Miner Lou
High Level Enemy Speed Reduced (0.2924)
As always balance will be a continuing discussion and I very much rely on player feedback on this so thank you!
Join us in the Miner Lou Discord
Star Baby Traits balance and Level Select fix (0.291)
Star Baby Trait changes
-Attack Power bonuses gained from Star Baby Traits no longer apply multiplicatively.
-Attack Power Bonus granted by Quiet Eye's first trait is now capped at 100%.
-Fixed a bug where Leafeaters would gain way too much bonus attack power
Level Select (Level 5+)
-Level 5+ are no longer available by completing Level 4. These levels were not intended to be available yet as they are not completed. They'll be available soon as part of the upcoming content expansion.
So sorry for the confusion but promise the wait will be worth it. Thank you for your patience!
Miner Lou Discord
Controller Mode now available! (0.290)
Just about any standard game controller is supported and you can enter 'controller mode' at anytime by pushing a button on your controller/device. Below 3 images shows current keybinds/shortcuts.
Keyboard Shortcuts
PS4 Controller Shortcuts
XBox Controller Shortcuts
Boss Rock Smash Ability change
Bosses that have a rock smash like ability now scale with difficulty. Their rock smash abilities cooldowns now vary according to difficulty.
Effect of changes are as follows:
-Easy: CD increased 150 percent.
-Normal: CD Increased 120 percent.
-Hard: CD remains unchanged.
Controller Mode represents a lot of internal changes and expansions to Miner Lou's UI and input system. If you encounter issues or have some feedback on how the new system feels I'd really love to hear it.
Miner Lou Discord
Dev News #2
It's been a month since the last update and I wanted to make a quick post about development progress on two main areas I'm focused on: Game Controller Support & the upcomming Content Expansion.
Game Controller Support
Game Controller support is almost ready, I've been methodically going through Miner Lou's UI elements and adding support for the new controller input system. It's working pretty well so far and will be available soon!
It will automatically detect if you push any controller button and switch to "controller mode". In this mode you can navigate the UI and game using the D-pad, Analog Axis Inputs, and button/triggers. Just about any standard game controller should work!
Controller support will be fully available in beta hopefully within a week, and soon after on the public branch. Controller support is really important to me and I'll continue to tweak as needed.
Storied Expansion DLC
The upcomming expansion will include Story Mode and several new Arcade Mode Levels. There are new characters, new enemies, new boss fights.
Maps with gaps or holes
Maps can now have gaps or holes in them. With the changes I can make more varied shaped maps or even maps with a large hole in the middle.
Keyboard Key Shortcuts
The next update will also include more keyboard input options
ESC key will do a cancel/close screen
Speed and pause controls are keybound.
Same goes for player abilities using 1,2,3 keys
Select/Move Lou
Here's to the next year of development. :)
Join us. Join us now. ..Join us.
Miner Lou Discord
Enemy Speed Reworked, LOS Changes, Gem Stats UI added (0.279)
Selected Gem Stats
The selected gem now also shows its attack power and main ability cooldown. If buffed (or debuffed) it will show the amount of the buff in red or green text.
Speed Changes
You'll notice the mid levels enemies will be a bit slower over all and at the very high rounds (60+) they will be quite fast but will not reach the excessive speeds they were previously!
At excessively high speeds enemies could sometimes out pace gem projectiles resulting in lost damage. This could happen even when chilled and cursed so I've reduced how fast enemies are at these higher rounds.
Instead of using a single formula for speed gain, it's now defined on a curve for each level. This should give me a lot more control over speed if further tweaks are needed. Even if on a per level basis.
Line of Sight
Some folks were wondering about why on occasion enemies would seemingly ignore their maze to attack the Star Babies.
Enemies are always looking for targets as they follow the maze you've created. So if they saw the Star Babies they'd immediately try to engage them. Often this would occur near diagonal walls since it could place an enemy and star baby within range of each other.
Now all gem towers and rocks fully block Line of Sight over their cell so enemies will no longer be able to spot the Star Babies and engage them. (even if they are near diagonal wall corners)
Progression Update & Balance Changes (0.276)
Use the Party button from the Main Menu.
Leveling up Star Baby Traits
Leveling up Star Babies unlocks new Traits and makes your party stronger and augments the Star Baby abilities. (Mouse over trait icons to learn more). All traits are active and can now be unlocked as you accrue Synergy Points.
Synergy Points
Synergy Points are earned at the end (in other words- when reaching Victory or Defeat). Synergy Points awarded are directly proportional to your score.
Lou XP Indication
Lou's level frame now has a visual indicator showing remaining experience to the next Level.
Balance Changes
The Ogre was too hard on normal and hard difficulties so I've made these changes:
-Normal and Hard difficulties tweak. Enemy max HP multiplier has been reduced for each. (Easy remains the same)
For all difficulties:
-Ogre Rock Smash Cooldown increased 50%
-Ogre Max HP reduced by 25%
Community
I've added a Community Button that you can use to join the Miner Lou Discord easily and conveniently.
As always let me know of any issues or feedback you have!
Arcade Mode changes, Obstructions Introduced (0.271)
This update includes some changes to the existing arcade mode levels and achievements. First, you may notice some levels look a bit different. Some have changed or been tweaked. Others have some new obstructions like campfires or minecart tracks.
Achievement Changes / Level Completion
-Level Complete achievements are only granted upon reaching the maps final round (on any difficulty).
Fixes
-The Ogre can now correctly pass through any rock's cell he smashes immediately. Before he was being delayed 4 seconds before the path calc would see the newly created opening.
Come join Discord for more Beta news!
If you encounter any issues please let us know! Miner Lou Discord. Discord always has the latest info and one of the best ways to reach me.
Dev Blog (#1)
Welcome to the first Miner Lou development blog!
Story Mode development is coming along nicely. The initial versions of the first scenes are completed!
One of story mode levels, The Mushroom Grove, features mushrooms the player must harvest before being overrun be skeletons and the Grove's Guardian that appears through out the level.
Arcade Mode
Arcade Mode levels have been updated. Some layouts have changed and they all now start with some rocks/obstructions on the board. Campfires have also been added and can be started on fire using player abilities. A lit campfire is very dangerous, take care!
Story Mode & Expansion DLC Details
Story Mode will be available as part of a DLC that will be available in the coming months.
These additions and more are available in beta and I hope to push to live soon after testing.
Want to help? Join us in Discord
Help me out and join us in Discord to chat and see beta/development news!
Testers are always appreciated! :) Miner Lou Discord
Ogre Boss, Game Engine updated (0.267)
Game Engine Update
Hi All,
In this update I've updated the game engine to a newer version. Several navigation related bug fixes were in this game engine update so I'm hoping it helps with the stuck issue some folks occasionally have. Your continued feedback is appreciated! :)
New Boss - Ogre
I've been adding new enemies lately and now it's time to introduce the game's first real boss. This guy hates rocks and WILL destroy them occasionally. Beware.
Let me know of any feedback or issues you have
Miner Lou Discord.
Enemy Navigation changes (0.266)
Enemy path finding changes
-Enemies will now only recalculate their path if their previous path calculations are completed. The aim is to prevent enemies from getting stuck under certain conditions where their path is not being fully calculated (stuck issue)
Many thanks to those who have been helping me test this issue.
Please let us know of any issues you encounter.
Miner Lou Discord.