The first round of fixes is now available for download! This is a small hotfix that addresses some of the intial bugs discovered in V2, as well as cleans up some minor things with the UI.
BALANCE CHANGES:
- Increased difficulty of Phase 2 on Fear Factory - Increased difficulty of Phase 6 on Fear Factory
OTHER CHANGES:
- Changed the font of the module cost in the store - Improved the design of the level reward notification
BUG FIXES:
- Fixed some modules not being equippable - Fixed incorrect module name indentation - Fixed "burn" keybind from not binding automatically - Fixed "burn" keybind from not saving when changed - Fixed XP trails option not working - Fixed ship and arena buttons overlapping bounds - Fixed skip draw freezing the card draw panel - Fixed next level name incorrect indentation
Black Market (v2.0) | Now available on Experimental!
Hello everyone!
I am excited to announce that the first version of the Black Market update (V2) is now available on experimental! Although there is still lots of work to be done, I am excited to finally get the ball rolling on V2 and get into everyones hands.
HOWEVER, please note that this first version has a LOT of new content disabled. Many of the new ships, cards, arenas, and synergies, along with ship cosmetics and the new trials feature are not available in this first iteration. This is because they are either not done, or I'm purposefully holding them back until the live release so as not to spoil everything for testers. If you are wanting access to all the new stuff V2 has to offer, PLEASE wait until the live release!
With that being said, if you're ready to start your V2 journey now and help test all of the new changes, redesigns, and some of the new features and content, than feel free to opt into the experimental branch! (instructions on how to do so can be found at bottom of this post) Do keep in mind that the experimental branch no longer uses your main save! You'll be able to use your main save once the update hits live, or optionally replace it with your experimental save if you end up liking it more.
So, here's what's in the first version, and what can you expect to come throughout experimental...
The first phase of experimental will focus primarily on ensuring all the redesigns are working. You'll quickly notice that pretty much everything has changed in one way or another, mainly in regards to the design of the interface. Because of the sheer amount of changes, this is my main focus with the first phase and ensuring that the stability of the game is where it was in the original version.
PLEASE NOTE: Like I mentioned above, this first version of V2 really does not have that much new content. Just a couple new arenas, ships, and cards, alongside the new bosses, UI redesigns, and some other minor things. If you're wanting to experience a bunch of new content right away, I strongly recommend waiting until Phase 2.
NOTE FOR CONTROLLER PLAYERS: This version does NOT include the new controller mapping feature that was talked about months ago. I haven't had a chance to actually finish it, so some controllers may still not work without external software. This will be added in a later experimental version though, and will definitely be in the live release of V2.
The second phase of experimental will introduce a lot more of the content that's in the black market. Many of the ships, cards, and arenas will all be unlocked and available for purchase with power crystals. This phase will still not include trials, but MAY include master synergies.
If you're wanting to experience a lot of the content all at once, but don't want to wait for live, this is when I would recommend opting into testing. It introduces enough new stuff where you'll have PLENTY to do, but still holds back some awesome new features and content for the live release.
The final phase will unlock the remainder of content in V2, alongside the new trials feature (and master synergies if they weren't available in the previous phase for some reason). Phase 3 is essentially the entirety of V2, but will still remain on the experimental branch to ensure that once it goes live there are no major bugs or unbalanced items.
Once again if you're not wanting to wait for the live release, this phase is pretty much the whole update. So if you don't mind bugs or unbalanced items, this would again be a great time to opt in.
So with all that out of the way, you can opt into experimental whenever you like by following the steps below. Experimental is available to everyone, but I STRONGLY recommend joining our Discord so you can report bugs directly to me.
How to opt into experimental
Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
Click on the "properties" option
Navigate to the betas tab
Select the "experimental" branch
Click apply and wait for it to download
Due to the sheer amount of changes and new stuff, there is unfortunately no patch notes available for this version. Just assume everything has changed in some capacity!
I hope everyone enjoys V2 and all it has to offer. This has been a long time in the making, and as the experimental versions progress you'll start to see more and more of that work come to fruition. I think this update will really show the kind of quality I'm looking to achieve with my games, and it'll only get better from here on out with each update!
Thanks for reading, and have fun! ~ Ben
Black Market (v2.0) | Status Update
Hello everyone!
I just wanted to update everyone on the status of the Black Market update (v2.0), as well as talk about what's coming post v2.0 in regards to the integration of mod support.
Black Market (v2.0) update status
Unfortunately, the Black Market update is going to be delayed a couple weeks as I was fighting Covid the last two weeks, which is why for those watching the GitHub logs there's been very little movement. I tried a few times to work on the update but just couldn't find the energy to do it, so it's set me back a bit which is why the update is going to be coming out a bit later than expected.
However, I'm getting back into the swing of things now and am feeling much better. The update is coming along exceptionally well and I'm super excited to see everyone get there hands on it. It should flesh out the game a lot more and really up the level of quality that I'm trying to achieve with my games.
What's after v2.0?
After the release of v2.0, I will be continuing to release patches for the game where needed, as well as adding a bit of extra content like the initial patches with the game. After that, I will be looking into adding official mod support for the game, which will let the community create their own ships, arenas, cards, and more with the use of a scripting language such as Lua. I may also look into some built-in modding (such as an arena creator), but that's not a guarantee.
That's it for this progress update. A very short one I know, but I just wanted to make sure everyone is aware of why the Black Market update will be coming out later than originally anticipated. Hope you're all excited as I am for it, as it really is like a new game!
Thanks for reading, ~ Ben
10,000 Copies Sold! (and a small look at v2.0)
10,000 Copies Sold!
Wow! I am completely blown away by how well the game has been doing in such a short amount of time! In less than 2 months Neon Sundown has already sold over 10,000 copies. It's been such a wonderful experience getting to see everyone interact with the game and share their experiences with it.
With the Black Market Update (v2.0) just on the horizon, I am very excited to see what the future holds for the game. The update has been coming together incredibly well and I'm very VERY excited to see everyone get their hands on it. It's practically a new game at this point, and adds a TON of new content and features that I felt were missing in the first iterations of the game. Beyond v2.0, I have plans for even more updates, but we'll talk about that when we get there!
A small look at what's to come
For those that have been paying close attention to GitHub commits or to the Discord server, this wont come as a surprise, but v2.0 is adding in 8 new ships! Below is a small look at 6 of them, all of which will be purchasable with power crystals in the black market. (so make sure to save up!)
Each new ship added in this update has a unique twist to it that makes it act differently from the ships you're used to. They no longer just have different stats, but also have passive abilities (ex. The ship in the top left, "Vanguard", deals more damage based on how fast it's moving. Or the ship on the bottom left, "Syren", that plants seed bombs that convert enemies to your side).
New modern interface
In addition to the ships, the interface is getting a new modern redesign. Here's a VERY EARLY look at the new arena selection screen, which now also has a search function (trust me, it's needed in this update)
Another improvement I'm making to the UI in this update is visual clarity. Many players suggested font changes as it was hard to read some lines of text, and I agree. Here's the new menu in v2.0!
I don't want to spoil much more than that, so I'll leave it there. But you can expect tons of new content in addition to what was mentioned above, including new arenas, cards, and other features such as challenges, arena chip modifiers, and music mods. Lots to look forward to!
When will v2.0 release?
As everyone knows, I am famously bad at hitting release dates. BUT, surprisingly, I am actually on track for my originally anticipated date. The black market update SHOULD be ready to roll out in 2-3 weeks on experimental, with the full release following shortly behind (probably another week tops).
I hope you're all excited for the update as I am. It's going to be a game changer and I think will bring everything together quite well. Once again, thank you to everyone for 10,000 copies! It means the world to me to see everyone enjoying the game. It's been my dream to be a full-time indie developer, and the reception on Neon Sundown has enabled me to start pursuing that dream more seriously. So again, thank you thank you thank you!
~ Ben
Update v1.2 & v2.0 | Release Plans
Hello all!
Just wanted to update everyone on some changes to how I'll be releasing v1.2 and v2.0 of the game. I know we're now well past the originally anticipated release of v1.2, but it's not without good reason. This post also won't be very long - I just want to get everyone on the same page so there's no confusion!
Release Plans for v1.2 & v2.0
The original plan was to release v1.2 and than follow it up with v2.0 a month or two later (with v2.0 obviously being the large content update), but I don't feel that the changes in v1.2 are enough to actually warrant a "content release", as most of the changes are either QOL improvements or balance changes. The only new content being added are the new bosses, BUT most of the bosses are linked to the arena objectives - so if you've already completed all the arenas, there really isn't all that much new for you to experience in this update.
So, I've instead decided to combine the two updates into one and release it all as v2.0, which will be titled the "Black Market Update". This way, you'll get to experience the new bosses alongside a variety of other new content, which should hopefully make their addition feel a lot more natural as it'll be complimented by all the other new things being added. Otherwise, the bosses really don't add any value to the current game for players that have already completed all the achievements.
What's in the Black Market Update? (v2.0)
The Black Market update adds a new shop called, you guessed it, the "Black Market". The Black Market is unlocked at rank 50, and it adds a variety of new ships, arenas, and cards to unlock using the in-game Power Crystal currency. A lot of the new ships and cards are extremely unique and will require specific builds to fully utilize in a run.
The new arenas being added also have unique gimmicks to them that make it a lot more challenging than the normal arenas you're used to. Some may have obstacles that you need to avoid, cards that are blacklisted from being used, or enemy types that are a lot more difficult to take down. Each arena will challenge you in a different way, so carefully planning your runs is required to beat them!
The black market update is a free content update for all current players, but I do plan on slightly raising the price of the base game to reflect the addition of the new content. (of course if you already own the game this won't affect you whatsoever) In regards to when it'll be released, I'm shooting for late May or early June, but that is of course subject to change.
Questions? Comments? Concerns
If you have any questions or comments you'd like to make about the release changes and the Black Market update, please let me know! I will do my best to respond to all of them. I know some people may be disappointed about v1.2 being combined with v2.0, but I do believe it'll make for a more enjoyable experience for ALL players once it's released.
Hope you're as excited as I am for the release of v2.0!
Thanks for reading, ~ Ben
Update v1.2 | Sneak Preview
Hello Everyone!
Update v1.2 is coming along nicely, and I thought I'd drop a little preview of it so everyone knows what to expect before it drops. I had also originally predicted the update would be ready this weekend, but it's not quite where I want it yet so I'm gonna take my time to finish up the last few features!
So, here's what's coming in update v1.2!
New Arena Bosses
[previewyoutube="U1NsscPJy_k;full"] 3 new bosses are making their debut in v1.2, each with their own unique abilities. Above is a preview of the new Fear Factory boss, Razorclaw, which has a set of different attack patterns that you'll need to memorize in order to take it down.
New Arena Objectives
In addition to new bosses, there's also a new arena objective type called "Boss Takedown", where you need to defeat the boss in order to get the achievement for the arena. Fear factory and Dynamo are both receiving these objective changes. Below is the new Dynamo boss, "Dualwing", which you'll need to defeat in order to complete the arena and get the Steam achievement for it.
The final boss being added I want to keep secret so as to avoid too many spoilers, but you can expect to see it in the Bomber Blitz arena at the 3 minute mark.
Balance changes
Although these new bosses are a fairly large addition, it's not the main focus of v1.2. So far one of the biggest complaints with the game has been that it's too easy, and so I wanted to really try and balance out all the arenas so that they're challenging but not annoying. Here is a list of the balance changes you can expect to see in the update - these are by no means final and are subject to change!
BALANCE CHANGES: - First crystal to drop after a synergy is available is now guaranteed to be red - Increased enemy scaling on infinite stages by 50% - Increased Healing Totem heal amount from 0.5hp to 1.5hp - Increased Drone projectiles by 100% - Increased Drone rotation speed from 20 to 25 - Decreased Drone movement speed from 80 to 60 (buff) - Decreased Drone range from 35 to 25 (buff) - Decreased Multi Missile cooldown from 1s to 0.5s - Decreased Torpedo base damage from 25 to 15
ABYSS CHANGES: - Increased Hammerhead health from 30hp to 35hp - Decreased Hammerhead XP drops from ~20xp to ~15xp - Decreased Mesmer XP drops from ~10xp to ~4xp - Decreased Triangle cooldown from 1s to 0.5s on Phase 3 - Decreased Sawblade cooldown from 1.25s to 1s on Phase 4 - Decreased Fighter cooldown from 1.5s to 1.25s on Phase 4 - Decreased Hammerhead cooldown from 10s to 5s on Phase 5 - Decreased Fighter cooldown from 1s to 0.5s on Phase 6 - Decreased Fighter cooldown from 1s to 0.5s on Phase 7 - Decreased Fighter cooldown from 4s to 3s on Phase 8 - Decreased Fighter cooldown from 5s to 3s on Phase 9
FEAR FACTORY CHANGES: - Decreased Hammerhead cooldown from 5s to 4s on all phases
I'm still planning on making changes to Bomber Blitz, but these initial changes should make the other arenas a lot more challenging and make 10+ minute runs a LOT more difficult to achieve. The game was designed for short, fast-paced runs - NOT hour long AFK runs!
Quality of life
Another big focus of v1.2 is on QOL features. This update wont have all the QOL features I have planned, but should be a good start to making the game a more enjoyable experience for everyone. Here's what QOL features are being added in v1.2
- Cursor customization options - Power module loadouts - Power module tooltips - New player tutorial - Secondary auto fire toggle - Crystal count in-game - Colorblind accessibility options
Note: Some of these may be in subsequent patches and not available right away.
And more!
In addition to what's above, there's even more minor changes / additions and bug fixes being added. Again, a lot of this stuff is still a WIP and not everything will be addressed in the initial version of 1.2, but it should be a step in the right direction to raise the overall quality of the game.
I hope you're all excited for v1.2! Although it isn't a massive content update, it should address most of the main concerns so far. (and make the game more challenging) In regards to when it will be released, whenever it's ready, but most of the update is already complete so hopefully not too long!
Thanks for reading, ~ Ben
5000 Copies Sold!
5000 copies sold!
Thank you all so much for such an amazing release! In less than two weeks the game has already sold over 5,000 copies, which is just absolutely crazy to me! I've had an absolute blast seeing everyone share their first experiences with the game, and I'm super excited for what the future holds.
I have another update in the works (v1.2) that will hopefully be releasing no later than this weekend. It will add in a bunch of new bosses, better controller support, cursor options, QOL features, and a TON of bug fixes and balance changes to make the game feel a lot better. I've also got a VERY large content update planned down the line (v2.0), though it's too soon to say when that will be. (I'll post another announcement about it once it's well-underway)
Looking forward to sharing v1.2 with you all soon!
~ Ben
Update v1.1 | Now available for everyone!
Update v1.1 is now live!
Update v1.1 is now available for everyone to play on the release branch! This update has had an additional two subsequent patches that were both tested on experimental, which have now both been deemed ready for release. There's still a few minor hiccups that I need to workout, but these shouldn't be overly noticeable and should be ironed out no later than tomorrow in patch v1.1.3!
What's new in v1.1?
(Includes versions 1.1.0, 1.1.1, and 1.1.2)
ADDITIONS: - Added Steam cloud support - Add level 4 module upgrades to the shop - Add levels 36 - 45, along with new level rewards - New Arena (unlocked at Rank 45), Noctorum - New Synergy progress tracker design - Changed Shurikens to chain enemies - New Tier I synergy card, Earthquake - New Tier II synergy card, Laser Shots - New Tier II synergy card, Projectile Drone - New Tier II synergy card, Champion - New Tier II synergy weapon, Dual Harvester - New Tier I synergy card, Warrior - New card Eagle Eyes, replaces level 34 reward - New card Healing Totem, replaces level 9 reward - New card Barrier, blocks incoming fire - New module Critical Chance, replaces XP range
BALANCE CHANGES: - Piercing can now work alongside explosives - Make XP collect immediately after dropping - XP level requirement now caps at 50000 - Nerfed regen card amount by 50% on all levels - Nerfed syphon card amount from 0.05hp to 0.01hp - Buff Shuriken damage, cooldown, and target tracking - Buff Torpedo knockback and target tracking - Enemies get 0.5s of stun immunity after being stunned - Buffed mine starting damage from 10 to 15 - Increased Atomic dagger damage upgrades - Removed Atomic dagger cooldown modifiers - Reduce blaster cooldown from 0.5s to 0.4s - Bullet spread card now increases bullet spread
OPTIMIZATIONS: - Optimized XP calculations greatly
BUG FIXES: - Fixed crit card not applying to all weapons - Fixed end game bomber blitz being all Fighters - Fix blast mines and EMP mines not blowing up
GRAPHICAL IMPROVEMENTS: - New background for The Abyss - Increased Fear Factory enemy visibility - Changed Dynamo tank bullet material
DYNAMO CHANGES: - Shields now reflect bullets - Lower tank damage from 5 to 3 - Increase tank cooldown from 3s to 5s
Now that there's a bit more content in the game to explore, the next update will be focused on a few things, namely QOL features. These include, but are not limited to, the following...
Better controller support and controller mapping
Local leaderboard and previous run tracking
Module tooltips on ship selection screen
Cursor selection list and customisation
Ship-specific passive abilities & stats
Following this you can expect another big content patch which will add in a new type of in-game store for you to explore and use crystals on. This should help with replayability after you've maxed out your modules and rank, as well as add another layer of depth to meta-progression.
In regards to when you can expect these updates - whenever they're ready. You can join our Discord server if you want to follow progress (via the GitHub logs channel).
Discord: https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc
2,000 copies sold!
What a way to kick off Neon Sundown! In less than 5 days we've already managed to sell 2,000 copies which is just absolutely crazy to me! I can't thank you all enough for the insane amount of support this game has been getting, and I'm really looking forward to continuing to work on it with everyone!
If you're enjoying the game and the new updates, dropping a review helps me out a ton! Since the game is still new, every review helps it grow and allow more people to see it :)
Hope you all enjoy v1.1! ~ Ben
Update v1.1.2 | Now available on Experimental!
A new patch is now available for experimental!
For those that are unaware of how I roll out updates, I will ALWAYS upload an update on the experimental branch BEFORE uploading it on the main branch. Once the update and any subsequent patches have been fully tested, it will be pushed to the release branch!
Want to opt into testing?
Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
Click on the "properties" option
Navigate to the betas tab
Select the "experimental" branch
Do note experimental versions may be unstable, so if you don't want to risk running into bugs, it's recommend to wait until the update comes to the release branch!
What's new in v1.1.2?
NEW ADDITIONS: - New Arena (unlocked at Rank 45), Noctorum - Levels 41 - 45 added with new rewards - New Tier I synergy card, Earthquake - New Tier II synergy card, Laser Shots - New Tier II synergy card, Projectile Drone - New Tier II synergy card, Champion - New Synergy progress tracker design
BALANCE CHANGES: - Rank synergy rewards re-organization - Increased XP cap from 25k to 50k - Increased enemy health scaling - Decreased crystal spawn rates in infinite stage
GRAPHICAL IMPROVEMENTS: - Increased Fear Factory enemy visibility - Changed Dynamo tank bullet material
BUG FIXES: - Fix blast mines and EMP mines
Update v1.1.1 | Now available on Experimental!
A new patch is now available for experimental!
For those that are unaware of how I roll out updates, I will ALWAYS upload an update on the experimental branch BEFORE uploading it on the main branch. Once the update and any subsequent patches have been fully tested, it will be pushed to the release branch!
Want to opt into testing?
Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
Click on the "properties" option
Navigate to the betas tab
Select the "experimental" branch
Do note experimental versions may be unstable, so if you don't want to risk running into bugs, it's recommend to wait until the update comes to the release branch!
What's new in v1.1.1?
NEW ADDITIONS: - Added achievements for Warrior and Dual Harvester - New card type added to the draw pool, "Helper" - New helper card, Healing Totem (replaces level 9 reward) - New helper card Barrier, blocks incoming fire
BALANCE CHANGES: - Piercing can now work alongside explosives - Make XP collect immediately after dropping - XP level requirement now caps at 25000 - Nerfed regen card amount by 50% on all levels - Nerfed syphon card amount from 0.05hp to 0.01hp - Buff Shuriken damage, cooldown, and target tracking - Buff Torpedo knockback and target tracking - Enemies get 0.5s of stun immunity after being stunned - Buffed mine starting damage from 10 to 15 - Increased Atomic dagger damage upgrades - Removed Atomic dagger cooldown modifiers - Bullet spread card now increases bullet spread
DYNAMO CHANGES: - Shields now reflect bullets - Shields shrink when damaged
