Captain Soda
Update 0.3.3 - Settings menu and button remapping
I've spent the last few weeks here adding settings and button remapping to the game. I added some accessibility options like adjusting the size of the outlines on characters and elements to make it easier to see, or flipping the enemy colours so they pop out more. If anyone would like to see a specific setting or requires something to play, please reach out and let me know! I'll be adding more up until launch to make it as inclusive as possible.
Also! I added a game speed slider, so you can control how slow (or fast!) the game runs! If you find it a bit too slow or want to crank it up to max and play on CAFFEINE MODE, have fun! A slower speed also helps to make the game more accessible to those that need it.
That's all for now! Enjoy the holidays!
Cole
v0.3.2 - Content update: Pursuits! + Feedback changes, patch notes
Releasing a new build that addresses a lot of feedback that I've gotten from you. There's also some new content: Pursuits! These are optional objectives which you can complete for each level in the game that add some extra challenge to the game for those seeking it, and can also give you some fun things to do that you might not have thought about otherwise, like using a specific weapon for the level.
Completing a pursuit will reward you with bottle caps! If you accumulate enough of them, you can unlock the additional flavors of soda that were in the game previously, rather than getting it for money. I think this will be a good change to give the game some more replayability. If I have enough time, the different soda flavors may also do something more than just change the colour of your soda... I would love to get to that, I'll see how things go.
Aside from that, key changes include improvements to the first level in world 3 (should be easier now! Let me know if it's still too hard!), visibility improvements, palette changes and adjustments to the tutorial palette.
Below are the full patch notes with everything that's changed. I hope to hear from you about what you think of the changes and additions. Enjoy!
Cole
--- Patch Notes ---
Main things
- Added a high score tracker for each level
- added "Pursuits" to each level, which are optional objectives for you to complete. you will be rewarded in bottle caps which you can use to get new soda flavors with higher cumulative totals
- Different soda flavors are now unlocked with bottle caps
- Made adjustments to level 1 in World 3. Should be a lot easier to complete now, and I widened the hole to the left of the stage for more safety.
- Added the ability to animation cancel attacks partway through if you use another weapon
- created a money magnet character upgrade that can be bought
Tweaks / Balancing
- Changed the soda challenge on W3L1 from 850% soda to 999%.
- Added more visibility for enemies, the player, enemy projectiles, and traps
- Added new effects for the projectiles from the bubble submachine gun and chaingun
- tweaked colour palettes for better visibility, especially in world 2
- tweaked tutorial colours and added some arrows for better recognizability and clarity
- made some tweaks to the "Sandbox" level in world 2. Blocks should be easier to destroy
- Increased damage of the bubble submachine gun and bubble chaingun
- increased damage of the bottle rocket launcher
- increased damage and charge time of the bottle rocket sprayload to make it feel more powerful
- increased damage and animation time of the soda cannon -- it should feel very powerful now!
- Increased damage of the soda machine
- Jet dash now breaks breakable blocks in an area around it when you collide into a wall
- mouse is now locked when in the level map
Bug fixes:
- layering different weapon projectiles on top of an enemy no longer results in infinite damage
- bloom sometimes going out of control if you die and kill an enemy at the same time
- Game speedup when running on a lower framerate is now capped, preventing some crashes and extreme collision/speed bugs
- various small fixes
Beta Update v0.3.1 - Performance toggle settings
Thanks to one player who reached out to me regarding the performance issues they were still facing, I added in some buttons in the pause menu which will toggle some visual effects in the game, which should give better performance for low-end PCs. I plan to further improve performance by launch, so please open a discussion on the steam forums or on the Discord if you are still experiencing performance issues!
Thanks, and happy playing,
Cole
Beta update: No more lag! - Now's the best time to give some feedback
Rolling out a patch in time for the weekend that fixes the slowdown that was happening when there was a lot happening on screen, or for lesser performance from people's PC's, allowing you to play the game at full speed at all times!
This fix addresses all the lag that was happening. Rather than the game lagging, I have made it so that the frame rate will take the hit instead of the game speed. I will be optimizing the game more up until launch, so if you experience any severe issues let me know!
This whole week has been focused on fixing that issue, but for next week I will be focusing back on getting more feedback on the beta content. Since the beta started, I have added controller support, controller rumble, the first pass of the soundtrack, and now fixed the huge performance issues, so for those that have yet to test the game, give feedback, or were unable to play due to performance, this weekend is the best time play and let me know what you think!
Thank you to those that have tested it already and given feedback for things like the performance and controller support. I want to get a lot more feedback with further testing so I can use that to refine the content and polish the game. That's what I am focusing on over the next couple months with the feedback for this next session.
... I've also experimented a little bit with the game speed. I may perhaps add a "Caffeine mode" later on, that lets you play at 2x or even 3x speed.
That's all for now. Have a great weekend, and be sure to check out the new stuff and let me know your thoughts!
Cole
Bonus patch: First demo of the soundtrack! -- Participating in DevGAMM!
I have replaced all the placeholder copyright music in the game with this demo soundtrack, so there should no longer be any copyright issues.
I wanted to get this in the build in time for the DevGAMM game festival happening RIGHT NOW! You can go and check out all of the games that are in the festival to find your new anticipated releases (there's over 200!). More details can be found on the website.
https://devgamm.com/fest2022/games/
Thanks for playing, I hope you enjoy it!
Cole
Controller support has been added!
I am using a custom XBOX wireless controller in order to test the controller support. I have also tested it with a PS4 controller, and it works nearly perfectly (the PS button is the equipment menu...). In general, most older controller types should work (I hope).
However, due to the technicalities of each type of gamepad being manufactured differently, the mapping of the buttons may not be correct or be completely buggy. I'm still trying to figure out a good solution to make sure that the gamepad controls are at least not buggy. At this time I do not have control remapping settings in the game, but I plan to add them before the game launches.
For controllers, I have given it an aim-correction feature for the time being. When I get to adding the settings menu I will be sure to have a setting there to adjust it. Aside from controls, I have also added a "laser sight" on your weapons which points in the direction of your cursor, which should make it easier to tell where you are aiming.
I hope you can check it out and let me know how it works for you! Send me a message on the steam forums or in the discord to let me know what gamepad you used (and if it had any issues).
On a side note, I'm aware of the slowdown the game is experiencing and will be tackling the optimization issues next in the coming weeks.
Have a good one!
Cole
October 5 - Minor feedback changes
- Added some tweaks to movement, especially when using the dash weapons. Should be easier to clear corners and perform general platforming
- Money has a magnet effect when you get near it
Beta patch notes - Sept 28 2022
- Removed "test" levels from world 1 -- They were not meant to be in the build
Sept 22 - Placeholder music toggle
The alpha playtest has finished.
For those that played it I would love it if you left some feedback on what you liked and didn't like. (a big thank you to those that already did so! A lot of great feedback has been given that I will take into account). It's a short 5-minute survey.
Feedback form: https://forms.gle/5VsdJj4ie6PGhM9v8
As for the future of Captain Soda, I plan to keep developing more weapons, levels, enemies, and surprises that I hope you will enjoy. The sound effects and music too, of course :P this was just a gameplay playtest, I purposefully didn't include sound because I only wanted to focus on the art, gameplay and feeling at this time. I may also conduct another playtest in the future with a select few to test all the content and sound before release. If you want to be one of those few, definitely join the Discord.
Discord: discord.gg/G2rC6gH93C
Look forward to it!
Cole