Hey all! Thank you all for supporting Impaler, and providing us with tons of feedback. As we mentioned last time, we’re constantly working on new content and features to expand our game. [b]This update brings new obstacles, new difficulty levels, and much more! [/b] Our goal going forward is to introduce changes that will expand on what Impaler delivered at launch. Over the next weeks we will offer a roadmap that will lay out what we have planned for Impaler in the coming months. For now - please check out the full patch notes: [b]New Features / Content[/b] [list] [*] New obstacle “Monolith” - Extremely large indestructible obstacle that can offer cover from ranged projectiles and spawns in a porous configuration so movement is not overly restricted [*] New obstacle “Retractor” - Indestructible metal obstacle that retracts when enemies are nearby. Blocks player movement but allows passage of monsters. [*] Unlockable game difficulties + score bonuses [list] [*] Hard [list] [*] 1.25X score bonus [*] Reduced healing [/list] [*]Nightmare [list] [*] 1.5X score bonus [*] Reduced healing, tougher monsters, start with low HP, easy spike overheats [/list] [/list] [*]Two new achievements for completing the game on Hard and Nightmare [*]Bullet time mechanics simplified [list] [*] Bullet time fills by taking damage and killing monsters [*] Bullet time cooldown is removed and progress no longer decays with time [*] Triggers when the player presses attack [/list] [*]New config.ini settings for enabling / disabling some visual settings [list] [*] Weapon sway [*] Weapon bob [*] Screen shake [/list] [/list] [b]Balance / Gameplay[/b] [list][*]Stomp damage reduced to 30 from 35 [*]Melee monsters about 5% faster [*]Coin crate now drops 3 coins instead of 4 [*]Monsters that have ranged attacks more intelligently lob projectiles at you (over obstacles and at greater ranges) [*]Boss shoots 6 fireballs in succession instead of 2 at once [*]Platform / rocket monster changes: [list][*]The platform can be temporarily damaged causing the platform to lower making it more vulnerable (will see electricity / sparks) [*]Will lob rockets high into the air to attack players hiding behind obstacles / at a distance[/list] [*]Stage 10 has a more challenging obstacle layout & additional jump pads [*]Slime monster uses ranged attack more aggressively [*]Crusher “skull” obstacles will reset after dropping so they can be reused as traps [*]Minor reduction in health pickup attraction (was too forgiving) [*]Increased bullet penetration against spikes (so you can shoot monsters behind them easier) [*]Jump arrows now spawn coins above them after 30s (only spawns once but makes them more fun to use) [*]Improved layout and bouncing behavior of the floating arrows (more satisfying now) [*]Offerings will move themselves away from walls and corners (common point of frustration) [*]Increased coin reward from 6 to 10 when completing a stage with full health [*]Platform monsters hide for 4s instead of 6s [*]Changed behavior of weapon cooldowns slightly + balance values updated. Slightly higher thresholds for overheats and slightly slower cooldowns. (was bug in math that needed to be fixed) [*]~10% reduction on weapon overheat cooldown [*]Additional HUD indicator for when bullet time is available [*]Large versions of monsters have ~30% more health [*]Fixed placement of spikes when spike jumping (was previously offset in a frustrating way behind the players feet when looking straight down) [*]Increased size of offerings [/list] [b]Audio / Visual[/b] [list] [*] Blood particle effects improved [*] Improved particle effects for destruction of boss “spike” obstacles [*] Fixed some flickering on the boss shield [*] Obstacles have a shake animation when damaged [*] Minor improvements to environment art [*] Increase opacity of hit indicator and reduced its size [*] Improved camera animations when jumping and stomping [*] Increased visibility of shadows when objects are above the ground [*] Generally improved map lighting and shadows (+ slightly increased brightness) [*] Coins slightly bigger & more visible [*] Reduce smoke from shotgun pellet impacts [*] Upscaled art for the stage # pickup [*] Improved visual presentation of coin and health power ups (faux lighting effect) [*] Menu buttons are more gray than blue [*] Added missing sounds to certain pickup spawns [*] Changed visual appearance of plasma nades to be more distinct from the normal plasma projectiles [*] Improved art assets for offerings [*] Improved art assets for large stone obstacle [*] Improved art assets for spikey boss obstacle [*] Improved misc menu art / icons [*] Added blue glow on weapon to show bullet time is ready [*] Added unique sounds for shooting offerings [*] Added ambient sound for offering destinations [*] General audio mixing improvements [/list] [b]Bug Fixes / Technical[/b] [list] [*] Fixed bug causing occasional inconsistency with the strength of weapon recoil impulse on player (you can now use gun recoil to run backwards faster) [*] Fixed an incorrect German localization [*] Fixed gold farming exploit with “Demolition Man” - coins only spawn during the phase where monsters spawn. (you can no longer keep the last enemy alive to farm coins) [*] Fixed offerings triggering jump pads [*] Fixed death sounds playing multiple times on some monsters [*] Fixed bug with stakes incorrectly rendering when stuck in a wall [*] Fixed missing windows taskbar icon [*] Reduced overall load times [/list] Thank you all for getting through the patch notes, make sure to let us know what you think about the changes and new features on Steam forums, or our official [url=https://discord.gg/ensxn8yTvd]Discord server[/url]. While we are still pinpointing future update plans and the roadmap for this year, we can honestly say that 2023 is the year of Impaler! As always, please [b]share Impaler with your friends[/b] and [b]leave a Steam review[/b] if you’re enjoying the game to help us reach even more players. Also, be sure to check out our [b]bundles with extra discounts[/b] for a number of great indie titles. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/29360/Project_Warlock_x_Impaler/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/29427/PROJECT_WARLOCK_II_x_Impaler/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/29426/BLOOD_WEST_x_Impaler/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/29424/INCISION_x_Impaler/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/29425/POSTAL_Brain_Damaged_x_Impaler/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/29385/Pixelated_Milk_Bundle_x_Impaler/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/29361/Impaler_x_NecroBouncer/ And remember: exhale - IMPALE, exhale - IMPALE! Apptivus and Retrovibe