Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length

 
Advanced search

1411283 Posts in 69325 Topics- by 58380 Members - Latest Member: bob1029

March 29, 2024, 05:09:03 AM

Need hosting? Check out Digital Ocean
(more details in this thread)
TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsSector Six - Looter shoot 'em up
Pages: 1 ... 7 8 [9] 10 11 12
Print
Author Topic: Sector Six - Looter shoot 'em up  (Read 25770 times)
Zireael
Level 4
****


View Profile
« Reply #160 on: July 31, 2017, 12:24:42 AM »

Quote
Guardian of a Thousand Worlds

Talk about an EPIC capstone ability!
Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #161 on: August 07, 2017, 12:23:02 PM »

Quote
Talk about an EPIC capstone ability!

Thanks! I guess. I couldn't decipher "capstone" =P
I know a lot of English words, but not that much.
Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #162 on: August 07, 2017, 12:23:20 PM »

Echo #79: Waiting for update

Titan class will be released soon.
It was meant to be released a few days ago, but there is a problem with the server I am using, so the new class won't be released for another few days.
Sorry!

Anyway, it's a good time to write about the upcoming updates.

8th month of the year has just started and that means I have less than 4 months to finish Sector Six in 2017.
It probably won't happen, but I'll try to make it true.

Which means that I'll need to move some more stuff to post-release.

My old plan was to make titan class, complete combat, make region boss 2, add additional region missions and enemies, make region boss 3, make remaining 9 story missions and release the game.

Now I have decided to put optional stuff away and focus on getting to story missions.

Extra region missions and bosses would be nice, but they are quite time-consuming and I don't hear feedback about wanting more of that.
And I do know that there's a lot of people waiting for story missions.

So yeah, region content has been officially dumped to post-release!

There's new obstacle through - map rework!
The Sector Six map/level/area system will be completely reworked.

Currently, enemies scale with player level and that makes levelling up useless and I really need to fix that.

So, what's going to happen?

Currently, there are 25 regions that scale to player level.
After rework, there will be a region for every player level.

For example, Deep Path will be a level 1 region.
Everything - items, enemies, cities - in Deep Path region will be level 1.

Negati will be level 2 region, Labyrinth will be level 3 region and so on!

It's a big change and it will be very good for the game - it will create a strong feeling of progression and a lot of content just because of how regions are going to work.

I'll write more about it once I'll start working on it, which will happen after I'll complete combat.

And it won't take long to complete combat.

It will be a relatively small update - I'll add remaining abilities for carrier and apocalypse classes, fix last small issues with combat and give each ability a passive effect.

For example, Shards Of Chaos ability will increase all damage by 2% per level of ability - even if Shards Of Chaos is not equipped.
That means it all unequipped abilities will turn into passive abilities, which is big because every ability point will matter now!

That's all good, but...

But Sector Six remains unpopular.
This is what I'm going to do about it:

1) Sector Six is going to get bigger discounts on sales.
2) Sector Six is finally going to be translated into different languages.
3) Sector Six is going to be included in bundles.

To sum it up, my new development plan is to release titan class, prepare the game for translation, rework map, finish the story and release the game.

So, that's all for this post!

Until next time.
Logged
Zireael
Level 4
****


View Profile
« Reply #163 on: August 08, 2017, 12:04:04 AM »

Quote
Talk about an EPIC capstone ability!

Thanks! I guess. I couldn't decipher "capstone" =P
I know a lot of English words, but not that much.

A capstone was a stone on top of a wall or some other construction. Metaphorically, it's the finishing part of something. The last/best ability you get, etc.
Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #164 on: August 08, 2017, 10:20:43 PM »

Quote
A capstone was a stone on top of a wall or some other construction. Metaphorically, it's the finishing part of something. The last/best ability you get, etc.

Cool, a synonym to ultimate.
Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #165 on: August 12, 2017, 10:22:27 AM »

Massive update! Titan class is now available!

The wait is over!
Titan class is now available!

Class power distribution

Offense: 1
Defense: 3
Complexity: 2



Class description

Titan class spaceships are resilient destroyers of the Machine minions.
They aren't very good damage dealers, but their defensive abilities allow them to outlast even the deadliest of the Machine minions.
Titan class offensive abilities deal damage based on pylons.
It's quite complex class, with unique ability effects and disadvantages.
Some of the class abilities are compatible with other class spaceships.

Class abilities

Other changes

  • Rebalanced Lethal Weapons and Aberrant Armour difficulty modifiers.
  • Manifestations of Destruction modifier now can be increased to level 2.
  • Manifestations of Destruction level 2 makes minions always spawn in groups of 3.
  • Difficulty modifier levels are now saved between different missions and play sessions.
  • Fixed message glitch.
  • Added Almadi diodes.
  • Almadi diodes increase the grade of parts.
  • Now difficulty level increases a chance to get Almadi diode drop from minions.
  • Amplifiers, cathodes, anodes and diodes now have consistent levels and sell/buy costs.
  • Sustained Barrage ability now requires at least 5 ether to activate.
  • Shards Of Chaos ability projectiles now destroy enemy armour pieces.
  • Carrier class mines no longer bounce off shields.
  • Reworked Piercing Lasers ability.
  • Armoured colony seeker will no longer hit player spaceship when appearing.
  • Added Channel ability for carrier class.
  • Added new part sprites.

Your feedback is crucial

Some of the new abilities probably need to be improved, but to make improvements, I need feedback!
So if something doesn't feel right, please tell me and I will take care of it.

Have fun!





Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #166 on: August 21, 2017, 12:51:31 AM »

Echo #80: Back to big questions

This week I was preparing the game for translation.
Large part of it is done, but there's still a lot to go.

What I am doing is putting chunks of text out of the game into one external file.
While doing that, I did a few improvements to the game.

All regions will have shops now, so every region will be worthy of securing.
The highlight is two new amplifier shops in Archmist and Pulsar Vector if I remember right.

I have also improved ability tooltips and corrected few errors in ability descriptions.

Finally, the reflect chance will now be capped at 80%, reduced from 90%.

Anyway, it's been a while since I have asked big questions.
I've got some feedback since, so I feel ready to reveal my decisions.

1) Should I decrease maximum part limit from 80 to 70?

I have decided to decrease it just before game leaves Early Access.

2) Should I nerf The Decision difficulty modifier? If yes, how much?

Players didn't seem to like very long missions, so I have left just 1 level of The Decision that doubles mission length.

3) Should I delete all saves and reset leaderboards when the game will leave Early Access?

Saves from Early Access will not work in post-Early Access game version, but everyone will have access to a game version where the old saves will still work.
I think that's a good compromise between erasing hours of playing and having to support saves from all game versions.

Not having to worry about old saves is a big relief to me.

4) Should I release all story missions in one update, or should I release a mission, whenever I'm done with it?

I will try to release a story mission every 1-2 weeks - it seems that it's what my players want.

5) How is the part sets?

I have decided to reduce the number of parts required to activate part set to 6.

There's still time to give your answer to big questions, so if you have any thoughts, let me know!

Until next time!

PS.: Here's a screenshot of Sector Six ability interface translated to * language:




Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #167 on: August 27, 2017, 03:26:48 AM »

Sector Six is now live on Twitch

Check out the new Sector Six class live: https://www.twitch.tv/zuurix0
Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #168 on: August 28, 2017, 11:33:36 AM »

Echo #81: Final combat update

Preparation for translations should be finished within this week.
To keep myself enthusiastic about what's to come while I bore myself by moving pieces of text from point A to point B, I want to write about the final combat update.

Here are things I have to do with combat before I can release the game:

  • Add last four abilities, 2 for Apocalypse class and 2 for Carrier class.
  • Solve ability point problem.
  • Fix enemy group approaching exploits.
  • Make armoured colony seeker more interesting.
  • Improve certain Titan class abilities.

I'm planning to do all that with final combat update, which I will work on after I'm done with text moving.

So, here's the last four abilities:

Reaction
Carrier class ability
Cooldown 25
Ether cost 10
- Adds 10 alloy to alloy container

Cataclysm
Apocalypse class ability
Cooldown 40
Ether cost 40
- For 10 seconds minions will take 100% more damage

Rapid Fire Mode
Apocalypse class ability
Cooldown 30
Ether cost 10
- Reduces Missile Strike cooldown for 10 seconds

Awakening Of Inner Power
Carrier class ability
Ether cost 200
- Unleashes power stored within nodes
- Jams ALL minions for 5 seconds
- Removes 40% of armour from ALL minions
- Damage is based on amount of nodes equipped
- Can only be used once per mission


Awakening Of Inner Power is ultimate carrier class ability.
I'm really proud of this one.

Unlike other abilities, it can only be used once, but it has an effect that lasts for the entire mission.
As the description says, it removes some of the armour from all enemies.
It means all enemies you will encounter during the mission will have less armour.

Each node equipped removes 1% of enemy armour
That means Awakening Of Inner Power almost useless at level 1, but it keeps getting better as weapon limit increases.

High-level ship with 40 nodes equipped will remove 40% from all enemies!
Let's not forget that weapon limit can be ignored!

Ignoring weapon limit penalty, it will be possible to remove 80% of enemy armour with 80 nodes equipped!
Weapon limit penalty increases all ability cooldowns by 400%.

Which of damage dealing abilities has the lowest cooldown and so is barely affected by the penalty?
That's right, Concentrated Fire!

And what we get is 80 Nodes Titan Carrier Awakening build!

Anyway, let's move on to other stuff from final combat update.

What's ability point problem?
It's a very old problem that I've talked about in previous echoes if I remember right.

Basically, ability points become almost useless at level 22.
At level 22 you can max out 9 abilities and because you can't equip more than that, you will never really need more points.

How to solve it? Give every ability a passive effect, that works even if the ability is unequipped.
If every ability is worth spending ability points on, ability points will lose value at about level 82.

Ability point problem is a part of level up problem, that I am currently attacking from all angles.

Aside from fixes and improvements, final combat update should add new minion modifications:

  • 'Has a core' modification. Enemies with this modification will have armour core.
  • 'Mine launcher' modification. It's similar to 'Sniper' modification, but releases mines instead of accurate missiles.
  • 'Evolves' modification.

Now this one is worth writing about!

Minion with 'Evolves' modification will turn into a bigger minion after some time.

E.g.: Probe will turn into the tank after 5 seconds.
You can kill probe right away or wait 5 seconds and kill tank for more XP.

But it gets more interesting because evolved minions continue evolving!

A tank will evolve to heavy, heavy to a veteran, veteran to a dreadnought, dreadnought to apparition and apparition to final form!

Final form will be a monstrous minion - even more powerful than an apparition.
It will make you think twice before enabling The Assault Of The Modified modifier.
Then again, it will always drop an extant part!

This is inspired by Borderlands 2 goliaths, that level up when enraged.
Goliaths were the best part of that game for me and I really wanted to have something like that in Sector Six.

So, that's all news for now.
Until next time!
Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #169 on: September 11, 2017, 12:08:09 PM »

Echo #82: Combat and item changes

It's been two weeks since the last echo.
I skipped one because there was no news - I just finished preparing the game for translation and that alone is not enough for the echo.

But now I have a lot of news!

First of, Carrier class is now complete!
I've added last two abilities - Ionize and Awakening Of Inner Power.

This is what Ionize does:



The passive effect is a thing, that solved the ability point problem!

All abilities except already passive abilities, now have a passive effect.

Apocalypse abilities give +2% damage per ability level.
Titan abilities give +2% armour per ability level.
Carrier abilities give +1% damage and +1% armour per ability level.

I have also changed Aggression, Resistance and Capacity passive abilities.

Aggression now gives +1% damage and +1% ether per level.
Resistance now gives +1% armour and +1% phase break damage per level.
Capacity now gives +1% damage and +1% armour per level.

The Capacity effect is identical to Carrier class passive effect, so I might change it later.

Another change to passive abilities is that parts no longer increase Aggression, Resistance and Capacity levels.

Instead, parts may come with "+5% ether" and "+5% armour".
It should be a lot easier to understand than, for example, "+5 levels to Capacity ability".

To mitigate extra damage your spaceship gets from passive effects, parts now give less damage.
E.g.: Generic part will now have "+5% damage" instead of "+10% damage".

Anyway, with Carrier class complete, I only need to make one more ability for Apocalypse class to finish it.
I have already added Rapid Fire Mode, so now it's time for Cataclysm.

And new modifications.
And exploit fixing.
And other stuff!

Should be fun, the update might be ready by the weekend!

Until next time.







Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #170 on: September 13, 2017, 01:38:52 PM »

Save 50% on Sector Six on Steam!

Biggest discount so far is now live!
« Last Edit: September 13, 2017, 01:44:23 PM by Zuurix » Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #171 on: September 18, 2017, 12:57:42 PM »

Echo #83: Cataclysm, evolution and exploits

Last week I have implemented the last Apocalypse class ability, added new modifications and finally fixed enemy exploits.

Since the very beginning, Sector Six combat was riddled with exploits.

It was possible to regenerate armour outside combat, which encouraged idling.
I removed that.

It was possible to get in and out of the enemy range to avoid getting hit.
I have added missiles to prevent staying out of enemy range.

It was possible to damage enemies by standing at the edge of their range.
Few more adjustments and that became impossible.

It was possible to separate enemies from their groups and never fight more than one enemy at once.
Not anymore!
Enemies now warn each other and will attack you, even if they are outside the screen.
Enemy projectiles no longer disappear outside the screen, so there's no escape!

That should be the last of exploits!
One step closer to perfecting the combat.

Another step is the 36th ability - Cataclysm.
With Cataclysm added, all classes have 12 abilities now!
And that is all abilities I have planned for Early Access.

The ability itself is very basic: It increases damage minions take by 100% for 10 seconds.
Still, it's an effect that no other abilities have, so it will probably find its place.

Anyway, last week I have also implemented 3 new enemy modifications!

'Teleports' - Minions with this modification will teleport to a different place every second.
'Has an armour expansion' - This modification adds 1 extra armour bar!
'Mine launcher' - And this one turns enemies into demolishers!

I have also added evolving minions.
The system is still rough around the edges, needs few more hours to be finished.

So, that's all the news, the next update should be very soon.
Until then!






Logged
flex$
Level 2
**



View Profile
« Reply #172 on: September 18, 2017, 01:33:47 PM »

hey Zuurix, caught the sale and finally picked the game up. i'm excited to play and see all of your progress! i'll hit you up on 64D and let you know what i think.
Logged

Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #173 on: September 18, 2017, 02:29:04 PM »

Quote
hey Zuurix, caught the sale and finally picked the game up. i'm excited to play and see all of your progress! i'll hit you up on 64D and let you know what i think.

Awesome, I hope you will like it =]
« Last Edit: September 19, 2017, 01:19:55 AM by Zuurix » Logged
ionside
Level 1
*


what was I doing, again?


View Profile WWW
« Reply #174 on: September 18, 2017, 03:16:03 PM »

Love the UI design. Simple but gritty.
Logged

Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #175 on: September 19, 2017, 01:19:38 AM »

Quote
Love the UI design. Simple but gritty.

=]

(Oh sweet, I'm level 2!)
Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #176 on: September 26, 2017, 02:11:03 AM »

Final combat update! New content and important changes

Sector Six combat is now complete!

This update adds new enemy, abilities and modifications, removes all of the combat exploits, improves armoured colony seeker, finishes modular difficulty system and more!

New abilities

Passive ability effects

Every non-passive ability has received a passive effect.
Apocalypse class abilities increase damage by 2% per level.
Titan class abilities increase armour by 2% per level.
Carrier class abilities increase armour and damage by 1% per level.

New enemy modifications

  • Has an armour extension
  • Mine launcher
  • Evolves

Apex of evolution

Minion with Evolves modification turns into a stronger minion after a few seconds.
The timer is reset whenever minion takes damage.
After minion evolves, it doesn't stop evolving until it evolves into apex.
Apex is a new minion that is even more powerful than dreadnoughts and apparitions.
Those who can defeat apex will be rewarded with an extant part.

Armoured colony seeker improvements

Armoured colony seeker is now faster, more intelligent and much more dangerous!
Same applies to scions, sentinels and gatherers.
Rewards have also been improved to match increased difficulty.

Modular difficulty system changes

Changes applied to modular difficulty system with the previous update has been reverted and new modifier has been added: Hivind's Army.
Hivind's Army functions the same as level 2 Manifestations Of Destruction in version 0.8.4
This is the final version of modular difficulty system, there are no more changes planned for it.

Other changes

  • Entropic Arc ability has been replaced with Entropic Fracture.
  • Reflect chance is now capped at 80%.
  • Fixed several mistakes in ability descriptions.
  • Temporarily removed avatar customization panel from settings.
  • Corrected wrong ability interface tooltips.
  • All regions have cities now.
  • Improved writing.
  • Improved story mission V.
  • Fixed Titan class tutorial skipping bug.
  • Reverted Death From Above, now it works like it used to work before 0.8.4 update.
  • Increased range of Shatter, Swarm Control and EMP Grenade.
  • Reworked Aggression, Resistance, and Capacity passive abilities.
  • Parts now give less damage boost, to make other damage boosts more important.
  • Parts no longer increase levels of Aggression, Resistance, and Capacity.
  • Instead, parts increase ether and armour by a percentage.
  • Minion armour cores have been renamed to armour extensions.
  • Fixed apparition graphical glitches.
  • Beacon can now be modified.
  • Improved Concentrated Fire.
  • Part sets now require only 6 components to be completed.
  • Added new shield sounds.
  • Added new buying and selling sounds.
  • Fixed glitch that occurred when the ship was destroyed during region resurrection.

Have fun!







Logged
Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #177 on: September 30, 2017, 06:22:55 AM »

@Zirael, @Fat Pug Studio, @io3 creations, I've made a breakthrough!

I present you damage-based graphical effects in various scenarios:

(Hit slashes appear when the player removes over 10% of enemy armour in less than - if my math is correct - 1/12th of a second.)





(There's also a new HUD and enemy damage states.)
Logged
Fat Pug Studio
Level 2
**


View Profile WWW
« Reply #178 on: October 01, 2017, 04:56:46 AM »

Looking awesome man! So, what's the next step?
« Last Edit: October 02, 2017, 05:02:35 AM by Fat Pug Studio » Logged

Zuurix
Guest
« Reply #179 on: October 02, 2017, 12:17:00 PM »

Looking awesome man! So, what's the next step?

What I'm going to do next is rework the map and fix the last problem with the design.

Regarding graphics and game feel - I want to improve backgrounds.
Maybe make them constantly moving and make enemies warp in as you approach them.
Maybe keep backgrounds as it is and make camera slightly slower than the player for smoother transitions between moving and stopping.
Maybe add another blurred/not blurred layer (not blurred would require to un-blur current deeper layers).
Maybe instead of 30 current low detail backgrounds make 5 very high detail backgrounds and just recolour them.

I'll try all of that because I know that current backgrounds aren't as good as they could and should be.

I should also do something with shields and maybe something with missile trails.
But I have no idea what.

Might work on last graphical improvements after all planned content is added.
With new impacts, I'm confident that core gameplay feels good enough to add remaining content.
Logged
Pages: 1 ... 7 8 [9] 10 11 12
Print
Jump to:  

Theme orange-lt created by panic