Nov 2, 2023

Golfing In Aether - FREE Dustbowl Expansion Coming Soon

Golfing in Aether - Vetron

Today I want to show off the upcoming free expansion coming this November which you can find listed below as coming soon. It will include a new theme that works with all existing levels as well as introducing 10 new additional levels.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2577930/Golfing_In_Aether__Dustbowl/
Please note that this is work in progress and not due to release till November 14th so some visual elements could well change in between now and then.

Dustbowl theme

For this theme it introduces a desert-like environment, with as the title suggests a lot of sand and dust has been thrown up, covering the otherwise grassy levels. You will also find the water areas dried up and lots of things normally found in the levels worn down compared to usual.

Beyond the reskinning you'll find a few new art assets such as animal skulls in some of the dried up water areas, and music specific to the theme. There is also a new obstacle type / mechanic which I will discuss later in this post.

The above screenshots are from existing levels 'Leapfrog' and 'You feeling lucky?'. All existing levels will be able to work with this new theme.

Levels 'Through the gap' and 'Go for a putt'

For this expansion I wanted to add some more earlier levels to help improve the balance when it comes to how levels are chosen as part of the random courses. Following feedback these levels also have more of an emphasis purely putting rather multiple holes.

While these levels are small they still do offer an element of challenge if aiming for a hole in one.

Levels 'Fore fun' and 'Mini jump'

These next two levels I'm showing how they look with existing 'Spring' and 'Winter' themes, all new levels will work with previous themes adding to the overall diversity when it comes to playing a random course whichever theme you wish to play with.

The levels shown above also feature a new obstacle type know as the 'Flipper'. This behaves similar to vertical movers (barricades that go up and down) except in this case offers a ramp, which can be to your or advantage or not depending on the level. A few of the levels will feature this new mechanic in different ways.

Level 'Fork in the road'

Of course not all levels are small in this expansion and this is a late level included which includes a similar theme of maze-like behavior as found in some of the existing late game levels. There is about a half dozen or more possible ways to complete this one, so you'll have to find the best path to a hole in one.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2577930/Golfing_In_Aether__Dustbowl/

Coming this November

Just a reminder that this expansion is entirely free and will be available November 14th. If you wish to keep track of when this will be released then add it to your wishlist.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1914980/Golfing_In_Aether/
Golfing in Aether is currently on sale for 70% off till the 8th November along with a currently running halloween event ending on the 14th. Dustbowl will be the fourth free expansion released bringing the games included level count to a total of 70. More content is planned.

Discord Server

Be sure to check out the official discord server with channels for Golfing In Aether and my other various projects.

Nov 2, 2023

Update 14

PunjiVR: The Vietnam War - Sir Loin of Beef II

Highlights:

Updated Default Gun Alignment:
They now align properly to your controllers and should feel more natural to hold
Open Bolt Weapon Remake:
They now fire when the bolt closes instead of when the trigger's pulled, leading to a more realistic and unique feel
Mission Difficulty Settings
New Settings Menu:
Settings are now consistently saved & loaded, the UI is a lot cleaner and more straightforward, and you can now configure them from your rucksack menu anywhere in the game!
Gunstock Mode:
Enable it in the settings menu
Bolts no longer automatically release and can be held back / manipulated manually

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Major Changes/Fixes:

Replaced TT-33 pistol with a better model
Organized and standardized materials (helps performance & development workflow)
Remade most UI (check the changelog below for more info)
Added more cover between spawn and the rest of the temple on Ruins
Fixed issue with MAS 49/56 & Tokarev bolt/slide not functioning correctly
Changed skyboxes, fog, and lighting palette on multiple maps
Changed socket spawners to trigger grab to avoid misgrabbing with main weapons
Repositioned VZ61 second-hand grab position. It behaves like the other pistols now

Minor Changes/Fixes:

Fixed issue where distant audio sounds wouldn't play
Changed scale on multiple guns
Made grenade explosion effect larger
Added more effects to grenade explosion
Enemies no longer talk when they're dead :(
Fixed Type56 bayonet (it unfolds properly again)
AI gunshot sounds now keep playing after they die
Fixed collision issue with VZ61
Decreased AI visibility distance on Bridge
Adjusted enemy presence values on all missions
Optimized multiple missions
Fixed bugged enemy spawn on Elephant Grass
Fixed collision issues with player & M16, XM177
Made in-game Discord link more straightforward & visible
Rearranged mission select UI
Heavily simplified & optimized settings script
Removed outdated settings options
Slightly lowered threshold before scroll bars activate to make button clicks easier
Fixed settings load order to be on par with script load order
Settings UI now properly shows correct information on start
Replaced outdated AI helicopters in Firebase Range
Reworded a few rucksack hints for clarity
Made PunjiVR logo more visible on startup
Made back of all menu UI a solid color (no longer transparent at some angles)
Renamed "Reload Scene" to "Restart Mission"
Fixed visual artifacting when looking at emissive materials
Disabled outdated camera settings on XM21 scope
Fixed minor hand grabber issues outside of main menu scene
Reworded, removed, updated, and added to the rucksack tips
Made grenade explosion effect bigger
Polished and added to grenade explosion effect
Added more AI cover triggers to multiple positions on multiple object prefabs
Minor rendering optimizations to Ruins, Firebase Range, Streets, & Bridge
Made intel more visible on Highlands
Made single round ammo storable in chest rig
Fixed issues with side shells on sawn-off shotgun
Applied more accurate material color to XM21 scope
Fixed magazine positions on M14, XM21, & VZ 61
Removed easter egg M14 (golden one) on Firebase Range due to it being extremely outdated... Will add more secrets later
Fixed issue with hand disappearing when opening the M79 while grabbing w/ forward hand
Changed materials on multiple items
Fixed issue with visible magazine ammo not appearing on start sometimes
Fixed bugged grab point on MAS 49/56
Normalized scaling on a few outdated weapon models
Fixed issues with some effects not playing in local space (leading them to be rotated wrong in game)
Moved ammo spawners closer to player on tables
Fixed issue with turn setting UI not displaying correctly
The health watch is now hidden on left hand grab to avoid it floating in the air
Arranged menu ammo spawners & made them easier to grab
Fixed issue where hand model wasn't appearing when grabbing some bolts
Made shotgun pumps a little more responsive. More polish is needed though
Fixed Type56 bolt lockback issue
Grabbing the M60's top cover now requires you to be holding onto the main grip first (prevents it freaking out when grabbed by itself)
Repositioned unfair sniper on Bridge

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Closing:

This was a smaller update but a necessary one. It fixed a lot of the long term issues with PunjiVR, including accurate gun alignment and bolt manipulation while also adding a few heavily requested features like a gunstock mode and difficulty settings. Now that this update's out, the entire experience should be a lot smoother and less janky feeling.

If you missed the previous announcement, a testing branch was added about a week ago which let you guys check out and provide feedback on the update before the actual release. It helped me out a ton and saved a lot of time and effort for development, so I will definitely continue doing this for future updates. If you are interested in helping test out future content early, stay alert for announcements here or join the discord (link below) to get instant notifications when a new testing build is ready.

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As for the future, I will be reverting back to a more frequent update schedule to try and get at least one major update out every month. I tried the slow but large release schedule with the past few updates, but that style leaves far too much downtime for the state PunjiVR's in right now.

The next update, U15, will introduce a new gamemode and mission called Dustoff. Dustoff will be the first actual transport helicopter mission with a simple but replayable objective: Pick up wounded soldiers at a randomly placed landing zone, then bring them back to base. You'll need to save as many men as you can before the timer runs out.

Along with the new mission, Update 15 will continue to focus on general polish and bugfixing.

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I wanted to close this off by thanking you all for your continued support and feedback. I know the past few months have slowed down in terms of new updates, with the AI Overhaul and scrapped graphics update taking up a lot of time, but I'm hoping that the new update cycle will start to kick everything back into full gear. If you experience in bugs, have any suggestions, or just want to stay up to date with PunjiVR, make sure to check out the links below. Thanks again and make sure to keep your eyes peeled!

Discord
Twitter
Subreddit

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

How to Revert to the Last Stable Update:

Right-Click on "PunjiVR" in your Steam library
Select "Properties"
In the properties tab, select "Betas"
Click on the dropdown box, then select the option for last_stable_build

If you want to go back to the most recent update, follow the same process but click on "None" in the dropdown box.

Nov 2, 2023

Early Access 0.5 Patch Notes

Mutagenic - zediven

Hello everybody!

OK, I admit it has been a long time since a major update, and I apologize for that.

Having said that, I'm excited to finally have Early Access patch 0.5 out in the wild!

The following are patch notes for the patch overhaul:

High Level Changes

Various new Weapon, Curse, and Aura Skills, including unlockable customization system
Vastly expanded and modified Passive Tree
Customizable Character Outfits
Numerous new mod types, attributes, and skill mechanics
Performance Optimizations Galore
World map progression system
Support for boss fights & arenas
New ladder/leaderboard system
Powerful, drop-only endgame mods
Magic and Rare monster mods
Player Damage Log
Complete rebalance of monster and player power

New Skills

This patch introduces a couple of new skills, which can all be augmented with Skill Supports listed in a later section. New skills will be added in upcoming patches.

Minigun: Rapid fire weapon.
Icy Shard Burst: Cast a volatile ball of ice at a nearby enemy, which releases shards in random directions. Extra projectiles affect the number of released shards. Shards cannot pierce or chain.
Scorch Curse: Curse enemies in an area with Scorch, lowering their Fire Resistance by 25%.
Hypothermia Curse: Curse enemies in an area with Hyptothermia, lowering their Cold Resistance by 25%.
Polarize Curse: Curse enemies in an area with Polarize, lowering their Lightning Resistance by 25%.
Bane Curse: Curse enemies in an area with Bane, lowering their Toxic Resistance by 25%.
Rush Aura: You and nearby allies move faster.
Regeneration Aura: You and nearby allies have added life regeneration.
Resilience Aura: You and nearby allies have a chance to avoid ailments.

Example of Icy Shard Burst on a low level character:

Skill Supports

Extra Projectiles: Skill fires 2 extra projectiles, but deals 30% Less Damage.
Sniper: Projectiles have no spread.
Collateral Damage: Projectiles deal 30% of hit damage to nearby enemies.
Puncturing Shots: Projectiles gain +3 Pierce.
Ricocheting Shots: Projectiles gain +2 Chain, but deal 30% Less Damage.
Quicker Projectiles: Projectiles gain 30% More Projectile Speed.
Focus: Skill deals 50% More Damage, but will never Critically Strike.
Critical Honing: Skill gains +1.5% Base Critical Strike Chance, and has 125% Increased Critical Strike Chance.
Critical Mass: Skill gains 100% Critical Strike Multiplier.
Bloody: Skill gains +25% Physical Ailment Chance, and 15% More Physical Ailment Effect.
Ignition: Skill gains +25% Fire Ailment Chance, and 15% More Fire Ailment Effect.
Chilling: Skill gains +25% Cold Ailment Chance, and 15% More Cold Ailment Effect.
Charged: Skill gains +25% Lightning Ailment Chance, and 15% More Lightning Ailment Effect.
Poison: Skill gains +25% Toxic Ailment Chance, and 15% More Toxic Ailment Effect.
Lacerating: Skill gains 50% Increased Physical Ailment Effect.
Stunner: Skill gains 50% Increased Lightning Ailment Effect.
Frigid: Skill gains 50% Increased Cold Ailment Effect.
Scorched: Skill gains 50% Increased Fire Ailment Effect.
Venom: Skill gains 50% Increased Toxic Ailment Effect.
Wizardry: Skill gains 40% More Cast Speed.
Cold Attuned: Skill gains 50% Physical Damage Converted to Cold Damage.
Shock Attuned: Skill gains 50% Physical Damage Converted to Lightning Damage.
Fire Attuned: Skill gains 50% Physical Damage Converted to Fire Damage.
Expansive: Skill gains 50% Increased Area of Effect, and 25% More Area Damage.
Physical Damage: Skill gains 40% More Physical Damage.
Lightning Damage: Skill gains 40% More Lightning Damage.
Cold Damage: Skill gains 40% More Cold Damage.
Fire Damage: Skill gains 40% More Fire Damage.
Toxic Damage: Skill gains 40% More Toxic Damage.
Physical Penetration: Skill gains 25% Physical Penetration.
Lightning Penetration: Skill gains 25% Lightning Penetration.
Cold Penetration: Skill gains 25% Cold Penetration.
Fire Penetration: Skill gains 25% Fire Penetration.
Toxic Penetration: Skill gains 25% Toxic Penetration.
Ailment Duration: Skill gains 50% Increased Ailment Duration.
Enhanced Ailments: Skill gains 50% Chance to inflict Enhanced Ailments.
Increased Duration: Skill gains 50% Increased Skill Duration
Potent Suppression: Skill gains 30% More Damage over Time
Vulnerability: Skill gains 30% Chance to Inflict Vulnerable on Hit, and has inflicts Vulnerable with 25% Increased Vulnerable Effect.
Weakness: Skill gains 30% Chance to Inflict Exposure on Hit, and has inflicts Exposure with 25% Increased Exposure Effect.
Doomed: Skill gains 20% More Curse Effect.
Large Curses: Skill gains 50% Increased Area of Effect with Curse Skills.
Infection: Skill gains +1 Infection Spread Count
Cast on Crit: Skill is cast when another skill inflicts a critical strike. Skill does not auto cast, and cannot trigger other skills.
Cast on Crit: Skill is cast when another skill inflicts a critical strike. Skill does not auto cast, and cannot trigger other skills. Skill deals 40% Less Damage.
Cast on Kill: Skill has a 10% chance to cast when another skill inflicts a killing blow. Skill does not auto cast, and cannot trigger other skills. Skill deals 30% More Damage.
Volatility: Skill is cast when hitting an enemy with any non-triggered skill. Skill consumes a random number of Boons to deal 20% more damage for each consumed Boon. Must have at least one active boon to cast. Skill does not auto cast, and cannot trigger other skills. Skill deals 15% Less Damage.
Precision Boon on Critical Strike: Skill has a 40% Chance to gain a Precision Boon when it Critically Strikes.

More Skill Supports are planned for upcoming patches.

Cosmetics

I've introduced support to customize the look of your character!

Passive Tree

A complete rebalance of the Passive Tree, and an expansion of it as well!

Gene Drop Improvements

Genes drop from enemies, and have a high chance of having at least one max-tier roll on them. In high tier zones (80+), new Drop-Only mods can roll on items, enabling further build varieties!

Low Tier Gene Drop:

Monster Changes

Monsters can now randomly spawn as a Magic Pack or with a Rare Monster, which are tougher enemies but provide more experience and higher chance of good loot!

A rare monster and some magic monsters:

New Stat Options

Alongside the changes to the skill system, I've introduced various new ways to scale damage and defenses. There are now 5 attributes on the Passive Tree, and as mods on items:

Constitution: Grants 1 Maximum Life per Constitution
Strength: Grants 1% Increased Armor per Strength
Agility: Grants 1% Increased Evasion per Agility
Wisdom: Grants 1% Increased Damage per 5 Wisdom
Finesse: Grants 1% Increased Cast Speed per 5 Finesse

As well as the innate bonuses these stats provide, there are mods that let you use them as your main method to scale damage! Check out the mods in-game to see.

Boons

I've also introduced a Boon system to Mutagenic, which are temporary buffs which grant offensive and defensive power to your character. There are multiple ways to get these Boons, and ways to scale both offense and defense with them. There are some drop-only mods which interact with these in powerful ways.

Summary

This patch introduces a lot of change to Mutagenic. The game is vastly different that it was before, and I apologize if this is an unwanted change for some. I'm considering keeping the old version on a beta-only branch if there is demand. I promise this version will be much better, and I intend on improving it in the coming months.

Thank you, and good luck!

If anybody is interested in writing/theorycrafting some build guides for new players, please do so!

Cheers,
zediven

Nov 2, 2023

Echoes of the Plum Grove is 🟢 LIVE 🟢 on Kickstarter!

Echoes of the Plum Grove - Informality

Thanks to the help of our AMAZING backers, Echoes of Plum Grove is already 100% funded!!!

Thanks to all of your help, we have fully funded our project!!! (In less than 90 minutes, at that!) We cannot tell you how excited and touched we are by all of your support. From the bottoms of our cozy little hearts, thank you all so much!!!

Our Kickstarter launched on October 31st and our community got it funded so quickly we completely forgot to ensure our Steam post was out in all the excitement! The Kickstarter will be live through December 4th so you haven't missed much. Make sure to check it out!

Because it was funded so quickly, we we're already offering stretch goals! Below are our current goals with the first one - Thunderstorms - already having been met! The second stretch goal is really close to being reached as well. 🤯

We were far from ready for the overwhelming support that we've received, so we'll be adding more to our stretch goals list over the next several weeks. Once again, thank you all so much! ❤️❤️❤️

And last but not least, we have a demo live on Steam! This demo gives you roughly 2-3 hours of play time and access to a special Character Creation mode where you can design your own tourist or ghost that could become part of the game if you back at one of those tiers or higher!

There are lots more updates to come so make sure to wishlist the game, join our Discord, and follow us on our socials to see even more!

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                                                            Click the buttons above and below to find us off Steam!

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