Pre-release build 1.5.0: Visual Overhaul + New Enemy Type

Introducing an overhaul to the overall visuals of this game. Besides a whole new font across the whole game, Bloodlit will also be getting a new post-processing effect to reinforce that "retro" feel of the game.

Here are some previews:

The reason why I believe this is a needed permanent change to the game is because the modern lighting feels very out of place for a game like this, and such a post-processing effect is one of the quickest ways for me to "devolve" the graphics without sacrificing too much of the existing visuals.

Anyways, enough about the visuals. Introducing the new enemy type: Harvester...

Since I do not intend to spoil the surprise for whoever's yet to encounter this creature, I will be leaving the players to discover the specifics of its behavior.

What I will say, is that this will be the first ever "neutral" enemy type: It will not attack unless provoked.

There are multiple ways to provoke this creature. Should you discover the presence of a Harvester mid-battle, be mindful of where it is via its footsteps and signs of nearly provoking it, as dealing with its aggression is the last thing you'd want when unprepared.

Should the player decide to avoid combat with the Harvester altogether, it will come at a price: a Harvester does not sit idly when not in combat. It will construct altars all over the map, which would passively influence the amount of threats you'd be dealing with. This means more threats at once and more dangerous types appear more often. Beware that multiple altars do stack their effects.

That's it for now for the major changes.

Below will be this update's patch notes.

Gameplay

• Added Harvester.

• Added aiming.

  • This is identical to slow walk, except for a slight screen zoom. The reason this was implemented is because I noticed how unintuitive slow walking is as the only way to preserve accuracy while moving. Adding a new aim button should allow the same mechanic to be accessed with a much more intuitive button.

  • Beware that this action uses RMB by default, which was previously the default key for melee/stab (which now defaults to MMB). Please update your keybind settings accordingly.

• Added Soul Fragment: Gunslinger.

  • Standard ground movement no longer affects accuracy.

  • Cannot be stacked.

• Added Soul Fragment: Momentum.

  • +100% stun chance on the next shot upon a finisher or a parry (Expires in 5 seconds if unused).

  • Cannot be stacked.

• Added Soul Fragment: Swift.

  • -30% dash cooldown.

  • Can be stacked.

• Added input buffer for non-automatic firearms and knife stab attack, allowing much easier access to the fastest firerate possible without the need for frame-perfect inputs.

• Fixed parries being impossible if an existing successful parry animation has yet to finish playing.

• The full parry window now persists regardless of whether the block key is still held.

• Reduced the penalty delay before the next parry attempt.

• The penalty for failed parries now applies regardless of whether a valid parry attempt has been made.

  • This means if a player spams the knife block, the game will wait until they stop and fully wait out the penalty window before another parry attempt can be allowed.

• Reduced the stamina cost for sprinting.

• Adjusted Butcher's behavior to make them attack more often when directly engaged.

• Slight adjustment to Butcher's mace smash hitbox. They should no longer land directly behind the player, but they would still be dependent on the mace's location.

  • The complexity of the mace smash attack relative to the mace's sweep attack is intentional. The sweep attack covers much more area but deals relatively less damage, while the smash attack deals more damage but covers less area (which would be anticlimactic if it's just as easy to parry as the sweep attack). Compared to the sweep attack, players are encouraged to either pay more attention to where the mace is landing for a block/parry or simply dodge it altogether.

• Reduced Butcher's maximum health.

• Changed Corpse's footstep sound so it's no longer the same as the player's footstep sound.

• Adjusted Corpse's disengagement behavior.

• Added new parameters to Corpses' aggression.

• Added a new red flash indicator for unblockable attacks.

• Improved Stalkers' navigation.

• Added dim light to point-blank range.

• Fixed the math for calculating the falloff reduction of Soul Fragment: Collateral, which was not working properly.

Logistics

• Matches can now be started in short, regular (same as pre-patch), and long lengths.

  • The difficulty escalates accordingly, meaning the final round of all three different settings should all behave about the same.

Visuals

• Added a permanent post-processing effect.

• Added a new font across the whole game.

• Fixed Soul Fragments' missing item drop beacon.

• Enemies' bleeding effects are now more plentiful, with their amount also scaling with the amount of damage done.

• HUD markers are no longer in 3D space.

  • This means if the player has pixelation set to something other than 0%, they no longer pixelate along the 3D world. They are now exclusively HUD elements.

• Added smoothing to the enemies' head turns.

Settings

• Added warning for multiple actions sharing the same key.

  • Unique key for every action is not enforced, but very much encouraged to prevent any unintentional behaviors in the game.

• Pixelation slider now shifts in 25%'s instead of 1%'s.

• Some minor fixes.

Miscellaneous

• Added the number of parries to the match statistics.

• Fall damage no longer plays hurt noises & the bone crunch sound effect if damage is not significant.

• A handful of minor changes.