Hi subROvers! 😄
Jose here -I've just uploaded version 0.7.40 to the beta branch. I still have to update the game manual, but I didn't want to delay it any further. I will summarize the main changes here:
-First of all, in this update we've upgraded the engine from unity 2018 to 2022. This is a huge change in and of itself; it was not in my plans initially (I'm not a fan of big upgrades/engine changes mid-project), but with the extra help thanks to the grant, I decided it was worth the risk. Being on a current version is of course always desirable, though it was a big jump and we've had to revise many systems.
If only for this reason, this beta is much more of a beta than previous updates. We've tested and re-tested everything, but consider it more risky than usual.
-The update will reset two dives: tokelau (solaris) and san pedro (barrels). Players had reported a few bugs related to those two, and in revising them I changed a few elements that demanded the reset. This should only affect the dive objectives. not the uncovered portion of the maps or any other elements of the progression.
-There are new mappings for a few control bindings both for the keyboard and gamepad, but I've decided not to reset the mappings so you won't have to redo any custom bindings. If you want to give them a try, simply reset them in the settings and you will get the new bindings.
-On that topic, the in-dive help screen has changed slightly, and now includes information on the keybindings for turbo lift (which by default are now PageUp and PageDown).
-There's a new in-dive pause menu that you can access at any time during dives by pressing Esc. This is actually a subset of the main menu including the Profile, Gallery, and Settings windows, plus the feedback button. Sending feedback from the pause menu is now the way of sending feedback during dives, to keep the system consistent across the game.
-There's a new button in the game panel, named EXT, to the right of the ROV camera buttons. If you have an external display, this button will be active while you have the ROV screen ON, allowing you to send the view to the secondary monitor. Note that this view is intended for observation purposes, and as such, both camera movements and interface (HUD) elements will be disabled while it is engaged.
-There's a new damage system that presently affects the ROV camera -if you hit something with the ROV, you will see the view flickering. In this version, the camera will shortly recover on its own, so the damage is more aesthetic than anything, but the underlying system already in place allows for both progressive and permanent damage, and it can be used with other systems (e.g. the arm). I expect to use it to its full capabilities in the future.
-There's a new "collision avoidance system" that prevents the external camera from clippiing with the terrain.
-There's new in-dive music! It's sparse, with long pauses in between tracks, to avoid getting too much in the way of what you're doing. There's also a new dedicated slider in the settings menu to change its volume specifically (and now you can bring the menu up any time during dives, so you can change it right away).
-We've revamped the save system and added a crash recovery - the game takes snapshots at various times during dives, and tries to recover them when you re-enter the main menu after a crash. We haven't experienced any crashes since I corrected last year's error (which was my mistake entirely, not a bug), but if a crash does happen, we hope to have the bases covered.
-We have optimized and/or revised many game elements, and also fixed many bugs. There's one that I still haven't looked at -In certain circumstances the TMS starts either pulling the ROV towards it, or ascending without stop-. I had to set it aside in light of these other priorities, but I'm very much aware of it. There's also cases where it seems that the game doesn't pick the best possible resolution by default, so if that happens to you, just head to settings and readjust. I'm investigating this but I haven't figured out why it's happening (yet).
This is the list of (main) new changes in the update. I wanted to play things safe, so I've left aside a few experimental features for now, and I've limited it to tech features. I would be very grateful if you try it and report anything you find. If things go well (as I expect), the next update will take much less time to prepare.
Thank you for your patience and support - Happy subROVing! 😄
PS. HUGE thanks to Stephen Strong and Mika Pieck. Stephen programmed the new features, and Mika did several rounds of thorough testing. This work has only been possible thanks to them.