Configured a new web-based Item Store where you can directly purchase cosmetic items. Workshop items created by players get a 35% revenue share.
Link to Store: http://store.steampowered.com/itemstore/270450
New Feature: StatBrag items
StatBrags are a new class of items with many variants, each of which is specific to a KO type. Owning a StatBrag item shows off your KO counts for a specific trick shot to you and your victim. They don't need to be equipped to have this effect. StatBrag items can be traded and sold on the Steam Marketplace, but don’t drop in-game or during crafting. They can only appear within the Mystery Package (see further down below).
What it looks like to you, and your victim, when you perform a KO for which you have the matching StatBrag item:
New Item: Mystery Package
Added purchasable Mystery Package which provides one random Uncommon or better Hat, Head, Body or Wheel AND one random StatBrag. Within the game go to Profile / Inventory / Packages, select the Mystery Box and hit ‘Unpack’.
It can be bought from this link: http://store.steampowered.com/itemstore/270450/detail/12000/
My hope is that the guarantee of a good item (potentially worth more than the package price) and these new StatBrag items will make this a compelling purchase. If you're looking for ways to directly support the game beyond just telling your friends, buying one of these is a great way to do it.
Other Improvements
Excess inventory items will be equipped randomly on AI bots (in singleplayer, and in multiplayer if you're the host)
PowerUp pickups now display the powerup type
Overhauled crafting interface, makes recipe ingredients and results more clear
Improved most item icons
Can pause during bot matches
Wunderkind no longer hsa opaque eye texture occluding eye animations
Mode bots not correct vertical aim so much when close to target
Comments
The Item Store is based on a new service that Valve provides and allows developers to very easily list in-game items for sale using Steam’s existing payment processing.
With the help of community input, I've decided on a set of rules to avoid any negative impact on the game and community:
Nothing purchasable in the store will give players a competitive advantage over other players. i.e. items sold will be cosmetic only.
The vast majority of items should still be freely craftable & earnable from gameplay.
Purchased items should be tradeable and marketable to help maintain value after purchase.
Why am I adding this?
I wanted a mechanism for sending revenue back to item creators. This is intended to incentivize players to create even more cosmetic items, which benefits everyone in the game.
I’ve been working on this game full-time providing free post-launch updates for almost a year, and having additional revenue from the store will help ensure I’m able to keep updating this game (and build future ones).
Having this source of revenue also allows me to experiment with different discounts and pricing points in order to expand the playerbase.
As always, I welcome your feedback & questions on the forums and recommend hitting 'subscribe to forum' to stay up-to-date with the latest changes.
Cheers,
Erik
Update 5.7: New Cosmetic items from Workshop
The latest update is now live and it's stuffed with new cosmetic items created by actual players!
This includes a classy Top Hat, a Television Head, a 'Hit Me' decal, a bubbly ball throw FX, and lots more:
All these items will appear as drops in the game or (if Uncommon or better) can appear as the result from combining a set of Advanced Crafting Parts.
...with two exceptions: the Police Cap and the Duke of Dodgeball body. To make them extra special - and to test out a brand way to reward item creators directly - they will be exclusive to an online Item Store which will be coming very soon. I'll post an announcement when the shop is live, and in the meantime you can check out details & ask questions here:
- Fixed bug with trying to download inventory item without a background or text color
- Fixed Mega Head rendering without face
- Adjusted bot lighting in Trifecta
- Improved color distribution on Rainbow Trail
- Death Spiral throw FX tints your player color
- Item descriptions shown on item detail panel
updated item icons
Removed decal clipping on Mecha body
Full list of new items:
Hat - Officer Beepsky by Hideous
Hat - Construction by Hideous
Glasses - Scanner by VideoDoJo
Throw FX - Breezy Bubbles by X Kirby
Body - Duke of Dodgeball by X Kirby
Hat - Top Hop by Husa
Wheel - Gear by X Kirby
Body - Alkaline by X Kirby
Head - Oldschool Observer by X Kirby
Decal - Hit Me by Lo-Fi Longcat
Decal - Headshot by Lo-Fi Longcat
Decal - Dynamite by Lo-Fi Longcat
Decal - Kingpin by Lo-Fi Longcat
Decal - License by Lo-Fi Longcat
Decal - Rodent by Lo-Fi Longcat
Decal - Loaded Roller by X Kirby
Decal - Redonkeylous by X Kirby
Special thanks to everyone that submitted these items to the Workshop. I'm always interested in new stuff, if you think you have something fun to contribute please send it in! http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=270450&browsesort=trend§ion=mtxitems
Cheers,
Erik
Update 5.6: New map available!
Made up a new map for this update - it's called "Trifecta" and features an intricate network of overlapping walkways, a chaotic basement area to make a mad dash for free dodgeballs, lots of interesting angles and movement options, and of course some sweet disco lights.
Also:
- Bot accuracy improves when throwing a ball passed from human teammate
- Controller no longer rumbles if another bot / player is throwing
- Improved color on equalizers
- Changed power cube texture
Enjoy!
Erik
Update 5.5: Halloween Items, Trading Card Bonus XP & more
Rare Seasonal Glasses
This latest update includes two rare seasonal glasses. They will drop randomly during gameplay but will only appear until October 31st!
(If you own them, you can equip them any time - you just won't be able to receive them as drops).
New Cosmetic Glasses
It also includes a new batch of regular glasses. These also will appear as random drops during gameplay:
Trading Card XP Bonus
Additionally, your Trading Card badge now adds a special XP bonus.
To learn more about trading cards, go here: http://steamcommunity.com/tradingcards
To see trading cards on the market, go here: https://steamcommunity.com/market/search?q=disco+dodgeball+trading+cards
Additionally, I've added these fixes/changes since the last announcement:
Trading card badge now appears at end-of-round stats
Trading card & XP level visible in Profile page
Chat log is larger and formatted better (more narrow, accommodates multi-line)
Chat log is persistent between matches
Chat input is preserved across matches if you don’t send it before level is changed
Fixed num lives not being set correctly for non-host players (e.g. in Attrition mode)
Fixed catch score bonus and mid-air bonus multipliers not working in Arcade
Fixed some perks appearing in Arcade store even if they were already bought / equipped
Fixed online opponent players sinking into ground if they didn’t move after spawning
Fixed self-explosion when quitting match in progress
Now Hides kill alerts when menu is visible
Fixed missing scroller button on Profile / Customize screen
Fixed around the world not working
Fixed blank row in stats / KO’s where Default KOs should have been
Robots now tilt their head in direction of target / aim (multiplayer opponents and bots)
Made the Big Throw perk in Arcade larger
Further improved chat formatting
Mode workshop: increased score limit up to 10K
Mode Workshop: Expanded range of available percentage values
Time Trials leaderboard shows formatted time instead of milliseconds
Fixed multikill stat not incrementing
Fixed easy bots getting too close
Fixed match list panel sometimes failing to load when public challenge match or other mode without a ‘team’ rule was listed
Fixed bots sometimes spinning in one spot due to too low of a waypoint advance threshold
Fixed bots not throwing into Spawn when there was no spawn barrier
Nerfed XP gain from bloodlust multikill
Increased aggressiveness of Grand Prix bot leaders
Fixed game showing game rules when joining classic match in-progress
Fixed bug where hitting ESC to close Controls panel doesn’t save remapping
Fixed issue where FFA matches with no time or score limit would end on first KO
Fixed issue where match votes on Custom Modes would not work properly
Fixed passed vote result being cleared if host opens match settings menu for the first time after vote passes
Fixed obsolete rules not being cleared and affecting next round after a vote change
Better notification if you try to start a match settings vote but are not a round starter
Chat widget and round score still visible even when accessing in-game menu panels
Countdown now occurs before start of time trials
Custom match specifying ‘Num Teams = 1” without “Allow FFA menu option” will correctly start as FFA match, not as a 2 Team match
Added controller rumble support
Fixed blank screen when starting multiplayer match
Fixed error when navigating team select popup with controller
If you want more detailed info you can always subscribe to the game's forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/270450/discussions/
Thanks as always for your continued support!
Erik
5.4 Released - Steam Controller support, better controller navigation
I updated the game to handle the new Steam Controllers that will be coming out soon! These have a right-side trackpad that emulates mouse input, giving you high-precision aiming and much greater control over your rotation speed vs. a traditional joystick. Plus there are grip buttons that give you easier access to the boost and jump commands (or whatever you want to map them to).
I also replaced my controller plugin with InControl, which means the game will support almost any controller / system combination under the sun.
In addition, I greatly improved menu navigation when using a controller. It had been pretty painful before, but now should be very easy and intuitive.
Also:
- Fixed weak jetpack in Air Raid
- Fixed Power Slide not being rebindable
Update 5.3 released - now featuring Time Trials!
I've been wanting to add a proper time trials mode to the game for a while, and it's finally in! Go to Singleplayer / Challenges, pick Time Trials and any arena you want. You then race 3 laps of a checkpoint course (the same ones that appear in Grand Prix) and your best times are posted to a leaderboard.
You'll have to master the art of Power Sliding (hold down RMB while turning) and Mini-Boosting (Power Slide to recharge boost to 125%, then release) to get the best times. You'll need to remember the course layout, time your jumps properly, and find the best racing lines around banked corners and narrow walkways.
On top of that, I've been doing tons of bug fixes and tweaking since the huge 5.0 patch went out (releasing 5.1, 5.2, and 5.2.1 in quick succession). Check out the release notes page for the full details.
Excited to see all the new custom modes that are coming out, and I hope you're having fun with that feature! Will be adding more and more rules for you to mess with over time.
Cheers,
Erik
REMIX expansion is here! Create / play / share custom game modes
Very happy to announce that Disco Dodgeball REMIX is now live! It's a free expansion to the game that allows you to mix & match all kinds of game rules in order to create your own custom game modes.
For example you can create:
A deathmatch mode where it's always low gravity and everyone has laser balls
A mode where there's no dodgeballs but everyone can bulldoze each other
A mode where there's 24 huge dodgeballs that are super bouncy and you have to score ricochets
A mode where one team has to score 3 Helicopters before the other team completes a checkpoint course or scores a hoop
As you can see, it's pretty open-ended. You can play a mode any time as you're working on it, and when it's done publish it to the Steam Workshop where anyone else can download it and use it to start their own online or offline matches. Or, just start up your own online match and other players can join it freely without having to download anything.
Here's some current Workshop examples: http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=270450§ion=readytouseitems&requiredtags%5B%5D=Game+Mode
On top of that, there's many new game modes for you to play. These are 'Expert' modes and can be viewed by changing your room type to Expert.
Galaxy Jam - Hoops with Jetpacks, Pogo Jumps and KO bonus scores
Duck Hunter - (Challenge Mode) score Duck Hunt KOs with boomerang ball against jetpack enemies
Attrition - Elimination but each player has 3 lives
Lasers v Jetpacks - One team has laser balls, the other team has Jetpacks
Hoop Defense - One team is trying to score a Hoop, the other must stop them for 60 seconds to win round
Headhunter - Elimination but you can only win by scoring the most KOs
Kart Race - A pure racing mode with no dodgeballs
Hunters v Hunted - One team must survive for 60 seconds, the other team must eliminate them.
And these other changes:
Gameplay
Blocking defaults to off, but can be enabled via Arena Modifier on match settings panel
Shortened distance required for Air Strike and Duck Hunt KOs
Increased distance requirement for Top Gun
MultiKill is now a score bonus (like Combo or On Fire) instead of its own KO type
Improvements
Updated to DirectX 11 for increased performance
Menus made more readable ( less transparent)
Improved glow
Improved screen reflections
Improved bot gibs
Hard bots won't just move towards you when they have a ball and are targeting you
Bug Fixes
Fixed issue where turning off bot gibs didn't deactivate them
Fixed spawn shields in Elimination fading before round started
Hope these new features give you tons more to do in the game and as always, feedback & suggestions are always welcome on the Steam forums. Cheers!
Erik
P.S. The game is also 60% off currently, so if you have some friends that are interested they may want to know about that!
Disco Dodgeball is in the latest Humble Bundle! + Expansion news
I worked with Humble to get Disco Dodgeball added to their latest bundle, and it's an amazing bundle. Get DiveKick, SportsFriends, No Time To Explain (remastered), Stardust Vanguards, and Phantom Breaker, plus your favorite dodgeball FPS all for just a few bucks. (You will need to Beat the Average to get Disco Dodgeball).
Link: https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly
If you have been waiting to pick it up, or want to get some friends in on it, now is one of the best chances you'll get for a while.
As a bonus, over the next few weeks I'll be updating the Humble copy with DRM-free builds, which will be great for LAN parties. This will be effective retroactively for any Humble purchases.
In other news, I've been hard at work on a new expansion called "Disco Dodgeball Remix", which is a game mode creation kit. You will be easily able to mix & match all kinds of game rules, then publish & share on the Steam Workshop.
Here's a video with some more information, along with the forum thread about it. Should be available in about 2 weeks.
4.1 Released: Latency-related tweaks and Co-Op Challenge fixes
There have been a number of posts lately talking about latency in the game, and there are short, medium, and long-term ways to address this. Some of the long-term fixes need to be put off or else it would cause all feature development to grind to a halt, but I wanted to let you know I still felt it was important to deal with so in this patch I took care of some of the short-term fixes.
I have a hunch that a lot of players bad latency experiences were due to games where the host had a particularly bad connection, and I know I have recently seen one or two players idling as host with terrible connections, thus creating an environment where most of the available rooms had bad latency issues.
So I added some features to alleviate this, as well as some other bugs I found in the latest patch that added Co-op challenges:
Added host's ping to room list in Find Match panel
Automatically transfers host to best ping player if current host ping over 100
Will AFK kick people if they are on an unassigned team, waiting for match to start
Improved end-round scoreboard for multiplayer challenges. Now shows top three players' contributions and accurately displays the total team score
Multiplayer challenges now respect the player limit
Removed 'Show Advanced Options' on create match panel, now simply shown as 'Expert Room on/off'. This allows you to explicitly create an expert room even if you are not playing any expert modes (good if you want to attract high-level players)
Multiplayer challenges now autorestart at end of match
Air raid opponents increase with number of humans
Fixed bots in Reactor not being able to go all the way to the far back wall
Can equip inventory glasses from inventory screen like all other cosmetics
I'm working on some very cool stuff for the next major patch (5.0). Look for some more news on it in the next few weeks.
4.0 Released: Co-op now available!
I'm happy to announce the [return] of co-op play to Disco Dodgeball!
- You can now select any of the challenge modes as an option within the Create Multiplayer Match menu. (You will need to enable 'expert options' on the same menu first.). This allows up to 4 human players to battle bots cooperatively and go for high scores on the co-op leaderboards.
- If you want to search for a co-op challenge room, go to the Find Match panel and check 'Show Expert'. Challenge rooms are designated 'expert rooms' which are hidden by default to new players to avoid confusion. Eventually, I'll build and enable all kinds of crazy game mode options (many based on your feedback) and place them safely in these expert rooms.
Some balance changes:
- Fireballs no longer turn neutral after one bounce. They do lose their fireball power after one bounce.
- The Kingpin can now accumulate powerups while they are the kingpin, instead of having their auto-granted powerups wiped out.
- In Team Kingpin the player is granted Homing Dodgeball instead of Boomerang to encourage team passing.
And other fixes / features:
- AFK timeout kick after 5 minutes (only applies if you are on a playing team, not spectators)
- Game checks for availability of new multiplayer compatibility version when loading Multiplayer options, to prevent confusing fragmentation of playerbase
- If name has only symbols and would otherwise appear blank, it will appears as 'Player'
- Fixed wheel not rotating on multiplayer-synched bots
- Fixed new cosmetic items not getting proper illumination
- Handles Steamworks login fail more gracefully
- Colliders removed from ceiling light boxes in Airborne and Chasm
- Fixed room name not appearing on in-game menu
