Summer at last! We made it! Put on your stainless swimsuits and enjoy the weather!

Unless you’re a winter person like your trusty information snatcher, of course. How about we stay inside and take a look at some new Adventure hotness instead?

I bring lots of delicious screenshots and a bit of accompanying banter today—and perhaps a little secret hidden somewhere in the article.

Before we get buried deeply in Adventure mechanics and whatnot, take a look at the green stuff in that picture. No, not the lights. Look to the right. See that gooey waste? I know you like shiny things, but don’t touch that. Perhaps you know that radioactivity has been in the game for a little while now, but like unstable atoms decay into new nuclides, this feature has changed quite a bit. Getting in contact with radioactive material will gradually and randomly impair your movement, and attacking others physically will spread the green fun! Note that non–organic enemies will not meet their demise from radiation alone. It’s probably not the best idea to get in a fistfight with a radioactive robot that doesn’t have the brains to die from it—especially not if you’re not armed with a Nano Dispenser to cure your greenness.

Purple Rave

Previously an industrial settlement at the very edge of technology itself, Rocket City has deteriorated to a wasteland for droids on the verge of extinction—That is my theory, but the history of the area still seems a bit cloudy. For now, we can at least investigate the current state of affairs a bit closer. Let’s enter the Rocket Saloon!

Looks familiar? Oh dear, it’s the shady hideout from last time! Oxeye wizards, what have you done to this place?! …Ah. They’ve added life.

These purple–eyed robots don’t seem too happy to talk. Life really has to be tough in these parts. But look, our new friends have names! And more intelligence! Here’s a fellow that doesn’t want hugs:

Guess what happens if the scum doesn’t keep its distance? Your wonderful friends will dance with you! Or, you’ll be the one doing the dancing. To the beat of their bullets. While running for your life or perhaps ridding the entire city of whatever robotic beings remain. I wonder how long it’ll take before someone declares war on the entire universe and exterminates all life from Adventure mode.

Home Is Where The Guns Are

Rest assured that you’ll still have a place to take refuge even if you manage to disturb the tense peace in the saloon. Digging around in the architectural plans, I found something very interesting: Serving as the hub between Adventure mode levels is nothing less than your own spaceship!

Throughout your space conquest, you’ll undoubtedly stumble upon weapons of various types, and carrying all of them would be like someone stashing 2304 cubic meters of dirt in their pockets—I mean, who’d do that?! Luckily, you’re going to have an entire ship to store your collected tools of destruction in. Offensive assets aren’t all there’s to it, though:

Before entering a level, you can equip appropriate weapons, shields, hulls etc. to maximize your chances of success. This doesn’t just apply to Adventure maps, though: Can’t beat that tough Challenge node? Gear up and return to it once you’re properly prepared!

Your ship isn’t fully ready, though. These pictures are from prototypes, but you should get the idea from it—Grab your gear, stare at the big display thoughtfully, and jump into a level!

In Other News

In the previous report, I asked you what you thought about the upcoming mode’s life mechanics. Thank you for your replies! I’ve injected every single comment in the researchers’ idea logs, and it seems they’ve found a proper solution. You expect me to tell you the result? Hah, that’ll be a surprise for later! It’s not like I don’t know yet. Not at all.

You’ve helped me out with something else too, however! I asked via Twitter and Facebook what you’d ask Cobalt’s lead musician, anosou, if you had the chance, and I got plenty of brilliant suggestions! I’ve strapped him to a chair, but he’s not quite talking yet… Maybe I need to remove the gag from his mouth. He shouldn’t last more than a week though, so keep an eye on the blog for the interview!

Finally, don’t forget the Mapmania livestream I’m hosting with the Duke on June 14! Community member Janeator has even started a map jam for the stream with the theme ‘colorful’, and the entries already look dazzling! Check this thread for more information!

See you soon with a hopefully more cooperative musician!