The plan was to get some rest through the holidays both from the game, and for the contract projects, but as per usual it didn't happen that way -- instead I've worked most of the time. Still, it was a good time, I saw friends and family, had a few family gatherings, and this is what's matters!
And meanwhile I've managed to finish few game features as well:
Christmas Mode: From 24th of December to 2nd of January the game transforms into Christmas Mode, all enemies have Santa hats, and all explosions are red fireworks. This is a permanent part of the game, and will be added to the new demo as well, so look forward to next year's Christmas :-D
Settings > Visual Filters: We already had a couple visual filters (Green Phosphor and CGA), but this whole system had a full overhaul:
Added Monochrome, Amber Phosphor, and EGA filters -- they are not even close to accurate representation of the originals, but I've tried to capture the feel at least
The Green Phosphor and CGA filters are slightly adjusted to fit with the new ones
The filters are part of the Game Unlocks system now, you start only with the Monochrome (unlocked by default) and unlock the rest by playing the game
Settings > CRT: Previously the CRT mode was "hidden" behind a key shortcut, but now it's in the Settings as a real option:
3 variants are added: Scanlines, Aperture Grill, and Flat TV
This mode is layered on top of the visual filters (and even without any filter) and is a combination of an overlay image and a shader, I've tried to make them as realistic as possible
All variants are unlocked by default
It's nothing too major, but I always wanted to finish up this part of the game, and especially the combination of the Green Phosphor filter and the Aperture Grill bring back memories of working on Pravetz 16 PCs back in my youth!
This brings us ever closer to the demo version, which I've postponed a number of times... and I'm adding another delay to it!
Next week will bring a HUGE changes to the Player Weapons, and I want this to be done before the demo, as it's something I have planned for a while, look forward to it!