0.6.4 is out, with new mini-bosses, and a new scoring system, and other things. you can check out the full changelog here!

it’s available for $3 from the following places:

* http://benmakesgames.itch.io/mysterious-space
* https://indiegamestand.com/store/1428/mysterious-space/

if you got Mysterious Space through the groupees.com Space bundle, don’t forget to redeem your Mysterious Space download key from groupees.com, and get this update (and all future updates) for free!

I’ve already begun work on 0.6.5. the focus this update is going to be on more enemies, a couple more mini-bosses, and probably something else cool… either friendly trade outposts, more decorations for planets, or something else. haven’t decided yet.

I’ve already begun work on a new mini-boss. it’s relatively simple to code, since it’s stationary:

Mini-boss 4: Menkalinan Manufactory

it fires a large number of homing missiles, currently shown as light-gray circles. (these circles are a stand-in graphic while I work on angled missile graphics.) it will be the most-difficult mini-boss made so far (in terms of firepower and health), found near the middle of the game.

beyond that, though, a great priority for me, this update, is adding more enemies! while the end game is still lacking enemies, most game-play happens in the first few levels, where players may quickly tire of seeing the same two or three enemies, so that’s where I’ll be focusing my efforts. the challenge, for me, is in not overwhelming new players, while still satisfying experienced players: I don’t want there to be so many different types of enemies that new players keep dying in the first level simply because they keep facing totally new enemies every time! for that reason, some of the new enemies will differ only in appearance, perhaps with minor tweaks to the AI. I’ll definitely come up with some all-new enemies, though, too!

something else I’d like to change, related to enemies, though, is commonality. currently, if a planet can spawn, say, Four-way Fomalhaut, and Swimming Sheliak (the first two enemies encountered), both are equally likely to appear! even as more types of enemies are added, each has the same chances of appearing as any other. to make things more-interesting, and be slightly kinder to new players, I’ll be making different enemies appear with different frequencies. so perhaps the first level would MOSTLY be Four-way Fomalhauts (or reskinned versions thereof), but OCCASIONALLY some different enemy shows up.

some day in the future, I may even make mini-mini bosses 😛 rarely-spawned enemies that are a little tougher than most of the other things. but I don’t want to get too wrapped up in that right now.

I think that’s about it.

well, I guess there is one more thing…

Whee!