Version 5.01 [10/26/12]

[Buff Skeleton]

EXU2: Batshit Insane:. . . . Open Beta (v5.01) / 10-26-12
EXU.u:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v5.01 / 10-26-12
EXU2BI.u:. . . . . . . . . . . . . .v5.01 / 10-26-12
EXU-Sounds.u:. . . . . . . . . .v5.01 / 10-26-12
EXU-Textures.u:. . . . . . . . .v5.01 / 10-26-12
RMusicPlayer:. . . . . . . . . . v0.1.4 / 6-7-09

Version 5.01:

Campaign Changes:

• Hellcastle (Menu Map)
  
  • Text labels added to teleporters so you can identify them as you approach. More banners added throughout the castle to point you to them more easily as well.
  • Improved lighting and visuals - lanterns upgraded, decorations added in some locations, etc.
  • Geometric stability improved. Fewer BSP errors and glitches.
• Frostclaw Access (Map 7)
  
  • Technical fixes and gameplay modifications.
• Frostclaw Outpost (Map 8)
  
  • Gameplay tweaks: should be much more difficult on Unreal and Hard, especially in the upper level. More combat, more item drops, more obliteration.
  • Improved translator messaging to give players a better sense of what needs to happen to complete the level.
  • Added signs to key areas to make locating and identifying them easier.
  • Significantly reduced health for destructible objects, especially ones that have to be destroyed to finish the map.
• Highlands of Despair (Map 15)
  
  • Fixed music discrepancy. The map now uses Chrono Wave by Cybernetika. Crater.umx is no longer necessary for the map to function.
• Other Maps: lots of misc. technical fixes

Other changes:

• Piddledoper alt fire range halved, primary fire damage slightly boosted.
• Fixed Hell Gun alt fire bug where bots were unable to damage players.
• Fixed Pupae issue where piles of them would result in auto-bug-death from Pupae jumping on top of their buddies' heads and causing "stomp" damage. Similarly, other EXUScriptedPawns can only deal stomp damage now if the stomper has more mass than the stomped.
• Tachyon Driver alt fire now guarantees target will explode into gibs when killed as long as the Tachyon Storm or the blast wave is the last thing to damage it and the target can be gibbed. Just like the primary fire!
• Ice Queens and Flak Brutes no longer spam-fire repeatedly when they lose visual contact.
• Turbo Skaarj Berserkers now fire three projectiles per shot (so six total every attack), but have less health and are no longer immune to their own damage type. Flak projectiles used by pawns also have reduced damage, max splash radius, and max sensor radius.
• Fixed a bunch of MP pawns set to drop Energizer Balls when killed that I forgot to update. All pawns should now drop the proper loot.
• AdvancedCreatureFactories, HellHoes, and DevilBirds/Sentinels/Watchers can now allow random loot drops that override the pawns' defaults. See code comments in the respective classes (in UED, go to Edit Script and read the green // stuff) to see how they work if you aren't sure.

>>>>> Get the latest version right here! <<<<<

[UBerserker]

Flying Squids get stuck if they try to attack you.

[Buff Skeleton]

I haven't seen this happen. Clarify?

[Edit] OK they don't get stuck, they just fail to actually attack, probably due to collision issues. I'll get on that

[Edit2] Fixed! Was some accessed-none-prevention code going over the top and breaking things. Listed it on the Known Bugs list.

[Buff Skeleton]

Just a little WIP shot of some work being done to Map 12 (in more ways than one)

[jaypeezy]

Did you make your own particle generator for snow? Because if you did I can only imagine it's highly efficient/more kick-ass than any other generator to date.

[Buff Skeleton]

Actually, just using UARain in sprite mode with a customized generator to allow for a range of sizes, textures, and speeds on individual particles instead of using the same for each bit.

[Buff Skeleton]

EXUShotty fixed for bots! I actually just made it into a projectile weapon and made it fire 25 projectiles per shot. It's basically the same gun the Shrapnel Mercenary Elite uses. The main thing is, bots can hit you with the EXU Shotty now. Good stuff.

[Buff Skeleton]

Ooooooh this turned out nice. Hyper Flakker overhaul is juuust about done now. Last night I did the grenades:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7bylpE1rP4

[jaypeezy]

Daaaaaamn, looks/sounds so beautiful now. Awesome job!

[spoiler]also bonus points for derpy music [/spoiler]

[Buff Skeleton]

Starting to get somewhere with this retrofit! Haven't worked on it much this month (busy as hell) but I finished the crane today. Woop

[Buff Skeleton]

HOLY SHIT

As seen in this thread, I just now fixed some completely broken target leading aim code for Easy and Medium (and indirectfire pawns on all difficulties thanks to integration's code) which has been more or less useless since AT LEAST Demo 3, which was... a long fucking time ago.

What does this mean? Honestly, not THAT much, but it is a game changer. Pawns can now hit you at very very very long range with any projectile... IF they are set to bLeadTarget AND you are stationary or move without changing directions AND the pawn's RangedAccuracy value is zero. Very few pawns have 0 RangedAccuracy (perfect aim), though small values don't contribute very much randomness. However, most players don't stand still or move in a single direction when engaging enemies at long range.

So while theoretically the change is huge, in practice it won't be that different. The biggest differences will be directfire projectiles on Easy and Medium, as I have done away with the global projectile speed nerfs, which caused the fuckery in the first place. Indirectfire projectiles on all difficulties will now be much more dangerous regardless of distance from the enemy.

To compensate for the increased projectile speed and improved indirectfire aiming on enemies, I'm going to look into implementing some kind of global random health/armor drop system for at least Easy and Medium so players who take more hits than they bargained for will be able to juice back up regardless of how much health or armor is around, among other things.

I've also been working on some new interactive environmental hazards to be placed in maps. Expect to see at least one variant in some of the maps next patch, as early as Map 2.

Things are gonna get interesting.

[Edit] Note that this isn't final and speed nerfs may stick around in a newer, better form to preserve balance.

[TheIronKnuckle]

I love how your PR announcements always start with some sort of OTT profanity

edit:

also just wondering, is the old hellcastle map still present in some form? it was a fine piece of mappage imo.

[Buff Skeleton]

Only in Demo 3/4. Honestly, it's a pretty awful map by most standards.

[TheIronKnuckle]

You serious? Better than a lot of maps I've seen and better than anything I can pull off I'll be keeping it around as an alternate intro in my maps folder for old times sake.

[Buff Skeleton]

Some more WIP shots yay