It's nearing that time again! With Update 3 nearing completion, I am now able to give everyone a more accurate date of when U3 can be expected to hit the experimental branch, as well as exactly what can be expected to be present in both the experimental phase and early access phase.

I am also excited to share a new feature not previously talked about coming post update 3 that will arguably be Vectorio's most ambitious feature to date.


Although there's still some work left to be done with engineering, I can say with almost 100% certainty that Update 3 will be out on November 20th. I know I've been bad with release dates in the past, but I am confident that I can have the early access build ready by that time.

In the case there are any unexpected delays, I will make sure to let everyone know as soon as possible. But I don't see the update being postponed any longer then 24 hours at most.


With the release date out of the way, I can now talk about what's going to be and what's not going to be in the experimental phase of Update 3. For your convenience, I've put them in a list format below. Please keep in mind that some of the features may not be fully implemented at first, and will be expanded on throughout Update 3 with help and feedback from the community.

Experimental Features
- Engineering (turret modification)
- Creative mode (refactor branch)
- New research system (essence pumping)
- Fixer drones and new drone options
- New phantom guardian, The Atlas
- Two new enemies and three new turrets
- Balance changes to heat and power
- Possibly early version of Multiplayer
- and More!

Early Access Features
- Multiplayer (via Steam)
- More new buildings / turrets
- Hub super weapon (border growth)
- All experimental features
- and More!

IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that Update 3 is running on an entirely new setup. I basically scrapped almost the entirety of Update 2's core mechanics, and redid them. So expect the game to feel a bit "different" at first, as it's basically been redone from the ground up.


Earlier this week, I released a sneak peek of the in-game menu for Update 3. For those of you that have not yet seen it, here's a picture of it below.



Some people spotted out that the modding tab has been replaced with Labs, and so I think now is a good time to talk about what labs is, and how it's gonna be the most ambitious and arguably most important feature Vectorio will have moving forward.

Essentially, Turret Labs (at it's core) is an in-game modding tool. It allows you to create your own buildings using an extensive in-game editor, and then easily add them to the game to create your own unique Vectorio experience. Here's a VERY early screenshot of it below.



At first, the tool will only support creating turrets, but the plan is to eventually expand it to allow for the creation of new buildings, enemies, and guardians. The goal is to allow for anyone to create their own version of the game without any sort of programming knowledge, and share it with others to play. All of this will be done through the Steam workshop with just a few clicks!


So with all that out of the way, I wanted to loop back around to the very frequently asked question, "What is the game going to cost after Early Access?". This is probably the toughest question to answer as I'm still unsure of it myself, but I think I've come to a decision that best suits the game...

The game will remain free post early access, with Turret Labs being a paid DLC. The reason I think this is the best decision moving forward is it allows anyone to experience the full game for free. None of the main content will be locked behind any sort of paywall, and you can invite your friends to play with you whenever you want without worrying about them not being able to afford it.

For those that really enjoy the main game and want more, however, can purchase Turret Labs and get access to all of it's features, which is essentially just unlimited content fueled by the community.

This decision still isn't final, but it is the one I'm leaning towards. Let me know what you think below!


That's it for now! As per usual, I strongly encourage anyone not in our Discord to come and join it. If you're a fan of the game and want to get more of a glimpse on what's going on behind the scenes, our server is the best place to find all that.

Discord: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9

Thanks for reading!
~ Ben

- Added 2 new difficaulties
- Updated Cosmic Critter sprites and added different sprites for when they are carrying items/artifacts.
- Helios Ascension has been changed from 150% Fire rate bonus to 50% increased Fire rate Bonus
- Increased Helios shield throw abilities velocity by 100%
- Decreased the bonus fire rate you get from upgrades from 20% >> 10%
- Increased the Health of Tier 3 + 4 Bosses by 50%
- Increased the Cosmic Dragon (T5) health from 15000 >> 25000
- Slight adjustments to the Ascension menus
- Slight adjustments to the Intro animation / Loading sequence
- Fixed a collision issue with the AutoCannon artifact projectile
- AutoCannon artifact projectile now calculates the double damage bonus after previous increase to damage additions.
- All skins are on 50% Sale!

- Fixed UI Errors and updated some visuals
- Fixed Issues with audio control in the options menu not allowing players to set audio levels to 0
- Fixed an Issue with "beam" projectiles using 10x their max speed value causing unfair projectile max speeds
- Fixed a bug with Moon Charm and Peircing Projectile Artifacts cuasing them to never decay and infinatly lag the game.
- Fixed a UI error when selecting Co-Pilot Pon in the ascension menu
- Fixed a progression issues with the Tutorial not showing the text in the correct order

All Godot contributors are delighted to release our latest milestone today, Godot 3.4, after more than 6 months of development!

While most development focus is on our upcoming Godot 4.0 release, many contributors and users want a robust and mature 3.x branch to develop and publish their games today, so it's important for us to keep giving Godot 3 users an improved gamedev experience. As such, most of the focus was on implementing missing features or bugfixes which are critical for publishing 2D and 3D games with Godot 3, and on making the existing features more optimized and reliable.

Godot 3.4 is compatible with Godot 3.3.x projects and is a recommended upgrade for all 3.3.x users.

Read the release notes on the Godot blog for details on new features in this release.

If you're not ready to upgrade to 3.4 yet, you can switch to the `stable-3.3` beta
branch in the Steam Properties for Godot Engine, which currently provides Godot 3.3.4 stable. However we strongly recommend that all Godot 3.3.x users upgrade to Godot 3.4 for the many critical fixes that it provides.

Blackparabyte restructure:
The proverb says that where movement is, life is. And at this time we are facing a high level of movement on the project. The movement-cinematics relationship has never been in a better place). We are in full process of restructuring and development at all stages, where the main purpose is to keep on growing. Great news are coming.

1.0.0.45
- IPSC Scoring
- IDPA Scoring
- Show scores on top of target after end
- Human model, standing and sitting
- Object position after selection is mostly based on where you clicked
BUG Fixes:
- Collisions for hardcover and noshoot targets
- Metric faultlines were not rendering correctly
- Fixed resizing issue
- Made custom drawn faultlines colorable

Hey everyone! v1.1.0 is here (for Windows) and brings some new features - including Jerry Mode, which is unlocked after beating the game once. Jerry has lower gravity and acceleration and gets knocked back further by enemies, but his low gravity gives him a higher backflip and more leeway with skips. Platforming is floatier, but combat is slightly harder. Consider it "diet hard mode."

macOS + Linux versions will be updated within the coming days.

NEW FEATURES
-border artwork by @catstorm26 can be toggled in config
-unlockable JERRY MODE after beating the game once (must reach ending + results screen to unlock)
-jerry has lower gravity and acceleration
-selectable when creating a new file
-altered npc dialogue and ending as jerry
-slightly different pivoting/hurt sfx
-npc text can now be sped up by holding the jump button
-fullscreen toggle saves/loads properly now

OTHER CHANGES
-hell well to graveyard skip no longer possible but you can access the area earlier than normal
-hell well entrance is shorter so you can get over it now
-3rd doublejump in hell well counts as its own double jump now, increasing total double jumps to 4
-secret graveyard rerouted to drop player back in field outskirts
^-the existing exit into the vortex now requires 365 kills
-thunderbird redesigned & changed to mechagryphon
^-change reflected in bestiary, credits, monster cast & name popup
-keys added to bandroom area to prevent a softlock if entered from soccer field without backflip
-blocked off entrance to dark vortex from binky room
-dark vortex main entrance is a little higher up
-sasquatch hp 40 -> 50
-sasquatch makes another sound when he dies
-great demon (catacombs boss) has been heavily reworked to be easier with most weapons
^-great demon hp 40 -> 45
^-turret hp 6 -> 1
^-turrets will reset when hp reaches a certain threshold, and increase in number (up to 7)
^-turrets now start further away but close in as boss hp is depleted
^-scythe attack has new animation & sound cue
^-overall fight is much more fair and fun to play
-terry now has a tail in crowbar attack animations
-spider scythe is now visible when enemy is darkened
-save points now only restore your hp once per game load/respawn
-reloading the game no longer restores your hp (you must use the save point's one restore)
-collisions fixed in wary skies entrance
-sword weapon hit3 damage 2.5 -> 1 (rip)
-slingshot bullets & sword slashes can't hit darkened physics enemies anymore
-whip now costs 0 coins instead of 90 (now matches other non-shop weapons)
-amalgam-nation now waits to shoot fireballs until within view
-laser bullets have 1 more animation frame before firing
-hitting a wall with the scythe doesn't send you as high
-hammer weapon damage 1.25 -> 1.5
-nunchaku weapon damage 0.66 -> 0.75
-scythe weapon damage 3-> 2.5
-entrance to monster rave moved inward (easier to figure out)
-lochness monster stun time lowered
-fireballs have slightly smaller hitbox
-slingshot weapon charged damage 0.67 -> 1
-fixed terry's victory jump sprite
-corrected cellar area name above catacombs entrance
-removed the ladder platform in the aliengator boss arena since it made fighting the head too easy
-meteor hammer weapon cost 0 -> 40

The Architect's Collection will launch alongside a huge update the base game on 11th November 2021.

In the last post I went in-depth on the new sandbox mode. This time I'll shed some light on the other most exciting new features.

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed in the trailer and screenshots that some of the guests are paying more attention to decorations outside your tanks than before.



Previously, decorations only earned you prestige when a guest viewed them inside a tank, but once this update goes live they will earn you prestige when placed externally too.

One of the neat things about launching this alongside the Architect's Collection is that the expansion contains a set of dividers (like the velvet rope you can see in the picture above) that can be used to cordon off your decorations while still allowing your guests to view them.

Fun fact: guests can view external decorations from up to 3 tiles away!

Staying on the theme of making the spaces between your tanks as important as the tanks themselves—in the new update paints will earn you prestige!

As your guests traverse your aquarium they will note all the painted objects they encounter (including the floor itself). Once they have encountered a sufficient amount of an individual paint, they'll earn you some prestige.

I really like this mechanic because it rewards you for making a beautiful aquarium—something you'll probably want to be doing anyway. I also like the way it requires a build up of a single paint style which incentivises you to theme your aquarium in blocks - much like a real aquarium!

NB If you're not a paint enthusiast, don't worry! Painting is not mandatory. It's just another opportunity to convert your design skill into prestige.

I've upgraded the floor arrow to give a more intuitive behaviour. It attracts guests to it and then sends them on their way in a straight line in the direction it points.

Guests will explore all the attractions in an area first, before paying attention to the floor arrow. This makes floor arrows really helpful for moving guests along to the next area, rather than dawdling about getting lost!

Overall this new behaviour is more transparent and provides better feedback than the old arrows did, so it's easier to tweak them to your liking.

I've wanted to add one-way gates to the game for a long time. They are another example of a deceptively simple idea which took a significant system rewrite to get working. The result is really nice though.



You can use these gates to enforce a one-way system around a small part of, or even your entire aquarium! Thankfully staff can still pass through the gate in either direction.

With their inclusion it's easy to automatically trap guests so they cannot leave. To combat this I've included some new negative guests thoughts when guests want to leave but cannot find a path to the exit.

So be warned: while it's very easy to trap guests inside your aquarium, your prestige will take a significant hit if you try it. ;)

This one is straight out of the community suggestion inbox. Previously you could prohibit a staff from carrying out tasks of certain skill levels. However, this was applied to all roles at once.



This meant that if a staff member was good at fixing but poor at feeding, you couldn't prevent them from doing the high skill feeding tasks without also stopping them doing the fixing ones too!

In response to player feedback I have split this control so there is a separate set of toggles for each role.

I'm so pleased with how Megaquarium continues to evolve. Thank you all for your ongoing attention, I hope you enjoy everything when it goes live on November 11th.

Tim

Hello everyone!

The Gayming Awards, presented by Twitch, returns for its second year in April 2022. With a mission to celebrate diversity and inclusivity globally within games and interactive media. We had the honor of being nominated for best LGBTQ Indie Game last year with our other title, Errant Kingdom. We didn't win, but just being included among some other INCREDIBLE indie titles who are putting queer representation out there in beautiful ways was such an honor, and also instrumental in getting a tiny team like ours always-needed attention.

If you enjoyed When The Night Comes it would truly mean the world to us if you would spare a few minutes to NOMINATE US!

Our Starni Autumn Sale is now live and will be running between November 6th and November 20th.

It is a good time to prepare presents for your mates or yourself before the winter holidays! So don't miss the chance and grab SM: The Pacific at a bargain. Save 40% off the full price:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/991810/Strategic_Mind_The_Pacific/

🎁 Don't miss the opportunity and save up to 40% on Strategic Mind Franchise:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341170/Strategic_Mind_Spectre_of_Communism/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/


https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/

Our Starni Autumn Sale is now live and will be running between November 6th and November 20th.

It is a good time to prepare presents for your mates or yourself before the winter holidays! So don't miss the chance and grab SM: Spectre of Communism at a bargain. Save 30% off the full price:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341170/Strategic_Mind_Spectre_of_Communism/

🎁 Don't miss the opportunity and save up to 40% on Strategic Mind Franchise:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/991810/Strategic_Mind_The_Pacific/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/


https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/