The Riftbreaker News

Before the release of the last expansion, we didn’t have the chance to tell you about all the new features we have prepared for you. We will try to make up for that in the coming weeks. Last week we told you about all the new weapons we introduced to the world of The Riftbreaker in World Expansion II. New toys for Mr. Riggs are always high on your wishlists, and we are happy to give you plenty of them to choose from. Still, handheld weapons are only one part of the arsenal available to you on Galatea 37. Defensive towers you can set up in your bases and outposts are the second half of this puzzle. With the release of World Expansion II, we also had a chance to expand your possibilities in this area. Here are all the new towers that we added in this expansion and the reasons why we chose them.

[h3]Acid Spewer Tower[/h3]



This structure is a standalone version of the Acid Spitter weapon we showed off last week. Acid Spewer Tower is a mid-range, area-of-effect tower with a crowd control effect on top. It shoots acid projectiles that cover the battlefield with a sticky, acidic substance that slows enemies down and damages them. It is especially effective against large groups of small creatures, thanks to the fact that the acid pool stays behind for a couple of seconds. Even if a creature is not the direct target of the tower, it can still fall victim to the acid left on the ground. The tower serves as a middle ground between a Flamethrower Tower and a regular Sentinel Tower. It also fills in an important gap that we had in our defensive arsenal. Prior to the release of World Expansion II, we did not have any towers that dealt Acid damage to creatures. With this addition, you can take full advantage of Galatean creatures’ vulnerabilities.



Many of you let us know that you wanted to see more towers like the Heavy Artillery - giant, 2x2 cannons with incredible firepower. More than 800 people upvoted that idea on our suggestion board. What can we say - it’s a request we fulfilled with a smile on our face! (By the way, you can suggest more brilliant ideas there, the board is still open!)

[h3]Portal Bomb Tower[/h3]



When we decided that World Expansion II was going to revolve around the underground Crystal Caverns biome, we knew that we needed a new Artillery Tower variant. We couldn’t simply use the classic Artillery. First of all, we want to imply that the cavern ceilings are way too low for the Tower to lob a projectile in a traditional way. The second reason is that Artillery Towers would shoot everything in their range, even if there was a solid wall in the way. These two elements combined would completely break the feeling of traversing a network of caverns and tunnels. We needed to find another way to combat ranged creatures, especially those pesky Necrodons.



Portal Bomb Tower utilizes our signature technology we use to solve all problems and inconsistencies - Rift Portals. Thanks to this versatile tech, the tower can deliver a powerful, armed bomb right to the back ranks of the enemy forces. Thanks to the instant materialization of the bomb in its target spot, there is no risk that the projectile will hit an obstacle along the way. The new tower’s firepower is also significantly higher than regular Artillery but comes at a significant cost. Each bomb dropped from the Portal Bomb Tower takes ten units of explosive ammunition, so you have to build a strong economy to support them. However, in contrast to Heavy Artillery, they do not require a steady flow of plasma to work, so they are a great alternative if you do not fancy laying down pipes around your entire base.

[h3]Laser Gatling Tower[/h3]



This is another heavy hitter that will quickly deal with most of the large threats that might come hunting for you. While these towers require a significant amount of power per second to stay online, they compensate for that with no need for any additional ammunition to work. This tower shoots a rapid barrage of short laser bursts at a single target, allowing it to deal with heavily armed enemies with ease. However, it will lose a bit of effectiveness against entire hordes of creatures, as it takes some time to acquire its target. Still, nothing that can’t be fixed by adding more towers!



Laser Gatling Tower is an effective tool against Krocoons, Gnerots, or Drilgors - all the heavy hitters that can soak up the damage from regular towers with ease. You will also find it useful against medium-sized enemies with physical damage resistances. The energy upkeep cost may be significant, but the tower will keep shooting as long as you can provide the power for it. It makes it a little easier to maintain compared to Heavy Artillery and Portal Bomb Towers, both of which churn through your ammo reserves pretty quickly. This is the perfect middle ground between sheer power and ease of use.

What other kinds of defensive towers should we add? Would you like to see more small towers or just a couple of really massive ones? Let us know in the comments and on the suggestion board right here: https://riftbreaker.featureupvote.com/.

EXOR Studios

Now that the dust has settled after the release of the second World Expansion for The Riftbreaker and Into the Dark Story Expansion, we can finally come back to our classic developer blogs. Some of them will be more technical, while others will talk more about gameplay and design. Today’s article belongs to that second category. We will have a detailed look at all the new weapons that made their way into the game with the latest updates. If you have not tried them out yet, this one is for you!



[h3]Pickaxe[/h3]

Designed with the Crystal Caverns biome in mind, the Pickaxe is a melee weapon that deals area damage in a cone shape in front of the Mech. That allows you to dig through walls quickly but has a sweet side effect - you can use this melee weapon just like a short-range gun. Depending on your playstyle, you may find the Pickaxe to be the optimal choice for a melee weapon for other biomes as well.



[h3]Bouncing Blades[/h3]

This fun weapon will allow you to take advantage of the narrow corridors of Crystal Caverns biome. Bouncing Blades shoot out spinning disks at a very high velocity. The spin of the disk allows it to bounce and ricochet off walls several times, slicing through the enemies several times. The alternative fire mode also allows you to charge the launcher up with several disks at a time. Then, they are unleashed all at once, resulting in a delightful salvo of spinning death blades. Oh, and did we mention that they are covered with acid, corroding anything they come in contact with? Well, now you know!



[h3]Shard Gun[/h3]

This weapon is the reward for completing the Into the Dark storyline. It is essentially a machine gun that weaponizes some of the crystalline structures found in the Crystal Caverns biome. The weapon synthesizes the crystal structure of very brittle minerals that Ashley and Mr. Riggs discovered during their visit to the cavern system below the surface of Galatea 37. Combining the crystals with traditional, low-caliber bullets results in a deadly combination. Projectiles fired from the Shard Gun split into razor-sharp pieces and pierce through the enemies. The shards split from the original bullet can deal damage to more enemies, giving you the power to mow down hordes quickly. Additionally, the crystals give bullets cryo properties, meaning that enemies hit with them will be slowed down significantly.



[h3]Sonic Fists[/h3]

Sonic Fists are an ‘underground’ alternative to the standard Power Fists known from the original Riftbreaker. However, there are a few key differences between the two. Instead of relying on energy damage and very fast attack speed, the Sonic Fists deal physical damage at a slightly lower rate. They make up for these small disadvantages with a much higher power level and the shockwave they create with each attack. The shockwave allows you to keep a little bit of distance from your targets, making them easier to use and even viable as a multi-target weapon.



[h3]Immolator[/h3]

This is the favorite weapon of every home-grown pyromaniac. Not only does it shoot explosive projectiles made of molten lava, but it also sets everything on fire afterward. Immolator also has an alternative firing mode, which shoots a much bigger projectile that explodes into a sizeable ring of fire after hitting an enemy. This weapon is especially useful in situations where you are fighting a group of smaller creatures accompanied by a couple of ‘tankier’ friends, like Gnerots or Krocoons. Since Immolator deals fire damage, it will get around resistances of most creatures outside of the Volcanic Area biome.



[h3]Spewers category[/h3]

Fire, Cryo, and Acid Spewers are brand-new takes on weapons utilizing liquid ammunition. They shoot out balls of a gel-like substance that do not deal impact damage. Instead, the gel splashes all over the area of impact and stays on the ground. Enemies that come into contact with the gel take damage and get affected by additional elemental damage effects - they are slowed down in the case of Cryo Spewers and get set on fire in the case of the Fire Spewer. This type of weapon is very effective when fighting against large groups of smaller creatures, as the substance stays on the ground for a considerable time. It allows you to essentially form a barrier against such creatures wherever you need it. Spewer weapons reward quick decision-making and predicting where the creatures are most likely to swarm you.



[h3]Floating Mines category[/h3]

Floating Mines have been a part of The Riftbreaker arsenal for a long time. The weapon allows you to place mines in rapid succession in a large area at a low ammo cost. However, the mines have a limited lifetime, meaning that you can’t simply cover the entire area of the planet with mines and call it a day. This requires the players to adopt a playstyle that focuses on predicting where the enemies will attack from and luring them into traps. Given that our latest expansion takes place in the Crystal Caverns biome, you spend the majority of the time navigating narrow tunnels and passages, giving you plenty of opportunities to set such traps. In World Expansion II we expanded the Floating Mines ‘family of weapons’ with more models, each utilizing a different element and allowing you to take advantage of the weaknesses of various species of Galatena Fauna. Now we have a full set of Floating Mines that can deal Acid, Fire, Gravity, as well as the classic Area damage. Each type of mine has its own set of effects, allowing you to easily distinguish between them on the battlefield. Plus, they actually float in the air now! Give Floating Mines a try if you haven’t done so before.

What are your thoughts about the types of weapons introduced in World Expansion II? Are any of them too strong or too weak, in your opinion? What kind of weapons would you like to see in the future? Let us know here in the comments, on our Discord at www.discord.gg/exorstudios, or our suggestion board at riftbreaker.featureupvote.com! We’re curious to hear what you think!

EXOR Studios

[h3]Hello![/h3]

To celebrate the Steam Summer Sale, The Riftbreaker is now available at 40% off. Step into the role of an intrepid scientist/commando in an advanced Mecha-Suit and prepare the planet Galatea 37 for colonization. Fight endless hordes of aggressive creatures, create intricate bases and invent new technologies to survive in this strange new world.



https://store.steampowered.com/app/780310/The_Riftbreaker/

You can also pick up the Complete Edition of the game, which contains both of the Story Expansions currently available for the game: Metal Terror and Into the Dark. Both of them will take you to undiscovered regions of the planet, where your combat and base management skills will be tested in completely new environments.



https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/26959/The_Riftbreaker_Complete_Pack/

And if you're still unconvinced if The Riftbreaker is the right game for you, check out the free Prologue here:



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1293860/The_Riftbreaker_Prologue/

Have fun scouting Galatea 37!
EXOR Studios

Today we are taking a moment to celebrate the skills and creativity of our modding community. Three months ago, we announced The Riftbreaker modding competition in cooperation with mod.io. Contestants could submit their creations in two categories - Custom Maps and Game Modifications. Our goal was to improve the popularity of modding in The Riftbreaker as well as to reward the most dedicated members of our modding community.

We chose a shortlist of candidates based on our assessment of the mods they submitted. If you haven’t seen it yet, the shortlist is available in this news article. Two weeks ago, we started a public vote so that you, the community, could decide who the winners should be. 375 people cast their votes.

[h3]Without further ado, here are the results:[/h3]

1. [h2]Expanded Arsenal by WirawanMYT with 72,8% of the votes[/h2]
   
2. [h2]Distributed Force by Piisfun with 16,3% of the votes[/h2]
   
3. [h2]Galatea Challenger by LikewiseHH with 10,9% of the votes[/h2]
   

1. [h2]MegaPack by frognik with 51,2% of the votes[/h2]
   
2. [h2]Corrosive by akee3 with 30,1% of the votes[/h2]
   
3. [h2]Arctic Map by molch1 with 18,7% of the votes[/h2]
   

Voting results from the Google Form:





[h2]Congratulations to all the winners! [/h2]

[h3]1st place in both categories takes home a custom-built PC with The Riftbreaker artwork printed on the case. [/h3]


[h3]2nd prize winners get a Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card. [/h3]


[h3]3rd place winners will receive a care pack with EXOR Studios goodies and gadgets. [/h3]


We will contact all the winners by e-mail and ship the prizes within 14 days of confirmation of all the shipping details.

Thank you everyone for participation and creating all these great mods for The Riftbreaker. If you’d like to try out these mods, please visit the Mods tab in the game’s main menu and give them a shot! Thank you to mod.io for the support and the platform as well!

This is not the last contest we will be organizing, so stay tuned for more! Join our Discord to stay on top of all the news about the game and our studios - www.discord.gg/exorstudios.

See you next time!
EXOR Studios

We have just released a hotfix for The Riftbreaker that fixes an issue with Cultivator and Harvester drones that you have reported to us recently. In most cases, the drones would stop working after a couple of loops.

The current version number is: EXE: 810 DATA: 422.

This build contains no other changes.

Thank you for your reports and your help with fixing this problem.

EXOR Studios