We’re just under two weeks from the launch of Astro Duel 2! To celebrate, we're pleased to reveal a BRAND NEW, NEVER BEFORE SEEN major game mode that will be available immediately at launch. Get ready for Bounty Mode.



Bounty Mode is a progression-based mini-campaign built on Astro Duel 2's addicting arena gameplay. Take to the stars and build up your riches and infamy as you play the role of intergalactic mercenary. Whether you're running with a pack of space outlaws with up to three players in co-op mode or flying solo, there are plenty of jobs available for a hired gun.

Get ready to face savage beasts and their nefarious robot wranglers, fend off relentless invaders, pull off daring heists, and tackle raiders armed to the teeth with jetpacks and rifles. It's an all-out cosmic brawl where every moment is packed with adrenaline-pumping action!



Weapons Testing in the Abyss: Ever wanted to play guinea pig with experimental weapons? Dive into dangerous, infested space caves and unleash havoc with technology that is as unpredictable as it is deadly. Your accuracy and reflexes won't be the only things put to the test in this mode: the real challenge will be utilizing your creativity and improvisation skills to wipe out your enemies as efficiently as possible.

Bloodsport in the Skies: Imagine this: waves of mutant pests infesting highrise buildings, and you? You're the exterminator. But there's a twist - as you mow down the hordes, the rich patrons above cheer for more blood and death. It's survival of the fittest, and in this game, the pests aren't the only ones with claws.



Upgrade and Explore: The Shadow Market is home to everything an outlaw needs to make it to the top. Everyone starts small, but as your influence grows, so will your fleet, arsenal, and abilities. But you're not just buying at Shadow Market. Your services are also for sale, and business is good. The more you prove yourself, the more attention you'll gain, bringing with it new jobs, bounties, and challenges. Earn your worth and take on the ever-growing gauntlet of black-market dirty work thrown your way by the salt of the galaxy.



Whether being played as a single-player campaign or as an all-nighter co-op experience, Bounty Mode brings a whole new depth to Astro Duel 2, and we're so happy to say that it will be available for FREE at launch on March 7th. If you haven't yet, please wishlist the game (and tell your friends to wishlist too!)

While we gear up for launch, come hang with us in the official Astro Duel 2 Discord server! Who knows- maybe we have even more to reveal? 👀🚀

- Wild Rooster

Myth of Empires will have an update and maintenance on 22:00 - 23:00 Feb 26 UTC. Please arrange your time accordingly and avoid any unnecessary loss. Maintenance time might change due to unexpected technical issues. Thank you for your support and understanding!

1. Auto reconnect while in the queue will no longer kick you out of the queue
2. Changed some translation in the Guild Depot
3. Changed some prompts of game bans

1. Fixed wrong blunt damage text for the Iron Halberd skins (Golden Lion Spear, Die Geji, Frost Halberd and Skyshatter Halberd).

<service note> As of this build, we are juust about done with the remaster. Some known (and reported) issues are still being addressed, but we are now essentially (99.7%) content complete! Only some remaining polish and bug fixing remains. Oh and still more info console images.

We… are…almost…at…v1.0!

IMPROVEMENTS:

-New ending now 99.5% completed…(sound, music, iDGi-1 alignment improvements and now properly utilizing quantum limbo, etc)
-V.O.I.C.E improvement: now checking if word count of voice rec result is even close to the word count of a phrase before considering it for similarity
-Many more Info Console articles polished, many images added (132 and counting…)
-Procedural dialog system implemented.
--Recycling too many Zenlil recyclables unnecessarily during non-war time can now cause…consequences.
--Rook specialists may now dynamically comment on your actions and can provide helpful feedback
-Added grenade arc visualizer to the KAR
-Shock and frag grenades are now consistent in their mechanics
-Shock and frag grenades will explode when hitting an enemy, bounce otherwise and explode shortly afterwards
-Added attenuation to frag grenade explosions
-Added the grenade visualizer to the strommon, and it fires more of a lobbing grenade now
-Changed it so that the final Kingo convo and using the bed is only triggered AFTER going to talk with Brig people
-VT Editor: Added info for how to include your mod for inclusion in the official virtual trainer content
-New briefing: Cleaned up all briefing text so that it is more readable and localizable, polished up various elements - briefing is now 99.99% done.
-Updating globals after quantum limbo for J.W. case, but any new global changes are saved regardless for transition into THE TOWER.
-Major improvements / finalized Introductory quantum limbo “making the initial connection” area
-Dream 2 quantum limbo details finalized
-Pawn 19 now goes back to working on her console soon after R25 fixes it

FIXES:

-Fixed energy usage bugs with the super jump and super speed
-Fixed missing metadata in zenlil_2 script for other line for turning off the lights/using the bed
-Fixed a bunch of instances where abandoning brig convos wouldn't fire the correct logic.
-Fixed various issues with new King conversation
-Fixed subtitles name on kiril
-Fixed subtitles not showing for voicebox moved cast members (pawn 32)
-Fixed airlocks not taking damage
-Fixed CEAR laser or blast not shutting off when bishop safety turns on
-Fixed missing clearing/failing/completing of missions through entire stream
-Terminating kiril ISS when zapping him in person so it doesn't play two at once. Also got rid of the hand gesture so it doesn't interfere with him bringing out his weapon.
-Fixed shocking getting stuck on if a tutorial pops while you are doing it
-Fixed signal text sometimes not showing up
-Fixed case of copying or branching saves screwing up the level versioning
-Deleted all erroneous transform tracks in Mission Ops convos that caused anim blips
-Fixed many instances of missing sequence tags and K15 chair "bouncing"
-Fixed wade convo in cockpit anim glitches reported on discord
-Restored original "what is that on your back" R25 lines during traitor confrontation
-Fixed hearing Zenlil turbulence in QL
-Fixed issue in ending quantum limbo where the landscape could completely obscure the disconnection tunnel

TWEAKS:

-Updated credits
-Stronger negative alignment reaction from everyone in Mission Ops if player does not heal pawn
-Stronger positive pawn alignment if you save his life

Hi there, long time no see! I guess the break between this and the previous news was the longest... Okay, okay. Jokes aside (but only for the next 1.5 minutes of reading this text), it's time to talk about the latest updates.

Ukrainian translation added to the game! Thanks to PineappleMan (aka. NikolasTesla) for his work. And also many thanks for his contribution to the Discord server of the game as a moderator: only because of him the channel with a gallery, where all sent fan-arts are collected, is still active. By the way, we recently reached 2000 members! If you are not on our server yet, but would like to chat a bit with other fans of the game... the link is below.

https://discord.gg/SG48X7h2q6


There's more news: you can now put the game and achievements from it on your profile showcase! This means that you can now remind yourself and your friends of the best choices you could make in this life.




And, before the promised Q&A, I'd like to mention one very cool video essay made by Bad Ghosts. It would be great to watch to revisit the Prototype ver., and also to listen to some pretty interesting thoughts on the story and the novel ifself. Highly recommended!

---

A: In addition to the well-known (and painful) method of deleting persistent files, recently one of the players managed to reset the progress by changing one number in the version of the game. Detailed tutorial in this video:

https://youtu.be/RXNXWmFyLtk?list=LL


A: Yes, you will be able to. And in the remaster, too.


A: It took about 3-4 months to write the script. The text was done in about 2 weeks. I drew all the graphics in 3 days. The music was written in 1 day, and I built the game on the engine in about the same amount of time... Deadlines do wonders.


A: It came out of a smooth metamorphosis of a completely different idea about girls in purgatory. Then I wrote a script from it about a girl and her alter ego trying to save her from her desire to disappear.

After that, I got tired of the depressing tone of the story, so I turned it into a parody where the main character had to go on dates with her alter egos. Then I got bored with that version, too, because it was so depressingly boring to write the text for this script, so I decided to send the main character on a date with the reader.

This idea turned out to be much more fun, and the plot remained purely comedic for a while... until I was hit with unrequited feelings that I couldn't and wouldn't show to anyone at the time. And that was how disks had created. And I came up with and wrote the whole thing just for a visual novel contest (which I later won, awesome!).


A: Unfortunately, no... Just because it's only for paid games or games with an in-game store. However, for the remake I think no problem!


A: Yes! I can't really give exact dates yet, but I will definitely make it in the future...


A: Yes! He has already written quite a lot of compositions just for REFLEXIA, from which we will then select which ones will go into the game and which ones will not.


A: Yuri harem will happen. Pantsu jokes can live without REFLEXIA, but REFLEXIA can't live without them. There will be as many fourth-wall jokes as I can come up with while I watch paint dry on that fourth wall. Men? I don't think there's much need for them inside the game when there's already plenty of them outside by the game on screen.


A: Yes.


A: Definitely! There will certainly be as many of them as in the Prototype ver. originally.


A: I have a lot of ideas about it, so there will definitely be plenty to do outside of the game. At the same time, any exploration and experimentation in the project directory won't be required to complete the game, just to see a little bit of new content. Not much more than that.


A: Yes! In addition to the already mentioned file manipulations, it will be possible to get them simply for special actions within the game. For example, for trying to break the dialog.


A: Nothing changes, both projects will remain on the old engine.


A: No. I don't think it makes any sense: there are too many choices in the game that this feature will bump into every time, still forcing you to go back to the mouse/spacebar.


A: In the long term, as many languages as possible, but how many will be on release is an another question. I still need to contact all the translators, which I'll do only after the English translation starts, so I won't promise anything yet... Anyway, it would be great to release the game with at least all the languages that are already in the Prototype ver.


A: No worries! While in the Prototype ver. they meet just once at the beginning of the second ending, in the remake their relationship will be one of the most important parts of the game. Although it may not seem that way at first...


A: Yes! And also yes, new colors will be introduced alongside blue in the remake.


A: I've fallen in love with REFLEXIA too much over the years to never go back to it again... However, for now I've decided that after the remake I want to definitely take a break from it. So even if I get ideas for new REFLEXIA games, it'll be a long time to wait for it.

Regarding new games in general... I still have a dozen or so other stories that I'd like to make in one form or another. It's mostly visual novels, but future works (starting with the remake) will have more gameplay implementations. That said, there's no need to worry about this within the visual novel genre: I want any new gameplay mechanics to emphasize the narrative, not to replace it by turning the game into a simulator game of something like that with occasional text insertions.


A: Thank you for wanting to support REFLEXIA and me as an author even more!!! ❤

I've now set up my page on boosty for this purpose. You can use it to send me some donation or make a subscription to the weekly development report. If enough people get interested in subscribing, I'll add more levels and rewards for them.

The link itself: https://boosty.to/mahoumaiden/donate



A: Yes! You can find me as @mahoumaiden.


Almost done! There are five more questions left, which are not really about REFLEXIA or my work in general, but about me myself.


A: I'm much better now! I'm learning Japanese at a language school, every day trying to finish the general cleaning I started a month ago, get back to work, and get back on track my lifestyle, because of which my health problems have gotten noticeably worse. Basically, there's not much else going on...


A: I think after we recently changed our textbooks and moved up a grade, it has become a little bit harder to keep up with some subjects. Right now we're somewhere between N3 and N2. With N2 level you can already go to colleges/universities and get a job here.

I think I speak Japanese pretty bad. In terms of writing, I'm having a hard time remembering all the characters we've learned. This year we've gone through, uhh... about 700 kanjis? That's tough.

Grammar is probably the one thing I have the easiest time with. I loved it the most when I was learning Russian, and Japanese has a lot of constructions that remind me of my native language, which makes memorization a bit easier.


A: I think it's hard for me to name a favourite novel but I can list everything that has ever made an impression on me. There was Tokyo Alice (my first vn that sparked my interest in the genre!), Ryukishi07's works (Higurashi&Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni), Steins;Gate, soundless - A MODERN SALEM IN REMOTE AREA - (I still revisit it from time to time! and also, it turns out, they released a remaster not too long ago... highly recommend, i love it) and Daiku no Medium. And I'll finally answer the second part of the question: unfortunately, I haven't read the novels in the Hate Story series. But they're on the list of things I'd like to play later!


A: I'm in love with The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, the mobile game Cookie Run: Ovenbreak, and hopefully someday I'll get back to Minecraft. Best games ever for me.


A: I love mint ice cream with chocolate chip. And also after eating strawberry ice cream at the airport the first time I came to Japan, it became one of my favorites too. Favorite pantsu? I made the Prototype ver. back in 2021, but my preference hasn't changed since then, so... I guess that counts as an answer.

---

That's all for now. Thank you for your attention! Next time I'll post here when I've progressed enough to be able to announce a more precise release date. And until then...

Intermission.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2271570/REFLEXIA/

Hey mates!

Working on a game is full of wonderful discoveries! You can test your game on hundreds of people with hundreds of PC configurations, but when you release it to Early Access - thousands more arrive, discovering awesome new ways of breaking Craftomation 101.

Our response? More bug fixes, of course! Here's what's been fixed in v0.71.9:

• Achievements are now working properly
  
• Fixed animation set for Cargomates - unfortunately, this resulted in some Commands being temporary disabled, because their animations are broken. These will be fixed and returned to the game soon
  
• Changed the system for monitoring inactive Craftomates, it is no longer displayed if a robot follows 'On error' path in the Program, or is executing 'Wait' Command
  
• Fixed path finding error, which resulted in Craftomates going to the icy area of the map, effectively ending up frozen
  
• Fixed the 'Compare' program, which previously allowed to have Variable as an input (that was not by design)
  
• Minor bug fixes

If you encounter more errors, please feel free to let us know on Discord, or leave a comment below this post, or on the forums.

And from the game, you can use the built-in feedback form:



Until we meet again!

We're thrilled to be participating in the Dinos vs. Robots Steam event all this week! If you haven't wishlisted the game already, please do!

Keep up to date with the game over on our Discord.

Dear citizens of the Suzerainverse,

The long-awaited Kingdom of Rizia DLC is finally on the horizon, and we're thrilled to announce that pre-order is NOW OPEN exclusively on Steam! Set your reminders for the grand launch on March 25th, 2024, but why wait? Secure your copy today!

Pre-Order is available at an exclusive price of $9.99, PLUS a 10% discount to celebrate the occasion. But that's not all - every pre-order comes with a special bonus: the coveted Royal Gold Bar collectible! Don't miss out on adding this treasure to your collection.

We're beyond excited to share this new chapter with you and can't wait to see you in the Kingdom of Rizia.


Berlin, February 26th - developer & publisher Torpor Games and indie label Fellow Traveller unveiled the highly anticipated release date for the premium DLC of the critically acclaimed political RPG, Suzerain. Save the date, the Kingdom of Rizia is set to launch on March 25th, 2024. The DLC is the first release in a long-term plan by the Berlin-based indie studio to expand the universe of Suzerain, which now boasts a massive player base of 650,000 individuals worldwide.

Starting today, you will be able to pre-order the DLC exclusively on Steam. The DLC, initially priced at $9.99, will have a discount of 10 percent for pre-orders. Additionally, everyone who pre-orders will receive a bonus collectible: the Royal Gold Bar.


Suzerain is a political RPG originally released on PC in 2020, with a Nintendo Switch version added in 2021 and iOS/Android releases in 2022. The game puts the player in the shoes of Anton Rayne, the newly elected President of the fictional country of Sordland in an alternate version of the 1950s. It has received praise for its deep and nuanced exploration of politics through a human lens that focuses on people and power.

In the Kingdom of Rizia Premium DLC, players will explore the geopolitical and internal challenges of King Romus Toras in Rizia, four years before the main game's events. Players will navigate a complex web of political and personal relationships with the royal houses, councilors, country leaders, and others. The DLC offers a fresh narrative perspective of a monarch and expands the Suzerain universe's lore and world map.

The Rizia Kingdom DLC is priced at $9.99 and will initially launch exclusively on Steam. Torpor Games aims to expand its availability to Switch and iOS/Android platforms in the future. Additionally, a bundled package containing both the Rizia DLC and the Rizia Original Soundtrack will be offered for purchase.

Read below for more details on what to expect.


Embark on a royal journey in Suzerain's first DLC. Embrace the crown as King Romus Toras, and lead the Golden Kingdom to a new era. Reclaim lost territories through diplomacy or force. Engage with royal houses and oversee the resources of Rizia. How will you reign?

• New Kingdom, New King: Assume the role of King Romus, the newly crowned leader of the Kingdom of Rizia. Explore South Merkopa, an expansion of the Suzerain Universe
  
  
• Geopolitical Challenges & New Resources: Start dialogues with new national leaders. Will you forge new alliances or make new enemies? Oversee the management of new invaluable resources such as energy and authority.
  
  
• A Game of Houses: Engage in discussions on religion, family, and romance. Dive into the intricate dynamics of a royal family and houses where relationships intertwine, merging the realms of love, duty, and politics.
  
  
• Build Your Nation: Sign dozens of Royal Decrees on topics such as order, economy, and welfare to develop and improve Rizia. Will you be the guardian of peace or the catalyst for conflict?
  
  
• Engaging Storyline: Explore a fresh narrative across approximately 400k words, five endings, and more than 10 sub-ending variations. Follow a nation's quest to reclaim lost territories while countering rival superpowers in an epic struggle for hegemony.
  
  
• War Mechanic & Military Build-up: Experience the strategic and tactical military challenges in a turn-based experience. Build up the Rizian Armed Forces and train units to intimidate neighbors.
  
  
• Rich Character Interactions: Encounter a diverse cast of 20 characters each with unique backgrounds and motivations.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2352340/Suzerain_Kingdom_of_Rizia/

Thank you for tuning in, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Glovurius axa Rizia!

Check out our Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord and our newsletter to get the latest breaking news for Suzerain and The Conformist.

This update adds the following...

1. Night Vision mode is back. I had to rebuild it in the new post processing system. Looks ok to me, feedback as always welcome ːsteamhappyː

2. Mouse wheel now zooms the mission planning map again

3. Clamped the maximum verticle speed of infantry when hit by explosions. Should stop the "raining men" issue when hitting them with rockets when unloading from their vehicles.

Brave Ones!

Have you already assessed your new skills?
Share your impressions of the update in the discussion or in our Discord channel , we will be very happy!

This week we're part of the Steam Dinosaurs Versus Robots Fest!
To mark the occasion we've got a little gem of an update for you...





The devilishly good partner to our Valentines event is out now! Love, Dinos and Robots ties into Steam's featured sale, and acts as a glorious conclusion to our annual lovefest. It's a celebration of cyborg carnosaurs! But wait, it's not just robo dinos- we've rounded out the human team with cybernetically enhanced versions of themselves, joining Cyborg Commando as next generation saurian exterminators...



To go along with the robotic theme, a new set of dinosaur control collars have been added. With their batteries running low, these ones are malfunctioning. So if you wanted a collar that does not apply eye glow, this is for you...



All legacy robot skins are also back today with a discount, and you can still embrace all of the lovely Valentines Part 1 items until the end of Love, Dinos & Robots (over two weeks from now!). For an overview of all the special event items, check out our dedicated Trello page here.




Starting 10am PST and running from 26th February to March 4th, we are 65% OFF (!!!)



Save big with Jurassic sized deals on Primal Carnage: Extinction, the PCE 4-pack, and ALL DLC during Steam Dino Versus Robots Fest! Now's a great moment to pick up the Deluxe and Ultimate collections if you'd been holding off, or to invite friends to jump into the carnage for the first time!



A new visual effect for weapons is splatter effects when you are hit with spit. If a Dilo or Cryo splashes you with their spit you will now also see your gun covered in goop for a while afterwards.



One minor audio effect type that can have a big impact on how visceral combat feels is the sensation of bullets whizzing past you during battle. We've fixed an issue that was causing only dinosaurs to hear these, and added unique fly-by sounds for arrows that help them stand out from gunshots.

We're also continuing to improve various legacy cosmetics wherever possible. For example, humans now wear the Valentine's tophat properly (apart from Angus, who's just off his head).

Some dino skins had their settings tweaked to be more consistent, while a few character textures have been overhauled. Most radical is a new set of normal maps for T.Rex, giving it a more 3D feel...


Finally, there's some UI tweaks based on community feedback. Notifications for Call Help and Call Follow are now gone (annoying!), CTE egg outlines are more accurate (egg shaped!), and store sorting is better.

Check out the full change notes below!

• added special Dinos Vs Robots event items
  
• added new flyby sounds for arrows whooshing past you
  
• fixed bullet whiz effects only being audible to dinosaurs
  
  
• added new spit overlay visual effect for weapons
  - when humans are hit by Cryo or Dilo spit your gun is now covered in goo
  - new goo splatter effect fades over time after blinding period ends
  
  
• baked new normal maps for Tyrannosaurus Rex
  
• slight adjustments to Dilophosaurus base textures
  
• reduced specularity of human shader a bit
  
• tweaked textures and shader for Oilspill Acro skin
  
• fixed a handful of Oviraptor skins that had inccorrect settings
  
• fixed older weapon skins that used the camo pattern system having incorrect colours
  
• humans now wear the Heartwarming Tophat properly (well, most of them do)
  
• updated item properties of some cosmetics that were non tradable/marketable
  
  
• fixed CTE egg outline not being egg-shaped
  
• removed chat notifications for Call Help and Call Follow
  
• in-game store now displays newest items first instead of placing the oldest up top
  
  
• fixed a couple of recently reported crashes

Hope you enjoy this latest update! We'll be back to celebrate St. Patrick's Day next month...



-The Primal Carnage Team


For all things Primal Carnage, get involved on the Official Discord...