This build is currently available on the Preview branch and will be going live on July 1st heralding the start of a new Leaderboard Season!
- Multiplayer (Alpha) -
This update includes the first multiplayer mode for the game.
When you queue up for a multiplayer game you will be matched against up to 7 other players for a round of Last Man Standing. The rules are similar to Survival except that Scores don't really matter and there are no extra lives. If you lose your last life then you are knocked out, be the last one standing and you win. You can see how the other players are doing on the scoreboard displayed on screen while you play.
This mode is very much an Alpha version; essentially a proof of concept. If it's popular then I will expand upon it to add ways to attack other players via building your combo and adding objectives to complete. Leave feedback in the forums and if you are looking for people to play against then why not join us in the Discord server to organise a game!
- Health Overhaul -
Previously your energy bar acted as your health bar. Whenever you used a Utility like "Stop" your energy would be depleted making you more vulnerable. As a result nobody really used the Utility items because more health was always the better choice.
This is no longer the case.
Health and Energy have been split up into their own resources. Energy is now used solely by Items and Health is only affected by damage.
Your Health is shown to the left of your Avatar on the HUD (See below) as a series of filled circles; each representing 50 health (aka 1 Shield as all damage is divisible by 50).
Shields do regenerate over time however they regenerate much slower than Energy. You may find you are more fragile than in previous versions of the game. When regenerating each Shield will gradually fill up and once full is available to use again. Taking damage before a Shield has finished regenerating will reset it's progress in addition to the damage you would normally take.
Enemies have been re-balanced so that the damage they do is consistent across the different types of enemy and generally scales with their physical size.
Cells, Shards & Shard Clusters do 50 damage.
Spheroids do 100 damage.
Slimes do 150 damage.
Bosses still instantly kill the player on touch but they will be re-balanced in a later patch to do 250 damage.
- Chassis Items -
As part of the Health Overhaul all of the Chassis Items have been redesigned. All of them are now responsible for how much health you have and each has a unique overdrive ability that is unlocked at level 6.
Restore - 150 health, fast regen. Overdrive: +30 Weapon Power.
Jackal - 250 health, average regen. Overdrive: +50 health.
Shield - 150 health, slowest regen. Creates an energy shield that absorbs damage. Overdrive: +50 Energy.
As you can see the Shield item is essentially a re-balanced version of the old Health mechanics. Increasing it's level makes the conversion rate between energy and damage more efficient but it never quite reaches 100% and how much extra health you gain from this depends on which Buffer you have equipped and how much you level it up.
Some Chassis items provide Armour. Armour reduces incoming damage by a fixed amount down to a minimum of 50 so every 50 armour effectively drops each enemies damage output down by 1 tier. This makes the Carapace strong against Slimes but weak against Shards for example (and eventually even stronger vs Bosses).
- Buffer Items -
As Buffers are no longer responsible for your tankiness some items have been redesigned to compensate.
Shield Hardener - Replaced by Focus. Sacrifices Energy Storage and Regeneration for additional Weapon Power.
Redirector - Replaced by Equilibrium. Balanced mix of Energy Storage and Regeneration sitting between the Battery and Generator items.
- New Enemies -
There are 7 new enemies in this update!
Most of the new enemies take the form of "Shards" - small flying enemies that appear in large numbers and while they aren't individually dangerous they can be quite a threat as a group. "Shards" typically appear first as "Clusters" of 3 enemies that move as one and once shot break apart into two individual enemies.
Boids - These form huge flocks and swoop unpredictably around the arena.
Bees - Chase the player in unpredictable patterns (These aren't new but have been re-balanced).
Hornets - Form swarms that flee the player and try to avoid their weapons. Generally harmless unless angered.
Angry Hornet -
Only appears as a Shard* When a Hornet Cluster breaks apart it spawns 2 Angry Hornets. These fly straight towards the player at high speed although they aren't very agile and can be dodged.
Orbits - Attempt to orbit the player at high speed. Their orbit decays over time until they eventually crash into you.
Ricochets - Travel in a straight line bouncing off walls.
In addition to the new Shard enemies some old enemies have taken a new form - Slimes!
Slimes ooze around the arena and have the most health of any non-boss type enemy. Just because they ooze doesn't mean they're slow though so be careful or you might find yourself surrounded.
The Blue "Cloud" enemies and the "Tiny Exploding Cube" enemies have been reborn as Blue and Red Slimes respectively.
Blue Slime - Chases the player and regenerates health.
Red Slime - Chases the player and explodes when killed.
These Slimes will essentially be joined by several other varieties in future updates.
- AI Overhaul -
Did you know there are 2 kinds of AI in Waves²? The individual enemies have their own AI driving them to destroy you but they are spawned by an AI Administrator that decides what spawns where and when. In this update both of these AI's have been improved.
- Enemy AI Avoidance -
Enemies should now be much better at avoiding obstacles in the Arena than they used to be even to the point of them avoiding Bosses that are in the way.
If you want to know more about the details of how this works I suggest reading this article
- Administrator AI Learning -
The "Administrator" is responsible for spawning all the enemies in the game. It's technically playing a card game behind the scenes choosing which enemies and spawning patterns to use in order to defeat the player. The longer you survive the more mana the Administrator has to play cards and spawn enemies.
As of this update the Administrator is capable of learning which enemies are "best" and preferring them over others. If there is a particular enemy that you just can't get rid of or is doing consistent damage to you then the Administrator will notice and start to spawn more of them.
- GRID Changes -
There are very few changes to the GRID in this update (except for it being renamed "Campaign" in the menus).
The Wanted Level system is now based on "Heat". Damaging structures or enemies (but not Cells or Viruses) generates "Heat" while not damaging anything will allow it to dissipate. When your Heat reaches a certain point the Wanted Level increases and the Administrator will start to retaliate against you. The higher the wanted level the more Mana the Administrator has available to use.
Heat cannot decrease while a file operation is in progress so uploads and downloads both stop the Wanted level from going down.
- Bug Fixes -
Cube enemies no longer get stuck on Geometry.
Administrator no longer plays enemies that would exceed the enemy limit.
Fixed some Voice Cues not playing.
Fixed Voice Cue levels.
Fixed Audio volumes not saving correctly.
Fixed {nextmax} appearing on some UI elements in the Loadout Editor.
Fixed Arena Walls sometimes not being created correctly.
Player should no longer get stuck inside spawning Structures.
Player camera now considers players velocity.
Upgraded to Unreal 4.21
Current Season Ending Soon and Update Incoming!
That's right! The current Leaderboard Season will be coming to an end on June 30th as the next big update is ready to go live!
This also happens to be a Sunday night so the Week, Month and Season will all end at the same time so if you're looking to steal the top spot you'd better get playing!
The next update is primarily focused on Arcade mode with some changes spilling over to the Grid and will also add the multiplayer Battle mode to the full version of the game.
There will be more detailed patch notes closer to the day and a preview build available tomorrow.
Here is a quick rundown of what you can expect:
Overhauled health mechanics.
Lots of Item changes (anything that related to Health)
7 new enemies!
Improved enemy avoidance.
Improved spawning AI (now it learns during a game).
Multiplayer Battle mode.
* probably some bugs I haven't found yet. Almost certainly some bugs I haven't found yet.
Multiplayer Preview and Item Changes
For those of you that wish to risk your save games there is a new preview build available in the preview branch.
In order to use the preview branch just right click on Waves² in your Steam library, select properties->betas and then choose preview from the drop down list. You will have to download an update for it to work.
I make no promises that this version won't break your existing GRID saves (it probably will).
BATTLE MODE
This preview version has a new menu option called "Battle" which is an experimental mode that pits players against each other in real time.
This mode is similar to Battle Tetris as players do not attack each other directly but are instead all competing to be the last player left alive.
The game mechanics at the moment are the same as regular Arcade gameplay but if it proves popular then I will add the ability to send attacks to other players by scoring points and completing combos.
The mode is very experimental so it's quite likely to be buggy which is why it's only available in the preview branch for now. Please report all bugs encountered on the forums or in the Discord.
https://discord.gg/Xz5PUkB
ITEM CHANGES
Gone is the Energy = Health mechanic instead replaced by actual health! Your Chassis determines how much health you have and all 6 of the old Chassis items have been replaced with all new ones.
If you had previously unlocked some of the old chassis items then you should fine that you've already unlocked some of the new ones as well.
Health is displayed to the left of your Avatar. Small enemies do 1 damage, medium ones do 2 and large ones do 3. It takes longer for health to regenerate than Energy used to so you may find you're more fragile than you used to be.
Levelling up your Chassis will speed up regeneration and at level 6 each chassis gains a bonus effect from extra health to knocking away enemies when you get hit.
Hopefully this will encourage players to use their utility items more as energy is no longer directly tied to health.
Some Buffer items have been redesigned as they were no longer compatible with the new health mechanics.
Community Feedback Requested!
Hello! I'm still here working on this game.
I'll admit I've been a bit lax on the updates recently but there is a whole thread about that on the forums. Short version is that I ran out of money.
I am however back to working full time on the game and I fully plan for it to leave Early Access this year.
I've update the Trello with a roadmap to shipping the game and I've started some threads in the Suggestion Box asking for your feedback on specific topics.
I need your help to finish this game and make sure it's the best it can be! I encourage you to get involved on the forums and to share your opinions.
I'm planning an update for the start of March which will introduce several new enemies to Arcade mode and kick off a new Season on the leaderboards.
Thankyou for your support during this incredibly long Early Access period. I hope to reward your patience with an excellent game at the end of it!
- Rob
Update 0.62 Patch Notes
Another small patch to address some issues in 0.6.
Bugfixes
Rebinding Keys no longer gets stuck waiting for input.
Compatibility Mode no longer crashes at startup.
Pause Menu can no longer open over itself.
Pause Menu can no longer interupt game startup sequence.
Update 0.61 Patch Notes
This is just a maintenance patch to fix some performance issues as well as a bug in the Crunch Time Leaderboards.
Engine
Upgraded to Unreal 4.20.2
Performance
Fixed hitch when towers spawn/despawn.
Fixed hitch when Garbage Collecting.
Fixed periodic slowdown in OS Nodes in GRID.
Leaderboards
Fixed Crunch Time scores sometimes being submitted to a non-existant leaderboard.
The Leaderboards are dead! Long Live The Leaderboards!
As of this update Steam is no longer responsible for the Waves² Leaderboards as the game is now using Gamesparks to manage all of it's online functionality.
This means no more score limit of 2,147,483,647 as the scores are now stored as 64bit integers. If you get a score that maxes out one of those then you must be cheating.
Every combination of Game Mode and Arena Type now has it's own Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Season based leaderboards and you are awarded points every day, week and month which increase your Rank for that mode.
Seasons are an arbitrary length often determined by major balance updates. The current season is "Early Access".
- LEADERBOARDS ● Integrated Gamesparks.
● Added Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Season and Ranked Leaderboards for every GameMode/Arena Combination in Arcade.
● Rank is awarded at midnight UTC each day for daily, each Monday for weekly and on the 1st of each month for Monthly leaderboards.
- UI ● Redesigned Leaderboards screen.
● Redesigned Arcade Mode Select Screen.
● Redesigned Game Over Screen.
● Added Gamesparks connection indicator to Status Bar.
- ENEMIES ● Swarms and Bees (aka "Shard" Type Enemies) can now fly over holes in the Arenas.
- GRID ● Barrier can now be equipped in the loadout screen once it has been installed to Programs.
- Bug Fixes ● Startup Movie now plays while game is loading.
Are you Unknown, a Newbie or are you Notorious? This update adds User Ranks to your GRID Profile. Cash in your hard earned Reputation in exchange for a better User Rank. Higher ranked Users have a higher Level Cap on their Avatars unlocking up to 30 upgrade points!
What use are all those Upgrade points though without something to upgrade?
The Repository provides all our Runners with access* to the latest software updates for their Avatar. Check the Repository frequently for new software prototypes as well as updates to existing projects!
*Access requires expenditure of Reputation.
- GRID ● User Rank is now displayed on the GRID Dashboard.
● User Rank can be increased by spending Reputation.
● User Rank determines Avatar Level Cap (6-30).
● Loadouts can now have less than the maximum number of upgrade points.
● Equipped Items Max Level is determined by Version (Prototype, Alpha, Beta, RC, Stable, Modified)
● New Repository Folder in File Manager.
● Software can be installed from Repository in exchange for Rep.
● Repository updates after clearing a Server.
● Filters added to File Manager folders.
● Can now select multiple files in File Manager.
● Clicking on a File will show a Description of it's content.
● Mousewheel can now be used to scroll through Files.
● Rep is now shown on the Status Bar when in GRID menus.
- Items ● Some Items have been renamed. This is a purely cosmetic change.
● Some Items have new icons. This is a purely cosmetic change.
- Bug Fixes ● Multiple music player bugs fixed.
● Spark weapon should no longer ignore the shield in Shoot The Core missions.
● General performance optimisations.
- Discord
There is a Squid In A Box Discord now for anybody who wants to hang out and talk about the game with other players and the Developer (me!)
Update 0.531 Patch Notes - 22 April 2018
A small patch to add Rich Text support and improve the Help sections in the GRID.
UI
● Rich Text Support.
● GRID Help Screens updated.
● Fixed that vertical line that appeared on some UI elements.
Reputation is the currency of the GRID. Without it you're nobody. You need it to get access to new software, create proxies and heal brain damage; it's also good for bragging rights too.
You can gain Rep by taking over networks, completing objectives and releasing files you've liberated to the public.
You can find files in File Lockers. Each one must be broken open revealing the vulnerable file; you can now download a copy of the file to your local system. Be on your toes though as the network security don't take kindly to strangers downloading things without permission - you'll have to defend yourself.
Downloaded files can be found in your File Manager after a Run where they can be uploaded and cashed in for Reputation.
Discord
Theere is a Squid In A Box Discord now for anybody who wants to hang out and talk about the game with other players and the Developer (me!)
Patch Notes
- General ● Improved Game Thread performance.
● Pickups will no longer timeout during travel.
- Arcade Mode ● "Tiny Cube" is now in all game modes.
- GRID Mode ● Starting a new game provides a choicee of 2 Avatars with unique skins and loadouts.
● Files can be downloaded from File Lockers which can be found in all systems.
● Downloaded Files can be "Uploaded" using the File Manager to earn Rep.
● Rep is rewarded for completing objectives and controlling systems.
● Rep can be spent in the GRID Loadout Editor to unlock items (temporary).
● GRID Leaderboards now track Reputation.
- UI ● All settings screens redesigned.
● GRID Networks are now displayed vertically to save room.
● GRID Game Manager Screen redesigned.
● GRID New Game Screen redesigned.
