For those of you with Android devices, we have some good news for you! Earth Overclocked Alpha is now available on the Google Play Store! It has all of the features of the desktop version of the game with almost no changes whatsoever! It has touch screen support, too!

Store Page:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guysandabox.EO_Alpha

Desura: http://www.desura.com/games/earth-overclocked
Game Jolt: http://gamejolt.com/games/arcade/earth-overclocked-alpha-version/18212/


We are excited to announce the release of the latest update, the Ruins Update (v0.8.3.0)! The biggest addition is the new biome, the Ruins, but there is so much more to this update! Many of the changes can be seen in the new trailer.

In addition, the game is now available for Linux on Desura and Game Jolt, specifically supporting Ubuntu! Have fun, Linux users! More ports for Earth Overclocked Alpha are planned to follow.

This is the final major update to the alpha version of Earth Overclocked, since the team is moving to working on the closed beta. Please send all the feedback you can in the survey linked in the game! It will be important for the beta version, and eventually the full release! Despite no longer releasing public builds, we will keep you updated on our progress during the beta stage via news articles and Twitter.

Changelog Download: https://app.box.com/s/phcocvqp560c1toebelr

We would like to announce that Earth Overclocked is going to be getting a Full HD (1080p) overhaul before full release, thanks to our new artist Mischa van der Goes!

We would also like to announce a new programmer in our team, Jackabomb. Production should definitely speed up from here on out!

Here is the updated progress on each port of Earth Overclocked Alpha for the upcoming Ruins Update (0.8.3.0).

Windows: Duh.

Mac OS X: Postponed for a future release due to a game-breaking bug in our programming software. We're deeply sorry, but it is completely out of our hands! We will have to wait for a bug fix patch for our software before we can release the game on Mac OS X. Other than the game-breaking bug, the game runs great on the OS, so we're keeping this as a planned port.

Ubuntu (Linux): It runs without any issues. Be excited, since this port wasn't originally planned!

Android: The game runs quite well, especially on the NVIDIA Shield (yes it supports the Shield's controller). However, we HIGHLY recommend a 5 inch screen or greater for this port! Even 5 inches is pushing it.

OUYA: We are dropping this port completely. The OUYA simply doesn't run our game very well. Why Android PHONES can run the game better than an Android CONSOLE? We may never know.

We plan on releasing the update and new ports soon. We will keep you updated!

Two new monsters and a new boss (along with a lot of other things) are coming in the Ruins Update, 0.8.3.0. You can see one of the new monsters in the below screenshot. Introducing the Spyider, otherwise known as "the enemy that doesn't leave you alone!"

The Ruins Update isn't quite finished, and it won't be for maybe another month or two, so here are some goingons with v0.8.3.0.

The one major addition in this update is the new high level biome in the overworld called the Ruins. It is a biome that is completely black & white, devoid of all color (except for the treasure and merchants). We won't say much more about it, but the boss will be interesting for those who get this far into the game or happen to stumble upon a red boss gate in a Ruins biome before tackling the blue gate. The Ruins biome generates alongside the Snow biome, just like how the Forest and Desert biomes generate alongside each other.

Another major change is the widescreen (16:9) resolution. The resolution has been changed from 960x640 (3:2) to 854x480. We made this change because we want to port the game to several platforms and this new resolution will allow the game to be more compatible. For those who own a NVIDIA Shield, the game runs perfectly on this device. We recommend good eye sight for playing the game on this device, though, as even with the game's smaller resolution it can be a little eye straining to play the game on a 5 inch screen without good vision. Hopefully we can get the game running on other Android devices, too. We are not sure how well touch screen support will work out for Earth Overclocked, but why not try it? The OUYA port works, but it needs more refining. Ubuntu (Linux) is now a planned platform. Now Mac users, listen up. We have mainly been waiting on a new Mac compiler so that our game can run better on that platform, but it is taking longer than we thought it would take so... I guess we can just port it to Mac when we get the chance. Just know that it won't be as well optimized as the Windows and Android versions. Make sure that you have a decent Mac computer for playing games on. Now regarding iOS devices, we aren't too sure about. We are definitely interested in porting our game to iOS, though. We are also interested in the PS4, but we aren't sure about this one, either.

Regarding the mentioned ports, if we do port to Android and iOS devices, we are only going to port it to tablets. The game isn't designed for tiny screens provided by smartphones.

To make up for the smaller resolution, all movement in the game is generally slower. The timer has been changed to automatically adjust to the "global movement speed scale." It is a little over 17 minutes at the moment.

Other changes being made are improvements to the overworld. We already have more prop varieties, and we are looking into adding water and weather. Blue and red dungeons now have appropriately tinted tiles. There are balance tweaks for the dungeon bosses, particularly Skeleking and Dark Knight. In fact, Dark Knight is getting an almost complete overhaul. We also made a change that makes it easier to shake off monsters.

To summarize the Ruins Update: new biome, added atmosphere, some more tweaks, and optimizations for porting to other platforms.

After the Ruins update is released, we are going to launch beta development. We are NOT going to be handing this version out for free! Only those that we select will get copies of the beta version. I know, this means no more major updates to the publicly released free alpha version, but we really need to change gears. The alpha stage was meant to improve the basic game engine, and the tweaking is almost done. It is nearing the time for us to start focusing more on adding content and fleshing the game out, the objective of the beta stage. The content will be more than doubled!

We are appreciating the support that we have been getting from those who are following the game's development. Thank you! During the beta stage we will be sure to update our progress!

If you look carefully at the screenshot above, you will probably notice some new stuff. The updated interface is probably the most notable change, but if you pay attention notice that the zombie now has a name tag and a health bar. That's right, normal enemies now have name tags and health bars, visible when you attack them! The damage number from the player's attack reads "6.4," meaning weapons now deal decimal damage! You should find that many weapons are much more balanced with the new possibilities brought to the table by decimal damage. If you look even closer, you will see that the tiles have slightly different levels of luminosity. This effect is in the overworld as well.

Another change that should be noted is that the player and all enemies now have perfectly square hitboxes. This is rather odd since most of the characters are rectangular in shape, but hopefully this makes the game feel better nonetheless. Also, you can now punch stuff as a "last resort" sort of thing.

Those aren't the only changes that v0.8.2.1 provides. The full changelog is below!

CHANGED all hitboxes are changed to perfect squares
CHANGED now possible to use fist (as last resort weapon)
CHANGED damage system uses decimals to the tenth place instead of just integers
CHANGED damage numbers fly off enemies more randomly
CHANGED several generators for certain weapons modified to take advantage of new possibilities with decimal damage
CHANGED consumables can no longer overlap chests
CHANGED bosses drop some consumables upon death
CHANGED enemies summoned by other enemies no longer give rewards upon death
CHANGED ice blocks generated from enemy projectiles act as stationary projectiles instead of solids
CHANGED Dark Knight throws swords less rapidly
CHANGED King Dillo has lower speed
CHANGED Queen Arma has higher speed
CHANGED Queen Arma changes direction at a lower rate
CHANGED Wumbo Blob shoots projectiles that summon Mini Blobs instead of summoning them out of its body
CHANGED Wumbo Blob drops puddles less often
CHANGED Wumbo Blob summons Mini Blobs less often
CHANGED Yeti switches between phases at a faster rate
CHANGED Bomb Man has significantly higher health range
CHANGED Bomb Man slowly changes to red in color before exploding
CHANGED Statue has lower health range
CHANGED Zombie has lower health range
CHANGED Bandit has lower fire rate range
CHANGED chests in the middle of rooms in dungeons more common
CHANGED most weapon prices modified (many cost less than they used to)
CHANGED Ice Staff attack range increased
CHANGED Thunder Rod attack range increased
CHANGED normal enemies have name tags and health bars that are visible when attacked
CHANGED creepy enemies have purple health bars instead of red
CHANGED tiles in overworld and dungeon have varying luminosity levels (to make the world look less flat)
CHANGED melee weapons create particles when used
CHANGED merchants tell you to kill nearby enemies first (to clear up confusion)
CHANGED interface changed around to look more clean
CHANGED many pieces of text are placed in boxes
FIXED active view range modified and solids have larger active view range in attempt to fix many bugs related to object deactivation and activation at borders of view
FIXED Missiles generator fixed in a few places
FIXED back button in controls menu correctly goes back to options menu instead of main menu
FIXED Tutorial 3 and Tutorial 4 work properly with Gamepad Control activated
FIXED no longer possible to enter/exit dungeon instantly after boss is defeated (ladder/piece takes 3 seconds to be activated)
FIXED Kaboomishi projectiles no longer explode immediately upon colliding with solid
FIXED projectile weapons spawned directly from the player (Boomerang, Missiles, etc.) can be used properly when standing next to walls
FIXED bug fixed regarding extra characters appearing in "enter name" bubble
VARIOUS other changes and bug fixes

With 0.8.2.1 coming soon, might as well create an updated trailer. While 0.8.2.1 is considered a minor update, there are a lot of changes in this update in attempt to rebalance the game and make it more of an enjoyable experience. We highly recommend giving it a go once it's out. The changelog is below. You will see the list again once the update is out.

CHANGED now possible to use fist (as last resort weapon)
CHANGED damage system uses decimals to the tenth place instead of just integers
CHANGED damage numbers fly off enemies more randomly
CHANGED several generators for certain weapons modified to take advantage of new possibilities with decimal damage
CHANGED consumables can no longer overlap chests
CHANGED bosses drop some consumables upon death
CHANGED enemies summoned by other enemies no longer give rewards upon death
CHANGED ice blocks generated from enemy projectiles act as stationary projectiles instead of solids
CHANGED Dark Knight throws swords less rapidly
CHANGED King Dillo has lower speed
CHANGED Queen Arma has higher speed
CHANGED Queen Arma changes direction at a lower rate
CHANGED Wumbo Blob shoots projectiles that summon Mini Blobs instead of summoning them out of its body
CHANGED Wumbo Blob drops puddles less often
CHANGED Wumbo Blob summons Mini Blobs less often
CHANGED Yeti switches between phases at a faster rate
CHANGED Bomb Man has significantly higher health range
CHANGED Bomb Man slowly changes to red in color before exploding
CHANGED Statue has lower health range
CHANGED Zombie has lower health range
CHANGED Bandit has lower fire rate range
CHANGED chests in the middle of rooms in dungeons more common
CHANGED most weapon prices modified (many cost less than they used to)
CHANGED Ice Staff attack range increased
CHANGED Thunder Rod attack range increased
CHANGED normal enemies have name tags and health bars that are visible when attacked
CHANGED creepy enemies have purple health bars instead of red
CHANGED tiles in overworld and dungeon have varying luminosity levels (to make the world look less flat)
CHANGED melee weapons create particles when used
CHANGED merchants tell you to kill nearby enemies first (to clear up confusion)
CHANGED interface changed around to look more clean
CHANGED many pieces of text are placed in boxes
FIXED active view range modified and solids have larger active view range in attempt to fix many bugs related to object deactivation and activation at borders of view
FIXED Missiles generator fixed in a few places
FIXED back button in controls menu correctly goes back to options menu instead of main menu
FIXED Tutorial 3 and Tutorial 4 work properly with Gamepad Control activated
FIXED no longer possible to enter/exit dungeon instantly after boss is defeated (ladder/piece takes 3 seconds to be activated)
FIXED Kaboomishi projectiles no longer explode immediately upon colliding with solid
FIXED projectile weapons spawned directly from the player (Boomerang, Missiles, etc.) can be used properly when standing next to walls
FIXED bug fixed regarding extra characters appearing in "enter name" bubble
VARIOUS other changes and bug fixes

This update was released several days ago, so now we would like to make the update more known to the public. Introducing something that more computer games should really have...

Behold, gamepad support! Unfortunately, only XInput (Xbox 360) gamepads and other newer gamepads are supported as of now. If you have one of those older generic controllers, you will need a program that converts its controls to XInput. It shouldn't be too hard to find one, but here is a Google search for you guys anyways: https://www.google.com/#q=xinput+converter
 
Gamepad support is not the only new thing. The game should now be able to run on Windows XP computers. Unfortunately, Microsoft is dropping WIndows XP support in a few months so this will be rather short-lived. Oh well.

Finally, loads of new changes in attempt to make the game better! Due to the focus on gamepad support for this update, not every planned change has made it into the Gamepad & Balance update, so there will be a followup update soon that will implement any changes left out of this update. The followup update will be a lot smaller, but we are sure that you will appreciate the extra changes regardless.

Here is the official changelog for the Gamepad & Balance Update:
ADDED Windows XP support
ADDED gamepad support (older generic gamepads will probably need to be remapped to XInput)
ADDED new music: Dungeon 3
ADDED new music: Game Over
CHANGED menu is easier to navigate with Mouse Controls
CHANGED equipment system reworked (see Tutorial 1 ingame for details)
CHANGED dungeon generator completely rewritten (less linear and less buggy than previous generator)
CHANGED item drops no longer able to be flung through traps
CHANGED item drops shifted more from chests to enemies (to further encourage killing enemies)
CHANGED each monster drops a single coin if it doesn't drop anything else
CHANGED gold coins and blue coins 10x the worth
CHANGED merchant prices scaled 15x
CHANGED a few more dead end dungeon layouts have chests
CHANGED Zombie Crates and Skeleton Crates no longer breakable via weapons
CHANGED Wumbo Blob moves slower
CHANGED Slendy moves faster and teleports more rapidly
CHANGED Shadow Blob has lower health range
CHANGED Cold Blob has lower health range
CHANGED all enemy projectiles have smaller hitboxes
CHANGED Kaboomishi range lowered
CHANGED Kaboomishi knockback is static instead of random
CHANGED Strange Sword possible range lowered
CHANGED Dungeon 2 music altered
CHANGED lowered general volume of all music
CHANGED lowered general volume of all sound effects (moreso than music)
CHANGED one of three dungeon songs is chosen randomly to play in each dungeon (used to be based on mini-bosses)
CHANGED scanlines thicker and less noticable
CHANGED all background tiles slightly darker
CHANGED skin color of scientist, bandit, and merchant changed
CHANGED game over screen overall more red in color
CHANGED Whip and Glove have different attack sprites
CHANGED new logo
VARIOUS other changes and bug fixes