Back in April, we kicked off our Beta in Mexico and introduced a progression system and improved gameplay balance. Since then, we’ve carefully listened to every piece of feedback, expanded testing to more regions, and released a new update every month to quickly test our hypothesis. Now, we’ve gathered enough data and insights to make the right changes and deliver a game that stands out from most in the genre.

Here’s what we need to do:

• Rework the gameplay balance from the ground up again.
• Make abilities more impactful and game-changing.
• Ensure unit and weapon upgrades are clearer, more impactful, and easier to unlock.
• Develop a quest system that guides players through mastering Armor Attack in a completely straightforward way.
• Transform factions from having a layer of complexity into a journey that unlocks new playstyles, motivations, and tactics.

Now, regarding balance:

Our initial goal for units and weapons was to make them outstanding, impactful, and effective at every stage of the game. While some units and weapons achieved this, there were too few of them. Despite our efforts to improve others through balance updates over the months, we’ve concluded that another rework is necessary. Some mechanics were too complex to work well at lower upgrade levels, while others were too simple to be effective at higher levels, or their impact was too predictable. In other words, we either end up with a weapon or unit that is overpowered and disrupts balance, or underpowered and seldom used.

So, we’ve decided to break down each unit and weapon mechanic into 2-3 components. These components will either be added through upgrades (for mechanics that are difficult to adapt) or receive new qualities. For example, the Suppressor has a complex mechanic with acceleration while shooting, which can be great for experienced players but frustrating for newcomers. We’ll remove this mechanic initially and reintroduce it later as an upgrade. On the other hand, the Autocannon is relatively simple in terms of shooting, and no amount of damage increase can fix its limitations effectively. However, significant Ammo upgrades can make it work differently and more effectively.

We aim to significantly increase the time-to-kill component, as it’s a fundamental aspect of shooting in our genre. Our component system is essential for this. Remember how the old Geyzer and Acrid were with their straightforward yet deadly kill mechanics? We want to prevent this from happening again, so having high HP for every unit is crucial because it provides us with more room to experiment and balance effectively.

What’s the plan for upgrades?

With upgrades, we strive to support our new gameplay balance. We’re focusing on the quality of upgrades rather than the quantity, ensuring each upgrade feels powerful. As a result, we’ve optimized the number of upgrades available for each unit and weapon, making each one more impactful. Previously, you might not have noticed significant changes after an upgrade. Now, you definitely will. For example, units used to see only minor improvements in speed and HP, with similar perks. Moving forward, you’ll experience new mechanics, such as shooting through shields with the Architect or increased turret shot speed and damage with the Sentry. Additionally, passive effects from perks will be much stronger, making their impact more noticeable.

The token system has been completely redesigned. We understand the frustration of keeping track of various token types, figuring out what each icon represents, and waiting to collect enough tokens to complete your upgrades. Now, there will be faction-based tokens, organized by unit and weapon classes. This reduces the total from 25 tokens to just 6. Instead of focusing on token collection, you can now enjoy experimenting with different unit and weapon combinations!

What’s the plan for abilities?

Abilities are crucial in Armor Attack, but previously you might have only thought about them when pressing the Ability Activation button. We’ve decided that abilities should be integrated into your gameplay journey so you can master them step-by-step, which is more effective for learning. From now on, each ability will have upgrades that enhance its core components or add new features. For example, Jager’s upgrades will focus on increasing speed, extending the ability’s duration, and adding more charges. Meanwhile, the Architect can be upgraded to shoot through walls and place an additional wall, or the Creeper can gain AoE damage on landing. We hope these changes will keep abilities top of mind!

What’s the update on quests?

Quests are the main source of progress in our game and act as a guide in your in-game journey. Just like a compass, they should clearly point you towards your future achievements. We’ve heard your feedback and agree that our previous system was too complicated. Here’s what’s changing:
We’ll introduce main quest lines to help you learn the game, achieve major goals, and earn valuable rewards.
Daily and Weekly quests will be optimized for your everyday routine.
We believe that focusing on fewer types of quests and providing a clearer tracking system will make it easier for you to complete tasks and improve your gameplay.
As for the upcoming faction changes, we’ll provide more details when the time is right.

What do you need to know?

To implement these changes, we needed to completely remove the old quest and upgrade systems and rework some gameplay balance components from the ground up. This means we can’t preserve your upgrades and unit/weapon setups exactly as they were.
We have the capability to adjust your account in the new system, but it’s not morally right for us to do so. Instead, we’ll recalculate all your earned tokens and silver for the new system and return them, allowing you to use them however you choose.
Your rank, leagues, gold, and Armor Prime status will remain unaffected by these changes.

The KEK team is here to share our strategy for in-game purchases. The upcoming beta update will introduce a key component of this strategy: the subscription offer called Armor Prime.

What is Armor Prime? It’s a subscription pass that allows you to use every character and weapon unlocked at your level. You can add them to your drop team, upgrade them as usual, and save your character and weapon combinations. The only difference is that you don’t own these characters and weapons; you essentially rent them for the duration of your subscription. When the subscription period ends, the rented items become locked, but all the upgrades and character/weapon combinations (aka builds) are saved. To regain access to everything, you simply need to reactivate the subscription.
And that’s not all about Armor Prime. You also get an additional calendar of daily rewards and more quests to complete, helping you progress and upgrade your hangar faster. Plus, we may add more features in the future—this is just the first iteration of our subscription offer.

How does it work? When you activate the subscription, you unlock the “Get Free” option in the Armory:

After that, you will see rented weapons and characters in your hangar, highlighted with a special symbol:

You can prepare your drop team using various combinations of purchased and rented characters and weapons:

And jump into the fight! When your subscription ends, your rented characters and weapons will appear like this:

If you want to unlock them, you have two options: purchase them with in-game currency or reactivate your subscription.

We believe the Armor Prime subscription pass will make your gaming experience much more comfortable and transparent. Once you’ve unlocked all progression levels, you can freely test every character and weapon, and explore any combination without the risk of investing in something that might not suit your playstyle. You won’t have to worry about buying an overpowered weapon that could be nerfed later. With Armor Prime, we aim to provide a comfortable and transparent access to in-game content, ensuring you’re not affected by changes that can happen in long-running online PvP games.

Last but not least, please note that our current subscription offer may change as we continue to develop the game. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to stay updated by following our messages on social media for any announcements or changes.

This is the Armor Attack team, and it’s the end of May 2024. That means that it’s been a year since our last major blog update, and it’s time to check in our progress against the plan.

Part 1: Year 2 overview

During the second year, we planned to deliver the following features:

• Account progression system.
• Unit and weapon progression system.
• Maps and modes.
• New units and weapons.
• Matchmaking.
• Squads.

Account progression

As promised, the account progression system is based on the evolution of threehangars, one for each faction. You level up by successfully completing quests, unlocking new battle machines and weapons along the way. Currently, a basic set of quests is available, but we plan to expand and diversify them in the future.

Unit and weapon progression

Once new units and weapons are unlocked, you can upgrade them through talent branches, as we previously mentioned. The current progression structure is not final, and we aim to make the experience more rewarding when you fully upgrade something.. Same for specific perks and improvements, we have plenty of room to explore alternative arrangements. We are testing these features with you to determine the best direction for future development.

Our core vision remains unchanged,we aim to create a system that allows you to quickly and comfortably combine different types of units, weapons, and their upgrades to build a diverse roster for every type of battle, rather than focusing on customizing a perfect battle machine.

Maps and modes

We’ve added a new map, Shipyard, which differs significantly from the previous one with its point of interest mechanic, landscape and battle tactics. We significantly changed the Bastion Terminal map, reworked the Boss mechanic and its look from scratch, added main building destruction that opens a new tactical corridor. Both maps still require a lot of work, we made important changes based on your feedback but there is a lack of details that make maps more interesting, optimised and beautiful.

We still have no details on new modes but we really want to share them as soon as possible!

New units and weapons

Out of the six new units we’ve introduced, three are already playable: Jagger, Paladin and Genesis. We’re actively developing the remaining three, with previews of two already available on our social channels: https://x.com/armorattack/status/1778437727039508926 and https://x.com/armorattack/status/1773730874980291035 . These units serve as support classes for Bastion and Empyreals. As for the third unit, its details will remain a secret for now.

During the development of new units, we also completely changed the visual design of the Hermit faction, their passive ability and part of their unit abilities. And more to come, we made a step forward in a variety of unit controls. In the near future, you’ll witness new movement systems for Hoplite and Jagger. Our goal is to add more differentiation factors to each type of battle machine, ensuring they have a greater impact on gameplay.

Part 2: Our next steps

Our primary objective is to move to the beta stage, enabling you to start your gaming journey without fear of losing progress and allowing you to engage with more real players.

To achieve this, we need to improve base gameplay mechanics, stabilise technical side of things for different types of devices, add more weapons and some general features that sometimes are not very visible but complete the puzzle.

Let’s share some details.

Aiming

Both our team and our players have expressed some concerns about our aiming system. Instances of target flips, sometimes it may choose an enemy on the other side of the map and change the outcome of this fight dramatically.

To address this, we’re improving our auto-aiming system to be more intelligent. It will prioritise a larger number of targets in its line of sight and be more responsive to manual targeting.

Additionally, we are going to deliver the long-awaited manual target lock. After the auto-aiming system chooses the opponent, you can press the button so you can focus on a target you prefer. A sneak peak of this system:

Technical side improvements

In the latest test version, you’ll notice the game’s minimal graphics level, which we achieved during another optimization sprint. Despite this accomplishment, we’re still addressing numerous small details to further improve optimization overall and unlock the level of graphics that you could see previously for the owners of high-end devices. Now everyone will be able to choose what graphic settings they want.

We’re set to unlock three weapons at the same moment: some serious and old-school triple-barrel gun for Bastions; Empyreal’s laser weapon for those who prefer to focus on someone and roast them; and a massive revolver for Hermits.

Part 3: what we plan to do during Beta

In addition to the above, we’re also focusing on important content that will be released during Beta:

New map

We’ve already teased concept art of the third map: https://x.com/armorattack/status/1784233286132232682 , and yes, this map will introduce a canyon environment to our world. Our most loyal fans could recall that we had canyon concepts in our very first posts together with Bastion Terminal. Back then we already had our first prototype of the map’s level design. But it was too early for the canyon. After our main developments Shipyard we have decided to continue working on a canyon-looking map. The same way as for other maps we have a unique map mechanic: you can convey a drone to the enemy’s base to steal some victory points!

New units

As mentioned earlier, we’ve introduced two of the three upcoming new units, each representing a different faction. Our primary objective before the game’s release is to have a starting lineup of classes that will allow the game to fully unfold and begin to align with its original design. At the same time, we are starting to design the next set of units, and there’s a possibility that we’ll be discussing our ideas with you on Discord as soon as they arise.

Leagues

To immediately build matchmaking around player skills and ensure a comfortable gaming experience depending on your preference—whether you want to play more casually or always be at the forefront of the community—we will introduce leagues during the beta stage. There’s no rocket science behind leagues; you are probably familiar with this system: the more victories you achieve, the more points you earn. Upon accumulating a certain number of points, you move up in the league. Then you transition to the next league and encounter new opponents. This approach aims to foster fairness for both you and your opponents.

Part 4: Armor Attack Beta

Yes, the Beta is almost upon us. We’ve chosen to start it earlier to grant us more time for refinements before the game’s release.

How we move into Beta

The transition to beta will happen gradually over the coming months. The first stage will be the opening of the Android pre-beta version for Latin American countries (excluding Brazil) and Thailand, with the game available for download from Google Play. In the first half of the summer, the pre-beta will extend to iOS, including all Latin American countries and select areas in the Asian region. By the end of the summer, we aim to launch the full beta for all Android users worldwide and for new countries on iOS (specific countries will be announced later). Following this, all countries will have access on iOS, and the PC beta will open simultaneously in all regions.
We’re gradually opening regions and platforms to ensure the game’s stability in specific countries and on specific devices, while also maintaining a stable flow of players for PvP matches.

What will happen to the closed testing?

The upcoming alpha update, scheduled for release in June-July this year, will be the final one. This version will be accessible on all platforms and in all regions, allowing you to test it until your region and/or device type is opened in the pre-beta or beta.
The upcoming alpha update will include changes to the targeting system, introduce new weapons, and other quality improvements described in the second part of this blog. Additionally, we will also speed up your progress in the alpha by providing a starter currency pack.
Transitioning to the beta will eliminate the need to download separate game files and allow for automatic updates, as well as preserving your progress from version to version. Once the beta is open to everyone, we will maintain a closed testing process for the most active community members, where they can test the most experimental versions of the game and influence the development of new updates at very early stages.

We’re here to address any questions you have on Discord, Facebook, or Twitter. Additionally, we’ll keep you updated on our development progress through these platforms.

Unleashing the Power of Delayed Damage (DD)

Corrosion introduces a mechanic that renews the hermit’s ability. With the implementation of Delayed Damage (DD), every hermit weapon becomes a potent tool in the hands of skilled players. Each equipped weapon can apply one stacked DD effect, and the more weapon slots a vehicle possesses, the greater the potential for devastating stacks of DD.

Strategic Depth: Stacking the Odds

Delayed Damage Effect stacks between teammates, fostering cooperation and coordination among allies. Good practice is to stack Corrosion beyond this limit and apply its effects earlier. But this also introduces a new layer of strategic decision-making, as players must balance the desire for maximum damage output with the need to distribute DD Effect effectively across enemy forces.

Timing is Everything: The Countdown to Chaos

DD Effect comes with a timer, ticking away until its inevitable activation. When the timer expires, the target receives damage for each stack of DD Effect applied. Each time DD Effect is applied, its timer resets, ensuring that sustained pressure can lead to devastating consequences for the enemy.

A Cascade of Destruction: Unleashing the Fury

In the heat of battle, the accumulation of DD Effect can reach critical mass. When the maximum stacks of DD are applied, activating a new stack triggers DD effect instantly, regardless of the remaining timer. The result is a cascade of destruction, overwhelming enemy defenses and turning the tide of battle in an instant.

The Aftermath: Damage Over Time (DoT)

But the devastation does not end there. After DD effect activates, the target suffers yet another blow – Damage Over Time (DoT). This secondary effect deals a percentage of the total damage dealt by DD stacks for a duration, achieving tasks beyond your weapons capabilities.

Strategic Adaptation: A Pathway to Victory

While DoT brings chaos to the battlefield, it also presents challenges. While active on a target, DoT prevents the reception of any additional DD Effects, prompting players to adjust their strategies and capitalize on fleeting opportunities.

Prepare for the Ultimate Showdown

As the smoke settles and the dust clears, one truth remains undeniable: the battlefield will never be the same. With Corrosion, Hermits will fulfill their role as true damage dealers, just as they were designed to be. Are you ready to embrace the evolution and lead your forces to victory? The future of warfare awaits, and the stakes have never been higher.

We are the KEK Entertainment team and we are making our first independent project. Each of us had his good old back-breaking days in the big and small game publishers working on different shooters and we all suffered from the lack of innovations in all these games that are flooding the market every year. In this blog we will share as many details as possible about development process whether it is a significant progress or a stupid bug (we can not avoid it of course).

Our first project is a tactical shooter game that will use sci-fi battle vehicles in the best possible way to destroy your opponent. And, of course, your opponent will do the same against you (you know, it’s a PvP game). We will focus on land warfare because there are enough of really good space battles already, and we don’t want to have our vision blurred by too many gameplay elements to avoid any issues with its quality. And we won’t do a mix of Babylon 5, Star Wars, Gundam and Transformers, we want to have a solid image of our battle technologies so you can actually trust it.

Our core gameplay idea is to actually make a shooter game, not a robot, tank or flight simulator. So the key is to deliver the best possible combination of different vehicle playstyles to show the land warfare’s massiveness in all its glory. We will use all the knowledge we got working on World of Tanks and War Robots. It’s very important for us to bring something new to the genre, where nothing dramatically changed for the last 6+ years. We want to add a deeper level of play by making each player’s role crucial with our faction system and dramatical differences between vehicle classes. Like you can cut-off your enemy’s forefront with some special ability, then call for an orbital strike to hugely damage this blocked troop (this is not final but we will definitely have something like that), then burrow into the ground and attack the enemy from behind. Or someone would choose to stay back-to-back with his buddy while they’re both protected by the energy shields to play for time their teammates need. We hope you got the point but we will share more details about abilities and tactical moves once they’re finalized. All of that together with AAA quality of basic game elements (such as camera, animations, visual effects, controls, e.t.c.), epic maps tailored for interesting tactical moves and on-map PvE-events will give us an opportunity to achieve a new level of cinematic feel in tactical shooters. Besides that we want to give you an absolute level of fun inside your team. And this is the reason why we have chosen the sci-fi setting for our game – to avoid any unnecessary constraints, caused by committing to realism.

We are not ready to dig deeply into our world’s narrative right now but we already have a conflict between three confrontational factions, each has its very unique approach to vehicle’s design and tactical abilities. It will give us more space in terms of design and it will provide a much deeper playstyle to you. As a sneak peek of our factions you can check our art above.

Our main goal now is to finish our alpha version, so we’re developing and playtesting it to make our gameplay as close to our expectations as possible. We will regularly share our news about the game, so follow our page and subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h321vn!