It's been a while since the last dev log entry; guess we've both just been really busy (with Cosmonator and other things) but it's time to catch up! The latest update is live as of yesterday and it includes more than two months of work - so tons of improvements!
First of all, content wise - since the last Dev Log, we've added two additional optional side missions: Hangar Bay (in episode 1, above left), and Ritual Chamber (episode 3, above right). These levels include an army of new enemies, turrets and minibosses, and aside from that we've added several other new enemies into existing levels to boot. Most significant on this list are the new chains of rotating orb enemies, which make for a cool crunchy line of destruction when you attack them head on and later (when you encounter tougher incarnations) open up the game for some interesting strategic spellcasting, if you have any piercing spells like Laser Bolt or Poison Wind.
Speaking of spells, we've also added a few more of those: Barrier (above left) creates a wall of energy that stops bullets in their tracks, Toxic Blast (above right) shoots a short ranged but powerful toxic fume, Energy Syphon (below left) syphons energy off enemies, Energy Bullets powers up your bullets with energy (but drains energy when you shoot), and Shockwave (below right) creates a ripple-blast that damages enemies close to you. Energy Syphon is unique in that it allows you to steal potentially massive amounts of energy from stronger enemies, and it is tied to an all-new school of magic, Energy Magic (which also includes the energy-heavy spells Energy Bullets, Energy Shield, and Barrier). The new Energy Master class was created with these spells in mind and it opens up an interesting and risky new style of gameplay where you don't need to focus on storing a lot of energy, as long as you can continually find enemies to steal energy from.
We've also enhanced several of the game's general visual effects, such as more intense screen shaking; chunkier, crunchier explosions; and more striking floating sparks and lighting effects. Some of the colors and particle effects of existing spells have also been enhanced to make the game brighter and more colorful, and also more playable (as in extreme cases when the screen is full of intense action, clearly making out a spell and it's effects can be crucial to your survival).
Gameplay wise, we've made some key changes to the way that the level 2 missile upgrades work: they now function on a 'critical hit' style system. Each missile that you fire has a 25% chance to be Napalm, Chemical or Ion (according to your upgrades, cumulatively) but the respective effect is much stronger - i.e. Napalm Missiles explode larger and more powerful than before, Ion Missiles inflict a longer EMP crippling effect, and Chemical Missiles leave a longer lasting, more damaging gas cloud upon detonation. This makes the Barrage spell look pretty funky in the hands of a well upgraded Missile Master (below).
Finally, there are some new features that we've built in response to requests from some of our treasured Early Access users - most notably the key remap feature, which has been months in planning. Players can now remap the keyboard's entire gameplay interface exactly to their liking, so WASD can be used instead of the numeric or directional keypad, etc. We've also extended the spell hotkey list to include just about any key that you'd care to choose for the purpose.
That's all for now - watch this space for more updates!
