Go Up News

[p]What a time to Go Up![/p][h2]Free Demo![/h2][p]First off we wanted to mention the free demo that is available on Steam. We finished it ahead of schedule and decided to quietly release it a little while back, but we wanted to make sure anyone who is following this main Go Up page and didn't see it had a chance to play asap. Who doesn’t like free samples, right?[/p][h2]Balance Changes[/h2][p]Go Up is in a very exciting state for us developers right now, which usually means big changes, new systems, and fun new interactions. We are constantly discovering new ideas we want to add to Go Up and ways to improve on the systems that we have in place.[/p][h3]Ascension[/h3][p]We've decided that to make some of our new systems make more sense moving forward that Gold Dust will need to be reset on Ascension 😱. Don't worry, we know that the Gold Dust must flow, so we've added some new systems that will help you keep your engine running...so to speak.[/p][h3]Dark Skills[/h3][p]You might notice we've also "rebalanced" the costs of most dark skills. One of the hardest parts to making an incremental game is knowing how things are going to scale as our players make their way through the game. We knew that Dark Particles were going to be more rare than Gold Dust, but we really had no idea how rich in Dark Particles some of our players would become. Safe to say, the amount of dark particles you get was way more than we initially imagined and have upped the cost of most dark skills to fit this scaling. As we continue to test and get a better idea of how some dark skills will affect your ascensions we think some of these cost increases may go back down a bit. Either way there are many more new skills on the horizon, some more affordable than others.[/p][h3]Encroaching Darkness[/h3][p]If you’ve been lucky enough to witness the encroaching darkness effect and reap the rewards, then we’ve got good news.  The encroaching darkness effect now builds up faster, which in turn makes the rewards build up faster as well.  Unfortunately this also means the slowing effect of the encroaching darkness builds up faster as well, but there are some eclectic ways of getting around this debuff.  A word of caution to the wise, delving into occult matters comes with its own consequences… but for now you’re probably safe.[/p][p][/p][h2]NEW MECHANICS![/h2][p]Here comes the good part! There is a lot to go through here and even more mechanics up our sleeve just waiting to be implemented, so sit back, relax, and Go Up![/p][h3]Painting with Particles[/h3][p]Our favorite new system lets us make use of our extraordinary artistic talents, and in the next update you’ll be able to flex your own creative muscles as well![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]But more on that later… In the meantime you’ll be rewarded with a slew of new chaos events that unlock as you progress through the skill tree.  [/p][h3]Lap Time and Rewards[/h3][p]Your journey is now being timed, and if you’re fast enough you will be rewarded handsomely! If you’re on the slower side you’ll still be rewarded, but I wouldn’t say handsomely per say…[/p][p][/p][p]GET IT!?[/p][h3]Acceleration Particles[/h3][p]Let’s face it, everyone wants to go fast, it’s just a fact of life.  Lucky for you there is a brand new particle that will let you ascend faster than ever!  These particles act a little differently than the others, but we think you will be pleasantly surprised.[/p][p][/p][h2]Bug Fixes, More Optimization, and UI tweaks[/h2]

• [p]We’ve made some tweaks to the HUD and UI including now showing players ascension count[/p]
• [p]Added some juice to the stars chaos event with SFX and more visual effects[/p]
• [p]Further optimization to particle trails, and possibly fixed a memory leak letting the game run smoother for longer[/p]
• [p]High scores should now update more often, steam friends list integration should show a more accurate highscore, and passing other players ghosts should now be working properly[/p]
• [p]SFX tweaks and bug fixes[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]
[/p]

[p]Our first update since the Early Access launch comes with some pretty major improvements. Performance has been greatly improved, we've reworked the balance of ascending, and we added some really nice new visual effects and fixed some others.[/p][p][/p][p]We've made some major changes to how some core bits are handled so you can rise much more efficiently now. There should be far fewer frame drops now, even during the most chaotic of events.[/p][p]This has also opened the door to some new interesting mechanics that we are excited to implement now that we can put a ton more dust and trails on the screen at once, so keep an eye out for that in the near future.[/p][p][/p][p]You will notice a few new juicy visual updates in this latest release. There is now (finally!) a visual effect for the magnet, that I think came out really well :). This should make it much more clear what the radius of the magnet is and when it is active, as well as where the Go Getter is most effective.[/p][p]The trails have also received a major overhaul so they are much smoother and just generally nicer looking now, as well as much more efficient to render on the screen freeing up much more space for some future mechanics. The stars in the chaotic events that occur in space also now have some nice colorful wiggly trails.[/p][p][/p][p]After much deliberation we've decided that the mechanic that forces your height to reset on skill purchase, effectively making you go down, is simply too punishing and frankly disgusts us, so we've removed it entirely. After all this is Go Up! You are now free to Go Up, unrestrained by the burden of saving your Golden Dust for just the right moment. It's your dust and you need it now! Spend freely, and ascend to greater heights than ever before.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Begin your Ascension[/p][p]We are excited to announce Go Up is now available as early access on Steam! Those of you already ascending will find new skills, upgrades, and ☄️chaotic events ☄️ that we've packed in since the playtest. We've also got some big performance updates on the horizon.[/p][p][/p][p]Stay Tuned for More[/p][p]While we believe we were able to cram in a good amount of content before this early access release, we've got big ideas for the future of Go Up, and are already working on getting some brand spanking new mechanics and systems into the game, but more on that later![/p][p][/p][p]Freebies[/p][p]Also for those who missed the playtest and want a free sample before biting off the whole game we are working on a free demo available on steam in the coming months.[/p]

[p]Our testers have been going up for a couple weeks now and have shared their thoughts on how to Go Up in new and exciting ways. For their troubles we have implemented a couple new skill trees that can help our active users as well as our users that like to Go Up at their own pace. [/p][p][/p][p]Mouse Collector [/p][p]A mini-you controlled by the mouse with limited space for dust particles, but not to worry, when you fill up you can just drop them off and go back for more! Yet another way to collect more points in your quest to find the greatest heights. [/p][p][/p][p]Zero Point Energy[/p][p]We've unlocked the use of Zero Point Energy in our propulsion systems. These particles may be used for a limited time to go up almost as if you were pressing a button! Unlock more skills in this new skill tree to go up for longer periods of time without having to press a button (but I mean, where's the fun in that right...right?).[/p][p][/p][p]Open Alpha Test[/p][p]We want to thank all of our early alpha testers who have gone up with us so far. As we near early access and the end of the playtest we've decided to open up the alpha test to everyone. No longer will our players have to wait on approval to begin their journey. Let our people go...up![/p]

[p]The Go Up beta test has begun and the first wave of testers have already begun their ascent. Thanks to Steam's brand new functionality you may now invite up to 3 friends to participate in the beta test and compete with each other to see who can go the highest![/p][p]We will be busy making fixes and rolling out updates to the beta test for the next few days, but we would still love to hear your feedback! We've included a questionnaire which you can access after launching the playtest. If you do happen to experience a crash then send the bug report when you reopen the game to help expedite the fix.[/p][p]Keep an eye out for updates and announcements in the coming days, and make sure to add us to your wishlist and help us reach new heights![/p]