It's been a while! Here's a new build!

---Art---

1. New art! I was told the old art was ugly, so I replaced it - unfortunately, nice art takes time. I have zone 1 and 2 art in place - now just Zone 3 to do - and then more variety. Here are some screenshots of the new art:

2. New art = better performance (for a number of reasons):

• All map pieces are now instanced static meshes! On the old art, each piece was 8 tiles - 8 tiles * 80 map pieces = a TON of draw calls. Now each TYPE of piece is a draw call - so 6-ish types of pieces * 80 map pieces = 6 draw calls. (It's more complex than that, but that's the basics) - should perform MUCH better now

• The map now destroys and constructs itself as you round corners to improve performance. This one was tough to work out - but it helps a lot!

---Enemies---

I reworked the existing enemies and added new enemies - with more to come!

1. The bomb canons were just not working the way I wanted - so I ditched them and replaced them with bombs that appear on the map and fly towards you. (They spawn in just like in Classic Mode)
2. Now there are laser canons! (Same art as Grav Bomb)
3. More laser variety (with more to come) - now in addition to the straight lasers - zone 2 introduces peace sign lasers to dodge. More laser patterns in future builds.
4. Mines have been reworked to start on the walls and fly towards random locations when you get close! (In the picture below, the ones in the foreground have been activated - the ones in the background haven't):
5. Magnetic Bombs! These ones fly towards and stick to your platform railing - you have to punch them off before they explode!

---Classic Mode---

I also added a 120 degree option to Fitness Mode in Classic Mode as requested (sorry it took so long!):

---Engine!---

I updated the engine to 4.18 from 4.17 - this fixed a lot of issues with Instanced Static Meshes and introduced new features.

---The FUTURE!---

Let's talk about the future a bit! I've been working on this game for over a year now, and the current goal is to finish the game up early 2018 and release it out of Early Access. This DOES NOT mean the game will stop being supported. It just means I can also focus on cool new projects simultaneously. But I will still try to update the game semi-frequently with new unlockables and holiday events. The final game will include the finished "Descend" mode and some more unlockables. I realize the early access goals were aiming for 4 total unique modes - but the new unplanned/requested content (fitness mode, 180 mode, etc) - in addition to Descend being a BIG mode and the game being inexpensive - balances that out I feel. There may be new unique modes in the future post-early-access if there's demand for it and if sales warrant it, though! (In all honesty, though, sales have been ridiculously low - haven't even turned a profit on equipment - this is really a passion project for me) I hope this is alright with you all! I really want to deliver the best game I possibly can and keep you all happy. ːsteamhappyː NOW! What's left in Descend?

1. Zone 3 art. The game currently loops between Zone 1 and 2 (3 levels each)
2. Boss Battle! The mode will go through 3 zones (3 levels each) - then conclude with a boss battle.
3. Scoring! Right now, there's no scoring or anything, and health is meaningless.
4. Powerups! I need to implement health powerups (and potentially play around with some other powerup ideas)
5. More enemy variety! I need to add more zone-specific enemies and more laser patterns.
6. Instructions - there needs to be a panel with instructions - or possibly a small tutorial of some sort. Anyway! That sums things up for this update - I'll try my hardest not to take so long on the next one - lots to do. Let me know if you run into any issues or have any suggestions! Until next time - hope you all have a fantastic evening!