Note: This is an EXPERIMENTAL update available in the "bleedingedge" beta. It may contain instabilities beyond the base version currently available.
In this version, I introduce a mid-to-late game minigame of sorts to allow indirect exchange of extra Components for Prestige. This is done through the new Innovation Lab and Component Exchange in the Hangar. Once you have unlocked all Ship parts, these two areas will open up to you.
In the Innovation Lab, you can use components for all manner of creation. Your current inspirations will require collecting Components that spell out a particular word. Inspirations come in many sizes, from Insights (three letter words) to Mangum Opuses (ten letter words), and over 800 words are available in total. Once you have collected all required components, you can complete the Inspiration to earn a new currency called Inovitae. Inovitae is automatically exchanged for Prestige during retirement (at a current rate of 7:1 subject to balancing), with any remainder Inovitae transferring to your new pilot.
In the Component Exchange, you can trade for any Component you want, provided you are willing to barter the current market trade. These trades can be very favorable (1:1), or very unfavorable (4:1), but tend toward 2:1 or somewhat less frequently 3:1.
These new features combined together solve the issue of mid-to-late game component glut (Yours truly had over 40 of several flavors of Component before developing this feature!)
A lot of UI cleanup has happened with this update. The HUD has been cleaned up significantly, and the current level added to the HUD display. Many icons have been remastered.
Upgrades will now finally tell you specifically what game number is changing when you purchase that upgrade level. It will list the current value and the proposed new value for the stat.
Paint Jobs for ships have been overhauled significantly. Gone are the endless uninspired variations of "@!%^%# Stripe" paint jobs, so I hope no one is upset that there will no longer be "Aqua Stripe" and "Cyan Stripe" and "Lime Stripe" and "Green Stripe". Instead, we have TWENTY bold BRIGHT color schemes like "Superhero" and "Lumberjacked" and "Retro Wave" that all have a purpose and aren't just a bunch of foot-shufflers in a descriptionless room. Paint Jobs for other entities that share the Ship shader have also received an overhaul.
The Hangar in the new store finally has a paper doll ship model! This model will actually show you what you might be about to unlock. This new feature pairs great with the above Paint Jobs and the recent new Hull additions!
Why did this game not have Camera Shake before! No matter, it does now. Ship collisions and larger explosions will cause Camera Shake.
Speaking of explosions, there are now two new flavors of larger explosion, reserved for Mega and Giga obstacle variants.
One side feature that is not "officially" in scope is custom arcade cabinet support. As part of building my own personal arcade cabinet, I am making small enhancements to better support running Prepare For Warp on an arcade cabinet, because it is awesome to run it that way. The first step in this is allowing ship movement to be controlled by mouse, so that the ship can be analog controlled via a trackball or spinner device on an arcade cabinet.
Other minor additions and bug fixes abound, with a full list below.
- New Features:
- New Hangar Categories "Innovation Lab" and "Component Exchange" that unlock when all other Ship Parts are unlocked.
- Innovation Lab allows completion of Inspirations through use of Components and Innovation to earn Inovati.
- Innovation Lab component cost is drawn from a dictionary of over 800 words ranging from three to ten letters.
- Inovati is exchanged 7:1 for Prestige at Retirement.
- Component Exchange provides a fluctuating component barter market
- Upgrades now list the game stat that they affect, giving current value and proposed value.
- Camera Shake occurs on larger explosions and Player Ship collisions.
- New larger flavors of explosion applied to Mega and Giga obstacle variants.
- Hangar areas of the Store now shows a paper doll model of the item being considered.
- Improvements:
- Forty icons have been remastered.
- Component icon on Game result panel rotates color hue.
- Achievement progress provides alternate numeric formatting for achievements requiring it.
- Level number, game mode, and sector information is shown in the in-game HUD.
- In-game HUD has been re-arranged to encroach less on gameplay area.
- Achievements are now grouped by stat in the Achievement area of the Store.
- Player Ship paint jobs have been overhauled.
- Bomber, Fighter, Missile, Space Mine, Laser Gate paint jobs have been overhauled.
- Component cost is now hidden for unlocked Ship Parts.
- Main paper doll ship now has improved rotation.
- Added ability to bind mouse delta for steering (arcade cabinet support).
- Fixes:
- Paging buttons in the Achievement area of the Store now have proper feedback sound.
- Fixed multiple play of navigate sound on menus, which was causing audio stutter.
- Fixed issue with ability sounds (Superlaser, Standby Shield, etc.) activating when Warp was activated.
- Fixed issues with total pending prestige gain in Retirement area not being updated when Prestige gain related items were obtained.
- Fixed issue where Achievement toast for achievements on new pilot was being displayed before resetting to Title Screen.