Playtest Version 0.4.120 Notes

Overview:

• Added a new game setting/mode: Pain Tolerance

• Bug fixes

• Visual Updates

Pain Tolerance:

Paint tolerance is Siphonogore’s version of a difficulty setting - you can find the new control on the right side of the character setup before any run starts.

While there are very clear differences between the levels that make surviving the game easier or harder, it’s not something that I wanted to be designed on a linear scale. There are three Pain Tolerance levels for now:

Mild:

• Enemy strength scaling rates reduced by 50%

• Damage from non-combat encounters reduced by 50%

• Lethal damage from non-combat encounters resolves to 1 HP instead.

Mild mode is designed for the player who just wants to relax and have a power fantasy, or one that wants to learn the ins and outs of a fight or non-combat encounter without the potential punishment and stress that comes with experimentation/recklessness.

Moderate:

• No special changes - enemies scale at the intended base rate, damage from non-combat encounters is the originally designed amount, all behaviors are unmodified, Lethal damage from non-combat encounters can kill parts.

Moderate mode is designed for the average player, who wants a challenge from the original intended game experience.

Severe:

• Enemy strength scaling rates increased by 50%

• Damage from non-combat encounters increased by 50%

• Enemy targeting behavior follows a set of biases unique to each enemy/move

• Enemy Moveset effects/values are modified to more extreme versions/variants

• Enemy Remission Resistance values are modified

• Enemy Biomass increased by 60%

• End of combat biomass reduced by 50%

Severe mode is designed for the knowledgeable player who wants an increased challenge - it aims to make every aspect of the game slightly more challenging in a way that compounds with one another; The increased scaling and reduced total biomass gained puts more importance on build decisions and decisions for what to do each turn, while the increased biomass values of enemies puts more importance on planning who gets the last hit. Increased Non-combat damage requires better decision making for who can absorb or reduce that incoming damage best. Added targeting biases adds a layer of possible manipulation of the enemy to combat overall, and the modified movesets add new angles to the combat that are much more specialized and dangerous.

Bug Fix:

• Fixed an issue where selecting any Artificial Sequence from the Gaunt Gauntlet encounter caused a softlock.

Visual Updates:

• Updated art for menu buttons and UI boxes