I stayed up way too late last night getting these damn unlock bars working to not post another update just 1 day after the last one.
Full Changelist
Perk upgrade bars animate and play audio as they fill and unlock.
Prevented both starting team members having the same Perk.
Tweaked the message and links when you shut down the game.
Update 0.10 - Perk Unlock System
Friday's update 0.9 added an aggressive new swarming enemy, which made the later stages... uhh... a little difficult.
Some players' feedback suggested that I reduce the difficulty, that it was too much. But, being stubborn as I am, I refused. But with good reason! That reason being...
The Perk Unlock System
In this update, your players can permanently unlock a Perk which gives them invaluable bonuses (Perks were added in update 0.8).
Each Star you earn in a stage counts towards all players' next unlock (provided they survive the stage). So better performance allows you to race ahead and unlock them faster.
There are a variety of useful Perks, and some of them can be upgraded to level 2 or level 3. Not to mention, this update also comes packed with...
New Perks
There are 3 new Perks and 2 extra levels for existing ones. See what new tactics you can come up with using them!
Power Nap Reduces the AP cost of resting, so players can rest at the start of their turn then perform an action.
Knockback Increases the number of squares you push enemies when you attack them.
Powerball Increases the damage and knockback distance of the ball when you Shoot it at enemies.
In addition, the pre-existing Strength and Stamina perks both have Level 3 versions with increased bonuses.
The new Power Nap perk in action (although... poor Dan is still doomed... Your tactical skills are surely better than mine).
Full Changelist
Added Perk Unlock system:
- Players unlock a Perk if they survive long enough.
- The number of Stars you earn in a stage count towards the next unlock for all surviving players.
- Some Perks can be upgraded to level 2 or 3.
Added new Perks:
- "Power Nap" reduces the AP cost of resting, so players can rest at the start of their turn then perform an action.
- "Knockback" increases the number of squares you push enemies when you attack them.
- "Powerball" increases the damage and knockback distance of the ball when you Shoot it at enemies.
- "Strength" perk has a level 3.
- "Stamina" perk has a level 3.
Ball 'Shoot' action now does 2 damage as standard (increased from 1).
Recruiting new players is more expensive if they already have a Perk unlocked.
Feedback
As always, I appreciate your feedback on these new changes. You can reach me on any of these channels:
This update introduces the Itch Trials, increasing the length of the game by 50% and adding not one but two new monsters: Ticks and Hatchers (names TBC).
Hatchers can't move, but every turn they will spawn a new Tick.
Ticks are aggressive ball-chasers and will quickly flood the playing field, but they can be killed easily.
This duo adds a new pressure which forces you to use aggressive tactics, otherwise you'll be knee-deep in creepy bugs.
The trials you must face are randomised, so you may go through the Gore Trials first. As I add more monster types in the coming weeks you'll get a growing number of possible combinations.
Health Bar upgrades
Another (smaller) new improvement is that health bars now show the actual number of HP a character has when you hover the mouse over them. There's also a little damage popup which shows how much damage a character took. More little improvements coming in the future too.
Full Changelist
Added the Itch Trials, featuring 2 new monsters: an itchy bitey boy and a thing that spawns itchy bitey boys.
Health bars now show a numerical value.
Damage values pop up when characters receive damage.
Please note that the difficulty settings undergo continuous tuning. If you find the game too hard or too easy, please share your thoughts on the discussion boards or Discord
Enjoy!
- Matt
Update 0.8.2 - Bug fixes and interface improvements
Hey everyone! Just a little updates with some quality-of-life improvements for the UI, particularly with new players in mind. Hope you like the new version! I plan to move on to a new enemy type for version 0.9.
Full Changelist
Added a "not enough stamina" warning when you hover the mouse over actions.
Moved the Rest action back into the UI to make it clearer and avoid mis-clicks.
Repositioned Pass and Shoot buttons in the UI and added icons.
Added a screen transition when loading new scenes.
New UI audio: selecting gameplay actions and switching to the other player now have unique sounds.
Reduced the Turn Pars for the Gore Trials stages.
Bug fix: enemy's next action indicator now updates immediately when you hit or kill them.
Bug fix: player control is no longer resumed too quickly after you hit an enemy without stunning them.
Please remember to Review the game!
Thanks!
- Matt
Update 0.8 - Perk System & Interface Improvements
The first Early Access update is here!
Perk System
Now your new recruits can come with a special ability which automatically affects the way they perform in Deathball.
The list of available perks will be expanded in future updates, but right now there's just a small sample to test the waters (see changelist below).
You can see which perk a slave has when you're choosing to recruit them. Oh, and you can now choose between 2 slaves when recruiting!
Interface Improvements
The player info panels (in the top-left corner of the screen) have been overhauled! I wanted to make Action Points a little more noticeable, and make some space to show what Perk each player has.
I also added a little mini-portrait so it's easier to see who's who.
You also have 2 new ways to switch control to the second player: you can click their panel, or simply press Tab on your keyboard. No more getting stuck on a player when the one you want is at the other end of the field!
Full Changelist
Added Perk system. Each player can have one perk from a list of 3 (Increased Damage, Reduced Stamina Costs, or Stun).
Starting team has no perks. Given that Stun is now a perk, your players can no longer stun enemies by attacking them unless they have that perk.
'New Recruit' screen now offers 2 different slaves, one with a perk (expensive) and one without (cheap).
Quit button now has a confirmation step during gameplay.
You can now switch control to the second player by clicking their icon or pressing the Tab key.
Player info panels have been overhauled: they now show a mini-portrait and the player's perk, and the Action Points icon is more prominent. You can also click the panel to switch control to that player.
Players flash white briefly when you switch control to them to make it more clear who's now the controlled player.
The spectating slaves have been dimmed a little.
Thank you!
I'm so grateful for your support! Please share your thoughts, either on the Discussion boards, on my active Discord, or on Twitter.
And if you're enjoying the game, please remember to leave a review! It really does help boost visibility, and that is priceless!
Thanks!
- Matt
First week over - What comes next?
Hey everyone!
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for checking out Dungeon Deathball, especially if you purchased it and left a review. As a solo indie developer, your support means everything and allows me to keep doing what I love, which is making games like this!
The response I've had from the first week has been very positive, which is great! Dungeon Deathball even out-performed my previous game in it's first week of Early Access.
The past week has been a busy one for me, as I took some time off with my wife to celebrate my birthday and travelled several hundred miles to attend Develop in Brighton.
But I'm BACK now, and I've already started working on the next update for Dungeon Deathball.
Perks
The biggest new feature is going to be the Perk system. Perks are special bonuses that your players can have that differentiate them. They'll give you more tactical decisions to make, and also make you think carefully about who you recruit when you're down a player.
Project Roadmap
Beyond that, I've also decided to make my roadmap (a.k.a. my 'To Do' list) public.
This means you can see what I'm currently working on, what I intend to work on in the future, and how I'm prioritising everything.
You can view it on Trello here: https://trello.com/b/OCc6xtxj/deathball
I'd love to know what features you're excited about, and use that knowledge to decide what to work on next. If you have a (free) Trello account you can 'Vote' on the features you like the sound of.
Till next time!
That's all for now, but you can expect an update to Dungeon Deathball in the very near future.
Thanks again for being awesome, and please remember to leave a review on Steam!
