I’ve got another small update to incorporate a few new noteworthy features that I wanted to get wrapped up before the Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE)[www.retrogamingexpo.com]. Yes, that’s right… Solaroids will be showcased at PRGE this year thanks to the Portland Indie Game Squad[pigsquad.com]. This is the first event for Solaroids outside of my local community, and I’m excited to show it to the retro gaming lovers at PRGE.
Well enough with the ancillary commentary, let’s get on to the update.
First, I’m happy to present a new “shared” screen Local Multiplayer option. In this mode, rather than split the screen into up to 4 smaller screens, you can play with or against friends in a single screen. The camera will pan and zoom to keep all active players visible. Dueling has never been better.
The down side is things can get on the small side if players a long way from each other. Use the reticle to keep your direction straight – it always stays the same size and now displays the primary ship color. I’m still working out how to make power-ups readily identifiable when zoomed out for easier identification. You can find this new option under Gameplay in the option menu.
Second, I’m starting to map out additional stages and levels, and I just couldn’t wait to share some new background elements with you. For now, I’ve added an option under Gameplay Called Stage to select the background elements to use. Ultimately this will be incorporated into the campaign along with additional enemies and other hazards, but for now it just adds an alternate view. Please let me know what you think and if it’s the right direction.
Finally, a message is now displayed to compliment the final level wave warning sound. Players have all too often wondered what the warning sound means the first time they play. In addition, in Free Play mode this message is accompanied by a list of the end-of-wave baddies your about to face. You’ll have to let me know if you find it useful to be able to anticipate the onslaught your about to face and possibly be defeated by, or just find it useless noise.
New Features
- Shared-Screen Mode – Play on a single screen instead of splitting the screen.
- Stage Select – Pick Stage 1 or Stage 2 (only affects background graphics)
- Indicate the end of the level with a message in addition to the alarm sound.
- List end of level threats in Free Play mode.
- Adjust end of level waves.
- Adjust Free Play mode difficulty. It gets a lot harder after a few cycles than it used to which was already pretty hard.
Issues Addressed
- Fixed a bug related to positional audio and seamless wrapping.
- Fixed a bug related to particle effects (explosions) and seamless wrapping.
Known issues
- Borderless window option is only implemented for Windows right now.
- Disconnecting an external audio device being used by the game will cause a crash/freeze on Linux/OSX.
- Some options and more recent prompts are English only or machine translated right now. If machine translated, they are indicated with an asterisk (*).
I hope you enjoy the new features, and once again, happy blasting!!
Solaroids is available on Steam Early Access and is still being actively developed by Chad Yates as part-time Indie game developer. Come try out the free Demo, join the Community HUB on steam, or join the ranks of brave fighter pilots defending the solar system and competing for high scores and prestige!