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Happy Friday! Things at Second Half are focused this week. LASER focused.
These things just write themselves really.
We've started pushing closed alpha updates more regularly, so keep an eye out if you're already signed up! If you aren't signed up yet, there's still time!
If not, no big deal. I won't take it personally. You can just play the demo when it comes out on OCTOBER 8TH!
Last time, I told you we'd be in STEAM NEXT FEST this October! That's still true, and I'm going to tell you that again here!
I'm going to keep telling you that until it's actually Steam Next Fest. Get used to it.
THIS WEEK: we've got laser mischief and some checkpoint updates.
Laser Amazer
Lucien vanished into a mysterious pocket dimension this week, phasing out of our reality and living temporarily in a realm between the real and the unreal.
But he's back and he's okay now! Apparently it's just a secret lab he's got, where he cooks up new and frightening/amazing/useful (delete whichever is inappropriate) gameplay mechanics and tools.
In concrete terms: we've got new laser effects, with new interactions between weapon temperature and effectiveness. As this laser heats up, it'll get stronger! But the flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long...
It does get a little silly when the numbers get too big, but we've been good lately and we've earned a little silliness.
Lucien pointed something out not long after, and now I can't unsee it.
The Less-Lethal Laser Jetpack
As part of his big laser rework, Lucien has also expanded the physics interactions possible with lasers.
I'm not sure how scientifically sound it might be, but it is sick as Hell and that's kind of the same thing!
There's a pretty decent chance you incinerate yourself with it, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
Save Yourselves!
When you die in MS80, your character gets reconstituted at the last checkpoint they hacked into. These have had placeholder art for a while now, pending further concepting.
For a while we called them The Discombulators, imagining that the player got totally flattened to atoms and "saved" to be reloaded later. A practical means of teleportation for robots in the universe of Sector 80!
They'll be changing quite soon though, and I'll have more for you next week when the art for them solidifies!
Looking Ahead
Keep your eyes peeled for a fuller checkpoint update and more laser shenanigans! Lucien's deep in the mines of an itemisation overhaul and Lilith is hard at work on lighting. Jon will also have some new art for parts of Florida IX and a new look for my favourite NPC in the whole world!