Hello everyone! It has been quite some while since the last update, however the workload was immense and we are trying to make the patch ready in a week. Before giving out the changes, I would like to address some of the reasons why these are the contents for this patch: Over the course of the game, it has been getting quite positive reviews, apart from the undeniable lack of player base, whether the review itself is positive or negative. This is a bitter fact, that we obviously know, however the possibilities we have aren't enough to create one. Say it is about giving out ads, influencers and so on. However, we can address this in a different way, making the lack of playerbase less impactful on those who would like to play the game. So this patch pretty much is an attempt of addressing these and here they follow. [h1] Lobby/Party Changes [/h1] Lobbies and parties are now moved to server side. This gives us bigger control in regards to notify other people about what your status is. [h1] Connectivity during play [/h1] Players can now interact with global chat during a single player or a multiplayer game. Also for Single player, you can join or create lobbies and see the status of your lobby as you play. This is for: 1. Those who want to play in multiplayer and waiting for people but doing something and just not looking at the menu for players. 2. Those who are in a game and want more players, yet being unable to see what is going on in the main menu. This way, you can simply tell people to join your game by typing in the global chat if your game is public. [img]https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34079711/fa4a581ead3700ef1ce1c378cab5d445dc1ddd35.png[/img] [h1] More player interaction [/h1] As visible on the picture above, you can whisper to people who write in global chat, add them as friends, join their game/lobby if they are in any, invite them to your party or ignore them. [h1] Online player count [/h1] You will be able to see how many total players are playing the game currently, instead of only being able to tell who are online in the main menu. [h1] Online players list [/h1] You will be able to see who is online in the online players list. [h1] Quick Play [/h1] We are adding a Quick Play button that takes you to a game that is currently ongoing that you are eligible to join (If the game is friends only and the host is your friend, you can join, you cannot join a full game etc.). This will also check for connection quality/distance, however having no eligible game will do nothing (Or if the only eligible game is distant to you, you might end up disconnecting/lagging). [h1] For further patches [/h1] [h1] Player Profiles [/h1] You will have a player profile that displays your stats, your collection and so on. Even further (This is planned for quite some patches ahead), you will be able to create a showcase of your own to display your marbles and other feats (Hint). [h1] Game ping/quality [/h1] Games, now being in direct contact with our servers, will now be able to report their stats, hence you can now see if your experience with a certain lobby would be good or not. [h1] End of the match stats [/h1] In the end of the match, instead of our super simple win screen, there will be stats displayed and scores given to players. These stats include: Number of times each player knocked an enemy out of a zone, Gyro Power spent, active time in capture zones. [h1] Progression system [/h1] We will create a progression system that requires you to fulfill certain criteria, either daily or lifetime for you to earn levels. Certain levels add a virtual currency (Cannot be purchased via real money) that allows you to purchase exclusive rewards from the shop (That also cannot be purchased via real money). The lifetime quest completion is planned to unlock certain single player/co-op game modes. [h1] Single Player challenges [/h1] You will be able to invite a player to a challenge in a parkour. In this mode, players cannot interact with each other but can still see each other on a parkour run. [h1] Custom Parkours [/h1] Players will be able to create custom parkours and either send these to other players or invite players to a challenge to try them. [h1] MOAR ACHIEVEMENTS [/h1] With the backend work we spent so far on the match stats, there will be a lot of achievements rewarded by gameplay, mostly tied to abilities and puzzles that require you to do certain tasks in a certain manner. The puzzle achievements will only contain a hint about how to acquire them, but wont be as simple as "Do this and do that" We do believe that these changes will address the player base issues (By at least providing a better environment for those who are playing Marble Combat for multiplayer primarily). If you have other opinions/ideas, do not hesitate to drop them in. We read everything:) Best regards, Kaan