Steam Community :: Things That Bounce and Explode

v1.0.2.0 - The Blokolonian Bonanza Update

28 May, 2021

Hello everyone! In this new big update we are introducing variations for individual Blokolonians; now enemies will come in different sizes, movement types, and difficulties, adding even more variety to the game. Aside from that, in v1.0.2 there are also large improvements for the game's performance (no more of that weird halt every time you pause or open menus), and a host of other improvements to gameplay.

If you have further feedback, or would like to keep up-to-date with the game's development, don't forget to join us at our Discord[discord.gg].

Now on to the Update Notes:

ENEMY VARIATIONS - New Variations Types for Several Blokolonians
Shooter:
-A smaller variety that shoot accelerating dart bullets while moving
-A larger variety that shoots bullets in a danmaku-esque pattern
Armored:
-A smaller, moving variety
Wizard:
-A new variety that shoots bullets that will make P.A.D.D.L.E. move slower when hit
-A new variety that shoots bullets that will make P.A.D.D.L.E. shoot with larger intervals between each shot
Baller:
-A new, larger variety with the same behavior as its smaller counterpart; though it does not move
Healer:
-A smaller variety that moves, but has a smaller healing aura
Others:
-improved visuals for the Tank enemy
-The Blokopedia has been updated to show HP and XP values for all enemies; descriptions have also been updated to explain the behavior of the new variations

GENERAL
-Made substantial changes to how to game loads data; the game should load screens, pause, and overall run way more smoother now
-Slightly increased the proximity radius in which you can shoot
-Fixed the Blokhemoths name display
-Anomalies now unlock way earlier, when you start unlocking special enemies, around Level 2/3
-Armored enemies will pass on Anomalies to their unarmored versions when destroyed
-Change the achievement Self Preservation is For the Weak for 300 B.A.L.L.s instead of 400 (turns out that wasn't actually feasible thanks to post-launch changes in the interval in which you can continually shoot)
-Increase speeds for controllers and keyboard
-Increased the drop rate for all drops; money drops are also more frequent
-Changed how enemies unlock (previously they unlocked by adding to a hidden Unlock Score, that increased with certain player progression actions, such as leveling up or buying items. Now, in addition to that, the score will increase with each playtrough)
-Buttons in menus will now darken if selected

BUGS
-Fixed a frequent problem in which enemies would stick to each other or the screen border
-Increase feedback for when the P.A.D.D.L.E. gets hit
-Fixed a bug that made the charm Lyrical Miracle sometimes not work
-Fix a visual glitch in the Ice B.A.L.L. Breaking The Ice perk (and increased overall shatter damage)
-Fixed a bug that made the Planetarium inaccessible if players saved more than 100 planets

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v1.0.1.3 - Fixes to XP Systems and Interface

4 May, 2021

Lots of minor fixes, focusing on progressions systems (fixing some nasty XP bugs) and interface

GENERAL FIXES
-Corrected numerous ball level up glitches, inclusind B.A.L.L.s levelling up several times automatically, or not levelling up depending on their position in your Loadout
-Corrected positions of Perk Buttons in the P.A.D.D.L.E. Menu
-Fixed a bug in which interface could not display properly when using the Change Loadout button in the Pre-Game screen
-Fixed some draws at the Pre-Game screen
-Fixed a bug in which you could not leave the Pre-Game screen if you used the Change Loadout Button

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v1.0.1.1 - Options and Interface Update

19 Apr, 2021

Hello everyone! This new updates focus on Options and customization, with fixes to Rebinding and more options (including Hold to Shoot mode), as well as some regular bugsquashing. Onto the updates:

INTERFACE AND OPTIONS FIXES
-Added a Hold to Shoot option for continual fire (and also because I don't want to be responsible for any cases of RSI :p )
-Changed some of the displays in the interface in order to show features that are not unlocked yet in the Main Menu and the Shop
-Fixed a bug in the P.A.D.D.L.E. Menu that might make one extra Perk icon appear at max level
-Small improvements to the interface at the PADDLE menu
-Added extra sound effects for the Options menu
-Fixed a bug in which you could not rebind more than one key at a time in the Options menu
-Also fixed the display text when inputting the new key

OTHER FIXES
-Added a fix for a weird bug that over-levelled B.A.L.L.s way over the cap of 5
-the Tower Defender power has a darker color to improve visibility and is drawn in the correct layer

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v1.0.1.0 - The Blokhemoth Update

16 Apr, 2021

Hello everyone! This our first big revision in terms of game content. Analyzing both player feedback and metrics, the main pain point that had to be addressed were the game bosses, the Blokhemoths.

The main design in which every single boss had a move that could damage the planet showed itself to be a bit tiring, frustrating, and in some cases superfluous, so the encounters were changed to focus more on damage to the player character.

So, I changed those patterns in all bosses (except F.A.N.G.S.T.E.R., which metrics pointed to being the less frictive of the bosses), to put an emphasis in the race against the time that characterizes the core gameplay of the regular waves. In order to balance that, though, overall boss wave time was also slightly reduced.

Aside from that, numerous quality of life improvements were also added, such as clearer numerical information in the Post-Game screen and the Blokopedia (highlighting the more RPG-ish side of the game), Charms unlocking earlier, aside from other usability improvements.

There should be at least one more content patch until our first big content update in May/June, but until then, if you want to help the project, don't forget to leave a review!

Onto the update notes:

CHANGES IN BLOKHEMOTHS

D.I.S.C.O.B.A.L.L.:
-Does not drop pieces of itself on the planet anymore; instead, when it stops in the center, it now uses a spinning light attack of oscillating length. More light beams are created depending on the difficulty.
-In its final attack stage, instead of freezing in the center and continually shooting bullets, it will continue to bounce around, all while using the light beam and radial bullets.
-All base speeds of the boss were decreased to make the last stage more doable. It also does not accelerate in its final stage anymore.
-The bullets now originate from the center of the boss, instead of the borders, giving players more time to react.
-Changed the secret achievement "Discordant" objective for a new one. To get it, you need to defeat this Blokhemoth is less than 30 seconds.

C.R.U.S.H.E.R.:
-Does not shoots A.N.T.I.B.A.L.L.s anymore; now, he shoots a damaging beam in the center of the screen that has to be avoided. The width of the beam increases with difficulty.

F.L.A.M.E.D.A.N.C.E.R.:
-Does not shoot A.N.T.I.B.A.L.L.s anymore; now shoots bouncing Flameshots that will damage P.A.D.D.L.E. in contact. Those bounce on all edges, and disappear after some time.

QUALITY OF LIFE
-Gameplay Tips are now show after every run in the Post-Game Screen!
-Charms now unlock at Level 6 instead of 8
-Made a fix that now makes it impossible to face the same Blokhemoth two runs in a row.
-XP values for the player and B.A.L.L. levels are now shown in the post game screen
-HP and XP values for enemies are now shown in the Blokopedia
-Descriptions of Blokhemoths in the Blokopedia were also updated to reflect their new behaviors

GAMEPLAY
-Fixed a bug that caused level caps of the special B.A.L.L.s to duplicate
-Healers now stop healing when Frozen or Stunned
-Made enemy bullets hitbox smaller
-Decreased overall boss wave time
-B.A.L.L.s in the interface now have a subtle overlay effect indicating when they are ready. There is also extra text in the pop-up tutorial explaining how to use the special B.A.L.L.s
-Fixed the Background Image text in the Options menu not indicating the right type of background
-Corrected a metric ton of spelling mistakes both in English as well as in Portuguese.

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v1.0.0.4 - Game Update

7 Apr, 2021

You know it, I know, here comes the game updates

BUGFIXES
-improved the grammar consistency of planet stories in Portuguese, and fixed an issue in which terms appear repeated
-fixed a 0 showing up in the Power tab in the P.A.D.D.L.E. menu
-fixed a bug that changed F.L.A.M.E.D.A.N.C.E.R. trajectory after being frozen or stunned

BALANCING
-bosses health in now changes depending on current difficulty (that means D.I.S.C.O.B.A.L.L. is more doable now hehe)
-B.A.L.L.s now require less XP to level up
-burning enemies now receive more damage from other sources
-poisoned enemies now take more damage
-improvements to ball and enemy collision

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v1.0.0.3 - Game Update

5 Apr, 2021

More improvements and bugfixes:

FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS
-initial resolution setup now works properly, and resolutions available were changed to more sensible ones
-fixed a bug in which Power and Charm menus could be accessed before unlocking them
-fixed an issue that caused the player to gain an extra Perk when switching tabs in the Paddle menu
-fixed an issues in which Lock Mouse on Screen and Capture Mode had their functions switched
-changed visual for the Perk icons in the P.A.D.D.L.E. Menu to clarify information
-Blokhemoth names are now correctly displaying in Portuguese
-the Tutorial pop-up now pops when pressing Play for the first time, instead of after the title screen when first booting the game, giving players space to use Options first
-a new achievement was added

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v1.0.0.2 - Game Update

3 Apr, 2021

Numerous fixes and improvements for the game:

BUGFIXES
-fixed a bug in which Anomalies in the Blokopedia appeared before the mechanic is introduced
-fixed an issue with the Power Bar being drawn filled
-fixed a bug in which B.A.L.L.s colliding with paddle events triggered when shooting a B.A.L.L. (such as gaining Combo or Perk skills)
-fixed the drawing of names in shop cells to fit in said cells; also changed some names in Portuguese
-changed a bug when using B.A.L.L. Time when fighting D.I.S.C.O.B.A.L.L

QUALITY OF LIFE
-changed the base text font for one with better readability
-Super Duper Beam sound is now a bit louder
-also fixed an issues in which looping sounds (such as Beam and Aegis) still playing after finishing a run
-changed Trace B.A.L.L. effect for less intensity

TUTORIAL
-fixed the drawing od the interface in Power tutorial
-text stays in the screen for a bit less time so tutorial feels less sluggish
-enemies now actually fall down when the time runs all

BALANCE
-hitting some bosses with a singular body (C.R.U.S.H.E.R. and F.L.A.M.E.D.A.N.C.E.R.) charges the power bar, as so you can also gain charge on boss battles. Charge gained is also proportional to current combo
-increase health of F.A.N.G.S.T.E.R. teeth; teeth now respawn and drop faster
-increase health of C.R.U.S.H.E.R. he also attacks slightly more frequently
-D.I.S.C.O.B.A.L.L. now drops pieces slightly higher, and fixed an issue were he might drop in the lower part of the screen
-tweaked wave time

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Day One Patch!

31 Mar, 2021

Hello everyone, hope you are enjoying TTBAE! Did some fixes based on the first day feedback; if you have some feedback don't be shy about it :)

GENERAL FIXES
-fixed a bug in which the game language would always default to Portuguese in the first boot
-also, fixed the way resolution is set in that event
-fixed pause menu loadout pop-up position, so the text box in the far right stays clearly visible
-fixed a bug that in Psych B.A.L.L. "Psychic Offense" Perk , where it registered as a damaging entity
-fixed the Multi B.A.L.L. Perk "Absorbing Action", where it previously stopped the B.A.L.L. from shooting any extra B.A.L.L.s
-fixed a bug where balls would not collide with the C.R.U.S.H.E.R. if the Glue Dew Charm was equipped
-Tower Defender power now switches targets more often, preventing it from shooting dead air

BALANCING
-slightly tweaked some values to make the start of the game less of a breeze
-nerfed the Hidden Power Exaggerated Barrage; you now fire 6 missiles instead of 8
-tweaked the amount of Hidden Power Charge accumulated with each defeated enemy

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