- Fixed some players being unable to return to the server selector/pause screen after going into the settings screen.
- Fixed an edge case that could cause the screen fade overlay to not disappear after loading in.
Bounty
Hotfix Notes - 01/05/2023
Hotfix Notes - 01/02/2023
- Added a sale confirmation screen to prevent the player from accidentally selling important items
- Conclusively fixed a bug that would cause the player to freeze in place after pausing the game or going into settings if the escape button was pressed too many times
- Various strings fixes
Weekly Update #1: Player Housing & The Stash
We've added two big items:
- Player Housing (The Apartment)
- The Stash
Starting in today's update, your employer is using the old maintenance quarters to house its blob contractors. To get to your apartment, you'll need to interact with this door just above the training ring:
After traveling up an elevator and across a musty hallway, you'll find the door to your apartment:
While inside the dormitory area (and your apartment), no other players are visible. Here's what's behind the door:
Just in front of the bed is the next new feature: The Stash!
Interacting with the stash will show you the items inside:
No more choosing which items to keep and which to discard (that is, unless you're a hoarder like me). We're also exploring the idea of using stash pages as a secondary method of progression.
For now the apartment is available for all players, but it'll eventually be locked behind an introduction mission at some point within the first chapter.
Next Week...
On the left side of your apartment, you'll find the subject of next week's update:
The "merger" and the "workbench"! These two will be an exciting addition, so stay tuned.
See you then!
New Year, New Server Outage (01/01/2023)
There's an outage with our hosting provider, and we're working on getting the servers back up ASAP!
Patch Notes for 12/29/2022
- Fixed a number of typos in mission text and NPC dialogue
- Updated the inventory screen backend in preparation for the player stash
- Added the "Solo" area flag for locations in which no other players should be seen.
- Added the ability to create entities that only exist on the client side (will be used for cinematics, player housing, and more)
Patch Notes for 12/17/2022
- Fixed a bug that could cause the player to get stuck on the settings screen
- Removed guards and friendly NPCs outside of the midtown bus stop area
- Added some hostile NPCs around the midtown bus stop area
- Fixed various UI bugs that could cause some screens to get stuck open
Carnage With Friends
This build marks Bounty's transition from singleplayer proof-of-concept into a fully fledged MMO. To those who were waiting for this build, I can't express how grateful I am for your patience!
Here's a list of what's new in Carnage With Friends:
- The first chapter of Bounty's story is complete!
- Your character model is now randomized on first login, but can be randomized for 5000 credits.
- Hundreds of new items have been added for you to discover and experiment with.
- Players can now team up to play through Bounty's first chapter.
- Added a FFA PvP arena for players to test their combat prowess.
- Added raids! More on that below.
- Completely overhauled the UI.
- Removed consumable slots.
- Added "chip" and "augment" slots.
Itemization Changes
Our biggest goal for this update was to maximize build customization. To that end, we decoupled special attacks from weapons and moved them into their own items called Augments!
Each item can now also have its own passively applied special effect.
To give the player even more levers for customization, we've also added Chip slots. Chips are cybernetic implants that modify your stats or abilities. For example:
We've also added cosmetic slots, which allow you to change the appearance of your equipped items to your liking.
Raids
Raids are difficult time-gated challenges that are picked at random every 30 minutes! They're impossible to tackle alone, so you'll need a swarm of players to complete them.
To join a raid, you simply talk to the NPC that appears in the main area when the raid starts. There's a short staging period of two minutes to give everyone a chance to join in on the fun.
There's only one for now ("The Freezer"), but more are on the way. In exchange for participating in a raid, you get a shot at amazing loot you can't find anywhere else.
FFA PvP
This build also introduces FFA PvP in the form of the Smasher Arena. Speaking to the Smasher NPC in the main area will allow you to teleport into a separate instance of the Smasher Arena that's been reconfigured to allow players to fight each other to the death.
You'll recognize it as the same Smasher Arena, but with obstacles placed around to help out melee players.
In the future, we'll have dedicated (optional) FFA zones in which players will be encouraged to fight each other for rewards.
Thanks for reading!
For bug reports or feedback, feel free to use the Discussion Boards or contact us directly via the Bounty Official Discord
Carnage With Friends - Progress!
Hey, folks!
It's been an intense couple months of development, but we're finally prepared to show off what's in store for the next milestone!
This next update includes a huge number of optimizations, refactors, overhauls, and even (dare I say) a few pivots. To truly realize our vision for Bounty as a multiplayer experience, it was necessary to make some major changes:
Multiplayer
The biggest and most difficult change has been the introduction of multiplayer! We've settled on a solid backend architecture that enables Bounty's fast-paced and brutal combat with dozens, even hundreds of players on screen.
The vast majority of game data has been migrated to a database. Simple tasks such as moving things around in your inventory and buying/selling items in a shop are offloaded onto a serverless API to prevent strain on the world servers.
UI/UX Overhaul
In my view, Bounty's biggest weakness was its user experience outside of combat. To that end, we were able to come up with a vastly superior look for the UI!
The new UI has a strong focus on readability, and employs lots of big text and chunky buttons. For added readability, selected objects (be it in the UI or world) are strongly outlined.
Cosmetic Slots
There are now three additional slots in your equipment inventory that can be used to modify the appearance of your equipped gear! More to be announced on this at a future date.
Common Areas
When entering the game, players spawn in common areas that provide shops, transportation, and places to socialize.
In-Game Chat
Players can chat with each other in-game by submitting text into a simple chat box.
Of course, chat is filtered to prevent overly-vulgar taunting.
Player Factions
From its conception, the story of Bounty has been centered around the struggle between haves and the have-nots. With multiplayer on the horizon, we have an opportunity to express that in-game by allowing you to choose which side of that struggle you wish to ally yourself with.
The faction you choose not only changes the cosmetic appearance of your weapons and armor, but also carries subtle (but important) gameplay differences.
When you first launch the game, you're given a choice between the two player factions: The Upholders and the Double Dealers! We'll be releasing a separate announcement soon that goes into detail on both (along with their differences) soon.
The Bounty System
True to the name of the game, killing an enemy (be it a player or NPC) will cause their faction to place a bounty on your head. Each player or NPC killed will gradually increase your bounty, which can be seen on the inventory screen. You'll also receive a small amount of your enemy's hard-earned credits.
The current outstanding bounty for an enemy player can be seen above their head.
When killed in combat, the player that dealt the killing blow is rewarded with your entire outstanding bounty. Dying for any reason will reset your bounty!
Raising your Bounty will grant you access to increasingly difficult and rewarding locations.
Using your earned credits from killed enemies and claimed bounties, you can purchase upgrades for your gear in the shopping area for your faction.
Transporters
You can find bus stops, ladders, doors, and elevators scattered around the world! Some of the places behind these objects might require you to spend credits. You may even need a hefty bounty to access the loot and challenges inside.
Some additional features coming in the next update:
- Updated music
- Ranged weapons will no longer consume ammunition from your inventory
- Improved FX for gameplay events such as parrying/dodging/taking damage
- Improved framerates on older devices
- Optimizations focused around smoothing out framerate spikes on older devices
- New ranged weapon options
We're in serious need of talent! If you or anyone you know is skilled in:
- Gameplay Engineering
- Pixel Art
- Systems Design
- Level Design
- ...or a mix of any of the above
Please let us know! If you're down to test some of the upcoming features for yourself, feel free to shoot me a friend request to gain access to the multiplayer beta branch.
Thanks for taking the time to read this! We plan on releasing much more frequent announcements in the coming weeks and months to cover our progress. Stay tuned!
Bounty is Live on Early Access!
We're LIVE for FREE on the Steam Store!
This is only the beginning; we're planning on rolling out Bounty in three major phases:
1) The Gauntlet (June 16th, 2022)
The initial Early Access version! Presents 15 unique challenges that will introduce you to Bounty and its world.
2) Carnage With Friends (August 16th, 2022)
The quarantine protocol is lifted, the world expands, and other scavengers flood in! You'll be able to see and interact with other players in The Gauntlet.
Trade, party up, and compete with other players in a set of unique challenges called excursions that will pit two teams of scavengers against each other for the ultimate challenge.
Queue up to fight other scavengers 1v1 in the arena for loot, credits, and a spot on the leaderboard.
Additionally, more sectors of the city will unlock over time. These sectors will add new opportunities for exploration, scavenging, and combat.
3) The Turning (December 16th, 2022)
The world continues to expand! Party up with friends or other scavengers to play through an expanded storyline that takes you to the far reaches of Bounty's world.
Thank you so much for being a part of this journey!
Any feedback can be directed to the Steam Community forums, or to the Bounty Official Discord!