Hello everybody! There are several big additions, so let's go through them all.
Experimental Map Pack 1
There are several new levels based around random concepts I've had. The levels themselves have been ready for a while, but putting together the music for each of them was a slowdown. However, this is the second map pack after the Concept Development levels.
Procedural Levels
This was a gamemode I've had planned for a while, and now it has been implemented in a basic form. The current level generator (version 1) is rather basic, but it has all the necessary backend work to create more interesting levels later.
Each generator version works independently from one another. This allows for new generators to be added in the future, without changing old ones. Like a seed from a particular generator? They should always generate the same way in the future!
3D Mode
This is another gamemode I wanted to implement. It's not as feature-complete as the regular 2D gameplay, but the important functionality is present. There's currently a test level intended as a demonstration.
New Achievements
Several achievements were added, most of which are related to the new content. And statistics-related ones now display current progress. This means you don't have to check the stats area in-game to check your progress toward some of the achievements.
Other Things...
As I worked on implementing the new gamemodes and map pack, plenty more bugs were fixed and improvements were made. Light from the sun and moon are also more accurate to the sky now and several new features are available for Editor content.
The final story area was also prone to having softlocks, but that should be further mitigated by now.
Linux Support!
All previous testing with the Windows release running through Proton showed pretty good performance, back when the optimizations were made, particularly for the Steam Deck. But now, everything has been configured for a native Linux build. This is therefore the first release to fully support Linux!
Final Thoughts
I am now nearly caught up on all available content. Apart from additional procedural level generators, I have caught up on my big plans list. So what's next?
More bug fixes, improvements, two more procedural generators and published Editor content.
Then what?
Then I can prepare for the next phase, so to speak. I want to do another round of story levels and another experimental map pack, after I get more ideas. I might even do a series of 3D levels, if I can decide how to best design them.
The long-term plans currently boil down to more levels and more assets for the Editor. That was always the intended future of the game. Instead of doing separate sequels (for the story), I plan to have sequel levels. Having every asset consolidated will streamline future progression and centralize all content for people working on community levels.
Final, Final Thoughts
Alright, enough gibber-gabber. Expect the next update to take a little while, as I work on the other procedural generators I have planned.
Until next time!