Update 9
Some new stuff, some old stuff made new.
New Content
- Added the Launch Controller.
- This alternative to the Room Cleaner deals no damage but has a lot of knockback. While it lacks the ability to kill, it gives you great mobility (especially in large rooms) and lets you force enemies to a new location. It also does not stun whoever it hits, meaning you can adjust your momentum as you go. This weapon is also a reference to my first game, Launch Control, which is a short 2D platformer about rocket jumping.
- Added the Iron Fists.
- The Iron Fists may be the only melee weapon I put in the game. Dealing 12 damage per hit and hitting twice per second, it can quickly take out enemies. Enemies that need to reload a lot are most vulnerable to the Iron Fists.
- Added the Block Button.
- This shield can block non-explosive projectiles and absorb up to 150 damage from whatever direction you face before breaking. It can only be repaired at checkpoints or upon death and your speed is halved when blocking.
Balance/Weapon Changes
- The Prayer Sprayer has been reworked.
- I decided to lean fully into the SMG's shotgun-esque nature by increasing the spread to 45 degrees. However, it now has 40 ammo and fires 8 shots per second, meaning it can easily hit enemies when there are many around. However, the spread means close-range combat is risky because you need to be right up in an enemy's face to hit every shot. It also reloads 0.5 seconds slower to balance out the large mag.
- Buffed the Crossbow's reload speed.
- It now reloads in 2 seconds instead of three. The fast projectile simply was not enough when the cannon could hit multiple enemies or even hit someone twice. The faster speed should help it compete with the cannon and give it situations where it's better than the cannon.
- Explosive weapons now deal direct hit damage.
- Explosive weapons now deal extra damage when they directly hit an enemy, rewarding accuracy. Their maximum damage is more than before.
- The Cannon and Crossbow have new identities.
- The Cannonball Thruster has been renamed to the Scallywagger and the Single Crosser has been renamed to the Crossing Guard. I felt the old names just weren't that good so I renamed them. I also got rid of the UI that shows their ammo count since they reload after every shot anyway. Finally, the Crossbow has a unique deploy animation if it needs to reload after deployment.
- The Medical Lunch Box only refills at checkpoints now.
- This change was made so you can't just wait behind cover and heal easily. Now you have to make the heals count.
- The Quick Refresher is used faster.
- Since dashes are more disposable and often needed faster, I made it give you dashes quicker.
Gameplay Changes
- When you run into an enemy, the two of you are pushed away.
- Enemies are heavier, so explosions don't push them as far. Heavies have recieved a bigger weight increase than the other enemies.
- The player dashes 25% faster, but the duration has been reduced by 20%. The same distance is covered, but faster.
Miscellaneous Changes
- Clyde blinks. Did you notice that when you saw the gif of the crossbow having a new deploy animation?
- Walls have been given a new look. Since the old walls looked flat and boring, I gave them depth.
I'm done with making new weapons for now. While I enjoyed the process for the most part, I need to start working on other things, like level design, bug fixing/polish, and new enemies/obstacles. I might not be able to get good music into the game before the second demo releases, so I'll either reuse the same tracks from Demo 1 or get some royalty-free tracks as placeholders. I'm aiming to have at least 3 levels ready for Demo 2. As things appear right now, a 2025 release is most likely.