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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsStellar Stars (Free-To-Play Steam Weekend March 2nd - March 5th)
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Author Topic: Stellar Stars (Free-To-Play Steam Weekend March 2nd - March 5th)  (Read 19422 times)
WhiteSponge
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« on: August 17, 2014, 01:52:56 AM »

Hello!

My name is David and I have recently released Stellar Stars on Steam! And with the latest update 1.2: Rise Of Magic open beta, you can now start your star-hunting adventure with the free-to-play weekend! The new Rise Of Magic Open Beta has finally gone live on Steam!



And here is what is new in Stellar Stars 1.2: Rise Of Magic:

New!
- Play as Vona, the new mage of the misfits!
- Unleash powerful magic in the arena with tons of new spells!
- Feast your eyes on the new visuals and animations for existing spells
- Jump higher with the new Double Jumping!
- Get a better grasp of boss stages with the new health bars for bosses!

Gameplay Improvements/Changes
- You can now counter spells that have already been countered with Asuka
- Find out more about each character with detailed information on their stats and special skills

Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug where you could still use your special skill after dying in local versus matches
- Character information will now appear correctly when you are selecting your character in online multiplayer matches

Now all of the above would not be possible if it wasn't for your continuous support and feedback to the Stellar Stars community. And we are really glad to be able to continue working on the game and to create a better experience for you. Having said that, we should share a little about Vona - the new mage who is making her appearance in Rise Of Magic!




As the newest member of the family, Vona doesn't shy away from standing out with her tall and pinky hat. In fact, she is proud of who she is - a misfit. Born from the desires and imagination from people who just don't seem to fit in anywhere, Vona has the magical gift of channeling powerful energies from the world.

While lacking in pure physical capabilities, she makes up for that with her magical abilities. Her special skill - the Magic Beam, allows her to shoot out a pink beam across the screen, doing damage to anyone who dares challenge her magical talents.

And so that begs the question - how will you play as Vona?

Be sure to join us on Discord at https://discord.gg/stellarstars!

Enjoy and have fun with the Rise Of Magic Open Beta as it will only last till this Sunday on March 5th!


-----------------------------------------------
OLD NEWS
-----------------------------------------------
Hey there! David here again to share a piece of awesome news - Stellar Stars has been green-lit in just 17 days!



On behalf of the WhiteSponge team, I would just like to thank you for helping Stellar Stars get green-lit! We would not be here without you and we would not have done it without you. We are definitely looking forward to going on this exciting new journey with you!

So look forward to more updates from us! And if you haven't done so, follow our Twitter channel and subscribe to our mailing list so you won't miss any updates!



And we also have some interesting rewards for you at our Indiegogo campaign! So do support our Indiegogo campaign too! Each and every dollar counts! Share the word about it too!

Join us on this awesome journey and let's do it together!




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To jump to the announcement/updates on Stellar Stars, click here!
*Note-> Everything after this line is how Stellar Stars started from the beginning/past when it was still called Starsss (former name)
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Hey everyone, my name is David. If you know me from before, it is most probably because I also made Small Chronicles.


I would like to share about a new game for PC/Mac/Linux that I have just started working on.



Starsss is a roguelike platformer that sets you up on the ultimate star-chasing adventure. With Starsss, you will be on the hunt for stars while also defeating enemies or avoiding them. And each time you die, you'll have to start all over on a new procedurally generated/randomized stage!

As I have some experience with creating RPG games (although I've only made Small Chronicles), crafting a roguelike kind of feels natural to me.

I am also not exaggerating when I say that progress on Starsss has only just started these few days. Starsss is also different from my previously made games in that its development will be streamed live!

Latest Update ------------------------

-------------------------------------------

You can catch the live stream over at WhiteSponge's TwitchTV channel every Monday, Thursday and Saturday from 8pm to 11pm EST.

And so let's start with the first development post for Starsss!


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Starsss - Development Blog Post #1
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So even though I have only just started, I have already added basic random wall placement to Starsss using placeholder images.





As you saw above, the 2 screenshots showed that each time you restart, the walls will be randomly placed (for both top and bottom edges). This allows for a more refreshing gameplay experience when you restart/start the game.

So if you drop in between any gaps, it is instant game over :D

On top of that, the game will also randomize which stages to load so every time you play the game, you will start from a different stage.

There are still some bugs with the character getting stuck while moving across the walls' platform so I'll have to fix that too.

If you are interested to check out the recorded version of this dev session (yes it was live-streamed via TwitchTV),

. It's around 2 hours so have fun watching me add that random wall placement to Starsss ^^
« Last Edit: March 04, 2017, 07:19:02 PM by WhiteSponge » Logged

WhiteSponge
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« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2014, 05:48:40 AM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #2
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So besides randomly placing the walls to form the edges of a stage, creating the stage also involves placing the platforms for your character to move about.




Each platform has its own left and right edges that have to be joined via center platform tiles. If you noticed carefully, the platforms have various widths. This is also done to create a more randomized stage to play in.

And depending on the character that you have selected (yes there will be multiple playable characters!), your starting HP might differ. On the other hand, you will always start from level 1 on every game restart.




Notice where the words "LV 1" are at? That is what you will see when your experience (XP) bar is empty. What happens if you are at say, 50% or half way to the next level?




If you have played at least an RPG before, you will know how leveling works. If not, basically you gain XP from defeating enemies (yes they are not added yet). And as you do so, the XP bar will gradually be filled up with green.




And if you are interested to see what really goes on with adding those platforms, check out the

.
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WhiteSponge
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« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2014, 04:34:19 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #3
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Having RPG elements means that it is essential for Starsss to have some sort of game saving capability ~ As a roguelike, it shouldn't save the entire game or character progress as each play-through starts from the beginning.

So if that is the case, what things in Starsss should or can be saved? Besides game or character progress, things such as whether it is your first play-through or not are important too.

Why is that important? Because even though Starsss isn't really a complex MMORPG type of game, there are things that still require introducing. Things such as using your directional keys to move your character or using your Z key to make your character jump are just a few of them.




Noticed the new tile set?

And so once Starsss has detected that it is your first time playing the game, it will show you some helpful hints to guide you along the way.




On top of saving and loading your game data in Starsss, it is also time to introduce the game's first ever enemy!




Enemies in Starsss come into play when they attack you or when they become an obstacle for when you are trying to get that star. You will also be able to gain experience from defeating them (not implemented yet). Once you have leveled up from doing so, you will be able to grow your character so look forward to that!

Also check out the latest recorded videos of Starsss' live game development stream now on the Youtube playlist! Enjoy!
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WhiteSponge
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« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2014, 04:49:55 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #4
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So if you have been following the latest updates, Starsss is a roguelike platformer that is all about chasing stars on your PC/Mac/Linux ~ But where are the stars in the game?

They are up in the stellar skies! Well at least that is what you would see when you gaze upon the skies at night. But for Starsss, this means deciding what role the stars will play in the game and adding them in.




So in order to advance from each stage to the next, you will have to collect stars to open the portal that links to the next. Around 8 stars sounds nice because that is a lucky number considered by many.

And so when you have gotten a star, a new star will appear randomly on top of another platform or on the floor.




On top of that, every time a new star appears, it will also hover up and down above the ground. This makes it easier to notice it too.

As the game is still in its really early stages, there is still work to be done to improve on how the star looks and animates. While the following are not implemented yet, for starters, an appearing animation will be added to make each star enter the stage like a star.

And do you remember that Starsss will also have enemies that will get in the way of your star-chasing? This means that you will be able to deal with them, through acquiring attacks and magic from the stars you collect.

Those will be on the top of the list of things to implement so be sure to keep checking the blog for new updates! New blog posts will be up regularly every Tuesday and Friday!

And as usual, you can catch the recorded version of today’s live game development session now on Youtube! Enjoy!
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WhiteSponge
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« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2014, 04:01:32 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #5
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While Starsss is all about chasing the stars in the game, you will have to do so while defeating enemies or dodging them ~ And so this means they will have to have some sort of A.I or behavior.

As each stage will have its own group of enemies, you can expect to have a huge variety of  them to stand in your star-chasing adventure. Now for that to happen, they will have to move across the stage, from platform to platform.

If you can recall, there is a random gap at the top edge of every stage.




This is where the enemies of Starsss will spawn and fall from. Once an enemy has been spawned, it will fall onto the platform directly below the gap.






When it drops onto another platform, it will once again randomly decide to move left or right. This cycle repeats until it has fallen off the stage via the gap on the bottom floor.




Additionally, it also has to know when it hits a wall or obstacle. And once it does so, it will change and reverse its direction.







So what does this mean for you? For starters, there will be an never ending stream of enemies that will obstruct your star-chasing. In other words, you will always have to be alert when playing Starsss.

And be sure to check out all of the above in action through the

! Enjoy!
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« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2014, 04:35:14 PM »

Is this being made in Unity?
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WhiteSponge
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« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2014, 10:13:13 PM »

Is this being made in Unity?

yes it is Smiley
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« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2014, 05:26:41 AM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #6
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In the previous blog post, I mentioned about how enemies move in Starsss ~ But what should you do if you come across one of them? It is definitely the time to strike back!

In Starsss, each playable character (yes there will be multiple characters to choose from!) will not have his or her individual array of skills. Instead, every star that you have collected will provide your character with a randomly decided attack.




This means that your attacks will change randomly every time you come into contact with a star. Does that add an element of randomness? However, do take note that not all attacks will be available from the start. You will have to unlock them through spending more time playing the game.






Enemies will flash red for a split second when your attacks hit them. This is to indicate that you are doing damage to them. And when you have dealt enough damage to defeat an enemy, you will gain experience for doing so!




From gaining experience, you will eventually reach a point where your experience bar (on top left corner, in green) will be fully filled up. And that is when your character will level up!




From leveling up your character, you will be able to make him or her stronger and better. And if you were thinking in terms of increasing the classic RPG stats such as Strength (STR), Intelligence (INT), Dexterity (DEX) and Constitution (CON), then you will be in for a surprise.

While that is still not implemented yet, be sure to check the blog every Tuesday and Friday for new updates! And as usual, you can enjoy the TwitchTV live game development stream session of adding attacks to Starsss,

! Cheers!
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WhiteSponge
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« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2014, 04:23:03 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #7
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As you might have noticed, Starsss only features a single stage at the moment, and that is the brick stage. However, it is only the beginning of your star-chasing journey as you will get to explore new and different stages later on.

Creating more stages means that there has to be a way for you to get to them. And this is where the door comes in.




The door will only appear when you have collected all 8 stars for any stage. And once you have done so, it will randomly appear on 1 of the platforms. Tread carefully on your way to the door as enemies will still continue to spawn.




When you get to the door, the game will change scenes and prepare for the next stage to be displayed. But before that, it will determine if you have leveled up during the previous stage play through. And if you have successfully leveled up from all the enemies that you have defeated, the growth scene will be shown.

As its name implies, the growth scene is where you can grow your character and make him or her better. And you can do it via selecting one of the growth attributes that will be shown in the scene. Below are some sketches of how the upcoming growth scene will look like.






Think of growth attributes as characteristics that you can improve on. Things like moving speed and jumping ability are just a few of the many growth attributes.


Get the latest Starsss updates!

If you have not yet subscribed to WhiteSponge's newsletter list, it's absolutely free to do so using just your email address. You will only receive emails that are personally handcrafted for you with the latest WhiteSponge gaming-related news.

Starsss' development process is also being live streamed so WhiteSponge would like to invite you to join the livestreams every Monday, Thursday and Saturday (EST). If you have enjoyed the blog posts, videos and live streams of Starsss thus far, do help by spreading the word about the game. You can help by tweeting, posting on Facebook, following WhiteSponge on TwitchTV or telling your friends about Starsss.

WhiteSponge would also like to thank you for your support thus far! Join WhiteSponge as the progress on Starsss continues! Don't forget to

! Enjoy!
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« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2014, 05:56:32 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #8
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With RPGs, you can level up your characters from defeating enemies and gaining experience ~ Now while Starsss is not really an RPG, it is what many would call a roguelite, which also has that same character leveling aspect.

In Starsss, each enemy that you defeat goes towards filling up your green experience bar (located at the top left).




And when you have leveled up before clearing the stage (getting the 8 stars), the growth scene will be shown right after you get to the door.






At the growth scene, you will be able to choose from a total of 3 randomly decided growths for your character. You can use your directional keys (left/right) or even your mouse to hover over different growths to see their description though. Pressing X/Z/Enter or doing a mouse click will make it final though.




And once you have done that, the game will apply the growth to your character and you will be able to test its effects on the next stage! As an example of what growths does to your character, here’s a before and after comparison to illustrate that.

Before learning Natural Rabbit



After learning Natural Rabbit




Noticed that you can jump higher than before after learning Natural Rabbit? The same goes for Runner’s Feet.

Before learning Runner's Feet



After learning Runner's Feet




Lastly, there is Thick Skin which adds 1 to your health (HP) so you can last longer in game.




There are only 3 growths at the moment but more interesting ones are on their way! Of course If you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to also share them below in the comments below or on Twitter.

And as always, the TwitchTV live game development stream session has been recorded and is

. Enjoy!
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« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2014, 03:55:41 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #9
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Ever since I have started crafting it, I have always set out to create a balanced and fun game in Starsss. That has not changed one bit but there comes a moment when you have to make the game end.

So when is that moment for Starsss? Notice that you can see your health (HP) on the top left corner of the game?




Now if it reaches 0, the game will end automatically and you will be shown the game over scene.




If in the case of a game over, you will be able to see how many stars you have collected thus far. You will also be able to see the accumulated number of enemies that you have defeated thus far.

Every time you knock into an enemy or get attacked by an enemy's projectile, your health will decrease. And to prevent that from happening, you will have to be alert and be ready to jump away to safety at any moment.




Did you also notice that enemies' projectiles were mentioned? That's because I am currently in the process of adding new enemies to Starsss! Here's one of the new enemies that you will encounter in the brick stage.




The brick head is a rather chill enemy. It moves randomly and will sometimes stop just to chill and relax. However, if it manages to spot you, it will launch a brick at you (no joke).




So if you do not want your health to decrease, be sure to avoid it.




Now what fun would there be if only enemies get something new? I have also added a new weapon for you - the fireball!




The fireball does more damage than wave but has a longer recharge period. So you will have to carefully time and aim your shots to avoid being vulnerable.

So what do you think of the new enemy and weapon? You can also check out how the game over scene is added to Starsss on Youtube below!



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« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2014, 04:13:00 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #10
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In Starsss, you will be chasing after stars while fighting against various types of enemies. However, how far you'll get through the game depends on the weapons that you use to defeat the enemies.

So on top of the existing two weapons - Wave, a basic attack that can be used without any charging delay




And Fireball, a slightly stronger (but slower) attack that has a slight charging delay,




I have now added a new weapon called Heavy Wave!




As the name implies, Heavy Wave is a stronger version of Wave. While it does more damage than Wave, it has a longer charging delay and it only covers a short distance. It also differs from Wave in that it is more suited against enemies that can't attack you from far.

Now while you will get a different weapon every time you collect a star, that doesn't happen all the time. So if there are a few fast-moving and low health enemies heading your way, and you have Heavy Wave which can only be used after its charging delay, let's just say that things won't look too good.

So instead of having that situation, now you'll be able to have 2 weapons, a primary and secondary weapon at once! Now don't be too happy as there is a catch though.




Yes It comes in the form of a growth called Dual Offense! That means that you will have to get to at least level 2 in order to learn it. I assure you that it is definitely worth it though.




From learning Dual Offense, you will be able to use different weapons for different types of situations using your C (which stands for change) key. Pressing the C key will allow you to switch between your primary and secondary weapons anytime you want.

The C key is also right next to your X (used for attacking) and Z (used for jumping) key. Pretty convenient right?




And as usual, check out the entire live stream session now uploaded on

!

Enjoy!
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« Reply #12 on: September 23, 2014, 04:02:58 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #11
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So if you have been following the past few updates for Starsss, you might have noticed that the game's HUD consists of an experience bar and a heart to indicate your health (HP). Here's what has been changed.




While displaying your current HP on the heart isn't really anything bad, it doesn't show you your max HP. Therefore, to show you both your current and max HP, instead of the heart, now you will be able to see a full HP bar on the right of the experience bar.




With a quick glance, you can now judge if your HP is down or in danger of a game over.

Besides the new HP bar, you can now also see which weapon you are currently using - your primary or secondary.




Notice the white brackets around one of the weapons? This tells you right away that that weapon is currently selected. The weapon on the left shows you your primary weapon while the right icon shows your secondary weapon.

Remember the C (for change) key? Press it on your keyboard to switch between your primary and secondary weapons.




Besides the brackets which tell you which weapon is currently selected, the weapon's remaining amount of shots will also be displayed next to it. While you can see it in the screenshot above, it has not been implemented yet.

This essentially means that each weapon will have a limited amount of shots that you can fire. Think of them as guns where you need ammo to continue using them. So while that has not been implemented yet, it will definitely be next on the to-do list.

And as usual,

. Enjoy!
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« Reply #13 on: September 23, 2014, 05:16:58 PM »

Looks like Super Crate Box meets rogue-lite games.

Cool! That main character needs some more life to it, though.
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« Reply #14 on: September 23, 2014, 06:53:55 PM »



Starsss
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« Reply #15 on: September 26, 2014, 04:09:25 PM »

Looks like Super Crate Box meets rogue-lite games.

Cool! That main character needs some more life to it, though.

yes it definitely needs more juice! :D
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« Reply #16 on: September 26, 2014, 04:10:29 PM »



Starsss

wow that's   Cheesy
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« Reply #17 on: September 26, 2014, 06:46:17 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #12
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While there won't be a full blown inventory made for Starsss, it is still necessary that you can store attacks for weapons that you don't own yet. Especially so since now you can have both primary and secondary weapons from learning Dual Offense.


Therefore, instead of a traditional inventory that you can find in RPGs, you will get a vault in Starsss. The vault is where weapons (from stars) and weapon orbs, which are now dropped from defeated enemies, when collected, are stored as weapon attacks in your vault.




You will be able to see what types of attacks you have collected and the amount of attacks left for each type. And if you want to go back to seeing your primary and secondary weapons, you can simply press V again, use your X (to attack) or C (to change to/from primary/secondary weapon) key.

By the way, did I also mention that enemies now drop weapon orbs?




With every attack you make, your remaining available number of attacks will decrease and that is when you will need to replenish your vault via collecting stars or weapon orbs.

Now what happens when you collect a weapon orb for which you do not have the weapon yet? If you have gotten a fireball orb with only wave and heavy wave as your primary and secondary weapons, the fireball orb will be stored in your vault instead.

And when you replace your currently selected weapon with fireball (through another star), the amount of fireballs stored in your vault will be added to the new weapon (fireball)!




And as usual,

. Enjoy!
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« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2014, 06:03:18 PM »

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #13
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In Starsss, you can empower and level up your character through defeating enemies. When that happens, you will be able to learn character growths to improve on various traits! And now there are 2 new growths that have been added to the list that you can choose from!

So before getting to the 2 new additions, here are some of the existing character growths that you can learn.

Natural Rabbit - Improves jumping ability so now you can reach even higher heights!








Runner's Feet - Increases moving/running speed








Lucky Palm - Increases loot drop chance (includes weapon orbs and stars)






Besides the 3 character growths above, there are a few others but let's get to today's highlight - Accidental Reflexes and Drink Up!




As the name implies, Accidental Reflexes gives you a small chance to evade an enemy's attack. While the chance of that happening isn't 99.99%, it could mean the difference between surviving an attack or game over.

Before learning Accidental Reflexes



After learning Accidental Reflexes



On the other hand, Drink Up is all about you taking the initiative to attack. From learning Drink Up, you will get a small chance to regain 1 health (HP) upon each successful attack on any enemy.




While this doesn't make you a vampire, it will work extremely well with attacks that have a high rate of firing (e.g wave).

With these 2 new character growths, things become more interesting as the way you play your character might differ depending on which you choose.



Cheers!
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« Reply #19 on: September 30, 2014, 09:28:18 PM »

For me, this game does not have anything going for it.
A game should have:

1. Originality
Taking super crate box and mixing it with nuclear thrones leveling up and weapon systems is not very original. Also, if your going to use so many things from vlambeer, you might as well watch their talk on "game feel", which by the GIFs, it doesn't look like it has any.

2. Fun/a new twist
If you use already existing concepts and designs, you need to make them better than the original. From the GIFs and info, you do not seem to be achieving this.

I apologize if this sounds rude, I only mean to be critical.
You seem like a very good programmer, and an aspiring pixel-artist, you could make something really good out of this, I just think in it's current state it's not very good.
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