0.0.5 is here! The BIGGEST Update yet. 2 New Maps, New Unlockables, and more!
Author: Dimensionless Games,
published 5 months ago,
[h2]The Break Down [/h2]
Sense the day I released into Early Access, I have focused primarily on quality of life, polish, balancing, and bug fixes with only small sprinkles of content here and there. So, I've decided that it was finally time to give you all a huge update that brings all new content. Let's talk about it!
[h2]NEW[/h2]
[list]
[b]New Map: Area 31: Sector Zero[/b]
Area 31 is a dark planet where Sketchy was known for conducting research and experiments. It's said that Sector Zero might have actually been the first Facility that Sketchy created, however, no one really knows for certain... You are most welcome to explore it though. Your contract must be met after all, so even the darkest places aren't completely off limits.
[img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44869218/19d3d796e6dd2c4e2682d81d1a5942a485fd3079.png[/img]
[b]New Map: Gaia: Port Aeriss[/b]
Gaia is a planet powered by magical energy, comprised of a network of floating islands. What Sketchy could possible want from a place like this is mysterious indeed. Floating islands? Waterfalls that emerge from what seems like thin air? One might ask what business science would have in such a place. You should have a look yourself. You too might feel something unsettling about it.
[img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44869218/6a683cf6c32d8b145068aa5b9f07e0852df0fdf3.png[/img]
[*] All maps have been [u]revisited and re-imagined[/u] with a better layout and themed look to bring out the personality in their atmospheres. For example, port Sahariss has been opened up to feel much for dune-like emphasizing the danger of sandworms.
[*] [b]Players can now NAME their ship![/b] How??? Simply visit the ship computer enter the ship command and type a name you'd like it to have!
[*] The ship computer screen now displays the total amount of quota from collected scrap in the ship. This removes the need to spam the scan button which can be inconsistent a lot of the time.
[*] New “SOLO” button added to the game menu that runs the game on a local instance without the need of a session. [i]This feature is currently in experimental mode so it is not expected to work exactly as intended. A close eye will be kept on it and updates made as required.[/i]
[*] New Sketchy Substance. I hope you know your lefts from your rights… lol
[*] New Enemy “Boom Bot”.
[*] New Enemy “Subject 6”.
[*] New Elizabeth (Creepy Doll) ability. Do you dare pick her up?
[*] 12 New lootables.
[*] 3 New Weapon Charms.
[*] 15 New Plush (Each planet now has 2 unique plush that can be found through various ways).
[*] 6 New Furniture Cosmetics.
[*] 3 New Misc Cosmetics.
[*] 4 New Suit Colors ([b]YES PINK[/b] is now an option).
[*] New UI option to show dead teammates on the UI. Dead teammates are now hidden from the UI by default.
[*] Added Footstep splash sounds to shallow water.
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[h2]UPDATES[/h2]
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[*] [b]Hatchlings and Crawlers are now ONE-HANDED items[/b]. This change has been made to reduce the number of 2-hand carry items which eventually start to feel excessive to the player especially when playing solo or in small groups.
[*] Port Lumin is now a free starter map along side Port Coral giving new players 2 maps to experience when starting out.
[*] Weapons Charms now have swing physics!
[*] Weapon Charms now immediately update when applied, removing the need to item scroll to see the change.
[*] Access Crates now require the prerequisite security level be unlocked first to open them (this is because some access crates can actually be found outside not just inside buildings which would allow skipping of levels).
[*] Access crates now [b]ALWAYS [/b]provide credits, loot, or claw machine coins. [i]NO MORE empty crates.[/i]
[*] The chance of finding a security code has been increased for 1-2 player groups. This is one of many updates to help balance the gap in time-management and difficulty between large groups and small groups.
[*] The Radioactive Sketchy Substance damage has been increased from 2 damage per second to 4 (damage scales by a small amount based on the number of players in the group due to passing of the object from one member to another which solo players do not have the ability to do), however, its quota value has increased from 50 to 100.
[*] Significantly increased the number of items that can be eaten/drank ([b]YES MILK can now be consumed[/b]) along with all new foods that can be consumed. This will further help healing up on a whim when you don’t want to spend credits at the vending machine (however you will lose quota from that piece of loot).
[*] The lighting has been updated in maps where the overall lighting seems a bit too dark. This is most noticeable in the Biolumn and Rangar Maps.
[*] Vending machines are now always located in teleporter rooms as well as the front entrance to the main building. Vending machines are not scattered throughout buildings so plan strategically as to whether you should bring some chips with you.
[*] Elizabeth price increased from 60 to 150.
[*] Crawler value reduced from 20 to 15.
[*] Mines no longer trigger detection or deal damage through floors, ceilings. walls, etc.
[*] Level 2 no longer has suit charge stations. Oxygen balance is the main purpose of this area and players should need to be cautious about it to survive.
[*] The Maximum Suit XP gain per day has been reduced from 60% to 40%.
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[h3]Gameplay Changes[/h3]
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[*] Mine explosion radius has been increased; however, mines now deal a base value damage of 350 which decreases linearly from the center (it’s like a mini big daddy). This means if a teammate shoots one that you happen to be next too, you might not be 1-shot killed.
[*] Mines have an additional perk now. They can deal damage to enemies ONLY IF they are triggered by the player. This means you can lure stronger creatures onto them, then trigger the mine with a pulse rifle to deal a large blow to their health pool. Keep in mind, the damage done to enemies is much lower than what it deals to players (150 at the center vs 350).
[*] The Pulse Rife heats up 60% faster but cools down 50% faster and deals 50 DPS up from 40 DPS. I have made this change to balance its versatility out when you consider what it brings to the table. With the ability to take out mines, trigger mines to deal additional damage to enemies by luring them in and having increased leverage by dealing damage from a distance, the rifle creeps up to being OP.
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[h3]AI Changes[/h3]
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[*] AI health now scales with each level of security. For example, Level 0 (Main building AI) have scaled down health then a little more on Level 1 and the most at Level 2. While there is already is an existing scale on the current build that decreases health on Level 0 Vs Level 2, it didn't even consider Level 1 at all. This new scale has been tweaked based on all the player feedback on balance that has come through so far. I am excited to see how it feels to you all and look forward to continue refining it.
[*] Pew Pew - a new description has been given to Pew Pew which hints at a new mechanic that allows players to completely mitigate damage while missiles are being fired. Be sure to read up on Pew Pew in Sketchy's data so you can figure out the trick to avoid death!
[*] Greed is no longer defenseless and will fight back when attacked so be careful!
[*] Jelloti can now be completely mitigated! You’ll need to read its weakness for a hint. However, now that its damage can be avoided entirely, its base damage has been increased from 80 to 100 and movement speed has increased as well. So be sure to execute the mechanic and avoid dying.
[*] Clotty damage increased from 35 to 70. In addition, clotty now doubles in size when it defends itself to make it more visually apparent that it is attacking.
[*] [b]Elizabeth has a creepy mechanic![/b] Do you dear pick her up?
[*] Night Walker is much more intelligent… what does that mean? You'll have to find out!
[*] Night Walker base heath reduced from 200 to 140, movement speed reduced, and price reduced from 200 to 140.
[*] Oxy and Toxy slimes can no longer apply debuffs to players through walls and doors.
[*] Geed can no longer steal players’ items through walls and doors.
[*] Pew Pew and Big Daddy missiles no longer deal damage through walls and doors.
[*] Crawler and Hatchling movement speed reduced.
[*] Mimics can now display a new name when scanned.
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[h3]Quality of Life[/h3]
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[*] The spectate camera is now fixed to the client rather than following the rotation of the spectated player. In addition, players can now look up and down while spectating.
[*] Dead Teammates no longer show at the top left of the screen by default. However, players can still opt into seeing dead teammates by enabling the option in video settings.
[*] The teleporter command line has been shorted to “base”, “nodea”, “nodeb” to reduce the amount of typing when traveling back and forth.
[*] The Customization UI has a new look, displaying all proper icons for unlockables.
[*] The Plush Customization UI has been updated to show hints on where to find hidden plush and has separated claw machine plush from hidden plush into 2 columns for easy viewing.
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[h2]
FIXES[/h2]
[list]
[*] Fixed an issue where damage from the pulse rifle could hit AI clipping through walls and doors.
[*] Fixed an issue where item dupes were caused via certain interactions.
[*] Fixed an issue where the lava fire debuff passed to a player via another player would not fall off (this was also causing game crashes in the lava map).
[*] Fixed an issue where turned in quota items could clip out of the box and be picked up again.
[*] Fixed an issue where FPS settings were not applied on loading into the game.
[*] Fixed an issue where photomode was turning on for some new players by default when loading into the game.
[*] Fixed an issue where completing a contract would increase the quota for all connected clients rather than only the host.
[*] Fixed an issue where players’ character model would appear deformed and/or weapons appear invisible after going too far from the client and/or teleported from a far distance.
[*] Fixed an issue where range and healing suit points were not resetting on a failed contract.
[*] Fixed an issue where players joining a session that is currently on an active planet would place the players camera below the map rather in the perspective of the ship spawn area.
[*] Fixed an issue where players that walked into the pilot seat with a dead body would cause severe frame drops to the server.
[*] Fixed an issue where items could be picked back up if stacked high enough into the drop off box.
[*] Fixed a visual issue where lava would appear to constantly flicker.
[*] Fixed an issue where casualty value was always 1 if the ship used auto-pilot to return to orbit.
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[h2]What Next?[/h2]
In short, the next update will be reworking way player progression. Most players don't seem to like losing everything on failed quotas and most solo players find it too harder to push far into the game. So the progression update will be taking action toward these concerns.
[h3]If you aren't in the discord, I encourage you to join as I tend to post small updates regarding my progress and its also a great place for the community to share ideas with me as well as each other.[/h3]
[h3]Once again, I want to thank everyone for playing and for being patient with me as I continue make this game even better!
-Forsakenhalo[/h3]