Howdy everyone. The August update (in the beta as well as in the demo) is now live. This month's update comes with a bunch of changes, some adjustments to the balancing, and also some bug fixes. [h2]Join the playtesters panel![/h2] I'd like to get more people involved in the testing of the game. If you'd like to provide some feedback (and get a game-key in exchange), feel free to message me. More details about this can be found on [url=https://thumbtanks.com/playtesters-wanted] the official website[/url]. [h2]Changes to the Island Map and Weather[/h2] Now there is a chance of light or dense clouds over the map, which can partially block the view on the map. Finally, before each round, a bird's eye view of the entire map is shown. [h2]Modular Weapons[/h2] The weapon pick-ups have been changed to be modular. Instead of having to choose between E-Torps, Nukes, or Clusterbombs, you can now combine these pick-ups. This led to some changes in regard to the balancing of these pick-ups and the corresponding UI. [h2]Proximity Indicators[/h2] Indicators next to your tank will now indicate nearby tanks to avoid situations where players are missing each other. [h2]UI Changes[/h2] When taking damage or repairing the tank, numbers will indicate the amount of repair/damage to provide a better feel for the impact of weapons, specials, buffs, etc. A changelog has been added to the start screen showing the latest updates, changes, and what to expect from the next one. [h2]Balancing[/h2] Almost all talents and buffs are now stronger. Mines and rockets dealt a bit more damage. Natasha's special was upgraded: Natasha can now select two pick-ups, which will be in her air support box. [h2]What's Next?[/h2] Since I'll be on vacation between August and September, the September update will probably be rather small. The plan is to concentrate on performance optimizations. On the mid-term roadmap is still the base-defender game-mode, the possibility to change settings from the pause-menu, two new talents, and a bunch of new medals. Those and some other changes will probably come in the October update. [h2]Full List of Changes[/h2] [NEW] Weapon pick-ups can now be combined. [NEW] Proximity indicators show tanks nearby. [NEW] Added possibility of cloudy weather. [IMPROVED] Burt's shield was changed, so it does not make the tank wider. [IMPROVED] Nurse and witchdoctor talents are back. [IMPROVED] Rewrote Natasha's special to be more versatile and powerful. [IMPROVED] Respawn animation now fades earlier. [IMPROVED] Code optimization to reduce stutter on object-spawn and higher fps in general. [UI] The map (+ weather and time of day) is shown before each round. [UI] Added changelog to start screen. [UI] Health changes are now displayed as numbers in-game. [UI] Changed animation for gold and silver medals. [BALANCING] Buffs are now stronger, but limited to four levels each. [BALANCING] Talents are now stronger. [BALANCING] Thresholds for e-torp minigame related awards are now higher. [FIXED] A bug due to which Natasha could not call her air support. [FIXED] A bug in which E-Torp minigame wasn't reset when been eliminated while in minigame. [FIXED] A bug which caused spawn points to be on rocks. [FIXED] A bug due to which two players could spawn at the same spawn point. [FIXED] A bug that caused tanks to be burning before the start of the first round. [FIXED] A rare bug that caused the game to crash at the start of the first round. [FIXED] Flickering of the UI in "Time's up"-state. [FIXED] A bug, which caused e-torp minigame related awards to be given out wrong.