The post-jam update for E.X.O. brings a vertical slice of improvements based on pilots’ feedback since the conclusion of No Video Jam 2. Thanks to everyone who participated; there were so many submissions to love!

With this release I feel that E.X.O. is in a very good place. Please let me know in the comments if you encounter any issues. I’m looking forward to bringing what I learned from this project back into S.E.A. for its next update.

Enjoy!

Key features

• Attractors upgrade. Pull adjacent materials toward the E.X.O. with this new upgrade track. Increasing levels expand the radius of attraction.
• Downgrades. Tune the E.X.O. exactly to your liking. Recoup some material costs with each downgrade.
• Material cues. Follow new audio and visual cues toward nearby materials. When sonifying terrain, metal detector sounds lead pilots to collectible orbs.
• New Game Plus. Freely explore new world seeds without losing any upgrades. A new confirmation screen prevents accidental loss of progress.
• Upper atmosphere. Enjoy new sounds, sights, and physics while exploring the upper atmosphere. Eventually it’s too thin to refuel jump jets, leaving pilots to fall to terminal velocity.

v1.1.0 changes

• Accessibility
  • Added access hotkeys for height and velocity
  • Added height and velocity to Status screen
  • Added cue for when synthesis is complete
  • Added z-coordinate to coordinates hotkey
  • Exposed unavailable upgrades to screen readers
  • Fixed access hotkeys clicking first item instead of focusing
  • Improved verbosity of access hotkey alerts
  • Rearranged coordinates and heading on Status screen
• Audio
  • Added cue for jets running out of fuel
  • Added cues for nearby materials when sonifying terrain
  • Added binaural sub bass that fades in at extreme altitudes
  • Added support for wind at extreme velocities
  • Boosted faraway material sounds
  • Tweaked some material sounds for clarity
• Graphics
  • Added nearby material cues
  • Added procedurally generated stars
  • Added total eclipse of main star behind parent planet
  • Faded out background to black on high altitudes
  • Increased default draw distance to 35
• Materials
  • Added gravitation toward player when attractors are online
  • Fixed materials sometimes spawning abruptly
  • Reweighted spawn chances based on cost demands
• Movement
  • Applied atmospheric drag proportional to pressure and speed
  • Reduced recharge of jump jets at lower atmospheric pressures
• Simulation
  • Simulate atmospheric pressure and gravity as functions of altitude
• Terrain
  • Added lowland and highland biomes for better extremes
  • Adjusted range of mountain slopes
  • Increased overall detail of generated terrain
• Upgrades
  • Added ability to downgrade upgrades
  • Added attractors upgrade which attracts nearby materials
  • Added fifth level cargo racks
  • Added fourth level upgrades for most upgrade tracks
  • Fixed recycled materials not saving correctly
  • Recoup some material costs when downgrading upgrades
• User interface
  • Added confirmation when starting a new game
  • Added exosuit level to Status screen
  • Added New Game Plus option to keep upgrades when starting a new game
  • Added downgrades to Statistics screen