It is awesome to see the competition getting fierce on the leaderboards, as well as players taking advantage of the new Control Styles and Score Multiplier. Not long ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would see high scores past maybe 10 million. I’m going to need to sit down and seriously see if I can even compete at my own game, as my once thought competitive score of 7.5 million is starting to look long-in-the-tooth!
I just released a set of new features primarily focused on competition. I’ve had Statistics behind the scenes for some time, but I’ve always wanted to present them in-game. Showing the last/best score in each player HUD was one such feature, and I’m happy to report that now several other useful (and maybe some non-useful) statistics are now readily displayed while playing alone or with friends.

The current set of stats are shown once a round has been complted and before continuing (or while requesting to forfeit). For player 1 (normally tied to the steam account), It will display the recorded Overall steam stats in addition to showing temporary session stats for Current, Last, and Highest, For players 2-4, only stats for the current game session are tracked. If there are particular stats that you think should replace some of these, let me know in the comments or Community Hub.

In addition to Stats, I’ve also decided to give each player their own mini high score listings to show their overall ranking between rounds. This includes Local, Global, and Friend listings.

What’s a game based on a competitive score mechanic without more ways to rank yourself? I hope you enjoy 1-UP’ing your friends, or at least knowing at a glance who’s the best!

I also managed to get a couple of smaller features in based on community feedback. If you are one of the players that had wished for “classic” twin-stick style controls (aka Geometry Wars / Robotron) when using the Modern (dual-stick) control style, then you might enjoy the new Fire on Aim option under the Gameplay menu. Fire on Aim augments the Autofire setting to start firing just by aiming the ship. One consequence of this though, is that it is harder to conserve your Primary Weapon ammo. However, if you’re careful not to fully press the thumb stick all the way, you can actually aim without firing as well.

Another set of small features relate to a recent request by a player to “simplify” the arena. I think they were longing for an experience closer to some of the retro games long ago, without backdrop clutter competing against energy bullets etc. As such, I’ve made it possible to adjust the background elements, such as the stars and nebula, to simplify, fade, or turn them off completely. Find these settings under the Effects options menu: Stars, Background Opacity, and Stars Opacity.

I hope you enjoy the new refinements and features. Let me know in the comments or Community Hub what you think so far, how it should evolve, and if you have any favorite stats.

New Features

• Fire on Aim Option. When turned on automatically fires when aiming the ship while in the Modern (dual-stick) control style — similar to simple twin-stick shooters.
• When using the Modern (dual-stick) control style, Dynamic Braking will not be engaged unless you release the aiming control (i.e. right thumb stick). This allows you to perform drifting strafe maneuvers similar to Classic or Hybrid control styles.
• Stars Option – Adjust the number of stars.
• Stars Opacity Option – Fades background stars.
• Background Opacity Option – Fades background elements such as nebula, galaxies, and planets.
• Global Friend high scores. Note this reduced the number of global high scores displayed in-game.
• Per player high scores and stats:
  • Shown between sessions, and independently for each player.
  • High scores include Local, Global, and Friend scores.
  • Presently, the following stats are shown:
    • Player Kills – The total number of times you have killed another player.
    • Killed by Players – The total number of times you have been killed by other players.
    • Asteroids – The total number of asteroids of any type destroyed.
    • Small Asteroids – The total number of small asteroids destroyed.
    • Outriders Held – The maximum number of outriders held at once.
    • Primary Ammo – The maximum number of primary weapon bullets held at once.
    • Secondary Ammo – The maximum number of secondary weapon shots held at once.
    • Defensive Ammo – The maximum number of defensive weapon shots held at once.
    • Powerups Collected – The total number of power-ups collected of any type.
    • Bullet Efficiency – Percentage of bullets that hit a target vs. bullets fired.
    • Missile Efficiency – Percentage of missiles that hit a target vs. missiles launched.
    • Survival Efficiency – Player kills vs player deaths.
  • Stats include Current, Last, Best, and Overall values.

Previously Released Patches

• The default control style is now Modern (dual-stick) instead of Classic.
• Fix issue with missile collisions.

I hope you enjoy the new refinements and features. Let me know in the comments what you think so far, how it should evolve, and if you have any favorite stats.

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!