Early Access Launch

Devlog: Triarch: Endless War - Recent Updates

It's been a productive stretch since our last deep dive into PICO-8 exports (specifically, troubleshooting binary .bin files for standalone builds). We've focused on gameplay polish, new special upgrades for deeper strategy, balancing tweaks to enemy scaling and wave mechanics, and deployment fixes to get the game into players' hands via itch.io. Here's a rundown of the key changes and fixes:

• Special Upgrade: Final Stand Introduced a new defensive perk: "Final Stand" gives all towers a 10% global damage boost when lives drop below 5. This encourages comeback plays in tough late-game waves. Integrated into the special_pool with menu display/description, and applied as a multiplier in _update() for tower damage, Tesla, caltrops, and napalm DOT. No new entities needed—keeps it lightweight!
• Brainstorm Session: More Upgrade Ideas Expanded the special upgrade pool concepts for variety: Offensive (e.g., Piercing Shots, Chain Lightning), Defensive (e.g., Life Regen, Barrier Fields), Economy (e.g., Bounty Hunter, Recycle Protocol), Utility (e.g., Path Redirect, Enemy Weakness), and Synergy (e.g., Faction Alliance, Overclock). This sets up future runs to feel unique, like swarm-control vs. boss-melting builds. No code changes yet—just planning for scalability.
• Special Upgrade: Life Regen Added "life_regen" to special_pool. On perfect waves (no lives lost), players now regain +2 lives total (base +1, plus extra +1 if lives <20). Tied into the wave completion check in _update(). Menu updated with name ("life regen") and desc ("extra life on perfect waves").
• Special Upgrade: Recycler New "recycler" upgrade for full 100% nectar refunds when selling towers (up from 50%). Implemented in btnp(4) sell logic with a conditional refund variable. Added to special_pool, with menu name ("recycler") and desc ("100% refund on sell"). Great for flexible repositioning without economic penalty.
• Game Balancing Math Changes Refined enemy and wave scaling for better progression and challenge: Non-boss waves now spawn wave4 + flr(rnd(7)) enemies, with HP scaled as enemy_types[etype][1](1+wave/3) for balanced growth. Boss waves use flr(wave/5) enemies with HP 5 multiplier. Spawn delays adjusted to max(5, 30 - flr(wave1.5)) for tighter pacing in later waves. Shield probability (0.1 after wave 5) and value (15% of HP) tuned for occasional defensive spikes. Napalm DOT set to 1 per frame (~30/sec at 30fps), caltrops damage at 10, and explosions at 20—ensuring specials feel impactful without overpowering base towers.