Hello everyone!

I'm excited to announce that controller support is now available on the experimental branch for testing.

Although controller support was in the game previously, it was very limited and would often break or require 3rd party software to function. In addition to this, a recent engine upgrade completely broke the old input system, and so I've redone the entirety of this system to utilize the new Unity input API.

[h3]How to access this branch:[/h3]

Hello again!

This is just a small subsequent patch following the winter update that fixes a couple minor bugs discovered in that version, along with finally buffing the projectile drone. (and some other minor visual changes to compliment the changes made in v2.2)

I'll continue to monitor feedback on this update, and release further patches if required. I also realise some people aren't a huge fan of the limited time arena due to the fact it wont be possible to 100% the game after the event ends, so I'm looking at options for addressing that.

BALANCE CHANGES:
- Buffed projectile drone (3 now spawn + better pathing)
- Slightly lowered crystal drop rate on Sub Zero

BUG FIXES:
- Fixed shielders not dropping shields on Dynamo
- Fixed being able to die in card-select screen
- Fixed sub-zero button not displaying event info

[h3]Hello Everyone![/h3]

It's been awhile since the last update, and so I thought I'd release a limited time event for the winter season, along with some other new permanent content and changes / bug fixes! Do keep in mind that this patch is no where near the size of the Black Market update (V2), and is just meant to add in some new content and the limited time arena. (just wanting to set expectations)

NOTE: For those wondering about the trials update, you can find more info on it below.

[h2]Limited Time Arena - Sub Zero[/h2]
A limited time arena is now ready to take on, Sub Zero! This is one of the hardest arenas ever added to the game, and with very little room to move around, you'll need to time every dodge and shot perfectly. The arena will be available until January 7th, so complete it while you still can!


[h2]New Ship - Cryonetic[/h2]
A brand new winter themed ship is available in the Black Market, Cryonetic! It's an agile ship that fires explosive freezing bullets, which slow down any enemies unlucky enough to get in its range.


[h2]New Cards - Chill Aura[/h2]
A new card can now be unlocked from the Black Market, Chill Aura! This chilly card reduces the movement speed of nearby enemies, allowing you to squeeze out of tense situations. (also note and additional card has been re-added to the game in the black market, Syphon)


[h2]New Menu Track - Bruiser[/h2]
A new track is now available for unlock in the Black Market! This is quite a different track from the other ones currently available, but fits the tone of the winter update quite well.

[h2]Full patch notes (can also be found in-game)[/h2]

NEW ADDITIONS:
- Added a new limited time arena, Sub Zero
- Added new black market ship, Cryonetic
- Added new black market card, Syphon (re-enabled)
- Added new black market card, Chill Aura (community)
- Added new black market audio mod, Bruiser
- New hidden Steam achievement

OTHER CHANGES:
- Improved menu interface design and clarity
- Added "Arena Boss" info to arena panel
- Added rank requirements to all ships (visual change)
- Changed boss bar design for improved clarity
- Removed "Master Synergies" coming soon panel

BUG FIXES:
- Fixed lasers from Laserchain not killing player
- Fixed multishot breaking Sentinels energy beams
- Fixed incompatible ship cards not being blacklisted
- Fixed stat display issue when changing ships

[h3]Update on Trials[/h3]

I have talked a bit about this on Discord already, but since the Black Market update didn't perform as well as I hoped it would, I've put the trials update on standby for the time being. This doesn't mean the game wont still receive content updates from time to time, but don't expect any more large updates (like the black market update) to come to the game. This could DEFINITELY change depending on how Neon Sundown continues to do, but right now my focus is on Vectorio (another one of my games) until it's sequel is released, at which time I can reconsider the trials update.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy what this update has to offer! It is just a small update, but you can most likely expect more of these in the future as they're quick and fun for me to make, and keep the game at least semi-fresh with new free content to unlock.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to let me know below!

~ Ben

Hello all!

I hope you have been enjoying the update so far. I just wanted to push out a quick hotfix to address some of the initial bugs and balance changes discovered in the live release. This should hopefully fix the issues some people were having with saves not transferring to V2 properly.

If anyone experiences any sort of strange discrepancies on their save files, please let me know! I have tested this new approach many times and it seems to be working as intended.

[h3]NEW ADDITIONS:[/h3]
- New in-game achievement tracking

[h3]BALANCE CHANGES:[/h3]
- Increased difficulty ramping on The Abyss substantially
- Increased overall difficulty on The Vault substantially
- Reduced effect of Scythe grand blades upgrade

[h3]BUG FIXES:[/h3]
- Fixed cloud save discrepancies when loading into V2 for first time
- Fixed save auto-transferring improperly between devices
- Fixed projectile drone not moving and just rotating
- Fixed arenas not working after unlocking in the black market

[previewyoutube=rZdQPkEFbJM;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Black Market Update (V2) is now available![/h2]

After many months of hard work and testing, the first MAJOR update for Neon Sundown is now available! A full list of patch notes can be found in-game (includes all experimental versions up to v2.1)

This is just the first part of V2, with the Trials Update following shortly behind. I will also be able to release more frequent content updates thanks to the black market, so you can expect regular new ships, cards, synergies, arenas, and more to come out over time! (including special limited time events)

In addition to this, controller support is now at the top of my priority list. I tried to get it in for V2, but unfortunately it's gonna take a lot of time and testing to get working properly. Now that the quality of the game is where I want it, and there's more content for everyone to enjoy, I can spend a lot more time working on the small QOL stuff. (including proper controller support) Thanks for waiting patiently, I know this has taken way longer than I originally thought, but I now have time to work on it more thoroughly.

I hope you all enjoy the first update of V2!

~ Ben

[h3]Hello everyone![/h3]

The next experimental version is now available. This version adds in the remained of the black market content for this initial release of V2, with the last bit of it being pushed back to the trials update.

Just as a reminder from the last post, this is the new roadmap for V2. The trials update will now be it's own major update, and will be following shortly behind the release of V2. After the trials update releases, that will conclude the introduction of V2, and the next update after will add a new limited time event!



There is no patch notes available for v2.1.0 yet, but there will be upon the release of V2 onto live. I am aiming to get V2 onto live asap here, so as soon as the current version on experimental is tested, I'll be releasing it to live with a new trailer and new Steam artwork.

Again, just a remainder that this is only part one of V2, and the second part will introduce trials, along with new synergies and a few more black market items to unlock.

Thanks to everyone who's been testing! It's a huge help, and I can't wait to see everyone get their hands on the finished update once it releases on live.

~ Ben

[h3]Hello Everyone![/h3]

I just wanted to push out a post about what to expect for content updates coming in V2. There has been some changes to how I'll be bringing the update to the live branch, and I just wanted to go over all that in a post so everyone is on the same page!



[h2]Version 2.0/2.1 (Initial release)[/h2]

The first live release of V2 will include the new "Black Market" store, which is the main focus of the update. The store will contain 5 ships, 4 arenas, 6 cards, and 3 menu tracks - all unlockable with the in-game power crystal currency. This patch also includes MANY new improvements to the existing game, such as the new bosses, interface redesign, dynamic card upgrades, and more.

Now the original plan was to also include trials in this, which is a new challenges feature that lets you unlock even more new content and power crystals by completing different sets of challenges on each arena. However, I've made the decision to segregate this feature and make it into it's own separate update, which will be called the "Trials Update".

[h2]Version 2.2 (Trials Update)[/h2]

The trials update will include the new trials feature (obviously), along with 2 new synergy trees, master synergies, 3 new unlockable cards, and a new DLC pack that will include a new ship and arena.

The DLC pack (alongside any future ones) are completely optional, and will be priced very cheap. These are just to help with development costs, and allow me to keep working on the game past V2. I'll try and keep DLC packs to a limit, and will always include free unlockable content alongside them.

[h2]Version 2.3 (Limited Time Event)[/h2]

The next content release following v2.2 will include a new limited time event. This will be a progressive trials event where you work through a list of increasingly difficult challenges to unlock a special reward. After the event ends, the reward will be available on the black market at an increased power crystal cost, so try and unlock it while the event is live!

This version will also include another DLC pack. This will most likely be the last DLC pack, and like the last one will be completely optional and priced at a low cost.

[h2]Version 2.4 and onwards[/h2]

I'm not exactly sure what v2.4 will look like yet, but I will try and release periodic content updates that will include new ships, arenas, cards, or synergies to keep the game fresh. There is a chance that another major release will go into development (v3.0), but don't keep your hopes up for this, as it strongly depends on how well V2 does.

In regards to when all these updates will be released - when they're ready. As I've mentioned before, I'm trying to move away from estimating release dates as I'm always wrong about them. With that said, you can expect to see v2.0/v2.1 release on the live branch very soon, as the update is done and in the final stages of testing on experimental.

Let me know what you think about the content roadmap! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to let me know below or in our Discord server (https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc)

Thanks for reading!
~ Ben

Hey all!

The next experimental patch is now available. This can be considered the "second part" of v2.0.3, and it fixes up most of the bugs present in that version, alongside improving the upgrade system slightly.

This patch does not add anything new to it other than the card re-design. If you want the specifics you can find the patch notes in-game, but there really isn't that much exciting about it. However this should make the upgrade system feel a bit more complete, and a good base to build on from here on out.


[h3]Phase 1 is now complete![/h3]
This will most likely be the last "Phase 1" update! The next patch will be phase 2, and it will introduce a LOT more of what's coming in the black market. After that, there may or may not be a phase 3 depending on the stability of the game. There's also a small chance I might hold back the trials feature, and release that as it's own separate update in the VERY near future. (to give myself more time to flesh it out) V2 is not reliant on Trials, and I can adjust black market prices to reflect that.

As per usual, if you have any feedback on V2 so far, the best place to contact me is on our Discord server. I've been working alongside the community there to continuously improve the experience in V2.

Discord: https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc

Hello again!

The next experimental patch is now available. This patch has changed the way card logic works, and it now supports extended card interactions, as well as dynamic card upgrades.

WARNING: There is a VERY HIGH CHANCE I've broken some cards, so I'll follow this patch with a hotfix to address any issues that arise. There's also MANY cards that don't have upgrades to them yet, so they'll say "Upgrade Available" but will not prompt the new upgrade screen.

This is an intermediary update which is meant to ensure the upgrade logic is working. It will be followed with a FULL upgrade patch in Phase 2 that'll contain more upgrades for all card types.

[h3]NEW ADDITIONS:[/h3]
- Added dynamic card upgrades (early testing, many upgrades are disabled)
- Changed the way card values get calculated, enabling many new card interactions
- Re-introduced range stat card with increased effect
- Explosives card now has 3 levels (bullets -> projectiles -> weapons)
- Drones now receive stat updates from cards

NOTE: Due to amount of new card interactions, many cards have been HEAVILY nerfed as they have a much wider range of effect

[h3]BALANCE CHANGES:[/h3]
- Increased Multishot negative damage effect from 15% to 25% per upgrade
- Changed Explosions negative effect from cooldown to damage (50%)
- Added negative cooldown effect to buckshot (10% per upgrade)
- Increased Splitshot negative cooldown effect from 15% to 25% per upgrade
- Lowered Atomic dagger base damage from 15 to 3
- Lowered Shuriken base damage from 3 to 2
- Lowered Torpedo base damage from 15 to 5
- Lowered Multi Missiles synergy damage from 100 to 15
- Lowered Blast Stars synergy damage from 100 to 10
- Lowered Razorclaw saw damage from 10 to 5

[h3]OTHER CHANGES:[/h3]
- Replaced Hornet gun sound with less sharp effect

[h3]BUG FIXES:[/h3]
- Fixed Power Shots synergy sometimes not having any effect
- Fixed Dual Harvester synergy from getting stuck on the player

Hello again!

The next patch for V2 Experimental is now available. Same as before, this is mainly bug fixes and minor tweaks / other changes.

[h3]BALANCE CHANGES:[/h3]
- Lowered the speed multiplier on Vanguard from 0.2x to 0.15x
- Increased the overall difficulty of Bloodlust
- Increased Torrent health from 50 to 80
- Enabled the wall arena modifier on Bloodlust

[h3]OTHER CHANGES:[/h3]
- Improved totem card audio pitching (uses own channel now)
- Further cleaned up the module selection screen

[h3]BUG FIXES:[/h3]
- Fixed burning a card you have previously picked from still appearing
- Fixed black market achievement not being given at level 50
- Fixed purchased black market items not showing as unlocked right away
- Fixed "Black Market" reward from not appearing properly in-game
- Fixed Black Market not properly taking away crystals when buying an item
- Fixed passive ability replacing wrong text component
- Fixed healing totem not detecting ship collisions
- Fixed decimal point rounding on ship stats

Hello again!

The first round of fixes is now available for download! This is a small hotfix that addresses some of the intial bugs discovered in V2, as well as cleans up some minor things with the UI.

[h3]BALANCE CHANGES:[/h3]
- Increased difficulty of Phase 2 on Fear Factory
- Increased difficulty of Phase 6 on Fear Factory

[h3]OTHER CHANGES:[/h3]
- Changed the font of the module cost in the store
- Improved the design of the level reward notification

[h3]BUG FIXES:[/h3]
- Fixed some modules not being equippable
- Fixed incorrect module name indentation
- Fixed "burn" keybind from not binding automatically
- Fixed "burn" keybind from not saving when changed
- Fixed XP trails option not working
- Fixed ship and arena buttons overlapping bounds
- Fixed skip draw freezing the card draw panel
- Fixed next level name incorrect indentation

Hello everyone!

I am excited to announce that the first version of the Black Market update (V2) is now available on experimental! Although there is still lots of work to be done, I am excited to finally get the ball rolling on V2 and get into everyones hands.

HOWEVER, please note that this first version has a LOT of new content disabled. Many of the new ships, cards, arenas, and synergies, along with ship cosmetics and the new trials feature are not available in this first iteration. This is because they are either not done, or I'm purposefully holding them back until the live release so as not to spoil everything for testers. If you are wanting access to all the new stuff V2 has to offer, PLEASE wait until the live release!

With that being said, if you're ready to start your V2 journey now and help test all of the new changes, redesigns, and some of the new features and content, than feel free to opt into the experimental branch! (instructions on how to do so can be found at bottom of this post) Do keep in mind that the experimental branch no longer uses your main save! You'll be able to use your main save once the update hits live, or optionally replace it with your experimental save if you end up liking it more.

So, here's what's in the first version, and what can you expect to come throughout experimental...



The first phase of experimental will focus primarily on ensuring all the redesigns are working. You'll quickly notice that pretty much everything has changed in one way or another, mainly in regards to the design of the interface. Because of the sheer amount of changes, this is my main focus with the first phase and ensuring that the stability of the game is where it was in the original version.

PLEASE NOTE: Like I mentioned above, this first version of V2 really does not have that much new content. Just a couple new arenas, ships, and cards, alongside the new bosses, UI redesigns, and some other minor things. If you're wanting to experience a bunch of new content right away, I strongly recommend waiting until Phase 2.

NOTE FOR CONTROLLER PLAYERS: This version does NOT include the new controller mapping feature that was talked about months ago. I haven't had a chance to actually finish it, so some controllers may still not work without external software. This will be added in a later experimental version though, and will definitely be in the live release of V2.



The second phase of experimental will introduce a lot more of the content that's in the black market. Many of the ships, cards, and arenas will all be unlocked and available for purchase with power crystals. This phase will still not include trials, but MAY include master synergies.

If you're wanting to experience a lot of the content all at once, but don't want to wait for live, this is when I would recommend opting into testing. It introduces enough new stuff where you'll have PLENTY to do, but still holds back some awesome new features and content for the live release.



The final phase will unlock the remainder of content in V2, alongside the new trials feature (and master synergies if they weren't available in the previous phase for some reason). Phase 3 is essentially the entirety of V2, but will still remain on the experimental branch to ensure that once it goes live there are no major bugs or unbalanced items.

Once again if you're not wanting to wait for the live release, this phase is pretty much the whole update. So if you don't mind bugs or unbalanced items, this would again be a great time to opt in.



So with all that out of the way, you can opt into experimental whenever you like by following the steps below. Experimental is available to everyone, but I STRONGLY recommend joining our Discord so you can report bugs directly to me.

[h3]How to opt into experimental[/h3]

• Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
  
• Click on the "properties" option
  
• Navigate to the betas tab
  
• Select the "experimental" branch
  
• Click apply and wait for it to download

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to update everyone on the status of the Black Market update (v2.0), as well as talk about what's coming post v2.0 in regards to the integration of mod support.

[h2]Black Market (v2.0) update status[/h2]

Unfortunately, the Black Market update is going to be delayed a couple weeks as I was fighting Covid the last two weeks, which is why for those watching the GitHub logs there's been very little movement. I tried a few times to work on the update but just couldn't find the energy to do it, so it's set me back a bit which is why the update is going to be coming out a bit later than expected.

However, I'm getting back into the swing of things now and am feeling much better. The update is coming along exceptionally well and I'm super excited to see everyone get there hands on it. It should flesh out the game a lot more and really up the level of quality that I'm trying to achieve with my games.

[h2]What's after v2.0?[/h2]

After the release of v2.0, I will be continuing to release patches for the game where needed, as well as adding a bit of extra content like the initial patches with the game. After that, I will be looking into adding official mod support for the game, which will let the community create their own ships, arenas, cards, and more with the use of a scripting language such as Lua. I may also look into some built-in modding (such as an arena creator), but that's not a guarantee.

That's it for this progress update. A very short one I know, but I just wanted to make sure everyone is aware of why the Black Market update will be coming out later than originally anticipated. Hope you're all excited as I am for it, as it really is like a new game!

Thanks for reading,
~ Ben

[h2]10,000 Copies Sold![/h2]

Wow! I am completely blown away by how well the game has been doing in such a short amount of time! In less than 2 months Neon Sundown has already sold over 10,000 copies. It's been such a wonderful experience getting to see everyone interact with the game and share their experiences with it.

With the Black Market Update (v2.0) just on the horizon, I am very excited to see what the future holds for the game. The update has been coming together incredibly well and I'm very VERY excited to see everyone get their hands on it. It's practically a new game at this point, and adds a TON of new content and features that I felt were missing in the first iterations of the game. Beyond v2.0, I have plans for even more updates, but we'll talk about that when we get there!

[h2]A small look at what's to come[/h2]

For those that have been paying close attention to GitHub commits or to the Discord server, this wont come as a surprise, but v2.0 is adding in 8 new ships! Below is a small look at 6 of them, all of which will be purchasable with power crystals in the black market. (so make sure to save up!)



Each new ship added in this update has a unique twist to it that makes it act differently from the ships you're used to. They no longer just have different stats, but also have passive abilities (ex. The ship in the top left, "Vanguard", deals more damage based on how fast it's moving. Or the ship on the bottom left, "Syren", that plants seed bombs that convert enemies to your side).

[h3]New modern interface[/h3]

In addition to the ships, the interface is getting a new modern redesign. Here's a VERY EARLY look at the new arena selection screen, which now also has a search function (trust me, it's needed in this update)



Another improvement I'm making to the UI in this update is visual clarity. Many players suggested font changes as it was hard to read some lines of text, and I agree. Here's the new menu in v2.0!



I don't want to spoil much more than that, so I'll leave it there. But you can expect tons of new content in addition to what was mentioned above, including new arenas, cards, and other features such as challenges, arena chip modifiers, and music mods. Lots to look forward to!

[h2]When will v2.0 release?[/h2]

As everyone knows, I am famously bad at hitting release dates. BUT, surprisingly, I am actually on track for my originally anticipated date. The black market update SHOULD be ready to roll out in 2-3 weeks on experimental, with the full release following shortly behind (probably another week tops).

I hope you're all excited for the update as I am. It's going to be a game changer and I think will bring everything together quite well. Once again, thank you to everyone for 10,000 copies! It means the world to me to see everyone enjoying the game. It's been my dream to be a full-time indie developer, and the reception on Neon Sundown has enabled me to start pursuing that dream more seriously. So again, thank you thank you thank you!

~ Ben

Hello all!

Just wanted to update everyone on some changes to how I'll be releasing v1.2 and v2.0 of the game. I know we're now well past the originally anticipated release of v1.2, but it's not without good reason. This post also won't be very long - I just want to get everyone on the same page so there's no confusion!

[h2]Release Plans for v1.2 & v2.0[/h2]

The original plan was to release v1.2 and than follow it up with v2.0 a month or two later (with v2.0 obviously being the large content update), but I don't feel that the changes in v1.2 are enough to actually warrant a "content release", as most of the changes are either QOL improvements or balance changes. The only new content being added are the new bosses, BUT most of the bosses are linked to the arena objectives - so if you've already completed all the arenas, there really isn't all that much new for you to experience in this update.

So, I've instead decided to combine the two updates into one and release it all as v2.0, which will be titled the "Black Market Update". This way, you'll get to experience the new bosses alongside a variety of other new content, which should hopefully make their addition feel a lot more natural as it'll be complimented by all the other new things being added. Otherwise, the bosses really don't add any value to the current game for players that have already completed all the achievements.



[h2]What's in the Black Market Update? (v2.0)[/h2]

The Black Market update adds a new shop called, you guessed it, the "Black Market". The Black Market is unlocked at rank 50, and it adds a variety of new ships, arenas, and cards to unlock using the in-game Power Crystal currency. A lot of the new ships and cards are extremely unique and will require specific builds to fully utilize in a run.

The new arenas being added also have unique gimmicks to them that make it a lot more challenging than the normal arenas you're used to. Some may have obstacles that you need to avoid, cards that are blacklisted from being used, or enemy types that are a lot more difficult to take down. Each arena will challenge you in a different way, so carefully planning your runs is required to beat them!

The black market update is a free content update for all current players, but I do plan on slightly raising the price of the base game to reflect the addition of the new content. (of course if you already own the game this won't affect you whatsoever) In regards to when it'll be released, I'm shooting for late May or early June, but that is of course subject to change.

[h2]Questions? Comments? Concerns[/h2]

If you have any questions or comments you'd like to make about the release changes and the Black Market update, please let me know! I will do my best to respond to all of them. I know some people may be disappointed about v1.2 being combined with v2.0, but I do believe it'll make for a more enjoyable experience for ALL players once it's released.

Hope you're as excited as I am for the release of v2.0!

Thanks for reading,
~ Ben

[h3]Hello Everyone![/h3]

Update v1.2 is coming along nicely, and I thought I'd drop a little preview of it so everyone knows what to expect before it drops. I had also originally predicted the update would be ready this weekend, but it's not quite where I want it yet so I'm gonna take my time to finish up the last few features!

So, here's what's coming in update v1.2!

[h2]New Arena Bosses[/h2]

[previewyoutube=U1NsscPJy_k;full][/previewyoutube]
3 new bosses are making their debut in v1.2, each with their own unique abilities. Above is a preview of the new Fear Factory boss, Razorclaw, which has a set of different attack patterns that you'll need to memorize in order to take it down.

[h2]New Arena Objectives[/h2]

In addition to new bosses, there's also a new arena objective type called "Boss Takedown", where you need to defeat the boss in order to get the achievement for the arena. Fear factory and Dynamo are both receiving these objective changes. Below is the new Dynamo boss, "Dualwing", which you'll need to defeat in order to complete the arena and get the Steam achievement for it.



The final boss being added I want to keep secret so as to avoid too many spoilers, but you can expect to see it in the Bomber Blitz arena at the 3 minute mark.

[h2]Balance changes[/h2]

Although these new bosses are a fairly large addition, it's not the main focus of v1.2. So far one of the biggest complaints with the game has been that it's too easy, and so I wanted to really try and balance out all the arenas so that they're challenging but not annoying. Here is a list of the balance changes you can expect to see in the update - these are by no means final and are subject to change!

BALANCE CHANGES:
- First crystal to drop after a synergy is available is now guaranteed to be red
- Increased enemy scaling on infinite stages by 50%
- Increased Healing Totem heal amount from 0.5hp to 1.5hp
- Increased Drone projectiles by 100%
- Increased Drone rotation speed from 20 to 25
- Decreased Drone movement speed from 80 to 60 (buff)
- Decreased Drone range from 35 to 25 (buff)
- Decreased Multi Missile cooldown from 1s to 0.5s
- Decreased Torpedo base damage from 25 to 15

ABYSS CHANGES:
- Increased Hammerhead health from 30hp to 35hp
- Decreased Hammerhead XP drops from ~20xp to ~15xp
- Decreased Mesmer XP drops from ~10xp to ~4xp
- Decreased Triangle cooldown from 1s to 0.5s on Phase 3
- Decreased Sawblade cooldown from 1.25s to 1s on Phase 4
- Decreased Fighter cooldown from 1.5s to 1.25s on Phase 4
- Decreased Hammerhead cooldown from 10s to 5s on Phase 5
- Decreased Fighter cooldown from 1s to 0.5s on Phase 6
- Decreased Fighter cooldown from 1s to 0.5s on Phase 7
- Decreased Fighter cooldown from 4s to 3s on Phase 8
- Decreased Fighter cooldown from 5s to 3s on Phase 9

FEAR FACTORY CHANGES:
- Decreased Hammerhead cooldown from 5s to 4s on all phases

I'm still planning on making changes to Bomber Blitz, but these initial changes should make the other arenas a lot more challenging and make 10+ minute runs a LOT more difficult to achieve. The game was designed for short, fast-paced runs - NOT hour long AFK runs!

[h2]Quality of life[/h2]

Another big focus of v1.2 is on QOL features. This update wont have all the QOL features I have planned, but should be a good start to making the game a more enjoyable experience for everyone. Here's what QOL features are being added in v1.2

- Cursor customization options
- Power module loadouts
- Power module tooltips
- New player tutorial
- Secondary auto fire toggle
- Crystal count in-game
- Colorblind accessibility options

Note: Some of these may be in subsequent patches and not available right away.

[h2]And more![/h2]

In addition to what's above, there's even more minor changes / additions and bug fixes being added. Again, a lot of this stuff is still a WIP and not everything will be addressed in the initial version of 1.2, but it should be a step in the right direction to raise the overall quality of the game.

I hope you're all excited for v1.2! Although it isn't a massive content update, it should address most of the main concerns so far. (and make the game more challenging) In regards to when it will be released, whenever it's ready, but most of the update is already complete so hopefully not too long!

Thanks for reading,
~ Ben

[h2]5000 copies sold![/h2]

Thank you all so much for such an amazing release! In less than two weeks the game has already sold over 5,000 copies, which is just absolutely crazy to me! I've had an absolute blast seeing everyone share their first experiences with the game, and I'm super excited for what the future holds.

I have another update in the works (v1.2) that will hopefully be releasing no later than this weekend. It will add in a bunch of new bosses, better controller support, cursor options, QOL features, and a TON of bug fixes and balance changes to make the game feel a lot better. I've also got a VERY large content update planned down the line (v2.0), though it's too soon to say when that will be. (I'll post another announcement about it once it's well-underway)

Looking forward to sharing v1.2 with you all soon!

~ Ben

[h2]Update v1.1 is now live![/h2]

Update v1.1 is now available for everyone to play on the release branch! This update has had an additional two subsequent patches that were both tested on experimental, which have now both been deemed ready for release. There's still a few minor hiccups that I need to workout, but these shouldn't be overly noticeable and should be ironed out no later than tomorrow in patch v1.1.3!

[h3]What's new in v1.1?[/h3]
(Includes versions 1.1.0, 1.1.1, and 1.1.2)

ADDITIONS:
- Added Steam cloud support
- Add level 4 module upgrades to the shop
- Add levels 36 - 45, along with new level rewards
- New Arena (unlocked at Rank 45), Noctorum
- New Synergy progress tracker design
- Changed Shurikens to chain enemies (Temporarily disabled due to issue with chain logic)
- New Tier I synergy card, Earthquake
- New Tier II synergy card, Laser Shots
- New Tier II synergy card, Projectile Drone
- New Tier II synergy card, Champion
- New Tier II synergy weapon, Dual Harvester
- New Tier I synergy card, Warrior
- New card Eagle Eyes, replaces level 34 reward
- New card Healing Totem, replaces level 9 reward
- New card Barrier, blocks incoming fire
- New module Critical Chance, replaces XP range

BALANCE CHANGES:
- Piercing can now work alongside explosives
- Make XP collect immediately after dropping
- XP level requirement now caps at 50000
- Nerfed regen card amount by 50% on all levels
- Nerfed syphon card amount from 0.05hp to 0.01hp
- Buff Shuriken damage, cooldown, and target tracking
- Buff Torpedo knockback and target tracking
- Enemies get 0.5s of stun immunity after being stunned
- Buffed mine starting damage from 10 to 15
- Increased Atomic dagger damage upgrades
- Removed Atomic dagger cooldown modifiers
- Reduce blaster cooldown from 0.5s to 0.4s
- Bullet spread card now increases bullet spread

OPTIMIZATIONS:
- Optimized XP calculations greatly

BUG FIXES:
- Fixed crit card not applying to all weapons
- Fixed end game bomber blitz being all Fighters
- Fix blast mines and EMP mines not blowing up

GRAPHICAL IMPROVEMENTS:
- New background for The Abyss
- Increased Fear Factory enemy visibility
- Changed Dynamo tank bullet material

DYNAMO CHANGES:
- Shields now reflect bullets
- Lower tank damage from 5 to 3
- Increase tank cooldown from 3s to 5s

[h3]Above list contains the following patch notes[/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1721870/view/3128319129447228335
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1721870/view/3128319129451088107
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1721870/view/3128319129456839240

[h3]What's next?[/h3]

Now that there's a bit more content in the game to explore, the next update will be focused on a few things, namely QOL features. These include, but are not limited to, the following...

Ship-specific passive abilities & stats

Following this you can expect another big content patch which will add in a new type of in-game store for you to explore and use crystals on. This should help with replayability after you've maxed out your modules and rank, as well as add another layer of depth to meta-progression.

In regards to when you can expect these updates - whenever they're ready. You can join our Discord server if you want to follow progress (via the GitHub logs channel).

Discord: https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc



[h3]2,000 copies sold![/h3]

What a way to kick off Neon Sundown! In less than 5 days we've already managed to sell 2,000 copies which is just absolutely crazy to me! I can't thank you all enough for the insane amount of support this game has been getting, and I'm really looking forward to continuing to work on it with everyone!

If you're enjoying the game and the new updates, dropping a review helps me out a ton! Since the game is still new, every review helps it grow and allow more people to see it :)

Hope you all enjoy v1.1!
~ Ben

A new patch is now available for experimental!

For those that are unaware of how I roll out updates, I will ALWAYS upload an update on the experimental branch BEFORE uploading it on the main branch. Once the update and any subsequent patches have been fully tested, it will be pushed to the release branch!

[h3]Want to opt into testing?[/h3]

• Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
  
• Click on the "properties" option
  
• Navigate to the betas tab
  
• Select the "experimental" branch
  

A new patch is now available for experimental!

For those that are unaware of how I roll out updates, I will ALWAYS upload an update on the experimental branch BEFORE uploading it on the main branch. Once the update and any subsequent patches have been fully tested, it will be pushed to the release branch!

[h3]Want to opt into testing?[/h3]

• Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
  
• Click on the "properties" option
  
• Navigate to the betas tab
  
• Select the "experimental" branch
  

The first content update is now available on the experimental branch!

For those that are unaware of how I roll out updates, I will ALWAYS upload an update on the experimental branch BEFORE uploading it on the main branch. This gives both myself and anyone interested in testing the ability to test new updates before they go live for everyone else.

[h3]Want to opt into testing?[/h3]

• Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
  
• Click on the "properties" option
  
• Navigate to the betas tab
  
• Select the "experimental" branch
  

The first minor update is now available for everyone! I've done fairly extensive testing on this version to ensure it's stable, but as always sometimes bugs manage to get by me and my testers, so if you notice one shoot me a message on here or on Discord so I can get it patched up ASAP!

[h3]What's new in v1.0.1?[/h3]

NEW ADDITIONS:
- Added a custom cursor that replaces the default cursor
- Added keybind to toggle auto primary weapon firing
- Crystal amount can now show up to 999 instead of 99
- Added ability to view stats without pausing using tab
- Added option for turning the health bar permanently on
- Added keybind to show stats while playing
- Added option to enable or disable vertical sync

BALANCE CHANGES:
- Lowered Dual Reaper base damage from 80 to 60
- Lowered Blast Shuriken cooldown from 0.25s to 0.2s
- Increase levels 20-25 xp requirement from 20,000 to 25,000
- Increase levels 25-30 xp requirement from 25,000 to 30,000
- Nerfed Stun module (0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 -> 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2)
- Nerfed Syphon module (0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 -> 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04)

NOTE: Will continue monitoring these changes

THE ABYSS CHANGES:
- Lowered Fighter health from 8 to 7
- Lowered Hammerhead crystal drop chance from 10% to 5%
- Stage 2 Sawblade cooldown lowered from 1.5s to 1.25s
- Stage 3 Sawblade cooldown lowered from 1.25s to 1s
- Stage 4 Fighter cooldown lowered from 2s to 1.5s
- Stage 5 Fighter group cooldown lowered from 5s to 4s
- Stage 6 Fighter cooldown lowered from 1.5s to 1s
- Stage 7 Fighter cooldown lowered from 1.25s to 1s
- Stage 8 Fighter group cooldown increased from 3s to 4s
- Stage 9 Hammerhead cooldown increased from 3s to 5s

BOMBER BLITZ CHANGES:
- Lowered bomber crystal drop chance from 15% to 10%
- Increased Fighter health from 8 to 10
- Increased Fighter damage from 3 to 5
- Increased Fighter speed from 20 to 25
- Lowered bomb damage from 50 to 20

DYNAMO CHANGES:
- Lowered bomb damage from 50 to 20

WASTELAND CHANGES:
- Lowered Cocoon crystal drop chance from 25% to 20%

The first minor update is now available on the experimental branch!

For those that are wondering how I will be doing updates, I will ALWAYS upload an update on the experimental branch BEFORE uploading it on the main branch. This gives both myself and anyone interested in testing the ability to test new updates before they go live for everyone else.

[h3]Want to opt into testing?[/h3]

• Right click on Neon Sundown in your library
  
• Click on the "properties" option
  
• Navigate to the betas tab
  
• Select the "experimental" branch
  

[previewyoutube=fjZBPyLN7Ls;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Available Now![/h2]

Neon Sundown is now available for everyone to play! I hope you all enjoy the game, and if you have any feedback please let me know! I will be updating the game a lot over the coming week to nail down any remaining bugs and balance changes. (more content will also follow shortly behind)

Discord: https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc

[h2]Releasing Tomorrow![/h2]

We are now one day away from release, and I am super hyped! The game has come together so nicely over the last couple weeks with all the new features and improvements being added, and my testers and I have been having an absolute blast playing the game BTS.

[h3]Release Info (FAQ)[/h3]

I just wanted to take some time to answer some FAQ about the release of Neon Sundown, along with my plans for the game over time. So let's get right to it!

• What time will the game come out?
  Neon Sundown will release at exactly 11am PST tomorrow.
  
  
• How much will the game cost?
  The game will cost $3.99 on release
  
  
• How much content is available in the initial release?
  There are 5 arenas, 5 ships, 30 cards, 6 synergies, 12 power modules (now permanent and with upgrades), 35 level rewards, and 11 achievements all available at launch!
  
  
• Does the game have controller support?
  We do not officially support controllers, BUT we have added some basic controller mapping and aiming. Therefore you can play with a controller, but will require a mouse for menu interaction.
  
  
• Will the game receive post-launch content updates?
  Yes, and a lot of them! You can expect a bunch of content updates over the coming weeks and months, along with numerous other improvements and features.
  
  
• Will the game have DLC?
  Possibly, it's too early to say as of right now. (depends on how well the game does)
  
  
• Does the game have Multiplayer?
  No, and I have no plans on adding it. I don't think multiplayer really fits this game, and I think my time is better spent adding in new content and features for everyone to enjoy!
  
  
• Will the game have mod support?
  Not at launch, but I would very much like to look into it post-launch!
  

[previewyoutube=uTF2uoYFmhI;full][/previewyoutube]
Carnage Preview
5 more days until launch! Here's a short preview at what's to come...

Hello all!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm planning on moving Neon Sundown back one more week to March 18th. The game is already done and I could release this Friday no problem, but I still feel like the cards and levelling system could use some more love. A lot of cards feel kind of dull, and I'd like to work on adding a lot more unique ones so that each run will feel completely different (and give you a lot more control over how you want to build your deck)

Here are some of the cards I'll be adding:

- Mines: Lays down mines that explode on impact
- Pulse: Sends out a large pulse, pushing enemies back
- Vacuum: Right Clicking on XP moves it towards your ship
- Teleport: Right click somewhere to teleport to that location
- Chain Lightning: Sends out bolts that chain from enemy to enemy
- Area Bombing: Randomly drops bombs around your ship
- Inverse Explosions: Explosions pull enemies towards them rather than away
- Brawler: Reduces incoming damage by 80%, but lowers movement speed by 50%
- Assassin: Doubles damage dealt from behind, but lowers overall damage by 15%
- XP Healing: XP restores health, but can no longer level up
- Homing projectiles: Projectiles home in on closest enemy, but damage is greatly reduced
- Sticky projectiles: Enemies stick to projectiles, but projectiles no longer deal damage)

I'll be using this extra week to add and test all of those cards (and more), as well as adding a levelling system to add some meta-progression as the current power module system is consumable-based and doesn't really provide rewarding progression. I understand delays are not fun, but I never delay things without a purpose. I think Neon Sundown has the opportunity to mark it's own spot in the Roguelite genre, and so I'd like to take extra time to make sure the game stands out.

If you have any ideas for cards you'd like to see added let me know! I love brainstorming with the community, and would love to hear your ideas.

Thank you all for being so patient, I promise it will be well worth the wait :)

[h3]Hi all! [/h3]

I've released a small gameplay demo on Neon Sundown's GitHub repository (as the game is partially open source) for everyone to try. If you're wanting to help test and give feedback on the game, or possibly wanting to just try it out, you can now download the demo for free!

Gameplay Demo: https://github.com/Vitzual/NeonSundown/releases
Discord (for feedback): https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc

Look forward to fully releasing the game on March 11th!

~ Ben

[h2]Hello all![/h2]

I'm assuming most of you will be coming from Vectorio, but to anyone else that stumbles across this, welcome! I am excited to announce my latest title, "Neon Sundown", a unique roguelike game that mixes card-building with fast-paced action. If the game looks interesting to you, please wishlist it! It helps me a lot and increases the games visibility on Steam.

Neon Sundown will be releasing on March 11th and unlike Vectorio, will not have an Early Access period. I am confident with the gameplay in Neon Sundown and don't feel an Early Access period is necessary. With that said, do expect frequent updates when the game comes out! I have a lot planned, and am excited to work with the community to create an awesome roguelike experience.

[h2]Release date switched![/h2]

Some of you may have noticed that the release date has been pushed back to March 11th. This is because I want to make sure that the game is as polished as possible, and give enough time to thoroughly bug test different features in the game. The game itself is already complete, and I'll most likely be releasing a free demo for everyone to try on the original release date (February 25th)

[h2]Connect with us![/h2]

If you have any questions feel free to let me know below, or by joining our Discord server and shooting me a question there. I'll be checking both the Steam community and Discord server regularly!

Discord: https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/NeonSundown/

Look forward to seeing everyone get their hands on the game!

~ Ben

[h2]Hello all![/h2]

I'm assuming most of you will be coming from Vectorio, but to anyone else that stumbles across this, welcome! I am excited to announce my latest title, "Neon Sundown", a unique roguelike game that mixes card-building with fast-paced action. If the game looks interesting to you, please wishlist it! It helps me a lot and increases the games visibility on Steam.

Neon Sundown will be releasing on February 25th and unlike Vectorio, will not have an Early Access period. I am confident with the gameplay in Neon Sundown and don't feel an Early Access period is necessary. With that said, do expect frequent updates when the game comes out! I have a lot planned, and am excited to work with the community to create an awesome roguelike experience.

If you have any questions feel free to let me know below, or by joining our Discord server and shooting me a question there. I'll be checking both the Steam community and Discord server regularly!

Discord: https://discord.gg/NHnR7zcaCc
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/NeonSundown/

Look forward to seeing everyone get their hands on the game!

~ Ben