Hey Troopers!

I've been rewriting the foundation of our "Target select" system to allow for a BUNCH of new card types and it was a bit more complicated than I assumed! But we're live and testing now!



Here's what is now on the table:

Choose X Cards - We can now have cards that tell you to choose either a fixed amount or an unlimited amount. The UI will let you select/deselect until you are happy

Dependent on X - In the previous example, we can say "Choose X Cards" and then require you to do something with the same amount of cards in the next step (i.e. discard X cards to draw X cards from discard pile)

Choose One - Cards can have two possible effects and you choose one or the other (or the other.. or another etc... no real limit on quantity)

Spend X Destiny/Promotion/etc - A Slider is possible to ask you, for example, "How Much Destiny do you want to spend?"

Hopefully this is just the first step with future updates making it easier to choose your cards versus opponent's, cards in your deck versus discard, etc! But this foundation opens the doors to almost all of the remaining cards!



These cards were added to test the new system... and the new system will be used during the next few weeks as I add a bunch more! Please report what you think in Discord!

COLLECTION RESET
As a reminder, on or before February 1st we will do a mandatory reset of your packs. This is to allow you to get the new cards and test changes to the pack algorithm. For example, I will have fixed the algorithm to guarantee more rare and ultra rare cards in February! But since we added new cards, all players received a "reset token" which allows you to manually and optionally reset your packs on the PACKS screen if you want to re-open them now.

AS A REMINDER: Resetting your collection is ONLY your base set cards and packs. All packs owned during beta whether earned or purchased are cumulative. When you reset, you regain them all to re-open. Any cosmetics (avatars, card backs, titles, and emotes) are retained and NOT reset. Same for Lore cards, Mission Cards and VARIANT cards. So your retro variants form the kickstarter, for example, are yours forever!

Last but not least, we have this month's Season Rewards from everyone's favorite evil... ALGEROTH. Here's a sneak peek at the card back:



Later this month, we'll begin testing both the long-awaited Cybertronic AUGMENT system (which will see a revamp of almost all the warriors in Cybertronic and their abilities) as well as beta testing our new tutorial and single player content! I'll update on that a bit more next time!

Until then, thanks for checking out this project! It's a dream come true to build this game with the community. If you're interested in contributing more, we're going to start a private design group on Discord for people who want to have a more "hands on" role with card balancing. If you're interested, let me know on Discord!

See you next week!

- justin

Getting back into the habit of weekly updates now that I completed the foundational work on the packs!



Fixed some longstanding bugs and brought back some new cards based on community feedback!



These cards have been causing headaches for too long! We've been discussing them A LOT on Discord (come join us!) and decided to try this approach. It's important to note that the current version of SUBTERFUGE is actually a lot like the original SUPPLY LINES SEVERED in the classic game



So we're investigating reverting SLS back to its original form and doing a different Subterfuge fix. Another fix on the table was a more "delayed" reaction. "Opponent Discards his hand at the beginning of his next turn". Gives the opponent more of a chance to counter it or play as many cards as possible before it hits. Still a hard hit though! What do you think? Let me know.

The weekly updates should continue to follow a pretty standard format. I want to do the following each week, when possible:

- Add a few new cards
- Fix a few lingering bugs reported
- Work on one foundational upgrade

This week, I'm going to try and work on the foundation of Cybernetic Augments which should lead to adding a few new Cybertronic cards (and upgrades to existing!). On the bug front I always have a big list, but I'm looking in Discord for people to let me know what they think will be most impactful!

Some other things on the table for upcoming patches:
- New Tutorial!
- New Starter Decks
- Fixes for "pity" timer in packs to help grant more Rares and Ultra Rares
- Post Combat "interrupt" cards (Play this card immediately after combat...)
- UI fixes to make attachments easier to work with and manage

Have ideas? Come join our Discord and let me know!

See you guys next week!

I'm excited to announce that v0.10.0 went live this week with very little problems! I wanted to update you guys on how it works and how the next few patches will go!

Starting December 1st, any packs you've accrued can be opened to build your collection. THIS IS JUST A TEST. January 1st we will reset again but ALL PACKS YOU'VE EVER EARNED ARE RETURNED TO YOU.

We're testing new starter decks and pack rarity distribution so feedback is welcome! We'll do a few of these as we also finish adding the remaining cards and then we'll do a final reset!

- If you bought the preorder and nothing else, each reset will give you back your 60 cards.
- If you earned 17 packs AND bought the preorder, each reset will give you back 77 packs to open.
- Even If you have never earned any packs, you will be given starter decks (and their cards) and some packs to get your started.

As a bonus, starting this week you will be able to reset your collection at any time (once per month) if you aren't happy with your collection and want to rebuild.

As a bonus to thank you for helping us test, any packs you purchase in the store with real money will come with bonus packs on the final reset. By purchasing packs you are directly helping speed up development of Doomtrooper and we will show our appreciation with more free packs when we launch out of Early Access!

If you backed the Kickstarter, all rewards should be active! If there are any problems, just let us know in our #support channel on Discord and we'll fix it ASAP!

Did you miss the Kickstarter (It was a while ago)? We're going to put some of the rewards up again in the store for Christmas, so watch for that!

The home stretch, baby! The foundation is in place, now we just make it better! We are going to be going back to updating regularly (probably weekly again) and adding bug fixes and new cards as fast as possible! We will also be enhancing the UI and adding a brand new tutorial.

A game like this is a lot of work and community support goes a long way! We're making this game together, so please keep the feedback coming either in-game, on Discord or via our Twitch streams.

Thanks for the support!

-justin

I wanted to post an update regarding our upcoming schedule and plans. We are currently prepping the next major beta milestone so our schedule is changing a bit. Weekly content updates are suspending for the next few weeks (updates will still go out, but just at a more irregular schedule and mostly foundational for the Dec 1 update!)

The December Season will operate a little differently. We will be doing our first test pack opening! Here's what will happen:

We will have our first collection reset!
This is huge. Currently you have access to all currently implemented cards (10 of each). The time has come to start testing the underlying collection system and pack openings! So on Dec 1st when you login you will be welcomed with a message letting you know how to procede. You will receive some starter cards (and some starter packs added to your total) and be able to open them and build a deck.

You can manually reset your collection once during the month
Not happy with your collection? Think our rarity distribution sucks? Report it to us! And then you can use the "coupon" everyone has attached to their account to reset your collection an additional time.

You can earn more packs!
We will be adding packs to the store on/before Dec 1st. You can spend your beta coins on packs to be added to your total. When you reset your collection ALL packs will be reset. For example: You opened 60 packs from the preorder, bought 20 more in the store but did not open them. When you reset your collection you will have 80 packs ready. Even if you opened the 20 new packs, you would have 80 to open since you have earned a total of 80 packs. We will also sell bundles of packs as well if you need to top off!

You never lose your packs!
Beginning of the next few seasons, we will reset the collection and/or refresh your coupons for resetting your collection (Thoughts on this? Let us know on Discord!). When we have finished the last remaining cards and balance patches we will give everyone some warning and do a FINAL reset in which case you will open your packs for the final time.

You get BONUS PACKS!
That's right! This has been a long road, so any packs you earn during beta we will grant you BONUS packs on the final opening! We're still deciding the amount, but we appreciate your support during Early Access so if you're willing to support us with your time (earning coins) or your hard earned money (buying packs) we want to reward you as well! So we'll give additional packs on the final reset to say thank you!

This is a HUGE milestone for the Doomtrooper community and I'm excited to finally share it with you! I'll post another update soon with "what comes next" but once this cycle begins, the focus is all on balance, new cards and new tutorial/AI events! The train is moving fast and as always, I appreciate the community support on this!

Come hang out while we finish the milestones!
I (Justin) stream development on Twitch Tues/Thurs at 8pm PST and we do a community stream to discuss updates like this every Sunday at 11am PST!
https://www.twitch.tv/justinreynard

Come give feedback on Discord!
We're always hanging out on Discord if you have feedback, bug reports or anything else to chat about!
https://discord.gg/secretcowlevel

So excited to hit this next milestone with you guys! See you in-game!

- justin

Happy Halloween, Troopers! As is Tradition, we like to test our special events system every Halloween and this year is no exception!

Login STARTING TODAY (Halloween) for one week to get some cool new rewards...



When you login you'll receive the HALLOWEEN HORRORS quest. This week, just play 25 multiplayer games and you'll be rewarded with this sweet themed cardback on completion! It won't be available any other time of year so get those games in! (And yes, you playing more games helps us test... win win!!)



We brought back the PATIENT ZERO quest! If you played last year, make sure you set your INFECTED title again and get out there to play some games! If you play against someone with the INFECTED title you will receive it (don't forget to set it!). Then if you infect 5 other people, you get the ZOMBIE avatar! I know this event may not be "in the best taste" right now but I promise we created it in 2019 before anyone knew what COVID even meant...



THIS WEEK ONLY I added one of my favorite avatars, the REAPER to the store. If you want a cool, creepy way to support our beta, this is a great opporunity. After this week, who knows when it'll be back! Get it while you can!

In case you missed it last year when we tested it, use the code TRICKORTREAT to get the "Trick or Treat!" emote added to your account for free :)

And last but not least...

We've begun unlocking the Kickstarter rewards! If you have your code registered, they will unlock on login! If not, find your backerkit emails and get those entered!

Two important things:
1) If you don't have your code, we'll help! Join Discord and join #support channel and we'll get you sorted!
2) If you bought add-ons like additional packs or Faction Packs, those are going live this weekend, so watch your emails!


Happy Halloween Troopers! As we prepare to exit Early Access, I just want to thank you guys for being around to help me test these early stage events. It means a lot to have the support of the Doomtrooper community!

Hey guys -

Sorry I neglected to post the weekly update on here, they've been happening! They've been a little smaller than usual as I was wrapping up the 0.9.0 milestone!







This major beta milestone (over the past several weeks) has brought online some major foundational fixes:

• New Deckbuilder foundation for moving forward (ease of use, fixes, custom modes, etc)
  
• Major improvements to drag and drop and render engine for performance improvements
  
• Support for unlocking LORE and MISSION cards
  
• HUNDREDS of bugfixes

You can also see the past few weeks we've fixed some troublesome cards:

• Cybercurity MP has been toned down, he is now "wound for wound" (no killing)
  
• Tight Formation and Strengh in Numbers no longer RESTRICTED (1 per deck) but UNIQUE (1 in play at a time) to support weenie deck archetypes.
  
• Immaculate Furty got a boost. He now upgrades a 2nd time and gains SLAYER on kill. Good ramp up.
  
• DOOMED & Forced March Got the SUSPEND keyword so it cannot be played first turn anymore
  
• Garbage Dump was changed to be a lot mor useful. It now allows you to Discard an extra card every turn (for milling strategies)

We're also striving to ensure that NO card is a requirement in every deck. To encourage variety we will move certain cards that become too much of a staple to one faction to encourage more variety while maintaining the spirit/lore of the card

• Festering Wounds - Moved to Dark Legion
  
• Get Me Out of Here!- Moved to Bauhaus

Now we are working on the 0.10.0 milestone which is a VERY important one! The focus is simple:

• UI and API for opening packs, building your own collection
  
• New Tutorial
  
• New User Experience v1

PACKS
As you now, you are currently playing with a "complete set" of currently active beta cards. This allows you to make your deck however you see fit. During the next milestone (soon!) we will be doing our first "reset" of the collection. Your cosmetics, your coins, and your *variant* cards are safe and yours to keep forever! But you will no longer have 10 of every card to play with.

Instead, you will be granted access to your own packs to open and build your own collection!

• Any packs previous earned/purchased will be unlocked to be opened
  
• Packs will be added to the store for both money and coins
  
• Every player will receive a "token" for resetting their entire collection one time during the month. This will allow you to reset your packs back to "new player" state and open them again, once per month
  
• This will continue for a few months while we finalize the packs system and collect feedback.
  
• Packs purchased with real money during this beta period will contain bonus packs when we finish testing and let you open for the last time.

That last one is important. We've worked VERY hard to get Doomtrooper to this point and as we move forward into the final testing phases we want to reward anyone who is supporting our hard work efforts. So if you buy packs during this pack beta test, we will reward you with more packs than if you wait to buy them after testing as a thank you for believing in us. If you want more info or to discuss any of this, I'm always available in Discord chat!

NEW TUTORIAL
I'm in the process of designing a new tutorial for new players that will do a better job of teaching the basics of Doomtrooper as well as rewarding the player as they progress. This is expected to be tested in the next month or sooner!

New User Experience
It's important to make sure that new users feel welcomed, rewarded and understand what is going on. A lot of my time is going to be spent making sure we do this. New player joins the game, they will be welcomed with the new Tutorial to teach them how to play. After completing the tutorial they should receive their first deck, complete with all the cards needed to play it. There should be systems in place to let them earn more decks and more cards very clearly outlined so they can become better at Doomtrooper while earning more variety of cards for free so they want to stick around.

Are you interested in game design like this? Join Discord and let me (Justin) know. I'd love the help and feedback!

---

As always, thanks so much for your support and patience. This project has been a major part of my life for 4 years and I'm excited to finally reach the last phases of our Early Access journey! Tell your friends! Play Doomtrooper! Come hang out on Discord and Twitch!

As always, we're building this together. See you next week!

- justin

Hey guys!



This week most of the work went into getting the new deckbuilder foundation live, which we've been rewriting mostly from scratch live on Twitch! (Follow: https://twitch.tv/justinreynard)

A bit late on this update this week. It still went live on Monday! But 2020 has been.... something so I was late to post it here. Apologies!

Some stuff from the new deckbuilder, if you're not following on Twitch:

- Rewritten for speed
- Foundation for a new "visual" drag/drop mode (coming soon)
- Foundation for upcoming "Arena", "Draft", and "Event" modes!
- New "Deck Details" Pane showing stats about your deck (more coming!)
- You can now "Duplicate" a deck
- Import/Export is done but doing some more testing
- New Deck Browser to add decks to your account from within the game!

Currently the browser only has the starter decks but we will soon be able to let users mark their decks as public and share them with the community with one click!




ALSO -

We're about to enter the next phase of beta testing, testing all of the stuff above as well as opening packs, experience points and faction rank! A lot will change starting on Halloween.

I'll be posting more about it here, on social, in Discord and in-game so watch for details! The final phases of beta will let you start earning packs and opening them! But you'll be able (at least once a month) to reset your collection and re-open packs again to account for balance updates and new card additions as we finalize everything!

As always, we make this game together, so if you have questions, ideas or concerns about this beta phase (or the upcoming "Arena" play we've been discussing) come join us on Discord! Just click the link on the main game menu!

Thanks for all the support, and see you next week for a fun card update!

Hey guys!

As always, the weekly update is live! A lot of time went into matchmaking and the upcoming new deckbuilder this week.

We squashed a bunch of bugs as well and added a new button to the UI so if you're hanging out and building a new deck, you'll see the button appear if someone is looking for a match! So get your decks ready and watch for a challenger!

Next week's update should see the first draft of the rewritten deckbuilder to go live, some new changes to matchmaking algorithm and some new cards!





Also, make sure you read the release notes for a surprise ;)

- justin

This week saw tons of hours poured into a rewrite of the game's drag/drop layer and card interactions. The goal was the set the foundation of the upcoming 0.10.0 improvements to address common complaints (like Activating Attachments like the "First Aid Kit") as well as start to make the game "feel better". The feedback we've gotten has shown that people are noticing, so thank you!



One important thing we've addressed from feedback was the "speed" of the game. Most of the animations are now 2x as fast as before, for example initiating combat will happen twice as fast. This was a simple change on our end but a HUGE impact on playability. And since the game has been stable recently, we finally had time to address it!



Some subtle changes seen here on the drag/drop to play a card:

• You'll see the card "pop up" in your hand as you drag, graying out the other cards
  
• The dragged card is smaller and centered properly with your mouse at the top right
  
• The battlefield will give visual feedback to what you are currently targetting

In the future, the visual feedback will be improved, with messaging to let you know "if you release now, this is the action you're about to take". That is scheduled for the 0.10.0 update next month!

We also closed a bunch of small bugs that were reported, as always. Next week we should be back to adding some new cards!





A lot of work went into the hover state of cards. For example, when dragging your mouse to an attachment to activate it there is more leeway in the "dead zone" as you drag your mouse to prevent the window from annoyingly closing prematurely on you. I know this bugged you guys as much as it bugged me!

Also, especially in the support cards, you can see work was done to help you highlight the card you MEAN to highlight, even if the token is hidden behind the popup. This feels a lot better but I look forward to more feedback!



If you haven't tuned into our stream, we're nearing completion on the new deckbuilder! This includes QoL features like deck sorting and card sorting (seen in the gif) as well as being able to flag your best decks as "public" and share them with the community! Getting a new deck template will just be a click away!

This should be going live in about a week, fingers crossed!

Thanks for all the support so far! If you're enjoying the progress we're making or just want to support our hard work, please consider posting a positive review on Steam! It helps us a lot and lets new players know how hard we're working here!

Thanks, and see you next week!

-justin

PS - come hang out on stream Tues/Thurs: https://www.twitch.tv/justinreynard and join our Discord to help us keep building this amazing game! https://discord.gg/secretcowlevel

This week was round two of stability fixes. The bugs people were seeing were coming from some old code another programmer wrote that took me (Justin) a minute to get familiar with. After 0.8.11 we found some more issues with timers and interrupts causing some strange behavior and I had to dive back in.

But as of today (Wednesday) I'm happy to report we've had NO errors reported on the backend and no users reporting any issues with timers/interrupts/combat so we may have made it through!

On a funny note, I went to bed about 1am Monday night/Tuesday morning and woke up at 8 to TONS of hate mail about subterfuge. Totally OP card (Blame Bryan, he designed it/picked it for this set!) and I apologize. A few minutes after my coffee kicked in I patched it to be RESTRICTED (one per deck) and ANNIHILATED (removed from the game after being played). Fastest nerf in history.... but thanks for reporting!

We also brought back an ability we lost on Dominic where he is only allowed to attack the biggest MF-er on the board. I know this isn't ideal for all of you wielding your 3x DOMINIC strategy but this is what the kids call "balance". He's big and scary, but he has a weakness. Like the scales of justice, he will balance the masses.

Now that the game's timers are stable, I'll be able to dedicate more time to fixing Young Guard and his ability interrupts, wrapping up the 0.9.0 update with the new updated Deckbuilder and FINALLY launching the Cybertronic revamp with AUGMENTS. It's gonna be awesome.

See you next week!



-j

PS don't forget to come hang out on twitch! Programming streams Tues/Thurs nights at 8pm PST and a Doomtrooper community stream every Sunday at 11am PST!

https://www.twitch.tv/justinreynard