Beyond the Storm
Update 0.9.0.1 - Squashing a small bug with a four-legged contraption
Anniversary Update!
It's hard to believe, but it's already been a year! Wow! I still remember this very day last year, sweating bullets while coding every tiny detail of Beyond the Storm to release it on Steam!
Clearly, the launch didn't go as planned, requiring numerous, and I mean numerous, bug fixes and adjustments. But I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Beyond the Storm community:
From the depths of my little game developer heart, I appreciate how hard you've worked to keep the game alive, even during my "absence" on Steam. A lot has happened in this past year, and I thought I'd have more time to work on the game, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
On the flip side, I've seen community members helping each other, folks writing fantastic (truly fantastic!!) reviews about the game, praising it on podcasts, and even kids without computers at home exclaiming at expos, "This game is so powerful; too bad you won't be here forever." And all I can say is thank you for this incredible reception! I just wanted to make the game of my dreams and hoped you'd like it just a little... But oh, how you've liked it! And how much! I love you all! <3
And many of you liked it so much that you noticed some little hiccups in the game, especially in terms of Quality of Life. So, here's my birthday present to you:
- Engine Update
- Dynamic Preloading: No more freezing when loading levels, and it loads faster now. (Sometimes there are artifacts for a few seconds)
- QoL - Compass: Lights in menus indicate where the player should go next.
- QoL - New Datacube Indicator: A light in the main menu indicates when there are new datacubes you haven't read.
- QoL - Completion Percentage: The game now shows how much you've completed it.
I believe the game has learned a lot from you about Quality of Life improvements, and there are more in the pipeline (but they involve tinkering with saves. I want to make sure your saves are preserved when transitioning to a new version!). I THINK the game knows how to count up to 100%, but please let us know if anything strange happens... You never know if games might end up going over 100%, right...?
A "small" big update that paves the way for future Beyond the Storm updates. I know it's still version 0.9.0.0, but I promise you: When it reaches 1.0.0.0, the game will have so much content that you'll be asking to make it smaller (laughs)!
Merry X-mas, and a happy new year!
I think that maybe I've been thanking you all a little too much, but I NEED to do that. You know, develop games is hard, developing games in Brazil is harder, and developing games alone is the hardest. And still, receiving good reviews like the ones I've been receiving (either online or in person, as it was in Brazil Game Show) it's incredible, so I *must* say: OBRIGADO!
(And don't forget to leave a review! They warm my little dev heart! ♥)
I know that Beyond the Storm isn't the *perfect* game, and some of you by now are wondering if the game is dead since there were not updates. The answer is: No, it's not!
What is happening is, actually, a lot of things in the real world: I still have one year to get my master's degree, while I'm working full time, working also on weekends and taking care of my family. This all, mixed up, gives me little or no available time (and energy) to work on the game, but I have a lot of things still planned on it.
All feedback is very much appreciated, and I've been organising it to make a roadmap. Unfortunately, I can't say too much about dates, all I can say is that I have these things planned:
- QoL options: screen shaking, mouse reticle color, color modes
- QoL improvements: game completion percentage, indicators for unplayed levels, "next planet" and datacubes read, movement velocity preview on menu
- Code improvements: Removing unnecessary/refactoring things that consumes a lot of CPU and RAM (the little sinewaves on top-left, for example. That consumes A LOT of RAM, can you believe it?)
- Difficulty options before starting a new game
- Shader improvements: it was planned before the launch (but scrapped since they slowed down the whole game, even with a RTX 3050), along with a "Retro mode"
- D-E-S-T-R-U-C-T
- Arcade mode: Collecting powerups mid game, linear progression
- Boss-rush mode (woo!)
- Adrenaline mode: Like arcade mode, but with permadeath, no mid-levels menus and persistent ship statuses between levels (you WILL need to repair your cells mid-flight, because of the damages on the previous level!)
- More levels, more content, more quests, more planets, more stations, more more: Because why not?
- More bugs: Hey, no dev wants bugs but they still manages to show up so, I'm pre-assuring that there will be bugs.
So, let's chat about the HUGE future that Beyond the Storm still has! If you prefer, join the LeandroGabriel.net discord: https://discord.gg/aax5VrRBPp (Unfortunately I don't have coffee and cookies for visitors, money is short, be sure to bring pizza bois)
Update 0.8.3.1 - Bugs fixing bugs fixing bugs
- Credits screen now works as intended
- A fix on alternate endings, which weren't working properly
- Executable version now updated (I forgot everytime about this)
It's a small update, which maintains the main fixes from 0.8.3.0. The next updates should focus on content updates!
Update 0.8.3.0 - Be besties with your generators
(update ASAP pls)
Fixes from previous version:
- Sometimes, when going to the menu while on a planet, the game crashed, a bug which is related to the sphere effect in mission screen. No longer crashes (I hope)
- Game no more crashes on credits screen if tried to skip using a controller. (Please, no longer crashes, I said!)
- Twiddles of some ships now work as intended. (AV Ghalahan, Hawker-3, Voliera IV)
- Mouse click now works properly when needing to restart the level
- Guided bombs and plasmidium in some levels no more goes for a target that "didn't exist".
- Although the game was intented to play the Tarwen Station, sector A, to progress on the game story, the Sector B was unlocked AND you had power cells right at the beginning. This could led to "unclear directions", as it is intended to play the first level, to advance in the game. Now you will start in the game right where it starts! It makes sense, right?
- At slighest mouse move, the ship goes crazy through the screen BUT NOT ANYMORE if you press any keyboard/controller button.
- Mouse movement when doing twiddles was too much absolute, making difficult to do a circular move, for example. Now they expect a little more mouse movement, and if it detects a small pause in mouse, it returns to center.
- Enemy generation frequency on Enemy Fleet is nerfed overrall, making more easier with less enemies. Phew!
- Mouse now works on the map travel screen.
- Game no longer crashes when selecting a new generator with less cells, and going to redirection screen. I SAID: NO. MORE. CRASHES. (pls)
- Some shops shows sidekicks which goes in front of the ship duplicated, both in left and right sidekicks, when they should be available only as a right sidekick. Sorry, this was intended from the beginning, it was an error. Sorry if you liked to have to front weapons overlapping being full OP and everything.
- On some systems, after a looooooong time executing, the GMS2 engine renderer crashed. Surfaces weren't being properly flushed. GO CRASH SOMEWHERE ELSE, GAME! (not on my wife's laptop, not on my watch!)
Additions:
- GENERATORS GONE WILD! All generators were buffed. RAMP UP THOSE NUMBERS!
- Mouse side buttons now activates sidekick weapons
- Eliminated blank spots on Cartag, sector E, adding more enemies
- Eliminated blank spots on Xtan 6, sector B, adding more enemies
- Added a "Generator efficacy" status on the generator modification menu, to see if the generator can handle the number of cells installed. Now, if you're making a TOTALLY WRONG power cells configuration on your ship, the game will yell at you (not literally)
- Made a little tutorial on the database, about how generators work. RTM!
- Added to the modification menus new equips to the same location where they were discovered. Double checked everything, let me know if something is still failing to appear.
- Now ship moves with WASD too, while key remapping functions aren't done (Mouse + Keyboard fans will love this)
- (A very very very important one) Added a proud logo of Game Maker Studio on title screen! We <3 GMS2
Known bugs and to-do's:
- in the title menu doesn't work as intended, almost 's the entire universe.
- Add borderless fullscreen option
- {?} Bind mouse wheel to change the weapons levels {Maybe useless, now that the arrows are working}
- Add menu option to reduce or disable screen shaking
- Change the flashes of the loading screen, along with the background, to something less aggressive.
- Make key remapping function in menus
- Make a BUGship... I'm wondering what special moves it could do...
Brasil Game Show is over and, once I got home, COVID got here too. Now that I'm feeling well, it's time to update!
Once again, thank you all for the feedback on the game. Also, I've got a HUGE and IMPORTANT feedback from Kris Asick (the guy from Pixelmusement) about how some things can be improved on the game, and I'll be working on every little one with pleasure. Once again, thank you, Kris!
As I've said, it's difficult to make games, and even more difficult when there's almost noone to make QA of it. As far as I've seen on Brasil Game Show, Brazil has HUGE potential in game dev, but we still need A LOT of community's help to make our dreams come true in true playable state. I'm very happy that, even with a rough start, I can say that Beyond the Storm is now reaching that state more and more, thanks to you all! Once again, I apologize for any bugs and, if you encounter any other ones crawling in the depths of my code, don't hesitate: There's a topic in the game's discussion pages to report them directly to me.
Remember: UPDATE ASAP!
Best regards,
Leandro Gabriel
Update 0.8.2.4 - More fixes, more data, more smash, more more
- Bunmer, sector D, now ends properly upon defeating boss.
- Bosses that has no datacubes send now a Warp Cell as prize.
- Datacubes that appeared in levels that was already got (more datacubes in level than it appears on database) now changes to a warp cell.
- Upon level start, shields now have "full - 1" charge.
- Nebula levels wasn't draining the shields, only the shield recharge.
- Nerfed enemy frequency generation in Lunia 3, sector D.
- Hryiat IX's sectors C and F no longer locked when got the proper datacubes.
- Corrected several datacubes referencing DPE in dates, changed to AGS, which stands for "After Galactic Standardization".
- Wormholes now working as intended.
- Corrected miselading information on the datacube "You did it!", directioning the player to Yrillis instead of Hryiat IX
- In menus between levels, mouse now works on database and modification screens.
- The AI on Demo is MUCH better now.
- Included a new option in extras: "Instant Action", which chooses a random ship with random equips, in a random level. Perfect to take a look at the overrall game without needing to improve the ship.
- Repetitive sound with mouse on the main menu doesn't plays anymore.
- No longer shows duplicated datacubes in database
- Modification screens has now visual clues to what to do after modifying anything: descriptive text and colors changing to red if doesn't have enough credits
- Specific levels in late-game that should be played only once now locks properly
Known bugs:
- Sometimes, when going to the menu while on a planet, the game crashes, which is related to the sphere effect in mission screen.
- [REDACTED] in the title menu doesn't work as intended, almost [REDACTED]'s the entire universe.
- On some systems, after a looooooong time executing, the GMS2 engine renderer crashes. I'll be looking into it, probably is something related to surfaces that aren't being properly flushed.
Once again, thanks for everyone who's helping me to squash every little pesty bug (probably it's going to have a BUGship ingame later!), making suggestions and everything! This update has a few more updates since we're at Brasil Game Show by now and, been squashing every little bug that appeared.
Also, I received more feedback about the power generators and, expect a huge improvement on every one of them in the next weeks! Will be no more power issues (unless you don't treat your generators well!)
If you encounter any other bugs, don't hesitate to inform me. There's a topic on discussions to make a lot of suggestions too!
Beyond the Storm on Brasil Game Show 2022
Hi everyone! We're now attending the Brasil Game Show, which starts TODAY and goes until October 12th, here on São Paulo, Brazil, at Expo Center Norte.
If you're passing by, come visit us! We're at the Indie Avenue, booth 35! Come meet me in person, have a little chat and, OF COURSE, play Beyond the Storm: We're with two game stations to play it, along with a "Instant Action" mode: Just come and play!
#BGS2022 #DeVoltaAoJogo #Tyrian #Remake #BeyondTheStorm
Update 0.8.1.0 - Full of bugs. Someone call pest control!
- Mouse movement ingame. The nature of the movement of the game being connected to the ship power cells made me make an approach more link "go-to-there" than 1:1 mouse movement, although I must confess that even I, that prefer kebyoard/game than mouse, liked to control the ship.
- Hryiat IX: Sector B had a crash problem at start (GMS2 duplicated the player somehow)
- Some levels hangs on finish: This happens because of some collectibles that are still out there to collect. The problem was that some of these were going offscreen and didn't disappeared at all.
- Some datacubes didn't parse the strings and shows %1, %2 or %3 mid text.
- Plutenia Station, sector D, is blocking the player totally, making impossible to complete.
- A typo in the first comm datacube collected in Tarwen: Sector A. (Something about warp cells being in beta version only)
- Some equips datacubes didn't compute the item as available. (Like the FoodShip 28 datacube)
- Changed the version on executable. (forgot to do this!)
Known bugs:
- In menu between levels, mouse doesn't work on some options: Database, Interestellar travel and some options in modification menus identified by now.
- Something in the title menu doesn't work as intended, almost destructs the entire universe. Forgot to remove it.
- With mouse, menu options makes repetitive sound forever.
Thanks to everyone which is helping me to squash every little bug found! You're incredible! <3
There's a topic in discussion for us to gather more bugs, smash them and boil some fresh ideas. Be sure to check it.
We have launched!
I'm a bit tired, I must confess. In these last days, sleeping late to make everything done, and now it's time to fix the little bugs (that probably has!) and continue injecting more content on the game!
Obviously, let's talk about the elephant in the room: We had a "little" delay, and I confess that it was all my fault!
Ya know, making games is cool, but it is VERY challenging, that requires concentration, discipline... And this whole situation is a little more challenging when you're the sole developer that makes everything: Programming, story, content, sprites, sounds, music... So, I know that I don't like the term but I feel like a "one-man army".
In the last weeks, I've been sleeping late, 1 AM... 2 AM... Since yesterday, I've slept only two hours, being awake in the morning because my children wakes up in the morning too (as I must too!)
I'm not a full-time game developer. I'm a husband, dad, musician, leader, student, worker... And, to make a real juggling along all these things AND make the game ready to launch... Clearly, it's not easy. I've tried hard in these last weeks to put the game closest to "golden" state. I must confess to you: It should have more content. MUCH more content!
But don't worry: It WILL have much more content! The modular nature of the game allows that we can add a lot more content to it! Check this out:
- DLCs
- More game modes ("Destruct"? Someone?)
- Seasonal special events
- MORE levels
- Steam Workshop integration (Level editor, Ship editor...)
- MORE secrets!
After a little scary thing with the YYC, that made me get a few emails, forums, private messages and everything (probably because YYC thought that it could do scrambled eggs in my code, sending everything everywhere), now the game's working as intended, and I believe that you all will love it!
If you see any bugs crawling everywhere, please, let me know. As I said, I didn't had much sleep this week, maybe there's a thing or another somewhere. If that's the case, let me know, that I'll fix it as soon as possible!
Thank you all for the reception! And remember: Adventure awaits you beyond the storm!
Hour one patch (...what?) - Changing from YYC to VM
PLEASE UPDATE ASAP!