Dungeon Deathball News

I'll be the first to admit it, Dungeon Deathball is a sports game that doesn't feel very much like a sport. There were some key components missing, preventing it from truly feeling like you were fighting for the entertainment of the monstrous masses.

In this update, the first thing I've done to address that problem is add the fireworks that go off when you win a stage (see the gif above). The second is...



Now you have a full crowd of spectators, both fellow slaves and domineering monsters. They'll animate and make a lot of noise, responding to your punches and cheering as you get smooshed into the dirt.





Also, as you enter a new set of Trials, there are short new cinematic sequences that show off the new monster that you're up against.



Stay tuned for more monsters to populate the dungeon in the next update...

• Added much more detail to the crowds, including animations for the slaves, spectating monsters and cheering audio.
  
• Crowd audio reacts to in-game events (hits, deaths, etc.)
  
• Added fireworks and camera motion when you win a stage.
  
• Added an intro for each new set of Trials, showing off the new monster that has appeared.
  
• Slave Players now have various facial expressions which react to gameplay events.
  
• Tick Spawners now have a 'maximum live children' capacity of 3. Once they've spawned 3 Ticks, they won't spawn another until one is killed.
  
• "PASS" action now costs only 1 Stamina point (reduced from 2).
  
• Bug fix: idle animation now works again on all characters.
  

As always, I appreciate your feedback on these new changes. You can reach me on any of these channels:

• Discussion Boards
• Twitter
• Discord

And please remember to leave a Review!

Enjoy!

- Matt

Hey Deathballers!

I've been spending time with my family this week so progress has been a little slow, but I have got some improvements to share with you.


The biggest chunk of work on my part was changing how the game is structured from stage to stage. It's now played out in 4 trials made up of 3 stages (it used to be 3x4). I've added this concept of the 'Final Trial' which combines the randomly-selected monsters you encountered in the previous 2 trials. The reasons behind this change are mostly boring and technical, but you just need to know that it gives me more control over difficulty balancing further down the line.


Next up is the Timeline screen. I've revamped this to be able to show your entire 12-stage run at once, including whether or not you got a perfect 3 Star score in each stage.




And finally, the end-game screen now tallies up scores for your performance and gives you a final score. Eventually, I plan to add Steam Leaderboards so you can compare this score against other players.

Let me know what you think of the scoring system and share your top scores!

• Game structure is now 4 trials of 3 stages (instead of 3 of 4). Trial 1 is Mad Lads. Trials 2 and 3 are randomly selected monsters. Trial 4 is a combination of all monsters from the previous 3 trials.
  
• The end-game screen now gives you a final score, which is a total of your Stars, Deaths and Par. Stars are worth 2000 points each. Deaths are a 1000 point penalty. Par is 100 points subtracted or added per turn, depending on whether you're above or below par.
  
• The end-game screen is now displayed even if you lose.
  
• Enemies can now spawn closer to the players on large stages. They'll spawn 2 rows away minimum, instead of at the halfway line.
  
• The Timeline screen has been revamped: It now shows all 12 stages. Stage icons show whether or not you earned all 3 stars (white instead of grey). Sprites have been tidied up.
  
• During the Enemy turn, the camera skips focusing on an enemy if they are not performing an action.
  
• Bug fix: the Timeline now displays if you get Game Over.
  
• Bug fix: the Ball no longer pops behind enemies if they are standing on the same tile.
  

I stayed up way too late last night getting these damn unlock bars working to not post another update just 1 day after the last one.

• Perk upgrade bars animate and play audio as they fill and unlock.
  
• Prevented both starting team members having the same Perk.
  
• Tweaked the message and links when you shut down the game.
  

Friday's update 0.9 added an aggressive new swarming enemy, which made the later stages... uhh... a little difficult.

Some players' feedback suggested that I reduce the difficulty, that it was too much. But, being stubborn as I am, I refused. But with good reason! That reason being...





In this update, your players can permanently unlock a Perk which gives them invaluable bonuses (Perks were added in update 0.8).

Each Star you earn in a stage counts towards all players' next unlock (provided they survive the stage). So better performance allows you to race ahead and unlock them faster.

There are a variety of useful Perks, and some of them can be upgraded to level 2 or level 3. Not to mention, this update also comes packed with...



There are 3 new Perks and 2 extra levels for existing ones. See what new tactics you can come up with using them!

Power Nap
Reduces the AP cost of resting, so players can rest at the start of their turn then perform an action.

Knockback
Increases the number of squares you push enemies when you attack them.

Powerball
Increases the damage and knockback distance of the ball when you Shoot it at enemies.

In addition, the pre-existing Strength and Stamina perks both have Level 3 versions with increased bonuses.

The new Power Nap perk in action (although... poor Dan is still doomed... Your tactical skills are surely better than mine).

• Added Perk Unlock system:
  - Players unlock a Perk if they survive long enough.
  - The number of Stars you earn in a stage count towards the next unlock for all surviving players.
  - Some Perks can be upgraded to level 2 or 3.
  
• Added new Perks:
  - "Power Nap" reduces the AP cost of resting, so players can rest at the start of their turn then perform an action.
  - "Knockback" increases the number of squares you push enemies when you attack them.
  - "Powerball" increases the damage and knockback distance of the ball when you Shoot it at enemies.
  - "Strength" perk has a level 3.
  - "Stamina" perk has a level 3.
  
• Ball 'Shoot' action now does 2 damage as standard (increased from 1).
  
• Recruiting new players is more expensive if they already have a Perk unlocked.
  

As always, I appreciate your feedback on these new changes. You can reach me on any of these channels:

• Discussion Boards
• Twitter
• Discord

And please remember to leave a Review!

Thanks, I hope you enjoy the game!

- Matt

Woah, 2 updates in 1 week!


This update introduces the Itch Trials, increasing the length of the game by 50% and adding not one but two new monsters: Ticks and Hatchers (names TBC).

• Hatchers can't move, but every turn they will spawn a new Tick.
  
• Ticks are aggressive ball-chasers and will quickly flood the playing field, but they can be killed easily.

This duo adds a new pressure which forces you to use aggressive tactics, otherwise you'll be knee-deep in creepy bugs.

The trials you must face are randomised, so you may go through the Gore Trials first. As I add more monster types in the coming weeks you'll get a growing number of possible combinations.


Another (smaller) new improvement is that health bars now show the actual number of HP a character has when you hover the mouse over them. There's also a little damage popup which shows how much damage a character took. More little improvements coming in the future too.

• Added the Itch Trials, featuring 2 new monsters: an itchy bitey boy and a thing that spawns itchy bitey boys.
  
• Health bars now show a numerical value.
  
• Damage values pop up when characters receive damage.
  

Please note that the difficulty settings undergo continuous tuning. If you find the game too hard or too easy, please share your thoughts on the discussion boards or Discord

Enjoy!

- Matt