Weekly video: [previewyoutube=vabt0gZ5IvM;full][/previewyoutube] Hello, my name is Collin Hansard, I am sole-developer for the game 'CYCO'. Before I go touch on some big news I'd first like to go through a couple things. Last week we managed to finish the first area of 'The Rock' in 8 days which means that it is possible that we can get the content update on schedule, this has been a long sought after dream of this project to be able to get content updates out every 3 months, much of the re-release's development want directed so that we can hit these schedule targets and it looks like that work has paid off. The new area is called 'Scout's Field' and features many new AI behaviors.
This area also marks the first level made with a new form of level generation we are deploying, we have never been able to make satisfying level geometry, however this new brush-based approach I think is the way to go and is geared towards better gameplay and more interesting layouts. On that note we are strongly considering including a level importer so players can make their own levels, having user generated maps would both somewhat solve the content drought the game is in and also help discover what level geometry works best for the game. More updates on this later as I have to continue testing this new method and do more research into this avenue, but know it is a high consideration at this point. It is turning out 'The Rock' will be somewhat the inverse of Shadowboxing in that we are going to be explicitly telling the player how to play the game rather than the subconscious method we deployed previously, not to say that either one is better or worse but the aim is to have atleast one of the methods impact the player. I think when y'all play 'The Rock' y'all will likely inherently see that I am dedicated to teaching the player how to become familiar with the combat system, though this content update will likely be the last 'teaching' or 'playing around' level, where as content update 3 will likely be the start of the core demands the game expects from the player. One other note on 'The Rock' is that we will be making ShadowBoxing non mandatory, meaning you can enter 'The Rock' at the start of the game without having to complete ShadowBoxing's story content. Last week we put out the first update for the re-release version of the game, this update fixed some of the issues regarding the shader cache system. We're going to continue trying to isolate and resolve this issue and be mindful of this concern whenever new assets are implemented. In this update we also enabled the ability to toggle the Enemy AI in Shadowboxing. Please let us know if there are any other issues or additions you'd like to see and we'll try to get them resolved / implemented. One other thing we've changed in the update is the is combo curve scaling. We inverted the damage scaling for higher combo counts, while this is the opposite of how fighting games typically work I think it feels more rewarding, we also staggered the combo curve scaling so there is no more gradient as it was impossible to gauge exactly how much the combo count was effecting your attacks, here is the before and after for the combo curves, please share your thoughts if you have any on this change.

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NEW:

So far the game has been in a non-confrontational state so the players can acclimate themselves to the combat paradigm, however we are approaching the point in time where we are going to develop the main game loop. We have done alot of experimentation in the past with many different systems and mechanics, so we have a decent idea if what generally works and what doesn't. We are aiming for something that is satisfying but fair. We are also looking to make a game loop that is captivating and will attract people to keep coming back for more, we are trying to hit a sort of 'healthy addictive' quality that has alot of depth and meaning behind it. Also we are trying to develop these systems so that they will integrate a future plan that cannot be disclosed at this point, but what you may be thinking is probably what I am eluding to. As for the big news, we have decided that we will be releasing a public build of 'The Rock' so people can play 'The Rock' early. While I try my best to 'not show the artists hand' I think that the lack of content warrants it. We will likely release this 'nightly' version a week from now. One final thing is that you may be wondering why I switch between the words: I and we, when I am the only developer working on the project, I do this deliberately because this I don't consider this 'my game', it's everyone's game. I am merely just the keeper of this project, and know it or not everyone has their role to play in it's development, including the players. I have worked on this game for so long that I am completely blind to trying to perceive what it'd be like to play the game for the first time as a new user, as my experience has been a diffused gradient of watching it grow over of all these years, I have seen it's creation from it's beginning to where it is today and I have a good idea of where it is going, so I can only guess as what it would be like seeing it from a player's perspective. So know when I read y'all's input I am seriously considering what y'all are saying. That's it for now, keep an eye out for next weeks update. -Collin Hansard