[h1]This is a copy of our v0.2.2 release post for early adopters over on Itch.[/h1] Hello contractors! Welcome to another patch for Under Contract version 0.2.2! The game is coming along at a nice pace now, with our focus mostly on completing the first department blocking as soon as possible. Introducing the first pass on Circle 4 of the Marketing Department [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42283054/ca16dfb4ab4e5ad5c7274e216f2c46f344d88794.png[/img] This circle includes: [list] [*] 1 completed Reality Scene and another Reality Scene which is under construction [*] 4 Group VS matches [*] New obstacle Spike [*] New obstacle Solid Block [/list] [b]Group Verse Matches[/b] The new verses mechanics is something we have been working on since the very inception of the game itself. Originally we built it as a way to stress test the AI in the game by having 100 opponents race until they break, this boiled down to a very stressful, yet, highly engaging combat scenario. Two Demon Minions attack the player at once, and you’ve gotta beat them both back! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42283054/4077b2b2693a0515801c510ead6e534f99aa6cc3.gif[/img] To assist with this, the player can combo against shield gems which will block new lines sent to the player. You can stack up to three shields at once. In future patches, expect the rewards to also include two lovely Demon Minions ‘rewarding’ Richard. For now, we have temporary text, but it is being worked on! [b]Spikey Obstacles[/b] As we were building this obstacle, we fell in love with it! The Spike Gem is way too much fun. While the concept is simple - gem drops, if it touches Richard he will be stunned - in practice the gameplay is really really fun. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42283054/cb4e627da3cab26f2f4e271e2bfd0436beaaabf2.gif[/img] There really are a lot of nuances around this, and we will be building on the concept a lot more in future patches. [b]Solid Obstacles[/b] The last new game mechanic added in this patch is the Solid Obstacle, this is simply a gem that can never be removed by traditional means, and simply clutters up the play space. As more come in the more difficult the space becomes to clear. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42283054/1e3459fa62aae1d1dfdf743ff2bd649eb5b02885.gif[/img] [b]Changelog v0.2.2[/b] [list] [*] Added Circle 4 to Marketing Department. [*] Added 23 new gameplay nodes. [*] Added Group VS mechanics. [*] Added Spike Obstacle mechanics. [*] Added Solid Obstacle mechanics. [*] Added 2 Reality Narratives. [*] Added 3 Tutorials. [*] Added 2 Narrative nodes. [*] Fixed Localisation errors. [*] Fixed Splash Screen error. [*] Added Controller support functions. [*] Added SFX Loop functionality. [/list] [b]Patches going forward![/b] November is going to be a massive month for Under Contract. Cumminham our glorious modeler and animator will be spending the entire month building new characters, animations, scenes, and assets. This leaves us for the rest of this month blocking out the remainder of The Marketing Department, filling out the rest of the narrative, and building one or two more main mechanics. Following the Marketing Department work will begin on the Finance Department, and along with it a focus on a new main gameplay loop. We will be looking to mimic the Money Puzzle Exchange system which is very similar to what we currently have. No promises if we ultimately decide against using it for consistency's sake, but it should be a good time. Enjoy the new build! Cheers, Kinky