Heyo! There Will Be Ink just got a little more arcade-y! …if you’re into that sort of thing. I’ve revamped the game’s Arcade Mode and added a game mode toggle right on the Missions page instead of having to dig through the options menu to change it. The default game mode is still “Sim”, with evasion, accuracy, wind, cover penetration, etc playing a big role, but players expecting a more run & gun kind of game can now find that as well. Also new are powerup crates, which have a chance to drop from trees hit by bullets, killed enemies, and fallen comrades. New powerups get added to the pool as they are automatically unlocked during a campaign’s progression.

Hardcore Mode is still there too, for a real challenge. There is also a slight chance for the new powerup crates to drop in Sim mode. Although Arcade Mode is overall an easier and more accessible way to play the game, it can still be made pretty challenging when playing a procedural campaign with the difficulty maxed out. Powerups like +Speed and +Armour stack, which can lead to a bit of a bullet hell -like situation on some levels where you’re severely outnumbered, especially fun if you go in with a ranked up Hero.

Another notable addition are skirmish missions, which can be played at any time during a campaign. Skirmish missions are randomized each time, and experience/heroes acquired can be used on the main missions for the active campaign. This will hopefully help with situations where previously you had to re-play old missions to boost xp and find new heroes. Four new achievements have been added, and cloud saves should now be working for Steam players. For more changes and new features in this update, check out the list below.

Thanks very much to everyone who has played TWBI and given feedback!

New/Changed

• Arcade Mode has been revamped, giving player-controlled units more bonuses (hp, armour, speed, cover, etc)
  
• Added powerup crates, which can be dropped from trees, killed enemies, or killed comrades
  
• Powerup crates have unlock requirements and include Ammo, Health, +Speed, +MaxHP, +Armour, Lightning, Uzi, and Weapon Drop
  
• Added “Game Mode” selection to left side of missions screen (Arcade/Sim/Hardcore)
  
• Added “Skirmish” missions to campaign missions page (Random map each time, tracks XP & new heroes)
  
• Added 4 Achievements: Walk 1,000 Miles, finish campaign(12+ missions) on Arcade, Sim, Hardcore
  
• Enabled Steam Cloud saves
  
• Campaign Gen: Added “Upgrade Cost” option, with “Normal”, “Low (75%)”, and “Very Low (50%)” options
  
• Reduced base unit upgrade costs by 20%
  
• Jetpackers now only take off when stamina is over 50%
  
• Added sounds for crate weapons breaking and when a headshot narrowly misses a player-controlled unit
  
• HP recovered via medical crates now counts towards HP Recovered stat
  
• Trees knocked over by bullets or explosions now count towards trees chopped stat/achievement
  
• Higher ranked units now get more frequent AI checks
  
• Tutorial missions now force Sim game mode
  
• Tanks are now more effective in Arcade Mode when player-controlled
  
• Added stats tracking for distance walked(/run/rolled), number of rolls, HP recovered, times hit, lightning deaths
  
• Tactical Mode: Added Armour to unit tooltip
  
• Adjustments to tooltips
  
• Removed ‘0’ point requirement next to powerups on HQ page
  
• Consolidated some unit damage and stat code
  
• Redid gamepad navigation on Missions page
  
• Optimized some texture page organization
  

Fixes

• Fixed bullets being visible in Hardcore mode
  
• Fixed bullets being affected by wind in Arcade Mode
  
• Fixed non-faction units “unlocking” at mission end
  
• Fixed end-of-battle messages overlapping with “Victory”/”Defeat” text
  
• Fixed weapons not being visible for player-controlled units in Hardcore mode
  
• Fixed global trees chopped stat not properly tracking
  
• Fixed T-Rex being able to become a Hero (sorry, T-Rex!)
  
• Fixed tank bullets and shadows sometimes being drawn with the wrong facing