Patch Highlights
First off, thank you all for being understanding about our shift to a two-week patch cycle! This has given us a ton of extra breathing room and space to experiment, implement bigger features, and put our focus where it counts.
ANYWAYS... We've got a REAL WHOPPER of a patch today, so we'd like to apologize in advance for delivering so much content. We know it can be overwhelming, but... just do your best. You've got this!
Introducing: The Ripcord!
It's time to unveil our first new powerup since Early Access launch: The RIPCORD!
The Ripcord allows GR-18 to turn his little robot arms into rocket engines for a short time, after which he has to touch his feet to the ground (or an enemy's face) to replenish fuel. This will allow GR-18 to reach far higher places than were originally possible -- in some cases, up to 5 times the height!
On the way down after touching the sky, GR-18 can use the Ripcord's Helicopter Mode to slowly descend, while still maintaining full control over horizontal movement. This allows you to kill your fall speed and weave between enemies like a pro, or glide across long gaps that would otherwise be impossible.
We're excited to see all the wacky levels our community creates using this powerful new item!
Introducing: The Tempswitch!
Levelhead is becoming known for its robust and ridiculously flexible Switch/Receiver system, and with the set of switches we already have, our players have managed to create all kinds of ludicrous contraptions, including pinball machines, 3-in-1 arcade games, music boxes, and replicas of existing games of all kinds. BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! We have more ideas for switches, and this patch, we've brought one of those new switch ideas to life. Introducing, the TEMPSWITCH!
The Tempswitch is the most versatile switch we have added to the game. At its most basic usage, it simply flips for a short duration, and then flips back. For an obvious use case, you can use it to create a temporary batch of Jems that the player has to collect before the time is up.
But that's not all there is to it! The Tempswitch has multiple behaviors, so you can have it be reusable for a more forgiving experience, locking so it can only be used once, or even have it explode when it expires, blowing up brittle rocks, bricks, and enemies, and launching the player and other items!
BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE! The Tempswitch is the first switch in Levelhead that is both a sender and receiver. This means that, aside from just using the Tempswitch as a pressure plate, you can also trigger the Tempswitch via other switches in completely different locations in your level, of different styles.
Our hope going forward is to expand this concept even further, allowing numerous other switches in the game to be both senders and receivers. It allows for a huge amount of flexibility in building interesting triggers, events, and contraptions!
Introducing: Rockets!
This patch also introduces a new type of projectile: Rockets! Rockets don't home in on the player like Homing Missiles do -- they just fly straight, and fast. They're also non-lethal. Instead of killing the player, they explode like a bomb, destroying breakable blocks, damaging enemies, throwing items, and flinging GR-18 across the level.
We'd tell you to be careful with these, but we know you won't. So... just try not to get killed too many times.
To unlock the Ripcord, Rockets, and the Tempswitch, we've added 11 (!) new levels to the end of the campaign. Have fun!
Introducing: The Tower Trial!
A new daily competition has opened up in the halls of the Tower! The Tower Trial is a daily batch of six player-made levels that our robots pull from the tower using the power of algorithms, science, and good old-fashioned elbow grease. You must -- and I cannot stress this enough -- routinely grease your robot's elbows.
Score Hunters and Speed Runners then compete to get the top scores and top times on beating all six levels in a row.
The response from our players on the beta branch has been super positive, and the Tower Trial will only get better over time as we adjust our algorithms to make sure we're only serving up the highest quality, piping hot, spiciest player-made levels.
Now, you might be saying, "Hey! I'm not a speed runner! There's no way I can get onto that leaderboard!" Well, don't worry! Our magic robots also choose a "Trophy Time" for every day's trial, which should provide a good (but reasonable) challenge for the average player to strive for.
The Tower Trial also has a fun edge for level builders, as well, since when you publish a level, there's a chance that level will end up in the Tower Trial, accumulating a big burst of plays and being forever enshrined in the Tower Trial's archives for future players to come back to. Levels that have been part of a Tower Trial will be permanently emblazoned with the golden Tower Trial icon, signifying just how cool they are.
And best of all, every Tower Trial is made permanently available. So if you miss a day's trial, you can always just go back and do it later!
Quality of Life
Aside from all the new features above, here are some of the highlights we've added to make the game just a little bit smoother, better, and more convenient!
- We've overhauled how Background Tile placement works in your levels, so you can go crazy with it and not fear accidentally destroying parts of your level.
- Tons of bug fixes, including fixes for inconsistencies while moving on paths.
- You can capture screenshots using Steam's screenshot system!
- You can now lock pressure plates!
- A bunch of new words in the Name Combobulator!
- You can make big arrows!
- Some items can now go on paths that couldn't before!
- New icons and animations for the Sign!
- Overhauled scoring for in-game actions such as collecting Jems and defeating Enemies, to make score hunting feel more different from speed running. Get out there and claim those crowns!
# Whaddya waitin' for?
Grab Levelhead over on Steam and make some levels :D
