IMPORTANT NOTE - this patch may overwrite save data, however if you hit the continue button you can bypass the opening scene and start in the Garden of Time. You will still have to redo the dojo challenges. We will not release another build until we have steam cloud save functional because overwriting your save data is unacceptable however we felt this patch needed to be released ASAP.
Changes in this update (no specific order)
- Touch to move locomotion has been replaced from headset based directional to controller based
- Fling physics have been altered so you are a bit floatier. This allows players to fling further with less effort (might need balancing but it’s very easy to adjust)
- Teleporter locomotion has been tweaked, still a bit buggy. The teleporter has a certain range, and if you aim the beam to far out of range, the beam locks into the last good position, but turns red. You’ll notice the curve gets a bit extreme
- “Blashm,” the treehouse NPC doesn’t walk through walls anymore (AI needs a lot of work, and we would like to do voice acting eventually)
- Objects in the treehouse such as books, spoons, candles can be thrown at Blashm and he plays a noise. Most objects can also be thrown into the cauldron which destroys them (they respawn when you re-enter the scene) The book/journal on his desk now has text (not final) which gives more direction on what to do to progress in the game. All grabbable objects in the house also ignore raycast now; this caused teleporter locomotion problems
- No more aliasing on glowing stones in the opening scene, and the giant floating teleporter tube has has a re-model which also address aliasing and “flickering/overlapping textures”
- Bouncy pads are reacting more appropriately and playing a sound. The bounce pad physics material is attached to box collider, but the player has a capsule collider which sometimes bounces you in unnatural directions.
- The final challenge on opening scene has been simplified
- The entrance obstacle for Dojo2 has been simplified
- Minor text additions in the Garden of Time helping the player find objectives
- A pathway has been carved out in the garden which loops around the lake. This makes finding the “climb me” tree easier ( all trees are climbable, except the NPC treehouse)
- When respawning, the camera would shake rapidly which is uncomfortable, the fade to black is now slightly longer so it is unnoticeable. We are still keeping track of this bug.
- Removed “potholes” where the player would get stuck or couldn't teleport too. Might be a few left but the majority of them are gone.
- Implemented restricted teleporting in certain areas, mostly around walls or areas where you can get stuck. This also removes the player's ability to stick their head through many objects such as the rock walls around the terrain. Trees are still an issue, but that is being looked into for future patches
- Increased render distance on grass shaders so the user does not notice grass generating as they move
- Falling wind noise has been updated so it automates more gradually and doesn’t clip with the soundtrack
- “ThatHugeGameStudio” has been centered and blashm has been added to the intro logo.
- Music has been turned down to allow better hearing for 3D sounds
- Textures have been updated in certain instances to improve lighting on those objects
That’s about it for this update, for the next one we will definitely include cloud saving and we will be focusing on AI and character enhancements. Blashm needs a lot of work with his pathfinding inside the house, and his animation controller needs to be updated so his talking animation lines up with his dialogue which still needs to be recorded and scripted. The dojos are supposed to have 3 separate “guardians” as represented by their statues outside. We are still working on their animations and making sound effects for them. We would also like to include more animals in the Garden of Time, for example fish, seagulls, the guardians and other small critters.
Thanks for all the feedback so far!