1. Alien Grounds
  2. News

Alien Grounds News

Beta Branch Update - Map Variations

[p]Ruins map now inverts on Missions #7, #19, ...[/p][p]Plans for other flat maps (Dust, Midnight, Iceport) to invert or rearrange for update #19[/p][hr][/hr][p]The beta branch is available on Steam - see the Community Hub post for access details.[/p]

Update #18 - The Shooter

  • [p]New Runner Shooter enemy - keeps distance, fires fast green Firebolts, harder to kill, appears from Mission #5[/p]
  • [p]Multiple Shooters per mission - expect crossfire and flanks[/p]
  • [p]New player spawn locations - better map variety and early flow[/p]
  • [p]AI spawner improvements - tighter control of timing, distance, and mix[/p]
  • [p]Chem Gun - performance pass and a counting bug fix[/p]
  • [p]Fireball optimization - lighter tick, improved hit handling[/p]

Small Beta Update - shooter enemy

[p]Running-away shooter enemy added for early testing.[/p][p][/p][p]The beta branch is available on Steam - see the Community Hub post for access details.[/p]

Major Update: Ranks & Rebalance

[p]A new layer of progression arrives in Alien Grounds.[/p][h3]
Player Ranks[/h3][p]Player ranks are now aligned with the story - your mission performance defines your standing within the simulation.[/p][p]Every mission now contributes to your overall combat rank.
Climb through the new rank tiers by earning high scores and completing harder missions.[/p][h3]
Score Balance Overhaul[/h3][p]Weapon scoring fully rebalanced for fairer ranking and new strategies:[/p]
  • [p]Pistol – Highest[/p]
  • [p]Rifle – Standard[/p]
  • [p]Laser – Standard[/p]
  • [p]Gravigun – Standard[/p]
  • [p]Annihilator – Low[/p]
  • [p]Chem Gun – Low[/p]
  • [p]Freeze Gun – Minimal[/p]
[p]The exact score depends on the difficulty tier and contributes directly to your overall rank. This change rewards precision and risk-taking - pistol players will notice the difference most.[/p][h3]
New Difficulty Tiers[/h3][p]Each tier defines how fast enemies react, how many appear, and how much score you can earn.[/p]
  • [p]Trigger Therapy – Relaxed FPS time-waster with forgiving enemies and generous ammo. Perfect for everyday meditation.[/p]
  • [p]Training Club – Balanced challenge where tactics and precision start to matter. Moderate scoring.[/p]
  • [p]Battle Ground – Maximum intensity with aggressive enemies, scarce ammo, and the highest score multipliers. Designed for mastery and rank progression.[/p]
[p][/p][h3]Main Menu Upgrade[/h3][p]The main menu has been redesigned to support ranks and the new difficulty tiers, and it now features a new soundtrack.
[/p][hr][/hr][p]This update improves long-term replayability and introduces a cleaner scoring system across all tiers.[/p][p]More progression updates are coming soon - thank you for supporting the game.[/p][p]Hit Play, check your new rank, and see how far you can go.[/p]

Update #16: Cinematic look + Freeze Gun

[p]Hi everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]This update brings a more cinematic look to multiple maps and introduces the Freeze Gun.[/p][h3]
New weapon - Freeze Gun[/h3]
  • [p]Bots are instantly frozen to death, even mid air[/p]
  • [p]Shoots through objects and walls[/p]
  • [p]Proximity activation - near misses still trigger[/p]
  • [p]Extended AoE[/p]
  • [p]No recoil[/p]
  • [p]Unlocks from Mission 15[/p]
[h3]
Visuals[/h3]
  • [p]Cinematic colors and materials for Ruins, Base, and Dust[/p]
  • [p]Colonnade movement changed in Ruins and Midnight[/p]
  • [p]New geyser in Ruins[/p]
  • [p]Dust now features a UFO and new props[/p]
  • [p]Dune gains a picture-frame prop[/p]
[h3]
Gameplay and audio[/h3]
  • [p]Pistol recoil tuned[/p]
  • [p]Pistol sound updated[/p]
  • [p]Enemy type changed for Mission 1[/p]
  • [p]Dune adds a machine ambience layer[/p]
[h3]
Fixes[/h3]
  • [p]Incorrect bot choice when using Portal[/p]
  • [p]Wall light transparency issue in Base map[/p]
  • [p]Sound Button default color in Settings UI[/p]
  • [p]Choose Weapon incomplete check when starting from a Save Game[/p]
[h3]
Optimization[/h3]
  • [p]Chem Gun and Annihilator firing procedures optimized[/p][p][/p]
[p]— emagnetic[/p]