Toxicant
Watch the dev play
Build 46 release notes
Here's the bulk of progress towards the Explorer Update, along with several bug fixes and improvements!
New Features 🙌
- New beacon types: trap, distraction
- New mushroom types: stealth, attack
- New beacon launcher model
- New beacon selection UI
- Persist discovery log items
Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛
- Replace discovery log square icons with scroll list
- Improve beacon VFX
- Buff stats modifiers and upgrades
- Fix for final level not loading
- Add additional texture maps for mutant miners
- Improve beacon/water interaction
- Disallow firing beacons while underwater
- Improved textures for large rooms
- Increased intensity of toxic particles and lighting
- Prep for key rebindings (the controls UI will look a little bit weird during this transition)
Dev journal #8
And on that note, that Explorer Update is well underway! This update is all about adding new loot and expanding upon the beacons system.
New Loot
Initially, this is going to start with two new types of mushrooms. As with the existing mushroom, these offer a temporary buff in exchange for a slight hit to your health, though I may end up applying distinct debuffs for all three.
- Red mushroom: boosts strength
- White mushroom: boosts stealth
Along with this, I took the opportunity to buff the strength attack modifier; it was way too subtle. Now while under the influence of a red mushroom you can take down a mutant miner with a few swings of a melee weapon.
Oh yeah, plus a minor revamp to the VFX (added spores):
New Beacons
Next up: new beacons! I'll be adding three new beacon types:
- Trap (mine) beacon: explodes on contact
- Smoke beacon: obscures enemies visibility
- Distraction beacon: creates noise for 30 seconds, drawing nearby enemies towards it
I'm also working on an overhaul of the beacon selection UI. Specifically, something more along the lines go a "weapon wheel". Moreover, you'll soon see updates to the existing beacon VFX, like an overhaul of the freeze beacons and beacon explosions.
Last but not least, the beacon launcher model is getting a revamp! My man JP--who modelled the fish and tentacle enemies--is helping with this. I think it's looking pretty good so far!
Stay tuned for more details--I'm hoping to get something into the alpha branch imminently!
Creatures Update now available!
The Creatures Update also includes numerous improvements and bug fixes:
- New damage type (toxic) with distinct visual feedback (green overlay)
- Adjustable mouse and gamepad sensitivity settings
- Improved player punch hit detection
- Various lighting, visual, AI, and level generation fixes
- Various audio fixes, including limiting switch alarms to current floor
[previewyoutube="9NTMcUZkMjY;full"]
Next up: the Explorer Update, which will add several new types of buff items, beacons, and more! You'll start seeing some initial progress in the alpha branch over the next couple of weeks, with the full update releasing towards the end of October.
Build 42 release notes
Here's the first of the progress towards the Creatures Update, along with several bug fixes and improvements!
New Features 🙌
- New enemy: toxic spider!
- New damage type (toxic) with distinct visual feedback (green overlay)
- Add settings for mouse and gamepad sensitivity
Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛
- Improve enemy spawn logic
- Remove emission for toxic blood decals
- Always use pixel lights for lanterns
- Fix some light bleed issues
- Fix for switch alarm audible from other floors
- Fix for large room switch missing alarm
- Fix for wrong reverb settings applied in certain cases
Dev journal #7
The model and animations are complete (huge shout out to the talented artist--and gardener--JP for his work on this), I'm just working my way through the AI now:
There are some details of this on the devlog if you're curious.
Oh yeah, I've got a free key up for grabs by the first person who can name one of the references for this guy. (hint: it's from the 90s... I've said too much)
As well, a quick update to the roadmap: I'm going to defer the "super mutant" enemy to a future update in favour of a completely new type of enemy... more to come on that! 🤐
Reminder: if you want to check out the first of the new enemies (toxic spider), you can find that in the alpha branch right now. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the balance since their addition.
Dev journal #6
When Spiders Attack
Say hello to your new best friend! 😉
[previewyoutube="EZ-8FENPnOo;full"]
Along with this new enemy type I've also added a new type of damage (toxic) with its own distinct visual feedback (green overlay). This should help to differentiate when you are taking environmental damage from toxic puddles, when a spider is spitting at you from behind, etc. To further help differentiate toxic hazards I've also removed emission for enemy blood decals.
Last but not least, I also reworked the enemy spawning logic. Previously, every second room along the solution path spawned a mutant miner 100% of the time (and at higher difficulties: a rat and a second mutant miner).
The new logic is more variable:
- 75% chance of a mutant miner / 75% chance for the 5th floor and above
- 50% chance of a spider for the 2nd floor and beyond
- 50% chance of a rat for the 5th floor and beyond
The difficulty ramps up fairly quickly now; you can end up with clusters of several spiders in earlier levels (as you can see in the video above). This is due to the fact that spiders (and rats) aren't tethered in the same way as mutant miners. I might end up changing this--maybe tether them within a 2-3 room radius--but I do like the unpredictability it creates now.
In any case, I think the opposing behaviour of the spiders and rats is going to make for some really interesting variation (you chase the spiders vs the rats chase you), especially when you throw ghosts into the mix (i.e. you turn off your flashlight to take down a spider, only to be accosted by a ghost, then chased by a rat!).
Let me know what you think of the enemy and how you find the balance! (you can find all of this in the alpha branch)
Okay, next up: underwater enemies!
P.S. For the gamedev nerds: I'll be giving an in-depth talk about the procedural generation in TOXICANT (and a couple of my other games) at the Game Dev Atlantic conference on September 18th! It's an online conference, so anyone can attend, and tickets are only $15.
Lofty Update now available!
This update adds a new type of layout to the fourth floor of each level. This layout uses larger modules, which means longer hallways (including longer underwater segments), and support for larger hand-crafted areas. Currently, there are four of these (with more to come).
The Lofty Update also includes numerous improvements and bug fixes:
- Settings now available from in-game pause menu
- Post-processing effect for alcohol
- Lockers now contain loot, including upgrade pills
- Various visual and AI improvements
[previewyoutube="v0ACRAQ4JNI;full"]
Next up: the Creatures Update, which will add several new enemy types. You'll start seeing some initial progress in the alpha branch over the next week or two, with the full update releasing towards of September.
Early Access Roadmap
Dev journal #5
Lofty Goals
You'll soon start seeing some initial progress towards the "Lofty Update". (although the official update is launching at the end of the month, I'll be pushing out changes as they're ready)
This update will add a new type level layout for the fourth floor of each level. This layout uses larger modules, which means longer hallways (including longer underwater segments), and support for larger hand-crafted areas. Currently, there are four of these (with more to come).
Getting Drunk
I've added a post-processing effect for alcohol. This makes it slightly disorienting and also lets you know when the effect is active. I plan to add something similar for mushrooms in the future.
Lockers Loaded
Lockers now have stuff in them! This includes the same things as crates (beacons, alcohol, health), but also upgrade pills! In case you didn't know, there's an entire upgrade system in place, but until now it was difficult to access as the only way to get upgrade pills was to take down a mutant miner (not the blind kinds, but a regular one).
P.S. spawns are affected by luck, you'll want to figure out how to boost your luck before you go opening all the lockers and smashing all the crates. Hopefully it's obvious, but if not just let me know.
You can see most of the above in the alpha branch right now. Assuming no major issues are found, I'll be moving it to the main branch shortly--likely within a couple days.