v1.3 is now live on the Appstore. It mainly adds two new pickups (shield & nuke) which add some more spice to the game, especially the survival mode. There are also some balance changes and various bugfixes.
Thanks for updating, posting about the update, therefore bringing the thread to the main page where I came across this game that had me interested but I didn't have credit at the time. Now I can spend on it!!! It looks amazing and comments are positive. Thanks for this in advance. Ps: What a spooky icon! It's very cool. Imps: Kinda, good looking (loved the vapor and original palettes so far), sounds good, although most of the time I don't know what I'm doing or the character isn't doing what I wish he were. I need some getting used to to the aiming system, which feels weird [to me] sometimes since I find myself shooting at the ground or obstacles when I could be shooting a different enemy (I think it locks on enemies when the attack button is pressed firmly and changes to the nearest enemy when you let go and shoot again [?]). I don't know if I'm missing something, but I think a manual reload option should be available.
This is the actual problem when I just began to play the game. Basically your character will aim-lock on the nearest enemy when you hold the attack button, he will keep tracking and shooting, after the enemy is dead, he still keep shooting in the same angle, which means if you want to aim-lock on another enemy, you should pull the attack button. Actually I think the auto reload is needed, or just remove the reload function. To the developer, the last update buffed the nuke bomb, which is good but not enough, since it makes the game more like a “luck-based”, if I am lucky enough to keep getting nuke bomb continuously, I will get the high score without any skill. It actually happened when I just updated the game, I smashed the boss for less than 10 seconds because I got 2 or 3 nuke bombs in short time, my character still drown by lots of enemies later though. I think survival mode should reward player who have good skill, not just let him drown in the enemies because it is "survival mode", at least I don't think there are enough space for our character to "SURVIVE".
Not so soon unfortunately :/ I'll look into implementing MFi support after I think I'm done with the tweaks in gameplay (which is an ongoing process, I'm updating the game as soon as I do some balance changes and/or implement a new feature like a pickup/weapon/level) And MFi support will need an unconventional controller layout (since the game is in portrait mode) I will need a considerable amount of time to implement and polish it so it's good enough/usable to be included with the game.
I've seen you state this a couple of times, but I have played lots of games on my iPad and iPhone in portrait mode and this would be great on that with a controller, I think. The layout is only unconventional for the very few MFi controllers, like the Gamevice, which the device clips into, forcing you to rotate the whole thing if you are playing in portrait mode. If I'm using a controller on my iPhone or iPad, I prop the device up on a stand to hold it in the position that I want and hold the controller. The phone/tablet is just a display screen. I suspect lots of other people do the same. Most controllers are actually separate from the device, just like a controller for a PS4, PC, etc. (Think Nintendo Switch with Pro Controller vs. Switch with the attached controllers.) It's really nice to see a developer so involved in feedback for their game and contributing to the discussion here, by the way. Thanks! I look forward to seeing improvements as you continue working on the game.
Hi! Your explanation makes sense, it'll be easier to implement MFi support with a "conventional" layout so maybe I'll ignore "clip-on" controllers (like GameVice etc) and implement a default layout initially. Thanks for your post. I actually have a GameVice but reading your post, I decided to test the initial implemention on TestFlight soon and hunt for feedback from the testers! Cheers, Burç from Happy Doze.
Hi people! I just want to let you know that the 2.0 MEGA UPDATE for BIT QUAKE is now processing for the App Store! It should be ready in a couple of hours. This version has 2 new enemy types, 6 new weapons (Auto Shotgun, Gauss Rifle, Gravitor, Swarmer, Napaldm and Railgun), 2 new palettes, 5 new upgrades (interesting stuff like an Orbital Shield, a Pyro Companion Bot, Reload Timewarp, Reload Burst, Acid Blood that damages enemies when you're hurt) remastered/fixed and brand new levels, tons of balance tweaks, refined physics, a re-designed SURVIVAL mode which lets you choose 16 upgrades that STACK throughout the run.
Hi Boorch, did you ever get a chance to test mFi support, as you stated a couple of messages back? I would love to give this a try if you did. If you are looking for testers for mFi support on iPad Pro (2018 model) or iPhone XS Max, please let me know. I have a couple of different controllers that I can test with.
Hey there! My GameVice got broken so I don’t have any way to test MFi support right now :/. I’m planning to implement basic gamepad support for a possible desktop version in the future and I’ll try to find a third party plugin to remap gamepad controls to MFi. I can create a seperate Test Flight usergroup only to test MFi support and get feedback until I buy a new one. I will announce this here as well! Cheers!
Maybe I had a bad experience in earlier versions of the game or something, but my recent runs felt somehow better. The aiming system is still there, as in previous versions, but something feels different and I can't seem to identify what it is. Good job and thanks for the update, @boorch.
Hi! Thanks for the feedback! Apart from the "visible" updates, there has been a lot going on behind the curtains in terms of physics, movement speed etc. Every variable from gravity to jump force to bullet speeds of weapons etc tweaked incrementally over the course of a heavy test period. Now in hindsight, I feel like the first release was a little bit "rushed" because we were also trying to launch Planet Runners as soon as possible. Since Planet Runners has been released and I had a bit of free time, I decided to update BIT QUAKE.
SURVIVAL PRO TIPS: If you see I'm only in it for... 3000 points upgrade when you level up for the first couple of times, just go for it. Depending on your current level, you can instantly level up 2-3 times with those 3000 points, meaning you can start the Survival with an advantage of at least 2 upgrades. Experiment with different upgrades and try building different synergies! An example: Reload Timewarp (time slows when you reload) + In & Out (increased movement speed and rate of fire, decreased reload speed) + Gauss Rifle (a weapon with fast rate of fire and 3 rounds per magazine) is insane! You literally play in slow motion 75% of the time! Another example: Acid Blood (your blood particles damages enemies) + Vampire Fangs (life steal) results in possibly returning a percentage of any damage you take. Stomping enemies is super useful because 1) it resets your jump count and 2) combined with Orbital Shield and Boots of Punk upgrades, every stomp will basically as lethal as a rocket! Don't let too many enemies pile up below. If you get a Shield Pickup or at least an Orbital Shield upgrade, sometimes a suicide dive down the enemy pile works wonders. At least one of them will drop a Nuke pickup and you will wipe most of them out instantly. Try to kill any Boss as soon as possible. Get close so you can aim-lock them by holding A. After locking the target, you can get back to a safe distance. Even if you have a tiny amount of health, try to hunt the Boss because every boss drops 3 pickups of either a Health pack or a Nuke. Never miss a NUKE. Especially if you have Life-steal upgrades. A NUKE can destroy ~30 enemies instantly and having even a %5 life steal chance will make a great difference, since you roll the dice 30 times in ~16.5 milliseconds. The upgrades Companion Bot and the newly added Pyro Bot have a limited amount of health. Most of the time, "shooting" enemies and bosses will target them first and once they're gone, they're gone for good. So it may be wise to skip selecting them early in the run. Don't let the penalties of some upgrades scare you. You can benefit the buffs now and cancel out the penalties with another upgrade you choose after you level up once again! In theory, you can level up up to 16 times in Survival, meaning you can have 16 upgrades stacked. (Tbh, even I haven't made that far hahahah) And last but not the least... Try turning the MUSIC OFF on the Options. A new button called BIT QUAKE PLAYLIST will appear in the main menu. When you tap on it, it will automatically launch a Spotify playlist, curated by me! It gets updated daily/bi-daily and it's not genre-bound so it may feature extreme heavy metal one day, and chill out EDM the other. Cheers! Burç from Happy Doze.
UPCOMING v2.1 UPDATE - LOW POWER mode! Added an option to Lock FPS to 30 to preserve battery life. The FPS lock is off by default now, so it's 120fps on devices supporting Pro Motion (iPhone XS and iPad Pro) and 60fps on others. - Cloud save functionality! (Experimental) Your progress is now persistent across all your devices. (You need to be logged in to Game Center) - MFi Controller Support! (Experimental) Works in-game. Use touch for Unlocks & Options menus. See details below: MFi Controller Bindings: - Horizontal Movement: D-Pad Left/Right, Left Stick Horizontal (Alternative: Right Stick Vertical*) - Fire: X (Alternatives: B, R2, L1) - Jump: A (Alternatives: Y, R1, L2) *Right Stick Vertical is included for non-wireless/attached controllers so you can turn your device+controller sideways to be able to play in portrait mode and use Right Stick for movement. Changes/Additions: - New Upgrade: Jet Boots. Increases jump height. Jet flames damage enemies. - Changed Upgrade: Hysteria. Now increases Rate of Fire and Reload Speed when your health is below 50%. - Changed Upgrade: 4 Leaf Clover. Ignore Damage change +15%. Mini-timewarp when damage is ignored. - Minor buff to all enemies' damage to compensate for some OP upgrade synergies/combinations. A personal note: BIT QUAKE is at its heart a passion project but I really want to develop it further so, please share/recommend this game to your friends IRL or on social media. I believe that even a 5-second long video of a chaotic moment in Survival is enough to catch people's interest. EDIT: While I wait for Apple to review the update, I've fixed a couple of things that optimizes the game dramatically, so I cancelled the submitted update and will be submitting a new build soon.
UPDATE v2.1 IS LIVE on the App Store with features mentioned in the post above + numerous fixes and performance optimizations. Enjoy!
Sorry, since I don't have any Android device to test the game on, there's no chance of an Android port until I get one :/ (and I suppose I won't be able to get one soon since the sales are not so great) But don't worry! If you have a PC/Mac, you can grab the DESKTOP VERSION here: https://boorch.itch.io/bit-quake It even has gamepad support and ~experimental~ 2P survival mode! (2P Survival button gets unlocked only if you connect 2 gamepads for now) BIT QUAKE at its heart is a passion project (that's how I rationalize being poor) and I don't want to monetize the hell out of it into an ugly f2p game with interstitial ADs and loot-boxes etc. in order to earn more (actually "more" is kind of the wrong word since I'm earning next to nothing from this game, let's go with "some") money. But I try to update it as much as possible on iOS and Desktop. Because firstly, I love playing it. Cheers!
