today i asked fans what they wanted to see in this weeks post and it was a pretty close between telling you what Void does and showing a new item.. so ill do both!
Void is the starting item for afterbirth+’s new character Apollyon and an item i designed because ive always wanted an item like this.
Apollyon is the destroyer so i felt it most appropriate that his item convey destruction as well as his army of locusts.
Void - usable item - charge 4
on use void destroys all items in the room, if an item is a usable item void now gains that items ability when used ( this stacks ), if the item is a non usable item it gives the player a random stat bonus.
void will also destroy all pickups in the room as well and turn them into a small army of locust ( blue flys ).
pretty neato huh? after designing void i got in this destruction and stacking effect kick and designed this little thanger.
Smelter - usable item - charge 6
on use smelter destroys all trinkets you are carrying permanently applying their effects to your character.
i like this one a lot, same idea as void but can make for some really interesting bonus effects in longer games.
this will be a store item btw.
NOTE: items subject to some changes before release ;)
Bumbo update:
ZZZ update:
to achieve or not to achieve!?
as many of you know the unlock system is pretty specific, each character has a set of goals (bosses to kill at least once) and when said goals are completed an icon appears next to them at the start screen and an item is unlocked and shuffled into the mix.
i recently posted on twitter my biggest dilemma is that since ab+ isnt as big of an expansion than afterbirth was, yet features 2 more “goals” and a new character.. as well as new challenges each with its own unlock/achievement im going to be locking close to half of the new items in it.
i wasnt sure how fans would feel about this.. but it turns out an overwhelming number of you want more locked items, or simply dont care about them being locked or not.
it got me thinking… if achievements and unlocking items via new goals is something isaac fans really enjoy, why not put even more focus on this aspect of the game in ab+?
so aside from the buttload of new achievements we are adding to afterbirth +, im going the extra mile and adding 10 more non-goal related achievements that should keep things pretty interesting.
i have around 5 good ones i wanna do that revolve around features you dont know about yet.. but i still have room for 5 more, and thats where you guys come in.
i want the fans to design 5 solid and fun “sidequest” achievements. old version of isaac featured stuff like, iron man achievements (not taking damage in a chapter) and kill X achievements.. i want some out of the box ideas like these but ones that really change the way you play, are difficult, interesting and fun.
note up ones you love, vote down ones you hate and ill added 10 new little unlockable additions to reward you guys with when you complete said achievements!
Bumbo update:
XXX update:
Images speak better than words
Afterbirth +
Legend of Bumbo
Untitled (we will name it soon enough)
the challenge!
this week we talk new challenges!
afterbirth+ will feature around 5 (probably exactly 5 but dont hold me to it!) new challenges, each with its own unlockable as per usual.
this week im once again pilfering the ideas of the masses and seeing if a few hundred of you can come up with 1-3 cool challenge ideas. here are the guidelines.
- suggest a challenge setup that is new and CHALLENGING, the suggestion should place the player in a situation where they need play the game in specific way that adds a new, unusual or just difficult challenge.
- do not just toss out a starting set of items, i really wanna try to have almost all of the new challenges to be out of the box designs that feel fresh and fun.
- feel free to suggest the impossible, if its interesting enough i may find a way work around that could allow the basic idea/theme of the challenge to be executed.
- upvote the ones you like, down vote the ones you hate! only one suggestion per post!
Afterbirth will be releasing on Ps4 and Xbox1 tomorrow (may 10th).
————
BUMBO NEWS!
James and i have recently started testing some of the basic puzzle mechanics and tuning the shit out of them over the past few weeks. designing a “traditional match X puzzle game” around a combat system in a roguelike world has been a pretty interesting. i hope to talk more in depth about bumbo dev once we are closer to release and/or have an official release date or teaser trailer out there.
our current goal is to have a fully playable floor done in the next few weeks.. once we hit that im sure you will be hearing and seeing more about bumbo.. but till then here is this…
first official in game screen shot from the beta debug build of bumbo! keep in mind this is not at all polished yet and most of the art i still place holder… but the games design is set in stone enough to start teasing a but more.
————
SECRET GAME NEWS!
LETS GET TO IT!
its been 2 weeks and im still digging through your over 5k item suggestions (who am i kidding im only looking at the top 200, so kill me!). i have quite a few that i think are pretty interesting, mostly trinket item ideas but still good none the less.
so i took a vacation from isaac and reddit for a while (aside from AB+ testing) but i took a gander and it seems like a lot of you think Afterbirth+ is just going to be some dev tools for you to play with… well… YOU, ARE, WRONG!
our goal with AB+ was to do a mini dlc + dev tools for you to continue the isaac legacy, beause this is the end of the line folks! here is a rough list of features we are currently working on.
AFTERBIRTH + FEATURES LIST!
-55+ new items (yes im counting trinkets as items you sons a bitches, always have always will!)
-new final chapter, boss and ending (yes i said chapter, not area)
-new playable character
-greed hard mode
-daily greed runs
-5 new challenges
-loads of new achievements
-a few new bosses and other little editions
PLUS DEV TOOLS! so you can design, edit and play and endless number of mods, features and whole new games that the community will no doubt eventually design.. but ill let tyrone go into more detail on that at a later date.
we have no set release date but the goal is before the end of the year.
——-
other isaac related updates (by Tyrone!):
-Confirmed consoles are: PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One. We’re about three weeks from launching and will have an official announcement VERY soon. Wii U may not release at the same exact date, but will be very shortly behind PS4 and Xbox One
-AB+ WILL come to consoles. More specifically, expect it on PlayStation 4 and Xbox one. It UNLIKELY to release simultaneously with the PC version. The console version will NOT have mod support as most of what we’re doing for mod support will likely not pass certification requirements.
-iOS Isaac: We haven’t given up. I’d like to think Apple would embrace a game like Isaac on iOS, but the final outcome is still TBD
——-
Bumbo update!
( actual in game footage! kinda )
you guys seem to want more info on this game, so here is a bit more detailed info.
Bumbo is a difficult game to compare to other games but i think the best would be to call it a cross between puzzle quest and isaac mixed a bit with magic the gathering. its probably good to get that basic description set in stone before we go to far into teasing and too many of you think we are doing some wacky JRPG type paper mario game.
it a randomly generated, puzzle based, turn based, combat driven ball of chaos and poo! and its coming together quite nicely..
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Secret game update:
TIME AGAIN!
its that time again!
as many of you know afterbirth+ has been in dev for a few month mostly focused on the mod tools, but we have recently started on new content and as the weeks go by im going to once again try to do a few focused posts that revolve around fan feedback like i did back in the day with afterbirth. this week is item week!
there are currently over 55 new items i afterbirth+ but i want at least 10 fan designed ones to be added before release, so here are the rules. i started a reddit thread here, to submit your item item youll need to post it there.
-Only post one item per comment!
-Focus your attention on what the item does, not what it looks like!
-Try and keep your item unique, dont just say brimstone but purple and homing!
im looking for really out of the box shit this time and dont worry, even if your item is simple and unfocused but still fun/unique if it makes the cut ill tune and design it in a way that makes it work.
good luck!
———————-
Afterbirth console update! afterbirth is complete and been submitted, we are just waiting on approval and once they give us a launch date we will post it asap!
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Bumbo update!
Bumbo is unfolding quite well, i hope to be doing more full updates on it in the coming months once we have an official teaser video floating around. but till then i can only tease this beta partial screen cap to lube things up a bit.
also a few seem confused by the RPG aspect of the game that i mentioned in my last update, i kinda consider isaac to be an RPG so a better description would probably be “randomly generated turn based puzzle strategy”. “poop based punching sim” also works…
———————-
Misc. secret game update
Announcing (teasing) The Legend of Bum-bo!
James Id and i have been working on this secret project for a few months now and we cant hold our tongues any longer!
The Facts:
The Legend of Bum-bo is a turn based puzzle RPG type thingy thats randomly generated.
James Id is programming and handling all the 3d aspects of the art as well as a ton of other thankless work ill take credit for.
im designing, writing and dealing with the 2d art and character design.
once again Matthias and Jon (Ridiculon) will be handling the audio.
but why is this on the isaac blog!? what does this have to do with isaac!? when isaac!? isaac? isaac! why!?
well im sure those questions will be answered in the coming months once we tease a bit more.
im here this week to relay another transmission from tyrone about afterbirth, but im also here to punish all those who oppose me! (still evil, remember?!) so im going to fuck with his update as much as i feel like… anywho
….incoming transmission…
Happy New Year! It’s me Tyrone (@tyronerodriguez) and I’m still not Ed.
We’ve been busy resting, getting ready for more Afterbirth+ work but have made some progress through the holiday. I want to go over some frequently asked questions in today’s post.
I’ve heard about Afterbirth+, will it be free?
It will not be free, it will be a paid DLC and will require Rebirth and Afterbirth to purchase.
Why isn’t it free?!?
Because it’s another expansion, just like Afterbirth and will complete the Rebirth ********* and ********* ***. As far as gameplay, we’re adding (and this is still Tyrone, but ** might ****** the following) a bunch of new ***** items, over ** **** enemies, rad bosses, redesigned ***** mod ******* and a few ***** surprises. That’s a big part of the D**.
Why are we paying for mod support?
Technically, you’re not. Remember, this is an expansion just like Afterbirth. Trust me, it’ll be worth it, you’ll love it and if you don’t, blame Northerlion.
I keep seeing your tweets mentioning Lua. Who is she?
Actually, Lua isn’t a girl, Lua is a lightweight multi-paradigm programming language. But I just ripped that from wikipedia. Go there if you want to learn more.
That Matthias Bossi guy has one sexy voice, but I’d really like my own voice packs. Will Afterbirth+ allow this?
Yes! You’ll be able to swap out all those lovely voice over effects with your own version of Balls of Steel!
What platforms will it be available?
This one is tricky! The DLC/expansion will be available on Windows, OSX and Linux. It’ll probably also be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. BUUUUUUUUT the mod support tools will only be for Windows.
Will platforms other than Windows be able to play the mods?
We’re pretty sure that it’s not an issue for OSX and Linux, but we need to do more research on what it would take for packaged mods and changes to be accessible on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Keep in mind that mod support for the consoles might be entirely out of our control.
When is it coming out?
2016, that’s this year!
Other news for console players who want Afterbirth. We should be done with porting both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 version by the end of next month. Release would be shortly after that. For any other consoles, I can’t promise you anything, but XO and PS4 are between Q1 and Q2 this year. That’s it for now! Back to work for me.
Tweet at me if you have anymore questions and thanks for reading
(here are some modded item tests for you to enjoy!)
Edmund here again, just wanted to say how much i hate you and answer a few of the more common questions people ask me for a change!!!!
How much will Afterbirth+ Cost?
just enough to upset a vocal minority and buy myself a 3rd yacht!
after such success of Isaac, are there any ideas about new roguelike games?
im working on a randomly generated sim where i punch peoples ugly faces with knives! i call it “LET ME DIE IN PEACE YOU BASTARDS!”
So I should expect the full contents to be implemented how many months later? Just want to know when to buy it…
suck dinks nerd jockey!
Can we get an official screen shot of afterbirth+?
Till next time! :)
† !
Since im on baby duty these days while juggling a few projects tyrone is going to hop in on more of these blog posts. i took the opportunity to obfuscate a bit of his info to keep you guys on your toes (and exact my sweet sweet revenge! (im officially evil now!) )
….incoming transmission…
Hey everyone, it’s Tyrone.
Hopefully by now you’ve had a chance to play this weekend’s big update with a lot of good changes to Afterbirth. If you haven’t, go do that now and come back.
…
OK, welcome back. We’re going to talk about the new mini DLC that Ed, I and the team at Nicalis are working on for next year. Tentatively called Afterbirth
†
, it’s a great name that represents what we’re doing on this new DLC.
<evil edmund>Afterbirth
†
will have a bunch of new ***** ********, including a couple of new bosses, a few transformations and new items/trinkets. How many? That’s a ****** you’ll find out on *******. Oh, also, ***** ***** **** and maybe something else related to ***** ****. There’s also a *** ****** I’m leaving out until a later time so you can wonder and conjecture/speculate ***** ****.</evil edmund>
Aside from that we’ll also include the Bestiary, which will show a lot of detail related to the enemies you encounter in the game–but not the ones you haven’t seen yet. It’s a fun way to give you more insight into your overall progress
The big news, and I’ve mentioned this in passing on my twitter feed and some interviews, is the massive game modification support. I’ve been somewhat quiet about mod support in the past and that hasn’t been because I don’t want to do it–it’s been because I want to do it RIGHT.
The tl;dr version–imagine having access to game API, so you can add and modify the game and do things not possible without .exe modding–in a much simpler way.
Afterbirth †
will include a player/user-friendlier Room Editor, Animation Editor and Lua support. You’ll also be able to edit the item pools.
Room Editor: The Room Editor, will allow you to design your own rooms without hacking the game. This includes rocks, blocks, TNT, holes, chests, enemies and just about everything else Ed has access to.
Animation Editor: the Animation Editor it’s just exactly what it sounds like, you’ll be able to externally create your own new art, nightmares etc, then import those files into the animation editor to bring it to life and appear in the game. hashtag=fun
Lua Support: This might be the single biggest thing that will really allow you to go crazy in terms of modifying the game. With full Lua support you can create new enemies, items and effects and make a whole new Isaac or–hell, even an entirely new game that ISN’T Isaac.
That’s it! It’s a lot of changes to the game and I’m really excited to see what all of you make. Thanks for sticking around and being patient while we continue to improve the game. Keep sending your good/bad feedback. We are listening, even if you think we aren’t.
The Good The Bad and The Daily!
until now i don’t think i fully realized how much of a monster this game has become, and this launch in particular had some of the weirdest bugs that caused the most interesting and conspiracy inducing paranoia ive ever experienced in my life (but more on that in a later post).
really all you need to know is a few basic facts
some time early this week there will be another patch that should address all the existing bugs and imbalances currently in the game.
old azazel wasnt ever intended to be nerfed as much as he is, he will go almost back to normal soon (damage up!).
challenges that feel unfair will be updated/fixed.
lost achievements tied to the donation machine and other bugged unlocks we discovered recently will be fixed.
ol ultra greeds OP buffs will be made easier.
so i hope these will clear up any confusion on what is and isnt intended always remember that we are actively trying to make the game better and with any update more bugs / balance issues may pop up so pleas bare with us
everything should be a lot smoother soon
now onto a community brain storm!
as many of you know, daily runs feature special daily’s that revolve around specific holidays. we added this at the very end of dev so all i had time to think up were designs for all the basic and obvious US holidays.. so what id like to do is extend the more obscure ones to the community and brain storm some special daily runs!
i made a thread here on reddit, feel free to list the name of your obscure holiday, month and day of the year as well as how you think these day should be represented in the game with EXISTING CONTENT.
we wont be adding special art for these, so you gotta work with what youve seen already in game.. but there is so much there at this point im positive you can get quite creative with it.
upvote the ones you like a lot, and dont worry if you dont have a great theme for the day.. if the day itself is awesome, or your idea sucks.. ill make it better ;)
id also personally like to thank the fans out there who think logically and dont instantly grab their pitchforks when confusion arises, your voice of reason honestly helps a lot more than youd think.
to the rest, keep in mind that i actually like this game even more than you do ;) if something feels wrong.. i know it feels wrong and i fix it, it just takes a bit loner to find and fix these days due to the fact i have a baby and this game is a monster of chaos and tuning it can be a really delicate dance.
i harbor no ill will towards anyone.. especially fans of my work who put food on my table, so seriously if something seems fishy, take a step back and put my intentions into the equation and take off the tin foil hat before doing that math.
