Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.34 is now available! This update graphically overhauls the Argon Town hub world.
Argon Town is the second hub world in the game, featuring a medieval German-inspired castle town. The cold, snowy environment leaves the player in ice form as the default. This is to help the player get used to the idea that changing between states of matter can be a slightly different process depending on the temperature of the surrounding area. To stand out from other ice-themed levels in the game, this area has a cozy winter wonderland feel - to better convey that this is a safe area where the player can relax. To further emphasize this, I redid the background music to have a Christmas-y feel to it.
I wanted to take a second pass at this area to bring it up to standard with the other hub worlds. One of the key features I implemented was that each portal now has a distinct landmark associated with it so that players can more easily remember where they are located. I also made the area much more organic and naturalistic in shape to give it more personality.
In other news, I have graphically updated the game's title screen to take place in the Galactic Science Festival. Prior to this update, the title screen was among the few remaining areas to still use BSP brushes from early development. I thought that it would be important to provide a great first impression to players as to what to expect in terms of graphical fidelity.
A surprising amount of technical work had to be done to make this change possible. Because the title screen takes place in the actual Galactic Science Festival and not a copied-pasted version of it, I had to significantly modify the way the game loads levels. In the end, it did give me the opportunity to address some longstanding technical debt which should make for an overall smoother back-end experience.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Gameplay
Overhauled Argon Town with a new layout. Reduced number of atoms by 100.
Updated collision of searchlights.
Code refactor on enemies that throw boomerang-style weapons.
Adjusted their collision.
Thrown weapons no longer pass through walls.
Adjusted the chime area for the pink crystal in Crystal Quarry.
Cannonballs now last slightly longer before despawning.
Fixed bug where Helium Floaters weren’t firing at the correct trajectory.
Adjusted distance that pusher blocks retract.
Graphics
Graphically updated Argon Town.
Graphically updated the title screen.
Graphically updated the TV on the stage at the Galactic Science Festival.
Changed some materials on the festival stage.
Updated Windswept Ruins’ sky to include the red star.
Audio
New music for Argon Town.
New music for Dr. Ruby Dium Phase 1.
Tweaks to Dr. Ruby Dium Phase 2 music.
Text
Fixed some dialogue that stated an incorrect number of total artifacts to find in the game.
Fixed a bug where Dr. Ruby Dium’s taunt line wasn’t loading correctly.
Misc.
Changed some logic with how the title screen determines whether it’s done loading.
Added extra checks to ensure the game state is properly cleared in certain scenarios (i.e. starting a new game, getting a game over, etc.)
Quick patch update - 5 May 2024
This is a small patch update to include some fixes that weren't initially in yesterday's update.
Fixed a bug where falling out of bounds wasn’t registering correctly in some situations.
Slightly moved a floating box in Crystal Quarry.
Fixed some geometry in Windswept Ruins to improve collision.
Sobek boss fight rework
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.33 is now available! This update gives a refreshed look at the Sobek boss fight.
While the fight itself remains relatively the same conceptually, I've graphically updated the arena to match the narrative changes from the previous version. The area just outside the boss fight has a minor atmospheric sequence where a series of torches light up as you approach Sobek's temple. The inside of the arena uses similar visuals seen in the Sandswept City level to better imply the two locations are part of the same world. You'll also find Sobek to be lip synced to his dialogue which now features some appropriate, cartoonish movements.
I not only changed the graphics, but also some of Sobek's behaviors. In addition to a new beam attack, the way Sobek summons enemies to his aid works much differently than before. Depending on where you are in the arena, either mummies or golden scarabs will spawn. When defeated, they will drop lemonade and burgers respectively so that you can refill your health and ammo during the fight. In a pinch, you can switch between Droplet and Molly-QL so that one can take over while the other gets a chance to rest.
The last major change was that the essence of Ra that spawns during the fight is no longer random. They will now spawn in a fixed order around the arena so that time trial challenges are more predictable on repeated attempts.
In other news, I did a minor onceover across the Haunted Shipyard level. I've rearranged all the atoms and enemies as well as a few of the puzzles to improve the flow. While the level can now be beaten more quickly than before, its pacing is now consistent with all the other levels in the game.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Gameplay
Reworked the Sobek fight. Sobek now has several new attacks and existing behaviors have been tweaked.
Time trial times for Sobek boss fight adjusted to account for new mechanics.
Fixed a bug where ground spikes could damage you even if they were retracted.
New enemy: Golden Scarab. It appears in the Sobek boss fight.
Adjusted level layout for Haunted Shipyard to make it smoother to run through. Atom placements redone.
Time trial times for Haunted Shipyard adjusted.
Reduced price of Remote Collect power up.
Increased attack radius for seagull enemies.
Fixed a bug where you could get stuck on certain NPC’s.
Fixed a bug where charcoal pirates could destroy boxes but not reward atoms.
Accounts for several more edge cases about the professor’s dialogue about mercenaries.
Graphics
Graphical update to Sobek arena and its related assets.
Sobek is now lip synced to his dialogue.
Lightable torches now animate between being lit and unlit.
Adjusted materials on ground spikes.
Graphical update to seagull enemies.
Fixed some floating objects in the Galactic Science Festival.
Adjusted materials on Egg Ghost enemy.
Audio
Adjusted sound attenuation on various enemies.
Menus
Fixed a softlock where you couldn’t exit the options menu on the title screen.
Reordered the 54 Xenia levels in the menu.
Text
Reworded all hints from the superluminal scanner to be a little less obvious.
Narrative rework, new map screen and more!
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.32 is now available! This is one of the game's largest updates since its release in early access, hence why it took a little longer to come out this time around.
Firstly, the narrative changes I mentioned in previous videos have now been implemented. Virtually every cutscene in the game has been redone from the ground up. There are now over 300 lines of fully voiced dialogue. This was done to flesh out the game's story and characters to make them more compelling. To accomodate new players, the game's starting area has been reworked to more thoroughly explain the game's unique mechanics. You'll find an open, playground-like environment to experiment in before you move on with the story.
Alongside this rework are graphical overhauls to the Helium Valley and Radon Industries hub worlds. The most important changes are that each of the portal locations now have distinct landmarks so that players can more easily find them at a distance. While Helium Valley saw the simple addition of more details, I chose to redo Radon Industries from the ground up to look like a realistic industrial park. You'll now find signs and posters throughout the area that add some environmental storytelling.
The other major feature I added was a map screen. You can now use a spaceship to fly to different star systems. Not only was this an opportunity to add more worldbuilding, but it also addressed some general feedback about the game's pacing. Some players had mistakingly believed that the Helium Valley hub world was the entire game, so this map screen will nonverbally inform the player just how big of an adventure they are getting into.
With one of the biggest tasks of the game now completed, the finish line draws ever closer. My next item on the to-do list is to give another pass through the remaining bosses and hub worlds. I want to provide them with a similar treatment to what I did with Radon Industries. Once all these changes are underway, I'm hoping to have this game out of early access before the end of the year.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Completely overhauled the game’s tutorial area. It features a brand new layout with new cinematics. The storyline has been overhauled so it is recommended to visit this area with a new save file for the best experience.
New gameplay mechanic where you can select the systems of the Noble Gas Kingdom from a map screen. You now have a spaceship called the Mendeleev.
Changed the way general progression to the next hub world works. You now are required to defeat the boss to obtain a star chart.
Landing areas for the Mendeleev added to each hub world. Relocated some portals to adjust to the change.
Added a shortcut in Neon Badlands that can be used to go from the landing area to the Sobek area more easily.
Redid the atom placement of Xenon Lagoon.
Fixed some moving objects that would sometimes open/close incorrectly.
Fixed a bug where hammer robots weren’t exploding after being defeated.
Elevated the exit portals in some levels to minimize exiting the level on accident.
Slightly updated some platforms in Industrial Junkyard.
You no longer revert to third person mode when you’re in a free movement cutscene in first person mode.
Removed the mines in Weather Machine Test Site.
Removed some drones in Bonsai Bathhouse.
Fixed a bug where the nurikabes were incorrectly set to be immune to projectiles.
Swamp sludge now ascends and descends correctly if rapidly going between its range of attack.
Fixed movement bug if you entered water while crouching.
Alternate idle animations are now disabled in certain areas. (i.e. You’ll no longer fall asleep in boss levels.)
Adjusted some Gizmo Shop prices. If you have a previous save file with it already purchased, you should be able to refund your atoms to get them at the new prices.
Graphics
Completely redid Radon Industries. Area looks more like a realistic industrial park.
Touched up graphics in Helium Valley. Entrance portals now have distinguishable landmarks.
Expanded the Gizmo Shop to make room for the Mendeleev.
Updated loading screen background.
Minor graphical updates to Kalofrioh’s arena.
Atoms and player projectiles no longer receive decals.
General FPS improvements to Arctic Rig.
Arctic Rig now has the correct celestial bodies in the sky.
Fixed some misplaced water geometry in Arctic Rig.
Adjusted some tiling in Arctic Rig.
Updated models and textures on utensil enemies in Macro Kitchen.
Fixed some misplaced geometry in Toxic Bog
Fixed missing texture in credits sequence.
Updated the color of Eich-Tuo planet.
Audio
New voice overs for the accompanying dialogue rework.
New music track for Dr. Ruby Dium Phase 3.
New music track for Captain Salty Peter battle theme.
New music track for Duchess Cara Bonnie’s boss area.
New music for Lord Krypton’s boss area.
New music for the Gizmo Shop.
Rebalanced audio on several older music tracks.
Updated the music audio balancing during cutscenes.
Updated sound effect for Salty Peter’s rifle.
Text
Completely rewrote the game’s dialogue. Cutscenes have been changed accordingly.
Dialogue boxes now show the name of the person/entity who is currently speaking.
Text speed now automatically adjusts to the length of the line recording. As such, the “Fast” Text Speed option has been removed from the options menu.
Droplet now gives the hints at checkpoints if you’re playing as Molly-QL.
Fixed several edge cases where the dialogue box would continue when it wasn’t supposed to.
UI
Fixed bug where you could repeatedly mash “Save and Quit” before the game fully exited to the desktop.
Reordered some levels in the status menu.
Fixed bug where you could “cancel” out of the menu while a cutscene is paused.
Adjusted the conditions for enabling/disabling the HUD during and after cutscenes.
Other
Improved compression. Overall file size of the game should be significantly reduced.
New music tracks
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.31.1 is now available! This is a smaller scale update that adds multiple new music tracks.
While I'm still planning the upcoming narrative changes, in the meantime, I've been revisiting the game's soundtrack to bring it up to a consistent level of quality. The following areas have received new music: Mangrove Marsh, Neon Badlands, Cara Bonnie's Approach, Sobek Boss Battle Theme, Krypton Estate and Radiant Reactor.
In other news, I switched the Kalofrioh and Cara Bonnie boss portals. In the new story script I wrote, I felt the storyline flowed better with Kalofrioh taking place first. In a future update, I'll be reworking the Cara Bonnie fight with new dialogue and new graphics.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Gameplay
Switched Kalofrioh’s and Cara Bonnie’s boss portals. This is part of the upcoming narrative changes.
Players now get notified that they have enough for the cheapest item in the Gizmo Shop.
Graphics
Fixed some miscolored textures in Radiant Reactor.
Audio
New music for the following: Mangrove Marsh, Neon Badlands, Cara Bonnie Boss Approach, Sobek Boss Battle, Krypton Estate, Radiant Reactor.
Sound attenuation added to several enemies.
Chrome Skyscrapers second pass
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.31 is now available! This update redesigns Chrome Skyscrapers from the ground up.
Chrome Skyscrapers is a level that has existed since the prototype phase, so I'm quite surprised myself that this level has survived this long during the game's development. But the time has come to bring it up to a greater quality standard. I wanted to introduce some mechanics to make the level more interesting though I still wanted to keep the original futuristic city theme in order to make economical use of preexisting assets. Thus, I came up with the idea of using new types hardlight platforms tied directly to the concept of series and parallel circuits.
I wanted to embrace Droplet's dive into its educational aspects. In an effort to create some unique puzzle platforming mechanics, I aimed to organically incorporate scientific concepts without having the player feel like they are sitting in a lecture. I aimed to explain these ideas as nonverbally as possible through the use of instructive level design. I also had to bear in mind that the level needed to have a brisk enough pace for the time trial challenge so I balanced the puzzles to minimize wait time where I could.
This update also marks a new phase of the game's development. Now with all of the main level design reworks completed, going forward, I'll be turning my attention to the game's boss levels, hub worlds and bonus areas. I will be primarily focusing on fleshing out the story elements so that the game is not only fun to play but also tells a compelling narrative.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Redid layout of Chrome Skyscrapers.
Moved a hidden artifact from Chrome Skyscrapers to Arctic Rig.
More health given to drones, UFOs and shooter robots.
Fixed bug where mouse input wouldn’t occasionally register when aiming in first person.
UFO laser blasts don’t last as long.
Cretaceous Caldera second pass
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.30 is now available! This update gives a second pass to the layout of the Cretaceous Caldera level.
Cretaceous Caldera takes place in a muddy swamp next to a volcano. Mud is one of the main obstacles - cloud and ice forms pass through it, but water does not. You'll also find water geysers which work similarily to whirlwinds in that they shoot you upwards if you touch them. The only catch is that water geysers are only usable in water form. You'll have to make careful use of switching between the states of matter to successfully navigate this area. That, and watch out for the dinosaurs.
Although I graphically improved Cretaceous Caldera in a previous update, I felt it was necessary to give the level another pass to bring it up to quality standard with the rest of the game. The level's aesthetics remain the same, but I've expanded it to feel more open and naturalistic. This gave the advantage of having a camera with more breathing room, allowing the player to not only better appreciate the landscape but to also get a sense of where objects in the level are located. Additionally, I designed some areas with verticality in mind. This not only makes for a more interesting, varied landscape, but it also makes use of space more efficiently in terms of modeling out the level's geometry.
One of the other things I changed was the T. rex chase sequence. T. rex's now function more like regular enemies as I felt the original sequence - while a neat homage to the likes of Crash Bandicoot - no longer fit within the rules established by the rest of the game. As a replacement in order to replicate the original sense of peril, I've designed a new enemy that the player can recognize as more dangerous than normal. You will now find ankylosaurs that not only are armored like rock but are also covered in moss and plants. It's established that water form cannot defeat plant enemies and cloud form cannot defeat rock enemies. As such, this enemy is invincible until you manage to somehow turn into ice form in order to defeat it.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Reworked the layout of Cretaceous Caldera with new obstacles and enemies.
New enemy: Ankylosaurs. They are immune to both water and cloud forms.
Relocated an artifact from Cretaceous Caldera to Particle Accelerator.
Roses now shoot directly at the player.
Lava geysers now destroy frozen surfaces.
Repositioned lava geysers in Brimstone Temple.
Certain enemies will now instantly perish when touching toxic or lava.
Graphics
Graphical updates to Cretaceous Caldera.
Graphical update to the T-rex, raptor, triceratops and pterodactyl.
Graphical update to lava geysers.
Audio
Purple plants and roses now have sound attenuation.
Text
Updated some hints for a few levels.
Cirrus Harbor level rework
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.29 is now available! This update gives a second pass to the Cirrus Harbor level layout and aesthetics.
Cirrus Harbor takes place in a steampunk-themed area in the sky where you'll find a variety of moving platforms. In the latter half of the level, you'll go so high in altitude that you'll find the temperature has dropped, causing you to go to ice form.
One of Cirrus Harbor's main mechanics includes some very tricky platforming. The evil sky pirates have decided to move around the weather machine drones, meaning if you touch one while standing in the wrong place, you'll fall to your demise. This is a twist on the game's established formula so that the player becomes more cognizant of the level's environment before touching a drone.
I wanted to revisit Cirrus Harbor for a couple of reasons. I had gotten feedback that the level was too difficult for its placement in the game. To address this critique, I made the platforms wider and easier to navigate. For thematic reasons, I also moved Cirrus Harbor to a different hub world swapping it with Arctic Rig. I felt that Arctic Rig was more thematically in line with the modern, urban themes of Radon Industries, while Cirrus Harbor felt more appropriate in Xenon Lagoon, an area that had more of an adventure fantasy aesthetic.
The other issue I wanted to address was theming. I felt the level needed to be more distinct in its appearance from Chrome Skyscrapers. As such, switching to a steampunk theme coupled with introducing brand new enemies helped to give this area its own identity. While Cirrus Harbor has received a visual overall, unlike other previous level reworks, this one is still heavily inspired by the original layout. You will find the platforming to be a mostly similar experience as before, just with a lot more polish and a new coat of paint.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Revamped layout for Cirrus Harbor.
Moved the entrances for Deep Sea Mines, Arctic Rig and Cirrus Harbor.
Fixed a bug where certain whirlwinds were moving when they weren’t supposed to.
Slightly moved the area in Arctic Rig where you would heat up.
Added a radioactive area to Radiant Reactor for consistency.
Bug fix where slimes were immune to the wrong state.
Cloud Blower gusts have slightly extended volume.
Fixed bug where Cloud Blowers could blow you around during the player’s death animation.
Graphics
Cirrus Harbor now has a steampunk theme.
The Xenia system now has a second moon.
Recolored the explosive slime enemy.
Cloud Blowers now have gust particles when they are breathing out.
Droplet and Molly-QL at checkpoints are now colored based on environments with different temperatures than the rest of the level.
Fixed a small geometry issue on pirate ships.
Fixed a corrupted texture on Xenia’s planetary ring.
Audio
Sound attenuation added for yetis.
Deep Sea Mines rework
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.28 is now available! This update reimagines the Deep Sea Mines level with a brand new layout.
Deep Sea Mines is unique from other levels in the game in that most of it is completely underwater. You'll find yourself on a continental shelf where there's a series of caves, a network of pipes and all sorts of mysterious machinery. Towards the end of the level is an open area where you'll explore an underwater base accessible through a series of pressure hatches.
I had to design this level differently than most other areas as I had to account for being able to freely move along the Z-axis. As the level turned out to be more difficult than another similar water-themed level, Abyssal Fissure, I decided to swap its placement in the game. You'll now find Abyssal Fissure in the Xenon Lagoon hub world and Deep Sea Mines in the Radon Industries hub world.
As the level's name suggests with an intentional pun, you will find underwater mines that explode when you get close to them. In this level, you'll have to use these explosions to your advantage to clear boulders that block your path. You will also encounter surveillance cameras that will summon nearby electric pylons should you get spotted.
And lastly, you'll find metal gratings in this level. All states of matter pass through them except for ice form. Though metal gratings are featured heavily in other levels, the way they are used in Deep Sea Mines comes with a twist. Because ice form constantly floats to the surface, in this underwater setting, you might find that some sections play as if the gravity is reversed. You'll have to navigate carefully and think outside the box to solve a few puzzles in order to find all the crystals.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Redesigned the Deep Sea Mines level to have a new layout. Includes several new enemies such as shark torpedoes and sea divers.
Swapped the location of Deep Sea Mines and Abyssal Fissure.
Removed the following areas: Steelworks from Heck, Tachyon Gang and Fireling. The new crystal total is 150.
Sea mines have shorter fuses, and they now respawn.
Replaced kelp enemies with new anemone enemies. (Try saying that three times fast)
Time trials no longer reset your state of matter upon touching a gold crystal.
Gold crystals now despawn 90 seconds upon entering a level (previously 30).
Fixed an edge case where the game number wouldn’t show on the file select menu.
Fixed a bug in Arctic Rig where the wrong levers were assigned to a door.
Turret bullets now stop when hitting walls.
Puffer fish now attack differently.
Clam collision is now slightly larger.
Audio
Turrets now have sound attenuation.
New music for Cirrus Harbor.
Graphics
Visual overhaul for Deep Sea Mines.
Checkpoints that are underwater now show the character swimming.
Misc
Debug Menu can now be minimized.
Corrected an animation error when respawning to an underwater checkpoint.
Quality of Life Patch
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.27.1 is now available! This update focuses on various quality of life changes.
Time trials have received a number of improvements. You are now able to restart a time trial in progress from the menu, allowing you to quickly try it again without having to leave and reenter the level. Additionally, after obtaining a gold crystal, you'll now see the time needed to beat the optional Kray time which was previously hidden until 100% completion was achieved. I've added several other subtle behavioral changes to ensure a consistent experience with this challenge. The full details are in the patch notes which you can find on either the Krayfish Entertainment website or on the Steam page.
I've also changed the way in-game hints are delivered to the player. When struck, the hint board will now cycle through all available hints rather than choosing one at random each time. I've removed the generic gameplay hints so that the hint board becomes more useful for locating pink crystals and artifacts.
Lastly, I've smoothed out interactions with moving platforms. I went through the majority of locations in the game to ensure that they have improved physics and collision detection. This is by far one of the most extensive changes to the game as I almost completely rewrote the Blueprints for how moving platforms work. Because of this, I will be saving the reworks of some areas, such as the boss encounters, for a future date.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
You can now restart a time trial from the pause menu.
Kray Times will now be displayed once the gold crystal for a level is obtained rather than after 100% completion.
Time trial crystals will now despawn thirty seconds after entering a level.
Starting a time trial now resets you to the default state of matter.
The Science Museum is now treated as a hub level. If you save and reload from within it, you’ll start there rather than in Argon Town.
SPOILER ALERT: Ruby’s Weather Machine can no longer be used during time trials. This is to make the Kray times worth going for prior to 100% completion. END OF SPOILER.
Updated various moving platforms with improved physics and collision.
Adjusted some platforms in the ultimate challenge.
Adjusted some platforms in Haunted Shipyard and Xenon Lagoon.
Updated movement of bubbles in Abyssal Fissure and Radiant Reactor.
Slightly adjusted a misplaced crate in Mangrove Marsh.
Graphics
Minor adjustments to Lucky Cyberpunk.
Changed color of Jawtrap’s teeth.
Updated model of arrow platforms.
Updated model for dark clouds.
Regular moving platforms are now slightly thinner.
Fixed a miscolored rock in Abyssal Fissure.
Fixed missing texture on piles of treasure.
Text
You will now cycle through all available hints when activating the hint board. There is also less cooldown when striking the hint board for new hints.
Removed the generic hints so that the hint board is exclusively for finding pink crystals and artifacts.
Updated text references to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to their modern counterparts as of these patch notes.
Misc.
Cleaned up some of the logic for warping to different levels.
