Hello! Today's 20XX patch is on the smaller side - we're doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work that isn't ready for the public! We've made some Glory Zone tweaks (many of which were hotfixes in 0.972), and changed up the way Challenges are scored. We've also fixed up a few bugs, and added some QOL bits.

NB: We're going to be at PAX East in the PAX Rising section next weekend (3/10-3/12) - come say hello! This means next patch will probably be a bit smaller.

Disclaimer: 20XX is in beta. As we develop the game, we may make changes that require us to invalidate or wipe your 20XX save files, Steam Leaderboard info/achievements, and other save-y stuff like that. Be aware!

TL;DR for today's patch: Glory Zone tweaks! Challenge scoring! QOL bits!

For the next few patches: Polish! PAX prep!

As always, let us know if anything's busted or if we missed a change.

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BIG CHANGES:

• Several tweaks to the new Glory Zones:
• Early game Swarm Zones' Deathswarm speed reduced substantially, reducing pressure on the player.
• Early game Finesse Zones' platforms and hazards slowed down.
• Early game Trap Zones now give increased Energy, and often contain fewer traps.
• Early game Light Zones have fewer hazards.
• The above changes happen on a scaling basis from levels 1 to 4 - by 5+, all Zones are in full effect.
• Late game Swarm Zones' Deathswarm speed increased (levels 7+).
• (These were mostly hotfixed in during 0.972b, but haven't been mentioned in patch notes yet.)
• Challenge scoring changes:
• Each boss now grants half points by default, and grants the other half as an Efficiency Bonus (EB).
• EB starts at 50 points per level (example: 300 points at level 6) and is reduced by 10 per point of damage taken. The EB bottoms out at 0 - so, for example, you'll start level 2 with a potential EB of 100 points, which'll be reduced by 10 per point of damage taken, down to 0 (no bonus) at 10 damage taken, after which further damage won't affect your score.
• The EB takes the place of the "remaining health" bonus - health/armor at the end of a run is no longer worth points.
• In co-op, players take damage (and have their EB reduced) as a pair. Each damage taken will still reduce the EB by 10 points.
• This one's super experimental. We fully acknowledge that this removes a degree of skill from Challenges, but we also think it's going to make the more fun: we've removed the Leftover Nut Bonus (LNB).
• In normal 20XX runs, players make nut-spending decisions based on the future value of those nuts - should I buy this thing when I might see something I need more later?
• In challenges, the LNB incentivizes players to spend as little as possible, and to only buy Augs when the purchase will be worth at least that item's nut cost in Time points (and, after today, efficiency points).
• So we're going to try removing the LNB - we suspect Challenges will be more fun without being forced to maximize your remaining nut supply for score reasons (instead of maximizing your ability to buy the things you really want). Please give us feedback on this!
• Completed Glory Zones now award points. Enemies killed during active Glory Zones no longer award points.
• We'll be making sure Normal play can be optionally scored like Challenges in a soon-to-come patch (and otherwise not be scored at all).

SMALL CHANGES:

• Ace's Glaive combo (aerial->land1->land2) now works properly vs. bosses.
• Using a teleporter now explicitly triggers the player's invuln frames.
• Added some menu button prompts (accept/back) on menus where it isn't super clear.
• Pending further investigation, Entropy Lock's banned from Challenges. (Picking one up can cause a cascading effect that changes items down the line - we either need to remove it or make it so Slot Machines can't drop items that impact other drops, and we're not sure which is right yet.)

BUG FIXES:

• Fixed a Crisis Overdrive issue that'd bork your mobility if you picked it up while in the red.
• Fixed an exploit allowing a user to repeat a Daily Challenge.

Thanks for reading!