In BR43 (short for Basement Raid 2143), you use a variety of both classic and crazy weapons to fight through a deadly futuristic dungeon. Many things will change, so stick around to find out what new surprises I bring!

Play now: https://century178.itch.io/basement-raid-2143-early-access

I'm open to feedback, so feel free to suggest anything!

As I update the game, I'll also drop my changes in the replies, so check often! I'll try to get something out at least every two wednesdays. You can expect changes to the game as well as behind-the-scenes explanations that give you a look into how I make games.

Update 1

This update is simply for improving the first demo after it was released. Since this demo was so small, I didn't need to do much.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash related to an enemy trying to reload when dead.

Gameplay Changes

• Dashing now makes you dodge enemy attacks (this wasn't a bug, my intentions on dashing simply changed).
• More indication on when enemies are damaged.
• Balance changes (ex. shotguns having smaller mags).
• Added text boxes in the level to give additional information.

Behind the Scenes

• Originally my characters (the player and enemies) were a stack of sprites, so they had a body, then a separate object for the outfit and face if applicable. Now it's all in one sprite so it's easier for me to manage the character's appearance.

I don't think this demo needs any more improving, so now it's on to further developing the game itself. The second demo will most likely come out sometime in August and will showcase different stuff. I don't plan on doing more than three demos before the final release.

Thanks for reading!

Update 2

This update changes a lot about the game so far. We have a new weapon, a new obstacle, and smarter enemies!

Gameplay Changes

• Enemies now actively move away from each other and anything that can get in their way. This means they won't clump, and will usually be in all sorts of places.
• You no longer get a period of invincibility after taking damage. I removed this because less damaging attacks (like the pellets shot by shotguns) could let you tank more damaging attacks (like the cannonball) without taking damage. However, your health is now 100 because with the original 35, you would die really fast.
• Most projectiles are faster.

New Content

• Added the Rocket Launcher, the first explosive weapon in the game. It shoots a rocket that explodes on impact, dealing 15 damage to anyone in a 3.5 unit radius. However, you are not immune to your own rockets, so if you shoot too close, you can kill yourself by accident! You get one rocket per mag and it takes 4 seconds to reload. Enemies can also use the Rocket Launcher, as heavies can wield rocket launchers. Don't stand too close to walls!
• Added boxes, which are simple obstacles that can be destroyed. They are completely harmless but can block shots, so they can be helpful for both you and enemies. They also cannot be moved at all currently. There is also a variant with double the health.

You can expect more in the future. Most of the weapons so far are fairly standard, so you can expect more unorthodox ways of murdering the opposition. I'll also add new enemies ranging from variants of the classic enemy to foes with entirely new behaviors. The environment will also be spruced up. From decorations to hazards, each room will be packed with stuff. Overall, this game will be a lot more packed.

Thanks for reading!

Update 4

The combat is a lot different now.

Gameplay Changes

• Enemy soldier behavior has been entirely overhauled. Instead of maintaining a desired distance between you and them while strafing, soldiers now either move to a random point nearby while avoiding things or run directly at you.

Balance Changes

• Every gun's reload speed has been increased by 0.1.

Miscellaneous Stuff

• Each weapon has a more stylized name.
• Fixed the shotgun spreads being weird. Somehow I didn't even notice this was an issue until just now. It's been about two months since I added shotguns and somehow I never noticed that the spread was weird. Welcome to game development!

One potential change I might make in the future is putting the melee weapons in a dedicated melee slot instead of having them in one of the three gun slots. I may also get rid of melee weapons entirely since their lack of range makes them simply worse than guns, especially since it's hardest to dodge enemy attacks when they're up close, meaning they're currently redundant. Other than that, it's almost time to start making levels.

Thanks for reading!

Update 5

An mostly behind-the-scenes update on what I've been doing. This didn't add much to the game itself, but it was a necessary update for me. One of the explanations is also especially technical, so it may not be easy to understand.

Gameplay Changes

• Enemy bullets are 5 m/s slower, but player bullets are 5 m/s faster.
  • This helps in cases where there's a ton of bullets flying around and also makes aiming at long distances easier.
• Melee weapons are gone.
  • There is never a reason you would want to use one. Ranged weapons can already kill enemies quickly and at any range, so going for one or two strikes with a melee weapon just isn't worth the risk, especially since you were practically guaranteed to get hit at least once. If melee weapons of any kind ever come back, they will have special purposes outside of dealing damage.

Balance Changes

• Shotguns deal 1 less damage per projectile, but shoot 2 more projectiles.
  • This is mainly to make it easier to hit enemies at longer ranges, but close range hits are also deadlier than before.
• The SMG (AKA the Prayer Sprayer)'s spread has been decreased by 5 degrees.
  • It's not meant to be accurate, but I felt 30 degrees was just too much spread.
• The Room Cleaner's reload speed has been increased from 0.4 to 0.5.
  • It now takes 2 seconds instead of 2.5 seconds to reload. Since it's harder to hit enemies when they aren't near a wall, there shouldn't be so much time between chances to hit an enemy.

Behind the Scenes

• Replaced the old weapon making system with a simpler and less restrictive one.
  • Originally, I had two interfaces (a type of class (structure that contains code) that forces any script using it to use everything inside it): Gun and Melee. The Gun interface had some generic gun stats that every gun had and I had a base gun class that other weapons could build on top of. The Melee interface was the same but for melee weapons. They're different in code, meaning every time I had to use one interface, I had to repeat the process for the other so both can be used. The main issue with this system is how limiting it is. Since I used interfaces, I couldn't exclude any stats, so if I wanted to make anything that deviated from the two molds, I would have to make a new interface for it. Now, I have one base class (called Deployable) that only has the absolute essentials for weapons and items. In code, I only have to check for one script, and I can make anything I want without much difficulty because anything that isn't universally on every item is not up to the base class, but rather up to the item's code. This new system gives me so much more freedom than the old one that I couldn't imagine trying to make a variety of items with the old system.
• Reorganized my folders.
  • It was fairly organized, but still rather difficult to find things. After moving and/or creating some folders, it's now easier to access things.
• Refactored the Room Cleaner.
  • Originally, the explosion was dependent on the weapon. Now, the explosion is its own thing that any weapon can use.

This was a pretty wordy post, but I think it's good to give a behind-the-scenes look at how I make things. At this point, every main system should be good to go, so now I just need to make new weapons, enemies, and other things then I can start finally making levels.

Thanks for reading!

Nice game homie!

Update 6

An update dedicated to items.

New Content

• Added the Medkit (AKA the Medical Lunch Box).
  • It heals 10 HP per use and has 2 uses before needing 10 seconds to recharge. When depleted, you switch to your next available item automatically. You cannot switch back to the Medkit until it recharges.
• Added the Rifle (AKA the Salt and Pepper). 
  • It's a mid-range weapon that fires rapidly and takes down enemies quickly, but with a spread of 10 degrees, far away enemies are difficult to hit. It deals 4 damage per hit, has a fire rate of 6 shots-per-second, has 10 shots in the mag, and takes 2.5 seconds to reload.
• Added the Heavy Shotgun (AKA Papa Shotty).
  • It's the opposite of the Little Shotty, firing even more pellets than Mama Shotty but is even slower. It fires 9 projectiles at 0.75 shots-per-second.
• New Loadout Selection Screen.
  • Originally, the Loadout Selection Screen was a couple rows of buttons and a field of text below that changes when you hover over a button to show what the weapon does. Now the buttons scroll and there are separate fields for the item's stats and the item's description that update when you hover over the item's button. The stats field also tells you special qualities of the item you're using. I plan to add more color to the menus so it's not just a bunch of gray, so when Demo 2 releases this August, you can expect something more colorful.

Gameplay Changes

• Reload Speed is now Reload Time.
  • Reload Speed was pretty vague, so I flipped it to be the total time it takes to reload. Not much effect on the gameplay, but it's clearer.
• All weapons reload slightly slower.
  • Running out of shots was fairly inconsequential since you reloaded so quickly, so each weapon takes longer to reload. The Pistol and SMG take 2 seconds, the Rifle takes 2.5 seconds, and the rest take 3 seconds. However, no weapon has been slowed down by more than 0.5 seconds. I don't want the reload times to be too high because the game is meant to be fairly fast paced.
• Emergency Weapon System added.
  • If you do not pick any items that are good enough to be your only defense, a pistol is added to your loadout. This is the only way to get 4 items, but it's not like you're gaming the system since it's generally good to have multiple guns in your loadout which won't be the case if you get the emergency pistol. I will be adding more items that aren't meant for fighting, so this system will be needed because I do not want to restrict your loadout to require certain items.

Future Plans for Demo 2

• New artwork and music.
  • I'm going to try and have a new level aesthetic and new tracks before Demo 2 releases. Artwork isn't too hard, but music can be rather difficult because it's pretty hard for me to find good samples, which I think is just a skill issue on my part LMAO.
• New enemies.
  • While the weapons bring decent variety, it's still just three base enemy types (one of which can't even use the weapons), and that's not enough, especially since they all boil down to just someone who shoots at you. There will be enemies with new behaviors that require different maneuvers to defeat.
• At least 12 items total.
  • Since the core gameplay is rather simple, variety is added through lots of mechanics that the player can use, which means I need more weapons. I already have 10 total, so I just need 2 more to hit this goal. If I come up with any new items, I'll add them even if I already hit this goal.

I believe I am on track to get Demo 2 out when I want to, which is good. Not much else to say, other than that I may be slower to get things done from here on out because school is starting back up and I'll need to focus on that. However, it will not stop me.

Thanks for reading!

I'm a day late but it's still coming!

Update 7

Sometimes, things blow up in your face.

New Content

• Added the Energy Cell
  • This item gives you one extra dash when used. It's especially useful for anyone who dashes a lot, as they may quickly run out but need a fourth. You get two uses before needing to wait for it to recharge. In game, it's called the Quick Refresher.
• Added the Grenade Launcher
  
  • This weapon is a sidegrade to the Rocket Launcher. While the rocket launcher has less projectiles but each one is more dangerous, the grenade launcher has more projectiles that are less dangerous. The grenades also bounce off walls and slow down over time. The rocket launcher is good for taking out groups of enemies due to its explosion radius, but the grenade launcher is better for single targets since it bounces. In game, it's called the Peter Piper.
• Added the Hydrogen Bomb
  
  • This is the game's first (and likely only) joke weapon. When thrown, it instantly kills everything (including you) in the room. Since you need to reach a checkpoint to save any rooms you clear, this cannot help you whatsoever. In game, it's called the Hydrogen Bomb.

Gameplay Changes

• Added a momentum system
  • I added a system that gives momentum to objects. The primary use of this is applying knockback to explosions. The player can be pushed as well, but is more resistant to it.

Balance Changes

• Medkit
  • When using the medkit, you are now temporarily slowed and must keep the use button held down for a bit to get the health. This change is also applied to the Energy Cell. I felt the Medkit was just too free to use and any stat nerfs would just make it useless, so I made it riskier instead of lowering the reward.
• Rocket Launcher
  
  • The rocket launcher now has three rockets in the mag. However, it now takes 4 seconds to reload.  I felt the grenade launcher having four grenades would make it just completely outclass the rocket launcher, so I gave the rocket launcher more shots.

One more thing to note is that I may have to delay Demo 2 because I do not think it will be done this month. Just about this game's entire development has been done during summer vacation, but with it over, I can't just work on this whenever I want. I was originally planning for a December release, but may have to delay it to next year so it can be the best quality possible as I will sell it. If I cannot justify even a $5 price tag, I refuse to release this game until I can.

I might also hire a musician at some point since I don't have the skills to make music. I made the first demo's tracks myself, and they're just mediocre. Most quality samples and sounds are locked behind paywalls and the software I originally used for music just kept crashing. Until I can afford better music, I might compromise and just use royalty free music for Demo 2. For other parts of the game, I will continue to do it myself.

Overall, not everything goes as planned, but that's just how game development is sometimes. However, the game goes on.

Thanks for reading!

Update 8

A little bit of needed polish and extra flair.

New Content

• New animations for each item.
  • Each weapon has unique animations. Below are the reload animations for the Pistol, Shotgun, Cannon, Crossbow, and Rocket Launcher, as well as the usage animation for the Medkit. I picked these animations because they are either the most unique or show what most new animations look like.

Balance Changes

• Nerfed the SMG's mag size.
  • Reduced the mag size from 30 to 20. I felt the SMG outdid shotguns in close range combat, so I changed the mag size to keep the SMG from killing too fast at close range. I'll likely need to change the SMG a great deal to make it the crowd-killing weapon it was meant to be.
• Deploy speeds now depend on the weapon's fire rate.
  • Originally, each weapon was ready about a quarter of a second after deployment, but this meant any weapon that fired less than 4 shots per second could have their fire rate negated by switching weapons. Deploy speeds now depend on the fire rate, so weapons that fire slower will also deploy slower.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the camera did not reset properly after clearing a room. I also made it snappier.
• Fixed an issue where enemies would go back and forth if moving to avoid something (ex. being in a corner and moving away from walls).
  • Their "avoid direction" (direction they went to evade things) now has random variance.
• Fixed an issue where rooms cleared by the Hydrogen Bomb did not reset before the player returned to the room, leading to the Hyrogen Bomb being a free win.

Redoing the animations was the biggest and most tedious part of this update. I kept redoing animations over and over again because I kept starting over to try and make the process easier. At the very least, I now have a base for animations so new weapons can have their animations done easier and faster. Besides that, development is still going good. I think Demo 2 will be released in September and be much different from Demo 1. It will be posted to the same page as Demo 1. I am currently unsure if I will go for a third demo, as I am conflicted between a December release and an early 2025 release.

Thanks for reading!

Update 9

Some new stuff, some old stuff made new.

New Content

• Added the Launch Controller.
  • This alternative to the Room Cleaner deals no damage but has a lot of knockback. While it lacks the ability to kill, it gives you great mobility (especially in large rooms) and lets you force enemies to a new location. It also does not stun whoever it hits, meaning you can adjust your momentum as you go. This weapon is also a reference to my first game, Launch Control, which is a short 2D platformer about rocket jumping.
• Added the Iron Fists.
  • The Iron Fists may be the only melee weapon I put in the game. Dealing 12 damage per hit and hitting twice per second, it can quickly take out enemies. Enemies that need to reload a lot are most vulnerable to the Iron Fists.
• Added the Block Button.
  • This shield can block non-explosive projectiles and absorb up to 150 damage from whatever direction you face before breaking. It can only be repaired at checkpoints or upon death and your speed is halved when blocking.

Balance/Weapon Changes

• The Prayer Sprayer has been reworked.
  • I decided to lean fully into the SMG's shotgun-esque nature by increasing the spread to 45 degrees. However, it now has 40 ammo and fires 8 shots per second, meaning it can easily hit enemies when there are many around. However, the spread means close-range combat is risky because you need to be right up in an enemy's face to hit every shot. It also reloads 0.5 seconds slower to balance out the large mag.
• Buffed the Crossbow's reload speed.
  • It now reloads in 2 seconds instead of three. The fast projectile simply was not enough when the cannon could hit multiple enemies or even hit someone twice. The faster speed should help it compete with the cannon and give it situations where it's better than the cannon.
• Explosive weapons now deal direct hit damage.
  • Explosive weapons now deal extra damage when they directly hit an enemy, rewarding accuracy. Their maximum damage is more than before.
• The Cannon and Crossbow have new identities.
  • The Cannonball Thruster has been renamed to the Scallywagger and the Single Crosser has been renamed to the Crossing Guard. I felt the old names just weren't that good so I renamed them. I also got rid of the UI that shows their ammo count since they reload after every shot anyway. Finally, the Crossbow has a unique deploy animation if it needs to reload after deployment.
• The Medical Lunch Box only refills at checkpoints now.
  • This change was made so you can't just wait behind cover and heal easily. Now you have to make the heals count.
• The Quick Refresher is used faster.
  • Since dashes are more disposable and often needed faster, I made it give you dashes quicker.

Gameplay Changes

• When you run into an enemy, the two of you are pushed away.
• Enemies are heavier, so explosions don't push them as far. Heavies have recieved a bigger weight increase than the other enemies.
• The player dashes 25% faster, but the duration has been reduced by 20%. The same distance is covered, but faster.
  

Miscellaneous Changes

• Clyde blinks. Did you notice that when you saw the gif of the crossbow having a new deploy animation?
• Walls have been given a new look. Since the old walls looked flat and boring, I gave them depth.
  

 

I'm done with making new weapons for now. While I enjoyed the process for the most part, I need to start working on other things, like level design, bug fixing/polish, and new enemies/obstacles. I might not be able to get good music into the game before the second demo releases, so I'll either reuse the same tracks from Demo 1 or get some royalty-free tracks as placeholders. I'm aiming to have at least 3 levels ready for Demo 2. As things appear right now, a 2025 release is most likely.

Thanks for reading!

Update 10

It's coming along nicely. Since my changes are all over the place, I'll just list each one as its own section.

New Weapon Selection Screen

This new screen has the item buttons as a vertical list instead of a horizontal grid. The info and stats sections have also been combined into one. Instead of the info being given when you hover over an item button, it appears when you right click the button. Attributes on items are now colored, with positive ones being green, negative ones being red, and neutral/important ones being yellow. The new information section now has a scrollbar, which solved the issue I had of certain item descriptions having to have really small text to fit big descriptions. This menu should be a lot cleaner now.

Enemy Behavior Improvement

Soldier behavior has undergone two changes. First, they now wait until they have a clear line of sight on you before firing their weapon. This means they are less likely to shoot walls and also will not waste ammo trying to shoot you when they clearly can't hit you. Second, they can now target different things. They can target breakable objects whenever you aren't in their range. However, the player is prioritized above all other things that soldiers can shoot. Here's how a soldier script looks in the Unity inspector with the parameters being for a grunt.

Bringing Back Cosmetics

I decided to bring back player cosmetics. I originally had 14 outfits in the files back when Demo 1 was released, but didn't wanna deal with cosmetics so I scrapped them. Now, I'm bringing back the 8 best options. If I let you customize anything other than the hat, it'll not be anything more than your skin color and possibly an item worn on your back. I'm not sure if you'll get to see them in Demo 2, but they'll be there when Demo 3 comes out, or otherwise when the game is fully released.

Other Things

• You can no longer fire your weapon if it's straight up inside something (ex. a wall or enemy).
• Work is being done on the second demo level.
• Bug fixes.

I think I'll be able to get the second demo out this month like I planned. I decided I'll just use the music from the first demo for this one. At the very least, I think I'm gonna get a stream of income soon, so I'll likely spend some money so I can make better music. I figured this is a good time to have a budget since music is very important for a game. Like the first demo, Demo 2 will be a WebGL build, so no need to download anything. If I have to delay it to October, I won't delay it again.

Thanks for reading!

Funny note: I'm using the devlog community board instead of the proper developer log section because I literally did not know there was a whole main section for devlogs. I just never noticed that there was a button I could click on to see them. When I was given tips on making devlogs, I was pointed to here. I only really use this website for getting my games out there and hosting jams, so I don't really follow anyone. When this game is done, I'm just gonna use the actual developer log section for future projects.

Welp, there goes the promise of giving an update every two wednesdays. I'm a day late to this one. Oops! Anyway...

Update 11

Demo 2 is out! I think it's a massive improvement over the first demo and really shows my progress. This is a small update because it was pretty much just finishing this demo and releasing it. I believe I will end up releasing a third demo, though this release date is entirely unknown. It could be a couple months, it could be next year. I ended up deciding not to bother with the cosmetics this update since I was running out of time (I released the demo just before October began) but they'll be there in Demo 3. This demo is on a separate page since I felt that was best instead of having every demo on one page like I originally intended.

Thanks for reading!

Update 12

A mix of stuff.

New Content

• Added the Mister Tiny.
  • This minigun is sort of like a more accurate Prayer Sprayer. It fires 10 shots per second with a spread of 5 degrees that each deal 2 damage. It has 50 shots before taking 4 seconds to reload. However, this additional accuracy comes at the cost of your movement speed, which is halved when you fire it. Because your speed provides such a big advantage in fights, you're much more prone to taking damage. Careful positioning and dashing is key for this weapon.
• Added an enemy-exclusive healing gun.
  • This healing gun fires healing beams at whoever the user's teammates are. However, because you have no teammates, you don't get this item. The healing gun fires 2 special green beams per second that heal 3 HP and it has 10 shots before taking 3 seconds to reload. These beams are 50% faster than your pistol beams. Because your damage can outpace the healing, you aren't absolutely required to take out healers before fighting the enemy being healed, though leaving them alive can lead to them keeping enemies alive for longer and possibly reversing the damage you dealt if you switch targets. If you end up between a healer and its patient, you can steal the healing for yourself. The healing gun is used by grunts.
• Added a wave system for combat rooms.
  • This is pretty overdue, but enemies can now spawn in waves (shown in the gif). There's no spawning animation yet, but it's coming.

 

Gameplay Changes

• Enemies have a better targeting system. The old system was built with the playing being alone in mind. However, with the introduction of the healing gun, enemies could now have multiple potential targets. Because of this, I introduced a new system where if enemies detect multiple targets, they'll go for the closest one.
• Guns can fire inside of enemies again, so you don't need back away as often. However, they keep their inability to fire inside of walls.
• Enemy explosives have smaller radii since they're kind of a pain to dodge with the player's explosion radii.

Behind the Scenes

Here's the code for target choosing logic. First, the soldier gets a collection of all colliders of certain layers (groups), in this case the priority target layers, in its attacking radius. If it gets any colliders, it sets a base distance to compare to, then goes through every entry in the collection, ignoring itself if it detects itself. With each entry, it compares the distance between itself and the object and checks if it's lower than the previous shortest distance. If so, that object becomes the new target to compare to for future entries. If the soldier doesn't find anyone that isn't itself, it declares its target null (meaning there isn't one) then repeats this check for the non-priority target layers. If this second check fails, the soldier will not have a target at all, so it just goes about its day instead of trying to shoot the target.

Note: This code may contain bugs, so be careful if you copy it for yourself.

Overall, a pretty good two weeks. Not much to say that hasn't already been said.

Thanks for reading!

Update 13

I've been rather busy lately, so this one is rather small.

Menu Work

• Each item gets a fancier description that has the name, type, stats, and lore of a weapon instead of just stats and a bit of flavor text.
  
• Fixed an issue with the weapon selection menu where the scrollbars stayed in the middle if you scrolled down then switched,  leading to the description starting in the middle if you go to a new description.
• Created the cosmetic and level select menus (level select looks similar to the weapon select so I won't show a picture of it).

Gameplay Changes

• Nerfed enemy weapons.
  • All enemy weapons received a damage nerf ranging from 10% to 33% less damage than the player variant.
  • The faster enemy weapons received fire rate nerfs. Slower weapons kept their fire rate, though the Scallywagger's enemy variant reloads slower.
• Adjusted player weapons.
  • All player projectiles move faster. Explosives move at 20 m/s, arrows move at 100 m/s, and the rest move at 30 m/s.
  • The Little Shotty now has more ammo instead of firing faster. Since a faster fire rate just means enemies die faster with not much significant decrease in damage (despite being 24 less per mag), so I made it a mag size advantage instead of a fire rate advantage. The new mag size is 6 and the new fire rate is 1. It kills grunts in 2 hits like the Mama Shotty, but every bullet needs to hit and heavies go down in one more shot, so I consider it balanced for now.
  • The Papa Shotty now has less ammo instead of firing slower. It had the reverse deal of the Little Shotty, with the slower firing rate not making up for the increase in damage. Having a weapon that slow was also just not very good. The new mag size is 3 and the new fire rate is 1. It killls grunts in 2 hits like the Mama Shotty, but only about half the bullets need to hit, so with less precision needed, I consider it balanced for now.
  • The Launch Controller now reloads in 1.5 seconds instead of 2. Since it deals no damage and is mainly best for mobility, it shouldn't reload so slow.
  • The Salt & Pepper now has a fire rate of 5 instead of 6. Despite the spread, I felt it was still better than the Old Reliable since having more small bullets instead of less large bullets means each miss is less punishing.
  • The Iron Fists now attack 3 times per second instead of 2. Since shotguns can quickly kill enemies at longer ranges, the fists need to be really good at point blank range. I also made the fist sprites go farther when punching so the animation lines up with the hitbox.

Future Ideas

• Weapon variant system
  • This system would have (almost) every weapon have different versions with different stats, like the Mama Shotty having a tighter spread or the Scallywagger firing 3 medium shots instead of 1 big shot. This could result in certain weapons being turned into weapon variants, like the Little and Papa Shotties.
• Basic melee attack
  • Simply press the melee button to punch an enemy. If this occurs, the metal gloves will simply be a boost to this attack instead of something you deploy. I'm also considering bringing back the melee system as its own slot (meaning you would select 4 weapons instead of 3).

Nothing to say for a conclusion, but things are fine for me.

Thanks for reading!

Update 14

You know you got your priorities straight when you take several months to do simple things. Oh, and I added some more stuff.

New Content

• Added the Scallywag Jr.
  • This is a mini version of the Scallywagger that fires 3 medium cannonballs instead of 1 giant one. It fires 1 cannonball per second and each cannonball deals 6 damage. It is identical to the Scallywagger in all other stats.

Balance Changes

• Increased the Mister Tiny's and Prayer Sprayer's firing speeds.
  • They both now have a fire rate of 12. I wanted them to feel more like you were absolutely spewing out bullets.
• Rebalanced the Salt & Pepper.
  • It now deals 3 damage per bullet, has a fire rate of 7.5, has 12 bullets in the mag, and takes 2.5 seconds to reload. I felt it played too similarly to the Old Reliable, so I changed it.
• Rebalanced the shotties.
  • The Mama Shotty now has a spread of 15 with no other changes. The Little Shotty now has a spread of 10 and shoots 4 shells per shot. The Papa Shotty now has a spread of 20, shoots 10 shells per shot, and has 2 shots in the mag.
  • The tighter spread makes it easier to hit an enemy with all your shots while the mag and bullets-per-shot difference give each weapon a different TTK and shooting-to-reloading ratio. The Papa Shotty kills grunts with one shot if you're close enough but spends a lot of time reloading while the Little Shotty needs 3 hits to kill a grunt but not much time is spent reloading. This should make all three weapons have equal appeal.

Gameplay Changes

• The sawblade now deals a certain amount of damage every half-second of touching it instead of a set amount everytime you started touching it. This should make the damage more consistent because before this change you could suddenly take a ton of damage because you moved an inch and touched it twice.

Miscellaneous Stuff

• Added a crosshair to make aiming easier.
• Added a dashing trail effect to make dashing feel better.
• Doors have an opening/closing sound effect now. It's just the dash SFX for now, but it's better than silence.

When you're focused on making new weapons and stuff, you kinda forget that you gotta work on other things too, like game feel.  I've still yet to do that enemy grabbing weapon I promised some time ago, but I have no doubt I'll get to it eventually. I want to do a few more weapons/items, like a weapon that does a charge attack and stuff. I think a good final total would be 20-25 weapons before I decide I've made enough. I also have some new stuff planned like explosive barrels, lasers, and other things to spice up the environment. I've been neglecting levels so much because making levels just bores me. I think adding more things to put into rooms will make it more entertaining for me because what I do for the game is 25% what progresses development and 75% what I want to do at that moment. Anyway, development's going good, hopefully whatever you're doing is also going smoothly.

Thanks for reading!

Tested your game out, looking good man. Think now its time to focus on the levels

Update 16

I took it easy this time, end of the semester really be something. I only have a few changes.

Changes/Additions

• Added the elite, a new soldier enemy.
  • It has the speed of a grunt, the weight of a heavy, health in between, and shares some weapons with them.
  • This enemy can also dash like you can, and will do so randomly. Unlike you, it can dash whenever it pleases.
• Enemies now get redder when their health decreases.
  • Someone who played my game suggested that I have some sort of indication that an enemy's health is low, so I added a red tint that gets stronger as you dwindle an enemy's health down.
• You can no longer enter a level if your loadout is not viable.
  • If you go straight to the level select, you are told to go to the armory to pick some weapons. This might not ever occur since you would have a default loadout.
  • If you try to leave the armory with no viable weapons, you're told to pick some viable weapons.

Since this update would be pretty crap if I just left it here, I might as well tell you what may be my final plan for this game. It's about time I actually try to wrap things up instead of just throwing in whatever I want, whenever I want.

(Potentially) Final Plan

• 3 worlds, each having 3/4 regular levels then a boss.
• Levels that are about 10-15 minutes long.
  • About 6 combat rooms with some other challenges in between
• A light amount of story, nothing to write home about but enough to keep you interested.
• Money system.
  • Endless mode and campaign levels would get you money depending on a score you get for each level. This money would buy weapons and cosmetics, perhaps consumable items to help with levels/endless mode too.
• Endless mode implemented.
  • Waves of enemies endlessly spawn in, get the highest score you can.
  • This would likely be unlocked at the end of world 1, or otherwise super early.
• Weapon progression.
  • Start with 3 of the 16 weapons, two/three of the new weapons become available to buy every two levels. You would get every weapon (but the hydrogen bomb) by the halfway point of world 3. The hydrogen bomb would be a post-game reward since it's just a joke weapon.
  • Since weapons only become buyable with campaign progress, players would be incentivized to keep playing instead of just grinding endless mode. I think that continuing the campaign would be more fun than just grinding endless mode.

Sorry for not having much this time, but hopefully next update is better. I want to finish and release this game in the first half of 2025 because I want to make something new instead of being held up by this.

Thanks for reading!

Update 17

Merry Christmas!

Gameplay/Content Changes

• Enemies now have a spawn-in animation before they attack.
  • Enemies appearing instantly and attacking at the same time was obviously unfair, so I took some time to have them play an animation then start.
  • Enemies cannot attack you or be attacked during the spawn in animation.
  • It's just a fade-in for now, but I plan on making it something more unique in the future.
• Rooms can now have multiple fights.
  • To make levels more exciting (especially when you have to backtrack), rooms you already beat may now have an additional fight. I feel that this is necessary since I want to design levels to not just be a line, which means you're inevitably going to go through some rooms multiple times.
  • You can see this in the second GIF, where I finish one fight, then trigger another when I come back in.
• Nerfed the Scallywag.
  • I nerfed this weapon's damage from 20 to 12 because it was just insane before. It's meant to be a weapon that deals good damage to multiple enemies, but 20 damage meant it just one shotted the drones and two shotted grunts. You could destroy waves of enemies stupidly fast before.
  • I also renamed this weapon because it might have been uncomfortable to say the name.

New Content

• Added Gunner Drones.
  • These are drones that shoot lasers at you. They still run at you, but now stop when they're close enough and back away if they're too close.
  • There's also a variant that heals enemies. These drones replace the grunt with the healing gun.
• Added X weapons.
  • These special variants are exclusive to the elite enemies from the previous update. These versions are redder and have a special boost.
  • X Pistol: Less shots in the mag, but each one deals 10 damage instead of 4. They might not hit you, but they'll hurt if they do.
  • X Rifle: A super big mag, 40 shots instead of 25.
  • X Shotgun: 15 shells instead of 10, meaning each shot deals up to 30 damage. The spread is also 20 degrees so dodging them is harder.
  • X Rocket Launcher: Double the fire rate and 2 more rockets. It's harder to dodge them when they come out so fast.

Other Things

• Redid the tilemap.
  • The previous one looked pretty good, but they looked angled, which conflicted with the flatness of everything else. The new look is still pretty good and it fits with the flatness of the rest of the game.
• Bug fixes.
  • Particularly, one where you could "switch" weapons when you only had one, which isn't urgent to fix but is pretty weird.
  • Some other bugs, but nothing remarkable. I just mentioned the switching bug because it was around since likely before Demo 1.
• Level 1-1 is done.
  • I think it's a pretty good introduction to the game, though I'll have to make a tutorial section beforehand since this doesn't really function as one, even if I told you how to play the game. Here's what it looks like!
  • Level 1-2 is in progress, not ready to be shown.

I think I did some pretty good work these past two weeks. Made a level and a half, added two new enemy types, made four new weapon variants, fixed some issues, and added a new mechanic. I'm thinking I just won't do the money system since I really don't need to add to the scope. Nothing on endless mode yet, but that'll prolly come after I do world 1. I think I'll just do a third demo, then make a discord server where I'll post mini-builds for whoever wants to play them. I also gotta knock out a save system, but that won't be needed until after Demo 3 since everything will be available from the start again in that demo. I finally have an actual plan for the end of this game's development, and I can't wait to be done. Anyways, Happy Holidays! Did y'all have a good Christmas or other holiday you celebrate? I hope so.

Thanks for reading!

Update 18

A small update.

• Added destructible decorations.
  • These decorations make up part of the environment and are destroyed in one shot. You'll find stuff like pizza, computers, chairs, and other stuff.
• Finished level 1-2.
  • It introduces soldier variants, so soldiers start having weapons other than pistols and shotguns.
  • It also introduces destructible decorations. They start showing up in the second room, and there's a ton in the third.
  • I decided that I want the first section of the game to not only be warehouse themed, but also office themed, so it'll be a mix of the two, like the antagonists just set up camp in a warehouse as if they didn't have an actual place to stay.
• Changed some character sprites.

  
  

  • I made the outlines of some characters (Clyde, soldiers, etc.) more consistent with other characters, so now they're lighter. It's hard to notice, but at least they look better.

Not much this update, and honestly, they will probably be smaller from here on out. I'm at the point where I just want to be done with this game, but I still have a long way to go. 10 more levels, an actual soundtrack, better sounds, 3 bosses, a saving system, and more to do. That's sort of an issue with solo dev, it's kinda hard to keep yourself in check. I'm thinking I finish sector 1, add 2 new weapons, then release demo 3. At that point, anyone who wants to see more can join a discord server I'd make and get builds there.

Thanks for reading!

Update 19

A bit more.

I made level 1-3, the last regular level in the upcoming demo. It introduces 2 new enemies (grunts with grenade launchers and heavies with cannons) and a new mechanic (explosive barrels), introducing more destructive mayhem to the game.

All I got left for now is a boss and 2 new weapons. I'm seeing a checkpoint not far away, and I'm expecting to get there in 3 updates or less.

Thanks for reading!

Update 21

This game has more feeling. That feeling's probably pain from all those projectiles.

Tankinator

First off, the Tankinator fight's almost done. I just gotta improve the boss's movement, add in an animation or two, and maybe add a cutscene. He shoots a spread of beams, a barrage of grenades, and a bunch of cannonballs. These attacks are decided at random. He also has a health bar now so you can see how much damage you dealt to him. Since he's likely the most memorable part of the game for now, it's important that he's well made.

Game Feel

First off, I put two new fonts in to replace the default Unity font. These two are called "Audiowide" (Used for more important text) and "Teko" (Used for regular text). In the screenshot, Audiowide is used for the text on the left and Teko is used for the text on the right.

Teko will likely be replaced since it's not very future-esque, but Audiowide seems to fit pretty well (I didn't use Audiowide for most text because it's kinda big, even if I shrink it, it's still pretty wide). Hopefully this makes text more interesting to read.

Second, I added a red vignette when your health gets low. When your health is 25 or lower, the screen gets redder. It's not much, but it helps make low health moments more intense. I still have work to do to improve the game feel, but this is a good start.

Pretty standard stuff. I still have some work to do to make the game good enough for another public build, but it's not much. I still gotta add music, better sound effects, and cutscenes, but other than that, it's just polish. I think I'll meet my self-imposed deadline of a March release.

There is a change of plan though, as instead of a third demo, I'm just going to go straight to early access. Anyone can play the game in it's current form at any time, and each time I release one of these devlogs, I'll update the game. This makes my changes much more tangible and gives y'all something to do every couple weeks.

Anyway, stuff is smooth. The YouTube channel and Discord server will probably be up by the next update, and if it is, I'll link it in that update and in the post at the top of this thread. No more to say for now, but here's some bonus art: the current iteration of this game's thumbnail while it's in early access.

Thanks for Reading!

Update 22

Just some polishing and improvements.

What I Did

• The Tankinator is pretty much good to go. No cutscenes or anything, but he's fightable with no known bugs.
• I switched to Unity's new input system, which will allow me to do things like button rebinding. This gives me the ability to make the game more accessible.
• You are no longer affected by stuns since it could lead to you suddenly taking a bunch of unavoidable damage.
• I fixed a bug where dying would make you hear every door close at once.
• I made a YouTube channel. I've yet to make any content since I just made the channel, but you can subscribe early if you're interested in my game. I'll try to have a video out for every update I do so you don't just have a bunch of text. https://www.youtube.com/@Century178Games
• And more.

This update has mostly been me fixing bugs and stuff, so not much to say. All I gotta do now is fix a few more things, add music, make the discord server, and make a video. I'm just about set to launch the game into early access. It'll be buggy at first, but I'll improve it as I get feedback.

Thanks for reading!

Update 23

It's (technically) out!

Nothing interesting has happened for the game itself, just preparations for starting early access, so I'll go straight to what I did for promotion.

YouTube

I'll link the channel again so you can check it out (https://www.youtube.com/@Century178Games), but I've also posted a new video. Expect videos to be larger but less frequent.

Discord

I made a Discord server. It'll be the main place to interact with others who are interested and also to give feedback, as I'll check the server regularly but I might forget to check the Itch community. Join now: https://discord.gg/YuVTfyeJC9

I'm hoping I have more motivation to keep going now that I can interact with my players. I've also done a bit of work on 2-1, which you can see below.

Ending off the same as usual, smooth stuff and it's going.

Thanks for reading!

FYI, the next update and post will come out either this thursday or this friday. I’ll be on a trip and won’t have my computer, so I won’t be able to show what I did until I’m back.

Update 24

Hello, yellow!

Level 2-1 Added

It's the first section of Sector 2. It introduces enemies with rocket launchers, turrets that fire cannonballs, and drones that heal enemies.

Gameplay Changes

• The Tankinator's boss room now has pillars in case you need to hide from projectiles.
• Projectiles no longer disappear after a bit. This measure was meant for if projectiles flew out of the level so that they weren't eternally active, but since each level is sealed up, it's no longer necessary.
• The player has a unique sound for taking damage so you can more easily tell if you got hit.

At some point, most likely once all the levels are done, I'll go back and change levels to make them better and add more to them.

Thanks for reading!

Update 25

Mainly just polish, but something great happened!

Changes/Fixes

• Nerfed the Mister Tiny (Minigun).
  • This gun now has a mag size of 50 (originally 100) and a spread of 10 (originally 5). I gave it good accuracy and a lot of bullets because moving at half speed when firing meant you were pretty much guaranteed to take damage. Since I reduced the slowdown to make you go at 66% speed instead, there was no longer a need for such strong killing potential.
• Nerfed the Old Couple (Dual Pistols).
  • I reduced the firing speed to 4 shots/sec (originally 6). I thought a longer reload time and lower accuracy made the dual pistols relatively equal to the standard pistol, but the super high fire rate and the fact you generally don't shoot from too far away meant it was just a pistol with better DPS and mag size. This weapon will still need more nerfing to not render the pistol obsolete, but for now it should be less egregious.
• You now press P to pause.
  • Esc conflicted with WebGL fullscreen, so it's temporarily P. It'll get reverted when the game is released.
• Fixed a door in 2-1.
  • Somehow, I forgot to set the size of a door, meaning you could just leave the final room.
• Changed a part of 1-1.
  • There was a part of 1-1 that I felt was confusing. After the second combat room, you're supposed to go up and shoot a switch to open the next room's door, but it's pretty easy to miss, so now you can't leave the room until the switch is hit and the text telling you to shoot the switch is lower down so you notice it faster.
• Fixed a dashing bug.
  • There was a bug where if you held the dash button until the dash ended then released it, you dashed again. Now there shouldn't be unintended dashing.
• Added weapon icons.
  • Weapon names were not very clear since they went for style over telling you what the weapon was, so now it's icons. Some of these icons are bound to change since not every icon is clear on what you're picking, but it's better than before.

I got a teammate!

So a bit ago I went to a school field trip/competition and one of the events I competed in involved a teammate. I got someone to work with, and we "made a game" for the competition. We lost. After the event, he decided to join my project. Until the end of this game's development, I now have a teammate. This should mean I can develop the game faster since I have someone who can take care of tasks for me. He should also be my ticket to an original soundtrack. For now, I'll call him Destiny since that is his online name.

Anyway, I'm sorry there isn't a new level. I was focused on helping my teammate get to know the project and polish. School is coming to an end, which means I'll have much more time to develop the game. My teammate goes to my school, so he also gets more development time. This game is in pretty dire need of levels, especially if I want to finish the game before August, so I'll have to lock in.

Thanks for reading!

Update 26

A week early this time.

New Content

• 2-2 has been added.
  • Sector 2 is now halfway done. With that, so is your journey through the game itself.
• New obstacle: lasers.
  • These are unmoving obstacles that turn on and off. Most lasers give you a warning when they are about to go off. Anything that touches them takes 20 damage and gets pushed back a bit. Some lasers may also be permanently on or only deactivate when a switch is hit.
• Added the Firing Range.
  • You can now test out any weapons you want to use without having to go into a level. The 4m, 8m, and 12m markers help you get a feel for how each weapon performs at close, medium, and long range.

Content/Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug where enemy spawn sounds played all at once when you entered a level.
  • Your ears are now safe.
• Fixed weapon descriptions being inaccurate.
  • Lots of weapons had outdated descriptions, so I made them up to date.

Balance Changes

• Buffed the Little and Mama Shotties.
  • Their fire rates increased by 0.25. This is more impactful for the Little Shotty since it needs two shots to kill an enemy, but the Mama Shotty also benefits when you are not in one-shot range. Since long range weapons seem to be more appealing, this should make you want to use close-range weapons more.
• Buffed the Scallywag.
  • The fire rate increased to 1.25 and the damage increased to 15. 1 shot per second was much too slow and 12 damage was too underwhelming. I originally thought it shouldn't instantly kill drones, but now I think that is appropriate. It also gives you another reason to use the weapon.
• Buffed the Room Cleaner and Launch Controller.
  • Their fire rates have gone from 1.25 to 1.5. While each shot dealt good damage, especially when you hit enemies directly, the fire rate was rather slow for weapons with only 4 shots before reloading.
• Buffed the Peter Piper.
  • The fire rate is now 2. I felt this weapon was much too underpowered compared to the rocket launchers, so this should give it an edge.
• Nerfed the Old Couple.
  • The spread has been increased from 5 to 10. I felt you could still deal too much damage in quick succession from farther distances. With 24 shots that deal 6 damage (144 damage total), I think the trade-off should be that many of those shots miss at farther ranges.
• Buffed the Minigun.
  • The fire rate is now 15 and the mag size is now 60. I felt I overnerfed this gun, so I gave some of the shots back and improved the fire rate.
• Reworked the Prayer Sprayer.
  • The fire rate is now 15 (originally was 12), the spread is now 15 (originally was 30), and the mag size is now 40 (originally was 60). I've come to realize that there isn't much spread you can add before the weapon becomes practically unusable beyond being right in an enemy's face, so I decreased the spread. I also wanted to give it an advantage over the Old Reliable and Salt & Pepper at close range, so the fire rate was increased to lower the TTK if every shot hits. Finally, I think these changes will make close-range killing really good, so I reduced the mag size to prevent you from killing too many enemies quickly.

This week was quite productive, so I decided to update the game early. I'm hoping since summer is coming that I can work on the game more. I want this game released before August, so now I'm focused on getting what this game needs done. I'm hoping to get every level and essential mechanic/system done before June so that I can spend the last month polishing and making sure the game is ready.

Thanks for reading!