NewMe NuMe LuMe: Alien Wars News

[p]Firstly, please understand that this message has been written using a translation tool and may have issues with clarity.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Hello![/p][p]It’s already July—time flies so fast since our last update at the end of May![/p][p][/p][p]Originally, I wanted to release this update by the end of June, before the Steam Summer Sale…
But here we are, with less than a week left, finally managing to get it out. Haha…[/p][p][/p][p]Anyway! This update finally brings…
new stages and story content for the additional (epilogue) storyline,
our first big update since October last year![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Wahoo~~~ A proper update after 9 months![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p](Part of the drawing used for the stage 7 mid-save)[/p][p]We’ve also added new drawings for the mid-save points in these additional (epilogue) stages.
Please check them out in-game![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Wow~ Final boss! Ending![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]...Well, I wish I could say that, but actually,
this update only goes up to the stage 3 field battle of the additional (epilogue) content.[/p][p][/p][p]Also, the shop’s item purchase dialogues are just temporary lines written under a tight schedule,
so I hope you can understand.[/p][p][/p][p]The final boss and the ending will be added in a future update.
It shouldn’t take as long as this update did,
and I’m aiming to have it all wrapped up within this year…[/p][p][/p][p]I sincerely apologize for the wait, and I’ll do my best
to bring you the next update as soon as possible![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]...... Wait, there’s no final boss or ending yet?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]By the way, I feel a bit disappointed because the new drawings I made for this epilogue story[/p][p]didn’t turn out as good as I hoped overall…[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And since this is the last stage of the epilogue,
I kind of stuffed it with all the ideas I had floating around in my head.[/p][p][/p][p]That means it may feel much harder compared to stages 1 and 2.[/p][p]I did try to balance it,
but I’m honestly a little worried it could end up like the disastrous difficulty we had at launch…[/p][p] [/p][p]So if you run into any enemy patterns that feel unfair, or if the difficulty seems too high,[/p][p]or if you find any bugs, please let me know through the link or in the comments below.[/p][p]I’ll actively work to improve it![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/2855660/discussions/0/4364628673432078457/[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for this announcement![/p][p][/p][p]Thank you very much for your interest in the game I developed![/p][carousel][/carousel]

Firstly, please understand that this message has been written using a translation tool and may have issues with clarity.



Hello!

After the March update, it's now the end of May!
It's been almost two months since I last said hello!

How have you all been these past two months?


This announcement contains two main updates:

1. Extra (Epilogue) Stage Development Progress

2. New “Coin Bonus!” System Feature


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]










Before explaining the new “Coin Bonus” system,
I’ve prepared a short 1-minute summary video for you!

You can find more detailed information below.








[1. Extra (Epilogue) Stage Development Progress]


Looking back at the announcements I posted between January and March,
I wrote something like, “Since the Stage 3 field battle is done, the update should be ready around April or May.”

But now that May is ending...
Unfortunately, I’ve failed to make the update in time. Haha…


So then, what’s the current status after about two months?

All parts of the stage, except for the final boss battle, are mostly complete,
and I’m currently working on character dialogue and illustrations.




1. [Character Dialogue Writing]

- Most of the characters’ dialogue is done, with about 80% completed,
except for a few remaining lines.

However, translations into each language haven’t been done yet.

Since I’m going through a process of machine translation first, then personally checking and editing everything,
it’s taking a bit more time than expected.




2. [Character Images]

- For the character images that appear in dialogue windows,
I decided not to reuse the ones from the main story and instead create new ones from scratch.




(Some of the new images for the extra stage dialogue)

But despite my motivation, I’ve hit a bit of a slump—
No matter how much I draw, it feels never-ending, and I’m not seeing much improvement in quality compared to the main story…

Right now, I’ve finished the prologue scenes and am working on images for Stage 1.


So currently, I'm aiming for an update by the end of June,
but there's a high chance it might be delayed to sometime in July...





Kyaaaaaaa!!!








[2. 코인 보너스 시스템 추가]





The original coin UI felt a bit dull,
so I tried designing it to look like a slot machine.







However, when I tested it partway through development,
it didn’t turn out as fun as I imagined, so I gave up on the slot machine idea.





Instead, I really liked the effect of coins animating when picked up,
so I decided to create a new Coin Bonus System!



Here’s how it works:
-----


Each time you collect a coin, the value of Moneycount_diff increases by 1.

Moneycount_diff gradually decreases over time until it reaches 0.





However, if this value reaches 30 or more, you’ll receive a coin bonus
until it drops back below 30.

→ In other words, if you collect coins quickly, you can earn bonuses in succession!
(*Note: For explanation purposes, the debug values for Moneycount are shown in these gifs, but they won’t appear in the actual game.)
-----


After several test runs, I noticed that the amount of bonus coins earned could get too high,
so now if Moneycount_diff exceeds 50, it resets to 0.

So the key is to collect coins quickly and in large amounts—but also carefully manage the pace!




(Amount of coins collected in Stages 1 through 5)

I played two runs on Normal difficulty,
and with the Coin Bonus system in mind, I managed to gather around 550 coins!




That concludes this update notice!


Lastly, the features and systems included in this update were not part of the game’s original plan.

I have tested them thoroughly, but unexpected bugs or issues may still occur during gameplay.
I appreciate your understanding in advance.

If you find any bugs, please report them in the community or in the comments of this post!





If you have any suggestions for additional systems or difficulty adjustments,

please let me know! I’ll do my best to incorporate your feedback.








Thank you very much for your interest in the game I developed!

Firstly, please understand that this message has been written using a translation tool and may have issues with clarity.



Hello!

It's been a little over a week since the March update!

How have you been?


I'm still working on the additional (epilogue) stages. The final stage battle is about 95% complete, and I'm currently working on the prologue for the additional (epilogue) stages!


But before that, this update will focus on further refinements to the achievement system added previously.


[previewyoutube][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]










Since this is a small update, here’s a 30-second summary video first.

For more details, check out the information below!








[Additional Update to the Achievement System]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2855660/view/528714540784813059
(For previous updates on the achievement system, please refer to the link above!)


The achievement system was developed based on your feedback. However, since I wanted to release the update before the Steam Spring Sale, I had to rush its development quite a bit.






After releasing the update and reviewing it again, I realized it felt too hastily made, and the sense of achievement when unlocking achievements seemed lacking.


So, I decided to add some extra effects!






(If the basic stage progress reaches up to stage 5)




(If all basic stages are cleared)
(+ The additional (epilogue) stages are not included in the progress measurement.)




(Hard stage all-clear)

(+ For achievements related to basic stage progress, progress is measured based on the number of cleared stages.
Even if you don’t play on easy difficulty and clear only on hard difficulty, the achievement will still unlock automatically!)


Since achievement icons resemble stamp designs, I added effects to enhance the feeling of stamping them.

Additionally, I included drawings of Kim Ttolttol based on stage progress and hard stage all-clear achievements!


At first, the concept seemed great, but after implementing it, it looks a bit rough…





Also, the final boss’s second phase in hard mode was too difficult due to failed difficulty balancing, making it virtually impossible to clear…

So, I changed the all-clear requirement for the final boss to clearing only the first phase.

Along with this change, I added a grayscale stamp drawing for the first-phase clear achievement.


Similarly, the mid-boss in stage 5 has both an initial battle (first appearance) and a second battle (before the mid-save).

Because of this, I added a grayscale stamp drawing for clearing only the first battle.





Besides that, I also added stamp drawings for the additional (epilogue) stages, which were missing in the previous update!

The additional (epilogue) stages do not have a hard mode, so progress is measured only by stage completion, and all stamp drawings are in full color!
(The fake boss in stage 1 will be adjusted later.)








Finally, when all basic stages are cleared,
I added a Gallery Mode where you can view full-body drawings of the game’s characters!


However, since most of my previous drawings didn’t match the game’s resolution,

I had to forcefully resize them, which resulted in lower image quality.


I’ll work on redrawing them and improving this in the future.





That concludes this update notice!


Lastly, the features and systems included in this update were not part of the game’s original plan.

I have tested them thoroughly, but unexpected bugs or issues may still occur during gameplay.
I appreciate your understanding in advance.

If you find any bugs, please report them in the community or in the comments of this post!


(+ The final boss’s difficulty in normal mode (not hard mode) will be adjusted along with a future update for the additional (epilogue) stages.)




If you have any suggestions for additional systems or difficulty adjustments,

please let me know! I’ll do my best to incorporate your feedback.








Thank you very much for your interest in the game I developed!

Firstly, please understand that this message has been written using a translation tool and may have issues with clarity.



Hello!

It has already been a week since the last february update!

How have you all been?


This time, I am announcing an update that includes an additional patch for the Fixed Attack Direction Mirror, Hitbox Display, and Achievements!


But before that, I want to say that this update was made based on your feedback.

To express my gratitude, I have prepared a "Thank You!" drawing for you!





Now, let's go over the details of the update!








[1. Additional Patch for Fixed Attack Direction Mirror Related to Gamepads]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/2855660/announcements/detail/6562402086097518840
(For details on the attack direction lock mirror patch, please refer to the following!)

From the very beginning of development, I have been thinking a lot about the difficulty of controlling attack directions.

In particular, aiming with a gamepad was quite difficult, and despite trying various solutions, I couldn't find a satisfying answer.


At one point, I added the Fixed Attack Direction Mirror in response to your feedback, but it was only a temporary fix, not a perfect solution.

Then, I received a suggestion to allow shooting bullets with the right joystick, which led me to make the following improvement!
(Thank you very much for the feedback!)





Now, when using a gamepad, bullets can be fired not only by pressing Button 1 but also by moving the right joystick.

Additionally, when the Fixed Attack Direction Mirror is active, moving the right joystick will also change its attack direction accordingly!




[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]










Since my explanation may not be enough, I have added a video demonstration. Please check it out!





For Kim Ttolttol, in extra stages, the charged attack triggers when releasing the right joystick.

However, because controlling attack direction this way can be tricky, I have made an additional update:
Now, the charged attack will also trigger when pressing the right joystick.
(This feature is not yet explained in the in-game tutorial, but I plan to add it in a future patch.)


For keyboard users, controls are already easier compared to gamepads, so I have not made any changes for them. I appreciate your understanding.








[2. Hitbox Display Added]


Currently, the player's hitbox is located at the heart, as shown in the image above.

I had debated whether to add a hitbox display when first developing the game, but somehow I forgot why I decided not to!

So, I finally added it in this update. Haha...





You can toggle the hitbox display on or off in the Screen Settings menu. The display appears as a heart icon, as shown in the image.





When HP is above 50%


When HP is 50% or below


When HP is 25% or below





Unlike the actual hitbox, the hitbox display moves up and down to give the impression of a beating heart.
Also, the displayed icon is slightly larger than the real hitbox.








[3. About Achievements]

The game's Hard Mode was originally designed as a "failed difficulty", making it more frustrating than fun.
Because of this, I chose not to add achievements at first.


However, I later realized that adding an achievement system for the basic stages (not just Hard Mode) could be a good idea, so I have implemented it in this update.


This achievement system works based on Stage Clear Progress and Hard Mode Boss Clears, rewarding players with stamp drawings.




For Stage Clear Progress, achievements are unlocked regardless of difficulty, showing an uncolored stamp drawing.



For Hard Mode Boss Clears, achievements are unlocked after defeating a mid-boss or stage boss. These achievements appear as colored stamp drawings.
(Note: Hard Mode achievements do not count past play records, so you will need to replay to unlock them. I appreciate your understanding.)





Since these stamp images had to be resized to fit the in-game screen, they may appear pixelated in the game.


Additionally, due to my lack of coding skills, this achievement system is an in-game feature rather than an official Steam-linked system.
If you delete your game files (e.g., by formatting your PC), achievement progress will be lost, so please be careful!






Since these features were not part of my original game design, unexpected bugs may occur.

If you find any bugs, please report them in the community, and I will address them as quickly as possible!








That concludes this update announcement.

Because of this update, development for the Extra (Epilogue) Stage has not progressed since the last announcement.
I will share a development update next month!



If you have any suggestions for additional systems or difficulty adjustments,

please let me know! I’ll do my best to incorporate your feedback.








Thank you very much for your interest in the game I developed!


+ + If you downloaded and played the version updated between March 1st and March 7th due to my mistake with the save files, the cleared status of basic stages may not be saved.

If you have not deleted the game files and the basic stages are not saved as cleared, please inform us in the community. We will upload the updated version with all basic stages cleared by March 14st.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Firstly, please understand that this message has been written using a translation tool and may have issues with clarity.



Hello!

It has already been a month since the January update, and February is coming to an end!

How have you all been during this past month?

This announcement will cover the progress of the additional (epilogue) stage development, difficulty adjustments for the existing additional (epilogue) stages, and the addition of a loading screen!

Please check the details below!








[1. Additional (Epilogue) Stage Development Progress]

In the January development update, I estimated that the final field battle of the additional (epilogue) stage would be completed by mid-February.


However, as of now, it is about 85–90% complete, and the story of the additional stage (including the prologue) has not yet been worked on at all. I think I overestimated my abilities...


There are two main reasons for the delay:


1. The development schedule for the final stage was slightly pushed back due to the addition of the loading screen update, which is explained later in this announcement.


2. While you may not have noticed it significantly while playing, I have been adding new enemy attack patterns or mechanics with each stage progression.

For example:
-----
Base Stage 2: Introduced mechanical-type enemies
Stage 3: Introduced flying-type enemies
Stage 4: Introduced enemies that generate defensive shields
Stage 5: Introduced enemies that create fire hazards
-----
Something like this!



[previewyoutube][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]For the final stage, I planned to introduce three new attack mechanics. Two of them were already completed, as shown in the video shared in January.

I thought the last mechanic would be finished quickly, but it took longer than expected, causing further delays.








Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to create a video for the final mechanic, but I am sharing part of a related drawing instead!








[2. Additional (Epilogue) Stage Difficulty Adjustments]

Following the adjustments in December and January, I have made further difficulty adjustments to the additional (epilogue) stages.

I plan to continue making difficulty adjustments whenever I come up with ways to improve the balance!


1. Additional (Epilogue) Stage 1 Boss



- This boss was originally designed to be slightly harder than Stages 1 and 2, with the idea that "if you let your guard down, you'll get hit."

However, I realized that losing at the first stage might discourage players, so I decided to slightly increase the boss’s attack cooldown time to ease the difficulty.



2. Melee Attack Charge Adjustment

https://steamcommunity.com/games/2855660/announcements/detail/707725115500004670
In the December development update, I introduced the melee attack charge mechanic, but there was an incorrect piece of information that I want to clarify.

-----
Melee Attack Stage 1 Charge Requirement: Total damage dealt to enemies 80 (incorrect) -> 60

Melee Attack Stage 2 Charge Requirement: Total damage dealt to enemies 60 (cumulative 120)
-----



Additionally, I have added effects to reduce melee attack charge requirements for certain shop items of specific characters.


-----
OcherFrog: Ammo Increase Upgrade (Melee Attack Stage 1 Charge Requirement 60 -> 50)

Ryong Ryong: Violent Excitement Gauge Upgrade (Melee Attack Stage 1 Charge Requirement 60 -> 40)
-----







[3. Loading Screen Addition]

Currently, in-game frame drops can occur when a new type of enemy, attack, or effect appears for the first time.

This is likely due to how the game loads images and data. Instead of preloading everything at the start, assets are loaded when they first appear, causing temporary stuttering.


To address this, I have modified the game so that all objects' images and data are preloaded at the beginning of the first stage.

I have also created a loading screen to accommodate this process!






(My lack of experience makes the loading screen look quite crude...)


For reference, the estimated loading times on a PC are as follows:

----
After the prologue before starting a stage: ~10–11 seconds
Starting without watching the prologue: ~15–16 seconds
----

The loading screen only appears once per session, but if you restart the game, it will reload everything again. I apologize for any inconvenience caused by my lack of optimization...


Additionally, since this is a new feature that was not considered when I first developed the game, there may be unintended bugs.

If you encounter any issues, please report them in the community, and I will address them as quickly as possible!








That concludes this announcement.

Once again, I apologize for the delays in developing the additional (epilogue) stage...



If you have any suggestions for additional systems or difficulty adjustments,

please let me know! I’ll do my best to incorporate your feedback.








Thank you very much for your interest in the game I developed!