This is a pretty major update, but it might not be that noticeable for most players.
Engine Upgrade
I upgraded from the Acknex A7 engine to the A8 engine. The reason I did this is because some players were not able to start the game if their Windows had DEP active. DEP (Data Execution Prevention) uses hardware and software to prevent malicious programs from running on Windows. Since the A7 engine I was using is older, it was somehow misidentified by DEP as malicious.
A8 is newer and does not seem to trigger the same issues.
Most players did not encounter this problem, since DEP is usually set only to work on operating System files and folders. But the rare player was unable to run the game without having to manually change their settings.
So, again, not a big deal for most players, but a huge improvement for some.
Score
I have included a scoring system in the latest version of the game. This scoring system will eventually go towards leaderboards, but right now it does not.
One reason I included points was to help with the game balance. So, the score will be effected by how well, or poorly, you do in the game.
Since players were having trouble getting caught at checkpoints with low health, I have altered the way this works, and score will play a hand in it.
Now, if your character is killed, you will respawn at the checkpoint with full health. However, depending on how much health you had when you reached that checkpoint, you will lose a certain percentage of your points in order to get that health.
It's kind of complex, and it may change, but as an example, say I reach the fourth dungeon with 50 health and 3000 points. Then I die and respawn in that dungeon. I will respawn with full 100 health, but my points will be reduced by a percentage based on how much health I had. In this case, I would lose about a quarter of my points, bringing me down to 2250.
Right now, points are received for shooting and hitting enemies, and for finding Paradox Triangles. You can only get points on your first time through a dungeon, and only up until you get the Paradox Triangle. No points will be received when outside of dungeons. This way, there is a finite number of possible points to get in the game. So It's possible to get a "perfect score."
New HUD
I increased the size of the HUD font, so your health, ammo and points are more clearly visible.