WZRDS News

[p]Hello Everyone! Bullet Heaven Fest is here and WZRDS is participating! Unfortunately, I goofed up by releasing last week, and as such can't set a discount. Instead, I'm celebrating by releasing a small patch with new content, and sharing my plans for the future!
[/p][p]First, let's start off with the patch notes[/p][h2]new content[/h2][p]new items : I have added 5 new common items, each designed to help solidify the different archetypes and builds you can make[/p][p]new skill trees: Each WZRD now has it's own skill tree, centered around it's ability. this should hopefully make ability centered runs easier to get online [/p][h2]balance[/h2]

• [p]wind wzrd base attack has +1 pierce (1->2)[/p]
• [p]plant wzrd base attack -1t range (4->3)[/p]

[p]I think it's important to convey my plans for WZRD's future, starting with what comes next.[/p][h2]1.0.3[/h2][p]Right now, there are a few known issues with the game's ui, performance, and balance. I have already began working on fixing the ui and performance, but the changes weren't ready to roll out for this update. As such, 1.0.3 will come either later this month or possibly early Q1, depending on when it's ready. it will include[/p]

• [p]better, more informative ui[/p]
• [p]better controller support, especially in menus[/p]
• [p]optimizations and lag fixes[/p]
• [p]a wave of balance changes designed to make the game more fair, especially at higher difficulties[/p]

[h2]1.1[/h2][p]1.1 will be the Game's first notable content update. I am shooting for a release late Q1 2026. This update will be focused on overhauling the game's weapon system, and will include[/p]

• [p]Melee and Ranged archetypes[/p]
• [p]20+ new weapons[/p]
• [p]Dozens of new items[/p]
• [p]New skill trees[/p]
• [p]more bosses[/p]

[p]I have a lot of plans and updates I would like to do to make WZRDS a better game, but as these are so far off into the future I don't want to give any dates. I am not promising any of these updates, as things may change, but here's the direction I would like to take the game and why[/p][h3]Online multiplayer[/h3][p]WZRDS actually started as a microproject for me to learn better online multiplayer, with things like client prediction and lag compensation. I have back seated the multiplayer aspect in order to deliver a complete game, but I will be fixing up and getting the game's multiplayer ready for release. I would like to have it done by end of 2026, but online multiplayer is no small beast. [/p][h3]New characters [/h3][p]I have dozens of concepts for new characters, but in order to really deliver on them I want to make sure I spend enough time fleshing out their role in the game, abilities, and item pools, so that each new WZRD is a meaningful addition to the overall game, rather than a one-off permutation. I don't know how many of my concepts will end up being fleshed out into full WZRDS, but I hope to have at least 4 done throughout 2026[/p][h3]Better skill trees[/h3][p]The issue with the game's current skill trees is that they're not really skill trees, moreso skill bushes. I would like to expand on the game's existing skills by adding a lot more branching paths, as well as more complex rewards beyond simple stat boosts. [/p][h3]Completely overhauled challenge waves[/h3][p]The current challenge waves in WZRDS just suck. They're basic, forgettable, stat changes to the enemies that can largely be ignored. I would like to completely overhaul the challenge waves, replacing them with mini-boss fights that provide a more coordinated, unique challenge[/p][h3]Endless mode[/h3][p]I do want to add an endless mode at some point, but it's not at the top of my priorities. I'd like to focus on giving the players more ways to create fun, diverse builds, before I add ways to push those builds as far as possible. [/p][h3]Better UI and polish[/h3][p]while not a specific update, I will continue to enhance the game's UI, Polish, and accessibility to provide the best experience possible. these things include[/p]

• [p]Better and more resolution supports[/p]
• [p]Additional Language support[/p]
• [p]More responsive UI[/p]
• [p]An ingame dictionary[/p]

[p]Hello WZRDS! Today I am rolling out a new update with a number of balance adjustments as well as UI improvements and bug fixes. More content as well as a roadmap for future development will come soon, but these changes were too important to put off[/p][h2]Notable Changes[/h2][p]After launch, I sent my game out to a few people who have never played WZRDS. Getting live feedback from a fresh set of eyes has allowed me to identify and address key issues with the game's ui and information presentation. As such, I have made the following changes:[/p][p]Mid Wave[/p]

• [p]added damage numbers. can be disabled under gameplay settings[/p]
• [p]added wave number to time remaining[/p]

[p]Level Up Screen[/p]

• [p]level up screen now includes weapons[/p]
• [p]new animation on selecting multiple level ups in a single round, to prevent accidentally double selecting a random level up[/p]

[p]Shop[/p]

• [p]Weapon descriptions have been majorly reformatted[/p]
• [p]Most notably, Weapon descriptions now contain their level, directly under the weapon sprite[/p]
• [p]Overhauled the Weapon Diamond visuals[/p]
  • [p]Weapon Diamond now displays weapon level under the weapon sprite[/p]
  • [p]The Squares to represent Weapon Level have been completely redone[/p]
• [p]The button to upgrade the shop level now always shows the coin cost[/p]
• [p]The next wave is now displayed above the 'ready' button[/p]
• [p]Updated sprite for wand set bonus[/p]

[p]miscellaneous [/p]

• [p]Removed 'lock camera' from Options. this was a defunct setting [/p]

[p][/p][h2]Balance Changes[/h2][p]After watching a few brand new players play, I have come to the conclusion that WZRDS is too easy. More specifically, WZRDS gives you so many options and opportunities to become stronger that choosing carefully doesnt really matter as you end up strong no matter what. As such, I have made the following changes[/p][p]Player Stats[/p][p]Survivability stats should no longer be something you can passively take on level up and have more than enough[/p]

• [p]Player no longer starts at +5 speed. this is technically an bug (oversight from testing that slipped into the main game), but the change is large enough to note here[/p]
• [p]Player base speed raised by 10%. Net change in Player Speed is ~13% slower[/p]
• [p]Nerfed Dodge Stat.[/p]
  • [p]Exact formula has gone from 5/(5+dodge) to 10/(10+dodge)[/p]
  • [p]At 10 dodge, chance has gone from 66% -> 50%[/p]
  • [p]At 20 dodge, chance has gone from 80% -> 66%[/p]

• [p]Nerfed Armor Stat. [/p]
  • [p]Exact formula has gone from 10/(10+Armor) to 15/(15+Armor)[/p]
  • [p]At 10 Armor, reduction has gone from 50% -> 40%[/p]
  • [p]At 20 Armor, reduction has gone from 66% -> 58%[/p]

[p]Enemy Stats[/p][p]I have moved some of the difficulty out of the first set of modifiers and into the base stats. I have also made the Health Scaling difficulty modifier easier on the players, because enemies simply becoming damage sponges isn't fun difficulty[/p]

• [p]Enemy Base Health raised by 10%. Enemy Health difficulty modifier 20% -> 10%[/p]
• [p]Enemy Base Spawnrate raised by 5%. Enemy Spawnrate difficulty modifier 20% -> 15%[/p]
• [p]Enemy Health Scaling difficulty modifier lowered 10% -> 5%[/p]

[p]Enemy Changes:[/p]

• [p]\[Nerf]Evolved spirit clouds have less range on their additional projectiles (3t -> 2t)[/p]

[p]Shop and Items[/p][p]Item prices have been adjusted across the board. For the most part, Items of uncommon rarity and higher are more expensive. Reroll costs have also been raised from 2 -> 3. These two changes should make carefully deciding how to use your income more important.[/p][p]Specific Item Changes:[/p]

• [p]\[buff] crystal brain now gives more health on skipping (+2 -> +4)[/p]
• [p]\[nerf] Demon Eye is now limited (6)[/p]
• [p]\[nerf] Scroll of Cursed Flames 4 targets -> 3[/p]
• [p]\[nerf] Scroll of Cursed Flames 50 Cooldown -> 55 Cooldown[/p]

[p]As balance can be a tricky thing, I will continue to monitor and make changes so that the game remains fair[/p][h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Difficulty unlocks are now properly saved before crashing[/p]
• [p]Poltergeist mask unlock now shows correct sprite[/p]
• [p]Fixed a number of crashes and potential crashes related to finding the square root of negative number[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash relating to the Earth WZRD's ability[/p]
• [p]Tome Set Bonus now properly give Area Damage as listed instead of Damage over Time
  [/p]

[p]The demo has also received an update with all applicable bug fixes, ui updates, and item changes

hotfix 1.0.1.1[/p]

• [p]unlocking things no longer crashes games[/p]

[p][/p]

[p]WZRDS is out now in 1.0! for those of you who have checked out the demo, here's what's new at a glance:
-fully redesigned map generation[/p][p]-5 new difficulty tiers[/p][p]-New unlocks and achievements[/p][p]-dozens of new items to pick up and builds to make[/p][p]-over a dozen new weapons to check out[/p][p]I'm excited for this game's future and will have more to share in the near future. Until then, happy WZRDing [/p][p]Additionally, I have updated the demo to include the mechanical changes and improvements made, so you can get a real feel for the game before buying[/p][p][/p][p]1.0.0.2 hotfix[/p][p]-added dedicated fullscreen mode[/p][p][/p]