- Players can now replay previous level - Fixed a number of small gameplay bugs - Optimized gameplay - Improved player control - e.g., player can carry on running after datura runs out - Bunch of other level balancing tweaks
Important note: Due to the implementation of the new level saving/loading system, this update will erase all previously saved game progress!
Howdy chocolate fans! It’s time for another development update for Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory. September and October is always a tricky month for me since my day job, university lecturer, is at its busiest. But there have been some new additions and some exciting developments with our wishlist numbers - let's start with that!
As many of you know, wishlists are really important to ensure we don’t sink to the bottom of the steam store page, and normally we are happy if we get between 10 and 20 new wishes a week. Last week we got over 1,500! I have no idea why this happened, all I know is a lot more people are searching for the game on Steam - let me know how you discovered the game and if you are one of those 1,500. Our target number of wishes is 7,000 and we are currently sitting at 3,650 which I’m pretty pleased with - thanks to everyone who has wishlisted and shared our game around.
Popcorn
This month we added popcorn to the game. Popcorn mechanically works quite similar to almonds, you start with a kernel and need to heat it up to pop it. Once you have popcorn you might need to cover it in chocolate. But it feels quite different to almonds for a few reasons, firstly the size of the ingredient changes from the small kernel to a large popcorn when you process it. Secondly, the popcorn doesn’t weigh much so you can use fans and other things to move it around the level.
Lots of level design
The main thing I’ve been spending my time on recently is level design, currently I’ve got about 50 levels complete using the ingredients implemented so far. Level design is something I can do in an evening so it is great for this time of year.
Moving forward I need to resist doing level design and adding new ingredients and put a bit of time into the growing list of bugs and other feedback you’ve given us from playing the demo. Those things are hard to make a TikTok about but super important to get done.
Thanks again for all the support - please continue to share the game with friends and ask them to wishlist!
Remember you can watch all these new mechanics in action over on our TikTok.
1. When and where will the demo be released? The release will take place on October 9th on Steam.
2. Will there be multiplayer in the demo? Unfortunately, no, because unexpected difficulties arose with networking and bugs. We could have spent more time improving the multiplayer, but we decided to focus all our attention on a large amount of content.
3. Why was the demo made? For us, first of all, this is an open beta test to collect feedback from players and fix all the bugs. Thanks to the demo, we will be able to improve the game for release.
4. How much content will be in the demo? The demo will have 1 map available (5 rooms + basement + garage), limited random generation, 4 classes, 4 characters, 20 modifiers, 7 perks.
5. How many languages will there be in the demo? 10 languages will be available: English (full), German, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Turkish and Russian.
6. Will the demo always be available? At the moment yes. The demo will be available during release.
7. When will the demo be completely ready? We split the demo into three stages. Now in stage 2 we are fixing all the bugs and adding new content (models, animations and items). Stage 2 will last approximately two weeks after launch. During Stage 3 we will be working on improving localization, sounds, interface and optimization.
English ############Content################ [The Anomalous Nation]The story continues as you can now meet your contact in the house near the paddy field. [The Anomalous Nation]You can ask her for some geographical information about the Nise Federation. [The Anomalous Nation]You can ask her about the scarecrows outside. [The Anomalous Nation]You can ask her about The House near the Paddy Field. [Item]New item: Crude Map of the Nise Federation. (The description of this item reveals another anomalous attribution of this nation.) [Item]You can get the Crude Map of the Nise Federation when you talk to your contact in the main story mission "The Anomalous Nation." [Item]You can get the Crude Map of the Nise Federation as loot in The House near the Paddy Field. 简体中文 ############Content################ 【异常国度】你现在可以在水田近家找到你的联络人，从而可以继续主线剧情。 【异常国度】你可以询问你的联络人关于尼斯联盟的一些地理信息。 【异常国度】你可以询问你的联络人关于外面那些稻草人的事情。 【异常国度】你可以询问你的联络人关于水田近家这栋小屋的事情。 【物品】新物品：尼斯联盟的粗糙地图（物品的描述揭露了这个国度的另一个异常性质。） 【物品】你可以在主线任务【异常国度】中和你的联络人接触时获得一张尼斯联盟的粗糙地图 【物品】你也可以在调查水田近家时发现一张尼斯联盟的粗糙地图
We are announcing increased rates for the successful improvement of weapons and armor!
For 24 hours, you will be accompanied by the good magic of the multiplier:
🔥x1.5 UPGRADING
What does it mean? The chance of successfully improving equipment during this period becomes one and a half times higher. And that is not all! The bonus from the rate is multiplied with the bonus from the strengthening crystals, that is, using them, you can improve things with a chance 3 times higher than usual!
Most of this work right now involved getting voice actors recorded and trying to script all of the missions in to the game. However some additional tweaks, touch ups, and additions have gone in this week. Primary among them is the addition of 2 new guided weapons and a new guidance type for them. As well as a new user interface for the third person perspective.
This new TPP user interface is styled using all of the existing UI elements but is kept as minimal as possible. It provides just enough information to give you what you need to fly and fight in the third person camera.
With all of the writing and some things getting intense with my day job and real world events, I have not had the opportunity to work in the engine as much as I would have liked. That said, work on Frontiers Reach should pick back up in the next week or two. Phase 2 of the WARMAP updates is likely to be the longest and biggest leap forward for the game in some time. As such I would like to give you a preview of what is coming in the future.
- Chapter 2 Chapter 2 contains 15 missions that are played out on the WARMAP. These missions will consist of both story missions and the old "Distress Beacon" missions that are getting a rework in the following weeks.
- Side Quests. There are 4 side quests currently being worked on that will be at least 3 missions long. Each side quest will end in a Black Site and reward the player with a new wingman to take on missions.
- New Weapons. As of right now there are 2 new weapons with a new guidance type. This new guidance type will require the player to keep the target within the radar fan in order to track the munition to the target. If the target falls outside of that radar fan, guidance will be temporarily lost. Putting the target back inside of the radar fan will start tracking again. This should allow for some interesting play with the weapons. Additional weapons types are in concept.
- New Enemies. While Phase 1 got the F-107 Broadbill heavy fighter and ZQ-53 Mizrak drone, Phase 2 will be introducing another new enemy. This new enemy will follow you throughout the WARMAP. Every mission you play in Chapter 2 will have a chance to initiate and encounter with the all the Lancer Squadron. A group of aces specifically tasked with hunting you down and blasting you out of the sky.
Last but not at least I have something I'd like to say with regards to real world events.
If you live in that region of planet Earth historically known as the Levant. Please be safe and strive to find accurate information.
It has been a wild week for us! A lot of streamers are covering Backpack Battles and right now it's the most played demo on Steam! So, thanks for checking the demo out and wishlisting the full game <3
We're only a two-person dev team and it's a surreal experience to see streamers we've been watching for years play our little indie game. Thank you so much <3
As you know, the game is still in early development and we'll add to it and tweak things every week.
This week, we're adding a crafted item, as well as a new autumn-themed skin for the Ranger. We are also working on improving the backpack management experience. You can now place bags onto other bags with items inside to swap them.
As always, you can check out all the balancing changes and fixes below, or in-game!
Joining the community
Do you have feedback for us devs? Or want to talk to other players about the game? Join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/sbEkqeUKNr
Patch notes for 0.5.3
NEW RECIPE: Crossblades
New Ranger Skin is available!
Bags can now be placed onto other filled bags, swapping items that are inside and throwing those out that don't fit
Item rarity distribution is now shown in a tooltip when hovering “Shop” sign top right
Push-to-Storage button is now more physical, so it’s hard to click by accident and more fun!
Storage box can now be lifted for no reason at all
Balance:
Reaper now starts with a Dagger instead of a Fly agaric
Piercing Arrow: Moved green tiles to make them easier to place. Generating Luck no longer counts as an activation.
