[img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//39217323/659ea2e359a357ec559b31a68dc16b87dfb8ae67.png[/img][url=https://twitter.com/Real_JSN][i]Here's some absolutely amazing art by JustSomeNoob! (@Real_JSN)[/i][/url] [h1]AXE TO GRIND[/h1] Lemme preface by saying that Axel is gonna be the final main playable character in Dead Estate. Ten's a nice, round, even number to end on. You'll notice that Axel is the only bit of new content added in this update, also. That's because the main purpose of this update [i]besides[/i] adding the game's last playable character is to improve the game's stability and address common complaints. I tried to re[b]s[/b]olve as many of the game's most frequently reported and severe issues as possible, and I also tried to pepper in as many new little quality-of-life features as possible. Stuff like a dedicated button for Fuji and BOSS's special abilities, a better control rebinding menu, etc.. Hopefully, the game will feel a lot more polished and better to play with this update. Chunks also received a bit of an overhaul. I noticed that many players would [b]q[/b]uickly figure out that the best way to deal with Chunks is to either circle around him forever (and he would never be able to catch up to you or attack you) and spam attacks at him or just pop off some cheap shots on him and then quick[b]l[/b]y dive out of the room and repeat. Neither of these tactics involve any challenge at all, really, and they also weren't particularly hard to figure out or to pull off. Chunks is supposed to be intimi[b]d[/b]ating, not a punching bag. To help with this, Chunks now has two new abiliti[b]e[/b]s: 1. He'll heal a little whenever you leave a room while he's chasing you in order to discourage kiting him around rooms before he can attack you, and [b]2[/b]. He can jump up and create shockwaves on impact now, so that way you're not just circling around him while attacking. He actually has attacks now that you've gotta dodge, making running away a much more preferable option for players who don't have the skill or firepower to knock him out -- cheap shots with low damage and running in and out of rooms is less of a viable strategy now. In the spirit of fairness, I also made Chunks move slower. It's not much of a secret that Chunks's speed scales with your own, but he shouldn't be able to fly around rooms at Mach 3 and land unfair, unavoidable hits on you anymore. Basically, Chunks is more challenging now, but it should also be more obvious now that running away is the right choice if you're not at the right skill or power level to fight him. This'll probably require a lot of slight tweaks and adjustments to get it feeling just right, but bear with me. I've got a final tomorrow morning and I'm writing this at 3:00 AM, so I should probably wrap it up here. Thanks for your continued support, here's the change log! [h1]NEW STUFF, CHANGES, AND FIXES[/h1] [list] [*] [h2][b]Axel![/b][/h2] A hatchet-wielding hunk with some cool shades and a god complex. Axel's hatchets have a unique ability to get charged up before throwing them for extra damage and distance, plus he has special access to a secret hidey-hole on every floor stockpiled with health and ammo. He'll also quip after killing enemies. Get used to it. [*] [h3][b]Small additions, balance changes, and adjustments[/b][/h3] - Cordelia now sells ammunition refills in weapon shops - Added a dedicated special action key used for Fuji's air dash and detonating BOSS's sticky bombs - Overhauled the control rebinding section - Added an option to toggle the low HP heartbeat sound effects on and off - The game now locks your mouse inside the window during gameplay - Completing runs now gives you an additional Chunks medallion (you'll now receive 3 for completing a normal ending run on standard difficulty as opposed to 2) - Nerfed Funky Syringe, it provides a slightly smaller damage+reload speed boost now - Picking up Toilet Paper no longer counts against the "Without a Hitch" medal (hitless run) - Blue Mutants (floor 4 hanging monsters) will not apply stun effects unless they're close to the ground - Infesters can now only be stunned while on the ground - Decreased the speed boost Chunks receives on harder difficulties - Chunks' speed now scales slightly less with the player's own speed - Lowered Chunks's maximum movement speed - Chunks now heals 200 HP upon leaving a room while being chased by him (he starts with 3,000 HP on normal mode, for comparison's sake) - Chunks has a little sleeping animation now when you knock him out :) awww little guy ZZZ aww :] - Reworked Chunks's punch attack to have a smaller trigger range, greater area of effect, and more visual feedback - Added a new jump/shockwave attack for Chunks which becomes active when few enemies are left in the room - Shortened the amount of time that Block of Ice freezes enemies - Adjusted the description of Jules's Curse of the Bloodhungry - Player characters now deal contact damage to enemies while firing weapons (to compensate for bullet spawn offsets and some characters moving slower than some enemies) - Added new decorations to Hellmart - ...Also added some new decorations to Heavenmart - Added a prompt to the Curse select menu to warn players that they cannot change curses mid-run - Put in some new sound effects for the Curse select menu :} [*] [h3][b]Fixes[/b][/h3] - Fixed a bug where Fuji's B costume medal could not be unlocked - Fixed a bug where spamming the restart button on the game over screen would screw up level generation and spawn multiple player instances - Meltface (the floor 1 flame monsters), and Pot Ghosts now react to being stunned properly - Unlocking the different title screens out of order no longer results in the wrong art being displayed - Chunks should no longer appear immediately after leaving Hellmart and Heavenmart - Fixed a bug on floor 2 where, if the floor is burning, spike balls would sometimes be swapped with ropes - Diavola's second form should no longer display multiple health bars if you have the Stethoscope item - Fixed an itty bitty little bug where some passageways would display the wrong doorframes - Fixed a bug where the heal sound effect would play continuously during level transitions if the player is holding the Medkit item - Fixed a crash that would sometimes occur at the beginning of boss fights - Fixed a crash caused by killing stunned enemies with explosions - Maybe(???) fixed a crash related to explosions. This one has been a pain in the ass to figure out, I dunno honestly - Fixed a bug in the Curses menu that prevented some curses from being selected - Fixed a bug that would allow Chunks to sometimes spawn even while carrying the Dead Rat item - Fixed a bug allowing players to clip out of bounds using multiple Magic Carpets - Boxing gloves/gauntlet/hatchet type weapons should now appear invisible when the player disappears into a portal - Heavenmart no longer rerolls its items when you leave and re-enter - Fixed a bug where Chunks's front-facing punch sprites wouldn't display - Adjusted some bullshit with Chunks's sprites so he won't flip around rapidly while chasing you. This isn't even really a bug fix. Why is this here? - Fixed a bug where you would not start with the right weapon if you exited and continued a run while using Super Glue - Removed a graphical error with the ending polaroid for Jules's C costume - Fixed an error where the Huge Hammer had the same description as the Rad Shotgun in Cordelia's weapon shop - Fixed an oversight that would allow players to enable/disable Curses mid-run - Fixed a crash which would sometimes occur while playing as Lydia [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//39217323/b8a9da5794cec2c5919dd53e6b314913ebc2aeaa.jpg[/img] [h1]WHAT'S NEXT?[/h1] Next up on the big list is update no. 5: [b]Challenger[/b]. We're getting near the end here, but looking at the list of assets needed for update #5 and [i]especially[/i] #6 makes it feel like we're just getting started. You can probably figure out what the big new feature of update #5 will be just based on the name, but let me assure you that it's gonna be a lot more than what you think it is. We're getting really close to revealing some major content and plans that I've been holding back for a while, and I want these last two updates to blow away everyone's expectations. I can't put a solid release date on either of these updates yet, but I want update #5 to be out sometime in July. I know that Axe to Grind is a bit of a smaller update, so for those of you looking for something meatier, I think update #5 will satisfy. Anyways, thanks again for all of your continued support on this project. It means a ton that so many of you are willing to see this thing through to the end with us -- although in this case I feel like the end is really just the beginning ;;;;;) - Jack [h1]COMING SOON[/h1] [b]Dead Estate[/b]'s publisher, 2 Left Thumbs, has a brand new title launching [b]June 5th[/b]. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1008860/Repella_Fella/ [b]Repella Fella[/b] is a passion project, made by a solo developer for nearly [i]7 years[/i]! It's a comedic, point n click, choose your own adventure set in a post apocalyptic Australia. You can play the first ~30 minutes in the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2183010/Repella_Fella_Prologue/]FREE Prologue[/url]! Dead Estate's success allowed me the resources needed to fund the final leg of [b]Repella Fella[/b]'s development! As a direct thank you, there will be a launch bundle offering a discount to Dead Estate owners! Please add [b]Repella Fella[/b] to you [b]WISHLIST[/b] so you don't miss out <3 - Graeme