Tubular Tides Update - v0.1.2-89-RC
Hey everyone! Grab your floaties because a fresh wave of updates is hitting Tubular Tides. This patch notes document covers all commits and development activity recorded leading up to our playtests! We have been prepping hard, squashing bugs, overhauling our NPCs, adding global localization, and wiring up Steamworks integration.
First Things First ~
Thank you for the interest you all have shown in Tubular Tides! We set the page live, about a month ago, and we're very surprised to see the interest and traffic it has gotten. With the playtest being available for 5 days, we've gotten 100+ international players signed-up for the playtest! When we started this project we had no idea how it would go, but we are super thankful for all that has happened!
With us planning on opening up the playtest to over 40 countries, we figures we'd revamp some stuff here and there, add some new visuals, make some new models, and tidy it all up with localization. We hope this is enough for now, because we have lots to work on, and there is lots to look forward to!
Enjoy!
~ Kael
New Content and Features ~
We've vastly expanded the game's features, starting with full localization and translation across 28 languages, including Icelandic. We've also wired up Steamworks, bringing a dedicated Steam Leaderboard for the 100 percent Medallion Run. As you explore and collect new medallions scattered across Ezey Island and Cartesian Chaos, you'll find they now properly reward you with unlockable innertubes based on the percentage collected. To help you manage everything, we've added interactive treasure chests, new NPC accessories, a new Boot Screen, a New Menu Island, and a handy pause menu. For quality of life, the UI now features a dynamic version visual for easier build tracking and a fast settings menu accessible via the ESC key. We've also implemented an in-game bug report system that sends reports directly to us, a link to join the Octo Studios Discord server through the game, a background logger, and a first-time playing message.
tl;dr
Bug Reporting: Added an in-game bug report system that sends reports directly to us.
Discord Link: You can now join the Octo Studios Discord server right through the game!
Localization: Added localization and translation for 28 languages, including Icelandic.
Menus: Added a new Boot Screen, a New Menu Island, and a pause menu.
Rewards: Medallions now properly reward unlockable innertubes based on the percentage collected.
Steamworks: Integrated Steamworks, which includes a Steam Leaderboard for the 100 percent Medallion Run.
UI Additions: Added a fast settings menu accessible via the ESC key, and a dynamic version visual to the UI for easier build tracking.
Changes, Improvements, and Removals ~
Under the hood, all game settings are now properly saved and loaded during runtime. We've applied adjustments to player buoyancy and water interactions, while firecrackers have been tweaked to only apply force to the player when properly within the explosion radius. Visually, you'll notice updated UI themes, a dedicated Innertube UI, and refreshed NPC appearances across the game. To boost performance, we fixed memory caching to prevent future memory leak issues and removed boot video frames. We also did some spring cleaning by removing the legacy camera controls—specifically the ability to take high-resolution screenshots with the N key and manually change the camera perspective with the P key. Additionally, we removed the phasing seen for objects that had physics (99.99% of the time!), alongside duplicate medallions and a tiny cactus on Cartesian Chaos (RIP).
tl;dr
Items (Firecrackers): Firecrackers have been adjusted so they now only apply force to the player when properly inside the explosion radius.
Performance: Removed boot video frames and fixed memory caching to prevent future memory leaks.
Physics: Tweaked player buoyancy and improved overall water interactions.
Runtime Saving: All game settings are now properly saved and loaded during runtime.
Visuals & UI: Updated various UI themes, created a brand-new dedicated Innertube UI, and updated multiple NPC visuals across the game world.
Bug Fixes ~
This update squashes a massive list of bugs, including a severe visual stuttering issue affecting the game and a bug where multiple menus could be opened at the exact same time. The pixelation shader now behaves properly without ruining popup menus, and the splash text screen works flawlessly in the compiled application. Player movement and collision have received major fixes: you can no longer phase through the ice wall on Frostbite Reef, sloped surfaces are no longer overly difficult to climb, and we’ve corrected collisions for wooden planks in the secret cave and various island edges. We also fixed walking and footstep audio playing mid-air, as well as vertical movement and glitching for the first-person camera while swimming. On the inventory side, we resolved scrolling issues for fast and slow inputs, fixed slots not displaying item icons or properly removing items, and corrected logic so lit sticks won't go out or reset when picking up a new item or swapping spaces. Finally, we patched saving issues specific to Ezey Island, corrected the engraved sign's visual offset, and fixed player parsing issues, internal errors regarding the RedClassic innertube, and an issue allowing multiple game instances to open at once.
tl;dr
Audio: Fixed an issue where walking and footstep audio would play while the player was mid-air.
Camera: Fixed vertical movement restrictions and visual glitching that occurred when using the first-person camera while swimming.
Collision (World & Objects): Fixed an issue allowing players to phase through the ice wall on Frostbite Reef. Fixed collision mapping for wooden planks in the secret cave and certain island edges. Also adjusted sloped surfaces that were overly difficult to climb.
Engine & Logic: Fixed the splash text screen failing to appear in the compiled application, prevented multiple game instances from opening simultaneously, and resolved player parsing issues alongside an internal error claiming the "RedClassic" innertube didn't exist.
Inventory & Items: Fixed inventory scrolling for both fast and slow scroll inputs. Fixed inventory slots failing to display item icons or properly remove items when dropped or swapped. Also fixed an annoying bug where a lit stick would extinguish or reset if you picked up a new item or swapped its inventory space.
Performance: Eliminated a severe visual stuttering bug that was affecting the game.
Saving: Resolved saving issues that were specific to Ezey Island.
Shaders & Visuals: Fixed a bug where the pixelation shader ruined popup menus while failing to affect the main menu. Fixed the visual offset of the engraved sign.
UI & Menus: Fixed an overlap issue where multiple menus could be opened at the exact same time.
What's Next & Stay Tuned ~
Animations: We are working on a broader animation expansion for both the player and the NPCs.
Character Customization: We've implemented some character customization that will allow us to deeply customize NPC components, colors, and male/female variations, as well as allowing YOU to change who you play as!
Systems: Developing a more robust Save system.
Stay Tuned: More features and content are actively being planned and worked on behind the scenes that aren't quite ready to be listed yet, stuff will be posted in the Discord as time goes on!
Thank you all for an AMAZING ~1 month! Can't wait to see where this goes, and thank you all,
~ Octo Dev Team