Better Than Dead: Major Update 0.500 - Three New Missions
Update 0.500 is now live. This is one of the largest updates to Better Than Dead since its Early Access release. The main addition is three completely new missions, expanding the main run and bringing it to an important milestone: with these additions, I now consider To Hell, the first main run, complete. Better Than Dead is still in Early Access, and there's more to come. My next focus will be the second run, To Heaven. I'll share more about it in future updates. Alongside the new missions, I've also continued working on enemy behaviour, ragdoll physics, sound effects, and several other aspects of combat. The three new missions take place before the final confrontation and are integrated directly into the main run. Once unlocked, they can also be replayed individually through Level Select. Each mission has a different setting, pace, and approach to combat.
Three New Missions
The Nightclub
The first new mission takes place in another Hong Kong nightclub, but this one is quite different from the club already in the game. It's a smaller, more intimate location, with narrow corridors, crowded rooms, and close-range encounters. I wanted to capture something of the atmosphere of Hong Kong nightclubs from the 1980s and 1990s, while creating a level where movement, positioning, and timing are especially important.
The Restaurant
The second mission is inspired by the classic restaurant shootouts of Hong Kong action cinema. A large dining hall filled with tables, furniture, and objects that can be destroyed during the fight. Unlike the tighter spaces of the nightclub, this mission offers a much larger environment, with multiple routes and enemies approaching from different directions.
The Foundations
The third mission takes place at an unfinished construction site, among concrete structures, scaffolding, and the foundations of a building.
It's a very different environment from the previous two missions, with more exposed spaces and a darker atmosphere.
Additional Improvements
Alongside the new missions, I've continued working on several aspects of Better Than Dead. One of the most important changes is a fix to an enemy behaviour issue that has been present since the game's initial release. Certain enemies would run towards the player with their weapons lowered, stop, and only then raise their pistols to shoot. Now, alerted enemies will advance with their weapons raised, ready to shoot while moving. This should make their behaviour look more natural while also increasing the pressure during combat. Ragdoll physics and bullet impact reactions have been further refined. This is something I've been working on for several updates, trying to find the right balance between physical reactions and the exaggerated violence of Hong Kong action cinema. I've also added a few new sound effects and improved sound propagation, particularly for voices and screams. These sounds should now feel more naturally integrated into the game environments. I've also gone through the existing missions to fix various collision issues, misplaced objects, floating geometry, and other environmental problems. These are mostly small corrections, but they should make the levels feel more polished overall. These systems will continue to be refined in future updates.
Patch Notes
- Added three completely new missions to the main run.
- Added the new missions to Level Select.
- Fixed an enemy AI issue: alerted enemies now advance with their weapons raised, ready to shoot while moving.
- Further improved enemy ragdoll physics and hit reactions.
- Improved bullet impact reactions.
- Added a few new sound effects.
- Improved sound propagation, particularly for voices and screams.
- Fixed various collision issues, floating objects, and environmental problems across multiple missions.
- Various bug fixes and minor improvements.
A Note About Existing Saves
The three new missions are integrated into the main run and must first be unlocked before they become available in Level Select. If you're using an existing save and have already reached the final mission, you can replay and complete that mission to unlock all three new missions in Level Select. Otherwise, simply continue playing through the main run to unlock them. Once unlocked, you can return to these missions at any time, improve your records, and try to earn the Black Star rank without replaying the entire run.
What's Next
With To Hell now complete, I'll be turning my attention to the second run, To Heaven. I'm not ready to reveal much about it yet, but I'll share more as development progresses. Better Than Dead is still in Early Access, and there's plenty more I want to work on. I want to thank everyone who has been playing Better Than Dead, trying the preview builds, reporting bugs, and taking the time to share feedback. Your feedback has been an important part of improving the game throughout Early Access. And to everyone supporting BTD, whether you've been following it from the beginning or have only recently discovered it, thank you. I hope you enjoy the new missions. There's more to come. -MonteGallo
