Released The Struggle of Combat - New update released!

Yrbiax

Member
Thanks for playing!

Dropbox link stopped working at some point and i accidentally put link to wrong version.
Looks like you played version that was not intended to be played 😅

Weird behavior: for all button in the menu, you need to click twice before having desired result. Once for making the button white and one time to activate it.
Problems with menu buttons and crash have been fixed in latest version.
When dead, you cannot click on click struggling with the mouse. You need to do it from the keyboard. That was unexpected for me.
Thanks for pointing this out. I totally forgot :D
Grenade launcher: Would be great to see what is the cooldown time.
Shop to purchase: How much money do I have ? no clear how can i select an object.
Some of the object description are too long and not clear -> I don't understand what the object does.
You can see weapon details if you click on arrow on left. I just hid details by default so UI would look cleaner.
Gold is shown in upper left corner below level. Yes, some of descriptions are quite long, but i dont know how to make them shorter.
Perhaps some grammar expert could help with those. :D
Nice game, gave a good feeling. I especially liked the short range fight (right click) that help to kill a lot of enemy. Would totally love to play with a sword or whatever short range.
Design and animation are nice enough for me. I feel that it was easier to run against most of the enemie. There is no perk to kill most of them.
For weapon it was not clear what was better, should i drop the rocket launcher or keep the laser. I don't know
There are upgrades for melee attacks if you enjoy melee style. You can run away from enemies, but skipping too many enemies might leave you under leveled.
All weapons have their strengths and weaknesses. You can carry two weapons at same time and swap them with 'Q'.

Anyway i try to put link to new version of demo soon as possible.
 
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Yrbiax

Member
Updated demo available:

-Fixed death menu not working with mouse
-Wolves no longer attempt to jump over high walls (except when using jump attack)
-Fixed traps instantly activating when close to wall (trap curse)
-Added more movemement styles for hallucinations to make them more convincing
 

Yrbiax

Member
ratClimb.png
-Fixed rats sometimes climbing out of level (they might still climb wall, but they should return)
-Bosses now have chance to drop cursed key (chance increases with each kill)
Metro passes can now be unlocked out of order, but you will still need passes from previous levels to use metro.
-Added descriptions for teleporters
-Fixed old achievement messages appearing on different playthrought
-Shortened decimals in weapon descriptions
 

Yrbiax

Member
Gameplay footage from first and last zone with increased difficulty.


-Cursed key sprites updated (item drops)
-Updated metro descriptions
-Fixed mouse leaving window (ended up buying YellowAfterLife's extension, thanks for feedback Japster :))
-Added new reload sounds
-Fixed lasso not drawn properly on burning enemies
-Added shadows for factory and forest backgrounds
 
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Yrbiax

Member
After doing lot of testing i notices that i rarely felt like using some of high firerate weapons.
Since you could not use melee attacks between shots like with other weapons they ended up feeling really weak.
So i ended up buffing some of them:

Laser: Base damage increased by 10%, maximum damage increased from 2 to 2.5 (now amplifies slightly slower, but should be much better against bosses)
Flamethrower: Afterburn damage is doubled when close to maximum burn timer
Watergun: Now has 1 bounce by default
Flygun: Speed and damage of flies now increases overtime (maximum 2 x damage)

traparrows.png

Other changes:
-Hunter boss now shoots trap arrows (only visual change)
-Fixed ninja sometimes getting stuck to wall while using grappling hook
-Fixed special glow and drop location for weapons
-Homing bullets now have minimum turnings speed for slow projectiles
-Ammo gained from ammo packs is now capped at 1000
-More bug fixes

Anyway im trying to finish this game by the end of this month.
If you are interested of testing full version let me know.
 

Yrbiax

Member
fingeronblade.png

-Added completion progress bar to logbook
-Timer is now stopped in prison (Timer can be turned on from graphics options)
-Timer no longer stops in arenas
-Fixed timer resetting upon death
-Fixed achievement text sometimes apprearing under items
-Cursor is now changed to finger when hovering over shop items and difficulty switches
-Shockbaton damage to first target is no longer doubled by Cursed Blade (Shock damage to nearby enemies remains unchanged)
This item combo was dealing 3 x melee damage which was enough to 1 shot enemies in early stages. (now deals 2.5 x melee damage)
-Fixed some sound effects
 

Yrbiax

Member
Finally created itch.io page! :banana:

Still some work to be done before full release, but updated demo is now available on itch.

-Fixed explosions appearing behind shop table and prison cells
-Reflected explosives no longer deal self damage (except bombs)
-Fixed melee animation speed when using suspicious mushroom
-Fixed enemies missing melee attacks when on top of player
 

ReidDC

Member
Hey played your game, Its fun! Has a learning curve to it and I found some of the Bosses to be quite challenging. Either way keep it up, want to see more.
 

Yrbiax

Member
Made some changes to character selection and logbook. Tried to match style with pause menu, not sure if this looks good at all. :D

Character selection:
character selection.png
Logbook:
newlogbook.png

-Fixed taking half damage from rockets when using shockarmor. Invincibility would activate from rocket and explosion damage would get ignored (Now you take 2 x damage from rockets if you have shockarmor)
-Fixed achievement text and animation text appearing in wrong location when using fullscreen
-Parrot damage is now reduced by 10% for each target hit. (Parrot was feeling too strong in lategame. Especially with super ability)
-Fixed some hitbox issues in options and logbook
-Fixed players body falling in wrong direction upon death
-Fixed getting wrong secondary weapon on level restart (when you died in same level as you got your first secondary weapon)
 
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Yrbiax

Member
Now most of issues have been fixed. Full version should be coming in few days.
Still going through few test runs to make sure i didnt miss anything.

chestDescription.png

-Added description on how to open treasure chests when player has unlocked cursed key
(To avoid confusion player thinking that chest can be opened when key is unlocked)
-Name of weapon drop is now centered and displayed below weapon
-Fixed weapon drop location (when dropping old weapon)
-Fixed pausing game during level transition would take you to main menu options
-Fixed error when changing to fullscreen on dark levels
-Fixed hide/show weapon description button hitboxes with fullscreen
-Fixed weapon names in shop (Shocking Laser instead of Explosive Laser etc...)
-Fixed enemies sometimes facing wrong direction when aiming at player
-Many other bug fixes

Updated demo available:
 

Yrbiax

Member
Looks like i was underestimating how much stuff there was to fix. Its going to take bit longer before release. 😅
Shouldnt be too long thought.

Got some feedback that menus where unresponsive, so i made some changes to menus.
Menu options now change color when hovering with mouse. Also you no longer need to click twice.


-Added highlighting to menu options when hovering with mouse
-Fixed changing keys in control options with mouse (you no longer need to press enter)
-Improved logbook pages
-Minerboss no longer use bomb attack while inside wall
-Fixed mini boss hallucinations not working properly
-Player can no longer walk while dashing (except when being pulled by ufo)
-Many other bug fixes
 

Yrbiax

Member
The Struggle of Combat is now available on itch!

Got too impatient to create new trail after countess hours of bug fixing and testing, so i decided to release it now. :D
I try to create new trailer at some point.

It has been over 2 years since i started developing this and It is my first commercial game that i have published.
Thanks for everyone for feedback and positive messages! :)

Final changes before release:

-Fixed grappling hook not working properly
-Fixed some miniboss related bugs
-Final boss laser is no longer affected by melee attacks
-Fixed getting lvl 1 character after looping if you paused game in prison.
-Fixed some enemies attacking while stunned
-Fixed some enemies getting stuck on wall
-Reduced size of cursors
-Redrawed stop sign and question mark in prison
-Factory arena layout changed
-Removed unnecessary comments and files
-Some changes to character selection
-Burger changed to +30% max health instead of +30 (Soldier get bit more)
-Added difficulty for 5th and 6th loop (These are unnofficial loops and im not even expecting anyone to get there)
-Many other bug fixes
 
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Yrbiax

Member
New trailer is out!


Tried to incorporate short version of intro story into trailer.

Also small update:
-Fixed death menu not working properly with fullscreen
-Fixed watergun achievement message
-Fixed Hunter's Crossbow sprites on shop and logbook
-Removed flashbang effect from Hunter's Crossbow
 

Repix

Member
Looks great!

I'd suggest reporting your own topic and letting a moderator know that it's finished! :) (So it can be moved into "Made with GameMaker" )
 

K12gamer

Member
Cool...I just got a copy...

Nice western music
Good character design
Smooth controls
Nice parallax scrolling of backgrounds...

Video of me playing your game:

 
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Yrbiax

Member
Thanks for video @K12gamer !

This marketing has proven to be quite difficult even with free keys.
There is still plenty of free keys left. I hope someone will grab one. :)

Here is gameplay video by ASWhaler Gamer:


Part 2 & 3
Part 2

Part 3

I noticed few bugs while further testing, i will be adding new patch soon.
 
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Yrbiax

Member
I got requested to make some art for ASWhaler Gamer's youtube channel.
Here is avatar that i made.
ASWhalerGamerAvatar.png

Added new patch few days ago:
  • Fixed secondary weapon not being saved when entering / exiting arena (If you got your first secondary weapon in same level)
  • Fixed some enemies going to wrong direction after stun (Noticed this while watching my own trailer 😓)
  • Inreased time before reinforcements appear by 30% when curse mod is active (4th loop was feeling bit too difficulty)
  • Some other small fixes
 

Yrbiax

Member
Gameplay video by TheSneak:

Here is first video were he forgot to turn on mic:

Gameplay video by Vlad MGC:

Noticed mistake with reinforcements in last update, so rushed to make quick update.
  • Fixed reinforcements not sometimes appearing when curse mod was active (forgot to round up timer number)
  • Fixed parrot sometimes sleeping
  • Fixed some arena bosses not moving during arena (when player was in other side of the room)
  • Fixed bomber/helicopter launcher & ufo launcher ammo cost. Ammo cost now properly scales with clipsize. Base ammo cost reduced from 50 to 40
  • Vampyrusman no longer deals collision damage
  • Some other small fixes
 
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Yrbiax

Member
Review by supersven:


Another small update:
  • Fixed cursor not scaling with fullscreen
  • Fixed hide/show weapon details button hitbox with fullscreen
  • Fixed taking too much damage from rockets to shields when using shockarmor
  • Homing missiles, Helmet, Shockarmor and Super Ability no longer appear to shops before lvl 7. (These items were feeling too strong in early game)
  • Wolf Paws and Suspicious mushroom now give small bonus even at full health
  • Weapons can no longer spawn in front of arena entrance/exit
  • Some other small fixes
 

Yrbiax

Member
I felt that character selection menu looked pretty bad, so i decided to draw new icons for characters.

unlockedCharacter.png lockedCharacter.png
Update notes:
  • New character icons added to character selection and logbook
  • Fixed being able to fire minigun in safezones
  • Fixed achievement message sometimes not appearing in arenas
Still some free keys left if you want to try this out :)
 
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Yrbiax

Member
Full playthrough of 4th loop:


I wanted to make sure that 4th loop was actually possible to beat. Took me few tries to finally make it.
It is supposed to be final challenge of the game and it may require good rng to actually beat. Other loops are much more reasonable.
 

Yrbiax

Member
Made some balance changes for later loops. Fixed huge mistake in weapon creation code that prevented higher tier weapons from spawning.
Video about 4th loop above doesnt correctly reflect current difficulty. I might have to think about rebalancing loops in future.

Update notes:
  • Fixed some of higher tier weapons not appearing during later loops
  • Achievements are now saved instantly
  • Small fly health during loop reduced from 15 to 12
  • Added 25% more time when health mod is activated
  • Time added during curse mod now depends on curse (5-20%)
  • Reduced volume of factory music
  • Fixed wolf sprites (removed unnecessary gray pixels)
  • Some other small fixes
 
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Yrbiax

Member
The Struggle of Combat is 30% off for october.


I will probably start working on bigger update with new zones and items soon. Perhaps i will also include custom levels that i had to cut from initial release.
But first i will take small break from developement and focus on marketing for while. I have noticed that some people dont seem to like itch, so perhaps i try to put it on steam in future.
In meantime I will try to create slightly more exciting trailer for the game.

1 free key still remains if someone wants to grab it:
 
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Yrbiax

Member
New trailer:

Tried to make opening story bit shorter. Changed some scenes, added review quote and improved ending.
Took some time since im terrible at video editing. Hopefully this is atleast better than previous one :D
 

Niels

Member
Nice work! your game seems to be filled with creative ideas!

And you can say you beat "the struggle of finishing a game", not many people can say that :)
 

Yrbiax

Member
The Struggle of Combat is 50% off for Black Friday sale.


I have been quite busy lately, so i have not had much time for development.
Hopefully i can get something done next year. I already have bunch of ideas waiting :)
 
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Yrbiax

Member
Finally started working on new update! Here are some early prototypes for new zones.

Dungeon.pngIceCave.pngCastle.png

Plans for next update:
  • 3 new zones
  • new items and weapons
  • atleast 1 new playable character
  • rebalancing/reworking some existing items
  • controller support
  • improvements for menus
 
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Yrbiax

Member
I dedicated some time to marketing and sent lots of emails to youtubers. Managed to get some videos made and here are few things i learned:
  1. Players found opening animation to be too slow
  2. Lot of players didnt seem to realize that bullets can be destroyed with melee attacks.
  3. Not being able to enter loop frustrated players (In order to unlock loop, you had to beat game without any deaths)
  4. The way cursed keys are unlocked now confused players when they are unable to open chest on that run. So i will have to rework this. Maybe i will add some additional quests that will be offered by prisoners.
  5. Enemy logs are not very interesting at the moment, so i will try to come up with somekind of backstory for characters.
I will try to address these issues on that bigger update, but i decided to put out small update fixing that loop issue.

Update notes:
  • First loop is now unlocked by default
  • Metrostation can now be entered if you have unlocked any metro pass (Even if you cant use metro)
  • Fruit bat no longer spawn for melon in final boss room
  • Fixed gundrop getting stuck to arena entrance when carrier by fruit bat
  • Fixed timer not being visible in factory shop
  • Some other small fixes
 

Yrbiax

Member
I noticed that players rarely used some of the weapons so gave them small buff. Also i decided to rework Sticky launcher since it felt somewhat akward to use.
I'll try to get back to working on that bigger update now. There probably wont be small updates for while unless there is some game breaking bug.
I will be extending (-50%) sale for 1 week in case there is still some videos coming from youtubers.

Update notes:
  • Shuriken base damage increased from 3 > 3.5
  • Laser base damage increased from 0.11 > 0.12
  • Flamethrower base damage increased from 0.35 > 0.4
  • Explosive shoes damage increased by ~15%
  • Fixed homing cactus launcher not working properly (Gravity was disabled after landing)
  • Homing cactus balls now insantly get direct angle to enemy after landing
  • Fixed grammar error in opening story
Sticky Launcher reworked:
  • Sticky bombs now automatically detonate when they collide with enemy (1 second delay)
  • Sticky bombs deal 50% more damage when attached to enemy
  • M2 no longer detonates sticky bombs
  • Player is no longer immune to sticky bomb explosions
  • Reduced bounces of bouncy sticky launcher from 4 to 2
 

Yrbiax

Member
Finally tried adding gamepad controls. Took me longer that i expected :D
I still havent implemented all features, but game is now playable with gamepad.

gamepadControls.png

You can swap between 2 aim modes. Locked mode where crosshair is rotated around player and free mode where crosshair is moved like mouse.
Aiming probably still needs some refining and im not sure if its good idea to have jump on analouge stick.

Here is demo version with gamepad controls:
I dont have much experience with gamepads so any feedback is appreciated!
 
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Yrbiax

Member
It has been while since i posted any updates.
Lot of this new stuff still looks very unfinished so i havent been too excited about sharing these :D
I have been adding some new items and refining new enemies. Anyway here are few gifs about some new stuff.





 
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Yrbiax

Member
Slowly making progress for new update. Lot of stuff has been added, but its going to take while to refine everything :D
Im not too happy with some of new enemies, probably going to have to redo them in some way.

Ammo upgrades were giving way too much ammo for tier 1 upgrade. Especially during loops it felt like you never ran out of ammo so i decided to rework them.
-Ammo upgrades no longer doubles your maximum ammo, but doubles ammo gained from weapons drops.
-Entering new level now gives your 300 ammo instead of 200, but you no longer gain ammo above 300.
-Maximum ammo from Treasure Chest increased from 50% to 100%, but maximum ammo no longer affect ammo gained from weapon drops.

New character in action:


With super ability:
 

Yrbiax

Member
Started redrawing new characters and items. Here is some of the new stuff:

sGhost.pngsWizard.pngsSpider.pngsYeti.png

Im still going to refine these later. Currently struggling with spiders walking animation :D


Also i released small update while ago:

There was bug that made player to go through walls and fall off the map so i made quick update. I was orginally planning on leaving ammo upgrade reworks for later update, but i decided to include them in this one.
  • Fixed collision check not working properly while double jumping. (Player could go through ceiling at entrances)
  • Player now returns to original spawn location if falls of the map. (Just in case someone finds a way to fall again)
  • Ammo upgrades reworked
  • Pirate's bonus is now doubled for weapons from bosses
 

Yrbiax

Member
Here is some footage from new zones.


Still lot of work is needed, but i wanted to share what i got so far.
 

Yrbiax

Member
While working on new update i noticed few bugs on current version so i made quick update:
  • Fixed sceenshake not working on some rooms
  • Fixed some enemies moving while stunned
  • Fixed flying enemies having shorter wake up distance than intended
  • Enlarged title in menu
  • Some other small fixes
The Struggle of Combat is 100% off for june if anyone wants to check it out. :)
 

Yrbiax

Member
Still few hours left on 100% sale if someone want to check it out!

Sadly i havent done much progress on new update this month. Mosty just marketing and staring at analytics. :D
Managed to get nice spike of downloads at the beginning of the sale. Hopefully i get to be more productive next month.
Currently working on new bosses and items.
 

Yrbiax

Member
Turns out that custom key bindings where not working with lot of keys. Here is small update fixing that. I was too accustomed to my default key bindings that i rarely tested other ones.
  • Fixed some keys not working when using custom controls (Key bindings are now saved in their numerical value instead of string)
  • Fixed custom arrow keys not working on some menus
  • Space is no longer hard coded to jump (Space is still alternative jump if its not being used elsewhere)
  • Controls are reseted to default if old type save file is being used
  • Fixed some variations of metro doors appearing in wrong location
  • Added "Use E to enter" to metro doors

Also here is previous update that i forgot to post here:
  • Fixed cursor appearing under weapon description in some levels
  • Fixed gravity being briefly disabled when using rocketboots while trapped. (Using rocketboots now instantly gets rid of trap)
  • All projectiles are now visible in darkness. (Some projectiles were not visible on purpose, but it just felt dumb that some were visible and some not)
  • Laser sight from rifle and railgun is now visible in darkness
  • Increased cyborg's barrier from 30 to 40. (Barrier felt useless when playing with 2 x damage modifier)
 

Yrbiax

Member
Here is glimpse at some of new bosses. Still working on their mechanics.

SpiderBoss.png
YetiBoss.png

Also created arenas for new zones. Although I might have to rebalance arenas since new enemies felt really opressive in such small room.

CastleArena2.png
 

Yrbiax

Member
I realized that game was lacking any kind of end game statistics, so i decided to add some.
Items, difficulty, kills, deaths, completion time and some other stuff is now displayed on stats.

Stats are now displayed in death menu and when you complete the game. Character also comments on your performance in speech bubble.
This can be hint, encouragement or roast depending how you are doing.

stats1.png

All runs are also saved in records which can be viewed whenever.

stats2.png

I will be adding this to current version soon. I just have to refine these and come up with some speech bubbles.
 

Yrbiax

Member
Statistics update is now released!


Stats about your run such as items, difficulty, deaths, time etc... are now displayed when you die or complete the game.
All your runs are also saved to records. Which you can access from main menu. You can scroll through all runs or look at your best runs like fastest completion time.
I changed records section so it would be in similiar style as in logbook.






  • Added statistics after ending animation
  • Records section added to main menu
  • All runs are now saved to records
  • Reworked death menu (Now shows statistics and comments)
  • Added show/hide comments option to graphics options (If you get tired of getting roasted)
  • Fixed music not returning when completing arena
  • Some other bug fixes

Feel free to share your runs. It would be cool if anyone would attempt to speedrun the game :D
 
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Yrbiax

Member
Requirement for unlocking characters seemed bit too hard for most players, so i decided to change how they are unlocked.
Even though i didnt have problems unlocking them, its really hard for me to judge difficulty as developer.
There was also some items that felt bit overpowered so i tuned them down.
  • Most characters are now unlocked by defeating zone boss without any deaths. (No more Struggle requirements)
  • Reduced damage scaling of Cactus Skin
  • Reduced damage of Shock Armor
  • Fixed music not returning if you died during arena boss
  • Music now changes back to normal if you exit level without killing boss
  • Dying in arena is no longer counted as death
Still slowly working on new content. I have added lot of stuff, but most of it still require polishing.
I will post something about new update once i got bit more stuff done :D
 

Yrbiax

Member
It has been while since it posted anything about new update. So here is some new stuff i have been working on.




New entrances & exits added for new zones.



Options for gamepad controls. I still have to rework some stuff to make things work properly with gamepad.



New character specific items to further differentiate their playstyles. Total 16 new items added so far.
 

Yrbiax

Member
Sadly i havent really been able to do much progress for the update past month, since i have been busy with other stuff.

Anyway i created small game about popping flies in few hours, trying to get back into gamedev mood.
Play it for free: https://yrbiax.itch.io/fly-popper

It uses sprites from The Struggle of Combat. I felt like it wasnt worth its own thread so i posted about it here.
I might add more features to it in future thought.

 

Yrbiax

Member
parrotUpdate.png
Parrot was feeling pretty useless due to its slow speed. Often by the time parrot reached enemy they were already dead.
So i decided to do small rework for it. Also ninja now turns 45 degree while using grappling hook to make it look cooler.
  • Increased parrot speed by 20%
  • Super parrot no longer increases speed
  • Parrot cooldown increased from 10 to 12 (Cooldown is now slighty reduced if parrot hits less than 3 enemies)
  • Ninja now leans forward while using grappling hook
  • Increased Fly Gun base damage from 1 to 1.2
  • Fixed bomb hitbox
  • Fixed prison music not stopping after using metro
  • Some other small fixes

Also The Struggle of Combat is 50% off for Black Friday sale.
 
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Yrbiax

Member
Finally started working on menus. This has been on my todo list for awhile, but i just never got into it properly.
Initially i didnt put much effort into menus, but since its first thing that player will see it seems very important so it looks atleast decent.
Not sure if it looks good, but pretty much anything is better than what it currently is :D

Still have to rework all the other option menus and logbook. I should have more time in my hands now, so i will try to add these changes to current version soon.

There seemed to be some issue with uploading images, so i put this to imgur.
 

Yrbiax

Member
Menu update is out now! I quite liked how main menu ended up looking, but im not sure how i feel about contrast in some other menus. I would like to hear your thoughts about new style.

MainMenuupdate2.pngcharacterselectupdate.png
logbookupdate.pngoptionsupdate.png

Menu changes:
  • Changed font style and color
  • Added outline to menu texts
  • Added outline to menu borders
  • Changed background in main menu
  • Added outlines to icons in character selection
Other changes:
  • Minigun damage reduced from 1.5 to 1.35
  • Railgun reloadtime increased from 1 to 1.25
  • Fixed ufo key sometimes being thrown to wall
  • Fixed shocking lasso dealing double damage to some of the mini bosses
  • Increased shotgun volume
  • Default music volume changed to 50%
  • Some other small fixes
 
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