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BioNova has ceased development. No future updates will be made available
Spoiler: Reasoning
TL;DR ZScript exists and it would have been too much to change. Plus balancing issues.
During development of the next (now dropped) title update, there have been complications working with DECORATE. This later had me look at ZScript which I refused to work with at first because it felt like learning a whole new coding language. Of course with practice, it became easier. Given its mass flexibility compared to DECORATE, it started to experiment with it a lot more rather than working on the next title update. This learning process slowly began the development and a whole new version of BioNova that was very distinct from the current public release in terms of how the mod works internally (ZScript vs. DECORATE). It runs smoother, it made coding Actors much easier and allows for more simplified blocks of code where previously Actors would take a bunch of states just to achieve when I was attempting to do, no need for doing work arounds using "hacky" methods while using DECORATE (e.g. using DECORATE that looks towards ACS and then back to DECORATE), and then some. Simply put it, ZScript made what I wanted to work on much easier.
When it came to balancing, most of it went towards weapons. Of course in the vision of BioNova being an arcade shooter type mod, gunplay is at the forefront. The problem that arose with the two title updates that were released was adding more weapons when it was not necessary. It can be exciting when new weapons are added, but what does the weapon meta say about that? How do new weapon fit with the rest of the weapon? Is the weapon pool being over saturated? Are new weapon added just copy and pastes with a few stats changed? This in combination with choosing what Stim Shots should be used made the mod way too easy. Of course the dominant strategy (best weapon(s) to use and Stim Shot loadout) is always the way to go and I am all for that. The amount of power that the player can have is so much that a player can actually make it to high rounds without taking damage. While the removal of the Safe Zone was great to be free from the restriction, this became the final push to where the player is practically invincible and having the best weapons to use.
A post about the new version of BioNova will be made sometime in the near future. No details of the new version will be made on this thread.
See you soon...
Description
BioNova is a round-based survival mod where up to 4 players must survive against waves of mutants.
Gameplay
Players progress through maps in order to strengthen themselves with new gear. Stay within the Safe Zone to survive. Players can go out of the Safe Zone, but not for too long as the player starts taking damage.
Weapons
A wide variety of weapons can be accessed ranging from Sub Machineguns, Assault Rifles, Light Machine Guns, and Shotguns. There are 3 different weapon categories: Standard - These are unchanged weapons. Self explanatory. Gold - These weapons have an additional damage buff to them, but their ammo can not be replenished. They can also accept weapon mods. Ultimate - These weapons deal very high or up to infinite damage. They also can not have their ammo replenished and have limited ammo stock so utilizing them properly is key to survive in tight situations. Ultimate weapons do not take weapon mods, but this may change in the future.
Some weapons can be accessed through Hologram Stands scattered across the maps. You can also use your luck on the Random Weapon Machine which cycles through every weapons on the map. Time your interaction correctly and you may get the weapon you want.
Stim Shots
Stim Shots provide additional help to survive. Each Stim Shot has their own unique effects and can be upgraded to boost their effects. Only 3 can be used in each match and can be set to different slots that correspond with their respective Stim Shot Machine in the map.
Spoiler: Stim Shot List
Bullet Stockpile
Level 1: Increased ammo capacity. [Cost:2 Jolts]
Level 2: Double the amount of ammo picked up from ammo drops. [Cost:3 Jolts]
Level 3: Killing enemies up close gives little ammo back. [Cost:4 Jolts]
Coupon Clipper
Level 1: All purchases cost 1 Jolt less. [Cost:3 Jolts]
Level 2: Health drops charge up Jolt counter by 1%. [Cost: 3 Jolts]
Level 1: Weapon fire rate is doubled. Melee speed is also increased. [Cost:3 Jolts]
Level 2: Weapon bullet spread is decreased. [Cost:4 Jolts]
Level 3: Weapons increase damage for 5 seconds from ammo pickups. [Cost:5 Jolts]
Haste
Level 1: Increased movement speed. [Cost:2 Jolts]
Level 2: Speed boost while firing [Cost:3 Jolts]
Level 3: Taking damage gives a small speed boost. [Cost:4 Jolts]
Overkill
Level 1: Carry a third weapon. [Cost:3 Jolts]
Level 2: Swap through weapons faster. [Cost:4 Jolts]
Level 3: Dealing damage has a 10% chance to insta-kill enemies. [Cost:5 Jolts]
Prosperity
Level 1: Pick up health up to 200%. [Cost:4 Jolts]
Level 2: Double the amount of health picked up. [Cost:5 Jolts]
Level 3: Reduce the amount of damage dealt. [Cost:6 Jolts]
Reflection
Level 1: 75 percent of the damage done to the player is inflicted on the attacker. [Cost:2 Jolts]
Level 2: Output a small damage boost when enemies melee at you. [Cost:3 Jolts]
Level 3: Taking damage when health is under 50% produces a high damage explosion. [Cost:4 Jolts]
More Stim Shots will be available through title updates.
Jolts
Jolts is the currency system used in BioNova. Jolts are used to purchase weapons, Stim Shots, and to access new areas. A maximum of 6 Jolts can be acquired. Jolts are acquired by damaging and killing enemies which charges up your Jolts Energy Counter. When that energy reaches 100%, you will receive 1 Jolt and the Jolts Energy Counter reset back to 0% allowing you to recharge it again. You can also get 1 Jolt by completing a round.
Player Classes
Players can choose between different classes each with their own abilities that serve different play styles. Each class has 2 abilities: Equipment which requires a cooldown to use again and a Special Ability that needs kills in order to charge up and use.
Spoiler: Player Class List
Akasi
Equipment: Health Beacon - Drop a beacon that restores player health up to 100% within its radius.
Special Ability: Full Restore - Give you and players around a max of 250% health. Dead players will be revived.
Vulcan
Equipment: Rage - Weapons fire quadruple damage for you and players around.
Special Ability: Reactor Core - Deploy a device that heavily damages enemies within a medium radius.
Sentinel
Equipment: Ammo Cache - Drop an ammo box that slowly refills ammo within its radius.
Special Ability: Sentry Gun - Deploy a rapid fire sentry gun targeting enemies. Multiple sentry guns can be deployed if the previous one has not been destroyed.
Maverick
Equipment: Proximity Mine - Drop a mine that detonates and releases miniature lethal grenades when enemies get close to it.
Special Ability: Eruptor - Unload with the ‘Eruptor’ Grenade Launcher that deals high damage.
More Player Classes will be available through title updates
Match Customization
This is nothing too big. Players can choose which map they want to play on as well as setting a round limit that can be set at a minimum of 10 rounds up to 100 rounds. Players can also remove the round limit to make their match endless.
Once loading into the map, players are able to customize their loadouts with choosing a Player Class, starting weapon, and 3 Stim Shots.
Easy: Slower enemies with less health and damage. Outside Safe Zone damage is low. Enemy spawn frequency is slow. Fewer enemies spawn in each round.
Normal: Regular enemies with moderate health and damage. Outside Safe Zone damage is moderate. Enemy spawn frequency is normal. Enemies spawn in each round not so fast, but not so slow.
Hard: Faster enemies with more health and damage. Outside Safe Zone damage is high. Enemy spawn frequency is fast. More enemies spawn in each round.
The mod is playable, but I am still making some adjustments here and there before releasing as well as bug fixing for single player and especially multiplayer.
I have added a new feature called Weapon Modifications. Weapon mods can be applied to certain weapons to give them an additional buff to them. Only 1 can be applied to said weapon.
Spoiler: Weapon Modifications List
Dual Trigger - Fire two quick shots per trigger pull.
Tri-Shot - Fire three shots instead of one at random directions.
Full Auto - Changes fire mode to be automatic.
Mallet Rounds - Increased damage, but slower fire rate.
When purchasing a weapon mod, it will be applied to your weapon and other weapons in your inventory. Weapon mods are also kept in your inventory so in case if you trade a weapon for another that does not accept that weapon mod, the weapon mod will not be taken away. Instead, it will be applied to the next weapon that accepts it.
Weapon mods can also be refunded in which case will remove the weapon mod from all weapons in your inventory that accept it.
Weapons now have 3 different classifications: Standard, Gold, and Ultimate
Spoiler: Classification Descriptions List
Standard - These are unchanged weapons. Self explanatory.
Gold - These weapons have an additional damage buff to them, but their ammo can not be replenished. They can also accept weapon mods.
Ultimate - These weapons deal very high or up to infinite damage. They also can not have their ammo replenished and have limited ammo stock so utilizing them properly is key to survive in tight situations. Ultimate weapons do not take weapon mods, but this may change in the future.
BioNova is set to release in the coming weeks. I will have a new video up to showcase what is new soon
BioNova is now available for download! Check the bottom of the first post on this thread for the download link. Updated gameplay video is also visible.
Neat mod! Guns feel nice, and environments are nice n detailed.
However, the way zombie spawning is handled kinda lowers the overall quality of the mod imo. Due to the fact they teleport in near or around the player instead of entering the map via pre-positioned entry points leads to situations where you're strafing around or trying to hold out in a specific spot, and then a zombie teleports right next to you and immediately slaps you before you can even react, which for me lead to a cheap death as a zombie spawned directly behind me and killed me on a later wave. Idk how hard it is to code, but the player should probably have a somewhat wide radius around them where zombies can't spawn, in order to prevent what sometimes feels like unavoidable damage.
Besides that, everything else feels pretty polished! Would def recommend playing.
That0neBr075 wrote:
However, the way zombie spawning is handled kinda lowers the overall quality of the mod imo. Due to the fact they teleport in near or around the player instead of entering the map via pre-positioned entry points leads to situations where you're strafing around or trying to hold out in a specific spot, and then a zombie teleports right next to you and immediately slaps you before you can even react, which for me lead to a cheap death as a zombie spawned directly behind me and killed me on a later wave.
This is actually something that I have been looking into fixing. I have had different methods of making this work, but it lead to the spawn mechanic to not work properly. The enemy spawn system seen in the mod was somewhat easy to code, but the methods of getting the enemy spawner to stay away from the player was difficult and even worse when playing with others. This fix is something I am looking into for the next update.
So i gave it a try and gotta say, this mod's fine and even addicting to play! Tho it might need more enemy variants, more areas on each map to unlock and maybe more weapons. This is sucha nice mod.
Also this glitch happened: The spawner got stuck near the fence and enemies kept spawning in the same spot.
Captain J wrote:So i gave it a try and gotta say, this mod's fine and even addicting to play! Tho it might need more enemy variants, more areas on each map to unlock and maybe more weapons. This is sucha nice mod.
Much appreciated! Thank you!
Captain J wrote:The spawner got stuck near the fence and enemies kept spawning in the same spot.
Happened in 2nd map btw.
Noted. I'll take a look at this and look for a fix.
When I finally get into a game, it seesm really good. However, as someone who plays with an inverted mouse, the menu is very difficult to navigate because it doesn't seem to take this into account. Also, status bar/HUD scaling seems to mess things up too:
Enjay wrote:When I finally get into a game, it seesm really good. However, as someone who plays with an inverted mouse, the menu is very difficult to navigate because it doesn't seem to take this into account.
Private message me about this. I never took into account about players that play with an inverted mouse. I would like to see how I can improve on this so it works for both inverted and non-inverted mouse players.
Enjay wrote:
Also, status bar/HUD scaling seems to mess things up too
Ribo Zurai wrote:For some reason I can't get past the title screen. It says "MOUSE1 to Start" but nothing happens.
If you can not see the cursor on your screen, try moving your mouse around slowly until it appears. If it is this, I am looking into fixing it. If you do the cursor on your screen, but it still does not let you continue, I will have to look into it. It works on my end.
