This first week of release has been packed full of crazy games, and we would like to extend a thank you to everyone that has shown us gameplay we never thought was possible!

Our focus on updates this week are on pushing the uniqueness of each of our core features and characters. This is a time to refine and optimize before a specific meta sets in or we start to look at what a competitive Mad Machines match will look like.

Primary Updates to Note

Improvements to the collision system between character models and the ball to make gameplay smoother.

Goalie changes, to increase defensive control in the goal zone.

Dashing now effects the power of your charged hit on the ball differently, depending on what character you are making use of.

Miscellaneous bug fixes.

UI improvements.

Various Visual Updates.

Playing Air Hockey?

From our first week being live, we have seen a larger quantity of players than expected trying to learn how to play an aerial game with our robots. The core mechanics emphasize skill with ground play, positioning, and passing. The changes being implemented today are made to drive deeper learnings about how each character is interacting with the ball on the ground. Jump-shots are an important tool but shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all to scoring goals.

Focus on Character Interactions

Chopper, the speedy, high-flying heli-bot has been popular with newer players, often times for lack of experience with other characters. We’re going to adjust each machine so there’s more clarity around the advantages and disadvantages of each model. Chopper is now more reliant on making use of his speed (more notably, his dashing) during shot opportunities.

Similarly, Viking, being the heavy-set basher he is, needs to make sure his shots are being fully charged to find his maximum potential. His speed during the shot is less important than his positioning and charge, which clearly distinguishes the two characters compared here.

Our good old friend Ship has been brought to a stable in-between state with these changes, to make sure he feels as smooth in his role as possible and in comparison with the others as well.

Magnets, Magnets Everywhere!

As our unique ball-magnet mechanic is being pushed to its limits, we can clearly see the lack of emphasis put on NON-Magnet opportunities. We believe players are missing out so we’re making changes to better illustrate the value of not using your magnet.

We have made changes to the collision system that makes turning off the magnet ability a boon to your playstyle every once in a while. Being able to dash into the ball to create an instant speed boost without winding up a shot, or lightly tapping the ball to keep control of it while dribbling around opponents is a dream come true for those players skilled enough to pull it off. If you’re capable, you’ll find have a wider range of possibilities when playing without the magnet.

Where is the Data?

To make even a minor change to game mechanics in Mad Machines, we sit down and change many of our hundreds, if not thousands of different variables to make sure we are creating a balanced, smooth, robot-bashing, goal-scoring experience. This means simply listing numerical changes to the game would not result in giving real insight to how our game is evolving, which is what we want to clearly communicate to you!

Come talk with us!

Have some suggestions on additional improvements or looking to learn more about Mad Machines? Please join on our Discord server as we will continue to leverage community feedback to improve the game.