This week’s update features a whole heap of balance changes, as well as a full set of translations, meaning every piece of text in the game is now translated to all available languages! Most of the balance changes are based on user feedback, so let me know if you like them, or if you think I screwed something up really badly!

The next build will be releasing off-schedule, since I’ll be away from home on the 27th. I may release it earlier, may release it later. Haven’t decided yet, we’ll see how things go!

This update’s Fortnight Discussion is about items you’d like to see added to the game post-launch.

Localization

• Translations added for all text in the game
  
• Fixed a number of text sizing issues in non-English languages

Graphics

• Fix for visual special abilities (such as Water Cannon) on custom characters not appearing properly on multiplayer clients
  
• Fix for Leafblower particles not appearing the correct size
  
• Fix for Diminutive characters not always appearing as diminutive on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for issue where certain objects’ sprites can appear higher than they are supposed to if the player keeps playing for a long time, such as Vendor Cart

UI / Controls

• Loadout selection can be re-rolled at a cost of 5 nuggets
  
• Loadout selection is saved between games
  
• If the player chooses a loadout item, that item will be replaced in the loadout selection the next time he enters the Home Base
  
• Fix for “Connecting” screen taking a split second to appear when the player starts hosting a match
  
• Fix for slow motion not occurring as player uses Augmentation Booth
  
• Attribute upgrades at the end of levels typically appear at the top of the list instead of the middle
  
• Created alternate and more efficient solution for displaying lines on minimap
  
• Fix for starting player info buttons sometimes appearing on levels where they weren’t supposed to in local coop mode
  
• Fix for timer sometimes showing incorrect times between levels
  
• Fix for timer not disappearing when the player enters Home Base
  
• Fix for timer stopping when first player exits the level in a coop game. The timer now only stops when both players have exited the level
  
• Camera switch from full-screen to split-screen will always be immediate when a player teleports to another player

Playfield Objects

• It is now possible to traverse broken windows at the expense of health
  
• ATM can now hold up to 5 items
  
• Lockdown Walls are only triggered when law enforcement gets hostile toward the player, and not NPCs
  
• Lockdown Walls come down after a shorter amount of time
  
• Items in Loadout Machine are sold at a discount
  
• Goodie Dispenser base price is a bit lower
  
• Sell-O-Matic limit increases as you progress through the game
  
• Using the Augmentation Booth to swap “positive” traits costs significantly less than swapping negative ones
  
• An alarm sounds when Computer is destroyed
  
• Fix for Trap Doors spawning over conveyor belts and remaining permanently
  
• Fixed issue with ATM Machine button costs not always appearing correctly in Sandbox mode

Items

• Reduced value of Oil Container from $100 to $70
  
• Increased value of Rage Poison to $75
  
• Increased value of Quick-Escape Teleporter from $20 to $30
  
• Hacker now starts with Quick-Escape Teleporter
  
• Kill Profiter has a cap of $100 per floor
  
• Cologne’s effect on the player’s electability has been lessened
  
• Shurikens added to pool of potential in-game rewards
  
• Reduced the base cost of the Hiring Voucher
  
• Researching takes less time with the Scientist’s Research Gun
  
• Leafblower is capable of slowing down bullets
  
• Cube of Lampey now has limited uses, but Lamps will sometimes drop items and higher amounts of money
  
• Fud Processor and Ammo Processor now have limited uses
  
• Gas Mask offers general protection for your head in addition to protecting you from gas
  
• Placed a limit on how much armor can be lost on a single depletion event
  
• Cigarettes appear in trash cans less often

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• Trait upgrades have a chance to appear as choices at the end of every third level gained
  
• Special ability-related traits should appear more commonly at the end of every third level gained
  
• Traits at the end of levels will remain the same in different games if the same seed and character are used
  
• Bunch of other small adjustments to end-level Trait selections
  
• Reduced Character Creation cost of Moocher
  
• Reduced Character Creation and Unlock costs of Promise I’ll Return It
  
• Reduced Character Creation cost of Graceful
  
• Wall Walloper can only be used when holding a melee weapon
  
• Wall Walloper + re-added to the game
  
• Knocking down walls with melee weapons depletes the weapon’s durability by 40%, including with Wall Walloper
  
• Slippery Target + no longer causes enemies to have a 0% chance of aiming correctly at you
  
• Lock and Load no longer gives the player full ammo in their guns
  
• NPCs will not assume that players with “Scorching Savior” started a fire unless they actually see them do it
  
• Juggernaut causes the player to lose less health while charging, rather than making them completely invulnerable
  
• Tackler does not cause as much damage to enemies as before
  
• Bloody Mess appears only in character creation, and does not appear as an end-of-level reward
  
• Sleep Killer removed from the game, though it will still appear on custom characters who previously had it. I don’t think anyone will miss it much since Backstabber makes it pretty much irrelevant.
  
• Blocks Bullets removed from the game, though it will still appear on custom characters who previously had it. While I like the idea of it, it’s a bit too hard to get this working effectively and in a way that feels satisfying
  
• Moocher allows players to borrow money at a better interest rate
  
• Ideological Clash allows you to retaliate without facing repercussions from the Cops
  
• Class Solidarity makes people of your class Friendly toward you if they are initially Neutral
  
• Killer Thrower does 100 damage instead of 200
  
• Low-Cost Jobs is more effective
  
• Fix for weird stuff happening if Shapeshifter possessed a custom character clone in local coop or online multiplayer

Sound

• Fix for “jump” sound effect playing when players become a ghost
  
• Fix for menu sound effect not playing when starting or joining online games

Stats / Unlocks

• Firefighter unlock requirements can be satisfied by putting out fires in objects such as flaming barrels
  
• Player receives the same skill points for knocking out a rival as they do for killing a rival (150 for both)
  
• Player receives 75 skill points for knocking someone out instead of 100

Mutators

• SpeedRun Mode added - Places a timer on by default, loadout items cannot be brought into a speed run, Loadout Machines cannot be used, ATMs cannot be used to store or retrieve items
  
• Time Limit mutators now factor in the number of required missions

Level Generation

• Lots of changes to RNG to ensure that many more elements are generated the same when loading a saved game or using a seed. If you spot any elements of levels that are not being generated the same way, please let me know
  
• Fixed an instance where objects spit onto a conveyor belt did not reach the hole

Artificial Intelligence

• Killer Robot and Cop Bot explode when they die (how did I not think to add this earlier?)
  
• Followers are better at determining when it’s appropriate to fight on your behalf
  
• Fix for NPCs not helping friends who are being bitten by a Vampire
  
• Fix for cases where owners would chase a Thief out of a building and he would keep returning to that building
  
• Fix for NPCs not always going back to what they were previously doing after failing to Bite, Cannibalize or Pickpocket

Text

• Firefighter unlock description specifies that the fires must be extinguished with a Fire Extinguisher

Multiplayer

• Changes to how objects are destroyed on the client at the end of levels
  
• Fix for multiplayer clients who exited levels as ghosts appearing in the next level for the host before they had actually spawned
  
• Fix for potential networking issue if the player canceled out of creating or joining a game before the loading screen appeared
  
• The cost to revive other players is affected by the current level
  
• Fix for various errors when multiplayer client parries an NPC

• Fix for game sometimes not proceeding to the next floor after closing stats screen
  
• Fix for some of the Game Over screen text appearing too small and in the wrong position when using gamepad

This week’s update sees a number of new fixes for long-standing bugs, particularly on the multiplayer side. Pretty much everything I said last update still applies, I’m just grinding through bugs, balance and performance issues to get the game to a healthy 1.0 status. Remember to report any bad stuff you see in the in-game feedback form or on the Steam forums!

I’m going to leave last week’s Fortnight Discussion on game balance open for another fortnight, since there seems to be a lot of good insight there, and it also happens to be one of the areas that I’m currently working in.

Graphics

• Fix for weapon sprites appearing too large in online multiplayer games
  
• Fix for “None” lighting setting not working properly in coop modes
  
• Fix for NPCs sometimes appearing at the wrong angle directly after being tased or otherwise incapacitated
  
• Fix for player sometimes appearing at the wrong angle when initially entering Home Base
  
• Fix for issue where if the player was using an item to highlight other objects (such as the Laptop), then walked near one of those objects and walked away, the object would remain highlighted
  
• Fix for issue where if the player was using an item to highlight other objects (such as the Laptop), those objects would not always appear highlighted when moused over
  
• Fix for Wrestler appearing nude on missions screen
  
• Fix for NPCs’ hands appearing when outside vision range in Rogue Vision mode after they put away their gun
  
• Fix for Killer Plant head not always appearing at correct angle, and animating at incorrect speed
  
• Fix for dizzy stars sometimes appearing at the bottom-left corner of the map
  
• Fix for NPCs’ hands and guns sometimes being visible when they fell down holes on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for fireproof objects flashing on multiplayer client when shot with fire weapons by non-local players and NPCs
  
• Fix for Ghost Gibber stream sometimes not appearing on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for blood spurts not appearing when multiplayer client threw objects at people
  
• Fix for Killer Robot’s red light not going out when they die on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for lights appearing in incorrect vertical position for dead NPCs when entering the game as a multiplayer client
  
• Fix for wall wreckage sometimes appearing to be clustered in one spot on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for shirtless players in online multiplayer sometimes initially appearing to have a white chest
  
• Potential fix for larger hairstyles sometimes appearing incorrectly under other players’ hats in online multiplayer
  
• Fix for Dizzy Stars sometimes not appearing
  
• Fix for players’ hats not always appearing in online multiplayer
  
• Fix for multiplayer host and client hair colors sometimes differing
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter having the wrong hand graphic after possessing Thief, Doctor and Firefighter

UI / Controls

• Big Quest now appears at the top-right of the Missions screen
  
• Version text at the lower-left of the screen no longer includes the game’s title
  
• Fix for scrollbar sometimes appearing for a split second on the end-level stats screen
  
• Fix for controls in level 1-1 appearing for both players when two gamepads are being used
  
• Fix for cases where Chatlog would not disappear if the game window lost focus and then regained it
  
• Fix for cases where tooltip could remain after right-clicking to use an inventory item
  
• Fix for empty chests sometimes being shown on multiplayer client’s map
  
• Fix for word bubbles appearing over multiplayer players who had not spawned yet
  
• Interaction range is more lenient for multiplayer clients to account for NPCs who move quickly while the player is attempting to interact with them
  
• Fix for main menu not always displaying proper messaging or returning player to correct sub-menu
  
• Potential fix for players sometimes being able to regain control of their character during the ending sequence
  
• Fix for selection box for items appearing an incorrect color when viewing items in a chest

Playfield Objects

• Different art for holes that appear during War Zone
  
• Fix for multiplayer client sometimes not being able to open doors after closing them
  
• Fix for door text on multiplayer client not always correctly stating if the door was locked or made of steel

Items

• Silencer functions properly when gun is shot from multiplayer client

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• Fix for Lunge ability being able to pass through walls without breaking them
  
• Fix for Hacker always turning to the right when hacking
  
• Fix for NPCs in Home Base turning to face the player when they have the Loud trait
  
• Fix for Sneaky Fingers not working with laptop hacking
  
• Fix for G-P-Yesss not working immediately after joining a multiplayer game with a character who has this trait
  
• Fix for Werewolf and Gorilla not having correct Lunge animations when viewing other players in multiplayer mode
  
• Fix for NPCs cloned from multiplayer client not having correct attribute stats

Sound

• Ambient Casino audio removed due to popular demand
  
• Changes to a few sound effects
  
• Fix for sound effects not playing on main menu if the player quits the game with the gamepad while on character select
  
• Fix for “Fire hydrant break” sound effect playing multiple times on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Ghost Gibber sound not working on multiplayer client when used by a non-local player
  
• Fix for Wall Destroy sound effect not always playing on multiplayer client when walls were knocked down by people’s bodies
  
• Fix for Bear Trap, Banana Peel and Paralyzer sound effects not always playing on host and client
  
• Fix for Shuriken and Rock impact sound effect not playing on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Boombox playing two songs at once on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Jock’s Charge sound effects not always playing on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Equip Weapon sound effect playing at inappropriate times on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Laughter sound effect not playing on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for “burned by fire” sound effect not playing on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for “fall in hole” sound effect not playing on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for spawn sound effect not playing on host when clients return after falling in a hole
  
• Splash sound effect does not play when wreckage such as bush leaves are knocked into water

Big Quests

• Fix for Big Quest not always loading properly when a multiplayer client loads their saved game
  
• Big Quest slot will no longer say “coming soon” if quest data cannot be found

Mutators

• Fix for character stats not loading properly when loading a multiplayer saved game with “New Character Every Level”
  
• Fix for Continue removing client players’ traits upon continuing

Level Generation

• Added a number of checks to help ensure random generation doesn’t get screwed up while multiplayer client is loading a level
  
• Fix for a certain door being locked from the wrong side during police lockdown

Artificial Intelligence

• Fix for NPCs continuing to attack multiplayer clients who had turned Invisible
  
• Fix for Gorilla not talking in Home Base
  
• NPCs are better at knowing when to answer knocks on their doors
  
• NPCs are a bit more responsive under certain circumstances
  
• Fix for NPCs not hearing multiplayer client when they knock down walls as a Giant, or when knocked through them
  
• Fix for NPCs not responding to multiplayer clients with “annoyed” text
  
• Fix for NPC issues pathing around Scientist’s Big Quest crates
  
• Fix for Resistance Leader in Zoo not saying anything when spoken to

Text

• Fixed a typo in one of the Protips
  
• Changed a reference to “D-Pad” in the tutorial, because apparently that’s only supposed to be used in reference to Xbox gamepads
  
• Clerk in Fire Station has different dialog

Tutorial

Fix for player being able to get stuck in tutorial if they killed the Shopkeeper and picked up the Hacking Tool very quickly

Performance

• Fix for wreckage on online multiplayer clients not being handled properly, causing lag when lots of it existed
  
• Performance fix for shooting non-normal-sized bullets
  
• Performance fix for Ghost Gibber
  
• Very slight load time improvement

Multiplayer

• Followers that multiplayer client brings to the next level will not spawn until the player does
  
• Fix for players not facing south at the start of multiplayer games
  
• Fix for game freezing when leaving multiplayer games when not connected to Steam
  
• Fixed internal errors regarding removal of objects in client-side Home Base
  
• Fix for cases where players could appear to be walking on water
  
• NPC Dialogue that previously only appeared for the client now appears for the host and other players
  
• Fix for game sometimes not restarting after game over even if all players have selected their characters, typically after a client has loaded a saved character
  
• Fix for “x has left the game” messages not always appearing

With this week’s update, all of the in-game text for 1.0 has been finalized and sent off for localization (though I’ll probably end up making some changes here and there). I’ve also made a bunch of bug fixes, and did some work on the console ports.

For the next couple of months, you’re mostly going to be seeing “polish” updates, meaning lots of bug and balance fixes. There are literally 400+ of issues that are on my radar, with more being reported every day. I’d like for the game to be as stable and polished as I can feasibly get it for 1.0, and the coming months should finally give me the opportunity to do a bit of much-needed catch-up in this department.

That said, I have a bunch of new mutators ready to go that I was planning to dump out on the game’s 1.0 release. I may end up drip-feeding these in the coming updates so you folks have something new to gnaw on.

I’ll also be continuing to work on aspects of the console ports, mostly performance fixes and other random tasks, plus some marketing this-and-thats. The remaining work is being done by an external team. We haven’t entered certification yet, but we’re hoping to do so in the coming weeks. The official release date for 1.0 and the console releases is still “Winter”.

This week’s Fortnight Discussion: Game balance, since I haven't done a discussion on that since June. What are your biggest issues with the game balance right now? What abilities, items, etc. do you find overpowered or useless? What aspects of the game do you find just plain unfair?

Text

• Added interaction text for a number of characters that previously had none, and just more in general
  
• Signposts have been added to more levels
  
• Added some new protips
  
• Added clarification to Sneaky Fingers description
  
• Added text for when the Mayor is enslaved at the game’s ending
  
• Bunch of other random new text

Graphics

• Alterations to Medium lighting
  
• Screen goes to black correctly when exiting the game from the Daily Run game over screen, character select screen and other instances where it previously didn’t
  
• Fix for NPCs sometimes appearing to still have their hat on after it is stolen by the Thief
  
• Fix for Firefighter’s Water Cannon not appearing when they are lying on the ground
  
• Fix for Generators sometimes appearing larger than they were meant to
  
• Fix for certain NPCs appearing to be one-armed after becoming Zombies

UI / Controls

• Current seed is always shown on the Esc menu, even if the player did not enter one
  
• Credits list added to main menu
  
• Adjusted camera during gamepad aiming with thrown weapons so the player doesn’t get scrolled off-screen
  
• Fix for character selection boxes not animating
  
• Fix for Esc menu mutator display not always showing all information
  
• Fix for hacker’s targeting sometimes getting immediately canceled after the player pressed the left trigger button on the gamepad
  
• Fix for Jock sometimes not regaining control after charging
  
• Potential fix for instances where Trip animation can play repeatedly
  
• Potential fix for player falling into hole and not reappearing
  
• Fix for player running out of ammo in a rapid-fire weapon and immediately shooting the rapid-fire weapon that he switches to
  
• Non-violent projectile weapons will not switch to violent projectile weapons when ammo runs out
  
• Removed “Friends” filter from online game listings (wasn’t actually supposed to be there and doesn’t work)
  
• Fix for some instances where player was only offered two traits at the end of a level
  
• Fix for player aiming in the wrong direction when Confused, using the gamepad, and not holding the right-stick
  
• Fix for “Floor Complete” text not always showing in online multiplayer mode
  
• Fix for elevator prompt appearing twice when it wasn’t supposed to

Playfield Objects

• Fix for hitting Lasers with melee weapons not working properly
  
• Fix for Refrigerators sometimes not having collision
  
• If the player uses the Podium without wearing the Mayor’s Hat, it will be automatically equipped
  
• Fix for Door Detonator appearing above “use key” options when interacting with doors

Items

• Fix for Molotov Cocktail exploding after being hit into walls after being dropped on the ground (it’s only meant to explode when thrown)
  
• Player will not aim as well with rapid fire weapons if they try to repeatedly tap the mouse button (this was previously exploitable since the first shot is typically more accurate)

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• Acid is now called Sulfuric Acid
  
• Clumsiness Accepted is now called Clumsiness Forgiven
  
• Fix for player losing Camouflage when opening Do Not Enter doors
  
• Fix for NPCs being able to Resurrect after falling into holes
  
• Fix for multiplayer client’s Zombie Phlegm not taking effect if it did the killing blow on an enemy
  
• Fix for instances where player could not Camouflage despite having no one around them
  
• Fix for water not appearing on the ground when shooting the Water Cannon at certain walls
  
• Fix for player being able to knock down Lockdown Walls with Wall Walloper
  
• Fix for using Cigarettes at the last second of Feelin’ Alright and still going into Withdrawal
  
• No In-Fighting and similar traits will not prevent Firefighters from hitting Arsonists

Big Quests

• Fix for cases where Wrestler (and possibly others) Big Quest could state the floor is clear, but the elevator says otherwise

Disasters

• Players with Wanted, Fair Game or Ideological Clash will not get Bounty disaster

Level Generation

• Oil spills will not appear inside buildings

Artificial Intelligence

• Mayor may be found wandering around the level with guards
  
• Arsonist will only appear if they are currently visible on camera
  
• NPCs are better at avoiding Saw Blades
  
• Fix for the player’s followers sometimes getting scared of other followers due to Fair Game
  
• If a weapon is knocked out of an enemy’s hands, they won’t immediately try to pick it back up
  
• Fix for NPCs hiding in bushes not getting angry when being sprayed by water
  
• Fix for NPCs not falling down holes when they are incapacitated (Frozen, Dizzy, etc.) on a Conveyor Belt
  
• Better AI during Lockdown - Cops will become hostile toward NPCs with whom they are not aligned who are outside of their homes
  
• Mayor will not mutiny if enslaved
  
• Enslaved Upper-Crusters and the Mayor will not attempt to run away when facing danger

Performance

• Various performance improvements

• Fix for player’s left arm sometimes turning into the thrown item that they were previously holding
  
• Water Cannon/Chloroform Hankie/Sticky Glove are shown at the same time as thrown items
  
• Fix for some instances of NPCs ignoring people to whom they were meant to be hostile
  
• Player cannot “offer motivation” to Office Drone when they are Enslaved
  
• Fix for Syringe identifications not resetting at the end of a game
  
• Fix for Syringe colors not being the same when using the same seed
  
• Fix for tooltip remaining on the screen if the player had their mouse over a toolbar item and then pressed a hotkey to use that item
  
• Fix for objects not spilling out of an object being carried by the Wrestler when the Wrestler is a multiplayer client and is killed
  
• Fix for multiplayer client Wrestler not being able to pick up objects anymore after dying while holding an object
  
• Fix for movie screen not being destroyed when nearby walls are destroyed
  
• Water from Water Cannon and Fire Extinguisher cannot pass through doors and windows
  
• Added Kick and Ban buttons to the gamepad chat buttons list
  
• Fix for issues on multiplayer client with not being able to move after tripping over multiple banana peels in a short timespan

• Fix for password-protected games being joinable if the password was left blank
  
• Fix for people sometimes having incorrect arm sprites
  
• Fixed cases where people’s arms were not visible after death
  
• Fix for a down arrow sometimes appearing in the top-right inventory slot

• Fix for bug where a key would sometimes be pressed repeatedly every frame for seemingly no reason
  
• Naked NPCs appear properly on the Missions screen
  
• Fix for Hologram Bigfoot sometimes not appearing correctly
  
• Fix for credits list appearing the second time the player starts the game

• Added a bunch of new sound effects
  
• Fix for passwords in online multiplayer games not always working
  
• Potential fix for NPCs in multiplayer games spawning at the lower-left corner of the map
  
• Potential fix for Slime Puddle sometimes appearing as a pink square
  
• Fix for Research Gun sound effect continuing to play if the player was knocked into a pit or under certain other circumstances

I know I said in a previous update that I’d be holding off on adding the final 1.0 character until the game hit 1.0, but in the interest of getting feedback before the game officially launches… here ya go!

I’m still working very hard to get the game in shape for console certification, still squashing bugs and balance issues while trying to slip in a new feature or two here or there.

As of next update, all of the game’s text will be finalized for 1.0, and I’ll be send it off to get localized into a bunch of different languages. So, that’s the topic of this week’s Fortnight Discussion: What text in the game would you like to see changed?


New Features and Content

• Added playable Firefighter character, along with new abilities, traits, an achievement, etc.
  
• Added Seeds (finally) - Talk to the Scientist in Home Base
  
• Expanded the number of custom character slots on the character selection screen from 8 to 16

UI / Controls

• Fix for player accepting optional missions if they talk to a questgiver, close the screen, press the missions screen button, and then press Accept

Playfield Objects

• Player can knock on “Do Not Enter” doors and place detonators when they are outside-facing
  
• Fire does not spread to “middle” wall sections where it can’t be reached with a Fire Extinguisher or Water Cannon

Items

• Molotov Cocktail added to game
  
• Firefighters now carry Water Cannons instead of Fire Extinguishers
  
• Bartender starts the game with Cigarettes, in case drink “ingredients” are hard to come by in the first level
  
• Fix for Slum Dwellers not dropping money that they took off the ground
  
• NPCs who are being guarded by a group of people will always drop money
  
• Slum Dwellers will not pick up money off the ground that has been dropped when a player dies
  
• Reduced base Ammo Stealer price to $35

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• Fix for Zombie Phlegm not costing the player health

Sound

• Fix for fire sound effect sometimes stopping before the fire had finished
  
• Fix for Jock’s Charge sound effect sometimes continuing past the point where it was supposed to

Stats / Unlocks

• Fix for nuggets reverting to 50 upon exiting the game and starting again

Big Quests

• Slavemaster can use Taser on NPCs with whom they are aligned and need to capture for their Big Quest when they have No In-Fighting or similar traits
  
• NPCs who have been Zombified will no longer be considered for Cannibal’s Big Quest

Artificial Intelligence

• Added Arsonist AI behavior for people to randomly pull out a Molotov Cocktail and toss it at objects. At the moment, this only happens when a Firefighter is around
  
• Fix for NPCs not always following the player when they’re trying to mug them, warn them, or otherwise accost them
  
• Fire Extinguisher usage no longer causes people to run away as gunshots do
  
• Property owners forced to flee their property out of fear of violence will not return

Engine

• Unity engine updated to 2018.2.14f1

• Fix for mysterious “?????” with “E_Firefighter” appearing in Trait Unlocks menu
  
• Added Firefighter trait Scorching Savior to character creation
  
• Fix for Medium lighting not always being set properly at the beginning of games
  
• Fix for occasional freeze at 87% loading when level was supposed to load the Bounty disaster
  
• When interacting with Do Not Enter doors, Open button appears above Knock button
  
• Fix for certain Do Not Enter doors at the outside of buildings not giving the player the option to knock
  
• Fix for some fire related errors
  
• People who are Aligned, Loyal or Submissive to a Firefighter player will not become arsonists
  
• NPC firefighters will not run out of water

• Fix for Do Not Enter doors not working properly on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Cops becoming hostile toward attackers of Arsonists
  
• Fix for “can’t do” sound effect playing when picking up weapons with 0 ammo when unarmed
  
• Fix for Slaves becoming Arsonists
  
• Fix for Firefighter Super Special Ability not always giving the player infinite Water Cannon ammo
  
• Fix for Water Cannon recharging at the end of levels
  
• NPCs get angry more quickly if the player continually shoots them with the upgraded Water Cannon
  
• Water Cannon knockback is slightly higher during normal usage and slightly less high in its upgraded form
  
• Arsonists do not appear in Mayor Village
  
• Arsonists do not appear while the player is in the process of teleporting, or after they have finished a level
  
• Arsonists will not throw Molotovs at objects in which a fire can be started, such as barbecues

• Fix for Arsonists not appearing
  
• Fixed “Fire” mistranslation for non-English languages
  
• Fix for status text appearing far too many times when running out of Water Cannon ammo in multiplayer games
  
• Fix for Water Cannon ammo not appearing as 0 when it runs out
  
• Water from Water Cannon is no longer blocked by objects, so that it is easier to hit the wall fires behind objects if need be

• Physics related performance fixes
  
• Fix for Door Detonator not working on locked doors
  
• Fix for player being able to open locked doors during Lockdown disaster
  
• Fix for Fires sometimes appearing in random spots
  
• Fix for Flamethrower and Water Cannon not always hitting objects that they appeared to be hitting
  
• Potential fix for NPCs spawning at the lower left corner of the map
  
• Fix for people aligned/loyal to the player not becoming hostile toward the player's enemies all the time

Just like the title implies, the new build includes 100-ish bug and balance fixes. Not much more to say about this one!

No new Fortnight discussion this week, I’d rather people keep contributing to the current Fortnight Discussion, because there are a lot of good ideas in there. Please bear in mind that I probably won’t be implementing anything from these discussions into the 1.0 release unless it’s on the “very small” side, though I’ll still make note of anything I find interesting for post-release content.

And as a reminder:

Check out my environment artist Matthew Weekes's new Kickstarter here, featuring this snazzy exclusive Streets of Rogue card!


Notable Balance Changes

• Added a more powerful variation of the Goon, the Supergoon, who appears during Downtown and beyond
  
• Turrets in Downtown and beyond are replaced with “Mega Turret” which shoots at a higher rate and withstands more damage
  
• Continuously operating Crusher traps may appear in the Park levels
  
• Player receives more XP based on their current floor. Floor 2 has a multiplier of 1.075, floor 3 has a multiplier of 1.15, etc. This may need adjustment, we’ll see. The multiplier is higher when playing a Quick Game, the multiplier does have a cap on Endless games.
  
• Player receives fewer skill points for killing or knocking out innocents
  
• NPCs no longer drop money 100% of the time
  
• When selling weapons and armor, there was previously a “minimum price” that you could sell the item for, so if -- for example -- a Baseball Bat was at 1% durability and its base price was $20, you couldn’t sell it for less than $6 (30% of its original value). I’ve reduced that 30% to 10% to discourage min-maxing attempts.
  
• Items sell for a bit less money than before
  
• Projectile and melee weapons sell for less money than other items, again to discourage grinding for these and reduce the amount of money available
  
• Amount of money in the game world is adjusted based on the number of players
  
• Grilling Fud on barbecues has a 3-use limit
  
• Neutralize All missions are more likely to appear on higher levels

Graphics

• Fix for people who die and are resurrected while in the water on multiplayer client, appearing to walk on water
  
• Fix for shadows appearing under NPCs who return from Invisible state while in water
  Camera during credits list is more centered
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter appearing at normal size instead of Diminutive after Depossessing when Giant or Shrunk

UI / Controls

• Added new quick-chat menu for gamepad users. Hold Cancel during online games to use it.
  
• After switching from full- to split-screen mode, there is a delay before the camera can switch back to full-screen mode again, to avoid too-frequent switches
  
• Added messaging on multiplayer client stating that they are waiting for the host to generate their level
  
• Removed “Leaderboards - Coming Soon” text from Daily Run screen (it may still be coming, but not until after the game leaves Early Access)
  
• Removed “Seeds - Coming Soon” text from Home Base (same deal, look for it after Early Access ends)
  
• Fix for not being able to adjust Upper-Cruster and Supercop’s hairstyles
  
• Fix for minimap markers for players 2-4 in online multiplayer matches having incorrect colors
  
• Fix for Big Quest completion message remaining on the screen in the next level on multiplayer between-levels timeouts
  
• Fix for player being able to open the minimap while in the Home Base
  
• Fix for cursor graphic sometimes being incorrect on title screen after player is disconnected from online game
  
• Fix for incorrect Syringe sometimes being dropped when clicking and dragging to drop items
  
• Fix for player being able to press End Game on the main menu after the game is over
  
• Fix for keyboard player being able to use and close object context buttons after a second player had opened the Missions screen

Playfield Objects

• Fix for Lockdown Walls sometimes appearing partially risen at the start of new levels
  
• Getting party members by hacking the clone machine with a hired hacker works properly
  
• Fix for NPC hackers being able to successfully complete the hacking of an object after that object has been destroyed or made non-functional
  
• Fix for fires blocking the ending sequence from starting properly
  
• Fix for fires not being properly attached to burning giblets in factories on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for giblets being spit out of tubes before the level has started
  
• Fix for static fires being caused if the player shoots Mine Carts or Trains with the flamethrower
  
• Fix for issues taking damage from fire sometimes

Items

• Fix for banana peels being able to knock people out of chairs and beds, but they would still appear to be sitting
  
• Giving someone a cocktail increases electability
  
• Fix for Ghost Gibber not causing hidden enemies to come out of hiding
  
• Quest-related items are removed from the player’s inventory at the end of levels
  
• Items needed for missions cannot be given to NPCs (too many related bugs)
  
• Base price of Giantizer increased from $80 to $100
  
• Reduced price of Dizzy and EMP Grenades from $20 to $15

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• Teleport-Happy can no longer be used when the player is in immediate danger
  
• Confident in Crowds and Safe in Crowds cap at 3 followers
  
• Fix for Art of the Deal giving players better deals than indicated by the on-screen cost
  
• Wrestler in Home Base does not show “Resist Damage”
  
• Shapeshifter cannot possess other Shapeshifters
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter not leaving the body they are currently inhabiting when starting the ending sequence
  
• Fix for bug where multiplayer clients could become Werewolf permanently by turning into a Werewolf, quitting the game, and then returning
  
• Fix for bug where Shapeshifter multiplayer clients could quit the game and remain their most recently possessed NPC permanently
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter on multiplayer client not losing health when the host body dies
  
• Fix for Werewolf on multiplayer client not retaining traits after dying in Werewolf form
  
• Fix for No In-Fighting and Class Solidarity not functioning on NPCs that were killed for a mission and resurrected as Zombies
  
• Cannibalizing Zombies restores half as much health as cannibalizing non-Zombies. Not so tasty.
  
• Fix for G-P-Yesss not functioning on all objects for custom characters in the first level of the game
  
• If an NPC who has Resurrect is knocked out or arrested, they will lose Resurrect
  
• Crooked affects XP loss for stealing from innocents
  
• It is possible to Enslave NPCs who are Dizzy, Crazy-Dizzy, or Frozen

Combat

• Fix for the first melee attack from an NPC sometimes not colliding with other objects

Sound

• More sound effects added, updated some effects from last build

Election

• Ghosts no longer have a vote in elections
  
• NPCs spawned during War Zone do not have a vote in elections
  
• Electability does not increase from killing Zombies
  
• Players with Charismatic receive an electability score bonus from NPCs who were Friendly at the beginning of the floor, but it’s not an extremely large bonus, so you can still become un-electable by angering a bunch of people
  
• People being the same class as you does not increase your electability as much
  
• If a person exits a level via elevator, their opinion of you will still affect electability

Big Quests

• Fix for Wrestler being able to challenge other players to fights when they are in ghost form
  
• To avoid confusion, Generators at military outposts in the park must be destroyed for the Soldier’s quest
  
• Fix for Assassin big quest targets appearing on final level
  
• Slavemaster can escort Slaves to either the entrance or exit of the level, instead of just the entrance
  
• Cannibal won’t get “stuffed” when Cannibalizing people that are needed for the Big Quest
  
• Made Slavemaster text more obvious that you need to bring them to the entrance/exit
  
• Fix for Jock’s Big Quest progress not always appearing properly on Missions screen when multiple players are playing as the Jock
  
• Fix for Big Quest Completed message not appearing properly when using Supercop and Upper-Cruster
  
• It is possible to get Big Quest points for arrests, kills etc. on people with whom you are aligned

Disasters

• During Bounty disaster, if someone becomes hostile toward the player due to the bounty, he and his friends in the vicinity will become Guilty
  
• Lockdown Walls no longer go up during Zombies disaster, or when the Zombies mutator is active

Mutators

• Added No Custom Characters mutator, intended for non-password-protected online games
  
• New Character Every Level and Super Special Abilities now cancel each other out, as too many issues were being caused by this particular combination

Level Generation

• Shapeshifter NPCs appear more rarely

Artificial Intelligence

• Fix for NPCs not running away from player zombies after the first level
  
• Fix for Wrestler sometimes having two options to challenge the Mayor to a fight
  
• Fix for certain NPCs not running to see the player’s speech at the end of the game
  
• Fix for NPCs not tripping on Banana Peels properly when off-camera
  
• Fix for cases where NPCs could join the player’s party while annoyed or hostile toward them
  
• Fix for Cop Bots telling players with whom they are aligned to “Brace for death”
  
• Fix for occasional pathfinding issues with Crates spawned in for Scientist Big Quest
  
• During ending, English speakers in the crowd will be chosen to talk over non-English speakers, but if non-English speakers do have to talk, they’ll speak the proper dialog
  
• Fixed issue where the player could tell someone to leave town, and they would attempt to path through a locked door
  
• Fix for players being able to ask the Mayor for their hat before actually winning the election in online multiplayer mode
  
• Fix for questgivers becoming Friendly toward the player after they complete a quest, when they were already Loyal before this

Text

• Added ending text to account for the player arresting the Mayor

Multiplayer

• Fix for a networking issue that was causing problems sometimes when attempting to join games, typically indicated by a freeze at 37% loaded
  
• Added more descriptive messaging when client is disconnected immediately upon connecting to a host
  
• Fix for player not being able to start a multiplayer game at the Home Base properly after starting a normal game, returning to the main menu, and starting a Home Base game

Engine

• Unity engine updated to 2018.2.12f1

• Fix for everyone in Downtown and beyond being Supergoons
  
• Fix for many traits having incorrect names
  
• Fix for Enslavement not working

• If the player attempts to exit a level before satisfying Big Quest requirements and doing so would make it impossible to complete the Big Quest for that run, and the player has gotten past the first level, a second warning prompt will appear and text will appear red
  
• Player can no longer remove traits via augmentation booth that have a cost of -5 or less in character creation
  
• Traits that have a point value of less than -5 or greater than 10 cannot be swapped at the augmentation booth
  
• Doctor’s Super Special character has been altered - Instead of having infinite Tranqulizer darts, darts can be refilled for free at Loadout Machines and Ammo Dispensers
  
• Fix for Scientist Big Quest not always spawning the Crate properly, and not providing correct instructions to the player
  
• Fix for various alignment issues when starting with a new character
  
• Fix for Random Reverence affecting everyone in the building of NPCs who were affected
  
• Reduced Random Reverence chance
  
• Fix for scroll bar sometimes briefly appearing on stats screen when it shouldn’t
  
• Fix for incorrect name sometimes appearing when holding space bar after a new NPC had spawned
  
• Fix for Threaten percentages often being too high on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for doors sometimes acting as Steel doors when they don’t look like a Steel door
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter NPC not always having money on them
  
• Fix for Cannibals eating living people who have been arrested. Player can’t do this either.
  
• Fix for objects making noise after being powered off from Power Box
  
• Fix for Crates and Switches sometimes appearing on multiplayer client that do not appear for host
  
• Fix for Super Special Ability information not appearing on character select screen for Supercop and Upper-Cruster
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter electability rating not being accurate when possessing someone
  
• 3- and 4-player character selection screen now includes text indicating that a character’s Big Quest has been completed
  
• Changed description of Super Special Abilities a bit to make it less confusing
  
• The “Ask to Leave Town/Threaten” options will not appear before other options when possible to prevent the player from accidentally taking a big-and-maybe-unintended action

• Fix for multiplayer connection issue

• Fix for freeze during level load on multiplayer host, often in Industrial
  
• Various multiplayer connection fixes. More comin'

• Bunch of network connectivity fixes and fail-safes
  
• Fail-Safe for instances where people are taking too long to come out for the end-game speech
  
• Fail-safe for when a player who has become the Mayor leaves the game during online play
  
• Police Lockdown no longer appears in Uptown
  
• Player receives electability points from people who are aligned or loyal at the start of the level, just fewer than if the player did something specific to earn their trust
  
• Players cannot command followers to attack them
  
• Fix for dialogue box sometimes being in the wrong position in multiplayer mode
  
• Upper-Cruster starts with a bunch of money instead of a bottle of whiskey
  
• Bullet Breaker does not stop fire, water, or Leafblower projectiles
  
• Barbecue now has 5 uses for Hot Fud grilling
  
• Fix for gamepad button resulting in mouse/keyboard player’s traits being selected on trait selection screen
  
• Potential fix for instances where Find Bombs missions could get stuck in online multiplayer
  
• Fix for Find Bombs missions where multiplayer clients could see quest markers on chests that no longer contain bombs
  
• Reduced Teleport-Happy price since it has been nerfed
  
• Fix for NPC hackers not being able to hack properly
  
• Fire Extinguisher doesn’t cause NPCs to get angry unless you spray them repeatedly
  
• Oil spill fires will cause people to leave the building in which they took place
  
• Lighting oil spill fires will cause the owner of the building to get angry at you, even if it doesn’t damage anything
  
• Fire Hydrants appear in Slums
  
• Removed “Halloween Week” code from the game that caused the first disaster to always be Zombies for the week of Halloween, and unlocked Zombie automatically
  
• Fix for LAN games not working when the client is not connected to Steam
  
• Increased nugget limit to 99

• Fixed a couple issues introduced in 62f

Dang, if I had just added 1 extra trait, this version number would have been super-appropriate.

Anyways, yeah, this week’s build includes a whole crapload of new traits, and significant changes to traits are awarded at the end of levels.

On most level-ups, you’ll receive a choice of three traits, as you would in the past. Two of these traits are now catered toward your character choice (or in the case of custom characters, the game will try to determine this based on your current build). The third trait is a wild card. In general, higher levels will receive more powerful traits. However, you might get lucky and get something very powerful early in the game.

Every 3 levels (3, 6, 9 etc.), you’ll get a choice between upgrading a special ability (if you have one), upgrading an attribute (speed, endurance, etc.), and adding a relatively powerful trait.

In addition, an Augmentation Booth has been added to the game, which gives you three options:

• Upgrade Trait - Upgrade many of your existing traits to an “augmented” version. Cost is based on the cost in character creation.
  
• Remove Trait - Remove one of your negative traits. Cost is also based on character creation cost.
  
• Swap Trait - Swap one of your traits for a random trait that has an equivalent-ish value.

These new changes haven’t been super well tested and will definitely get some tweaking in the coming weeks, so be sure to report any issues you find.

This week’s Fortnight Discussion: Suggestions for things I can add before the game gets pre-1.0-content-locked.


Traits
Remember, many of these will need to be unlocked in the home base, so dig out those ancient nuggets! However, traits that require specific special abilities aren't currently available in character creation.

• Un-Crits - Damage inflicted on the player may not cause any health loss
  
• Prickly Skin - Melee damage inflicted on the player may also harm the attacker
  
• Knockback King - Cause people you hit to be knocked back further
  
• Block Breaker - When an enemy blocks your melee attack, it may count as a hit
  
• Block Bullets - Face the direction of incoming bullets to block them with your melee weapon
  
• Wall Walloper - Melee weapons can destroy certain walls
  
• Blaster Survivor - Explosions caused by the player, don't damage the player
  
• Blaster Master - Explosions destroy any wall or object
  
• Ammo Scavenger - Dropped weapons contain more ammunition
  
• Lock and Load - Weapons are reloaded at the start of new floors
  
• Burning Bullets - Bullets cause fire when hitting objects
  
• Penetrating Bullets - Bullets pass through objects and people after hitting them
  
• Bullet Breaker - Your bullets destroy other bullets
  
• Sneaky Fingers - People won't notice when your "(Doing something)..." bar is filling
  
• Teleport-Happy - Teleport anytime, regardless of location or danger
  
• Secret Vandalizer - Hitting objects and walls doesn't make any noise
  
• Intrusion Artist - Thieving tools may not break after usage
  
• Random Reverence - Random people are aligned with you
  
• Safe in Crowds - The more followers you have, the less damage you take
  
• Confident in Crowds - The more followers you have, the more damage you cause
  
• Homesickness Killer - Followers will always follow you to the next floor
  
• Share the Health - Health items you administer to yourself will affect your followers
  
• Cool with Cannibals - Cannibals will no longer attack on sight
  
• Friend of the Family - Mobsters are aligned with you
  
• On the House - Items purchased from vendors may be given to you for free
  
• Trust Funder - Receive money at the start of every floor
  
• Shop Drops - Upon being neutralized, vendors will drop one of the items that they normally sell
  
• Slinky - Camouflage doesn't end when bumping into people
  
• Vicious Chameleon - Camouflage doesn't end when attacking
  
• Sprinter - Charge faster
  
• Tackler - Charge has a more powerful impact
  
• Low Center of Gravity - Player doesn't fall down when charging into walls
  
• Juggernaut - Can't lose health while charging
  
• Fast Food - Bodies are Cannibalized faster
  
• Savorer - Receive more health from Cannibalizing
  
• Table Manners - Cannibalize doesn't bother nearby people, including law enforcement
  
• Eggshell Walker - Jokes never cause people to become Hostile
  
• Feature Act - Jokes have a higher chance of success
  
• Crooked - Less XP and Big Quest point loss for neutralizing/arresting innocents
  
• Impatient Lunge - Primal Lunge charges more quickly
  
• Speed Coder - Hacking takes no time
  
• Foolproof Hacks - Hacking never causes an alarm
  
• Cyber Nuke - Most hackable objects can be blown up
  
• Body-Swapper - Shorter cooldown after depossessing
  
• No Harm in Dying - No health loss when your host body dies
  
• Possessions are Peachy Keen - Possessing and Depossessing does not cause Hostility or Annoyance
  
• Benevolent Owner - Slaves don't become mutinous
  
• Destructive Deaths - Slave helmets cause a larger explosion
  
• Legal Enslavement - Enslaving random people is now legal for you
  
• Covert Crook - People don't notice when you pickpocket their friends
  
• Chipmunk Teeth - Bite more quickly
  
• Vein Tapper - Receive more health from Bite
  
• They're Just Kissing - Bite doesn't bother nearby people, including law enforcement
  
• Bottomless Stomach - Bite people even when your health is full
  
• Killing Time - Werewolf form lasts longer
  
• Restless Beast - Cooldown period after transforming back to human form is shorter
  
• Steady Head - No Dizzy period after transforming back to human form
  
• Swift Spitter - Phlegm attack charges faster
  
• Throat of Iron - Phlegm attack doesn't cause health loss
  
• Subduing Spree - No cooldown after using Chloroform
  
• Quick and Dead - All Zombies are faster
  
• Inhuman Strength - All Zombies are stronger

In addition to all of these, there are a number of augmented versions of existing traits, available through the new Augmentation Booth

New Objects

• Augmentation Booth

Sound

• A whole bunch of new sound effects added. There will probably be some changes to these and new additions in the coming weeks.

UI / Controls

• Fix for instances where player was unable to control their character at the beginning of levels

Playfield Objects

• Fix for Clone Machine hacking not always working properly
  
• Fix for security cameras detecting people in nearby buildings
  
• Fix for cases in multiplayer where interacting with the elevator could bring up the character select screen on clients
  
• Fix for player not being able to use Turntables if the DJ is dead

Items

• Fix for Slave Helmet Remover not appearing in inventory, which also caused an issue where the game would state that the inventory was full when it was not

Multiplayer

• Anti-hack stuff

Missions

• Fix for missions not failing properly in multiplayer mode if the NPC carrying a quest item fell down a hole

Text

• Fixed Werewolf “Super Special Ability” text when in Werewolf form

• Fix for freeze at the end of levels on some level-ups
  
• Fix for players being offered special abilities every level-up instead of every 3 level-ups
  
• Fix for players being offered special abilities that they already had
  
• Fix for players being offered higher-level special abilities too early, too often
  
• Fix for removing certain traits not always working properly
  
• Fix for certain trait names being missing
  
• Fix for Werewolf and Shapeshifter losing attribute upgrades after transforming back to their normal bodies
  
• Penetrating Bullets does not work with rockets

• Fix for level-up menu sometimes getting multiple of the same trait directly after unlocking that trait
  
• Fix for level-up menu getting traits that you upgraded previously
  
• Fix for getting traits during Augmentation booth swaps that are useless to your character
  
• Fix for being able to swap certain traits for free from the Augmentation Booth
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter and Werewolf regaining traits that had been removed after returning to their normal bodies
  
• Fix for incorrect alignments when gaining or losing The Law trait in the middle of levels
  
• Fix for Bullet Breaker affecting the player’s own bullets
  
• Game is slightly better at finding level-up traits for your character
  
• Replaced 192 kbps soundtrack file for floor 5-3’s music with 320kbps version

• Fix for player receiving too few trait choices at the end of levels
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter not regaining traits that were removed on depossessing someone
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter getting non-augmented versions of traits in addition to the augmented versions after depossessing someone
  
• Shapeshifter cannot use Augmentation Booth while possessing someone
  
• Fix for Lockdown Wall sound playing repeatedly
  
• Fix for Cyber Nuke not working for custom characters
  
• Fix for Vocally Challenged still being in effect after removal
  
• Fix for Benevolent Owner not working
  
• Fix for Share the Health not working
  
• Fix for Shop Drops not always working properly
  
• Fix for Legal Enslavement not working for custom characters
  
• Fix for Wall Walloper not affecting Glass walls
  
• Fix for Slaves not blowing up properly when their helmet is hacked
  
• Fix for certain NPCs reacting with sound effects when the player removes traits like Suspicious and Wanted
  
• Fix for Clerks, Shopkeepers etc. not being annoyed at Shapeshifters after they depossess people
  
• Fix for buttons not always working after hacking things on online multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Cops attacking players biting other people when they had the “They’re Just Kissing” trait
  
• Fix for Security Cameras sometimes not appearing in buildings where they were supposed to
  
• Fix for Lock and Load reloading Oil Container
  
• Soldiers and Gorillas do not contain “Shop” items unless they are in the Mall, and Upper-Crusters don’t contain Shop items at all
  
• Player receives proper trait selection when leveling up more than once on a single floor
  
• NPCs hidden in Bushes and Manholes cannot be a secret Werewolf
  
• Changed “They’re Just Kissing” description to be more accurate
  
• Wall Walloper now affects Barbed Wire walls and Bars/Fences (when augmented)
  
• Confident in Crowds is much less effective (it was never supposed to do THAT much damage)
  
• Confident in Crowds and Safe in Crowds require the player to be not-super-far from the person in their party in order to be effective

• Fix for items occasionally appearing on the ground and being non-interactable
  
• Fix (again) for repeating Lockdown Wall sound in Uptown
  
• Fix for chest and shop tooltips not always appearing when using gamepad
  
• Fix for Flesh Feast upgrade not having proper animations or sound effects
  
• Fix for Ammo Scavenger resulting in weapons that go over their max ammo limit
  
• Augmentation Booth mouseable area increased
  
• Augmented “Crooked” does not give the player XP when arresting or killing, rather it just prevents point loss
  
• Fix for Alarm Button hacking not always working properly
  
• Fix for Police Boxes remaining “hacked” when appearing in other levels or games
  
• Fix for questgivers getting annoyed at the player when they transform into a werewolf or possess someone with a trait like Suspicious
  
• Fix for player being offered non-augmented versions of augmented traits that they have as Swaps
  
• Fix for certain traits appearing during random swaps that would spell doom for the player, such as Jugularious (since they’d have no ability to bite people)
  
• Fix for Scientist Slayer, Blahd Basher etc. being removed at the augmentation booth and still causing hostility on future floors
  
• Ammo Scavenger applies when a player with this trait picks up a weapon, rather than when the weapon is first dropped
  
• Adding Endurance points to Werewolf at the end of levels will affect Werewolf form endurance as well
  
• Replaced “-” with “|” on augmentation booth buttons to make it less confusing
  
• Fix for “x has left the game” appearing when someone attempts to join a game with the wrong password
  
• Upgrades are generally a bit higher-priced

• Fix for incorrect language appearing for Attribute level-ups for certain languages
  
• Corrected Banana Lover + description
  
• Banana Lover cancels out Jugularious and Strict Cannibal in character creation
  
• Fix for occasional errors when NPC Vampires bite someone
  
• Increased the cost of Wall Walloper, removed Wall Walloper +
  
• Increased the cost of removing and swapping traits
  
• Fix for NPCs appearing to get annoyed with Werewolf on multiplayer client when they transform back to normal
  
• Crooked no longer affects Supercop in any way
  
• Fix for one of the Satellite hacks not working properly on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for clients seeing incorrect game over message when “Continue” is active if the host chooses End Game
  
• Fix for effects of Shifting Status Effects sometimes having effects on attributes that they weren’t supposed to on the next floor
  
• Fix for Cool with Cannibals not working during War Zone
  
• Fix for various online multiplayer weirdness
  
• Potential fixes for fire weirdness

In Other News:
Check out my environment artist Matthew Weekes's new Kickstarter here, featuring this snazzy exclusive Streets of Rogue card!

At long last, Streets of Rogue can be completed beginning to end!

For those who don’t mind a bit of a spoiler, here’s how it works: You have to take down the Mayor, who can be found doing one of a number of activities in Mayor Village. As per the city’s remarkably ill-thought-out rules, whoever has the Mayor’s Hat and makes a speech at the podium gets to be the mayor.

You can achieve this goal through tactics that you’ve used previously (fighting, theft, etc.), which can end up being tricky because the Mayor is very heavily guarded. Or, you can beat him/her in a legitimate election -- there’s a sign in the Mayor’s office that explains how this works. Some tactics will prove to be much easier than others (in fact, there are a few very easy ways to cheese the whole thing), but for you completionists, there are achievements and differing ending text based on the method you use.

I’ll definitely be making tweaks in the coming weeks/months, so let me know about your experiences.

Just because you can finish the game doesn’t mean the game is done, not by any stretch! As you may or may not know, Streets of Rogue is planned to leave Early Access and launch on Steam and consoles in the near-ish future. Previously, my tentative release date was “before the end of 2018”, now it’s “Winter”. Can’t say for sure, but definitely before Spring.

Here’s what’s on my agenda before the game launches out of Early Access:

• Home base stuff - I’m still not entirely sure what form this will take, but I’ve blocked out some time for it.
  
• New playable character - I’ll be adding one new character before the game launches to make it an even 24. More will be added post-launch.
  
• Optimization and porting-related tasks - The bulk of Streets of Rogue’s console porting duties are being handled by an external team, but I’ll still need to help out with certain things. It’s really important to me that the game feels solid on all platforms.
  
• Balance - There’s still quite a bit of work to be done in this area, and I may end up making some significant changes over the next couple of months. I’ve already added a number of new traits internally which aren’t available yet.
  
• Building layout variety - I’ve been neglecting this for a bit too long…
  
• Mutators - More coming - Possibly when the game launches!
  
• Achievements - Ditto!
  
• Bug Fixes - Well duh.

Everything else I have planned will need to wait until post-launch.

Oh yeah, and there's a new Fortnight Discussion on Character Progression. YOU should participate!

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

New Features and Content

• Game can now be completed. This isn’t going to be the most “complete” patch notes, because a ton of new related changes have been made that I forgot to write down.

Levels

• Added final level, “Mayor Village”

Music

• Four new tracks added, all of which are now included in the soundtrack DLC:
  
  • Final Floor: The Mayor's Lament
    
  • Final Floor: Speech! Speech!
    
  • HUH. Get Funky. In the Streets of Rogue. Yeah. Jam On. (Credits)
    
  • Let's Get This Video Game Started (Titles)

Achievements

• Six new achievements:
  
  • You Rule
    
  • Hostile Takeover
    
  • Peaceful Takeover
    
  • Legal Takeover
    
  • The Bad Ending
    
  • Quest Conqueror

UI / Controls

• Added “Electability” ratings to the stats screen. You can find out how this works by reading a sign in the Mayor’s office. I’ll probably end up adjusting the specifics in future builds.
  
• Added opening logo animation
  
• Added fade animations to menus
  
• Fix for word bubbles not stretching properly for when there are 3 or more lines of text

Playfield Objects

• Fix for certain objects inappropriately saying “(Empty)” on multiplayer client

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• Recharge countdowns do not continue if the player is teleporting, or in other similar circumstances where control is taken from them
  
• No longer possible to purchase Upper-Crusty status, this is now the goal of the Slum Dweller’s Big Quest
  
• Alien can no longer be Possessed or Cannibalized

Missions

• Fix for missions completing in multiplayer mode after the game had ended

Big Quests

• All Big Quests are now properly completeable and have rewards, which are activated through he Super Special Abilities mutator

Mutators

• Added Super Special Abilities mutator

Level Generation

• Changed the overall structure of the game a bit to make some of the levels smaller and contain fewer quests in an effort to improve the game’s pace. I’m still toying with this stuff, so I may alter these values in the future

Artificial Intelligence

• Office Drones can be bribed to like you again (this can be used for electability purposes)

Text

• Changed the names of a couple of real-world songs referenced in the game
  
• Changed the Earwarp Whistle description

Multiplayer

• Fix for certain instances where client interacting with people would produce an internal error and the interaction would not take place

Engine

• Unity engine updated to 2018.2.8f1

Other

• Updated NAT Traversal plugin to version 1.63 from 1.61
  
• Updated Rewired plugin to version 1.1.19.9 from 1.1.18.0

Internal

• Added support for a bunch of other new achievements that will probably be added on 1.0 launch
  
• Added support for a bunch of new traits that will be coming soon-ish

• Fix for Big Quests not always completing properly at the very end
  
• Fix for saved games from the previous version having issues progressing to the next level. Electability stuff probably won’t work properly, however -- you’ll need to start a new game for that.
  
• Fix for credits list remaining onscreen in home base if the player pressed Skip Ending while they were visible
  
• Fix for Doctor not having infinite Tranquilizer darts for their Super Special Ability
  
• Fix for bullet-related errors

• Fix for 3- and 4-player modes not working
  
• Game can be completed in Sandbox mode, rather than looping like Endless mode does
  
• Fix for player being able to take out loans in Uptown and Mayor Village (this should not have been possible)

• Anti-hack measures taken to prevent people from hacking into password-protected multiplayer games. Remember, you can still use /ban and /kick in the chat box to remove people from games
  
• Fix for shadows not always appearing under NPCs
  
• Fix for “slash” sound effect sometimes playing during punches for NPCs that aren’t Zombies or Werewolves
  
• Fix for certain items not being removed from the player’s inventory at the end of levels as intended
  
• Speech bubbles do not appear in multiplayer mode when people talk to each other during the ending cinematic
  
• Fix for armor slot at top of screen sometimes having a number but no image

• Fix for yellow target appearing at the start of 3-player mode
  
• Fix for Soldier not getting free refills when Super Special Ability is active
  
• Fix for Hacker Super Special Ability not being instantaneous when hacking NPCs
  
• Fix for Hacker Super Special Ability often not being able to hack things to blow them up after hacking them to do something else first
  
• Hacker Super Special Ability can blow up Power Boxes
  
• Hacker Super Special Ability works properly with Alarm Buttons
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter turning NPCs into Upper Crusters and Supercops when possessing them with the Super Special Abilities mutator turned on
  
• Holograms will no longer try to join the crowd at the end of the game
  
• Giving the ending speech removes all status effects and forces you out of your cardboard box
  
• Fix for metal detectors sometimes playing their sound effect too many times in rapid succession
  
• Fix for one of the tutorial NPCs appearing at the incorrect angle under certain circumstances
  
• When someone is enslaved while wearing something on their head, they will drop that item
  
• Fix for player being able to get the “bad” ending by enslaving the Mayor and then freeing him
  
• Fix for players being able to move while frozen
  
• Secret Werewolf does not appear on the final level
  
• Fix for Cop Bots saying things during end cinematic
  
• Fix for items from final level sometimes appearing in home base
  
• Fix for player not being able to move in home base after pressing the Skip Ending button on the main menu
  
• Fix for players being able to get the Non-Violent Win achievement when the Mayor had been Zombified
  
• Fix for red arrow sometimes appearing above items when it’s not supposed to
  
• Failsafes for multiplayer loading issues

• Fix for game freezing on Investment Banker ending
  
• Key at Guard Post in Mayor Village no longer says “Generic”
  
• Slave Helmet Remover is no longer automatically placed in the toolbar
  
• Werewolf does not become Dizzy if ending is started while in Werewolf form

I was hoping to have the final level and ending ready for this update, but as astute players may recall, last week’s big tech update was… buggier than anticipated. So buggy in fact, that I spent about half of this update cycle in a death crunch of frantic bug fixes, which resulted in no less than 8 hotfixes (I think that’s a record).

So, this is a relatively small update. Barring something catastrophic happening to my computer or personal life, next update will be pretty substantial. Stayyyyy tuned!

This update's Fortnight Discussion: Leaderboards and Scoring

Graphics

• Fix for NPCs looking weird for the first half-second of a level
  
• Fixed some incorrect corner grass tiles
  
• Fix for Invisible NPCs’ hands sometimes appearing
  
• Fix for player appearing to have extra hands after becoming Invisible while pointing a gun

UI / Controls

• Added color animation to menu selection interfaces
  
• Multiplayer games can be ended from the main menu if the host has finished a level but other players have not
  
• Fix for cases where context buttons could become larger in width than intended
  
• Fix for Character Creation Attributes description box reading “Strength” initially
  
• Fix for instruction text on certain 3- and 4-player menus in home base not being fully visible
  
• Player toolbars disappear when entering main menu
  
• Minimap in 2-4 player modes disappears when entering main menu

Playfield Objects

• Fix for multiplayer client not always being able to make ATM Machine spit out money
  
• Fix for fires on War Zone NPCs not always being destroyed properly
  
• Fix for fires from Fire Barrels not being destroyed properly internally

Items

• Projectile weapons are worth much less money when Infinite Ammo mutators are active
  
• Fix for Research Gun appearing to knock NPCs back when on host when used by client player
  
• Quick-Escape Teleporter works better in levels with Lockdown Walls

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• On Daily Run, traits and items may appear regardless of the player’s unlocks and settings in the Home Base
  
• Ideological Clash added to Character Creator
  
• Army of Darkness renamed to Army of Five, since the original title wouldn’t make much sense when applied to non-Zombie custom characters (edit: this will happen in the next build)
  
• Fix for NPCs brought from one level to the next sometimes having 0 health
  
• Potential fix for dead party members coming back in the next level as ghosts
  
• Charismatic and Malodorous have no effect on Cop Bots

Artificial Intelligence

• Fix for NPCs attempting to path through certain objects
  
• Only 5 NPC party members per player can be brought to the next level
  
• Friendly Cop Bots will still stop the player

Performance

• Much quicker loading into games from the main menu

Multiplayer

• Fix for internal errors when quitting multiplayer games

Engine

• Unity engine updated to 2018.2.6f1

• Fix for mutators not loading properly when saved games are loaded
  
• Fix for wood doors sometimes not taking damage, as if they were steel doors
  
• Fix for NPCs not appearing to be dead when the Shapeshifter possessing their body dies
  
• Fix for people having shadows when they resurrect underwater
  
• Potential fix for fires appearing permanently where they are not supposed to
  
• Better internal handling of “recycling” of wreckage objects
  
• Army of Five added to character creation

Though this update doesn’t come with a huge changelog, it was actually one of the more strenuous updates I’ve done lately. I made some fixes that should greatly reduce the game’s memory consumption over longer play sessions. You may have noticed in previous builds that performance and load times could degrade significantly if you played the game for a lengthy amount of time. The fixes I’ve made in this build should reduce performance degradation by a wide margin.

Unfortunately, these optimizations also broke a lot of stuff, so I needed to spend a good chunk of my the update cycle going through the game with a fine tooth comb and attempting to fix this lovely new set of issues. If you see anything weird in the new build, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Also, the version of the Unity engine that the game is running on has been updated for the first time in about a year. So uh, yeah, fingers crossed that this doesn’t cause you guys a bunch of grief. Again, let me know about any and all new issues.

The latest Fortnight Discussion revolves around something that I’m in the process of implementing right now: Big Quest Rewards

Engine and Performance

• A number of changes to how NPCs and objects are generated. This should fix memory leaks and improve performance over long sessions, and will probably cause new bugs. So keep an eye out for weird new glitches in objects and NPCs.
  
• Updated Unity engine from 2017.2.1p4 to 2018.2.3f1

UI / Controls

• Client LAN address is automatically detected every time the screen is entered, rather than saving the initial address that is found
  
• Fix for NPCs’ body sprite sometimes not highlighting properly when player has their mouse over it
  
• Fix for Sleep “Z’s” not always appearing over NPCs for multiplayer client

Playfield Objects

• Fixed an error relating to fires not being cleared properly, which could potentially fix a couple bugs
  
• Dangerous objects like Slime Barrels and Exploding Barrels no longer attract melee auto-aim
  
• Fix for Train lights not disappearing when Train is destroyed
  
• Train being destroyed causes a large explosion

Items

• Players can pick up quest items for non-questgiver quests even when they have a full inventory
  
• Fix for multiplayer client’s own Bear Traps not always having an effect if they step on them
  
• Hiring Voucher can no longer be sold by Shopkeepers
  
• Fix for Research Gun not working on Aligned NPCs when the player has No In-Fighting
  
• Fud base price is $7 instead of $5

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• “Naked” replaced with “Wanted” -- Exactly the same effect, but makes more sense when applied to custom characters who don’t have the Naked body type, not to mention the naked swimming NPCs who lacked the trait
  
• Increase All Stats and Decrease All Stats effects are not kept between levels to avoid certain bugs
  
• Increase All Stats and Decrease All Stats removed from a number of locations where they were given, and can never be given to Werewolf or Shapeshifter due to bugs
  
• Added some fail-safes for online issues when two players attempt to arrest, bite, cannibalize or enslave the same person at the same time
  
• Fix for player sometimes having too much max health when transforming into Werewolf

Home Base

• Fixed a floor texture issue in the Safe room

Disasters

• Bounty disaster does not appear when player is Shapeshifter or Slavemaster

Mutators

• Fix for items sometimes not having sprites in Rogue Vision

Artificial Intelligence

• Fix for Annoyed NPCs not giving online multiplayer clients proper reactions
  
• Fix for NPCs implying that they are still annoyed after using Hypnotizer on them while they are annoyed
  
• Cop Bots will not attempt to deport the player if they are possessing an Uptown resident
  
• Fix for owners sometimes getting angry at Firefighters who enter their building to put out a fire
  
• More than one Shapeshifter NPC may not appear in a single level

Text

• Fixed typo in the tutorial that had somehow gone unnoticed by anyone for 1.5 years

• Fix for a bunch of weird AI stuff and not-always-obvious object-related issues
  
• Fix for weird object spawning issues on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for Saw Blades appearing as Safes
  
• Fix for Loadout Machines not having items
  
• Fix for Shopkeepers, Bartenders etc. not always having new inventories on new levels
  
• Fix for Hologram Bigfoot having a weird appearance
  
• Fix for Doors not being made of Steel when they were meant to
  
• Fix for NPCs sometimes being able to see the player behind Shelves
  
• Fix for NPCs not having their items and status effects when the player brings them to the next level
  
• Fix for Cannibals having incorrect body after popping out of Bushes on multiplayer client

• Fix for game sometimes crashing between levels
  
• Fix for Shopkeepers, Bartenders etc. not always having new inventories on new levels (actually works this time)
  
• Fix for player sometimes receiving quests involving nonexistent objects

• Fix for everyone on a level freezing in place
  
• Fix for NPC followers not retaining traits and status effects between levels
  
• Fix for Floor Traps not always working
  
• Fix for doors being locked from the wrong side, and other odd door-related issues
  
• Fix for pathfinding issues on certain types of objects
  
• Fix for doors not being locked in Lockdown disaster
  
• Fix for Shapeshifter being able to possess nonexistent NPCs
  
• Fix for issues with Cop Bot security beams appearing at inappropriate times or not at all
  
• Fix for “burnt” NPCs’ eyes not always appearing white
  
• Fix for quest markers not always appearing on items on the ground for multiplayer client
  
• Fix for instances where Cops could spawn behind an ATM Machine
  
• Updated Unity engine to 2018.2.5f1

• Less garbage in the output log

• Fix for debris appearing all over the ground when it shouldn't

• Fix for player not being able to mouse over objects in player 1’s window in split-screen mode
  
• Fix for cursor text not appearing for player 2
  
• Fix for gamepad controls not working on character creation screen and possibly other menus
  
• Fix for fires appearing to burn on living people
  
• Fix for NPCs appearing to stand up when they are sleeping on multiplayer client
  
• Fix for some Shapeshifter possession issues in multiplayer
  
• Fix (again) for Traps not always working
  
• Fix (again) for doors not always opening properly from the correct side
  
• Fix for doors not always blocking light properly
  
• Fix for random NPCs sometimes having the wrong body color
  
• Fix for eyeballs appearing on burnt bodies of characters whose eyeballs normally don’t show
  
• Fix for items in chests on server and client not being synced well in some cases

• Fix for Traps not working AGAIN (third time’s the charm)
  
• Fix (again) for fires sometimes appearing on NPCs when they should not
  
• Fix for G-P-Yesss not working properly all the time
  
• Fix for player not being able to select characters after entering character creation screen in 3- and 4-player modes
  
• Fix for not all Twitch settings being updated properly if changed in-game

• Fix for further 3- and 4-player issues on the character creation and character select screens
  
• Fix for 3- and 4-player games sometimes not proceeding at the end-of-level elevator
  
• Fix for Online multiplayer client sometimes getting stuck at the end of levels and not proceeding

Just a quick, light update this week. I’ve been a bit super-busy getting the final level and ending in ship shape. Not sure if that will be ready for next update or not -- it depends on how fast I can get the current optimization project I’m working on completed. Anyways, for now, enjoy this miscellaneous smattering of fixes.

The latest fortnight discussion actually relates to the game’s final level: Getting Yourself Elected Mayor


Graphics

• Lighting adjustments on a number of different levels
  
• Screen shakes no longer occur when their origin point is way offscreen
  
• Fix for particle effects from bullets remaining large after player returns from Giant status
  
• NPCs who start the game swimming will appear nude
  
• Changed textures for “Bars” sprites so they appear more visible in dark areas

UI / Controls

• Fix for player being sent back to incorrect menu if they join an internet game when player capacity has just been reached
  
• Potential fix for camera occasionally following someone other than the player after an arrest occurs
  
• Attempted fix for question marks appearing permanently over people’s heads
  
• If the player is holding up or down when they enter the main menu, the selection will stay still until they release the analog stick and move it again

Playfield Objects

• Fix for Computers and other objects not being considered “non-functional” after falling into holes
  
• Fix for broken object sprites appearing above water with no floating animation after Wrestler throws them in

Items

• Investment Banker starts the game with Cigarette Lighter
  
• Fix for NPCs hidden in Bushes being immune to throwable items
  
• Fix for Werewolf attempting to use First Aid Kit while in Werewolf form when quick-health button was pressed
  
• Fix for Hologram taking damage from certain environmental hazards

Status Effects / Traits / Special Abilities

• Fix for NPC Shapeshifter popping out of people who the player had already possessed
  
• Computer Illiterate cancels out Laptop on custom characters
  
• Giant status lasts 15 seconds instead of 20

Big Quests

• For Comedian, Wrestler and Vampire quests, rioters are no longer included when game determines the quest
  
• When purchasing items from people using Art of the Deal, these items will cost less when the item is needed for a Big Quest so that a profit can actually be made when selling the item

Level Generation

• Fix for one of the Hotels being internally classified as a Dance Club
  
• Fix for cases of NPCs spawning behind Trash Cans and getting stuck
  
• Fixed an incorrectly aligned “Private Club” floor
  
• Fix for an area of one of the Bathhouses being considered a prison when it was not

Artificial Intelligence

• Fix for NPCs not jumping out of Manholes in Downtown
  
• Fix for Jock in Arena becoming Friendly toward the player upon talking to them
  
• Fix for instances where Cops could become Hostile on a “first offense” of breaking something
  
• Fix for guards becoming Hostile toward patrons of buildings with Bouncers if they opened the front door while exiting
  
• Player cannot borrow money from people in Uptown levels, since there wouldn’t be time before the end of the game for Assassins to seek retribution
  
• No longer possible to offer Office Drones things (this was a remnant of the on-hold investment system)
  
• Fix for NPCs who were initially swimming not going back to their swimming pool after being possessed and depossessed by a Shapeshifter
  
• Fix for Cannibals sometimes standing still and appearing to not have a goal
  
• Fix for door guards becoming Hostile when you open doors while out of their line of sight

Text

• Fix for text still indicating that the Assassin would lose 2 seconds of Camouflage when backstabbing
  
• Fixed typo in Exploding Bodies description

Multiplayer

• Fix for several multiplayer connectivity issues

Other

• Added proper track number metadata to soundtrack files
  
• Updated NAT Traversal plugin to version 1.61 from something really old

Internal

• Work on final level, ending, and other related things…