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Mischief and Mayhem Studios

@mandmstudios.bsky.social
204 followers 50 following 999 posts

Official home of Mischief & Mayhem Studios. Currently developing an update to Ark Defender You can check out our other socials, demos, and links to games on LinkTree: linktr.ee/mischiefandmayhemstudios

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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 21h
We have all our games on #SteamSale as part of the #SteamAutumnSale! In Doomed Stars you are the empire ender! Unleashed by the hubris of the Imperium of the Binary Stars now you wreak havoc upon their empire! store.steampowered.com/app/3012270/...
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
All our games are on #SteamSale as part of the #SteamAutumnSale! In our #Roguelike, Ark Defender, see how long you can survive aboard the Ark, humanity's last hope. Defend from dangers within & without. Eldritch Cults, hostile aliens, cranky reporters & more! store.steampowered.com/app/1885080/...
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Go’Phow’Ley! An ancient eldritch trans-dimensional foe of the Hellspawn! It crawls from cracks in reality to destroy the ark! Assault Tripods focus on heavy damage while Defender Tripods intercept player attacks! #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
A new boss, an eldritch being split across multiple forms that crawl from reality to overwhelm the ark! Harassment Tripods focus on light damage via saturation attacks & distracting the player. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
We have all our games on #SteamSale as part of the #SteamAutumnSale! In this turn-based Dwarven #Roguelike, you are sent to deal with the swarms the dwarves unleashed. Can you fight goblins, robots, demons & more now that the dwarves, well, They Dug Too Deep? store.steampowered.com/app/2462100/...
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
We have all our games on #SteamSale as part of the #SteamAutumnSale! Tower Alchemy is a Tower Defense game with a twist. Mix & match basic towers to create new powerful combinations from necrosis towers & lightning fences to Holy water cannons! store.steampowered.com/app/1588300/...
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
To go with our revised visual options, we took another crack at customizable UI. It was more complicated than it felt like it should be (had to generate some texture at runtime), but we got there. Eventually. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Following off of the initial visual setting options, we decided to add a few more sliders (once we figured out how to implement them without resolution loss). Doesn't mean all the settings look good though. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I don't think you will be playing very long. They are so so easy to make cursed (even by accident). It is the primary reason we included the reset button. But I can't guess what works for individuals so just left the knobs available to turn
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We are trying to improve player options so this week started adding some visual sliders. Perhaps due to laziness we eschewed presets and left if for players to muck about with. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This week's Ark Defender short is on the Sarien Alliance Skeleton boss! #roguelike #spacegame #indiedev #gamedesign #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #gamedevelopment youtube.com/shorts/SvO2-...
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Ark Defender Faction Boss: Sarien Alliance Skeleton
Ark Defender Faction Boss: Sarien Alliance Skeleton I liked making Sarien Alliance ships, they all got to reuse existing designs since larger Sarien Alliance ships tend to be smaller ones (or pieces of smaller ones) welded together.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The Hal’Goph Behemoth is a new boss with the titular Hal’Goph eyes on the end of tentacles, eyes either have Point Defense or Beam Attacks and serve as the otherwise damage immune boss’s weak points. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The Hal’Goph Skull, bounces across the top of the screen, its tentacle tips firing bursts of plasma, the main challenge being balancing shooting it with intercepting the flood of fire. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The Hal’Goph Defender is focused on point defense. It has the other Hal’Goph traits, but can intercept up to 3 projectiles at a time. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Hal’Goph Attacker is the mainstay of the faction. It has all the gimmicks and a powerful beam attack. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This week's Ark Defender short is about a new Faction, The Hal'Goph! youtube.com/shorts/KQkEH... #roguelike #spacegame #indiedev #gamedesign #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #gamedevelopment
youtube.com
Ark Defender Faction: Hal'Goph
Ark Defender Faction: Hal'Goph The Hal’Goph are the disciples of Go'Phwo'Ley the Creeping Oblivion, an elder being. They use techno-organic ships, a fusion of flesh and metal at the atomic level. Their weapons and propulsion rely on erasing space-time to, perhaps obvious, damaging effects for the former and by creating a ‘vacuum’ that drags the ship forward as reality tries to repair itself for the latter.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The Hal’Goph Eye is the weakest of the Hal’Goph, lacking most of their gimmicks. It’s just a beam firing eye on a weird tentacle. Looking at it now, It does remind me a bit of the Neversoft logo. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgam
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Tier 8 factions are all designed around having 2-4 of the most annoying gimmicks of other factions. Besides, it will be rare. How often have you run into the Gormuu across runs? Do you even recognize that faction name?
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Our new faction, the Hal’Goph, are particularly deadly. They absorb missiles that get too close, leave a trail of torn reality, & a missile swallowing void on death. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
We could not help ourselves. We made another faction. They are a tier 8 faction that randomly occurs (but has a higher chance the longer the player survives). Meant to be part of the final escalating challenge. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The rear part on the default skin of the research platform is supposed to rotate to provide secondary forms of simulated gravity. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
😆 Fair. In this case, it was more just meant to as an in-universe way of describing it getting free upgrade points.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The array of Research Platform Ark skins. The Valentine skins ended up being made via overlaying pieces from other skins. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The Research Platform was initially devised because we need to create Arks in pairs to keep the Ark selection UI balanced. And a stats focus (e.g. science/sensors) was not something we had done with other Arks. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This week's Ark Defender short is on the Hangarian Boarding Party boss! It is thethe most unique of the boss encounters (and has taken the most development time to actually implement, lots of writing). youtube.com/shorts/mVGAe...
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Ark Defender Faction Boss: Hangarian Boarding Party
Ark Defender Faction Boss: Hangarian Boarding Party The Hangarian boarding party boss is the most unique of the boss encounters (and has taken the most development time to actually implement, lots of writing).
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
You are not the only one. @marcodejough.bsky.social said, "It looks almost like a creepy idol you’d find in an Indiana Jones movie "
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
While we like our new arks, not all ark ideas make it that far. We toyed with a flesh-abomination ark, but couldn’t figure out a good idea for its own play style. Maybe we’ll bring the design back as a skin. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Research Platform is a new ark with low pop, no gunships, & higher manufacturing costs (but discounted gravity warheads). However, it starts with max science, max sensors, & generates upgrade points each sector. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
You're fine, like I said I like some good techno-babble. Doubly so if it is at least vaguely grounded (derived perhaps?) in some actual science.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I do like some good techno-babble. Gravitational Wave Turbines (although they are not very turbine like)! Maybe Cosmic String Spoolers? Hmm. Wasn't there a paper on Glueballs recently? I could be cutting edge and call them Gluon Absorption Panels 😁.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The little squares that cover the Mobile Refueling Ark were originally intended to be solar panels, but it is not like you get a lot of solar power in deep space. So, let’s call them “dark energy” collectors. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The array of Mobile Refueling Ark skins. B type skins tend to have stuff added to the base, while C Type tend to have stuff removed. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The Mobile Refueling Ark was originally named the Short Range Ark. But we couldn’t figure out a good lore blurb for why it has so much temp power. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This week for Ark Defender we are show casing a second of the new tracks for the Waiting for Laouylik update. The audio half of the team had to recreate settings and such as best he could from memory. This week, Galactic Blast Zones! youtu.be/tN4cn-qa0lo
youtu.be
https://youtu.be/tN4cn-qa0lo
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
We added a new natural fauna boss. A fungal space whale. Rather than lots of little cells it is made up of lots of little spores. Shoot the flippers to drive it off before it consumes the Ark! #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The Mobile Refueling Ark is a new ark with a limited reactor, but it generates Energy Surplus each sector giving players the option to power their Ark to the MAX for short bursts, as long as they survive the lean times. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Yeeeeaaaah 😳 . It might even be worse than that. At the time I think the thought process might have been, "well we are never making any more arks so what does it matter."
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Foolishly, when we first created the Ark skins we didn’t record the process. This made recreating them for new arks… difficult (we resorted to overlaying elements from other arks for the Valentine skin). #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
While health is technically measured as population low system integrity is also bad, but not as visible. As such we added some battle damage visuals to reflect system integrity level. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
We made it so Smart Missiles lock on to different parts of a ship instead of its center. While mostly visual, it does make other missiles a little more useful for timing shots past physical enemy shields. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This week for Ark Defender we are show casing one of the new tracks. We lost the original settings so the audio half of the team had to recreate things as best he could. Up first is, Point Defense at MAX! youtu.be/QnXH1efYpHU
youtu.be
https://youtu.be/QnXH1efYpHU
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
The Mobius Class has a unique figure 8 flight pattern, but otherwise is mostly just a variant of the Eternity class. Similarly still needs a bit more fleshing out. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
While little has been decided about the Eternity Class other than its name it looks cool. Something about crystallized cosmic strands & flying by falling toward local black holes. Also it shoots black holes. #indiedev #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame #screenshotsaturday
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I am not sure what you mean by double layered shield, so my guess would be no they are not intended 😅. The shield on the boss only really works on said bosses, I suppose I could probably adapt it to other enemies, but it would not be a drop in and it works kind of implementation.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Getting the shield working took a bit. It uses a modified version of an existing boss mechanic, but the initial system was not intended to deform as cleanly or restore to its original position. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The Precursor frigate (and by extension the Alanadeer hacked together version) were inspired by Glaucus Atlanticus, or the blue sea dragon) #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Still looking into additional options beyond those.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
We added some unaligned bosses as well. The unmodified version of the Alanadeer precursor ship. It flies more freely & has a much more potent fluidic shield. #roguelike #indiedev #spacegame #indiegames #indiegame #IndieGameDev #2dgame
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
We will at least be adding controls for brightness, contrast, & saturation which may help some. Color palette shifts are more difficult. We tried something similar a bit ago & ran into drops in performance or resolution. But we'll revisit & see if we can get better post-processing working.
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Mischief and Mayhem Studios @mandmstudios.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
We can check on feasibility, but honestly the chances are not high. At minimum the particular faction can be excluded from rotation at the start of a run.
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