Yo! It's been some time, I'll admit. This project was built in so many phases for so many different reasons. Graduate class projects, a full fledged steam release, and a contribution to a number of exhibitions and competitions. It blossomed into an example of what I can do, how I can improve, and what my academic career would be all about. Now, I'm beyond that. Revisiting this project was a complicated endeavor. There are so many things I would do differently with it now. But, in order to preserve what it is, faults and all, this update is designed to "do what it can". A polish. A bit of iteration. Some additional clarity.
All in all, I'm proud to have seen this be nominated for a Best in Show - Art category among some amazing indie titles at GDEX. I feel fortunate to have had it accepted at a number of venues to be shown off, discussed, and played. I'm honored to have had this be part of the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality - a highlight for sure. Flux is about setting a mood. Vibing. And telling a part of a tale that is deeply personal to me. As Gren carries out the daily cycle and longs for a distant love, I too once harbored these same feelings. Now, after what feels like lifetimes, my own circumstances have changed dramatically. But, I'm still that kid in his room trying to make connections and ready to escape in worlds of fantasy, thrills, and really good music.
I hope you'll enjoy the following changes~
New Content:
3 New Hairstyles (Bunbun Style, Pirate Wings, Safer Bind)
3 New Outfits (Ronin Plate, Raiden Wrap, Ghostmeld)
3 New Helms (Sashi Helm, Wyvern Crest, Ghosmeld)
Gren’s gauntlet art updates if all 3 gauntlet augments are installed
A new pathway of areas connecting the beach to the bar with new NPC locations and inspectables, effectively turning the game's explorable area into a loop
Removal of Timer:
The timer mechanic has been removed from the game
Now, after completing a job, you can return to your bed and rest until the next day
Trying to do so before taking a job each day will result in a message encouraging you to take a job
Assault Mode Changes:
Reduced the size and adjusted the speed of characters in this mode
Lengthened the stagger time for enemies so their reaction time post-hit isn’t so quick
Lengthened the duration of the player’s Dash when wielding Daggers
Heavy Attacks (S) can be held and released and have had their animations adjusted
Added a third possible attack anim for the basic sword combo
New Introduction Sequence:
When beginning a new game, the inner monologue now plays out while out in the city
After the dialogue it’ll drop you right into a freestyle mode job
Returning will bring you to the apartment and require you to talk to Mulberry before you can leave, effectively completing the new tutorial
Zone Indicators:
As part of the guides that can be disabled with ALT, UI indicators now exist that show you where you can move between areas
General Changes/Fixes:
In the new areas there are two inspectables that will refill your potions and daggers for free!
Changed the text for each game mode during jobs to better describe their purpose
Added additional emotes that occur throughout NPC dialogue for Gren
Adjusted animations for swapping weapons
Adjusted text settings for a few UI elements to improve legibility
Fixed an issue where Gren’s shadow was cast on top of them in a certain area
Added a “press space” indicator to dialogue
Removed the dash SFX from Blade Dashing
Pressing Up or Down while Blade Dashing no longer pushes you in that direction automatically
Fixed an issue where pressing Up/Down while Blade Dashing
Adjusted a few text fields that were too big or using the wrong anti-aliasing setting
Fixed an issue where augments would improperly display “purchase” prompts
The Wardrobe now allows you to press left to go to the last entry in the list when you’re looking at the first option available
The Augment window now shows a highlight graphic for owned augments
The Augment UI now indicates currently active bike/mech skins
Flux v2.6 is live!
The latest version of Flux includes completely revamped cosmetic and upgrade UI, major tweaks to various game modes and animations, and brand new characters and items to discover.
For a full breakdown of the included changes, see below: - A new series of dialogue is available via the drunk ambassador in the Glam Glam Bar (Keep your eyes peeled along the coast to the south of your apartment) - Increased the speed of dagger attacks slightly - Updated text for area transitions to say "head to/go to" instead of just providing the name of the area you'll go to for consistency/clarity - Fixed a save game load issue that wouldn't properly set your cosmetics and cause an odd graphical roulette (if you experienced this, reassigning your cosmetics fixes the issue) - Fixed a layering issue with the "reeling" player fishing animation - Added some windows to background walls - You can now change your hair color at the Wardrobe closet - Revamped the Wardrobe UI to accommodate other changes - Added the Rainbow Vest outfit - Added the Sellsword Crest Helm - Fixed an issue that would cause the Wardrobe UI to open and then gradually fade - Fixed an issue with a shadow popping over Wanderer's legs in Stonewall - Added Brightpulse and Highleap attacks (replacing previous upgrades for charge speed and such) - Brightpulse releases a blinding light, stunning all enemies in front of you - Highleap is an evasive jump into the air, followed by a falling thrust attack that hits all surrounding enemies~ - Adjusted movement during attacks so all default combos are static and heavy attacks (now called Shieldbreakers) have more mobility - Adjusted Dash speeds in some areas that were a little slow (dashing should be more even regardless of an area's scale) - Adjusted Groove Mode's controls description to better reflect that mode's commands - Adjusted Assault Mode's controls description to better reflect that mode's commands - Removed Blocking and Countering (had some errors, odd behaviors, made a design choice to shift away from this) - Tweaked numerous animations - Adjusted enemy shadow colors - Improved legibility of workshop/augment UI descriptive text - Fixed some typos!
Flux - Version 2.0 is here!
The latest version of Flux seeks to expand upon what was working with the original game's release, introduce major improvements that could elevate the entire experience, and offer a revamped UI for some of the game's menus.
The biggest change is clear: the world of Flux is much bigger! Players now have a broader city area to explore that is full of more characters to interact with and a bunch of interactive "examines", a brand new component of the update that provides an additional layer of that fiction that drives the game's context. Fast travel options are now available from the new level select menu (your bike!) and hidden items and oddities can be found throughout these new areas.
Oh, and there is a fishing minigame too.
Previously, time would skip ahead a day if you took a job and returned back home. This caused some folks to repeat this process quickly in order to progress through the story. Now, a timer is used to indicate when it is ready for you to return to your home to rest in your bed to sleep and advance time. Taking jobs have a chance of adding a chunk of time to the timer based on the "follow up stories" that now trigger before returning home from a minigame.
In addition to new menus, tweaked UI elements and a host of fixes and updates to different modes throughout Flux, a brand new mode is available called "Groove". More akin to a traditional rhythm game, it tasks players with pressing the provided input at the right time. Completing a sequence of proper commands will provide a bonus of credits! The Assault and Armament modes have also been updated to include health points (instead of relying on the Flux resource), blocking and more responsive and impactful interactions with enemies. Numerous items and upgrades have been added and modified based on these changes.
Major Features + Changes: - The world of Flux has expanded! New areas are available to explore. - Over 50+ new "descriptive" interactive elements are spread throughout the world - Progressing to a new day now requires time to elapse and the player to return to their bed - New Mode: Groove, representing a traditional rhythm game mechanic - New Fishing minigame! Head out to Fisherman's Roost to cast a line and earn some extra money - Assault and Armament Modes have been overhauled to include new upgrades, blocking and more - New UI frame throughout every mode to improve legibility and clarity - New UI for Augments and the Minigame Selection Menu- Now with Fast Travel options!
General Changes + Notes: - Adjusted the prices for every cosmetic and upgrade in the game - In Assault Mode, D now acts as a Guard that will knock enemies away, with dashing still available by using D and a - When starting a new game, you must go through the first conversation with Mulberry before leaving your room - Increased knockback for Guards when they block with a shield - Reduced knockback for Guards when their guard is broken - Added an after-image FX to Blade Dashing - Added a "moving forward" animation for the Mech - Added Hit Points (HP) to Assault mode that trigger returning home when hitting 0 (Momentum bottoms out at 50 in Assault once initiated) - Potions now restore HP and have FX - Added Hit Points (HP) to Armament mode that trigger returning home when hitting 0 - Added a UI indicator when you own the Shield Harness - Reduced the recharge rate of the Shield Harness - Reduced Max Flux in Assault Mode - Updated the Sword Charge animation - Fixed an issue that would cause odd skipping between Chroma filters when loading into an area - Extended the delay between switching Chroma filters manually - Fixed an issue that prevented music volume from properly matching your Flux - Fixed an issue where the interact indicator wouldn't display at times - Fixed an issue where you could return home while NPC dialogue was open and allow it to persist elsewhere - Fixed an issue where you could swap swords without actually having earned Tempest - Fixed a depth issue with a light in the Bar
Flux - Version 1.02 Update is live!
Flux's NPC dialogue system has been given an overhaul! Prior to this update, walking up to and talking to a character would initiate one of three random responses in the form of a speech bubble. Yawn! Now, the characters involved in the conversation will pop up in a new conversation overlay. While some of the characters still have a handful of general responses, the vast majority of the NPCs have full-fledged story arcs that rival the likes of the core "phone convo" of the game's main narrative.
Get to know the game's characters more and learn new details about past and current events
Discover new information related to the Wanderer's history and relationships
Enjoy a new way to spend some time with a diverse group of characters
Current Version 1.02 //
- NPC dialogue has been given a big overhaul. Talk to NPCs each day to learn more about the world and potential side quests!
- You can no longer drop your sword and both sword skins are interchangeable by accessing them (once obtained) by the bedroom window
- Added a note at the end of the first phone conversation to explain that days pass between jobs to provide some additional clarity of purpose for the game (chill, talk to some NPCs, learn about the world, get into some fights or shoot-outs if you want, rinse and repeat!)
- Added a few extra animated bits to areas in the game (swaying cloth, monitors swapping ads, etc.)
- One of the NPC gifts, for your Mech ship, now reduces Flux lost during Armament mode as enemies damage/pass you
- Improved the visibility of the HUD during Assault/Mecha/Armament
- Fixed a bug that prevented the collapsing animation from playing when dismissing/ending phone conversations
- Fixed a bug with a a dialogue box's scale
- Corrected a few typos
- Fixed an issue when trying to obtain the second sword in which other NPCs would deliver the message/gift
Flux's Steam Release + First Major Update News!
Hey folks, now that Flux has been released on Steam I'm working on the first major update to the game. This update will include a variety of bug fixes, of course, but also the introduction of a brand new system for interacting with NPCs in the game world.
In addition to the core "Mulberry" story arc, each of the 12 NPCs in the game will carry out daily conversations with you between jobs. Before, talking with an NPC would trigger a simple speech bubble. These would display one of three or so random messages. Now, a closeup of the player and the NPC will appear on the screen and expansive conversations will take place between them, highlighting more information about the game world and the people in it. Currently, certain NPCs provide gifts to the player when certain conditions are met. This new system will hint at the requirements for such gifts and open up so much more context to the space you're playing in.
