation[/h2]

• [p]Animation and VFX changes for item container presentation[/p]
• [p]Animation polish on Hunter Intro cutscene (the one that plays at the end of the tutorial)[/p]
  • [p]If you’ve not seen it in a while, OMG_d0gheart would love feedback on the scene and how the Hunters are first introduced. Nothing huge has changed, but they have their voices now, so have more personality, and some more polish and personality for Squishy as well.[/p]
• [p]Campaign cutscenes (like the two major Boss outros) will no longer play in Random Mode. Bear with us as we continue shaping the core experience and how it relates to the overall world and story of the campaign[/p]
  • [p]We are excited to not have to watch these over and over now! Unless you want to! We’re always open for ideas around the story and world we’re building, and we’ve got so much more in store on that side of things down the road.[/p]
• [p]Added interact animations to all hold actions[/p]

[h2]UI / UX[/h2]

• [p]Team XP Bar will now display while in ROX-1[/p]
• [p]Additional entries have been added to the FAQs in the Codex[/p]
• [p]Damage health flashes on the player and enemies have been tweaked[/p]

[h2]Art[/h2]

• [p]Add new models for Tier 2 Pestie and Zorpjet alien enemies[/p]

[h2]Audio[/h2]

• [p]New audio for item container presentation.[/p]
• [p]Added more voicing, efforts and laughs to the Hunters in their Intro cutscene after the Tutorial.[/p]
• [p]A lot of game mixing updates. so be sure to reset your audio to defaults and see how things sound. We bumped up Player, Enemy and UI sounds, while ducking Music and VO just a bit[/p]

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the Meat Market secondary directive marker was located in a wall of ROX-1 instead of in the actual Meat Market[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the Out of Combat Buff was showing in the item inspection menu[/p]
• [p]Items that you obtain during a run will more reliably show up in the Codex[/p]
• [p]Fixed broken text “all bad things” on the red player status tag and hooked tags up to localization (non English translations for the tags will come in a future update)[/p]
• [p]Fixed some broken VO that was cutting out early (namely Carl’s first set of lines from a fresh save file)[/p]
• [p]Fixed incorrect handling for the Esc key / back button in the Employee Handbook if a tutorial popup was being displayed[/p]

[h2]Known Issues[/h2]

• [p]No significant performance tuning has been done yet. If you are graphics bound, you can try lowering the quality settings in the Esc menu via Options → Video, but systems with more constrained hardware may struggle[/p]
• [p]Not all input buttons and keys have icons in the UI yet. Text descriptions (eg. “J”, or “Button West”) will show up for things that do not yet have an icon in the input glyph map[/p]
• [p]When observing other players, some UI bits such as the reload HUD don’t show accurate information for the observed player[/p]

[h2]Gameplay [/h2][h3]Elemental Meat Drops[/h3][p]
Meat Drops will now randomly have an Elemental Type associated with them when they are dropped. Previously, the Elemental Type was tied to the Mutation that the player selected for that Meat Part's slot, but this behavior was not surfaced to players.

Removing Elemental selections from Level Up rewards gives players wider access to Elemental combinations during a run, while still requiring decisions around which Elemental abilities to slot into specific body parts.

As additional cross-elemental effects are added, this system should continue to feel better and better. Grab an Ice and Kinetic ability to easily shatter your foes’ feelings.

[/p][h3]Elite Enemies[/h3][p]
Golden enemies will now spawn across the map. Killing one will drop an Item Container for the player to claim. Their movement speed is slightly increased compared to non-elite enemies, but they are not particularly aggressive.

Like Item Containers, Elite Enemies are designed to create fun, random, rewarding moments. We’ll continue to tweak this system, and early feedback is very welcome.

[/p][h3]Luck[/h3][p]
Added a new Luck attribute. Upgrades that increase Luck will increase the chance of receiving more and/or better rewards during a run.

In this update, Luck may not feel especially powerful yet, but future updates will expand how rewards are influenced by Luck. This is the first step toward allowing players to invest early into reward-focused builds.

[/p][h3]Abilities[/h3]

• [p]Player Ability Turrets now stick to many enemies when thrown onto them (Turret Head & Wheelie Torso’s Gumbo Turret). Most enemies are supported, excluding smaller enemies and bosses. This is the first “sticky-style” ability—let us know what you think
  [/p]
• [p]Calibrated meat head scaling while head abilities are recharging so they are more uniform in size
  [/p]
• [p]Explosive Dash now has exit speed so it no longer dead-stops: 0 → 15
  [/p]
• [p]Bellygrinder Rush speed increased: 15 → 20, and knockback added: 0 → 20
  [/p]
• [p]Removed many weapon and ability lockouts during use, prioritizing freedom of choice, combinations, and experimentation over strict animation execution [/p]

[h2]General Balance[/h2][p]One of the primary goals of Early Access is achieving a smoother difficulty curve. This update includes balance changes to enemies, items, abilities, and difficulty unlocks to reduce friction between Casual and Standard while making higher difficulties more demanding. [/p][p][/p][p]Players can now choose Casual or Standard immediately after completing (or skipping) the tutorial. Unlocking higher difficulties is also faster—only one Solar System completion on your highest unlocked difficulty is required. [/p][p][/p][p]Overall, we reduced enemy counts and aggression on lower difficulties while increasing health to avoid overwhelming players without creating bullet sponges. Balance will continue to evolve based on feedback—please share your thoughts on Discord or the Steam forums. [/p]

• [p]Higher-tier enemies now have up to 50% more health[/p]
• [p]Reduced enemy count in multiplayer (2.24x → 2x at four players)[/p]
• [p]Removed Hunter Timer reduction in multiplayer[/p]
• [p]Removed Hunter Movement Speed multiplier in multiplayer[/p]
• [p]Increased Base Hunter Time to 600s (from 300s)[/p]
• [p]Increased Hunter Time Delay for Primary Objectives to 120s[/p]
• [p]Decreased Hunter Time penalties from reward events[/p]
• [p]Reduced Hunter Time penalties on Casual by 75%[/p]
• [p]Weapon Reload Buff duration increased: 15s → 30s[/p]
• [p]Turbo Boost Ability damage increased: 60/70 → 100/110[/p]
• [p]Reworked Kinetic SMG back to hitscan[/p]
• [p]Adjusted Event Spawner default intervals[/p]
• [p]Increased base spawn interval across most events[/p]
• [p]Spawner intervals now decrease with higher Difficulty
  [/p]

[h2]Items[/h2]

• [p]Gelatin Salad[/p]
  • [p]Slime Damage: 8% → 10%[/p]
  • [p]+5% Critical Chance [/p]
• [p]Hot Toddy[/p]
  • [p]Fire Damage: 8% → 10%[/p]
  • [p]+5% Critical Damage [/p]
• [p]Pork Kite[/p]
  • [p]Electric Damage: 8% → 10%[/p]
  • [p]+5% Attack Speed [/p]
• [p]Snowcone[/p]
  • [p]Ice Damage: 8% → 10%[/p]
  • [p]+5% Shatter Damage [/p]
• [p]Taco[/p]
  • [p]Kinetic Damage: 8% → 10% [/p]
  • [p]+15% Melee Damage [/p]

[h2]Random Solar System[/h2][p]Random Solar System is now unlocked by default for all players (except the demo), allowing players to choose between the campaign and a randomly generated run.

In a future update, Random Solar System will evolve into an infinite or looping mode tentatively titled Wormhole. [/p][p][/p][h2]Meta Progression[/h2]

• [p]Standard difficulty unlocked by default[/p]
• [p]Removed Employee Rank requirements from Weapon Terminal unlocks[/p]
• [p]Weapon unlock costs now include TIPs[/p]
• [p]Removed Mineral and Ancient Tech requirements from the first four weapon ranks[/p]
• [p]Reduced Glizzy costs per weapon rank by 25%[/p]
• [p]Added 3 new Carl side quests for unlocking 5, 15, and 25 Flair (a 37-Flair quest is planned)[/p]
• [p]Added Alien Flair (bonus damage vs Aliens)[/p]
• [p]Added Aquatic Flair (bonus damage vs Aquatic enemies)[/p]
• [p]Added Burger Flipper Flair (bonus melee crit chance & damage)[/p]
• [p]Added Close Quarters Flair (bonus short-range damage & accuracy)[/p]
• [p]Added Covert Ops Flair (reduces nearby enemy scouts)[/p]
• [p]Added Franken Flair (bonus damage vs Franken Meats)[/p]
• [p]Added Frostbite Flair (bonus ice accumulation & damage vs chilled targets)[/p]
• [p]Added Healthy Flair (bonus max health)[/p]
• [p]Added Hollow Charge Flair (bonus direct hit damage, reduced explosion radius)[/p]
• [p]Added Hunter Flair (bonus damage vs Hunters)[/p]
• [p]Added Incendiary Flair (bonus fire accumulation & burning damage)[/p]
• [p]Added Insectoid Flair (bonus damage vs Insectoids)[/p]
• [p]Added Kinetic Flair (bonus kinetic accumulation & damage vs staggered targets)[/p]
• [p]Added Lightning Flair (bonus electric accumulation & damage vs electrified targets)[/p]
• [p]Added Long Range Flair (bonus long-range damage & accuracy)[/p]
• [p]Added Machine Flair (bonus damage vs Machines)[/p]
• [p]Added Marksman Flair (bonus accuracy & spread recovery)[/p]
• [p]Added Meat Ability Flair (bonus meat ability damage)[/p]
• [p]Added Meat Shielding Flair (bonus meat durability & damage reduction)[/p]
• [p]Added Minion Master Flair (bonus minion health & damage)[/p]
• [p]Added Mutant Flair (bonus damage vs Mutants)[/p]
• [p]Added Projectile Flair (bonus projectile speed, direct hit damage & explosion radius)[/p]
• [p]Added Splatter Flair (bonus slime accumulation & damage vs slimed targets)[/p]
• [p]Added Swimmer Flair (bonus swim speed & jump height) [/p]

[h2]Animation[/h2]

• [p]Shortened Rangus Legs knockdown animation: 2.7s → 1s[/p]
• [p]New animations for Machine Enemies: Boxface & Ballguy[/p]
• [p]New animations for Mutant Enemy: Paper Bobby
  [/p]

[h2]Enemies[/h2]

• [p]New Machine Enemies: Boxface & Boombox[/p]
  • [p]Boxface spawns Boombots that rush targets and explode [/p]
  • [p]Boombots can be melee’d and will knock back enemies[/p]

• [p]New Mutant Enemy: Paper Bobby[/p]
  • [p]Throws Rangus Times newspapers at high speeds [/p]
  • [p]Pro-Tip: You can shoot or melee them out of the air [/p]

• [p]Wheelie updates:[/p]
  • [p]Weak point multiplier reduced: 6x → 3x[/p]
  • [p]Shorter downed duration[/p]
  • [p]Only near-miss charge attacks trip him (melee still works)[/p]
  • [p]Movement and state logic improvements [/p]

• [p]Bugzapper tuning:[/p]
  • [p]Tier 1 moves less below 50% health [/p]
  • [p]Tier 2/3 move occasionally above 50% health[/p]
  • [p]Tier 2 no longer receives weapon buffs[/p]
  • [p]Tier 3 now receives former Tier 2 buffs[/p]

• [p]Looger deals slightly less damage[/p]
• [p]Rocketbot appears later and has reduced health: 900 → 600[/p]
• [p]Enemy hostility reduced by 30% on Casual and 10% on Standard [/p]

[h2]Localization[/h2]

• [p]Added Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese language support with full localization pass[/p]

[h2]UI / UX[/h2]

• [p]Quest updates from Carl now appear on the right side of the HUD[/p]
• [p]Weapon Terminal and Upgrade Screens have additional SFX[/p]
• [p]Employee Handbook has moved directly across from Carl in the lobby [/p][p][/p][p]Employee Handbook
  The Employee Information Terminal has been reworked into a digital Employee Handbook—a centralized knowledge hub unlocked as you progress.[/p]

• [p]Rangus Files – Game lore and world details[/p]
• [p]Meat Parts – Swappable heads, torsos, and legs with abilities[/p]
• [p]Items & Resources – Item stats and information[/p]
• [p]FAQ – Reviewable tutorial content
  
  The Employee Handbook can be accessed via the Employee Terminal in the ROX-1 lobby. More content is coming—tell us what you’d like to see next. [/p]

[h2]Art[/h2]

• [p]Updated enemy hit VFX[/p]
  • [p]Added Invulnerable Hit effect[/p]
  • [p]Changed insect blood from green to orange to avoid slime confusion[/p]
• [p]Players and enemies flash brighter when hit [/p]
• [p]Adjusted VFX sizes for Cold As Ice and Bombard Core to match damage radius [/p]

[h2]Audio[/h2]

• [p]Improved elemental explosion SFX impact[/p]
• [p]Adjusted enemy sound attenuation for better audibility[/p]
• [p]Added SFX for hitting invulnerable enemies[/p]
• [p]Added universal player damage sound[/p]
• [p]New voiceover dialogue from Carl and ROX-1 is beginning to roll out [/p]

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed weapon upgrades being unusable with controllers[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing icicle mesh on Tier 2 Bugzapper when frozen [/p]

[h2]Known Issues[/h2]

• [p]Elemental icons above Meat Drops are not displaying for clients[/p]
• [p]Performance tuning is still ongoing—lower graphics settings if needed[/p]
• [p]Some input glyphs are missing and display as text\\[/p]
• [p]Observer mode HUD may display incorrect reload information[/p]
• [p]Most cutscenes and voiceover remain work-in-progress[/p]

RANGUS MEATS™ R&D DEPARTMENT
TO: All Meat Scientists and Rangus Personnel (@everyone)
FROM: Carl Rangus, Founder & CEO
RE: 100K Wishlists Secured!

Season Greetings Meat Scientists,

YOU MANIACS DID IT! 100,000 WISHLISTS!!

As a “reward” (and because the pressure buildup in R&D was becoming unsafe), we are releasing a FREE NEW ANTENNA COSMETIC for EVERY operative.

Your new mission:

• Equip your new Shronk Antenna Bopper!
  
• Jump back into the chaos!
  
• Continue sharing and wishlisting SWAPMEAT!
  
• And unlock more rewards with your fellow scientists!
  

Now stop reading and GO PLAY WITH YOUR NEW ANTENNA. You earned it.

Stay alert. Stay squishy.

Sincerely,
Carl Rangus, Founder and CEO of Rangus Meats™

Today’s update focuses on gameplay changes, bug fixes, and presentation improvements to ensure that when players unlock a new gameplay system, difficulty level, or solar system, the game clearly highlights it and pulls them toward the new content.

During November, the One More Game team takes a four-day break for the US Thanksgiving holiday, so this update is a bit lighter than normal. Join us in Discord and let us know how the changes feel!

— Jamie Stormbreaker, Game Director

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• Ice and Slime pistols are now less likely to trigger on-hit effects since they fire multiple projectiles.
  
• Increased meat drop rates by 2×.
  
• Franken Beans' stomp and super stomp now send out a jumpable shockwave instead of doing instant AoE damage.
  

[h2]Respawning[/h2]

It is no longer required to have an alive player to exchange Hunter Time for a respawn.
If you are out of Respawn Tokens, you now automatically respawn at the cost of a Large Hunter Time reduction.

If you are out of Tokens and fighting a boss, you will not be able to respawn.

• Large Hunter Time Bonus: 120s → 90s
  
• Large Hunter Time Penalty: 90s → 120s
  

[h2]Meta Progression[/h2]

• Updated visuals for Minerals & Ancient Tech to match standard rarity colors (Gray, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange).
  - Notably, Memerald and Amirite have been swapped.
  - Existing resources will automatically update.
  
• Added a new chain of 5 Carl side quests for completing 25/50/75/100/150 planets, rewarding minerals and ancient tech scaling by tier.
  
• Updated the Carl main quest "Miner Niner" to reward 10 Task Incentive Points, since the Weapon Terminal is unlocked from the beginning.
  

[h2]Animation[/h2]

• Added new System Unlock presentations for unlocking System 2 and Random System after defeating their bosses.
  
• Reworked the Mutant Boss Outro for smoother flow with the birthday moment integrated.
  
• Mothership Terminals now play animations when they unlock.
  

[h2]UI / UX[/h2]

• Current run info is now displayed in the Pause Menu.
  
• Your active Carl Quests are now tracked in the Pause Menu.
  
• "Attack Damage" has been renamed to "All Damage" (no functional changes).
  

[h2]Bug Fixes (Part 1)[/h2]

• Fixed multiple visual bugs in cutscenes (Planet Intros/Outros, Birthdays, etc.), including:
  - Player appearing in shots where they should be hidden
  - Abrupt cuts from full system → single planet
  - Stray objects appearing unexpectedly
  
• Fixed audio for the Start Screen (Mode Select) starting too early during the loadscreen.
  
• Fixed an issue where Ponk was missing his Frozen VFX when Frozen.
  
• Added tracking and a potential fix for a bug causing Ultimate abilities to have incorrect recharge times.
  
• Fixed interactions missing their audio cues (mostly hold-to-interact terminals).
  
• Fixed floating Gobble Gazer head meat.
  

[hr][/hr]

[h2]Known Issues[/h2]

• The Pounding Father’s Referee HUD Indicator only appears for the host.
  
• No major performance tuning has been done yet. If graphics-bound, try lowering settings via Esc → Options → Video.
  
• Some input buttons/keys are missing glyph icons; text labels such as “J” or “Button West” will appear instead.
  
• When observing other players, some UI (e.g., reload HUD) may display incorrect information.
  
• All cutscenes and voiceover are WIP; many lines are not yet implemented.