v0.4.0 - Settings and Swim-Switch Level

Additions

• Added a settings menu.
  • Includes a variety of options ranging from height calibration to control changes.
  • On a player’s first play session, they will now be asked to configure their motion and control settings.
  • Movement-based vision tunneling may be a bit wonky for the time being. I had a difficult time cleanly implementing this feature. While not horrible as-is, it will be revisited and improved upon in the future.
• Added a toggleable in-game menu that rests on the player’s primary (movement) hand. Toggleable by the primary hand controller’s secondary button.
  • This also acts as an alternative way to access the main menu UI in the main menu. It’s quite dynamic!
• Finished the implementation of the First Confrontation (Intro) level.
  • The level’s content and sequencing are now fully present. It still needs tons of work, though, especially visually. The animations are hideous but they get the major points across.
• Added a feedback page to the menus. It contains links for providing feedback and reporting bugs.
  • I highly encourage everyone who plays the demo to give thorough feedback and report any bugs they find! This is currently by far the best way to support the game’s development!
• Added a way to skip individual phases. This is located in the “Data” settings tab while in a level.
  • This is only for the sake of the demo, while the level’s designs go through their growing pains.

Changes

• Changed the 3rd level to a new level titled “Swim-Switch!”
  • The new level’s gameplay consists of you swimming around and aiding your reflection by enabling and disabling paths.
• Levels must now be completed in semi-order.
  • Levels 1 and 2 are unlocked at the beginning. Clearing any of them will unlock level 3. This is an idea I am playing with; it may be scrapped in a later update.
  • In the General settings menu, there’s an option to disable lock restrictions for levels. This is for testing convenience purposes and will not be in the final game.
• The game’s save file system has been greatly refactored.
  • Unfortunately, all previously saved data will be completely wiped. This is unavoidable due to how major the changes are. I apologize for any inconvenience caused by this.
• Updated the main menu to have more of a diegetic feel. You can now move around in it!
• Changed artificial crouching to be controlled by the non-primary controller’s secondary button in a spring-like manner.
• Updated the level progress text to be a bit more dynamic. It can now be viewed in-game (through the game menu), and it should now give you a better idea of what phase you are currently on, what phases you’ve completed, and what phases you’ve yet to complete.

Removals

• With Swim-Switch now being the game’s 3rd level, Carefully Guided has been removed from the demo.
  • There’s a lot I can say about this decision, but it ultimately boils down to me not feeling like the level’s idea and execution meshes well with the direction the game needs to go in. I apologize for any inconvenience caused by this decision.

Fixes

• Fixed First Confrontation progress data not being saved to the save file.