We've just updated the demo for Achaem, you can download it using the same links on the Kickstarter campaign page! What's changed since the first demo build?
New Enemy, Mentail! - We've made a separate post about our new enemy, but it's worth mentioning if you've only played the first demo build. Mentail is focussed around buffing/debuffing!
Water Fountain - You'll start seeing these around the world of Achaem... currently, they will offer some minor healing powers, but we have plans for these in the future.
Homing Achaem - We've watched some of your YouTube gameplay videos, and we've noticed that you often miss the Station call because there's no real visual cue. Now, when the Station has emerged, Achaem will point at the Save Point until you visit it or the Station submerges.
Enemy and Progression Balance - Generally, all enemies have been scaled down at the lower levels, they are weaker and easier to beat. Coins will appear more frequently, and Achaem requires more experience to level up, allowing the player more time to collect coins.
World Generation Update -The Station used to be a "special tile", so it would pop in and out when needed. In preparation for other special tiles, such as boss tiles, the world generator has been updated to handle everything generically! One minor cosmetic difference you'll see already is that the Station now submerges to/emerges from the water.
Minor Changes
- Added some text on item purchase so the player knows it will cost half the coins after the initial purchase.
- Opening a chest now removes the highlighting indicator.
- Kickstarter Button added to the main menu, this will open a browser window and point it at the Kickstarter campaign page.
- More stability(tm)
Changed and then reverted
It's useful to talk about the ideas which didn't work... At the moment you can tile-camp, i.e. you can keep returning to the same tile but spawning new ones around it. This can be gamed by making this same tile the Station, meaning you always have the Station on call! We've tried a couple ideas to discourage this, the latest was to make the Station sub-merge either immediately or after you leave it. However, you're not always safe at the Station, and it's sometimes necessary to leave the tile to destroy whatever is attacking you before returning to it. So removing the station after you leave the tile wasn't fair to the player... Our next idea is to mess with the spawn probabilities when this is detected, e.g. no coins/chests/hearts will spawn.
Let us know your ideas!
If you like the look of the game, consider supporting us over on Kickstarter and sharing it to spread the word.
