Hi everyone. Putting development of Version 0.81 on hold for a week due to the passing of the sweetest dog I have ever owned, Louie. Who is actually seen in the High Scores of Arcade Mode As LOU before you look at the first week's rankings. I will probably change the logo of Scalded Dog games to honor him.
Till then, -Jordan
Version 0.80 Released
Version 0.80
Here we are again, a new week, a new update!
Skating
This time I have been working on the precision of skating. Now you can maneuver a little better on the ice. Especially when playing defense. We used to have sort of a pivot motion going down to up or up to down which would cause you to pretty much end up in a corner during furious rebound gameplay that can be had in your defensive zone. I have now updated that and its a lot better.
Goalie Control
I also spent some time between the pipes and smoothed some of that out this week. Now its still hard as crap to be goalie. Especially because of how quick the reactions times are and the push offs and knowing which saves to use. But I have made the responsiveness much better. Its still a little bit like driving a heavy car with a dpad in Gran Turismo 1. BUT NOT as much as it was in terms of the "sway" factor.
AI
Not a huge update with the AI but one that must be mentioned. I have been monitoring the zone times in arcade mode and noticed that the away side really likes to pin the home side in with pressure and noticed that the home side doesn't do it nearly enough. So I have been testing some new positions for the AI on the home side and they are also pinning the away team in a bit better. Best way to experience these adjustments is to play player lock mode in the control select screen or of course simming games yourself.
Next Round of Updates: Next Week (V.81)- Achievement Implementation, Puck Physics work, Arcade Mode Update, I'll also release an article!
2 Weeks from Now - More Work with Franchise Mode.
Future- WHO KNOWS!
Thanks Everyone, -Jordan
Version 0.79 Update!
Hello Again Hockey Fans!
Like to start off by thanking again those of you that already have the game and I am working hard to get it completed! The big challenge again is getting the game in front of my audience to show them that yes there is a game that's just like some old 8-Bit titles but actually plays like hockey haha! So always working on that, a little bit of success with advertising, but still not where I want to be but also I am working on the game to finish it so I can't exactly devote all the time I have to making the game known anyway Alas... Let's get some updates going!
Gameplay Update 0.79
Gameplay Changes -Adjusted Collisions -Smoother, Responsive, Skating. -Puck Physics adjusted -Default Rules are now set to no Icing and no penalties (can still be enabled in the options menu) -Goalies Pass More!
Sounds and Aesthetic Changes -New Sound FX added for Shooting, Poke Check, Passing, Board impacts. Also a new menu song! -Graphic changes to Main menu and Title Screen. -Music will now shuffle in menus.
Work Progress Update!
Franchise Mode:
GOODNESS IMPLEMENTING THIS IS QUITE THE WORKLOAD. But hey, I'm working on it! Right now, the Draft stuff is working, the Challenge aspect is working, The Rink Schedule Generator seems to be working haha. Doing a lot of work with all the data that's going into the mode. There is going to be at least 300 players in the Franchise Mode along with some special characters, special teams, and all that good stuff.
Achievements:
I expect to complete Arcade and Exhibition Mode Acheivements by the end of April.
Gameplay implementations
-I will probably be adding on to the AI here soon, for more plays, and awareness. -Imminent Goalie Control change after spending some time as Goalie ingame. -Arcade Mode will be updated here soon, going to add some things.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for the patience! Please get the word out about the game! And see you all soon!
The Demo is Being Removed
Hi Everyone! Thanks to everyone for playing the demo! A lot has changed since the demo and I feel the gameplay now is a bit more nuanced then it was then and therefore not representative of the final product. I will remove this on March 7th 2023 and keep you all up to speed with videos of the game and updates. I am still developing Franchise mode and implementing achievements.
Thank you!
-Jordan
Version 0.78
Fixes and Roster Update
-Wampas Roster Update -Puck Physics adjusted -Playoff OT period adjusted -Desert Dome Crowd issue addressed.
Work Progress Update!
Hello Everyone and hope you are all enjoying 2023 so far! I am going to detail my plans and implementation of Franchise Mode which will be a bit different for sure.
The Goal
The Mode is all about winning the Cup in 3 leagues. Which will be Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
You will dive deep into the lore of the Beer Hockey World as you must beat 5 random teams in each league and faceoff against the Champion in a battle for the cup! Along the way you must manage your team, keep them happy, strengthen your reputation and bring home the hardware for the fans.
Initial Draft
First you will have to decide how you will start the first season. There are 3 starter drafts you can pick from, Full Random, Basic, and Build. Random is exactly how it sounds and you will need to decide your style and what you will be building to with what you are given. Basic will help you be competitive out of the gate but the long game may be a toss up. And Finally, Build which will help you set up your team for the future.
Challenge a Team
Now its time to enter Week 1, You will first challenge one of the 5 teams in your Division. Once you challenge them, you will use the allotted days available to get your team ready to play.
Preperations
With the opponent set, its time to get ready! The Rink is a busy place and getting ice time can be hard. So make use of free days when you can. You can get your team ready by booking events for each free day. You can set up a practice to see who works great together on a line, You can watch your opponent play in a Scout event. You can also book an open hockey event to have talent come in and play, from there you can potentially acquire a new player for your team.
Management
There will be a plethora of options to help build your team. You will be able to release players in the trading block as well as acquire new players from there. Players on your team can bring you talent depending on their skills. You can send off players to camps and they come back with a new skill. Keeping the players happy will be the big challenge from season to season. Of course the best way of keeping them happy is by playing them but other issues can come up that you can deal with from a management side so sometimes you may have to be resourceful with alleviating morale in the locker room. Of course Player reliability is always an issue in Beer League and this is no different. Some players may not be able to make games and you need to think on your feet to be ready for each game.
Coming Soon!!
There is a lot of other things that I have not even mentioned yet but I will tell you I am excited to bring this mode to you and hope you are enjoying the game!
PS. I do have a patch coming out here next week that will address some fixes so stay tuned for that!
-Jordan
Version 0.77
Hello Hockey Fans! Its a new year and we are working towards the final stretch to bring it to Version 1.0 However there is still a ways to go, but its looking like we can deliver on schedule! First big update of the year and we are changing up the looks! We Present to you, the GALAXY UPDATE! A Colorful Update to the game as well as a new arena called the "DESERT DOME".
Version 0.77
Aesthetic Update (Galaxy) -New Arena, the "Desert Dome" -Scoreboard, Menus, have been updated.
The Desert Dome
Built in 1976, The Desert Dome housed a Minor League Hockey team known as the "Toxic Turtles" They played in a level about 3 down from the AHL and saw great success in their 3rd season as they clinched the Regular Season Trophy, but was Ousted by their rivals, "The Pumas" in a thrilling Best of 3 series. The unfortunate mistake came when Turtle Defenseman, Gerald Denemore, had some miscommunication with the Goaltender Ralf Ramirez caused by a dump in by the Pumas. Ralf, went to cutoff the dump in from behind the net. Gerald, hot on the trail, lost footing, smashed into the corner and while on his knees, arced a pass behind the boards. Ralf, Confused, gets a puck fired off his pads from the desperation play. The unfortunate bounce sent the puck right into the slot for an easy tip in by Pumas' Center Dwayne Corval for the eventual game winner.
The post series media went ballistic and referred to poor Gerald as Gerald "Dumpin" Denemore. Gerald would eventually fade into obscurity deep into the halls of beer league lore. Once a new Arena was built in the Desert City, the Desert Dome was retired and now made into another ice facility for rec leagues. Some say you can still hear Obscenities made by Goalie Ralf Ramirez if you stay up late enough after hours with some buds. However some say Ralf is still alive and playing down the street for the Whoopin Wombats who as I last heard holds a clean Save PCT of .864 but this was told to me by league historian and local open hockey player Granpa Geri who is kind of notorious for overexaggerating any sentence heard while on the bench so whose to say?
Fixes / Tweaks
-Once again, Refing has been adjusted to prevent any icing glitches. I have not seen anything weird since the change. -Changed some Playoff Stuff to smooth out presentation.
Gameplay
-Adjusted some AI Plays.
Under Construction
-Franchise Mode -Trophy Case -Steam Achievements -Manual
For more information about the game, please join our Discord, check out that Youtube. Check out the Steam Forums here as well!
-Jordan
Happy Holidays from all of us!
ITS CHRISTMAS TIME... or HOCKEY TIME! OR... WHY NOT BOTH!
Version 0.76 - Holiday Edition!
As a token of thanks and gratitude, I have decided to doll-up LTL Hockey for the holidays and did some smoothing out too!
Also, Steam Cloud should be saving the games on the cloud and I have heard the game is Steam Deck compatible but I have no way to officially tell you since we don't even have one haha!
We wish you a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year as we get ready to take off for the Holidays.
In the meantime, have some fun with the game, we hit the final mode HARD at the beginning of 2023 and won't stop till its frickin done! [boys]
Happy Holidays to you and your families, whatever you celebrate, family is everything!
See ya next year!
-Jordan
Version 0.76
Hello Hockey Fans! Apologies on Version 0.75, I don't think I play tested that enough and I had some major problems with it once I made the change , so sorry to those of you that played it and thought it was a mess. I did work very hard to correct the version to more of a hybrid LTL Hockey style as we transition to a more balanced defense system.
Here is Version 0.76 otherwise known as the Physicality Update
Version 0.76
Fixes / Tweaks
Gameplay
-Collisions now have initiatives, hitting attributes, Tie Ups, Built into every Collision. That being said, Hitting lines are potent against skill lines, however, you need skill guys to support the Hitting guys. Working on the balance so bear with me. I think its miles better then 0.75's "Bounciness".
- Goalies have been worked yet again as I thought they were TOO EASY in 0.75, I know! There should be a more desperate style of play in the slot now. I did see some cool stuff like a strong forward push into defenders, let loose, and battle for a loose puck in the crease which is just a thing of beauty!
Under Construction
-Franchise Mode -Trophy Case -Steam Achievements -Manual
For more information about the game, please join our Discord, check out that Youtube. Check out the Steam Forums here as well!
-Jordan
Version 0.75
Hello Hockey Fans! Here is Version 0.75 otherwise known as the BIG OLE UPDATE
Version 0.75
Fixes / Tweaks
Arcade Mode -Goalies are now a Constant Speed
Gameplay
-Collisions are now reworked and are more "Blades of Steel-like" -Goalies have been reworked to cover angles better, however they are still prone to mistakes -AI has been adjusted to have a better passing game, players look for one-timers and use the outlet passes and board positioning. -AI now doesn't slam into the crease, however when desperate, they may do so. -Persona Adjustments for differentiation. For example, Forward is a passer and Center is a shooter, looks for the one-timer play -Acceleration and Speed Settings have been adjusted as the handling felt a bit slippery in normal mode.
Music
Replaced Arena Song 9 because it's been driving me insane.
Under Construction
-Franchise Mode -Trophy Case -Steam Achievements -Manual
For more information about the game, please join our Discord, check out that Youtube (thats being neglected but I promise we will do something soon!) Check out the Steam Forums here!
