SWITCH RELEASE, Price Decrease and Version 1.1.3 now live!
Hey Karen Hunters!
Version 1.1.3 is now live, and includes a few minor fixes:
Localization now added to the "controller disconnect" screen
Fixed some typos in some menus
Updated some Japanese text
With this update, I'm going to set the game to localized now for Japanese markets! This is a very exciting new turn for the game, and it's been a journey creating my own localization system!
This will also push the controller remapping feature to public. I had to remove the controls remapping from the "hangar" menu, it was causing some scaling glitches when entering that section of the options menu. The controls remapping is only available at the title screen options menu.
In other news...
THE GAME IS COMING TO NINTENDO SWITCH!
I'm so excited to FINALLY reveal this exciting news to you steam users! I have partnered with the awesome people at Flynn's Arcade to port the game to the Switch. The release date is still being solidified, but it will be soon! The game will be coming out in Americas, Europe, and Asia markets.
I was able to try my personal copy last week and it's so fun to play.
In other, other news..
The game price is going to permanently decrease! It will match the switch version price of $4.99.
Thanks again for all the support and making my first game a reality. You're the best!
-Joel
1.1.0a Out on Beta Branch!
Hey everyone!
Version 1.1.0a is now live on the Beta branch for the game!
You will need to enable access to the beta in your steam library, then enter the password "attackofthekarens1" (no quotes). After a few weeks of beta, I'll move this to the main branch of the game with another announcement. This is just to protect your game from any unforeseen issues so you can still play if the new beta breaks your game.
Included in 1.1.0a:
Control remapping! Directional movement and menu navigation/operations were excluded.
Localization support for other languages! Japanese is first to be added to the game, and depending on how well that does, I may choose to add more languages down the road. To switch languages, select the flag on the main menu and press the confirm button. Voice language does not change.
Heavy rework has been done to the dialogue system! It should now more closely match the text, and the pacing will be a little slower. This prevents dialogue from inadvertently getting skipped.
New controller glyphs throughout the game have been added for button prompts! These should match your configured button mapping.
Screenshake feedback slider! Adjust or eliminate the amount of screenshake in the main menu or hangar options!
Fixed some minor spelling issues.
Updated game logo on the title screen!
Minor balancing to multi-bullet upgrades. I felt it was still overpowered. Double bullets now drop to 75% damage per bullet and triple bullets drop to 60% damage per bullet.
As for future game updates, I don't know how much more I will do for Attack of the Karens. I had wanted to do some more for leader boards, etc. but it seems like interest in the game just isn't there sadly. I will probably come back to this game at some point in the future and add some content, but for the foreseeable future I'm going to let it stay here. Of course, any bugs or issues with this update will be corrected! Please continue to report those in the forums.
I want to thank everyone for the incredible ride of releasing my first game! It's been an awesome experience and has been very hard, but the fact that you've enjoyed this game makes it all worth it!
I have many more games I want to develop, so stay tuned for updates!
Thanks a bunch,
Joel
Dreamhack Beyond Indie Event Broadcast
This is just a placeholder event to stream during Dreamhack Beyond Awards Festival!
-Joel
Updates on Version 1.1 progress, and other news for the studio!
Hey All! I hope you've been having fun blasting Karen bots out of the sky and experiencing my game! It's been amazing to get a 100% positive review score and see streamers and youtubers cover the game! Launching a game is certainly stressful but is also a very rewarding experience!
First off, AotK will be getting a big update pretty soon. Version 1.1 will bring controller remapping support as well as an in-game studio news feed and Kurse challenge events! A bit more on those features below:
Remapping support is pretty self-explanatory. This will allow you to remap buttons however you see fit! It's nearly complete, and I was hoping to get this out much sooner, but that last 10% of adding this feature is causing some major issues, so it's been a struggle! It's on it's way though.
The in-game news feed will allow us to communicate with everyone in-game without having to launch new builds. This feature will only be available if you're connected to the internet, so offline play won't show a feed. It's also planned to add this to all Studio Primitive releases both past and future. I'm particularly excited about this as a way to further connect with you and let you know about the awesome things we're doing with Studio Primitive.
Kurse challenge events will allow players to compete with one another in a leaderboard to see who can complete a run using a given Kurse selected by the developer. I'm still figuring out how exactly to score the runs, but I'm thinking it will work based on number of deaths and run time. And of course, there will be some kind of reward for the top players! The idea is to rotate this seasonally and issue a new Kurse challenge regularly.
These updates are taking a bit of work, because I want to make sure they are done right. I don't have a date yet for when 1.1 will be released, but hopefully it will be soon! Thanks for your patience!
In other news, my brother Grant is going to join me in Studio Primitive making games! While I work on 1.1, we are also creating small jam games for everyone to try! The objective is to get used to working together and continue to build an audience for our games. We try to document as much of the game development as we can, and keep the fans updated during our live Devstreams on YouTube! If you'd like to follow along, follow us on YouTube and catch us live!
https://www.youtube.com/@studioprimitive
That's all for now, thanks for playing the game! Your feedback and response to the game have been incredible and I've enjoyed interacting with everyone!
Joel
Achivement Hotfix!
Achievements involving Kurses have been reworked to make them more attainable.
An issue where the "High Caliber" achivement was not possible if you quit the game after unlocking one or more blaster upgrades at the K-Scan has been fixed.
Version 1.0.1 Update Patch Notes
Hey Karen Krushers! A few minor post-release fixes to the game:
Fixed an issue where skipping dialogue at some spots would cause music to cut out.
Fixed an issue where the game would freeze if a controller was disconnected after pausing the game.
Fixed an issue where the window sprite for the upgrade information box on the pause screen was appearing blurry.
Updated warnings so they appear infront of the player UI
Updated reflected bullets so they will not block player bullets
Fixed an issue where the level up orb would appear even when the Kurse to remove it was activated.
Fixed a few UI typos
Speed buffs and shot buffs will now be extended if you pick up an additional buff while active.
Fixed an issue where the ship movement would be disabled if you had a half speed kurse active and picked up a speed buff.
Controller coding received many updates and optimizations. This should fix bugs where connecting with a controller after the game has booted would cause movement issues.
Made new icons for controller/keyboard prompts that will automatically update depending on which input type is sensed.
Player's Guide, Details for Release and Future Plans for AotK
Hey all! I've been planning on writing this post for a while now as I wind down development and start to look forward to release.
First, I want to highlight the content you can look forward to in the game and provide a bit of a "guide"! I'm hoping the price point will reflect the value you'll be getting out of these features, and I also hope the game is fun enough for you to keep coming back run after run, even after completing the game the first time (it's designed for replay value!)
All of the 5 levels have randomized enemy spawn sequences, meaning that no two plays of the same level will be exactly unique. This is meant to make the game feel fresh and new every time you play - especially when you're playing for the first time. It also makes it harder to beat, because you can't memorize enemy spawn sequences.
The boss order is random as well, meaning that you could encounter two totally different bosses on two different runs.
The boss difficulty and enemy difficulty scales depending on when you encounter them. For example, Cassie's health and difficulty of attacks is low on level 1, but if you encounter her on level 4, she moves faster, shoots more bullets, the projectiles move faster, and she has more health. This is implemented for each and every boss in the game, and most of the larger enemies. The small enemies health will scale, but attacks do not.
You will die a LOT in this game if you're just coming into it. From the let's play videos I've seen online, people coming in fresh die about 2-3 times before they get to the first boss, and it takes another few deaths to beat the first boss. After this, they are getting the hang of the game and the next bosses/levels come quicker. Don't forget to use the modules between runs when you can!
Speaking of modules, there are 25 total upgrades you can buy at the shop that are meant to ease your progression! Remember to use these and have fun watching your ship get stronger and mow down enemies!
There are over 30 in-game upgrades. Just shooting the first one that rolls up probably isn't the best strategy. Wait to try new upgrades you haven't before, and see if you can come up with some good builds! There are some in-game upgrades that only unlock once you've gotten a prerequisite upgrade.. press "esc" and check out the upgrade info for more!
Use your abilities (rockets, deflectors)! They are meant to make the game easier and provide you with more utility. I see a lot of people playing without these.
If you are struggling and getting frustrated with the game, don't give up! Use the game modifiers and enable some kushions to ease the difficulty. There is no content that is blocked by using modifiers, but it will keep you from getting certain achievements.
On the other end, if you find the game too breezy or if you finish your first run and want more of a challenge, check out the kurses! They will challenge you in new and unique ways! I wanted to do this rather than just putting in a "hard" mode that just makes enemies bullet sponges so you could fine tune your experience to what you want.
Play with the voice acting on at least until you've heard the dialogue once through! The actors did an amazing job embodying the Karens and Amanda, and it's worth hearing!
I also wanted to note that due to some challenges with other commitments, I haven't been able to implement controls remapping. I had really wanted this to be part of the day-one experience for players, because I know how some people love it! Unfortunately with the way I wrote the input system it'll be a little hard to implement for me, so it's going to take extra time. At this point in the launch cycle, I need to make sure I don't introduce any bugs that would ruin or delay the launch and would like to announce that it's likely not going to be in the launch build. This feature will, however, be implemented in a patch update post-launch.
Another announcement: The soundtrack page is being approved by steam now! I had submitted the page for review a while ago, but it's been going back and forth in approvals for a bit. Unfortunately this means that the soundtrack won't be available on day one, but will be released a few days after launch day. I'm going to bundle this with the game in a "complete the set" bundle, you can still get the soundtrack at the discounted rate if you buy the game on launch day.
Now for things on the horizon. A lot of people have been asking me what my plans are after launching the game. Will I continue to update it with content? I would certainly like to. Creating this game in my spare time (usually in the mornings before work), and raising a family leaves very little time for game dev. To get a little personal with you all, I do need to take a break from developing this game after launch so I can focus on some personal matters. That said, I do not plan to stop creating content for Attack of the Karens. I would very much like to provide patch updates with new content in the future. I'm not certain what the pace will be (it won't be as it is now), but you can expect something on some level. The game was so much fun to make and people who have tried it seem to love it, so I've got to do something to keep it going!
On the subject of horizons, I also want to note that I'm also going to start work on a new project shortly after AotK releases! I can't provide any details other than that yet and probably won't for a while, but keep your eye on my twitter account for any announcements.
Thanks all! I can't believe launch day is only 11 days away! WHO'S EXCITED?!?
-Joel
Minor update to press release version
v0.8.00 Version changes:
Fixed an issue where you could re-open the pause menu from the options or quit menu in-game.
Removed the "feedback" option from the in-game menu
Potentially fixed an issue where pausing the game would disable player movement temporarily
These changes have not been pushed to play test, this is only to fix some minor issues for press keys that have been distributed to prepare for reviews.
Bug fixes for play test and demo will be pushed to those versions in the coming days.
Thanks!!
New Build up for Demo!
Hey KDF! Just a quick note to let you know that the final version of the demo has been uploaded! This is the most polished version of the demo yet, so give it a try!
In other news...
Only 17 days until release!!! Who's excited?
-Joel
Keeping Things Rolling To Release
Hey KDF!
We're getting SO close to release I can almost taste it!
We had an awesome Dreamhack event and one lucky person walked away with a key for the game! It was TONS of fun to stream and talk with everyone, and I hope to do more streams as launch gets closer and even after we launch the game.
Speaking of launch we're only 28 days away from the game being released. This is crazy to think my small little shmup project is almost launching as a commercial game. Thanks so much everyone for following the game and supporting it, it means the world!
Some huge news for the final release:
I've added a system of Kurses and Kushions! This mechanic allows you to "tweak" the game with several modifiers at the K-Scan screen between runs! It's a fun way to try new challenges, unique gameplay twists, and make the game easier for those who want to get farther but are hitting that "shmup wall".
A module cannon has been added to the game! For 250 modules, you can buy an awesome cannon that uses modules as ammo! It fires in three streams and after hitting an enemy and exploding, leaves behind an electric field in it's wake that damages any enemies coming into it.
Many more bug fixes and balances have been made to the game, and of course some POLISH!
THE GAME IS NEARLY DONE!! I can't wait to celebrate with you all! It's going to be launching September 25th and will have a 10% discount on launch, so don't miss it! It's coming right at the start of Shmup fest.
I'm looking forward to chatting with all of you about the full game after release in the discord server, or right here in this community!
