Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.27 is now available! This update redesigns the level layout for Toxic Bog.
Unlike other recent level reworks, the new version of Toxic Bog keeps its previous thematics and atmosphere. A swamp filled with toxic water and a variety of obstacles to traverse. The reason for this rework was actually quite simple. A design oversight in the original layout allowed the player to skip well over half of the level. This would be done by freezing a path across the swamp in ice form to bypass most of the level's obstacles.
To solve this problem, I reorganized the layout to create segments divided by large, terraced waterfalls. You might also find new swamp sludge enemies the next time you explore these waters.
Additionally, one of the new obstacles for this level are tree frogs. Unlike most other entities in the game, you can freeze them and use them as platforms. I originally removed them from Autumn Hills and Borealis Vista as they were confusing to new players, but at the point in the game Toxic Bog takes place, players would have become much more accustomed to the gameplay. As such, the tree frogs worked well as an interesting one-off mechanic specific to this level.
And lastly, I've given the Abyssal Fissure level a minor graphical once over alongside a brand new music track. I've smoothed out the terrain to appear more naturalistic, and I've adjusted the colors to give the area a new mood and feel. I've also posted the background music to Soundcloud where you can listen to it alongside most of the rest of the game's soundtrack.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Redesigned Toxic Bog with a new layout.
New enemies: Swamp Sludge, Mosquitoes and Jawtraps.
More forgiving hit detection on certain enemies.
Purple plants now shoot faster and are slightly larger.
Wasps are slightly more aggressive.
Jumping crocodiles are larger and can break through ice.
Slightly altered atom placement in Abyssal Fissure.
Floating helium enemies as well as jellyfish have more health.
Adjusted time trial times for Abyssal Fissure.
Graphics
Graphical updates to Toxic Bog.
Graphical updates and color changes to Abyssal Fissure.
Changed color of tree frogs to stand out more from the background.
Graphical update to crocodiles.
Updated the purple plant’s dart graphics.
Audio
New background music for Abyssal Fissure.
Updated sound effect for enemy barriers being removed.
New level: Aether Isles
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.26 is now available! This update reimagines the Sprites and Elves level as a brand new area: Aether Isles.
The new level is inspired by the real world scientific phenomenon known as upper atmospheric lightning. The different patterns in the sky are named after a variety of mythical creatures such as sprites, elves, trolls, gnomes and more. Just as how I gave anthropomorphic features to the elements of the periodic table, I applied similar design principles to create a variety of fairy tale characters. Thus, the level turned out to be a fantasy world taking place high in the sky.
The goal of this update was to improve upon the level's design and mechanics. The original level had a strong focus on hardlight platforms, and they were introduced as if they were the first time the player was encountering them. As the recent Autumn Hills rework already introduced hardlight platforms to the player, I found it necessary to add some new challenges to build upon the player's knowledge.
In Aether Isles, you'll encounter several new obstacles. Most notably, rainbow bridges that only plasma form can stand on. Additionally, you'll find rotating cloud platforms that as the name suggests, only cloud form can stand on. And around halfway through, you'll have to climb a castle tower to avoid deadly traps and solve puzzles.
Most of the level's enemies were carried over from the original Sprites and Elves level. However, I reintroduced several enemies from areas that were previously removed from the game. In the tower section, you'll find some wizards that shoot math symbols at you as well as knights that can block your path.
Although Aether Isles is much shorter than Windswept Ruins, it is considerably more challenging. Thankfully, there are plenty of health pickups so that you have the ability to quickly retry the tricky platforming segments as many times as you need.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Replaces Sprites and Elves with a new level: Aether Isles.
Weather Machine drones no longer block the line of sight of enemies.
Pixies now taunt you when they hit you with an arrow.
Camera no longer passes through giant mushrooms.
Graphics
Brought back the knight enemy with new graphics.
Graphical updates to pixie enemy.
Trolls and pixies no longer leave their weapons behind when they are defeated.
Audio
New music for Aether Isles.
New SFX for gnomes.
New level: Windswept Ruins
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.25 is now available! This update reimagines the Gale Vale level as a brand new area: Windswept Ruins.
In addition to rebalancing the difficulty curve, I wanted to bring this level up to standard with the rest of the game by fleshing out the worldbuilding. The goal of the overall design of Windswept Ruins was to create a level where players could take advantage of cloud form's abilities to jump long distances. To add some challenge so that players aren't always in cloud form all the time, there are stone-based enemies that are immune to attacks from cloud form. Combining the idea of a sky level with stone-themed structures led to influence from Greek mythology. I imagined the area to be some sort of road to Mt. Olympus or perhaps an ancient obstacle course intended for Droplet athletes.
Some of the obstacles you'll encounter along the way are dark clouds that will disappear underneath you upon stepping on them. There's also windmills which blow gusts of wind that can push you off ledges, though if timed correctly, you can use these windmills to leap greater distances than normal.
In addition, I've introduced several new enemies to encourage multiple approaches. The cyclops is a giant enemy that is immune to punches and has a lot of health. You can either expend most of your ammo taking one down from a distance or you can go up close and low kick them to take them down more quickly. The gorgon is an enemy that attacks from a distance and will turn you to stone if you are hit by one their projectiles. And you might find the existing goat enemy to be much more aggressive than before.
Lastly, in response to some player feedback, I've added a new menu to help out new players learning the controls. If this is the first time Droplet: States of Matter is launched on your PC, the menu will appear before the game's title screen, and it will allow you to configure button prompts to show either keyboard or gamepad controls.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
New level: Windswept Ruins. This replaces Gale Vale in order to better explore the abilities of cloud form.
Tweaked the logic of windy areas. Hiding behind certain objects will now prevent the player from being blown around.
Goats move much faster, have higher health and are much more aggressive.
Slight change to how enemy line of sight works.
Graphics
Updated Neo Kryptopolis’ sky background to have the correct planet.
Audio
New music for Windswept Ruins
New music for Neo Kryptopolis.
Sound effect change for Pistol Shrimp.
Spatial audio enabled for goat and stonehead enemies.
Misc
First time players are now prompted what control scheme they want to use.
Updated the hint board to display more accurate hints.
Slightly changed the text formatting of time trial times.
Fixed some misplaced objects in Crystal Quarry.
Sprites and Elves now shows the correct planet during the loading screen.
Healing crystals will no longer block certain enemies’ line of sight.
Minor performance improvements with spline-based objects (i.e. vines, bridges, etc.)
Optimization Patch
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.24.1 is now available! This is an optimization patch which effectively cuts the game's overall file size by half. I've also included several minor quality of life updates and fixes.
The bulk of the game's file size was actually the marketplace textures used throughout the game. I compressed them from 2048 x 2048 to 512 x 512. This results in some overall improved performance, especially on low end machines.
In addition, new settings to the options menu have been added. The option to enable Steam Deck button prompts has been added though official Steam Deck verification is still pending. Until then, if you choose to play Droplet: States of Matter on the Steam Deck, these button options are available if you so choose.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Optimization
Improved texture compression. This reduces the overall file size of the game by more than half.
Removed some unused files.
Gameplay
Removed Tree Frogs from Waterworks and Cretaceous Caldera. (Dev note: These mechanics were a little too one-off and felt out of place following the rework of Autumn Hills and Borealis Vista.)
Made it slightly easier to jump from the water during Abyssal Fissure’s artifact challenge.
Graphics
Updated some texture tiling throughout the game.
Small graphical improvements to Abyssal Fissure.
Updated Abyssal Fissure with a new thematically appropriate enemy.
Fixed an oversight where some coral in the underwater levels was the wrong color.
Audio
New music for Toxic Bog.
Menus
Added an option to display the buttons for the Steam Deck.
Corrected a typo on the description of “Upside-Down Invert”.
Lowered the maximum possible X and Y sensitivity in the camera settings. (Dev note: If you had settings that were beyond the maximum, it is recommended to reset the options to default.)
New experimental Active Camera mode where the camera follows the player automatically.
Fixed issue where the cancel button didn’t unpause the game.
Autumn Hills level rework
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.24 is now available! This update reworks the Autumn Hills level to have a brand new layout.
As one of the first levels of the game, Autumn Hills is essential for presenting a first impression. One of the most important factors for this level especially was its appearance. I wanted to bring it in line with more recently updated levels with a graphical makeover, turning it into a cozy farm in the middle of the forest. In addition, I wanted to give the level a second pass to make sure that the player is ready for the challenges that lie ahead in later levels. I removed puzzles which seemed too one-off for the area, and presented how the states of matter get used more clearly. By narrowing the level's focus, this would ease the player into acclimatizing to the game's complex mechanics.
As a result, the level now features a greater focus on the mechanics of plasma form. To help players better understand early on what plasma form's abilites are, I added more scenarios where they would be able to make use of it. These include the addition of hardlight platforms as well cannons that launch you to other points in the level.
Additionally, some players discovered ways to go out of bounds in cloud form to skip large areas of the level. Rather than leading the player into believing they discovered an oversight, I thought it would be better design the level so that making such large jumps is required to progress. Very early on in the level, a simple platforming challenge helps the player get accustomed to the height and distance cloud form is able to jump.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Autumn Hills level layout reworked from the ground up.
Moved one of the artifacts to a different level.
Some enemies will now only engage the player only if they have a clear line of sight.
Graphics
Graphical overhaul of Autumn Hills.
Drawbridges now have their emblems disappear when lowered.
Recolored the grasshopper enemy so that it stands out better from the background.
Audio
Enemies in Autumn Hills now make use of sound attenuation (i.e. you can hear where they are coming from based on left and right audio channels).
Misc
Adjustments to plasma cannon’s collision box.
Fixed incorrect animation if you launch from a cannon while crouching.
Borealis Vista level rework
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.23 is now available! This update reworks the Borealis Vista level to have a brand new layout.
As one of the first levels of the game, Borealis Vista is meant to illustrate some of the game’s fundamental mechanics. In a previous update, Tiki Tectonics demonstrated the concept of turning into cloud form by standing near sources of heat. The goal of Borealis Vista is to show the player the basics of ice form and how it can be applied in a variety of situations.
For example, the positioning of breakable boxes near the toxic ocean clues the player into discovering that ice form is capable of freezing liquids. The pools of clear water help to show that while ice form can swim on the surface, it cannot dive underwater. Additionally, certain enemies such as ghosts have immunity to ice form which means the player must switch to a different state of matter to defeat it.
Understanding how the states of matter work is key for the player to be able to overcome the challenges of later levels in the game. Borealis Vista serves as a relatively safe, easy location to make sure that they understand ice form before moving on to the next area.
That’s all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Redesigned Borealis Vista from the ground up.
Ice cream enemies now feature different colors and amounts of health depending on whether they are in Borealis Vista or in Macro Kitchen.
Slightly increased health for pansies and Borealis ghosts.
Borealis ghosts no longer pass through walls.
Reduced damage radius of Borealis ghosts.
Text
Lucky Cyberpunk has been renamed to Neo Kryptopolis.
Pompeii and Circumstance has been renamed to Brimstone Temple.
Misc
Fixed a bug where defeating enemies would sometimes award the incorrect atom value.
Fixed a bug where you could sometimes respawn in the wrong location in the Kalofrioh boss fight.
Minor changes to Droplet’s and Molly-QL’s animation state machines to handle some edge cases.
Adjusted the animation state machine of the Ice Cream Cyclops.
Fixed a bug where you would not respawn to the correct location during the Sobek boss fight.
Fixed a bug where Sobek’s mummies sometimes did not despawn when reentering the arena.
Adjusted one of the windy areas in Gale Vale.
Fixed a bug in Brimstone Temple where the player would respawn at the wrong location in the artifact challenge area.
New boss: Kalofrioh, Autarch of Storms
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.22 is now available! This update replaces the Los Ninos boss fight with a brand new encounter - a two headed dragon named Kalofrioh.
In this reimagined encounter, Kalofrioh will regularly change the overall temperature of the arena, forcing you to adapt to the situation. Partway through the fight, the two of them will combine their forces to turn the battlefield into a dangerous thunderstorm.
I chose to overhaul this boss for a variety of reasons. While I liked the idea of a two headed dragon with control over fire and ice, I felt the need to give the character design a second pass. My goal this time around was to create a much more imposing and threatening foe that would better convey the stakes of Droplet's and Molly-QL's mission to save the world.
It was also an opportunity to explore some interesting mechanics. With the weather changing mechanics also affecting the terrain itself, I came up with several creative tricks to achieve the unique effects seen in this encounter.
As January 2023 will mark the fifth year of development of Droplet: States of Matter, I wanted to thank all those who have supported me in developing this game. It's been a long journey, and there will be more to look forward to in the coming months.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
New boss named Kalofrioh which takes the place of the Los Ninos fight.
Ammo pickups now restore to maximum ammo.
Audio
New music for the Kalofrioh boss fight.
Text
Dialogue during boss battles now plays more clearly and with its own separate text box.
Fixed a misspelled word in the opening cutscene.
Misc
Fixed a bug where you could gain control during a cutscene if you timed a hazard event right when one triggers.
Camera no longer is controllable during loading screens.
Fixed some misplaced geometry in Bonsai Bathhouse.
Added some extra edge case handling for certain scenarios while dialogue is in progress.
Fixed a bug where time trial times would not be displayed if you skipped a cutscene where a boss was defeated.
Tiki Tectonics level redesign
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.21 is now available! This update reworks the Tiki Tectonics level to take place in the first hub world switching places with Gale Vale.
As part of my ongoing effort to rebalance the game’s overall difficulty curve, one particular spot I had noticed players had trouble was the Gale Vale level. I came to the conclusion that it was far too challenging for an area in the first hub world. As such, the solution was to switch places with another level that was in need of a different rework. Tiki Tectonics was designed before sprinting was added meaning most of the platforming could be unintentionally skipped.
While still keeping the original Polynesian-inspired volcanic theme, I redesigned the level to serve as a better introduction to a central mechanic used throughout the entire game. Namely, the idea that standing near sources of extreme heat will gradually change you into cloud form.
Although players universally understand that lava is dangerous to touch, it’s not as commonly recognzied that standing near lava is hot due to convection currents. Therefore, I designed the level in a way that communicates this idea clearly to both new and experienced gamers alike. As an early game stage, I wanted to make sure it was easy enough to complete so that players are prepared for more difficult lava-themed levels later in the game.
Early on in the level, you have to stand near a pool of lava to turn into cloud form to proceed. I hint at this by placing boxes and other collectibles near the lava so that going near these areas causes the temperature gauge to appear. Thus, alluding to the idea that something will occur not just by touching the lava but also by standing near it. Once the player figures this out, the rest of the level introduces other ideas that build upon it such as combining the concept with ice form.
In other news, I’ve made a number of quality of life changes. Among the most notable is that whenever you switch between Droplet and Molly-QL, the character you’re not playing as will now slowly heal over time. This is to make swapping between the two of them a more viable gameplay option. To further alleviate the game’s difficulty, you might also find that crates now have a chance of spawning pizza that will heal you to full health.
That’s all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Gameplay
Tiki Tectonics reworked to serve as a better early game area.
New pickup item: Pizza. These will heal you to max health. They have a chance of spawning from breaking open crates. Lives were made a slightly more rare chance to balance.
The character you are not currently playing as will now slowly recover health over time. To balance this out, the checkpoint heal ability has been replaced with a new upgrade that makes you heal slightly faster.
Healing crystals now heal slightly faster.
Switched Tiki Tectonics’ and Gale Vale’s entrance portals for balancing.
Droplet and Molly-QL now consistently fire projectiles from their right hand.
Steam vent clouds now move slightly faster.
Relocated one of the hidden artifacts to another level.
Pick up items will no longer block your shots if you have remote collect unlocked.
Modified some internal logic with temperature difference zones.
Fixed an issue where player projectiles sometimes disappeared prematurely.
Extra sanity check added to allow you to refund your gizmos if you somehow have negative atoms (likely from having a save file older than the Frozen Fortress update).
Slightly moved a weather drone in Haunted Shipyard.
Replaced some enemies in Abyssal Fissure.
Jellyfish are now slightly bigger.
Fixed some misplaced water in Abyssal Fissure.
Bubble streams no longer push you around.
Fixed a bug where you couldn’t skip cutscenes under certain circumstances.
Tiki torches will now burn you if you touch the flames.
Graphics
Changed some animation logic in Droplet and Molly-QL.
Swimming bubble particles improved.
Fixed an oversized background model in Argon Town.
Fixed a bug where some assets from Misty Canopies were being loaded incorrectly.
Improvements to Pistol Shrimp projectile graphics.
Recolorings of Deep Sea Mines.
Audio
New music for Tiki Tectonics. Fixed a bug where the music would get too quiet if you spoke with someone while the music volume was set to lower than the default. Fixed an audio bug related to Molly-QL’s low health animation.
Controls
Crouching no longer counts as a momentum break. Momentum breaking can now only be done in mid-air. This is to make crouching feel a bit more fluid and more viable when crouching kicking large enemies.
You now move faster when crouching in ice form.
Improvements to swimming controls so that they are easier to handle.
Option to invert the controls when the camera is pointed upward in third person mode added.
UI
Health and ammo now always show up whenever you switch characters.
The health/ammo max message will no longer appear if you attempt to remote collect an item without having the ability unlocked yet.
New level: Misty Canopies
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early access 1.20 is now available! This update replaces the Redwood Climb level with a brand new one: Misty Canopies, a level themed after a haunted forest. You'll travel across a fungus-covered treehouse village where more than a few ghoulish enemies take up residence.
As mentioned in my previous update, with the majority of areas having been converted from BSP brush to static mesh, I've been going back through the game to rebalance level progression to improve pacing. The new Misty Canopies level features freezable moisture as its central mechanic. While freezable moisture exists in other levels, I decided it was necessary to have an level that was more focused on how it could be presented in complex ways.
As Misty Canopies turned out to be a very difficult level, I decided to have it take place later in the game while reorganizing other levels across the different hub areas. As I go back and rebalance the level progression further, I may do similar reorderings to better ensure an optimal player experience.
In other news, the Industrial Junkyard level now features a new music track. The previous song for the level is now being used for the Radon Industries hub world. During the process of rebalancing player progression, I'm going back and updating older music tracks to ensure consistent quality across the game.
That's all for now! And with that, thank you for following the development of Droplet: States of Matter!
Patch Notes
Bug Fixes
Fixed some collision issues with the ice platforms created when freezing a surface.
Correct message about time trial completion now plays.
Fixed an area where you could get trapped in Cretaceous Caldera.
Gameplay
Redwood Climb redesigned as a new level: Misty Canopies which is now found in the Krypton Estate hub world
Swapped several levels around different hub worlds to balance the game’s difficulty better. You’ll still retain progress in these levels if they were moved to a hub world you don’t have access to yet.
Toxic Bog moved to Neon Badlands
Arctic Rig moved to Xenon Lagoon
Abyssal Fissure moved to Radon Industries
Lucky Cyberpunk moved to Krypton Estate
Cirrus Harbor moved to Radon Industries]
Increased the maximum distance you can shoot a projectile.
Frozen surfaces now have a slightly slower melting animation to provide more telegraphing when it will disappear.
Detonation times for exploder robots are now much longer to give first-time players more reaction time.
Ghost enemies now respawn if you fall into a hazard to mitigate them getting stuck in an unreachable area.
Some jumps in Industrial Junkyard are now a little more forgiving.
Graphics
Enemies now flash a different color when you successfully damage them.
Recolors of the toxic in Toxic Bog and Haunted Shipyard. This was to better communicate that green toxic (found in levels such as Industrial Junkyard and Radiant Reactor) will change to plasma form.
Graphical update to freezable moisture.
Graphical improvements to Industrial Junkyard.
Recolored Abyssal Fissure so that it’s easier to tell apart the mud.
Audio
New music for Industrial Junkyard. The previous theme is now that of Radon Industries.
Added attenuation to various sound effects.
New level: Sandswept City
Hey guys! Krayfishkarl here, and welcome to another Droplet: States of Matter update! Early Access 1.19 is now available! This update replaces the Temple of Sobek level with a brand new one: Sandswept City. The release of this level marks a major milestone in the development of the game. All main levels have now been converted from BSP brushes to static meshes. Only several boss levels and bonus areas remain.
You'll be exploring the level in three parts: the outskirts, the city plaza and finally the grand palace. When creating Sandswept City, I chose to make it more open this time around to encourage an exploratory feel, and to make this level feel more grounded as if it were a real location that you could visit. All the rocks, trees and other landmarks are carefully placed to help guide the player towards points of interest that are essential to making progress in the level.
One of the reasons why I opted to completely redesign the Temple of Sobek level was that it was created before I added the sprint ability to the game. This meant that many of the puzzles could unintentionally be skipped with well-timed jumps. As such, I thought it would be a great opportunity to address some issues with game balancing by helping the player prepare for mechanics featured later in the game. For example, Sandswept City is now the first location where the player will encounter whirlwinds that cloud form can bounce off of. This would help familiarize them when facing more challenging levels later in the game such as Cirrus Harbor. The level also helps to teach the player more on combining the abilities of the states of matter. For example, you have to use both ice and cloud form to ascend a small mesa surrounded by quicksand.
With the majority of areas now converted into static meshes, my next goals will be as follows: First, I'm planning to go through all the other levels and continue tweaking the way the game's challenges are introduced to the player. This is to better ensure a fair, interesting difficulty curve. And secondly, I'm planning to bring the rest of the game to a consistent level of graphical fidelity. Sandswept City and several other levels from recent updates are representative of what I intend the final game to look like. As such, in future updates, I'll be revisiting older-designed levels to give them 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
Bug Fixes
Fixed some issues where some objects were getting loaded and unloaded incorrectly when traveling between levels.
Gameplay
Replaced the Temple of Sobek level with a new level: City of Wootz.
Adjusted the way the pink crystal in the Sobek boss fight is obtained.
Kicks will now trigger hardlight switches.
You can now do a kick in mid-air by crouch hopping then pressing the melee button.
Scorpion enemies redesigned. They have new models and they now chase you rather than following a set path.
Genies are slightly less difficult to defeat now as they now appear earlier in the game.
Jellyfish now shoot electricity faster. The shock spheres have been recolored gold.
Audio
Waterfall sounds now play from further away.
Thrown object whoosh sounds now based on distance.
Graphics
The Neo system now has two visible suns. You can observe them most clearly in the loading screens and the new Sandswept City level.
Slight adjustments to Pitaya colors.
Graphical update to whirlwinds.
Menus
Swapped Gale Vale and Mangrove Marsh positions in the status menu.
