Snake Core update 0.0.5 : Tentacles, and upgrades

A new ALPHA version of Snake Core is now available for Patrons.

So I should probably be mention one thing here first: this is an ALPHA, we aren't yet in a beta stage or anywhere near "testing".  The game is still heavily in development and changes week after week. There are features missing, features incomplete, content is low (amount of aliens, variation in levels, etc.)  this is ALLLLLL gonna come together over the next weeks, and the fun part of the alpha is that you get to actually see the game evolve and shape into the final product!

Alright, so with that out of the way, what's new in this second alpha release. My main focus this week was on the "upgrade system". This includes the actual upgrade screen, but also how it functions and how a player get's to update.  It took me some time to find a good solution, I didn't want coins dropping out of enemies, or the way it was in v0.0.4 every mission type had an X amount of upgrade points to gain..  I just wasn't feeling all of that.

The new system, however, does a lot of stuff right. There are now "blue objects" you can collect (haven't named them yet), and these objects will allow you to unlock new units, and upgrade existing units. The cool thing is that these blue-objects are now generated/created by the little power-plants that were already in the game.  That means defending those units actually makes a lot more sense, because they are your ticket to a stronger army!

It opens up a bunch of small improvements to the whole gameplay, and there is more room to explore those things in the next few weeks!

There is a new mission: Infection, added to the mix, and I greatly improved the Hunting missions.

I'm also trying a slight change in the controls, as you'll notice the army now has a little "marching pause" in their step. Which serves two purposes: one - it allows better control over their movement, even at higher speeds.. and two - it looks freakishly funny having them march like this.

Here's a full list of changes, improvements, additions and new stuff:

• added: Infection missions
• added: Shield powerup
• added: Medkit powerup
• added: victory won't show up until all pickups and tentacles are "gone"
• added: small marching delay, allow for more movement control (and looks funny)
• added: time+army bonus at victory stage
• added: tall objects will be transparent if "action" behind it
• added: Worm can now dive underground
• added: make pickups blink before they vanish
• fixed: double mission nodes appearing in a "stage"
• fixed: disabled all mouse stuff (to avoid confusion on how to control the game)
• fixed: infection has more time in later stages (should be in early stages)
• fixed: clear old locations of army units when swapping to new level
• fixed: lower amount of aliens at once in missions on lower stages
• fixed: recruit mode soldiers spawn sooner (better checks)
• fixed: reset animation state for front runner for next mission
• fixed: increase cost on "next" upgrades
• fixed: pause during mission screen shows gamescene on screen
• fixed: add different alien spawns in later levels
• fixed: old "plumes" are removed on new level
• fixed: shield now blocks bullet hits
• fixed: tentacle should stay longer