Patch Preview
[p]Patch 0.15.00 was already shaping up to be a pretty large update when it was "just" going to add 20ish new utility upgrades. But its scope has expanded as I've continued to collate the data, crunch the numbers, and read the feedback. And boy have I been crunchin' the numbers.[/p][p]For this reason, and the imminent release of a certain metroidvania whose demo already surprise dropped on Gunlocked 2's release day (fool me once...), I'm pushing the release of the patch to Monday, Sept 8th. This will give me more time to polish and test the new content, and give Gunlocked a chance to shine a little brighter.[/p][p]If you're on the open beta branch, you'll be able to try out the update over the upcoming weekend, and I've outlined some of the biggest changes coming below. I currently have 4 pages of notes, so I'm not going to post everything, just a preview of the biggest updates.[/p][p][/p][h2]Patch 0.15.00 - The Supply Drop[/h2][h3][/h3][h3]Main Features[/h3]![]()
[/p][p]Callsign "Ms. Midas" is the widow to the late "Midas" from the first game. Once, a soldier of fortune power couple, our titular widow is striking out on her own to strike it rich.[/p][p]Weapon: The Campfire - A lock-on laser weapon with plasmic properties. The campfire fills the role of the old Fire Frakker but with interesting new dynamics.[/p][p]Mastery: Gold Miner - Every 20 individual gems or other items you collect, The Campfire gains +1 max targets for its next attack. Max +2 targets.[/p][p]Skill: Strike It Rich - Focus type weapons deal 250% damage to Asteroids (The Campfire is a focus weapon).[/p][p][/p][h3]The Return of a Classic[/h3][p]The other weapon being added this patch is The Conduit. Redesigned to better fit the more defined "beacon" role this time around, and with some electrifying new traits to boot.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][p]Note: This is an unfinished version, and still needs some animations. You may also spot a small new enemy that still needs animations too.[/p][p][/p][h3]Putting the Supply in Supply Drop[/h3][p]The current count of new utilities is 28 (2 of the icons below are weapons), and like previously mentioned, none of these are chance-based. They will trigger, and you will know how often.[/p][p]These utilities help round out every upgrade type, and enabled a number of new build archetypes.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][p][/p][h3]The Big Boss Update[/h3][p]The hardest part of balancing a game like this is probably the bosses. In a typical shmup, the player's power level is relatively consistent, so player power level or build style isn't much of a consideration. But in a roguelite or bullet heaven, players can have wildly varying power levels and playstyles each time they reach a boss. And not just because of good or bad choices. Some builds aren't meant for large single targets, while others are, but then lack screen clearing power when lots of small enemies show up. For this reason, most bullet heaven style games don't have much in the way of bosses. They're usually just bigger sprites with more health that walk toward you just as slowly, or maybe dash once in a while.[/p][p]Players also have varying expectations with how this should be addressed. Some always want the bosses to be somewhat of a challenge, because being really strong isn't that fun for them if the boss dies so quickly they don't get to enjoy their own power. While others love the idea of so outscaling the game, that they cut through everything with godlike abandon.[/p][p][/p][p]This update aims to help both kinds of players by shortening the overall duration of boss fights for all players, but still allowing bosses to fight back a little bit against the most powerful builds.[/p][p]![]()
[/p]
- [p]1 New Pilot[/p]
- [p]2 New Weapons[/p]
- [p]28 new utilities[/p]
- [p]Updated Boss fights and game balance[/p]
- [p]New and updated visuals for a variety of game elements[/p]
- [p]And of course, bug fixes[/p]
- [p]The boss "threshold" invulnerability phases that trigger after enough damage is dealt have been significantly cut down. You'll now only see 2* of these phases in a boss fight down from 4-5 in the late game, previously.[/p]
- [p]In their place are smaller "Armored Parries" or counterattacks. These are brief, and provide the boss with shorter windows to fight back, even against the strongest builds, but without really slowing the game down.[/p]
- [p]In some cases, like the Hive Queen and Lightning Lord, these are just tweaks to the animation, timing, and logic of existing abilities. Meanwhile, The Sting King and Monarch each got new attacks and animations altogether.[/p]
- [p]
- The Monarch is always invulnerable until made vulnerable by the threshold, and it is possible to see more than 2 threshold phases against them, but it is also now possible to kill The Monarch after just 2 such phases if you're strong enough.[/p]
- [p]In all cases of invulnerability, the boss's health bar now flashes and an armor icon also appears. You can see that in the above gif.[/p]