Robot Arena Survivors News

[p]Hello there,[/p][p][/p][p]In december, I've announced that a big 2.0 update for the game was in the works. I think it's time for me to give you some news about the development.[/p][p][/p][p]So without further ado, here is a first glance at what it's all about![/p][p]The main menu of the work in progress update.[/p][p][/p][h3]Customisation at the heart of the experience[/h3][p]One of the major change that was announced was the ability to customise the tank unit instead of having to select a premade unit. With the 2.0, it's now a reality.[/p][p]Customisation between different turrets, not exhaustive yet.[/p][p][/p][p]Turrets, front weapons, and side-weapons can already be modified to fine-tune a build. The chassis can also be modified, but it's only a cosmetic decision.[/p][p]Later-on, processors will enable you to also fine-tune the characteristics and stats of the tank. For example, trading some movement speed for armor.[/p][p][/p][h3]A more coherent atmosphere[/h3][p]To be perfectly honest, I don't really like the actual "story" told in the game. It's not interesting and it doesn't feel engaging at all.[/p][p]So, how about this little addition?[/p][p]Hello you little camera drone![/p][p][/p][p]One thing that I've been hearing many times about the game is how it reminds people of some TV shows and videos about robots battling each other. And as I was laser-focus on building the game, I think it didn't resonate much until the past days when RealGenericDemon made a video about the game in which he talked about that once again.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]And funny enough, as I said, it wasn't the first time. For example, this topic in the Community Hub of the game was already a discussion about it.[/p][p][/p][p]As I really think embracing this idea of battling robots for the show is neat, it also help having a coherent game. Designing a game for everyone usually means doing it for nobody; whereas it's probably a better idea to try matching a specific vibe and audience.[/p][p][/p][p]So now, we do have this little camera drone orbiting around you in the arena to showcase your performance to some audience![/p][p]Can you see it? Yeah, it's right behind the big robot chasing us.[/p][p][/p][p]Obviously, it's not the only change pointing towards this atmosphere. For instance, upon completion, your ranking is now an amount of Likes your audience gives you based on your performance. And the currency you earn is now a payout from sponsors based on this amount of engagement![/p][p][/p][h3]Better UI, for real[/h3][p][/p][p]To match with all of these atmosphere changes, and the quality improvement of the visuals of the game, the UI has been entirely redone.[/p][p]I mean look at these juicy cards![/p][p]
But it's not always a good thing to go crazy: simplicity is usually better than complexity.[/p][p]Yeah, it wasn't my best run.[/p][p][/p][h3]What's next?[/h3][p][/p][p]To ensure that the development is going in the right direction, I'm currently working on organizing a private playtest session in Discord. Plus, it will help checking if the performance of the game is still correct on more devices. It should happen in a week from now.[/p][p][/p][p]Now, in the "roadmap":[/p]

• [p]Polish the arena combat system to make sure it's interesting and fun[/p]
• [p]Add the 5 other unique arenas, with their own enemies, traps and atmosphere[/p]
• [p]Plug the meta progression to the customisation system, so that you can now unlock and purchase new gear to play with[/p]
• [p]Work on adding the new unified leaderboard, using Likes as scoring system[/p]
• [p]Add a few more interesting items to unlock for more potential builds[/p]
• [p]Add the few settings that are missing, such as the graphics options[/p]
• [p]Work on a save file converter, to properly retrieve your previous progress and adapt it to the new game[/p]
• [p]Rework the achievements[/p]

[p][/p][p]List not exhaustive, obviously. There are three more things that I'm considering for the future, and I'll be happy to hear what you think about that.[/p]

1. [p]Saving and storing the 1.0 build of the game on a separate branch; that way if you prefered the 1.0 of the game it's still available to play (and its leaderboards still active).[/p]
2. [p]Working on a supporter pack. Yeah, the 2.0 is months of work and will be entirely free so I was considering the option to add a supporter pack that you could purchase as a "thank you", and that would unlock a unique supported skin for an ingame tank chassis (purely cosmetic).[/p]
3. [p]Pushing for a public playtest before releasing the 2.0. It might delay the launch, but it could be beneficial.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Again, thank you for your trust and for all of your kind comments. Stay tuned for more information later on![/p][p][/p][p]Shidy.[/p]

[p]Greetings, Robot Arena Survivors players![/p][p][/p][p]One year has passed since the release of the 1.0, the on December 4th 2024![/p][p][/p][p]First, thanks a lot for purchasing and playing the game. It took me 11 months to build and release it, almost alone (but not entirely as I teamed-up with Scott Hsu who is a very talented composer who made the audio for the game). Today, Robot Arena Survivors has sold 700 copies and is about to reach 2,000 wishlists. All of this, thanks to you![/p][p][/p][p]This year, I had the pleasure to watch your videos, live streams; but also to read all of your comments - regardless of if they were positives or negatives. I also wanted to thank you for that, as feedback are always extremely importants for an indie developer like me.[/p][p][/p][p]Even if the game was well received, some aspects of it were still a bit off and disliked. It's a fact that I can totally understand and share. I also observed myself some stats about the game (leaderboards, achievements...) to better analyse how the game was played and what could be better in the future.[/p][p][/p][p]In the positive things, we can list:[/p]

• [p]That the low-poly/futuristic-neon art direction was liked.[/p]
• [p]That the UI/UX was understandable and liked.[/p]
• [p]That the game runs well, even on a SteamDeck.[/p]
• [p]The core gameplay was liked and satisfying.[/p]
• [p]The OST was greatly appreciated, and again shoutout to Scott Hsu for the amazing work here.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Meanwhile, what's now interesting is to list all the things we can improve on:[/p]

• [p]The selection of a premade HTU is a very basic feature, not that interesting. Also, the fact that you need to grind to get a new one is tedious, and not properly understood as people tend to think the next HTUs will be stronger whereas they are supposed to be balanced.[/p]
• [p]The statistics' meta-progression is boring and very grindy. Worst, its discriminating new players to challenge arena's leadeboards as they have to grind their base stats to have a chance to rank-up.[/p]
• [p]The many leaderboards and game modes isn't a good idea, because most of the players aren't having much time to play and won't bother trying hard on every single one of the leaderboards.[/p]
• [p]The choices of abilities is kinda interesting, but their evolution system is boring and does not offer many synergies to play with.[/p]
• [p]The choices of rewards is quickly becoming annoying, as it's mostly about picking a new statistic upgrade. It's not funny as is, and doesn't do much to help with synergies. [/p]

[p][/p][p]This is why I think it's time for me to update you with a very exciting announcement: a free major update of Robot Arena Survivors is in developement for more than 2 months now. Robot Arena Survivors 2.0 will arrive in a few months from now, with a ton of new features and improvements![/p][p][/p][h2]A new HTU customisation system[/h2][p]Exit the need to chose between premade HTUs. With the 2.0 of Robot Arena Survivors, you'll have total control to configure your own HTU![/p][p]Chassis, turret, front weapon & pair of side weapons: every single HTU slot will be customisable, allowing you to create and fine-tune your own builds thanks to a variety of items to unlock.[/p][p][/p][h2]A new fair and interesting meta progression[/h2][p]The new meta progression will be focusing on unlocking new parts for your customisable HTU. No more stats to increase, but a new shop where to buy new gear![/p][p]Thanks to that, the first gameplay minutes can be played to grind a leaderboard with the same chances than any other player, regardless of their playtime.[/p][p][/p][h2]A unified and unique leaderboard[/h2][p]Multiplying the leaderboards was a bad idea. In the future, a unique leaderboard will appear in Robot Arena Survivors 2.0. Regardless of the arena you're playing in, you'll be able to compete for the same leaderboard. You prefer a specific arena? It's no longer a problem.[/p][p]Additionally, the score of the leaderboard will now be displayed in points - points will be calculated based on various things happening during the fight (time spent, waves completed, destroyed enemies...)![/p][p]Finally, this new leaderboard will give more information about the actual builds players were using when ranking-up, and their combat statistics.[/p][p][/p][h2]A unique but varied game mode[/h2][p]Having multiple game modes wasn't a good idea too. Now, every single arena will only have one game mode:[/p]

• [p]Reach and complete 10 waves to finish the arena and unlock the next one.[/p]
• [p]Keep playing above the 10 waves to enter the new "Challenge" mode and fight for a place in the leaderboard.[/p]
• [p]In Challenge mode, various events can and may happen: participate (or not) to the events to earn more points or unlock more rewards![/p]

[p][/p][h2]Improved handcrafted arenas[/h2][p]Unlike the previous arenas that were built with a little bit of procedural generation, the new arenas will be entirely handcrafted to ensure a unique challenge and vibe.[/p]

• [p]Every arena has been entirely rethinked to match with a very specific theme, with a very specific damage type to face (e.g. Kinetic).[/p]
• [p]The overall vibe, the traps and the enemies will be specifically designed to match with the arena theme.[/p]
• [p]The arenas no longer have fixed walls; you can now go outside of the arena for a short amount of time (before losing the run).[/p]
• [p]The arenas have dedicated slots where you can call for a friendly ability (e.g. turrets), obtainable through in-game events completion.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h2]A new weapon evolution system[/h2][p]During a run, all of your equiped weapons will be upgradable and will be able to evolve two times - like they did in the current version of the game.[/p][p]But, in the 2.0 version, the evolution possibilities will be way better than before with more interesting choices and possible synergies with your other weapon slots.[/p][p]Discover all of the new possibilities by playing with the weapons and check them - after unlocked - in your assembly![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]And more![/h2][p]Many other improvements and features are planned, like the support of new languages, or maybe new OST tracks?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Initialy, I was hoping to launch the new update for December this year - for it's anniversary. But, I prefered to spend more time on it to ensure the version has the best quality possible. This is why the release date isn't announced yet; and this is why I'm publishing this update note to tease you about what's next and gather some feedback around it![/p][p]You can still find me on social networks (links on the Steam page) to follow the updates about the game and be informed when the release date is announced![/p][p][/p][h2]FAQ[/h2][h3]Q: How much the update will cost?[/h3][p]A: This update will be entirely free as long as you have the game in your Steam library.[/p][h3]Q: Will the price of the game increase with this new update?[/h3][p]A: No. The price of the game will remain the same as of today.[/p][h3]Q: Will the leaderboards be resetted with the new update?[/h3][p]A: Yes. This is due to the fact that all of the changes are deeply modifying the balance of the game. And also, the unified leaderboard system doesn't match with the current setup having multiple dedicated leaderboards. But, I'm thinking about a way to remember of the best players of the 1.0, maybe by doing some kind of a hall of fame somewhere in the game![/p][h3]Q: Will I lose my progress with the update?[/h3][p]A: No. If you already have unlocked an arena, you'll still have it unlocked in the new version of the game. The game will convert the previous save to the new system.[/p][h3]Q: Will I lose my meta progression and currency with the new update?[/h3][p]A: Yes and no. The meta progression has been entirely modified so when starting in 2.0, you'll have everything locked (but the default items and the ones that are given as a reward if you have finished an arena). Beside that, your previous purchases will be refunded in-game and the currency will be converted into the new one - so no real loss.[/p][h3]Q: Will I lose my Steam achievements with the new update?[/h3][p]A: Yes and no. We'll try to keep as many achievements as we can, and convert them to something relatively similar if possible. But there might be deleted achievements or new achievements coming-in with the new update. Stay tuned for more information about that later.[/p][p][/p][p]If you have any additional questions related to this annoucement, please don't hesitate to comment this news and I'll be happy trying to answer them all![/p][p][/p][p]Thank you,[/p][p]ShidyGames.[/p]

[p]Hello there,[/p][p]We've just released a new patch for Robot Arena Survivors.[/p][p]Unlike the previous patches, this update does not change the game itself but is a security patch to fix the Unity Editor's vulnerability CVE-2025-59489. This is why the build number will remain 1.1.0.[/p][p]We strongly encourage you to update the game as soon as you can, before playing it.[/p][p]You will find more information about the vulnerability here: https://unity.com/fr/security/sept-2025-01.[/p][p]Thank you for playing Robot Arena Survivors![/p]

With the previous game patch, I've worked hard to make the game compliant with the feedback I've got from Steam™ about the Steam Deck™ compatibility.

I've done various modification and enhancements in the way the texts were displayed all accross the game screens to ensure it will be easily readable on a device that has a smaller screen in comparison to most of the computers.

I'm very pleased to announce that after a new review from their team, Steam™ validated the change and certified that Robot Arena Survivors is now Steam Deck™ verified!



Happy robot dismantling!

Hello there,

We've just released a new patch for Robot Arena Survivors.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed an issue with the social network buttons navigation on the main menu.
  

Accessibility:

• Optimization of some texts that were probably too small to be properly read, especially on devices with a smaller screen (such as the Steam Deck).
  

Happy robots dismantling!