[2019] TestLive Patch (12/07/2019)

Hello everyone, a new update has just landed on the test branch!

If you haven't accessed the TestLive before, you can find more information in this post, where you may also share your feedback and any issues.

CHANGES TO SCORING SYSTEM
We have completely revised how scoring is done for the game. We did this for two reasons:

• The original scoring system scored only on kills, which tended to promote bad play habits.
  
• The kill scoring system was completely unfair to co-op players who liked to primarily build the base and leave the combat to the other player.

GENERAL SCORING CHANGES

• The base score for killing a creature or creep nest has been reduced. This revision adds new dynamic modifiers, so this was needed to keep scores from getting larger than the score screen could handle. However, most players should see their scores get larger overall.
  
• You now will gain score for each structure you build; the score is relative to the gold build cost of the structure.
  
• You now will gain score for each research task you complete; the score is relative to the gold build cost of the task.
  
• You now gain score for all resources you collect each resource period; the score is relative to the market value of the resource. Note that this score will NOT be counted once the final wave spawns.
  
• Heroes no longer grant a veteran level-up score. Their score is exclusively tracked via the Hero Score Multiplier (see below).

NEW ADDITION: Co-Op Multiplayer Save/Load

• Players can now save their progress in longer co-op battles and resume again at a later time.
  
• Save file is stored on the host player’s system.
  
• Host can resume a co-op match with anyone, not just the original player they were paired with.

NEW ADDITION: Revised Tactical Score GUI
You will notice a new score GUI element in the upper right corner which lists new score bonus modifiers:

• Wave Score Multiplier - When a wave spawns, this multiplier begins at 3x. Every 45 seconds, this drops by 0.5x until the wave is completed. It is reset to 3.0 for each wave (but see below). The minimum wave score modifier is 0.5.
  
• Hero Score Multiplier - Each wave your hero survives without dying adds one to this score. Dying resets it to 1x. There is no cap for this modifier.
  
• Guardian Kill Score - Each guardian you kill raises this by 2. This is similar to the original guardian bonuses. The cap is 6x in solo and 10x in co-op (2x per guardian).
  
• Final Score Multiplier (the big circle) - This is the final modifier that is applied to ALL scores you gain. This is a multiplicative total of the previous three modifiers.

NEW ADDITION: Wave Advance/Delay Buttons
Two new buttons have been added to the wave timer. These buttons have a direct impact on your score.

• Wave Advance Button - This button will instantly spawn the wave. Your Wave Score Multiplier will increase for each 30 seconds of time you had remaining on the wave. Note that if you have used the Wave Delay Button on the wave, you can no longer use the Wave Advance button for THAT WAVE. Be aware that this reduces the overall available time between waves; it’s recommended for advanced players.
  
• Wave Delay Button - This button will delay the currently progressing wave by 30 seconds. Each time you click this button it will reduce the Wave Score Multiplier by 0.5. Once you use this button, the Wave Advance Button becomes unavailable. It also has a limited number of uses (you can't reduce your Wave Score Modifier below 0.5).

NEW ADDITION: Revised Game Statistics/Results Screen
The game results screen (seen by clicking the Book button on the Score GUI or at the end of a match) has been revised to show all of the above changes:

• The kill score for enemies has been condensed into the "Carnage" score.
  
• Added new score listings for Construction, Research and Resource Gain
  
• Added "Kill Streak" stat which shows the largest number of kills within a set time period. This stat is not scored, but is added for flavor.

BUG FIXES / GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS

• Coin of Bel – Doubled the effect radius to make the effect more friendly to ranged heroes.
  
• Pushed movement area of units outwards on many map tiles to prevent units from walking through visually awkward areas
  
• Team color modifications to aesthetically improve the worn desert look.
  
• Various animation improvements to units to adjust for increased movement speed (Heavy Archer, Flying Demon, Mitra, etc.)
  
• Fixed damage tooltip issue with Pikeman
  
• Fix for Wave 6 on Co-Op 10-Mission scenario (too many enemies were spawning)
  
• Additional physics destructions for buildings.
  
• Added structure variations to battle standards, hovels, dwellings, manses, lumber mills, and hunter shacks.

Thank you for all the feedback shared so far, we're looking forward to your input on this patch!