Oct 3, 2023

DINO MERCS - GingerrrT

Early Access release version 4.0.0 is live for all players on Steam!

This is another HUGE update. As always with updates this size, there will be bugs, balance issues, and broken things. If you have any issues, please let me know here on Steam or, even better, on the DINO MERCS discord.

This update introduces a brand-new character: EPHEMERYS!

Ephemerys is a stealthy close quarters assassin who prefers to strike from the shadows. She utilizes the new Stealth stat to quickly dispatch enemies. A number of brand-new cards have been added that give you Stealth, and use Stealth to land deadly blows.

BOSSES have also been added!

Bosses are encountered every 20 sectors and will seriously test your survivability. They get access to some of the most deadly cards in the game and provide a hefty challenge to various play styles.

Currently, there are two bosses, with more coming soon!

Here's a full list of everything that's been added, changed, and/or fixed in this update:

- New: a brand new playable character - Ephemerys. She uses Stealth to avoid damage and land lethal blows on her enemies.
- New: Stealth - this stat reduces damage taken (prevents most damage if playing as Ephemerys), but once you attack, you lose all your stealth points. Use Stealth points to power up deadly Stealth attack cards.
- New: Stealth cards!
- New: new faction of enemies - Fascists! The Fascists field mechanical units and heavily armored vehicles to deadly effect. Try not to die.
- New: Bosses - extra-deadly enemies that will test your deck and skills to the max. They appear every 20 Sectors, so be prepared!
- New: Card Slots have been totally reworked. Instead of Weak/Average/Deadly and Positive/Negative, slots are assigned a multiplier based on how far into a run you’ve progressed. For example, a slot might power up (or power down) the effects of a card by 2x or by -2x. This should help remove some of the guesswork involved in positioning cards and make things simply easier to reason about in general. A big thank you to DINO MERC’s community manager, Strateture, for the inspiration behind this change.
- New: Since Card Slots work differently now, I reworked every card in the game … again. Expect a lot of upcoming balancing fixes. Things might be a little rough around the edges for a number of cards.

- Change: environmental damage from Operation Events is significantly reduced and is handled like combat damage (i.e. affects shield, then armor, then HP)
- Change: increase every playable character's starting Shield/Armor/HP
- Change: I thought have smaller numbers would help make things more strategic. Instead, it (personally) feels like small numbers are less fun, more difficult to balance, and appear to be “less powerful”. So I’m basically doubling every number (damage, stats, etc.)
- Change: cost of unlocking a new character is now 7, instead of 5.
- Change: player is rewarded 1 unlock point for every 2 sectors completed (rounded up, increased from every 3 sectors completed)
- Change: increase width of tooltips to prevent tooltips that are way too tall

- Bugfix: add in score details to Mission Complete screen

What's next?

I'm getting close to the end of Early Access - I'm specifically aiming to have the game finished before Christmas-time/late December. I'm focusing on lots of balance fixes, getting rid of all the bugs, and introducing various quality-of-life changes. There won't be much more new content at this point before the game leaves early access (you can expect another character, another boss, and some new cards at the very least!) since I want to focus on getting the game really polished.

I'll have more updates to share soon. In the meantime, have a spooky October!

- Tim (the dev)

Oct 3, 2023

Answer the Survey and Redeem Rewards!

Seasonal Soccer - Icany

Hi!

Participate in the survey and claim a free game or course product! You can choose any game product from F-Games' selection as your reward. When you have responded to the survey, send the information to my profile on Steam or via email (below). The survey is anonymous, but you can, for example, indicate your country when responding, or if you filled out the contact information form at the end of the survey, you can provide your first name. You can also choose to only fill out the contact information form at the end of the survey, and I will send you a link to the game prize list.

By responding to the survey, you also provide valuable information that will assist in the development of my courses and, of course, in the field of education and training in general after the research is completed!

I would be grateful if you could find time to answer the research! As a reward, you can choose any course product from my selection (The selection consists of the courses I have created.). Game rewards are also available. The survey is conducted anonymously.

You can access the survey here:

Link to the Survey

You can also access the survey by scanning this QR-code by your phone:

This research is part of Business Information Technology thesis.

The study aims to gain an understanding of the impact of virtual learning platforms on learning and learning outcomes.

The survey covers various interesting themes:

Theme 1: Learning Styles

Theme 2: Motivational Factors and Positive Experiences with Virtual Learning

Theme 3: Negative Experiences with Virtual Learning

Theme 4: Game-Based Learning

Theme 5: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Learning and Teaching

I would appreciate it if you could find the time to respond to the survey! It should take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete. Please respond to the survey by October 6, 2023 (end of Saturday on your time zone)

You can choose to answer open-ended questions in your native language (the survey is international). Mandatory questions are marked with asterisks.

If you wish, you can also have access to the research results as the study provides valuable information to the education field.

Receive a game or course product for free as a reward

The survey is conducted anonymously, but if you would like to receive a free game product or course product as a reward, or participate in a special product drawing, please leave your contact information below. You can choose a game or course product from the list. A list of available game and course products to choose from will be sent to you via email.

If you wish, you can also provide open feedback. You can leave feedback anonymously as well. If you want a response to your feedback or wish to receive the survey results once they are available, please remember to leave your contact information below.

We will also contact you via email regarding the results of the drawing, so please make sure to enter your email address in the field! The drawing will take place within 2-4 weeks after the survey concludes. However, you can claim the prize right away by sending an email.

When you have answered the survey and wish to receive the reward, please send an email to me or if you filled the form with your name and email, wait my contact. I will send you a list of available reward games in the reply message. If you'd like a course product as your prize, the quickest way is to send a message via email, and I will send you a list of courses for which you can receive a code. You can also leave your contact information on the form that opens after completing the survey, and I will send you the list.

Have a great week ahead!

IcanY

Oct 3, 2023

Hotfix #001

Quasimorph - Supertehteh

Hello mercenaries!
Thank you to everyone who purchased the game and supported us at the beginning of our journey. We see your feedback and will try to address the issues you've been mentioning as soon as possible.

Believe us, we want the game to be engaging and rewarding, and we'll do everything necessary to ensure you can enjoy it while preserving its core.

So, the first hotfix!

Died and left without items? Now, after death, you'll receive a special emergency pack to help you get back into the game and seek revenge! disassemble it down and get a set of starting items.
Made numerous balance adjustments and increased difficulty progression.
Increased the starting inventory.
Weapons and armor lose their durability more slowly
Fixed an issue where the durability bar didn't always display the item's actual state.
Fixed a situation where Quasimorphs remained in an invulnerable state after phasing.
If the player is in a running state, a warning will now be displayed that you can't use the inventory.

Good luck in your raids, mercenaries!

Oct 3, 2023

Tactical Assault VR v0.6.76

Tactical Assault VR - Default_Cube

Additions:
• Added Void map to PvP
• Added separated teams list in PvP (Offensive/Defensive)
• Added Handbrake foregrip

Fixes:
• Fixed tinted goggles showing up in view and obstructing player vision
• Fixed MP7 Magazine bullets not depleting
• Fixed Players List not refreshing after the player is disconnected and the left-hand menu is not open.
• Fixed Void bomb not setting the wire colors properly when the lid is opened.
• Fixed Void bomb displaying wire text and including the word "(Instance)" leading to players yelling in confusion "Blue...instance?!" lol!
• Fixed: Private rooms can now be joined after the private room exits a mission and players are back in the lobby

Improvements:
• Improved PvP player bullet damage
• Improvements to the enemy alert system

Changes:
• M4A1 front iron sights removed from other sight selections. The decision is based on the majority of user feedback on Discord. Iron sights on the M4A1 are only available on the Iron Sight selection. The option will make a return in a future update.
• Helmet w/Dual nods will now show the original, more restricted silhouette
• (Quest 2) Removed shooting smoke particle fx. The smoke particles bog down performance in PvP during heavy firefights. Weapon smoke may possibly make a return depending on future performance optimizations
• Increased Ai enemy fire rate if the player is in close range of the enemy

Oct 3, 2023

Behind the scenes

Community Announcements - k.tutaeva

We asked the project’s head artist a few questions. Also, he shared some early concept art for the characters and constructions!

On the visual style

I initially joined the project that already had a faceted low poly visual style with its sharp-edged shapes and a relatively large amount of small details.

For a while there, the team and I kept adhering to that style, but later, we decided to change the visual for the houses, and that’s where it all began. I gained more creative freedom, and the guys supported the idea of changing the visual style for the rest of the game content.

The inspiration

We based our vision on the idea of conveying the sense of the shapes’ “plumpness” in a minimalistic, vibrant style. We decided to get rid of small details and intentionally over-emphasize only the most important parts for greater expressiveness.

That idea was implemented in other production stages as well, such as VFX and animation. We tried to achieve the maximum artistic expression with the minimum amount of means.

Favorite character in MiniLife

As is my tradition based on other games, I usually play for supporting classes that deal with installing turrets, mines, traps, etc. MiniLife was no exception - Felix is my favorite :)

What’s next?

The game’s development is currently well underway, and with each day, we’re getting closer and closer to the release. But there are many interesting things ahead, so don’t forget to subscribe to the game updates so that you don’t miss a thing.