Hey!

So first I gotta address something problematic.

The further I'm getting into this update, the more I'm realizing that announcing the estimated release date at this time of year was a bad idea.

Between IRL obligations I cannot ignore, leaving another massive project in limbo for XL's sake, and my motivation to work on this starting to be in flux, there's a lot going down.

If I don't mix things up, I'd either have to

A. rush out a bad build

B. postpone important fixes even further

So I chose option C.

I'm gonna continue the momentum I had with 0.9.5, and break future updates down into smaller batches.

Here's a rough draft of what I have planned:

Basically, I'm going back to a formula that has worked out in the past: taking larger projects and breaking them down into easier to manage bits.

There are pros and cons to this, of course.

Pros:

-Chance to get builds posted more frequently

-Better means of keeping track of what each build has in it

-Address fixes quicker

-Chance to focus on other projects

Cons:

-Less content in each build

-The updates formerly known as "Update 2" and "Update 3" will need new names

-Some surprises may be ruined if dragged out over multiple builds

-Meta's roadblocks will be a common sight in new additions

-Chance to focus on other projects

Hopefully this will work out better for future builds, as well as allowing me more time to focus on things that aren't just this game... which in some cases include items that would find their way back into the game when done.

Overall, this should allow me to find that balance I've unfortunately lost over the past few months.

Now with that out of the way, it's time to finally address the other Orville in the room:

If you've played the original game, you might be familiar with (or more likely, completely forgotten about) a certain NPC.

Those with a keen eye may notice that Mendo's shop no longer displays the currently equipped torso. That is because his shop now functions exactly like Lolbit's, where purchasing an item will take you to...

The brand new Endo menu!

(You can also open this up with it's respective button on the HUD.)

This brand new system expands upon the groundwork the original had, blending together the mechanics of Chips and Bytes to create unique buffs that directly effect you team's stats and give a chance for extra effects to occur!

And you can freely equip whatever parts you purchase!*

*For Endo parts in particular, you can only have one of each type equipped at any given time.

Some parts will share similar mechanics, while some have unique stats all their own.

For example, here's a few of the stats the parts will offer:

Steel Torso:

Increases defense by 20.

Reinforced head:

Increases duration of buffs.

Titanium Legs:

Increases evasion chance by 8%.

Nightmare Arms (aka "Grave Diggers"):

Dead teammates have a small chance of self-reviving!

Of course it'd be easy for a player to just slap on the "strongest" parts and not worry about mixing and matching parts, but there's also another unique aspect of these endo parts: certain combinations have bonus effects!

Some are very obvious, such as this one:

Others are a lot more bizarre and will require a bit of tinkering to find.

(Plus as an added bonus, you can see the mess of parts assembled into a complete endo on the side.)

You might be wondering how you'll get these parts.

For the first four sets, it's rather easy: just find Mendo in one of his new shop locations!

Each one caters to a specific set of parts.

As for the final set, Nightmare, that unlock method will be secret. ;)

(Or maybe I'll reveal it later on. Who knows?)

Think that's about enough of that info dump. I should have more to show off soon... including the next playable build!

'Till next time!