30XX update for 21 April 2021

Hello! Today's 0.18 patch provides some supporting changes for our recently-added Prototype Augs, including a few new Augs that interact with Prototypes.

It also contains a few balance changes, some visual updates, some level layout changes, a bunch of new sounds, and a bunch of bugfixes.

Behind the scenes, we're hard at work getting Dustria, our seventh level theme, up to speed and ready to show off. We don't have a firm release timeframe for it yet, but it's pretty likely that it lands in June or July.

Thanks for playing!

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GAME CHANGES & FIXES:

• Added four new Augs to support 0.17's Prototypes! We're working on more here, as well - we love the idea of a Prototype core set, but getting that design right will take a bit longer. (One of the items affects level generation, so it doesn't spawn in Mega Mode. These items don't spawn if you don't have Prototypes unlocked yet.)

• Fixed a memory leak that could cause level textures to stop displaying after a long play session (and sometimes just cause a crash while loading a level instead).

• Fixed an issue that would cause the mid-level Aug Choice to be infinitely repeatable in local co-op play.

• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused Ace's Dolomite Link to fail to propel him upward at the end of the pull. (This usually happened when the Link hit an enemy at maximum distance.)

• Fixed a few scaling issues with Ace's Powers. (Void Double scales with Attack, his other Techniques scale with Power, and Dolomite Link optionally scales with (Jump * 3) or Power (whichever is higher).

• Updated lots of level chunks, and slightly reworked level generation in Burning Temple, Echocave, and Clockzone.

• All level themes now have a "tutorial" phase that shows up right at the start of the level, intended to introduce the level's mechanics. This phase will stop showing up once you've been served that level theme three times, or once you've completed a level of that theme at least once. (This way, new players get to see the mechanics before they're threatening, but veteran players don't have to play through the super easy/rote chunk every time they see the level.)

• Added a handful of new sound effects, and updated others.

• Player HP will now default to the "hybrid" display model, where high health/energy numbers will be displayed as numbers instead of super long bars. This setting can be toggled in the Settings menu to the hybrid default, always bars (behavior prior to this patch), or always numbers.

• Thorned Hull has been reworked. Instead of providing scaling attack damage based on your current health total (one ATK per 4 current HP), it now provides scaling attack damage based on your bonus health (one ATK for every two max HP provided by items/pickups beyond your starting amount).

  • This means the attack boost provided by Thorned Hull now ignores your current health - only the maximum matters.
  • The end result should be that Thorned Hull is stronger than before when you collect a bunch of bonus HP, but weaker otherwise. (It was too strong as implemented.)

• Juiced Reserves has received similar treatment. Until we get to Ace's Energy rework pass, Juiced Reserves now works with his Style Regen (so it's not useless for Ace now).

• Echo Shell projectiles no longer trigger boss invuln frames (this is a buff).

• Echo Shell can now trigger during Ace's invuln frames.

• Lucavi's charged attack now properly works with Armatort's Pound (and erases enemy shots).

• Removed some logic that made Linear Platform speed (Burning Temple) vary slightly with game level.

• Fixed an issue that could cause Beta Void Orbs to only render their aura (not their main body).

• Fixed an issue that caused pressing "Back/Cancel" while setting Music/Sound Volume to fail to actually reset the volume to its original value.

• Fixed an issue that could cause level backgrounds to transition in incorrect places. (There's likely still some of this in Penumbra, maybe Highvault - this addresses a bug where it'd happen seemingly at random.)

• Fixed an issue causing Megavoids to show Beta sprites for the Alpha model and vice versa.

• Sharply reduced Crystal Twin (Echocave miniboss) HP.

• Added a visual effect tell before Zen Primus' triple strike attack.

• Fixed an issue that could cause Zen Primus to double back after a jump (he can no longer pivot in mid-air - only complete the jump or slam downward).

• Prototypes should no longer offer conflicting curses and blessings. For example, "power damage +50%, but you can't use Powers!" and similar combinations should no longer occur.

• Prototypes no longer offer positive Balances that conflict with their curses. For example, "your Attacks are super weak! +5 Attack!" should no longer occur.

• Prototypes no longer offer negative Balances that conflict with their blessings. For example, "+50% attack damage! -5 Attack!" should no longer occur.

• Prototypes that grant Potentia as a Balance now grant 50% more.

• Prototypes can now offer Core Points as a Balance (positive or negative), in addition to the other options.

• The "Mender" blessing and the "Debilitating" curse no longer spawn in Mega Mode.

• Fixed an issue that could let you Salvage Core Extender for Core Points (usually less, too).

• Removed many of the vote machines in Maker Mode that didn't do anything (because they were part of developer-made phases that don't currently support user-made chunks).

• Fixed an issue that could cause Shopaholic to spawn in runs before the player unlocks Salvaging.

• Updated visuals for Highvault's Tornado Machines - horizontal and vertical versions of the enemy now have distinct visuals.

• Updated visuals for Echocave Sound Alarms and Burning Temple's Flame Spitters.

• Fixed Freeze effects displaying incorrectly on Deepverse Patrollers.

EDITOR CHANGES & FIXES:

• Deepverse's Bolt Pair now has a zero duration option, which keeps the laser always active.
• Replaced certain sound effects with new, more fitting versions.
• Adjusted sound effect audio balancing.
• Fixed a bug where Burning Temple's Metal Pipe decoration could be infinitely stacked on top of itself. Reloading an existing chunk affected by this bug will automatically remove the duplicate pipes.