If I was to tell you we switched online SDK as well as reworking our entire menu system this week, you’d no doubt be all like “Surely you can’t be serious” and I’d be all like “Don’t call me Shirley.”
But it’s the truth! the biggest thing you’ll notice is, of course, the new front end. We’ve redone the entire thing from top to bottom and it’s looking fantastic even if I do say so myself. Clean, clear, a bit 80’s, a touch arcadey, but above all very Tango Fiesta indeed.
Dat splash screen!
This kind of spit and polish extends all the way to the character and weapon select screens which we’ve gone for a bit of a Top Trumps/collectable cards vibe. Retro yes, but also damn nice looking. We’ve changed how the stats are shown too, so make sure you get studying the differences between all the guns.
Dat collectable-card-style character select screen!
But the biggest thing for us is getting over the hump with the online functionality. We’ve solved two of the biggest bugs that were preventing people a) join reliably and b) host more than one game without rebooting the game. These are problems no longer, but in the process we’ve had to knock the actual gameplay back a few steps in online. All the features are still there, but the way we handle the packets is different now and needs plenty of work. Work we will get done sooner rather than later, but fair warning - it’s a bit of a mess in there at the moment!
A bit of explosive action… we’ve done a LOT over the last 3 weeks to improve the fundamentals. We hope you enjoy them tweaks!
For today’s episode of our regular dev diary video series click here: http://youtu.be/D-brj5XJmug
For the usual big old list of work we’ve done this wee, lay your eyes right here...
ADDED
- Added new theme music
Thunder roll intro(!)
Let the game sit on the splash Title Screen for the full amazingness
Prepare yourselves for the album drop after launch!
- Added new Main Menu loop music
- Added new animated backgrounds for the menus
- Users can now choose any world or theme for online play.
FIXED
- Fixed hosting bug where you were unable to host a new game, if you had previously hosted a game with other players in it
- Fixed numerous collision issues with gameplay and objectives
- Fixed input manager context-key detection when using different input methods
- Attract mode now delays when detecting mouse movement
- Game Volume is now set and activated before the title music starts playing (no more blast-then-quiet if changed)
UPDATED
- Auto-refresh has now been disabled in lobby browser
It was redundant/borderline annoying with the new SDK
Still just hit ‘R’ to refresh manually
- SFX Settings and tweaks implemented
- SFX Files updated.
- Most music tracks in the game have been rebalanced, twaked and added to:
Island theme
Island Boss theme
Jungle theme
Jungle Boss theme
Killionaire theme
- Bionic Cop stats have been rebalanced a little
- Entire overhaul of all the front-end (non-gameplay) UI in the game
- Attract mode videos now only play when on the entry splash screen
- Improved collision and physics. You no longer get stuck on the level boundaries.
- Lobby authentication & verification when joining lobbies streamlined.
- Character select is now improved with new assets and streamlined.
- Removed old steam SDK integration, and replaced with Ludosity Steamworks SDK.
KNOWN ISSUES
- Keyboard and mouse gameplay is a bit tempermental at the moment, we're working on a fix.
- Mac build is struggling with inputs on the menus. If anyone has any insight please do let us know on the forums!
- Client gameplay in online matches is very laggy and lossy. We’re working on it though!
- Player parachute/drop in at level start is broken (you can still play obvs!)
The next thing we’re doing is… well there’s more than one thing obviously. We’re implementing some story tech (and hopefully in the next update you’ll get a taster!), we’re prepping the final world’s content (it's gonna be totally bionic!), and we’re fixing up the controls, Mac build and online functionality. It should be a very different game in a fortnight’s time! Of course if we get some serious progress made in enhancing the online gameplay we’ll drop the update early.
Wish us luck!