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[flex$]

Some new stuff. : )

Meet Golgatha, the undertaker.



His first ability plops down a headstone with an AOE. If an enemy is killed in the AOE, a zombie is created. Zombies attack nearby enemies! Golgatha is faster in the AOE of the headstones.



Golgatha's second ability is Altar. This skill creates an altar with an AOE similar to a headstone's AOE (minus the zombie creation aspect). If the altar is attacked, Golgatha loses health and a zombie is created.





After three sacrifices, a giant zombie is created!



The Altar can also be used to gain health. Slashing a zombie in the Altar's AOE gives Golgatha health.

His third skill, Tomb, creates a tomb with the speed-boosting AOE. The Tomb serves as an exit point for Holes, which are created after the Tomb is placed.





Entering a Hole immediately teleports you to the Tomb.

His final skill is a passive which grants faster attack speed and a chance to critically hit.

A new enemy, the Skeletal Archer... More enemies are on the way.



And a new rune, the speed rune. Grab it to go fast!

[flex$]

As promised, Golgatha gameplay video. More soon! (With better quality. Still figuring Camtasia out.)



... And gameplay footage of a new hero, Boar Lord!

[flex$]

I added a hero selection screen.



The arena has also been redesigned. No more ugly black border.

And oh yeah, you guys can play now.

Download current build here. (.EXE, 2.3 MBs, riddled with viruses)

Controls:

WASD: move
LEFT MOUSE BUTTON: primary attack
RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON: cast selected ability
1234: select ability
Q/E: cycle selected ability
P: pause

Left click an ability icon or press the corresponding key to select it. Right click to use your selected ability or right click the ability icon to instantly cast it (even if it isn't your active ability).

Tell me what you think. Which heroes are the most fun? Which heroes are lame? Which heroes are overpowered? Underpowered?

[Kurt]

Code:

ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event
for object objlevelhp:

Error in code at line 1:
   if objplayer.pts<=0
               ^
at position 14: Unknown variable pts

Happened after I died as boar lord.

[flex$]

Code:

ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event
for object objlevelhp:

Error in code at line 1:
   if objplayer.pts<=0
               ^
at position 14: Unknown variable pts

Happened after I died as boar lord.

Thank you for reporting this bug. Fixed and new version uploaded.

[flex$]

Quick update.

- Added new enemy, the Nightstalker (melee enemy, invisible outside of light)
- Chamber maxspeed changed to 3 (down from 3.5)
- Changed the way Chamber's roll scales (5/5.5/6/6.5)
- Added random hero to selection menu
- Grove Ranger's attack cooldown changed to 10 (up from 5)
- Grove Ranger's Fire Pit now grants him extra attack speed

[flex$]

New hero, Buckwheat! (Kind of a long video, in the future these hero videos will be edited and more concise.) You can download him now from the first post. And an addition to the controls: you can now use the mouse wheel to cycle through abilities.



Behind Buckwheat's design process, for those interested:

Recently I've been adding heroes that use some object with an AOE effect (First Korak, then Golgatha, Grove Ranger's new Fire Pit). I liked the idea, and saw more possibilities with it. The first thing that came to my head was using the AOE in a healing aspect for a melee hero. Not a heal over time type deal. Something different. So the only other thing besides abilities and runes that heal was the food that Barbarians and Skeleton Archers with packs occasionally drop. So of course a farm pops into my head, and the concept for Buckwheat was born.

First skill that I conceived was Killing Fields. Next up I wanted to add an escape/Princess' Rage type ability, and Moonshine was conceived. To balance it, instead of a drop in health, I thought the staggered movement was perfect.

His nuke, which turned out working much better than I expected for him, was something I saw in a League of Legends cinematic. I don't play League, I'm more of a Dota guy, but I remember seeing this scarecrow hero who shot out a green blast. Both that hero and Buckwheat had a scythe, so I got the inspiration for the look and feel of the ability from that video. When I finished adding the ability I ended up loving what it added to Buckwheat, who I gave low friction to make him appear more 'stumbly'.

The decision to give Buckwheat comparatively low health for a melee hero came from the whole 'glass cannon' idea. I wanted to apply glass cannon for a melee hero, but couldn't think of how to do it. Once Killing Fields and Moonshine were added, it became clear to me that the way to do it was just like you do it for a ranged hero--make him light on his feet with a low attack speed and it really was that simple. Sometimes overthinking things hurts.

So now I've got this slippery quick, fast-slashing drunken farmer running through fields that generate food to heal him. What does he need next? I wanted to keep the hero feeling interesting and fresh, while continuing to work with his already frantic gameplay. So what could do that? Something with a little micro-management and decision making. Something that could help his end-game.

So the Chicken was born. What's the next best thing to food drops? Rune drops. We have come full circle. I wanted something that could fit in with the whole 'farm' aspect, obviously, but it couldn't be a plant or anything. I wanted the Chicken to stay in the area of the player's already created farm, so they wouldn't be too hard to manage. But I also wanted them to be fragile, and quick enough to force a decision by the player: do I need to eat this food, or should I let the Chicken have it?

At the end of Buckwheat's design and implementation process, I realized that most of the ability/synchronization ideas come from the themes of the heroes I create. Go figure.

[flex$]

Today I'm announcing a few upcoming changes.

The game is now called hack&/, officially. And, instead of releasing smaller updates, I'm going to slow down the pace and instead release larger ones less frequently. The next update, version 2.1, is going to have a ton of new stuff for 'yall.

Here is the menu I've been working on for the next update...



As you can see there is a new 'Wardrobe' menu item. The Wardrobe is going to be the spot where you can spend your kills that you have racked up on cosmetics for your favorite heroes. There is also a 'Leaderboards' item, and yup, online leaderboards are coming.

You can click on items in the top news bar to learn more...



I'm going on vacation for the month of July, and won't be working on hack&/ until the following month. So sometime in the middle/near the end of June you can expect version 2.1 to drop. Thanks.

[Netsu]

Chamber looks pretty awkward aiming behind his back like that, wouldn't it look better if he aimed to his sides?

[flex$]

Hi everyone--let me blow the dust caked on this thread off...

There we go. First let me apologize to anyone who was keeping an eye on this game for failing to deliver on what I said earlier about version 2.1 being dropped sometime near the end of June. That obviously didn't happen. I was in the middle of helping my parents move to a new place and the day to leave for vacation snuck up on me so fast. I didn't have regular internet access during that time. However, that's no excuse. I promised something and did not deliver on that promise. That's on me.

Now, if you're still with me, I've arrived from my extended vacation. Work has resumed on hack&/ in full, throbbing force. And to make up for my dropping off the face of the Earth, update 2.1 is going to be even more stuffed with additions and features out the wahzoo. Let's take a look at a few...

There will be a total of three new heroes coming in this update.

Meet Siku--a powerful eskimo ranged hero with a diverse skillset.



Siku's first skill is a passive which progressively slows down enemies hit with his primary attack.

The second skill our little Inuit warrior has available is Ice Spike. This skill sends out a straight line of sharp ice that will damage and stun any enemies in the way.



His third ability is Ice Path. Siku shoots ice from his palm, creating a slippery field out of thin air. Siku moves faster while on ice, and any enemies trying to move across will be slowed.



The final ability in Siku's icy arsenal is Snowman. This skill plops down a tiny snowman with an AOE. Tossing snowballs at snowmen will increase their AOE. Any enemy who enters the AOE of a snowman is frozen solid as the snowman explodes.




The second hero is Baqir, an extremely mobile melee hero with a focus on high damage output.



The first skill Baqir has is the passive ability Fury, which increases his primary attack speed and allows his primary attacks to block incoming projectiles.

Baqir's second ability, Sand Screen, creates a cloud of sand and dust that cloaks Baqir while he is underneath.



Blade Whirl, the third skill in Baqir's arsenal, is an AOE nuke. This is especially useful in a situation where Baqir is surrounded. Combined with Mirage, Baqir can hop into a group of enemies and tear it up.




His final skill, Mirage, is a standard blink ability. This skill lets Baqir both avoid danger and get right into the fray.




The final hero to be added to version 2.1 is still incomplete. (But not for long!) Meet Gearhead. Ignore the incomplete skill icons.

Gearhead's first skill is his most important one--Mechs-o-skeleton. This skill creates a mech suit that Gearhead can pilot. The mech suit will tank damage for Gearhead, but can be destroyed. Gearhead can exit the mech suit at any time.



His second ability is the passive Tune-Up, which allows Gearhead to repair his mech suit by whacking it with his wrench. This skill also gives Gearhead's primary attack a chance to stun.




Gearhead's third ability is up in the air for now. I've been tossing a few ideas around, one of them being an oil ability that Gearhead can splash on his mech (while outside of it) to temporarily increase its move and attack speed. He could also spread it on the ground to slow enemies, or increase the amount of damage they take. I've also considered a mech-related ability, such as an AOE stomp that would stun nearby enemies. However, I feel an ability that would work while either in or out of the mech suit would be best.

Gearhead's final ability is Plan B. This skill ejects Gearhead from the driver's seat of his mech suit. The mech suit promptly self-destructs, dealing damage in an AOE to nearby enemies.






There are a bunch of new enemies too!

Mini-barbarians, fast, swarming, and highly annoying. They're weak, but don't underestimate them--if you get stunned with a pack of angry mini-barbarians surrounding you, it's curtains. Suicide barbarians. These guys wield a stick of dynamite. You know the rest. Witches! These night-time ranged enemies are durable and toss out a projectile that will damage and stun you for a long period of time. Lightstalkers are the final new enemy addition. These little guys won't seek you out to harm you--all they want is to gulp down the surrounding lanterns.

There has been a myriad of bug fixes and UI improvements and control tweaks. For example, the space bar now serves as a 'swap to previous ability' key. This makes swapping between skills much faster than before. Combinations like Korak's Grapple Vine into Stomp and Baqir's Mirage into Blade Whirl become all the more fluid. There are also tooltips for skills and runes.



I really want to get this out to you all as fast as my fingers can manage. With that being said, I'm planning on releasing 2.1 without sound design (although the search for a designer continues...) and without the full options/leaderboard capabilities. The Wardrobe, while functional, will also be an incomplete product. Mainly, I want to give you guys the improved gameplay experience with the new heroes. As soon as Gearhead is complete, I'll update you all with a download link.

Thanks.

[Pemanent]

I really like the diversity of the abilities. Each character has an impressively different play style. 

[flex$]

Okay, 2.1 is ready. Click here to download.

Controls:
WASD: move
LEFT MOUSE BUTTON: primary attack
RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON: cast selected ability
1234: select ability
Q/E or MOUSE WHEEL: cycle selected ability
SPACE BAR: cycle to previously selected ability
ESC: pause

If you've played the previous version of hack&/ (1.9), a lot has changed since then. You can view the complete changelog here, which lists most of the major changes, fixes, and additions.

To go over a few things:

The menus:
I've implemented a menu system for the game. There still are a few tweaks to be made, but expect more featurettes scrolling by on the top nav bar with every update!

Tooltips:
Tooltips have been added. Hover over a skill or chicken or pig or zombie or whathaveyou and pop goes a tooltip. They're a little wonky as of now, but I'll continue to work to smooth them out.

The Wardrobe:
This is a large feature of the game that is currently incomplete, but functional. On death, you'll have a chance to receive a random cosmetic item. The longer you survived, the more chance there is of an item dropping. The item then goes into the closet where you can simply click it to equip it. Your items are saved automatically after exiting the game. Only 12 cosmetics are shipping in 2.1, but I have many more planned.

What to expect in the next version (2.2):
New enemies! More cosmetic items! An improved Wardrobe and hero-specific shops! New heroes! Leaderboards!

I'm very interested in feedback--who is your favorite hero and why? What is your build on that hero? Which heros do you think feel weak? Which ones feel strong?

Thanks.

A few screenshots...






hack&/ is also on indiedb!

[flex$]

Two new enemies were added today for the night--Shifters and Shadow Archers.

Shifters are quick melee enemies that are invisible in the darkness and teleport around. Shadow Archers are your standard, run-of-the-mill ranged baddie who are invisible in the darkness and always shoot mini-stun arrows. They're both pretty tough!

After a suggestion, the menu button's readability was improved today, and I feel this change makes them easier to both read and click.





I also improved tooltip functionality. They're much less wonky now. And they no longer go off the screen!

[flex$]

Lots of changes and additions today!

I've increased the game window to 800x600, up from 640x480. I've also increased the resolution a bit. This gives a ton more screen space and makes things easier to see.

Before:


After:


I improved the collision system as well today. It still isn't 100% perfect, but you get stuck on trees much less and 'slide' off solids much easier than before.

I added a red outline to abilities that target certain things (like trees and bodies). For example, this works for Grove Ranger's Consume Tree ability: (as well as Wire Trap)



And Princess's Consume Body ability: (as well as Bloat, which is especially helpful)



I also added in a wave progression system. Now, the player only squares off against melee Barbarians and Slimes the first day/night. Then, in the morning, a new (and random) enemy type is thrown at the player for both day and night. Then another, and another, and so on... This gives a much better feeling of progression and can help you know when you're getting close to potentially landing an item!

And--I'm excited to announce that I just finished signing the contract and Bryan Ploof (www.bryanploof.com) will be the sound designer for hack&/.

[jlauener]

Wow that's quite impressive what you have done here. A lot of polish went into that. I especially liked the firefly during the night, nice touch. I played it a bit and it was fun, spent most of my time playing Chamber. But on a few occasions the spawning of enemies was a bit strange. I had one game were no enemies came until late in the night. Another game first day many enemies came and I died. Don't know if this is on purpose.

Another thing that puzzled me was the fact that we cannot walk in the roads on the border of the map, I guess those are used for spawning enemies only. To me being blocked by invisible obstacles is always a strange feeling.

Other than that it was very cool

[flex$]

Quick update.

Lots of work being put into version 2.2. Tons of quality-of-life stuff and a ton of technical annoyances have been fixed. Online high scores have been added!

The Wardrobe has been getting a lot of attention this patch, too.



And a host of new items have been added as well!




Bryan Ploof has also been hard at work creating sound effects for the game--hopefully I can add a few in for the next patch!

[flex$]

Hey everyone. It's time to take a look at the design process for a new hero arriving in 2.2--Goreflea.

Goreflea is one of the most unique heroes in the game. As an idea, this ugly little bugger has been running around in my head for the past few months or so. Designing his skillset was a fun challenge, and making them work in the game even more so. I'm pretty please with the end result.

Initially the idea for Goreflea started out as a sort of poltergeist/demon thing that would have the ability to control enemy bodies. I liked the idea of being able to turn the enemy's own against them, and I worked for a while to design a skillset around the whole 'supernatural' theme, but it ended up feeling stale. I set the hero idea down for a while and continued work on the three new heroes introduced in 2.1--Siku, Baqir, and Gearhead.

For the coming update, I really wanted to bring the hero idea back, so I came up with something new to wrap it around--a bug.

Goreflea's first ability is his hallmark--Leap. This skill sends Goreflea flying forward while invisible for the duration. If he connects with an enemy along the way, he burrows inside their body and takes control. While inside of a host, Goreflea takes no damage (instead, the host does).





And Goreflea can cast Leap from inside of a host! (This instantly kills the previous host.)





While controlling an enemy, Goreflea uses their attacks!



Next, I wanted some way to bring enemies into the fray. Korak's Vine Grapple is one of my favorite skills, and I loved the way it works together with his other abilities to provide the mobility needed to make Korak the good time he is. I wanted something similar for Goreflea. Goreflea's third ability is called Proboscis. This skill sends out a sticky tongue that pulls any enemy it comes in contact with to Goreflea. Goreflea can cast this skill while inside of a host too!







Tempo is what makes Goreflea tick. This is a passive ability that stacks as Goreflea lands consecutive abilities. (Note the neat little stack notifications in the screenshots, these have been added to a number of hero abilities.) As Tempo stacks, Goreflea's abilities all have their countdowns decreased. This is partly what gives Goreflea such a high skill ceiling and such high potential for massive damage output. Goreflea's gameplay is all about landing your abilities and gaining momentum as you tear through hordes of enemies.

Goreflea's second ability took some thinking to come up with. At this point in the design process I already had his third and fourth abilities in place (which is why I'm hitting this ability last). The hero was still missing something--Goreflea had a way to utilize enemy bodies and pull them in closer, and Tempo allowed it all to happen faster and faster, but more damage output was a necessity for the extremely fragile hero. Enter Parasite.

Parasite sends out a facebug at a low range. If the facebug attaches to an enemy, the enemy is sent into a frenzy and then explodes.









Life is tough for Goreflea on the outside--his extremely low health (3) and relatively low movement speed means he is a vulnerable target while outside of a host. However, once you start hopping from enemy to enemy with a few stacks of Tempo... Things start to explode pretty quickly. One thing I'm always trying to achieve in the hero designs is a fun and fresh experience, but most importantly, I'm looking for depth and a skill ceiling. Goreflea is the best of both worlds--a challenging, rewarding gameplay experience that always leaves room for improvement, and a bloody (quite literally) good time.

Look for Goreflea in the upcoming 2.2 patch!

[flex$]

Version 2.2 is here! Download it! (2.5MBs .zipped) You can find the full changelog here (or by pressing the link in-game), but here are a few of the highlights:

Goreflea has been added to the hero pool! Try him out!



Also, the death screen has been totally revamped and is now totally awesome.



It's easy to submit your scores to the new online leaderboards too! Just press that little 'Submit Score' button, it's that easy. See how you stack up against the world! This is a feature I'm really excited about, as it'll help me tremendously with balance issues. As of now, the website blows. There isn't even an index or downloads page, and the layout is weak. But! In time this feature will be much improved and fleshed out.

The drop system has been refined and the Wardrobe has been improved too! A bunch of new items have been added. Here's a full list: Throne (Gearhead), Screwdriver (Gearhead), Hair Roll (Rikishi), Hand Cannon (Chamber), Cutehawk (Chamber), Scar Blade (Baqir), Slicer (Baqir), Softball (Strikes), Scepter (Princess), Gore Gogs (Goreflea), Wings (Goreflea), Sludge (Mire). More will be coming in the next patch!



A buttload of bugs have been fixed, and lastly but not leastly, finally some sound! Our recently acquired sound designer Brian Ploof has been hard at work with a pair of headphones on creating the sound for hack&/. I'm extremely pleased with the work he's done thus far and can't wait to continue to flesh out the audio environment of the game.

So, what can you expect in the future from hack&/?

My main objective with this game is to keep giving players incentive to open up hack&/ and play one more game. I started with the Wardrobe, which is a constant work in progress. Of course, this is purely a cosmetic and optional feature, but one that I feel adds value (players of any MMO, Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, or any other of the games out there that use some sort of cosmetic feature will understand) Now with the leaderboards, I'm hoping there are more and more reasons to play beyond that first game. I'm constantly working on features like these to add both replayability and interest to the game.

Adding a robust tutorial is another huge item on my list, and one that you'll hopefully be seeing in the very near future. I realize it's ridiculous to have players rely on figuring it out themselves or reading a post to see what the controls are. That issue will be remedied soon.

An options menu is coming as well. This is one of the final (and most boring to do) things on my list, which is exactly why it's been so delayed.

As a side-note, after a long summer I'm starting up university again and so I will have less time to work on hack&/. This is a pretty huge update, so I hope it'll hold anyone out there who is following the game over until I can find the time to pump out 2.3! Thanks for playing.