Babel: Tower to the Gods cover
Babel: Tower to the Gods screenshot
Genre: Indie

Babel: Tower to the Gods

1.2.1 released!

Hey all! Just a minor bug fix release to fix some of the issues from 1.2

- Fixed loading times being weirdly long
- Hopefully fixed jerky physics
- Optimized a whole bunch of shaders
- Minor bug fixes

1.2 "The Holiday Update" Released! Holiday World, Performance improvements & more!



Gameplay & Content:



  • Holiday world added!

    • Play all the levels you love on a new, holiday themed world! Featuring Christmas Trees, Candy canes, Glowing lights, Snow, Santa Hats for all your worshipers & more!

  • Level select now has the option to change the world you play levels on, support for multiple level playlists (for now, this is just the main game & the tutorial playlist, more to come soon!)
  • We use a 'cartridge' system for this, to select a playlist, simple put that level cartridge into the console in the level select. To override the world, put one of the world override "cheat cartridges" in first, then the playlist into that!
  • Bomb blocks are now slightly harder to set off, as if your tracking is a tad shaky, they'd feel like they were on hair triggers!
  • The tutorial levels have been scaled down slightly, to match the playspace requirements of the rest of the game! Previously they were about 20% larger than the actual levels, making them hard to play if you have a small play area, sorry about that! :)




Graphics



  • Rendering overhaul, resulting in much better graphical performance.
  • All rendering has been switched out from deferred rendering to forward rendering. Anti-aliasing current does not work due to this, but should be back in the next update! The end result of this though, is things should perform better, and you can turn up the super sampling! :)
  • Now uses single pass rendering, resulting in a big graphical performance improvement!
  • Now uses forward mesh-based decals, instead of deferred decals
  • Fog & lighting tweaks to most levels
  • Minor colour grading to levels so they look nicer!
  • Optimized various models, shaders & more.



Improvements:



  • Controls now shown on the level selection screen. Kinda temp for now, will probably replace them with something nicer later!
  • Controller weapon offset now removed by default
  • Controller ghosting on by default
  • Settings:

    • Settings menu improved!
    • Now has nicer buttons for adjusting settings.
    • Adding settings for:

      • Super sampling (Be careful you don't set this too high and ruin your FPS though! ;) )
      • Volume
      • By popular request, controller visiblity, offsetting & ghosting

    • Better play space scaling settings in options
    • Adding settings caps to the options menu

  • Adjusted timing of various voice clips so they happen at more reasonable times
  • Settings now have reasonable caps.




Bug Fixes:



  • Fixed a bug where it was possible to drop or lose your hands, phew!
  • Fixed some duplicated level IDs. Stats should track properly for all levels now!
  • Fixed physics settings that caused some weapons to move in a volitile manner if the framerate fell below 90fps
  • Fixed a bug where some tutorial voice lines wouldn't play
  • Also fixed a bug where some tutorial voice lines could play twice!
  • Fixed a bug where the level select intro voice line wouldn't play
  • Fixed some tree placement issues & lighting issues
  • Fixed some issues with construction level #2
  • Fixed an issue with the fog on the pre-game menu
  • Fixed some misc issues with voice lines
  • Misc bug fixes


Misc Changes:



  • Now updated to unity 5.5
  • Updated SteamVR and NewtonVR
  • Refraction effects have been removed from all shaders (ice blocks, water, etc), as these were quite expensive for performance.
  • Adjusted volume of some voice lines (Disappointed! line)
  • Minor improvements to the tutorial
  • Minor adjustments have been made to the first tutorial level to make it a bit more comfortable to play.

1.1.3 released! Bug fixes!

Fixes:


- Fixed an issue where the tutorial jumped to the level select and the game uh, broke! Sorry about that, thanks to all who reported it!
- Fixed some audio issues
- Fixed some error spam
- Fixed certain numbers on the clipboard always showing as 0
- Fixed a case where the settings screen may not have weapons, hopefully!
- Other minor fixes.

Improvements:


- Level select now should now not always start on the first level!


Note: I've noticed an increase in the amount of dropped frames. I'm not sure if this is just something wrong with the latest unity version, or something my end, or if I've broken something! If you're having performance issues, please let me know, and I'll get it fixed asap!

1.1.2 released - minor fixes

Fixes:


- Fixed an issue where the on construction level the totem may have immediately broken upon start - sorry this took so long to fix, we were away for Unite!
- Fixed an issue where the totem would spawn a lot of particles on breaking

Improvements


- Added a 'sunset' version of Corinth
- Added a subtle particle effect for the target height to build to on construction levels

1.1.1 released! Scalable, Improved physics & more

Improved physics! Room scale size changing! Turn off controller models! More interaction with followers! Office improved slightly! Improved hand grabbing! Graphical improvements!

(Some of these changes were already live in the beta channel, they are now in the main build!)

KNOWN ISSUES:


- Totem makes a lot of particles when broken.

Full changelog:


- Major physics stability changes. Please give us feedback on how these affect the game!
- Changed grabbing physics to be more stable & consistant.
- Options screen added
- Can adjust world scale to fit smaller rooms
- Can now disable controller models from being shown & relocate held weapons to hands (instead of infront of the contollers)
- Weapons in office re-organized and should now all be pickup-able!
- Fixed the drawer physics in the office from glitching.
- Fixed an issue where some blocks that shouldn't of been breakable could be broken.
- Worshippers can now be knocked around a bit more!
- Level start dialog should not replay after every reset! Sorry for the annoyance!
- Blocks should no longer 'jerk' when released with hands
- Worshippers should no longer die by walking to stationary blocks. Silly worshippers!
- Fixed the mass on the info signs for each level
- You should now have a weapon for each hand in all levels

Graphical Changes:


- Changed Anti-aliasing from FXAA to SMAA. This should result in things looking very slightly better!
- Ice & other shader improvements
- Some particle effect changes
- Some more variation in worshippers!
- Fixed some issues with the block models that may have ended up rendering as "holes" in the blocks!
- Office now has a door. Yup.

Let me know if there's any issues!

EDIT: To get to the settings menu without doing the tutorial first, press and hold the application menu button on the vive controller (small button above the touchpad), you should be taken to the level select, you may then press the settings button on the desk to get to the options. However, you will have to restart the game after saving your options to go back to the tutorial! This will be fixed in a future update

1.1.0beta released!

SUMMARY:


Major physics stability changes. More interaction with followers. Minor graphical improvements.

To opt into the beta, right click on Babel: Tower to the Gods on Steam, go to properties, go to the betas tab, and change from NONE to beta. Then close the window, it should now update to the beta!

Full change log below!


KNOWN ISSUES:


- Grabbing blocks is buggy & difficult. Should be fixed for the next update.
- Totem makes a lot of particles when broken.

Major changes / fixes:


- Major physics stability changes. Please give us feedback on how these affect the game!
- Fixed an issue where some blocks that shouldn't of been breakable could be broken.
- Worshippers can now be knocked around a bit more!
- Level start dialog should not replay after every reset! Sorry for the annoyance!
- Blocks should no longer 'jerk' when released with hands.


Minor fixes:


- Worshippers should no longer die by walking to stationary blocks. Silly worshippers!
- Fixed the mass on the info signs for each level.
- You should now have a weapon for each hand in all levels.

Graphical Changes:


- Changed Anti-aliasing from FXAA to SMAA. This should result in things looking very slightly better!
- Ice shader improvements
- Some particle effect changes
- Some more variation in worshippers!

Changes from previous beta build:


- Options screen added
- Can now disable controller models from being shown & relocate held weapons to hands (instead of infront of the contollers)
- Weapons in office re-organized and should now all be pickup-able!
- Fixed the drawer physics in the office from glitching.


Version 1.0.3!

v1.0.3 is now live! If there's any issues, let me know!

Fixes and changes:


Gameplay / Design


  • Blocks now fall in faster after resetting a level.
  • Totems are now more volatile! If you interact with them for too long they'll glow and shatter! (Fixed level cheesing)
  • Added a button to replay the tutorial on the start screen (Will only show after tutorial has been completed)
  • When going to the level select, there's now a transition screen to ensure you're not standing in the middle of a desk!
  • Fixed some cases where the totem would fall but not count as a fail - the totem will now shatter if too far away from the tower horizontally.
  • Tutorial blocks aren't breakable again - there were some issues with this. Should be fixed again at a later date.
  • Scaled the tutorial levels down a tiny bit - they're still a bit bigger than I'd like though!


Audio:


  • Blocks now have breaking sounds.
  • Audio stutter should now be fixed.
  • Unlit obelisks should no longer make fire noises. Oops.
  • Weapons should have better collision audio.
  • Fixed some dialogue that was ordered wrong.


Graphical:


  • Fixed cloud shader to not be affected by fog.
  • Graphical fixes for the sensibly sized drawer in the office.
  • Removed some redundant / pointless signs.
  • Important notes on signs should now be more obvious.
  • Fixed restart hint not showing on some levels.


Misc Fixes:


  • Settings changes will now be saved.
  • Game saving is now threaded, should fix frame drops upon saving the game.
  • General improvements & minor optimizations.

Version 1.0.2!

v1.0.2 is now live! Let me know if you have any issues!


FIXES & CHANGES



  • On the tutorial, you now get your weapons BEFORE the tower falls in. This should some accidental tower destruction.
  • Tutorial re-ordered to feel like there's a bit less waiting around. (Still needs less)
  • Tutorial level 3 is now slightly different from the previous levels & easier to complete :)
  • Clipboard numbers should now be set on level end.
  • There's now landing-area when going to the level select that prompts you to stand in a safe area before automatically going to the level select, to make sure you don't end up standing in a desk, etc :)
  • Achievement messages should no longer play when already unlocked.
  • You now have a left hand and a right hand instead of two right hands! They also animate! Picking up works a lot better too now! :)
  • Totem will now break if moved too far from the tower horizontally
  • Changed a few level descriptions to make things a little bit more obvious

Babel - Initial release & known issues

Thanks for everyone who's expressed an intrest in Babel: Tower to the Gods!

A few warning about current issues in this build:
On the tutorial, once the tower falls in, please keep your controllers facing away from the tower!
We drop your weapons into your hands a second later, and generally people seem to be trying to poke it with the controllers when this happens, the weapons will spawn infront of the controllers inside the towers an uh, blow it up, usually. Yeah, we'll fix that.


The tutorial intro is really long - We'll shorten this out / add some more stuff for you to do soon!

The clipboard in your hand after the level finishes does not have the correct numbers of it - looks like this isn't updating!

The tutorial is a tad long. You'll have to complete 3 levels, then will be taken to the level select.

When you go to the level select from the tutorial - your placement migtht be off. Walk to the middle of your office - you might have to walk through the desk! (We'll fix this soon)

Achievement messages may replay themselves after restarting the game.

Two right hands - this one is due to us basing the art on Bruce himself who actua- okay not really, we'll fix this one soon! (No guarantees your hands won't be backwards though, if you swap the controllers)


We'll fix these issues ASAP, but we're away for EGX Rezzed for the next few days!