itch.io

Hey, glad to hear you're enjoying it! Yeah it's permadeath--everything is lost on death--but there are ways to farm upgrade pills (you didn't hear it from me, hehe)

It's not in my immediate plans but I will definitely considerate it if I hear enough interest.

Hi folks,

Just getting ready for  early access with a current view of the roadmap. I'll be keep this updated as things evolve, and I welcome your feedback on what you want to see more (or less) of! (This first pass will be a fairly crude brain dump, check back soon for a more refined version!)

High probability

• Achievements (of course!)
• More variation in level layouts and environments (including: larger/wide open spaces, more variety in room shapes, etc.)
• Additional enemy types (in particular: more "creature"-esque enemies, like tentacles, large insects, etc.)
• More environmental hazards, including more prominent underwater areas
• More beacon types, and in general, more of a focus on the beacon launcher (less on combat)
• A boss level of sorts, along with a proper ending (I'm actually contemplating multiple endings)
• More reasons to explore, backtrack (more distinct secret areas, locked doors, etc.).
• More significance for luck, and greater use of stats in general (including more stats-affecting items)

Speculative/lower probability

• Secondary game modes, like dream sequences or mini-games (if I were to include guns, they would be in this mode)

As always, the best place to share feedback is the Discord, but feel free to respond here as well.

Known issues as of build 33. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just more obvious things you might run into.

• Player "falls" on start of level
• Gamepad support currently incomplete (most controls work but no guarantees--best to use keyboard/mouse)
• Some WIP items, texture inconsistencies, missing or incorrect art (inventory items) etc.
• No ending (currently: 4 levels x 4 floors each)
• Found items do not persist beyond closing the game
• The punch mechanic is not clearly explained (it's not essential, but might save your ♥♥♥ in certain situations, i.e. rats)
• Beacons could be better explained but hopefully the discovery log entry provides enough detail to figure them out
• Some fairly obvious audio bugs in certain scenarios
• The tutorial level is only presented on the first play of a session; this means you have a slightly unfair advantage on your very first run (start with plank, perhaps some gems or gold). This will be balanced out in future versions.
• Explorer perk is not implemented in this build

Just a few small fixes:

• Fix for inability to click buttons after beating first level
• Fix for Earth stage layout wider than other planets

...aaaaand we're back!

Improvements/new features

• Add death markers
• Various level and enemy tweaks
• Various visual improvements
• Add intro cut scene (placeholder)
• Add additional prototype levels to Venom including new enemy type (worm) and new hazard type (noxious cloud)
• Improve star map screen

Sneak peek web build (no enemy AI yet): http://cosmocatgames.com/infector/

Aye, the enemy AI is basically non-existent right now, they just move around randomly for testing purposes. The plan is to have them do one of a few things: discover hex tiles, try to mutate, attack the player.

Thanks for taking the time to check it out! 🙂

Hey folks! Adam here with some details about my plans for early access.

As with my last game, I will be doing a sort of "soft launch" early access on Itch. This will be for the true early adopters who want to get in on the ground floor (and at the lowest price point).

Why early access?

I strongly believe that early access can help make better games; games that will resonate with players and stand the test of time. I successfully used early access for one of my previous games--Operation Hardcore--and shipped a full release within approximately 8 months.

Approximately how long will this game be in early access?

I expect to be in early access for 6 months. (the first 1-2 on Itch only, and the rest on Itch and Steam)

How is the full version planned to differ from the early access version?

The full version will differ primarily in terms of content, polish and depth. Among the items planned for early access:

• refining visuals (improving models, environments)
• adding additional content (more enemies, discovery items, more variation between levels, etc.)

This is subject to change, however: I plan to use feedback from the community to influence what I prioritize.

What is the current state of the early access version?

I feel it's important for players to have an opportunity to help shape the final product without being subjected to overt experimentation, bugs, glitches, etc., thus I ensure that all builds are both stable, and capture the spirit of the story I'm trying to tell. 

Will the game be priced differently during and after early access?

This will likely depend on how much content is added. I expect a modest increase of around 20-30% by the time I've entered full release.

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

I plan to involve the community via forums, Discord, regular polls/questionnaires, etc. 

Bug Fixes

• Fix for spike ball enemies physics applied incorrectly

Improvements/new features

• Moon 6 design tweaks
• Update splash images
• Reduce build size slightly

Feedback welcomed on all of the below!

Bug Fixes

• Fix for inability to click parts of UI (for real this time!)

Improvements/new features

• New prototype level (Venom 6)
• Cosmetic updates (deco sprites, backgrounds, UI elements)

I'm pleased to announce that Super Rocket Ride--my hardcore retro action collaboration with Unruly games--has entered early access!

Super Rocket Ride can best be described as a cross between old school lander games and Super Mario World: a control scheme that's deceptively simple to grasp, lush pixel art, and unforgiving levels fraught with obstacles and hazards. (It's also got a pretty great soundtrack, if I may say so myself.)

If this sounds interesting to you, we'd love to have you on board to help shape the final game! You find more information here.

Feedback welcomed on all of the below!

Improvements/new features

• New prototype level (Venom 5)
• Update some deco sprites, backgrounds

Experimental

• New design and behaviour for swarmer enemy tweaks

Thanks for taking the time to check out Super Rocket Ride! This post contains some information about the past, present and future of the game. 

Known issues as of latest build

• Some inconsistencies in terms of difficulty curve
• Not all levels have coins (in particular, some of the WIP Venom levels)

Roadmap

Here's what on the roadmap as of now:

• An intro story/cutscene
• More "organic" enemies
• More non-lethal obstacles/mechanics
• 8 more levels (Venom)
• A final boss/challenge level
• Steam release/achievements

If you're interested in helping shape the direction of the game, stop by the Discord and share your thoughts in #super-rocket-ride! (please also post a pic of your cat in #cat-pics).

We're currently looking for feedback on:

• Controls: we currently support many, many control schemes... we'd like to narrow in on the ones that people enjoy the most
• Experimental physics-based movement
• Gravity wells, invincibility pickups (see: Venom WIP levels)

Key Requests

Streamer? Let's-player? Reviewer? We'd love to hear from you! We're using Keymailer to handle key requests.

Improvements/new features

• New logo
• Design tweaks to Arcadia 6
• Add fourth planet (Venom) with some prototype levels, including new mechanics (gravity wells, invincibility pickups) (feedback welcomed!)
• New music track

Experimental

• Bouncing projectiles for 8-way projectile explosions (feedback welcomed!)

The first official early access build!

Bug Fixes

• Potential fix for inability to click parts of  UI

Improvements/new features

• Improve swarmer behaviour and animation
  Add dedicated newspaper image for Arcadia levels
• Zoom camera out slightly
• Minor design and level updates
• Add more hazards to Arcadia 1
• Default to next level on star map
• Add config splash image
• Remove post-play survey, update splash text

Hey all, I'm going to use the Vertex Jam as an opportunity to jam out an idea I've had for a while now: a 4 player local split-screen kart-based arena shooter, but with FPS elements (guns, jumping, shielding, environmental hazards, etc.). Think Mario Kart meets Doom.

It will be set in the same world as--and borrow a lot of mechanics from--a game I released earlier this year: Operation Hardcore. Naturally, it will be called Operation Hardkart.

For the jam I hope to create a prototype/proof of concept with one track, 3-4 weapons, and some way to win (i.e. stay alive the longest/kill all other players). Visually, I'll be going for something along the lines of Mario Kart 64: a combination of billboard sprites, and low poly models with low res textures.