AVWW Post-Release 1.022 "Dangerfalls And Other Hazards" Released!

[x4000]

Original: http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2012/05/avww-post-release-1022-streamlined.html

This one has yet a few more changes to the Journey To Perfection missions, although I'm not quite done there yet.  These now have a more natural progression in difficulty, ranging from "pretty easy" to "pretty insane," though, so that's fun.

One of our longest-requested features that we somehow never got around to adding (despite it being requested as far back as version 0.501) was some better scouting of the chunk in the minimap.  Mainly better correlation between what you see on the screen and what gets revealed on the minimap; previously you could see something on the screen but still have it blanked out on the minimap, which was super frustrating and made exploring little corners of caves a chore.  Not anymore!

Aside from a few general bugfixes and tweaks, the other big thing in this release are a variety of new infestation types.  Two broad new categories of traps are now in place for interior and underground infestations: blade traps and spike traps.  Each of which has at least three variants.

And then there are also four broad different categories of "dangerfalls," by which we mean waterfalls, lavafalls, icefalls, and miasmafalls.  These each have their own respective sub-variants and also react to the platforming difficulty you've selected.  Timing-based waterfalls/lavafalls have been something I've wanted to have in the game since mid-alpha almost a year ago, so it's really cool to finally see these in play.

More to come soon.  Enjoy!

This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 0.500 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time.  If you don't have 0.500 or later, you can download that here.

[TechSY730]

Hey thanks, just as saw this new topic, 1.021 finished installing.

Anyways, looking awesome! Those new "stuff" falls look awesome.

[Coppermantis]

Ah yes, the minimap strangeness has been bugging me for a long time. Glad to see that got improved. 

[timtim]

These traps and 'falls are frickin' awesome. These type of changes are exactly the type of things I'm hoping for - also hoping for ridiculously massive Shadow Of The Colossus style bosses too

[lunarknight64]

From the patch notes:
"After you win 10 JTP missions: 1.5x Monsters From Spawners
Monster spawners in these missions now have 1.5x as much "budget," so they spawn more and/or larger enemies.
After you win 20 JTP missions: 2x Monsters From Spawners
Monster spawners in these missions now have 1.5x as much "budget," so they spawn more and/or larger enemies."

Is the 1.5x on the last line supposed to be a 2.0x?

[Misery]

Ooh, this is a good one.

I havent seen these "falls" yet, but I've seen some of the other stuff.

And those spikes REALLY FREAKING HURT.  Holy crap.   Even a high health character is gonna get wrecked if they touch just a couple of those things.   

Just as it should be.


......and the jumping ones are just evil.   I did indeed run into a wall of horrible leaping spikes in a building;  no teleport yet, so had to retreat.....

[x4000]

Fixed the typo in the title of the release, plus the typo on the patch notes pointed out by lunarknight64 -- thanks.

In terms of the rest, glad you're enjoying it.   I think that teleport just got a lot more useful as a spell unlock; previously it was really inferior to ride the lightning unless you were going to do specific missions of some kind.

[nanostrike]

Fixed the typo in the title of the release, plus the typo on the patch notes pointed out by lunarknight64 -- thanks.

In terms of the rest, glad you're enjoying it.   I think that teleport just got a lot more useful as a spell unlock; previously it was really inferior to ride the lightning unless you were going to do specific missions of some kind.

I'm not really liking the Blade Traps that I've seen.  No offense, but they don't really look like "Blades".  They look more like floating orbs and I mistook them for normal enemy projectiles quite a bit.  They also seemed to move really buggy and jerky as if skipping frames.


Also, the map thing is great, but it seems to have broken Light Snake and Fire Flare.  They no longer reveal the map.



And lastly, can we get the option to bind Teleport and Lesser Teleport to a hotkey like you can Orb of Light and all of those?  As you said, it's more useful now, but it's hard to free up a hotbar slot for it.

[Coppermantis]

The  traps are nice gameplay wise, but a little awkward looking. I think the blade traps should have a track that they run along. Right now it looks like they're floating, as nanostrike said. The spike traps are okay, if a little strange looking.

[Hyfrydle]

Finding the traps really annoying and adding nothing to the game for me. They just seem to randomly flit and jump about with very little timing and luck is required more than skill. Going to lower platform difficulty and hope things improve.

[Vinraith]

The blade traps can make for interesting timing challenges and such, but I agree they need a graphical overhaul to make it clearer what they are and where they're going.

The spike traps seem kind of pointless, and they're a real problem when they spawn blocking a door. There's no way to remove them, right?

[Misery]

Hmm, I agree, the blade traps could do with looking a bit different, and having tracks to run on if possible.


The spikes seem fine to me though.    What's a platformer without spikes to stupidly die on?     They make me have to actually be CAREFUL when they're around, as jumping/platforming goes..... the only other static hazard in the game is the acid water, and it doesnt do much damage if you're only in it for a second.

[FrostDragon]

I've found a few cases where the hazards being added to the game aren't such a good idea.  There are in fact a couple of missions that I've had to give up on because of them,  here are a few screenshots

As you can see here... http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/595845131167599383/A0729C1A44A7131BEC38299F5F20A579C79191E4/ there are numerous blade traps all together, and when they collide it introduces a strange warping action where you can't predict where they will be

And in this screenshot http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/595845131167575034/EE42BF727D1E15360F64C992CA548339394A5164/ The spikes in this screenshot follow the player vertically making it impossible to get past them.  It wouldn't be so bad if I had access to the warp spells, but I haven't unlocked them yet.  One other thing that I wouldn't mind seeing and is a *bit* off topic is if you look at the map, it's extremely hard to see with what's going on in the game,  would there be some possibility where we could get a way to make a background behind the map, something that is on a toggle perhaps,  say for example a 50% black background and then no background. 

Just as a suggestion, to prevent this type of thing from happening in the future,  you might want to consider adding these hazards to the game as an unlock once you get access to spells that will let you deal with them. 

[Misery]

I've found a few cases where the hazards being added to the game aren't such a good idea.  There are in fact a couple of missions that I've had to give up on because of them,  here are a few screenshots

As you can see here... http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/595845131167599383/A0729C1A44A7131BEC38299F5F20A579C79191E4/ there are numerous blade traps all together, and when they collide it introduces a strange warping action where you can't predict where they will be

And in this screenshot http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/595845131167575034/EE42BF727D1E15360F64C992CA548339394A5164/ The spikes in this screenshot follow the player vertically making it impossible to get past them.  It wouldn't be so bad if I had access to the warp spells, but I haven't unlocked them yet.  One other thing that I wouldn't mind seeing and is a *bit* off topic is if you look at the map, it's extremely hard to see with what's going on in the game,  would there be some possibility where we could get a way to make a background behind the map, something that is on a toggle perhaps,  say for example a 50% black background and then no background. 

Just as a suggestion, to prevent this type of thing from happening in the future,  you might want to consider adding these hazards to the game as an unlock once you get access to spells that will let you deal with them.

That first one sounds like just a bug.

Beyond that though, I agree.


These should all perhaps unlock at the same time the Umbra Ember that you need for teleports first becomes available, so that right when the player first starts seeing them, there exists somewhere a tool to get by them.

Though, Umbras only appear from tier TWO missions and beyond, so at the start of every continent it's possible to run into a spike wall with no way past.   Now, I think that's fine in a NORMAL situation..... cause I can just go explore elsewhere.... but shouldnt happen during a mission.

[Vinraith]

The spikes seem fine to me though.    What's a platformer without spikes to stupidly die on?     They make me have to actually be CAREFUL when they're around, as jumping/platforming goes..... the only other static hazard in the game is the acid water, and it doesnt do much damage if you're only in it for a second.

Oh, that's what they're supposed to be for. OK, I agree that having a static falling hazard of that sort is a good idea, the problem is that I've only seen them spawn in narrow hallways (and in front of doors) where there was literally no way to get around them without taking a bunch of damage (short of teleport, I suppose, which I didn't have). Maybe the spawning logic just needs to be looked at on those, so they don't create impassable areas and block doorways.