Mech Havoc News

Just a quick patch bringing in some minor improvements.

[h3]Improvements[/h3]
-Fixed key rebindings not saving. Somehow this issue had returned. Let's hope it stays gone permanently this time.
-Improved missile controllability.
-Swapped reverse steering for wheeled vehicles. Added option in settings menu to revert to how it used to work.

Hovertank
-Reverted back to mech control scheme
-Made weapon hard points more versatile, allowing for more weapon types
-Reduced health to compensate for improved versatility and ease of control

Based on gathered feedback from the past week, I have made this initial small patch with some minor improvements, bug fixes and weapon rebalancing. Expect more updates in the near future, and let me know if you run into any problems.

[h3]Small improvements[/h3]

• There is now a basic vehicle direction indicator for both Tanks and Wheeled vehicles. This can be toggled in the options menu. This is the first iteration, and will be improved upon in the future.
  
• It has been made a bit clearer what the status of a research note is (Available, Unlocked, Locked)
  
• Collected resources text is now outlined to the left
  
• Frozen Fire enemy unit count has been decreased. As this mission had a larger difficulty spike than intended.
  

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• Key rebindings are now properly saved
  
• You will now keep your resources when you choose to "replay" a mission, instead of returning to base
  
• Resolution drop-down menu scrolling fixed
  
• Minor grammar fixes.
  

[h3]Weapon/Support rebalancing[/h3]
Quite a few buffs, mainly in the department of demolition. But also some minor nerfs for the laser weapons and deployable turrets.

Breacher

• Damage: 2 -> 3
  
• Pellet count: 8 -> 12
  
• Min spread: 2 -> 1.5
  
• Max spread: 4 -> 8
  
• Reload time: 2 -> 4
  

rpg

• Damage: 90 -> 75
  
• Radius: 2.5 -> 6
  

MML8 + Flanker 6x2

• Damage: 25 -> 35
  

MRL10

• Damage: 25 -> 30
  
• Radius: 2 -> 3.5
  

GL20 + GL40

• Radius: 2.5 -> 4
  

Cluster Launcher

• Bomblet damage: 7 -> 10
  

L-16

• Reload time: 1.25 -> 1.5
  

L-8x2

• Reload time: 1 -> 1.5
  

These 2 laser weapons were proving to be very effective. An increase in their reload time should allow them to keep their powerful burst damage, while also making other options more viable

PL-L

• Damage: 20 -> 32
  
• Reload time: 1 -> 1.1
  

MG Turret

• Spread: 1 -> 2
  
• Attack distance: 120 -> 80
  

HMG Turret

• Spread: 1 -> 2
  
• Attack distance: 120 -> 90
  

Laser Turret

• Spread: 3 -> 1
  
• Attack distance: 120 -> 70
  

Turrets don't have a time or ammo limit. Combining this with a long attack range made them very powerful. These changes should still make it viable to build turret based kill-zones. But also give the enemy a fighting change.

Mission 7: Artillery Town
Added mission 7. A fairly straightforward and simple mission set in the Town environment

DEMO Unit
Buffed plasma cannon range
Fixed pathfinding and LOS check
Updated map layout

Tech-Tree
You can now view items further in the Tech-Tree, making it easier to plan-ahead

Explosions
Decreased damage fall-off of all explosions

AMR
Increased fire rate
Increased max spread
This is to differentiate it more from the Gauss Rifle, as they both fullfill a similar role.
Carefull shooting is still required for long-range accuracy.
But you can now go into full-auto "panic mode", making the AMR more usefull at closer ranges.

AC-20
Increased fire-rate slightly

AC-20 HB
Decreased max spread

Other
Gave most objectives unique icons
Lighting tweaks, mainly on Town maps
HIVE Generators (those glowy things) now give a small salvage reward upon destruction

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who checked out the playtest! All the gathered feedback will play a role in shaping the future of Mech Havoc.

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[h2]Upcoming Demo[/h2]
The next major milestone for Mech Havoc is the upcoming demo release, scheduled for early February.

This demo will feature new content, mainly in the form of 2 new missions. One of these missions introduces a new HIVE prototype unit to defeat: the Demolitions Engineering and Matériel Ordinance Unit, or DEMO Unit for short. In addition, the demo will feature rebalancing and improvements based on your feedback.

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[h2]Roadmap[/h2]
Based on player feedback, I’ve outlined a list of planned updates and features, organized into three groups based on when I intend to implement them. Please note that all plans are subject to change.

[h3]Demo release[/h3]
Updates planned for the upcoming demo release:

• 2 new missions. One mission features the new "DEMO Unit."
  
• Improved visibility/color tweaking. While the "nighttime" aesthetic is intentional, many playtesters reported poor visibility, so this will be addressed.
  
• Updated music.
  
• Balancing tweaks.
  

[h3]Post-Demo release[/h3]
Features that will be prioritized after the demo release:

• Ramming damage!
• Arching/indirect fire weapons. This feature will be added to the grenade weapons.
  
• Mech control options. Provide an option to control mechs using tank controls.
  
• Vehicle direction indicator.
  
• More mission types. Thanks to your suggestions, I’ve got some great ideas for additional mission types.
  

[h3]Future[/h3]
Planned features that will take longer to implement, for which I can't guarantee a timeline:

• An endless/roguelike/survival mode. One of the most requested features! If you have any suggestions on how this could take shape, let me know!
  
• Differentiate the vehicles more. Possibly by adding passive abilities to vehicles.
  
• AI Buddies. AI-controlled units like drones or mechs that fight alongside you.
  

I am happy to announce that playtest sign-ups are open!

Playtest details
Now keep in mind this is an early playtest, not a fully completed demo. So expect there to be some bugs, missing features and other issues. But this playtest will be important for shaping the upcoming demo and eventual full release! So your feedback is much appreciated. You can provide your feedback using the steam discussion forms, or by accessing the feedback form through the in-game pause menu.

Despite the missing features, the playtest will have plenty of content for you to enjoy! About 6 missions and a wide selection of weapons, vehicles, and abilities will be available to you. The missions will be replayable, so you have all the freedom to test anything you'd like.


How to join
Go to the Mech Havoc store page. Once there, press the “Request Access” button on the Mech Havoc store page. Your request should be immediately accepted. After which you can enjoy some mech based havoc!