Here's a regular update just before the summer holidays. ːsteamhappyː
In a nutshell, this update is important because following a request from a player and his niece, I've decided to add a checkpoint mechanic to some of the more difficult and/or longer levels.
I've also taken the opportunity to fix 2-3 annoying bugs here and there, add a new level (level 28) and a few improvements.
Blah blah blah... I'm not so good at introductions so let's get straight to the details:
Level 28
Yes, a new level. I'm taking advantage of this update to add the latest level I worked on past weeks: Cave, level 28.
This level will force you to use the red and blue blocks to make your way through, but watch out for the snakes... You've been warned. I won't say any more. Enjoy.
Checkpoints
Checkpoints. This is a feature I've been wanting to implement for a long time.
So... I thought it was time to tackle it. After a few weeks coding it and testing it, here it is!
The idea is that the colour of the flag is the one of the player who reaches it first.
it doesn't change the story or the objectives of the level. It is just a little extra challenge for players who want to compete with each other in co-op mode.
Just bear in mind that this feature is brand new and that I haven't yet had a chance to try it out with up to 3 or 4 players.
So it's possible that you'll still come across bugs. Please, don't hesitate to share them with me so that I can fix them.
Your help is really precious, and I'd like to thank you a thousand times over.
Improvements
Enhanced pterodactyl boss’s animation when players defeat him;
If the food falls into the water, it falls more slowly and can no longer be collected;
Cleaned a lot of old code no longer needed (approx. 152 event lines that were here for legacy);
Bug fixes
If a player dies and the level is restarted, sometimes the black overlay did not disappear;
I'm going back on what's next. Cave level 29, cave boss, a dino merchant (you can already spot some sprites of him/her/they, don't know yet, on the overworld map) and much more.
Since the last update in April, I've spent a lot of time replaying old levels. On my own, but also with my son to check that everything seems to be working properly in co-op.
Unfortunately, we've found two glitches. One that prevents you from progressing through the level with the spider queen (level 23) and another that can sometimes ruin the experience in co-op mode. If one player dies (and is put in a bubble) and the other is alive, the level still restarts.
That's why this update. And I'm taking the opportunity to add a new level with a new non-player character, 3 new achievements to unlock, and 2 accessibility options as requested by some of you.
Here are some more details about what this update includes:
Level 27
Cave level 27 introduces a new non-playable character called "Rolleo", a rolling rock, that will ask you to push him all the way through the end of the level. Good luck!
Accessibility options
Via the options menu on the start screen or on the pause screen, you can now toggle on/off screen shake effects.
There is also a second option that allows you to toggle on/off the usage of a pixel font for texts. If you set this option to off, a high resolution font will be used instead for all texts in the game.
Quality of life improvements
I added a few more quality improvements such as:
Added some fireworks visual effects to make the end of level 23 look more like a spider party;
Enhanced automatic restart level animation when a npc dies or is blocked;
Added particles to pea plants projectiles so that it is easier to identify them while moving/jumping around;
Bug fixes
This update brings important bug fixes that could prevent players from progressing or even ruin co-op. I highly recommend you to update the game, especially if you play with more than one player.
List of bug fixes included:
In level 23, sometimes Queen Charlene (the spider Queen) was stuck at the end of the level preventing players from completing it;
Sometimes npc’s pin sprite was shown opposite direction;
Fixed an issue that could ruin co-op as if a player dies, the level restarts even if the others are alive;
Fixed an issue where sometimes when hitting enter or using arrow keys at start of a level it showed part of the pause menu;
Regarding these 3 new achievements, I won't spoil them. I will let you discover & enjoy them yourselves.
I'm going back on what's next. More cave levels, cave boss, and much more. Thanks for reading so far.
Update v135 - Food types, quality of life improvements & bug fixes
5 months have already passed since the last update and here I am again with a new one. ːsteamhappyː
The content in this update is already paving the way for the next one, but after weeks of fixing bugs and improving some features I thought it was time to release them so that I can focus on what's next: latest cave levels.
Here are some more details about what this update includes:
Additional food types
I've been asking around on socials what kind of food you'd like to see in the game and from your responses I've added the following:
On the character select screen, you can press the F keyboard key (or Y button on an Xbox controller) to swap between food types. Your food type preference will be saved automatically.
If you want to see a specific food type in the game, let me know in the comments below. I will review it and do my best to add it to the roadmap.
Quality of life improvements
I regularly read reviews you leave on the game store page, and based on your feedbacks I added a bunch of quality improvements such as:
On overworld map, you can now see the total number of eggs collected;
If an egg has been collected already in a level, this egg will have a fade effect of 50% opacity in that level so that it is easier to understand it has been collected already. You can recollect it, but it won't be added to the total eggs you own;
Added some screen transition animations between the overworld map and levels;
Simplified layout on character select screen by removing a couple of not so useful texts and replacing them with icons and input sprites related to input method (gamepad or keyboard);
New input buttons and less texts on following screens: character selection screen, overworld map screen, dialogs in levels;
Back action on overworld map screen now redirects players to character selection screen instead of start screen;
I'd like to thank you again for giving me your feedbacks as it helps me ship a better game for you and others.
Bug fixes
And as usual in any updates, some bug fixes such as:
Start screen: fixed a bug where sometimes the “Zzz” animation was shown when baby dino was walking to the right of the screen;
Savegame file: fixed a bug where egg collected was added twice to total eggs collected;
Character select screen: fixed a bug where dinos for player 2, 3 or 4 were not shown sometimes;
Level 17 (Beach): fixed a bug where it was impossible to break the egg crate preventing players to collect the egg in this level;
Level 22 (Cave): mushroom was not falling down after tnt explodes resulting in players being stuck and can not go back up to finish level;
Time for an update! Here is what's new with version 134. ːsteamhappyː
Steam Cloud
It's been a while since I wanted to create another save system for the game. More efficient, more flexible, and above all effortless for players.
That's why I'm very happy to announce that the game is now compatible with Steam Cloud, meaning that saves are automatically synchronized across multiple computers if needed.
I tested it myself and it works very well. I started a game on my desktop computer (running Windows), resumed the game on my laptop (running Linux) and then finished the game on the SteamDeck.
That said, as the save system has been rebuilt from scratch when you launch the update (v134), you'll need to uninstall the game completely first. In the future, however, you shouldn't have to do this. The game will merge the new files and the save file.
5 new cave levels
As mentioned in the last beta update posted in July earlier this year, I've added the first 5 levels of World 3 (Cave). These levels are now available in production, so there's no longer any need to use the beta branch.
In the meantime, I'm continuing to work on the next levels. I've removed the "All Cave levels completed" achievement, as until world 3 is completed this achievement doesn't really make sense. It will be added later, once development on this world is completed.
About translations
I've created an article in the game community about translations.
In summary, I've decided to remove the translations from the Steam store page because I plan to completely revise its content soon and also because I've decided to concentrate first on adding content to the game. Existing translations will of course remain in the game. And once worlds 3, 4 and 5 are completed, I intend to create another shared file for the translations so that those who wish to help me translate the game into their languages can do so.
Bug fixes
As usual, this update comes with a bunch of small improvements here and there, as well as a few bug fixes that should enhance the gameplay experience.
World 3: Cave - 5 additional levels now available in the beta branch
Title sums it all. I pushed a new update on the beta branch of the game which includes the boss fight with the pterodactyl, and 5 first levels of the cave environment.
The update should be stable enough in solo, but may have a few bugs here and there in co-op. Feedbacks on difficulty are also very welcome. I'll leave this update in the beta branch until end of August waiting for feedbacks from testers and players and then push it to production if everything goes well.
I'll try to stick to this workflow in the future. I mean releasing small updates on the beta branch with upcoming levels, leave them a moment for testing & debugging, then push to production and so on.
I plan to publish such updates every 3 to 6 months max, depending on my availability to work on the game in my free time.
I am about to release a new content update on the beta branch this summer with 5 first levels of the new Cave environment. This level with the Spider Queen will be included, and will be the third one of World 3. The only last thing I need to push the update is a name for our dear 8 legged lady.
In a recent tweet I asked for name ideas and honestly it was a blast to read your nice suggestions. As I did for previous NPCs, I created a poll to help me make a decision and I would like you to make a choice following your preferences.
Level design-wise you start this level like other ones with a NPC. Once dialog ends, your quest starts. You have to help the Spider Queen reach the end of the Cave by toggling on/off red and blue blocks. If Spider Queen is not on the ground, she will spread a spider web and will stay in the air safely. Jump on her back to make her walk again. That's the main mechanic you'll have to deal with in the whole level, plus ofcourse a few extra secret areas.
Since the last update back in January this year, some of you recently reported that the game was not working anymore on SteamOS and on the SteamDeck.
It took me some time to figure things out. Apparently this bug is on a more higher level as it affects all games on Steam that are using NWJS technology as a wrapper for native builds. Valve is also working on an official fix. Anyway before waiting for that official fix, here is a quick update we - together with some other Steam players - have been testing on the beta branch and that seems to work fine.
If you want to learn more about this issue, you can find the related Steam forum post here.
Thanks again for your help and for playing Baby Dino Adventures. I'm going back to work on World 3 levels.
Talk to you soon, Antoine G. :coolcera:
Poll: vote for Pterodactyl's name
Time flies, and I progress one step at a time on the development of the next content update.
I'm currently finalizing the 2nd boss that Baby Dino will face at the end of the Beach level, and I can't figure out how to name him/her properly.
I asked for a few ideas last year via this tweet back in December, and so far we received 30 different suggestions.
Ofcourse I have some preferences, but I'd like to have your opinion as well so I put together a Google Form so that you can participate in the poll.
Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best for this new year. ːsteamhappyː
It has been months that I did not release an update for the game so I thought it was finally time for me to do so, and what a better time than right now to start this new year correctly?
Well, this update doesn't contain any additional content as I have been fixing issues reported by players on our Discord server for the past months and added some small enhancements on existing features here and there.
The gaming experience should feel better, and especially for you playing in local multiplayer or online via the Steam Remote Play Together feature. Lots of bug fixes are mostly related to issues found while more than 2 players are playing together.
Thanks a lot for playing Baby Dino and your help!
I'll now continue working on this World 3 content update. So far 5 levels of 10 are already done.
See you later, Antoine G.
Below you can find a complete list of all changes included in this patch note:
All moving objects (players, enemies, npcs, collectibles, etc) are now paused accordingly when you pause the game;
Replaced overworld map tileset and sprites color palette with default one used by the game: ENDESGA64. Previously it was ENDESGA16 so there were less colors available which leaded us with less possibilities;
This stars vfx when a player is damaged is now following its related player position accordingly;
In local coop, if a player was dead because of water and then pop out of a bubble, this player would remain rotated. Now fixed;
Dino’s were not falling asleep anymore. Now fixed. Code was commented because a rework was needed. “isSleeping” variable is now on “playerCollision” object and not on “playerSprite” object as previously done;
Sometimes hearts weren’t positioned correctly on their related player position;
Do not show heart count of player on start screen;
Seaguls weren’t triggered with other players than player 1. Added a “pick nearest player to seagul” condition to make it work;
Disabled player collisions with water if a player is inside a bubble;
Added missing translation to texts on character select screen;
On player select screen, only player 1 was shown if we already selected players at least once;
Disabled collisions for bubbled players when they collide with a boss. This could lead to unintended boss or player damages;
Food icon was always showing ‘meat’ regardless of food chosen. Now fixed;
Some levels (like Beach - Level 15) did have a wrong total amount of boxes. So I added a function that counts automatically the total amount of breakable boxes in a level;
Some metal boxes that were supposed to surround the heart box on a platform in roughly the middle of the level did not spawn in correctly;
Input helper sprites position for doors and npcs dialog fixed. Sometimes these were shown completly off screen;
Triceratops attack will now only trigger when it is visible on screen to avoid having surprising attacks;
Triceratops should no longer start attacking while in a dialog;
Small Update v129
Here we go for yet another update full of bug fixes and enhancements.
The co-op feature should now be stable enough for you to enjoy it up to 4 players as I have been carefully debugging and testing each bugs you sent me.
I can't say how much your help means a lot to me. Baby Dino couldn't be the game it is today without your help.. So.. Thank you again, and I hope you’ll enjoy these changes.
I’ll now get back to World 3 stuff, and continue working on these 10 new levels for the next content update - which is Cave.
Talk to you soon, Antoine G.
Find below a complete list of all changes included in this update.
Improvements
Bubble behavior
I reworked bubble behavior entirely, and fixed couple of major issues. Playing in co-op should now be stable.
Level will restart only if all players are bubbled. If at least one player is alive, then others will pop in a bubble. It is possible to pop out of a bubble while jumping or if a player is on the ground on a safe area. It is also possible to move faster near the closest alive player while you’re bubbled by holding down the jump button.
Climb ability
I also reworked the climbing behavior, and fixed a few issues related to the recent addition of local co-op.
Player will automatically climb a ladder/vine if he/she is falling/jumping and overlapping a ladder/vine. If player is on the ground, idle or moving, and is overlapping a ladder/vine he/she won’t climb automatically unless he/she presses up or down buttons;
Bees behavior
Enhanced bees behavior as they were not mean to work in local co-op.
Bees will spawn every 4 seconds (might change it later after some tests or players feedback) and follow closest player. Apart from that bees behavior remains the same: face them to prevent them from moving, jump on their head to stun them and send them back to the hive they came from.
Pea Plants
Some players reported me they had difficulties seeing pea plant projectiles so that's why I changed their color to yellow (instead of green previously). I hope this way it will be easier for these players to identify them.
Bug fixes
Player Select screen
Some dinos were not appearing once players join the game;
Players can no longer move their dinos around the screen. Dino controls are disabled on this screen;
Game will no longer start unless all players are ready;
Overworld Map
Fixed an issue where the bottom bar would not show that a player collected an egg in last level played;
Sometimes camera on overworld map was not updated depending on player progression;
NPC changes
If a level has been completed already, first npc dialog sentence is no longer skipped;
Sometimes NPC avatar was misplaced. Now fixed;
Level changes:
Level 2 (Forest):
Replaced that crate making a weird song (thanks to Alex from Reality Blind for reporting this);
Added an info panel to explain players how to run at the beginning of the level;
Level 3 (Forest):
Reworked the entry level to avoid messy situations in co-op;
That TNT and Nitro wall was supposed to be destroyed when a thwomp collides with the closest TNT, now fixed;
Level 4 (Forest): optimized level for local co-op with a few changes;
Level 9 (Forest): reworked some level platforms so that players don’t fall through them accidentally;
Level 11 (Beach): Modified level a bit. Mostly added background elements and decorations when zooming out in local co-op;
Level 12 (Beach):
Replaced that heart crate making a weird song, redesigned some parts of the level for easier cooperation (thanks to Alex from Reality Blind and to our composer Mickael for reporting these issues);
Once crabs enter in collision, it now changes their respective direction to the opposite. End of level should be easier this way;
Level 14 (Beach): optimized level for local co-op with a few changes;
Level 15 (Beach): optimized level for local co-op with a few changes, and made some changes also on how to access secret areas;
Level 18 (Beach): fixed a couple of tile issues here and there in the level;
Level 19 (Beach): Fixed an issue where players couldn’t complete the octopus quest if they first collect the sunglasses;
Other changes
Removed player thwomp ability as it was causing lots of issues such as randomly blocking players from moving;
Green, yellow, blue, and pink baby dinos where missing a color parameter while climbing. Added;
Fixed water height sprite when zooming out (in co-op);
Fixed issues where crates that are floating on water could push solid objects around;
Fixed a few issues where only player 1 could use doors. Now any player can use them. Also, it is now possible to enter doors using gamepad analog stick when pushing it up (thank you Michael from Festival LaBD for this suggestion);
Fixed trap platform (as seen in Beach levels) issues where sometimes other players than player 1 could simply not land on trap platform and just fall through it;
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