- The best of Unknown Pleasures 2019 - 20 December 2019
It’s been a weird, weird year for games. My perspective has been particularly odd and hard to square, as I’ve now been full time staff here at RPS for nearly six months. Six months! That’s … oh my god, I still haven’t extended my rent. It’s quite strange suddenly being able to talk about games in real life without having to apologise, but other than that it’s nice. In that time I’ve played somewhere around 1,200 to 1,300 games (an exact count is impossible for boring reasons), almost all of them little known. There have been many, many excellent games. There’s a refrain you see around the internet sometimes that “this was a bad year for games”, and I’ve honestly never understood it. I lived through the 2000s, people, I remember that wasteland. But this year, even after a solid 2018 , has been so replete with interes…
- The best games of 2019 so far - 10 July 2019
Summer. The heat age. Scorch season. Spring’s hangover. It’s the mid-point of the year and you know what that means. No, not “mojito time”, Geoff, put those away. It’s time we told you what the best games of the year are so far. There are quite a lot of them. Just look how many videogames have escaped from their developers in the past six months and are now running amok through the blistering streets, getting stuck in the melting tarmac, like ants in jam. It’s unsanitary. So allow us to round up these unruly games and trap them in a handy list. Here are our favourite sword swingers and space ‘splorers so far this year (and a couple of DLCs for good measure). Okay, Geoff, now bring the mojitos. (more…)
- Update 1.11b released - 22 March 2019
Expanded control options Mines and grenades now bounce off forcefields in a similar way as other projectiles Debris physics improvements Improved Pyro FX Fixed missing particles on charge FX
- Update 1.11 released - 19 March 2019
Adjusted ship physics: - Adjusted movement and turning acceleration curve to feel more precise and responsive - Banking and pitching movement now more closely match the ships' actual velocity - Afterburner speed increased Camera tracking while afterburning improved Manta level increased from 6 to 7 Increased mass of all non-player ships Reduced mass of mines and grenades Firebomb fragments reworked: - Firebomb fragments are now affected by forcefield knockback - Firebomb fragments are now affected by gravity wells - Blast rate is now based off fragment velocity - Firebomb fragments are instantly extinguished when still Gravity well damage is now dealt through a collapsing blast instead of an expanding blast Reworked Micro Missile FX Added announcements for recent weapon additions Adjusted the way weapon charge affects impact FX scaling Minions spawned by weapons ignore collision with th…
- Update 1.10 released - 11 March 2019
Enemy levels are now visible when selecting levels New lighting system implemented Debris FX improved Minor camera improvements Reduced Molter damage Increased impact force of melee attacks Mines or grenades will now instantly detonate when colliding at extreme velocities Using afterburner on dying enemies will now cause them to explode instantly Fixed Anemone Mine fragments dealing no damage when used by AI In extreme cases where ships are pushed outside the level boundary they will now be teleported back inside the level Fixed a rare bug where a pickup would "stick" to the surface of a forcefield for several seconds
- Update 1.09 released - 4 March 2019
Late game enemy compositions are now more consistent Power Cores now drop from common containers Reworked Iccolon Reworked Arachna All pickup and levels boni for the following damage types have been increased by 20%: -Energy -Kinetic -Exotic -Biotech All pickup and levels boni for the following damage types have been increased by 100%: -Explosive -Munition -Antimatter Shockcore blast radius bonus increased from 20% to 25% Beam Locus damage bonus increased from 50% to 100% Power Pod damage bonus increased from 25% to 30% Increased Cryo damage by 100% Sentry Mines now cause a damaging blast when destroyed Added Steam Rich Presence integration Added weapon DPS display Ingame move speed and turn speed values are now displayed as percentages Increased projectile size of most secondaries Improved camera behaviour Improved environment lighting Improved hover FX Enemies are better at avoiding c…
- Update 1.08 released - 24 February 2019
Weapon power reworked: - Power is increased by collecting Power Cores - Each level contains two Power Cores - Power increases firerate of primary weapons and matter regeneration rate - Jumping consumes all Power Level layouts are now visible on non-hidden levels 10 new tech pickups added New primary added: Flux New secondary added: Anemone Mine New level added Improved scenery variation Weapon displays now show matter cost Pickups are now affected by terrain modifiers Mines and grenades are now affected by terrain modifiers Player and rivals are now affected by torque from impacts and explosions Blackbirds now use afterburner Generators no longer affect enemy pathing after being destroyed Minor performance improvements
- Update 1.07 released - 17 February 2019
Added option for changing movement orientation Homunculus weight reduced from Heavy to Medium Rivals are less likely to charge with afterburner Reduced rival weapon damage Mines can now pass through portals Improved leaderboard display Improved teleport FX Improved fire FX Improved engine FX Fixed beam weapons not being able to destroy lamps Fixed Coilgun ricochet not working Fixed Firebomb missing description Added label for conversion weapons Fixed a rare bug where piercing projectiles could pass through walls Fixed game start fade effect being inverted Fixed a rare bug that could cause a level not to progress when Blackbirds were present Fixed enemies being overly cautious when using Arcgun
- Update 1.06 released - 10 February 2019
New enemy added: Triton New primary added: Carbine New primary added: Pyro New primary added: Magma New secondary added: Homunculus New secondary added: Rime Mine New secondary added: Hyperdisc Added ingame anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion settings Controls can now be remapped in the controls menu Elites no longer trigger alarms Intelligent enemies are better at not killing themselves with splash damage Rivals now use afterburner Weapon spawns are now deployed on the sides of the owner instead of behind Fixed a bug where homing weapons would target mines through walls Improved menu navigation Minor performance improvements
- Update v1.05b released - 2 February 2019
Adjusted difficulty Improved explosion physics Improved player damage feedback Enemies are better at using mines
- Update 1.05 released - 1 February 2019
Added framerate and v-sync options Simplified weapon power mechanic Each perk can now only be selected once Adjusted difficulty such that midgame is easier and late game is harder Rivals are now stronger 9 new Tech pickups added 3 new levels added New secondary weapon added: Octaburst Beehive weight class reduced from Heavy to Medium Torpedo weight class reduced from Heavy to Medium Fixed Quasar rarity being much higher than intended Molter matter cost increased Sentry Mines now use a more consistent firing pattern Fixed overcharged beam weapons being able to fire overlapping beams Intelligent enemies are now more likely to chase the player through teleports Adjusted Blast FX to be more distinctive Updated Mako textures Fixed jump charge sound not being affected by volume settings Fixed Blackbird turn rate being much higher than intended Various lighting improvements Lamps can now be de…
- Unknown Pleasures: A Chinese New Year - 28 January 2019
Strange things are afoot in steamgamesland. A powerful new force has begun to show its face on Western shores. Hailing from the tiny island nation of China, a wave of intrepid indie developers are shaking off a variety of undeserved reputations and delivering a solid fifth* of the shortlist of games we consider for Unknown Pleasures , the roundup of the best new games too few people are playing. But did any of them make the final cut? Is this the beginning of a bright new era following Steam’s recent controversies? And are any of them bloody roguelikes? Adhering to the rule of three this week: non-dwarven fortresses, kindhearted fireflies, and China, China, CHINA. (more…)
- Update 1.03 released - 21 January 2019
Added gamepad support Added audio settings menu Added controls settings menu Enabled music Various UI enhancements Increased homing and smart weapon acquisition range Lowered Hull upgrade bonus Lowered Repair upgrade bonus Slightly increased Shade max hull Slightly lowered Orca max hull Bosses now spawn with higher level weapons Reduced Pericus data rate bonus Blast damage FX from Antimatter weapons is now red instead of blue or purple Fixed Rival difficulty not scaling correctly Fixed damage stun not being applied correctly for some enemies Fixed Barracuda enemy not being able to spawn as a boss
- Update 0.712 Released - 22 June 2018
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/WildMiserableFrog-size_restricted.gif Explosions are bigger. Enemies die faster. You die faster. Changes: Faster and more responsive movement Rebalanced combat and difficulty scaling New weapon upgrade system New enemies and minibosses added 2 new levels added New enemy spawn patterns Greatly improved weapons FX and audio feedback Various performance improvements (Notes include the changes of the recent unlisted updates) https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FlamboyantGoldenDamselfly-size_restricted.gif
- Update 0.653 released - 26 April 2018
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/GreenHonestHalicore-size_restricted.gif This update brings another visual overhaul, a new upgrade system and tightens up combat mechanics and player physics. Combat FX adjusted for better visiblity and damage feedback Levels now have randomized color schemes and improved fidelity. Player ship handling made more responsive Player weapon projectile speeds rebalanced to be more consistent and easier to aim 3 new enemy types added Enemy missiles can now be shot down mid-air https://thumbs.gfycat.com/WarmheartedPertinentAstarte-size_restricted.gif All weapons now drop with a random power bonus The damage a weapon deals is affected by the level of the weapon plus the player's power level compared to the level of the enemy it hits Added data core pickups that allows the player to select one of 18 different upgrades Added armor pickups that increase the player's damage…
- Update 0.607 released - 12 March 2018
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DisfiguredNiceIndigobunting-size_restricted.gif It has been a while. Since the last update I have been working hard on reworking several parts of the game to better fit my original vision of a procedural sci-fi shooter with light RPG elements and intricate combat. This meant this update took a lot longer than planned but it was a necessary detour and the game is better for it. The changes in this update are too numerous to list so here is an overview of the major changes: The tlied levels have been replaced with handmade sections containing scripted sequences. Generating the levels with tiles limited both gameplay and visuals and made it difficult to created varied combat enecounters. This change has also resulted in a major visual overhaul. Enemy combat behaviours have been reworked to create a faster and more consistent combat experience. The previous AI focu…
- Update 0.607 released - 12 March 2018
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DisfiguredNiceIndigobunting-size_restricted.gif It has been a while. Since the last update I have been working hard on reworking several parts of the game to better fit my original vision of a procedural sci-fi shooter with light RPG elements and intricate combat. This meant this update took a lot longer than planned but it was a necessary detour and the game is better for it. The changes in this update are too numerous to list so here is an overview of the major changes: The tlied levels have been replaced with handmade sections containing scripted sequences. Generating the levels with tiles limited both gameplay and visuals and made it difficult to created varied combat enecounters. This change has also resulted in a major visual overhaul. Enemy combat behaviours have been reworked to create a faster and more consistent combat experience. The previous AI focu…
- PION v0.411 - 19 November 2017
Changelog: Levels Added second chapter Rebalanced shop pricing Ships All ships can now carry two primaries Increased pickup attraction radius Increased pickup collection radius Reduced Orca speed Increased Shade max shield Increased Marauder speed and max shield New weapons Bandit Whirlwind Taurus Cannon Weapons Polygun firerate and projectile speed increased Chaingun damage increased Sicklepulse firerate and damage increased Dumbfire ammo cost reduced Firebomb ammo cost reduced Shock Mine detonation delay reduced Increased Orbiter ammo Orbiters are now only triggered by primaries UI Improved how handling stat is calculated on ship selection screen Reworked loading screen Ammo cost display now takes burst firing into account Added numerical shield display Added numerical hull display Added low ammo warnings Added ammo pool displays Added restart button to pause menu Visuals Improved lev…
- PION v0.411 - 19 November 2017
Changelog: Levels Added second chapter Rebalanced shop pricing Ships All ships can now carry two primaries Increased pickup attraction radius Increased pickup collection radius Reduced Orca speed Increased Shade max shield Increased Marauder speed and max shield New weapons Bandit Whirlwind Taurus Cannon Weapons Polygun firerate and projectile speed increased Chaingun damage increased Sicklepulse firerate and damage increased Dumbfire ammo cost reduced Firebomb ammo cost reduced Shock Mine detonation delay reduced Increased Orbiter ammo Orbiters are now only triggered by primaries UI Improved how handling stat is calculated on ship selection screen Reworked loading screen Ammo cost display now takes burst firing into account Added numerical shield display Added numerical hull display Added low ammo warnings Added ammo pool displays Added restart button to pause menu Visuals Improved lev…
- PION v0.405 - 7 November 2017
The focus of this update has been on creating more fluid gameplay and giving players more tools for defining their playstyle. The overall presentation has also been greatly improved. Changes: Levels are now sprawling dungeons Player movement and hitboxes greatly improved Secondaries are now permanent weapons Fuel mechanic removed All craft now have Afterburner Cleaned up weapon mechanics and hit detection Improved lighting and particle effects Simplified UI New enemies added Destructable containers and objects added Various performance improvements added A content patch containing new levels, weapons and more will be added next week.
