Gone Viral News

EARLY ACCESS UPDATE 0.5.1

Hey, look! It’s an Update! Woot!

YAY EARLY ACCESS! For those of you who helped in Beta, you know how we roll - our team is constantly chattin’ on Discord, watching streams, crawling through the analytics and then turning that into frequent updates to make GV cooler.

So, here’s an update! We’re aiming to do two kinds of updates on the regular:

• Normal Updates like this one with a week or two of bug fixes, content, polish, and all that, and…
  
• Big Ass Updates where we’ll release Big Stuff - new classes, new levels, new bosses, all that jazz.

Keep an eye out!

Ooh, a note: Each time we release a Big Ass Update (like Launch was!) we’ll reward folks for playing. Everyone playing now, enjoy your permanent exclusive sexy Founder Crown!

Once we do our next Big Update, no new folks can get the crown but folks who play in THAT update (like you again!) get another cool new exclusive unlock!

We call this the Blatant Bribery For Y’all Participating, Feeding Our Analytics, And Giving Us Crap On Discord System. We’ll work on the name, but we like the system itself - ya early adopting awesomesauce people! After all, the earlier folks join in, the more goodies you’ll rack up, so thanks for being in here yelling “FIRST!”

Anyhoo! The last week of goodies also includes:

• Persistent Cosmetics! We now unlock stuff on Steam so you won’t lose your goodies if you delete your account file or play on another machine. Yay!
  
• More Rooms! Bunches of new secret rooms and variant rooms for the Big Show are in!
  
• More Mutations! Doug’s been cranking away on adding more buddy companions for y’all!
  
• Polish! And as usual a ton of polish! There’d be bug fixes, too, if we ever wrote any bugs. Which we don’t. But if we did. Doug.

Once again thanks for being along for the ride in Early Access - it’s folks like you helping indie development that keeps us cranking away. The more folks that join Early Access, the more we can add to the game - so poke your buddies to get on in here as well and/or leave reviews on Steam - those help a bunch too!

You rock! We’re having a great time adding more to Gone Viral, and thanks for the feedback!

Enjoy!

-The Skullbotians


Features:
-- Unlocked Cosmetics are stored in Steam Data, making sure you have Cosmetic access on all your machines/even if you delete local files

Content:
-- Added in bunches more secret rooms
-- Added more rooms for the Champ level (The Big Show)
-- Marked Triple Vault as being a rare vault instead of a rare standard room
-- Headhunter now removes Boss HP if picked up mid-combat
-- Headhunter now reveals boss rooms on the Minimap when picked up/on future levels
-- Added a 2x Shield repair consumable. Good call @Justice!
-- Added more music - including variants and full length combat track
-- Added @LeoFonseca icons for bosses and armors
More companions added:
-- Slicer Aggie is here to help!
-- Demo Mabey is here to help!
-- Combat buddies now teleport to you when you enter combat (thanks @Seebo)
-- Added new rooms

Polish:
-- Fixed tire stacks using the wrong art on the Champ's floor (thanks @Swordmouse)
-- Updated cursor to be more visible
-- Gameshow kit version of TutorialBars
-- You can no longer lose your selection on the main menu by accidently navigating to the completion bars on the right
-- Controller shake is now an option you can disable (thanks @morokko)
-- Implemented the new gameshow fence wall assets
-- Fixed the viewer event voice overs being quite a bit louder than other VO (thanks https://www.twitch.tv/wanderbot)
-- Fixed the tutorial logo signs being in floating boxes instead of being transparent
-- Fixed scaling issues for both the logo and webcams on screens in the tutorial
-- Scaling is now adjusted on the fly for screens in the tutorial to get the largest good looking display
-- Updated Headhunter Murderpedia entry
-- Fixed an issue preventing you from earning your Champ achievement on Abacus (thanks @Seebo)
-- Fixed an old achievement appearing in the Murderpedia (thanks @Seebo)
-- Added a few new test achievements for something fun
-- Gameshow tiles now properly fade out after being destroyed
-- Tiles now spawn into existence in a much more polished way
-- 2-Fer properly now doubles repair pickups. Next thing you know, people will want it to double keys as well...crap, I better make a double-key item.
-- Fixed an issue with half damage shields actually blocking 3/4 damage (thanks https://www.twitch.tv/escapeg0at)
-- Da Champ now only has his explosive damage shield up when he is using his rocket launcher
-- Mini-bosses now have the same explosive protections full bosses have to keep them from being as easily one-shot
-- Added some visual variation to the floor tiles of several of the Big Show's random rooms to help separate them visually from each other
-- Tuned rocket gladiator animations to give better telegraph timings
-- Updated Shock Sword powered attack to handle gravity more cleanly
-- Bulletproofed Tire Stack against potential rare crash conditions
-- Fixed 16:3 aspect ratios on several UIs to be handled in a boring-but-not-totally-borked fashion (much thanks @Merz)
-- Added a bounce effect to all tiles
-- Added bounce FX to all weapon and enemy big slams
-- Tiles no longer flicker when bouncing
-- Teleporters are no longer visible when at their lowest point under the tiles, so that you don't see them when tiles bounce
-- Da Champ no longer destroys interior bar walls when trying to destroy the wall leading to the next room
-- Fixed a bug with an unexpected low wall in the middle of a bunch of high walls (thanks @Seebo)
-- Let's see if a two tank minion version of the blue Bombadier variant pulls its difficulty back a bit and provides some more gameplay decisions for how you face the fight (thanks @Seebo and @loginerror and @Justice)
-- Fixed teleporters in their special rooms not occasionally not having their icon
-- Fixed teleporters without valid special rooms drawing a mutation icon on the floor of the starting room
-- Fixed potential DungeonRoom spawning issue
-- Potential fix for issue with Timer Pie Chart FX occasionally being 2x as slow as should be (thanks for the poke @Justice and @loginerror)
-- The spike roller no longer hurts you unless it is spinning (thanks @Seebo)
-- Fixed an issue where navigating the Twitch options menu with a controller would skip around a bit
-- Cosmetics being unlocked or not is stored using steam stats if steam is connected (otherwise stores in account data)
-- Injectors Big Shot, Vortex, and Lightweight now last until the end of the next combat, increasing their utility.
-- Dumpster Diver and similar things will now properly magnetize gadgets and injectors (nice, very subtle find @Seebo)
-- Steam updates of Cosmetic unlocks improved
-- A few more layers of protection added to try and stop the music from restarting in the middle randomly, thus sounding more repetitive than it really is
-- Added ability for Murderpedia entries and icons to handle custom-aspect-ratio images
-- Tweaks to the new nuke and camera Big Show rooms to smooth out how they play (thanks @Seebo)
-- Slicer Aggie now tries to get a little bit closer to her enemies (thanks @Seebo)
-- Gadgets once again do not generate Fan Opinions (a side effect of the Lure cleanup was Fans started caring about what gadgets you picked up, which felt weird)
-- Toned down the materials for Slicer Aggie and Demo Mabey so that they don't stand out against the background as much
-- Imported all newly localized strings
-- Tweaked tire stack navmesh settings
-- Fixed issue where murderpedia icons would distort after you'd view a boss. Yeah, that was a thing.
-- Scaling works properly in unlocks at end of run even for non-standard aspect ratio icons

Developer Notes
-- [DEV] Added ability to track when dungeon rooms are finished decorating themselves
-- [DEV] Root motion test weapon prototype implementation
-- [WIP] NPC cage prototype implemented
-- [WIP] Tuning of new weapon animations
-- [WIP] Added code to test what would happen if we applied physics to dungeon rooms
-- [DEV] Added some cheats to test saving data server side
-- [WIP] Prototype Weapons work
-- [DEV] Root Motion and Gravity handled by separate AnimNotifies
-- [WIP] Weapon Prototypes
-- [DEV] Switched cosmetic unlocks to be tracked server side
-- [DEV] Removed non-steam persistence of Cosmetics
-- [DEV] An attempt to fix an issue with server side data storage only in cooked builds
-- [DEV] Updating how we communicate with the steam servers in an attempt to work around a bug
-- [DEV] Another server side data test
-- [DEV] Testing a new way of doing server side data storage
-- [WIP] Weapons animation tuning
-- [DEV] Re-enabling of local file storage of consumable unlocks
-- [DEV] Cleaning up redirectors
-- [WIP] Cosmetic steam implementation
-- [DEV] Added SteamCore plugin
-- [DEV] Testing server side data storage using the new plugin
-- [DEV] Attempting a quick fix for building SteamCore with the editor
-- [WIP] Cosmetic manager leaderboard test updates disabled
-- [DEV] Regenerated VS files w/ new plugin
-- [DEV] Possible cook fix
-- [DEV] Moved SteamCore to be a project plugin
-- [DEV] Removed some unnecessary path finding geo that was being generated
-- [DEV] Fix for nativized cook issue
-- [DEV] Cosmetics management moved to manager class
-- [DEV] Cleaned up logging around cosmetics
-- [DEV] Steam stats are cached much earlier in the process
-- [WIP] Added new character prototype (shhhh!)
-- [DEV] Some cleanup to cheat-spawn menu
-- [DEV] Added ability to lock things behind cooked build vs. editor build
-- [DEV] Updating the game version to 0.5.1
-- [WIP] New weapon now deflects bullets by default
-- [DEV] New character unlocks automatically in editor
-- [DEV] Added call "InUnrealEditor" to blueprints
-- [WIP] Tuned new weapon prototype attacks
-- [DEV] New character only unlocks in editor if dev mode is active
-- [DEV] Gathered all new strings into the localization system

Lady Killers and Gentlemutants,

Gone Viral hit Early Access two weeks ago! Thanks SO MUCH to the hardcore beta veterans and the newest fans flooding from all corners of the internet - we’re blown away by the love and support.

We couldn’t do this without you supporting indie development! As a scrappy team of developers, your Early Access involvement is making Gone Viral bigger and crazier - so we wanted to send y’all a special treat!

We thought: Hey, wouldn’t it be neat if we gave away cool stuff to the folks actively helping development? And then immediately we had a second thought: Hell yeah, that WOULD be neat!

Here’s our plan to do that.

Plan for World Domination Part 1: When you pick up the game in Early Access: boom, you get the Killer Shades cosmetic item that you can plop onto Decimus or Abacus (or other characters in development...ooh, teaser!)

These glowing stylish shades are available all the way through Early Access, so anybody in Early Access gets ‘em! Check out how snazzy they look!



But that’s not all! Since helping us early helps a lot, we’re helping us help you to a heaping helping! (editor note - that line broke my brain. Blame Skullbot.)

Enter Plan For World Domination Part 2! Every time we do a Major Update in Early Access (and we’re planning LOTS!) we’ll also be giving away a unique, limited cosmetic item to those intrepid early folks checking it out! You can impress all your fans with your fashion choices.

Here’s how it works: Log into the game and start a run even once during each update period and you’ll pick up that exclusive item and add it to your inventory for permanent future bragging rights. Hop into your Murderpedia character sheet, click your favorite cosmetic, and you’ll slam that puppy right on your head or appropriate appendage.

What’s the item available now (and ONLY now?!) - an amazing, majestic Founder’s Crown!



We understand that getting crowns is hard in other games so we’re going to make your lives easier by giving you this one free for having supported us early! The Founder’s Crown (unlike the shades) won’t be given away to new folks if they start after the next Major Update in Early Access comes out*! And rumors say that might be pretty damn soon!

So...if you haven’t picked up the game or logged in lately, you’ll want to get in there and knock off a run or two or fifty before the next update touches down (more on that soon!) There are blatant cool bribes to do so, and more coming!

If you have picked up Gone Viral - THANKS! Your many happy reviews, streams, and feedback on discord have kept us geeked up and cranking away.

That’s all from us for now! Good luck in the arena - you’ll need it!

*Maybe someday some of these cosmetics goodies might become DLC? We don’t know. Maybe they’ll never be back. Maybe our beancounters will use ‘em to make a buck from folks who weren’t cool like you who joined early. In any case, you’ll have snagged something for free those latecomers can’t - because you rock. And even if you never popped on Discord or only play a few times an update, you still rock! That feeds our analytics and makes the game better! So dammit, YOU DESERVE IT. Win-win!

EARLY ACCESS HOTFIX 0.5.0.1

Let me tell you, these first few days of Early Access launch have been CRAZY. Like, no one getting any sleep crazy.

But also a never ending stream of excitement and joy crazy - especially when watching our streamers play and hearing feedback from everyone who is supporting the Early Access so far!

As part of all this, we have noticed a few things here and there we wanted to sneak some fixes in on, and at least one of our players pointed out that controller shake can be a real issue for people with hand sensitivity or limited control. So that is the solo feature leading this hotfix along with the polish following behind.

Enjoy!


Features:
-- Controller shake is now an option you can disable (thanks @morokko)

Polish:
-- Fixed tire stacks using the wrong art on the Champ's floor (thanks @Swordmouse)
-- Updated cursor to be more visible
-- Gameshow kit version of TutorialBars
-- You can no longer lose your selection on the main menu by accidently navigating to the completion bars on the right
-- Implemented the new gameshow fence wall assets
-- Fixed the viewer event voice overs being quite a bit louder than other VO (thanks https://www.twitch.tv/wanderbot)
-- Fixed the tutorial logo signs being in floating boxes instead of being transparent
-- Fixed scaling issues for both the logo and webcams on screens in the tutorial
-- Scaling is now adjusted on the fly for screens in the tutorial to get the largest good looking display

Developer Notes
-- [DEV] Updating the game version to 0.5.0.1

Let’s get started.

Gone Viral, the rough and tumble roguelite brawler you know and love, hits Early Access today! If you love the brutality, if you love the carnage, if you love the roaring crowd, then be prepared for the game to enter overdrive and dole out goodies all over the place. If you pick up the game for early access today, you’ll get unique, one-of-a-kind cosmetic rewards every month until the game launches, not to mention all the free updates that we’ve got planned. New characters, new levels, new bosses, new enemies, new mutations, new items, you name it, we’ve got it coming down the pike.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/680030/Gone_Viral/

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Gone Viral explores a mutant post-apocalypse society that so glorifies violence and social media that the ultimate hybrid of the two has become the cornerstone of their entertainment – the most brutal game show ever devised. Gone Viral puts the player in the shoes of a “contestant” on that gameshow who has been captured and is forced to fight for their life – and for likes.

String together sickening combos to sate your Fans’ thirst for blood and gain rewards. Mutations upgrade your slaughtering skills to achieve even greater spectacle and efficiency as you tear your way through room after room, leaving a trail of blood and tears (but mostly blood) in your wake. Grab your freedom by the throat!

Rise to become the apocalypse’s greatest SOCIAL MURDIA STAR as you amass a following in-game or IRL. “IRL!?” you say? That’s right! Twitch Integration optionally lets you invite your viewers to take part in the world of Gone Viral as Fans who can vote to either help or hinder you.

Quench your fans’ parched throats with fresh-squeezed BLOOD and reap the rewards. Do WHATEVER it takes to gain freedom!

Features:

• Killer Combos - Annihilate enemies by ricocheting them off walls, smashing them into each other, or shoving them into bone-crunching traps.
  
• Kills = Fans - The flashier your combos and the more mayhem you unleash, the more likes and followers you’ll get!
  
• Fans = Upgrades - Sate your fans’ parched throats with FOUNTAINS of blood and they’ll reward you with amazing upgrades!
  
• Homicidium ad Infinitum - With endless combinations of mutations and attacks, each unique experience in the arena is as death-defying as the last so you can MURDER FOREVER.
  
• Blood Stream - Real-life audiences can introduce another layer of interaction to the experience as they vote to help (or hinder) you in your killing sprees.
  

--
If you want to keep up to date on all the post-apocalyptic action, make sure you join the Gone Viral Discord! As always, feel free to connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

Good luck in the arena - you’ll need it!

EARLY ACCESS UPDATE 0.5.0

Just a few more little fixes here and there to make sure Gone Viral can put its best foot forward on Early Access release day! We are super excited to have you play and even more excited for you to see all the cool new stuff we are working on already, planning on making, and dreaming about adding over the next few months!

Enjoy!


Polish:
-- Adding in four lines of localized text that decided to mark themselves as "needs review" for no apparent reason after being translated
-- Fire Jets adjust their visuals to be more sandy if spawned in an Arena
-- Added new Tips/Shoutouts (reminder to poke me if you'd like one added!)
-- Tweaked Tips for https://twitch.tv/FextraLife and @TurraBull!
-- Tips tweaks
-- Switched some "beta" references to say "test"
-- Removed a ghostly decal that was appearing on the fence posts in the gameshow tileset
-- The cosmetic panel on the character sheet once again allows you to actually push the buttons
-- Dangerous and Terminal Velocity are gated behind Insanity 1 for now to keep them from ruining runs of innocent newbies. No worries, Biggest Fan and Orbit remain to wreck their worlds.

Developer Notes
-- [DEV] Last localized string gather before EA builds begin
-- [DEV] Updating the account save file version
-- [DEV] The Early Access save reset no longer happens if you are playing a demo version of the game