UPDATE: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.073 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)

Just a real quick one, it's not a lot, I've been very busy with my day job and some of the bugs I've tried to resolve took way more effort than I thought, for such minor online mp fixes.

• You likely won't even really notice a major difference, but there should now be better network replication for items and item usage. The Curse item should now actually show a particle effect for clients, and a placeholder sound.
  
• Fixed up camera movement when cursing a player, it should no longer flip behind them and behave strangely.
  
• I've tried to fix up teleportation a bit further as well, when attempting to teleport to a location that another player has just teleported to.
  
• Put in place further measures to prevent Swoopy Boi from hitting players who have reached their destination, but also are not the current player. This caused some visual glitches for clients.

OTHER NOTES:
I am continuing to work on bug fixes, the list is getting smaller and smaller, which feels great, but there's still a lot more work to do before I do a public release build and finally remove that annoying warning on the game page that says it hasn't been updated in 20 months.

I have also worked out some major plans for the next board game map, which has been briefly shown before, called Deadly Dunes.

I was stuck with how to deal with a major feature in the map, a metal pyramid where players can enter.
I didn't really know what to do with it, but now I do....but this won't be revealed until a later date.
Rest assured though, it will make the map even more interesting than I plan it to be.

For now though, I just have to keep on squishing these online bugs in the board game mode, and polish off some of the gameplay features for the board game customisation, for example, adding more Dice Types (D6, D10, D12 etc) and ensuring that all of the settings are actually working.

Until next time!

ROCK ON!

UPDATE: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.072 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)

I hope you are all having an amazing day! And hopefully this little experimental build update helps make it better.

• (FIX) When attempting to gift an item or steal an item and there were no valid player targets to be able to give to or steal from, the exchange Denial message would appear, and players other than the host could not press A to skip this. This is now fixed.
  
• (FIX) When teleporting to a destination that another player is already on, there was an issue where players would bounce off the other player's head, sometimes resulting in falling off the map, this would break the game. This is now fixed.
  
• (IMPROVEMENT) The board game user interface now replicates for clients, so clients can see what the host is selecting. The clients do not see buttons on the board game UI either, and cannot interact with this UI.
  
• (IMPROVEMENT) Custom mode icon no longer shows a big green A Button, a custom mode icon has been created. Later on, players will be able to create their own custom mode icons, button colour etc.
  
• (FIX) Fixed an issue where multiple board game UI's were being created, resulting in strange behaviour for the host player, for example, no mode buttons would appear and they seemingly could not interact with the UI in online play.
  
• (FIX) Can now navigate back from the Board Game Custom Mode settings back to the Board Game Mode Select menu.

These things were really annoying me and I felt were reducing the overall quality of online play for the board game mode, so it was important to fix these things up and improve them.
There are still plenty of bugs in the online board game mode, but it's getting better with each little update, which is making me more and more excited!
The next focus for me now is to minimize board game bugs, issues with items etc now and smooth out the jank!
Thankfully in April, I had a few more days off from my day job than normal, which means I will hopefully get more done. I'd love to be able to get this board game overhaul update released in the public build by the end of April...at least that's the dream, but with a full time job and very minimal time to work on Metal Heads, we shall see...I can't make any promises.

Also, if you hear fart noises, or other sounds like a "ONE", "TWO", or "THREE", it's just debug sounds that I used to help figure out where faults were occurring. I believe I got rid of most of them, but who knows, there may be a mysterious fart sound that awaits you all!

Thank you for your patience. You are awesome!

I hope you all have a rockin week!
ROCK ON!

UPDATE: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.071 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)


This is a small experimental build update that:

• The exchange device used for THEFT and GIFT items now works properly both online and offline.
  This took a while to get working due to a few reasons, but mostly because I'm a bit of a durp sometimes!
  There may be still some bugs and possibly crashes with the exchange device, but it SHOULD be working fine now.
  NOTE: I have only tested this on 2 PC's (Server and Client, so there may be some bugs related to other clients not receiving information as well.
  
• Detector now works on clients. There are some performance issues with the detector which may slow down performance, I am looking into why this occurs currently, as it can cause some pretty bad server lag due to poor general (non-network) performance on the host PC.
  
• Fixed issues with player inventory not updating correctly on the client, and some more inventory bug fixes. This was a bit of a nightmare to fix, but it's working to a playable state now and should no longer cause confusion, players also should not have invisible inventories now.
  NOTE: I have witnessed on occassion the inventory selection to become offset (it highlights the item off to the right, rather than the item at the top of the wheel), I'm going to investigate this as I have footage of this occurring which should help me hunt down the issue.

Each update brings Metal Heads closer to the game it deserves to be. I know there aren't too many of you following these updates, but just know that every little thumbs up you give, brings a smile to my face and genuinely lifts my spirits.

You are all awesome!

I hope you all have a rockin week!
ROCK ON!

UPDATE: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.069 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)

This is a small experimental build update that:

• The Board Game mode is unlocked for online play, however it is still incredibly buggy, most online features are not implemented yet, and some crashes may occur. If you play the board game mode in the experimental build online, do not report bugs as I am still working hard to transition all the new customization features to online play.
  
• Fixes some minor bugs within the server browser and server hosting.
  To do this, hold CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+0 (zero) key, but please don't report bugs for the board game at this stage.
  
• Fixed Pause Menu navigation. Previously, players could not navigate properly using a controller. This was due to a circular dependency that I had set up, which nullified the navigation from one button to another, and nearly always seemed random.
  
• Made some improvements to BLASTED online play, the smoke and bouncy bombs should now show correctly for clients, although I have witnessed that sometimes they don't....I will get to the bottom of this...
  
• Fixed incorrect bonus points being awarded when a player is affected by your trap/hazard.
  The UI needs to better reflect why players are receiving the bonus points to avoid confusion, but at least it's appearing correctly now, even online :D

I'm really glad that I was able to get the board game mode functioning online fairly quickly with this update, even if there are still many broken elements (especially with the GIFT and THEFT items.
The item wheel also doesn't show for the clients, so this will be my next focus to fix up.

I hope you all have an awesome weekend!
ROCK ON!

UPDATE: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.068 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)


This is a small experimental build update that:

• Adds online functionality back to the game, this is only for mini-games at this stage until I convert the board game completely over to function online. If you wish to try out the board game online right now, know that it is very buggy. To do this, hold CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+0 (zero) key, but please don't report bugs for the board game at this stage.
  
• New multiplayer/online menu for server creation and server browsing.
  This is way more intuitive than previously and controller friendly.
  There's still a few minor bugs to iron out, but for the most part, it functions properly.
  One big benefit of the server browser is that it shows the current game mode, whether it be the lobby, mini-game, boss fight or board game mode, but it also shows the current map, along with some other server information.
  
• Blasted mini-game has a better camera, it no longer moves up and down, and is closer to the action by a fraction (see what I did there....yeah...ok it was lame).
  
• Fixed up inability to hold B to go back at options menu in the main menu.

One step closer to board game online functionality with the new features folks! WOOHOO!

I hope you all have an awesome week!
ROCK ON!

EDIT:
I had to do a very quick hotfix for the server mode filter, if "-" was selected, it wouldn't show any servers.

UPDATE: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.066 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)
This is a small experimental build update that:

• Fixed not being able to hit B to go back in the options menu while in a mini-game or the board game mode.
  
• Number Bots (Numbots) now have some visual changes and will light up the colour of the player once hit. Let me know if you like this change, I understand it may not be for everyone.

That's right, whenever a player places down a hazard on the map, and another player interacts with that hazard, they will receive a point at the end of the turn.
This means that even if a sticky surface hazard is placed and a player walks through it, the player who placed that sticky surface will receive a point.
This is only a rough implementation, so visually it needs improvement and perhaps the tutorial needs to reflect this too, however this is a very important change to the gameplay mechanics.
Right now, players who's hazards are interacted with, will get a point, regardless of the player reaching their destination or not, but if the player dies or doesn't reach their destination, players who's hazards are interacted with, will receive double points (right now, that's just 2 points until I add customisation settings).

In the future, this will be expanded upon, and customisation settings will obviously be added.

I hope you all have an awesome week!
ROCK ON!

UPDATE: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.065 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)
This is a small experimental build update that:

• adds the ability for players to vote READY before doing the turn order mini-game.
  
• the host player (or player 1 when playing locally), will have the ability to force start the game too).
  
• added a tutorial to the Wheel turn order mini-game which hopefully helps new players understand it better.
  I understand it's still a bit confusing for some people and would really love some feedback from everyone who finds it confusing, or has any suggestions for improvement.
  I am considering darkening the wheel until players can choose a number too, this may help, but is not implemented yet.
  
• There is also now a button prompt that appears on the turn order wheel when players are allowed to press a button to pick their number.
  
• added an audible "GO!" scream when the turn order mini-game starts.
  
• There have been some other quality of life fixes, such as some barrels on the board game map have been moved to prevent players from getting stuck in the green slime indefinitely.

I hope you all have an awesome day!
ROCK ON!

HOTFIX: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.064 (EXPERIMENTAL BUILD)


The item wheel and tile modification wheels have now been fixed up again.
Now they shouldn't spin erratically after another player has modified a tile or gone into their inventory.

Please let me know if the issue persists where you will be about to rotate the inventory or the tile mod wheel one space to the right, but it does a fully 360 or the currently selected item or tile is not at the top of the wheel.

There is also now a purple particle effect that will fall onto any players that are cursed as part of a BAD LUCK or SURPRISE tile, but also when a player is cursed from the curse item itself, this is to make it more obvious that the player is being cursed.

I know there isn't really any documentation on the curse item either, but know that the more cursed your character is, the crazier and more unlucky they are. If random purple explosions start happening, or the player shrinks, or they don't teleport to a destinaion they wanted to teleport to using an item or teleport tile, then it's the curse doing it's thing.
Also, if you randomly explode and die after placing a trap/hazard while cursed, that's the curse doing it's thing.
Aaaand if protestors attack you rather than obstruct you, it's because you're cursed.

HOTFIX: Version: MYSTICAL BOG #1.063

• Restored Item wheel and tile wheel to how they were previously until I fix them prroperly

Sorry to keep you all waiting on the next update, but here it is.

This is still for the OFFLINE ONLY EXPERIMENTAL BUILD, so you'll need to switch to that build if you want to see these changes.

If you want to download the experimental build, you need to do the following:

1. Right Click Metal Heads in your Steam library.
2. Go to properties.
3. Go to "Betas".
4. Next to "Beta Participation", select "Experimental" from the drop down box.
5. Metal Heads will automatically update to this version.


For new players, and existing players who aren't too clear on the gameplay loop, there is now a more in depth tutorial available with videos and the ability to navigate back and forward, plus view the board's points of interest.
This took a bit of time to get working properly due to the ability for players to create their own custom gameplay modes; There's no point having a section of the tutorial about mini-games if the mode has mini-games turned off.
I initially tried to make the tutorial just play sequences on the board (so that I didn't take up hard drive space with videos, and so that I could better accomodate custom settings), but this turned out to be a pretty big task (at least until I can think of a better way to do it), so I opted for creating a bunch of tutorial videos.
The tutorial UI definitely needs work, like most of the game's UI, but it's a LOT better than it was before.
I tested it with my girlfriend, who isn't a gamer, who really did not understand the gameplay loop at all before, and she has given me the nod of approval, so I consider that a success!

In future, I intend to add a "guide" to the options menu, or an extended tutorial which can be viewed at the end of the basic tutorial, which will go in detail about everything in the board game mode, but for now, I think it's just important that new players get a basic understanding.

I still need to make improvements to the turn order mini-game, this is what confuses players (and my girlfriend) the most, so I intend to try and make this easier to understand, and allow the host/player 1 to replay the turn order mini-game if they so choose.


The SLIME FACTORY board has an additional path next to the conveyor belt. This creates more pathing opportunities and makes the board a bit more interesting.
In future, I intend to create even more paths, including an indoor area on the right side of the map.

I forgot to note all of the fixes, but there were a few.
Here they are in no particular order.

• Mini-Games no longer repeat themselves.
  
• Fixed another bug where after the first mini-game plays, no more mini-games would play.
  
• Fixed up CHECKPOINTS goals not displaying correctly. Checkpoints that are not the CURRENT checkpoint will now display in a transparent red colour.
  
• CHECKPOINTS now have a 3D number representing which checkpoint it is.
  
• It is worth noting that CHECKPOINTS still aren't functioning as intended, the idea is that players must reach all of the checkpoints before getting bonus points, otherwise they are not much different to Golden Gears at this stage.
  
• If a player is cursed, they can use the GIFT item to reduce the curse effect as an incentive to use the GIFT item. At this stage, this pretty much removes the curse effect. Later on I intend to balance this better, I also intend to allow players to customise the curse reduction for individual items.
  
• Fixed the LAPS mode. It wasn't really working before.
  
• Added particle effect to LAPS goal whenever the player would cross the start line. I will eventually add sound FX to this to make it far more obvious.
  
• Fixed issues with the MODIFY TILE radial menu where it would do a massive big spin in order to get to the next selection.
  
• Fixed a similar issue with the inventory menu, although there's some other issues that need to be fixed up now where the currently selected item is offset. Players will need to exit the inventory and go back into it for it to work properly again.
  
• Player can no longer spin the inventory menu if they only have 1 item.
  
• Added temporary fix to the THIEF item icon, for some reason it is not displaying correctly, it was appearing as a red angry face. This item icon still isn't working correctly, but at least the icon is better for now.

I will continue to hunt down bugs and polish up the experimental offline build.
I intend to improve quality of life and increase how intuitive certain aspects of the game are, including improvements to some visuals, such as placing items, spawning etc.

ONLINE MULTIPLAYER is a big focus, so once the functionality for the experimental build is working offline, I will continue to convert this to online functionality, so that I can finally update the current regular build of the game.

The main things... in order, are:
More board game maps!
More Mini-Games!
More Tile types
More Items!
More Metal Heads!
More everything!


There's a lot more bugs to find and squish, so your feedback is incredibly important and critical to finding any and all bugs, so help me hunt them down, and let's squish em' all!

If you like Metal Heads, please consider spreading the word, or if you really like it, feel free to leave a positive review, it helps a LOT for small indie games.

If you don't like Metal Heads, I apologize, I hope that you will message on the forum or the Discord channel as your input could severely help improve the experience for everyone else who may not like it for the same reasons.

Thank you to everyone who has purchased the game, and those who purchased it recently too!
The Steam Couch Co-op fest is almost over, so grab Metal Heads for 50% off while you still can, the next deep discount likely won't be for a while!