Blogs - cocaine_pony

Dear community! We have reached the finish line - for the FULL release of DARKANOID!

Many of the previously announced mechanics have been added, and others have been transformed. This does not mean that the work on the game is finished, we are still preparing additional pleasant bonuses for you. New mechanics:

Platform Customization

The store expands your possibilities for decorating the game platform. Here are 13 skins, each of which additionally gives a unique ability and increases the comfort or aggressiveness of the game:

• changing the base speed of the ball;
• increase the duration of some game bonuses;
• advantage at the start of the game in the form of an extra life or barrier;

Expanded clip when firing standard guns, as well as replacing the latter with other types of weapons, including:

• plasma gun, laser gun and rocket launcher.

Important reminder! Do not forget to choose the necessary skin with the bonus you need before playing, and some bonuses may only work in a specific game mode.

Feature of getting skins:

Access to skins is provided through a subscription, which can be issued for excess currency-darkies.

You can extend and extend your subscription, but the duration of the current subscription does not expire, but increases for the duration of the purchased subscription.

EXTRA LEVEL

A hidden level has been added to the game - EXTRA level. This is an unusual level, with its unique game mechanics and a lot of dark content. To get access to this level, you need a chip key, survive to the level with the boss and defeat the last one. Rarely did anyone manage to complete the entire level and take out all the darkies. Go for it!

Where do I get the chip key?

The chip can be obtained by clearing a sector, at any level. Pirates of the Dark zone say that the probability of detecting a chip is 11%, about the same value increases the chance of detecting a chip at each next level in the current game session.

Use Cosmo help not to lose the chip, live up to the level with the boss and test your strength at the Extra level!

The most important thing about all this you can learn from the tips during the game, do not miss and carefully study them.

Additional improvements:

• Rebalance all game levels, including levels with dark deposits.
• Polishing of graphic elements and effects, as well as added a stylized cursor.
• Fixed a critical issue where the game might not work in a vertical position.

We listen to the players ' opinions, so feel free to write your opinion. Thanks to you, the game is getting better every day.

Stay tuned!

Sincerely, the Shezo Games team

Dear community! The new update is already on Steam, which means new mechanics are already available. This patch is the penultimate one before the full release.

List of changes:

• "More life for survivors." This change will only affect the Survival mode and Boss Wave. With a successful combination of circumstances, that is, when winning a victory over the boss, one life indicator will be repaired on the dashboard and one life added, provided that all active life indicators light up "green", otherwise, if the indicator is extinguished, one life will simply be added;
• "Chip integration" - now in each sector you can find a chip that is the key to access the EXTRA level, where large deposits of Darkie are stored, so successfully hidden by the boss. Activation of the chip occurs automatically and only after killing the boss, causing a space-time swirl, where you need to roll the ball, which will be the key to successful entry into the EXTRA level;
• EXTRA level, as noted earlier, is a secret place known only to the sector boss, but he will only tell you about it posthumously and then if you have the appropriate chip. Tip: use the service "Cosmo aid", so as not to lose the chip on the way to the boss! The goal at this level is to collect as many Darkie and points as possible if you want to be at the top of the ranking table;
• new game mechanics at the EXTRA level, which is why it is extra. There is no wall, which in normal situations is located opposite the platform, and forms a second out zone, which in case of activation of the “Barrier " bonus can be protected by an energy barrier. Also, on this side, for your convenience, there is a holographic impression created on the basis of your platform, which will allow you to hit the ball no less effectively. However, when creating it, something went wrong and, therefore, the movement of the platforms relative to each other is out of sync. Since the hologram was created at the start of the level, it can not take over the effects of the progenitor, but on the other hand, this is what it is good for, because it is not susceptible to receiving damage;
• "Darkie" is a valuable currency that is extracted through the destruction of heavy-duty blocks by inflicting critical damage to them. The higher the difficulty of the game, the more currency for destroying the block! For pilots with an increased appetite, we offer extra levels. Now they are accepted on the service "Cosmo help", but in the future they can be spent in the Store to get a unique and useful skin;
• Cosmo aid - the service is useful for those who want to extend their life and gaming session. Restores the standard life pack and activates available barriers before the out zone. This help will be useful for saving points, as well as the chip that opens access to the EXTRA level;
• "Freeze” - not everyone knew that the boss from SECTOR C when hitting the platform imposed a debuff that significantly reduced the speed of its movement. Now you not only know about it, but you can see this effect firsthand.
  

Other improvements in the game:

• updated the picture for Classic mode;
• updated the app icon;
• visual and contextual modernization of the UI and its elements;
• updated graphics of the ball;
• by default, new players start at the middle level, as befits a true Padawan, only masters in the arkanoid genre can pass the level above, but the lowest level... well, you will understand for whom it was created;
• added, but not all found pirate notes. However, instructions regarding survival and enrichment in the Darkanoid universe can be found when you first start Survival mode, when you detect and use the chip;
• added a notification about the loss of the current game progress when trying to interrupt the current game in any possible way;
• integrated syncing of app data in Steam, allowing you to transfer local settings and player progress to the Steam cloud;
• added, but not all found pirate notes. However, instructions regarding survival and enrichment in the Darkanoid universe can be found when you first start Survival mode, when you detect and use the chip;
• added a notification about the loss of the current game progress when trying to interrupt the current game in any possible way;
• integrated syncing of app data in Steam, allowing you to transfer local settings and player progress to the Steam cloud;
• integrated adaptive difficulty system when playing in Survival mode. The future depends on your effective game. Remember this!
• a new achievement “MAD MINER”is available. Farm Darkie and get this distinctive badge of honor on your chest;
• added tooltips that explain the many hidden mechanics of the interface and not only;
• added a visual effect on tiles with hidden bonuses. Now on the playing field they are marked by a running glare;
• added the ability to skip choreographies in the results screen;

And also fixed a lot of bugs

We hope you enjoy the upcoming changes. Follow the news!

Regards, Shezo Games Team

Dear community! The work is in full swing. But for now, we have to postpone the release of the update, which was planned last week. We have made several decisions that change the way the game treats its players:
- the ball rebound is canceled, now the ball flies through the platform when bouncing off the barrier, to be honest, we ourselves are tired of this method of losing hp;

- the balls, when colliding with each other, do not change their trajectory, this always added chaos and most of the balls went out-of-bounds;

- the control system from the keyboard has been abolished, since it is technically impossible to adjust the sensitivity by the force of pressing the keys;

- reduced start time for levels;

- anti-bonuses will be less common in the Survival mode at the initial stages of the passage;

- removed collision of the ball and dips in the lateral parts of the platform, in other words, ball control has become more flexible and intuitive;

The game will become more casual, and the controls will be more responsive, which will only benefit. We listen to the opinions of the players, do not hesitate to write your opinion, it is thanks to you that the game is getting better every day.

We hope you enjoy the upcoming changes.

Best regards, Shezo Games Team

The ball speed
In fact, the ball in Arkanoid is the main weapon. But how to make it interesting so that the player doesn't fall asleep? We decided to take the ball speed parameter and make it more dynamic. In the classic version of the game, the speed of the ball changes only in the case of taking special bonuses - increasing and decreasing the speed of the ball.
Without checking everything to the end, we injected a gradual increase in ball speed. The casual game has become at least a nightmare in complexity. The ball accelerated to near-world speed until it struck out. When taking the bonus for slowing down the speed, the game session significantly increased and lost its dynamism. This implementation even made it into Early Access. Some of the lucky ones even appreciated this particular level of exclusive pain and anguish. Here's one of the comments:
"I went in to relax, and left the game with the feeling that Vietnam was over."
Our development team also had a thrill seeker who loved the challenge. And who enjoyed honing their playing skills in our Arkanoid. We realized that there was no balance and immediately started looking for a compromise between hardcore and casual players, and it was found.
The main goal was the following - the speed of the ball had to change during the game, as we originally wanted. But this had to happen smoothly and according to its own regulations. In the end we found this option: the speed of the ball dynamically changes during the game and depends on the effective game. An effective game is hitting the cubes and then the obligatory bounce of the ball by the platform. We thought over this idea well, implemented the logic, tweaked the last one and here's the result:
the first situation - after each successful hit on the cube, the ball is bounced off the platform - the speed increases slightly;
the second situation - the ball just beats against the walls - the speed of the ball increases significantly;
the third situation - the ball hit the “encirclement” of cubes, for which the player received many points - the speed increased by an order of magnitude.
But how does this option differ from the first? In this case, we have implemented “the ball cooling” mechanic. The speed of the ball decreased slightly when it was hit with the bat. We have finally achieved the dynamism we dreamed of.
And hardcore players can prove themselves in various difficulty modes - CASUAL, REALISM and HARDEST. Optionally, these are small changes to ten settings, but they significantly affect the gameplay. As a result: the game has become more dynamic, the speed of the ball does not allow us to lose heart under any game circumstances, the skill of the players in masterly controlling the bat has not been ignored, and finally - three types of difficulty. By the way, the level of difficulty higher than CASUAL with a quality game will allow you to score more points.