Greetings!

We’re excited to announce the release of The Hive Demo 1.3, bringing fresh updates, gameplay refinements, and quality-of-life improvements based on community feedback. Here’s what’s new:

Performance Enhancements

• Collision Optimization – Improved how collisions are handled across all levels, resulting in noticeable performance improvements, particularly on larger maps.
• Water Shader Overhaul – New water shader fixes previous compatibility issues and now supports adjustable speed and flow direction for improved visual consistency.

Graphics and Visual Improvements

• Scene Lighting Adjustments – Brightened scenes and increased saturation for a more vibrant look.
• Improved Object Visibility – Gold piles now emit a soft glow to make them easier to spot in dark areas.
• Reflection Probes Added – Enhances realistic lighting on units and environments.
• Dimetrodon Miniboss Color Adjustment – Improved color differentiation for better clarity.

Unit Adjustments & Balancing

• Legionnaire – Now functions as a single unit instead of a squad:
  • Construction time: 3
  • Food cost: 10
  • Population usage: 1
  • Speed: 0.25 (up from 0.2, previously 1.0 to 1.2 in patch 1.300)
  • HP: 45 (up from 35)
• Hunter – Reworked as a single resilient skirmisher unit:
  • Construction time: 10
  • Food cost: 30
  • Population usage: 2
  • Speed: 0.18
  • HP: 80
  • Damage: 6, Armor Pierce: 3
• Worker – Increased speed from 0.16 to 0.2 for better resource collection efficiency.
• Rhino – Adjusted to reinforce its frontline tank role:
  • Size increased to 2.5
  • Speed increased from 0.16 to 0.2
• Wasp – Enhanced mobility for improved hit-and-run tactics:
  • Angle speed increased from 7 to 20
  • Speed increased from 0.2 to 0.5

Gameplay Adjustments

• First Level End Boss (Ancient Crab):
  • HP reduced from 3500 to 3000
  • Melee damage reduced from 20 to 15
  • Cave-In Ability: Cooldown increased from 10 seconds to 15 seconds, splash damage reduced from 20 to 10 HP

Early Game Enhancements

• Starting Units – Players now start the first mission with 1 Behemoth and 2 Medics to encourage early strategic gameplay.
• Starting Resources:
  • Food increased from 20 to 100
  • Minerals increased from 250 to 350
  • Starting population count increased from 1 to 13, cap adjusted accordingly.

Level Additions & Improvements

• New Unit Placements:
  • Rhino added to the start of Level 2
  • Infestor added to the start of Level 3
  • Wasp added to the start of Level 5
• Level 5 Cutscenes Reworked – Improved camera angles to enhance clarity and reduce disorientation.

Bug Fixes & Adjustments

• Fixed a major performance issue related to collisions.
• Adjusted enemy movement behavior to prevent unintended pathing issues.
• Fixed compatibility issues with water shaders in Unity 2019.
• Resolved monitor resolution bug, fixing the "Couldn't switch to requested monitor resolution" error.
• Several minor UI fixes for improved readability.

What’s Next?

We’re committed to improving The Hive and taking player feedback into account as we look toward the future. Here are our primary focus areas moving forward:

• Enhancing Gameplay Balance – Refining combat and resource progression for a smoother experience.
• Unit Differentiation – Making units feel more unique, both visually and mechanically.
• Content Expansion – Introducing more units and mechanics for deeper gameplay variety.
• Technical Updates – Ensuring stability and compatibility with new platforms and tools for future updates.

Try out The Hive Demo 1.3 now and let us know what you think!