Chicken Invaders Universe
Game version 135
Sadly, Google Play only supports 64-bit apps and will flatly reject 32-bit code, so you may find that your device can’t install the game. This includes some devices which have 64-bit hardware but have a 32-bit OS installed (this can happen if you have a low- or medium-tier device with less than 4GB of RAM).
Oh, and yet more anti-cheat measures. Because cheaters will cheat.
An update for iOS has also been pushed to Apple’s App Store. It’s unclear how long you have to wait until it’s available for download world-wide. Report your experiences here.
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-135/28289
Game version 134
But really, this is otherwise a very minor update necessitated by some technical changes in the iOS version. Speaking of the iOS version, the first official build will be submitted to Apple later today. If everything goes well, it should be approved within the next few days!
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-134/27832
Game version 133
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-133/27719
Game version 132
Note: Due to a serious issue in v.131, it has now been superseded by v.132
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-132/27473
Game version 130
Perhaps surprisingly, the anti-cheat system is slightly more lenient now and works under a “three strikes” model, with progressively longer periods of banning each time you cheat. However, the official policy is still that cheating once gets you permanently banned, and it may be applied to exceptional cases (for example: cheats that cause additional maintenance effort on my part, destructive cheats that can also affect other players, or simply me getting up on the wrong side of the bed that particular morning).
Also, some measures are now taken against exploits and wave farmers. There are two aspects to this:
- The “Unoriginality Penalty” rules are now slightly different, and the penalty is now applied to all of score, keys, and food gained during a mission.
- Missions that have been played in an exploitative way can now be disqualified.
The exact rules are not made public, both as a matter of policy but also as a matter of practicality (as they are always changing, with new rules being added or tweaked as the need arises). It is important to note, though, that cheating and exploitative play are two different things. Sure, some of your flown missions might be ignored, but exploitative play will not get you banned.
Amazingly, there was enough time to cram two gameplay-related changes in this update: reworks for the Laser Cannon and the Accumulator booster. Check the changelog for details.
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-130/27314
Chicken Invaders Soundtrack now available!
The Chicken Invaders Soundtrack has been released! Get it now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2248460/Chicken_Invaders_Soundtrack
-25% for the first week!
You've heard it before. It's always been in the background, fanning your sense of heroism, making you sweat in nail-biting tension, spurring you on to a chicken-blasting frenzy... And now you can enjoy it whenever you please!
This quadruple soundtrack album contains all music from Chicken Invaders: Revenge of the Yolk, Ultimate Omelette, Cluck of the Dark Side, and Universe. It's a big and intricate orchestral score, composed and produced by wonderfully talented 2dB Music Production.
Sit back, relax, and re-live your greatest chicken-hunting moments by listening to the full-length tracks, or enjoy the small jingles as ringtones for your mobile phone.
As Bob Mandel, senior writer for the online magazine Adrenaline Vault writes: "This is the most rousing, energizing, inspirational orchestral game soundtrack I have heard in many a year — in both virtual and real environments, it makes me feel as if I can overcome any obstacle !!!!!!!"
Game version 129
Anti-Cheat. Sigh. Well, that’s another 10 days of work wasted trying to stop cheaters, while productive development is on hold.
:warning: The anti-cheat system is now in “strict” mode. The new policy (which recently came info force) is stated here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/exploit-cheating-policy/26495
Soundtrack. Don’t forget that the Chicken Invaders Soundtrack will be released tomorrow. Check out https://store.steampowered.com/app/2248460/Chicken_Invaders_Soundtrack/
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-129/27077
Game version 128
Anti-Cheat. There are hardly any player-facing changes in this update. Instead, ‘proper’ development has been suspended – I’ve instead spent the last two weeks improving the anti-cheating measures in the game. It was sadly not productive work, but it was (equally sadly) necessary in order to stop certain cheaters from ruining the competitive aspect of the game for everyone.
:warning: The anti-cheat system is now a lot stricter. You will be banned if you cheat. You will be banned if you use cheating tools (whether you actually cheat or not). You will be banned if you think about cheating. You will be banned if you allow yourself to consider thinking about cheating. You will be banned if your brother cheats, if your best friend cheats, if your cat cheats, if your next-door neighbour cheats, if your 3rd grade classmate who moved across the country and you lost touch and you’re now wondering where he is and how he’s doing cheats. (*)
The new policy (which recently came info force) is stated here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/exploit-cheating-policy/26495 .
* Some of these may not actually be true.
Soundtrack. The Chicken Invaders Soundtrack is almost ready. There is already a “coming soon” Steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2248460/Chicken_Invaders_Soundtrack . It should be released on or shortly after February 16th.
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-128/26852
Game version 127
Credits! If you have helped the game anytime in the last four years, either by submitting ideas, reported bugs, or performed translations, then you are included in the game credits (accessible on the main menu). The credits list will be updated regularly with new contributors, or changed callsigns of existing contributors (there is a delay of at least two versions for any changes to propagate to the credits, so please be patient).
Cheating. Although cheating has always been officially disallowed, during Early Access there was some leniency towards cheaters (they would be kicked out, but not banned). Recently, however, the increase in number of players attempting to cheat, as well as the unsophisticated, crude approach of the cheats (which result in many crashes, corruptions, and general instability), have necessitated a change in the cheating policy.
The new policy is stated here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/exploit-cheating-policy/26495
Otherwise this is a minor maintenance update. Enjoy!
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-127-1/26515
Game version 126: End of Early Access
MAIN CHANGES
END OF EARLY ACCESS! Unbelievable. And it only took four years and 126 versions. Looking back at version 1, it’s hard to believe that this is still the same game at its core. Everything is familiar, yet everything has changed.
Let’s take a whirlwind tour of these past four years. Please keep your hands, arms, legs and feet inside the ride at all times, and remain seated in the ride until it comes to a complete stop and you are instructed to exit. Thank you.
But before we even get started, it must be underlined that the game as it stands today is almost exclusively the product of the player community. It has been your feedback, your ideas, and your bug reports that have shaped the game into the flawless masterpiece incomparably superior experience that it is today. Thank you to everyone who has ever contributed in any way – this is your game. Numbers don’t lie: 1148 idea medals and 812 bug medals awarded (so far) must certainly count for something. And that’s not even taking into account the years’ worth of ideas (565 currently) already in the to-do list, which are waiting for their chance to be realized one day.
So, here we go:
- Remastered content: A lot of content from the previous episodes (CI2, CI3, CI4, and CI5) has been reworked, remastered, and re-designed, and incorporated into CIU.
- Waves: CIU currently has 261 unique waves (not including variations), 104 of which are new. The overwhelming majority of these waves are the result of the incessant creative output of the CIU community of players, and the game is much better for it. Well done, players!
- Weapons: Although new weapons have of course been added (Absolver Beam, Clucker Bombs), the significant thing is that the main weapon roster has been re-designed and re-balanced from the ground up. This is also the result of a massive community effort and a lot of (presumably) sleepless nights tweaking, un-tweaking, and re-tweaking weapon characteristics. To support and facilitate this effort, weapon data was made externally controllable through an Excel file.
- Spacecraft: New families of spacecraft have been added (Heavy bombers, Space Supremacy fighters) to enable each player to find their ideal style of play. Boosters provide an extra level of firepower customization.
- Mission types: Mission types from previous episodes have been added (Comet Chase, Supernova, Feather Fieldsm, Meteor Storm), but also brand new ones (Boss Rush, Squawk Block, Key Rush, Ironman, Double Team, Budget Constraint, Pot Luck).
- Enemies: Certain enemies from previous episodes have been added (Balloon Chicken) , as well as a host of new enemies with unique mechanics (Toxic, Berserk, Chiller, Phoenix, Slob, Klaus, Coward, Assassin, Fester)
- Bosses: The bigger they are, the louder they cluck. New bosses include Magnetic Manipulator, Master Squawker, Feather Brain, Thundercluck, Dr. Beaker, and Egg Cannon Cannon Cannon Cannonade (inspired by the community, no less).
- Mission Environments: Frozen, Electric, Hot, and Massive environments affect mission rules and flight performance of your spacecraft.
- Galaxy: New galactic landmarks and features not originally present have been added (Asteroid belts, Supply Droids, Shady Dealers), and even the entire galaxy was re-generated at one point.
- Translations: CIU is the first game in the series (and probably one of the few games ever) to support community translations by the player themselves directly from within the game in real time. This came with significant technical complexity (not to mention QA and abuse issues), but it was clearly worth it because it now allows players to experience the game in their native language, regardless of how uncommon it might be.
- Multiplayer: It’s hard to believe that CIU originally did not ship with multiplayer missions. Technically speaking, the original game was already too complex, and adding multiplayer from day one was sadly not possible. Still, fast-forward three short years, and multiplayer became a thing. And it’s not just a rehash of previous episodes’ multiplayer: this is full 99-player, cross-platform multiplayer with double the network rate, improved ping, better host control of game, and chat and player “kick” feature.
- League: A ladder of player rankings, where you gain (or lose) ranks by daring other players to beat your score.
- Galactic Cup: Players periodically compete through the Qualification, Group, and Knockout Phases in order to win the coveted Galactic Cup trophy.
- Quests: A comparatively recent addition, quests offer yet another way to advance through the United Hero Force ranks until you are “Supreme Admiral of the UHF Fleet”.
- Customization: A lot of additional customization options for spacecraft (spawn shields, paintjobs, ghost trails, strobe lights, pixie dust, exhausts), new cuisines (Burgers, Sweets, Vegetarian, Fried Chicken, Pizza, Popcorn), Color Themes and Config Presets, Music & Starfield Backgrounds, HUD insights and other equipment (Pecking Order Revealer, Power Preserver, Speedy Recovery, and more).
- Music: New original orchestral music from 2dB! Enough said.
- Seasonal editions: Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving.
- Platforms: Initially a Windows-only stand-alone release, CIU has now expanded to more platforms (Steam, Android), with more coming in the future (iOS, macOS).
FUTURE PLANS
Leaving Early Access will have practically no impact on the game’s continued development. Nevertheless, over the coming couple of months there won’t be any major content additions, because all effort will be concentrated on getting the mobile versions released. After the mobile versions are done, the development branch will most likely be split off into “stable” and “beta” branches for logistical reasons (or, alternatively, “rapid release” and “long-term support”). The details of this have still not been finalized, expect more soon.
So, what else is there is store ? Hmm, let’s see…
SOUNDTRACK
Let’s face it: Chicken Invaders music is simply too good to only be heard inside the game. To this end, 2dB is preparing a monster quadruple album containing all original music from Chicken Invaders episodes (Revenge of the Yolk, Ultimate Omelette, Cluck of the Dark Side), as well as Chicken Invaders Universe itself. He’s even thrown a few bonus tracks in there. The soundtrack will become available on Steam sometime in January 2023. More news will come nearer that time.
MOBILE
The Android version is already in the experimental stages. Over the coming few months, a version for iOS will initially become available, followed by the finalized Android version. Or perhaps the other way around. It’s still all a mystery.
PARTY LIKE IT’S 2002
To commemorate the 20th anniversary from the initial release of “Chicken Invaders: The Next Wave” (a.k.a. Chicken Invaders 2) on 22 December 2002, CIU’s “2002 party” mode simulates an (approximately) authentic 2002 experience: graphics have been reduced in color and resolution, music has been replaced with era-appropriate tracks, and certain special effects have been disabled.
This mode is still present in v.126, however it’s not the default and you need to manually enable it from the main menu (restart your game to turn it off again).
MULTIPLAYER PARTY
A series of multiplayer games will be hosted on Saturday, December 17th 2022. The details of these matches are still being worked out, and a schedule will be posted tomorrow. Footage from these multiplayer missions may be used in upcoming CIU trailers and promo videos on YouTube, so make sure you touch up your paintjobs and polish those exhaust nozzles before you join.
More information about this update can be found here: https://forum.chickeninvaders.com/t/ciu-version-126-2/25623