Improved workshop integration! New community maps included.
Hello Everyone,
We have a new update for you that delivers improved Steam Workshop integration, a built-in custom map browser, multiple bug fixes, a new main menu and a Level Editor update.
As you can see in the screenshot above, the new main menu is already prepared for the European Assault DLC and the Survival game mode that we are working on. It also gives you convenient access to Steam Workshop maps without leaving the game.
To make things even more interesting we've added 5 new community maps for you to check out. We'll be giving each one of them a proper Community Spotlight, but you can already go ahead and have fun with new content.
We were originally planning to update the Survival Mode Open Beta at the same time, but it was a bit too much to process at the same time so we decided to do that next week. We've been listening to all of your feedback and there will be some gameplay changes in that mode that you were asking for. More on that next week.
The full list of changes for this update includes:
- added workshop browser
- added support for night mode
- new main menu layout
- fixed multiple crash bugs
- fixed difficulty change after load
- fixed controller vibration on summary screen
- fixed multiple tools crash bugs
- fixed action menu problems
Developer Diary - Developing Split-Screen Co-op
Hello Everyone,
This week we'd like to talk a bit more about split screen co-op in X-Morph: Defense. If you'd like to learn more about it, check out our latest Imgur post:
https://imgur.com/gallery/lm7vD
We talk about the exploits that are possible when playing co-op, the problems that we encountered while developing it and a bit about what we're working on next.
We're also working on an update to the Survival Mode Beta. Stay tuned for more info!
Survival Mode Open Beta is now available!
Hello Everyone,
The Survival Mode Open Beta is finally live! It includes two new maps: Canada and Mexico that are based on the corresponding story levels. The essence of the Survival mode is that it will play out differently each time you start a map. Enemy types, numbers, and their attack direction is randomized. You will also be able to select new upgrades "on the fly" after completing each enemy wave. Tower setup time in between enemy waves is also limited so you will have to think fast! You can check out some extended gameplay footage here:
https://youtu.be/LZ-qd702NWo
As the name implies this is a Beta build, so you might encounter some problems while playing the game. We are really looking forward to your feedback both regarding gameplay and any bugs that you may come across. We'd like to work with you on improving this game mode and are open to suggestions. Please post your feedback, bugs and suggestions in this thread:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/408410/discussions/0/2860219962082344024/
To access the Beta build follow these steps:
1. Select X-Morph: Defense in your Steam Library
2. Right Click on it and select Properties
3. Switch to the BETA tab
4. Select "beta_survival Survival Mode Open Beta" from the drop-down list
5. The download should start after you close the properties window
Note: If the beta_survival is not visible in your BETA tab, then please restart Steam and check once more.
We have tested this build to check if there are no compatibility problems with the base game. Nevertheless, we recommend that you manually back up your save files. You can find them in this folder:
\Documents\X-Morph Defense
We are also happy to announce that we are working on a new DLC story-driven mini-campaign - European Assault:
European Assault is a brand-new mini-campaign that takes place parallel to the main story and will bring the X-Morph to Finland and Holland before concluding in an epic, destruction-fuelled showdown at the Eiffel Tower in France. It is set to launch on March 26th, together with the free Survival Mode update that will include 10 levels in its final version.
Winter night setting - work in progress sneak peak
Hello Everyone,
Today we'd like to take a moment to show you one of the new levels that we've been working on. This mission takes place in a winter night setting:
We created a new custom texture set for this level, and we've developed a new shader technique to light specific building windows. We still need to put in some work into adding more light on top of buildings. As you can see, some of the areas on this map are too dark, especially building rooftops.
We wouldn't be ourselves if we didn't add a bit of extra flavor to building destruction in the night setting. Whenever you collapse a building, its lights will blink and shut down after a moment:
https://youtu.be/7p-4JgI-nJI
There are also going to be some snowflakes falling on this level. Unfortunately, we didn't have that effect ready in time for this update. This mission is going to be available in the upcoming DLC mini-campaign. We hope you'll like it :)
You're also probably wondering about the survival mode open beta that we've promised. Don't worry, it's still coming, although it's been delayed a bit. We are still making sure that save files from the story campaign are 100% safe. We'd rather delay this even more instead of releasing an update that we know will cause problems. Our current ETA for the Survival mode beta is "sometime next week".
Survival Mode Open Beta is just around the corner
Hi Everyone,
We're still hard at work on the new Survival Mode open beta. The original plan was to release it this week, but unfortunately, we found a few serious bugs that we wanted to fix before making it public. Right now we're aiming to release it early next week (hopefully by Wednesday).
We are also planning to release two more features in the nearest future - NVIDIA ShadowPlay Highlights support and a Custom Map in-game browser. Work on these upgrades is being done in parallel to the survival mode.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Community Map Spotlight - Concrete Canal
Hi Everyone,
We're back with Community Map Spotlight. This time we're talking about voper45's latest map - Concrete Canal.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1258875118
It is a great level with lots of mazing opportunities and tough enemy waves. There's also a surprise waiting in the map's last wave :) - we were impressed.
If you think you've really mastered X-Morph: Defense than you can also check out this map's sister version Concrete Canal (Challenge) - it is a more difficult version of the same map with an interesting gameplay twist.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1276475741
It would be great if you could comment on how you liked these maps. We're sure voper45 would love to hear your feedback.
https://youtu.be/J7Q7X1xKT_4
Endless Survival Mode - progress udpate
Hi Everyone,
Work on the Survival Mode update is progressing smoothly and we wanted to take this occasion to update you on the situation. We've got all of the basic gameplay mechanics ready and are just finishing work on two final pieces that are required to kick off the public beta.
The first one is save data integrity. We are working on making sure that playing the beta won't erase your Story Campaign progress and that you will be able to carry over your progress. Survival mode is going to play out as a sort of separate campaign in which you unlock new missions as a reward for gaining medals on previous maps. The map that is going to be available in the public beta is probably going to be situated somewhere in the middle of the Survival Campaign. We want to make sure that you will be able to transition from the beta to the final release without any problems.
The second important task is coop support. We're testing it right now and we can already say that it plays really well. Because you have limited time for tower placement it becomes super useful for one person to work on maze design and the second one to fend off the attackers. Good cooperation really shines in this mode. We recorded some footage from a coop gameplay session which you can view under the link below:
https://youtu.be/Cu52WI2rr_4
Endless Survival Mode - work in progress footage
Hello Everyone,
We finally have some news about the new game mode that we've been teasing for some time. It is an endless survival mode in which your goal is to withstand human attacks for as long as possible. Enemy waves will attack you from random directions and with randomly selected units. You start the game with only basic upgrades. After defeating each enemy wave, you are presented with three possible upgrade options to choose from. You will be able to choose if you wish to pick additional fighter weapons, new towers or technology upgrades.
This effectively means that every playthrough is going to present new challenges. You will also have to adapt your strategy on the fly because setup time between enemy waves is limited. If you feel confident enough, then you will be able to skip the setup timer altogether for an extra score bonus. We expect some fierce leaderboard competition :)
We are planning to release an open beta on Steam, that will include this new game mode, sometime within the next two weeks. We can't wait to hear your feedback about the new game mode :) We already did a bit of testing on our side, and we have conflicting opinions about some aspects of this game mode. Should play sessions be longer or shorter? How should the end game look like? Should we add any extra power-ups?
The deadline for a public release of the new game mode is at the end of March, so there will be plenty of time for iterations. The new content is also going to be available on the PS4 and Xbox One, but the open beta period will be Steam only. As for today, you can check out a bit of work in progress gameplay footage recorded from the today's build:
https://youtu.be/QBX1v1nq1qw
X-Morph spaceship design - a look back
August 2010
We wanted to take a while to reflect on some of our old designs for the X-Morph spaceship. It took us quite a while to develop the final look and feel. We went through a couple of design stages, each with numerous prototypes.
The first design which you can see above comes from August 2010 - yes, that's right it's eight years old, and we were still hard at work on Zombie Driver HD back then. It included mechanical tentacles that were supposed to impale and devour humans - which would regenerate the ship's health.
November 2012
The concept design renders above represent one of our machine-flesh approaches. We wanted to make the X-Morph feel unique by combining advanced technology with agresive biological mutation. These concepts looked really great upclose, but in the end it was really hard to show them well from a distant perspective. Huge amounts of detail created a lot of pixel noise and the resulting complex shapes were hard to distinguish during intense gameplay.
Would you like to learn more about the game's development history? Are there any particular subjects that you would like to know more about? Let us know in the comments below and we'll try our best to answer all of your questions.
Community Map Spotlight - Seaside Cliffs
Hello Everyone,
There is a new great community made map available in the Steam Workshop -
Seaside Cliffs created by voper45:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1224347607
We were truly surprised by the complex level layout, great mazing opportunities and hidden paths in this map. Voper45 makes excellent use of different terrain height and special abilities of various enemy units. The map is very intense and brings a very welcome challenge, especially during later enemy attack waves.
We strongly recommend checking this one out and please leave a comment for voper45 if you enjoy Seaside Cliffs. Prepare to transfer your consciousness to Seaside Cliffs!
