To commemorate being part of the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase event, I built a new demo version of EMUUROM! It's version 0.8.2.1, and it contains many quality of life updates, and even some new content as well. See, during some playtests I've noticed people are starting to doze off during the intro cutscene. I had to do something about it!
And eventually, I did. I did have a nagging feeling that besides being rambling and technical in nature, the intro didn't really serve its main purpose, that is, give a clear goal for the player. I liked the general geeking-outery in the old intro, but after all, I had written much, but said a little.
I had to think about how to approach overhauling the intro. I didn't like the thought of rewriting everything, but it seemed more and more inevitable by the minute...
Then, one day, when I was taking a shower (somehow, that's where these kind of ideas usually come to me), everything just clicked. I understood immediately what the intro needed! It was dialogue - and not just any dialogue, but dialogue with... Oops, let's not spoil everything! You get to experience it yourself!
Changelog
New intro cutscene with all-new dialogue!
Multiple new & revised EMUUDEX entries
Kaakana is a long boi now. They're fun and bouncy, and most importantly, easier to jump on!
Once again, boss is easier (and has a new phase) (and the phases are signposted better)
Stones are not scannable after the first scan
Level design changes
Numerous bugfixes
Ungh, I'm getting lazier and lazier with these changelogs.... but not with the game, mind you! Now that I'm done with the demo updates, I can once again try to stop procrastinating with my main quest - finishing the god damn endgame.
I want to finish EMUUROM during this century, after all!
0.7.0 Intuitive interface (and many other changes)
After a long period of radio silence, it's time for a new demo!
Last autumn, I was stuck in a "just effing get it released" rut, which ultimately didn't get the game any more done than what it was. Thanks to the power of constructive feedback (and friends, mostly friends), I'm back! And now I'm in a productive "I want this game to be its best version / but let's also get this done someday" mood! I've quietly been busy working on two major areas: crafting a new, more consistent UI, and making many long overdue bugfixes.
Now those two checkboxes are ticked, and it's time for a new demo! To commemorate a new release, I've even updated the Steam page. New gifs, new descriptions... do you like it?
Oh, and here's the changelog for aaaall the things I got done for 0.7.0!
Changelog
UI
Overhaul map UI, make it fullscreen.
Map now opens in the room player is in
Show found & scanned constellations in map
Fine-tune dex UI as well
Use same button for exiting dex & map
Add new unintrusive popup UI for scanning EMUUROM you have previously found
Also show the popup when scanning the constellation
Make new EMUUROM scan entry full screen with black background for added clarity
All UI elements now have a 1pixel wide outline
Add fadeout: UI elements now disappear smoothly
Config screen: Simpler graphics, hold any key to continue, both input methods deactivated by default
Title screen: Add progress bar for deleting your save
Edit boss intro screen appearance. After the boss is beaten, its text is blue.
Gameplay
Only DOWN can be used for swimming down, JUMP now swims up
Kotiloma can be moved when they're scanned
Kuru Otukka return to sleep in their original location (makes first room easier)
Don't show sign runes when scanning the sign
Edit sign entry texts: add runes, add title pages with graphics, add more hints.
Fine-tune level design in multiple rooms.
Make 3-5 part of KURU biome
Choose scanned EMUUROM based on how many scanlines are scanning them
Edit background tiles to make them appear less solid
Add short slowmo scene after beating boss, feels better!
Add tall rune signposts
Fixes
Fix missing graphics in the intro cutscene
Fix OOB crash
Fix constellation being scanned even if rays don't touch the comet
Speedrun mode toggle is now saved properly
Fix spoilery OOB stuff
Other minor fixes
0.6.3 Runes of EMUU
Oops, new update!?
Surprise! I've updated the demo a few times now, so it's time for a new changelog devlog thingy! These updates pack mostly some new visuals, let's start with the biggest one: runes!
I had a busy weekend and created a runic alphabet system from scratch. I've dreamed of having one in EMUUROM for a long time, and last Friday everything just started pouring out of me... I guess the time was ripe! The runes represent letters arranged into syllable units, and it's designed for writing my mother's tongue: the Savonian dialect of Finnish. By a friend's suggestion, I call them EMUURIIMUU ('riimu' means rune in Finnish). I'd like to talk about the system in detail, so I'm gonna write a longer devlog in the future - stay tuned!
Runes are not the only change, though - for example, I also added some new graphics to the intro cutscene. It felt a bit too barren and text-heavy, so at least there are now some images to look at :D
And I was going to work on the final boss.... Oh well, I think these additions are important - and this is my game, so I get to choose what I'll procrastinate on!
Changelog
0.6.3
new intro cutscene graphics!
new constellation animation
controls test screen colours are now clearer
optimize rune drawing routine
small graphics fixes
0.6.2.1
sleeping ahavena cannot be awoken anymore
small graphics fixes
0.6.2
add EMUURUNES
appear in signposts
appear in various screens
redesign area intro screen, does not block input
fix title screen fadout
remove too easy exit from boss
0.6.1. Pageturner's paradox!
Hello again!
EMUUROM development is going smoothly. We're nearing the finish line - there's only two bosses & ending cutscene left to implement... and then the game is done! Can you believe it?! Maybe the game WILL be released this year, after all!
As late game development has progressed, there have been some changes on the early areas as well. I had a playtesting session last month that resulted in a few important UI fixes. I wanted to incorporate those fixes into the demo as well - it makes the beginning of the game just a little smoother.
Sooo, the rumours about 0.5.4 being the final demo were greatly exaggerated...
Changelog:
Add flashing lights warning
Make Dex UI make more sense
Add page indicator to dex view
Clearer boss progression
Make scanner rotation a bit slower
Fix some text entries
Refactor Save format (breaks old saves.)
Fix palette bug with controller
Fix scanner collision
Fix: Do not show big text before acquiring scanner
Fix music staying on after leaving room 24
Other tiny bugfixes
0.5.4. Have you heard of EMUULEHTO?
I've updated the EMUUROM beta and now the demo catches the beta, going from 0.5.1 straight to the most recent version: 0.5.4! The most striking change is visible right after running the game, but there's also more....
Changelog:
- a new cinematic intro! - new flavor text in forms of poems! This means many signposts were rewritten completely. - many EMUUROM descriptions updated as well - an updated HATTU room (secret) - level design fixes for a smoother experience
0.5.1 vauhtista
A new update already? And it's not bugfixes???
As per popular request, EMUUROM now has a SPEEDRUN MODE. For the time being, it can only be toggled with keyboard by pressing SHIFT+R. When I update EMUUROM to use the TIC-80 version 1.0, speedrun mode will be available for toggling in the pause menu.
Changelog
Speedrun mode! Press SHIFT+R to toggle.
Faster soft resetting in title screen
faster config mode skip
Speedrun timer tied to real time instead of game time: soft resetting adds up to the timer now!
For version 0.5.0 players: Save format changed a bit to accommodate the new mode, so you will see a "Save data compatible" message which means your old save was converted to the new format successfully.
0.5.0 Mjäy
I've been quietly working on Harju, the second-to-last area, which is now finally done - only one area left! Development of Harju has introduced many tweaks to tutorial area as well, so I decided to upload a new demo build to itch.io and Steam. There's nothing critical, but the overall experience is all the more smoother for the tiny changes.
0.5.0 changelog
Intro cutscene dialogue changes
Intro cutscene: Maire has a cartridge now
Easier to ride on Kaakanas
Shorter bossfight
Changes in signpost texts
Minor changes in level design
A new Hattu design
Some other stuff I forgot
0.4.1.0 Changelog
Another week, another update! ^^
Or, actually, two. I didn't write a dedicated changelog for the previous version 0.4.0.5 as I was anyway about to release a new version soon enough. And here it is!
0.4.0.5 changelog
balance tutorial boss
make tutorial boss phases faster
visual aids for tutorial boss Kaakanas
bugix: rare kaakana bug where its speed can change drastically
0.4.1.0 changelog
balance tutorial boss more, it feels pretty much done now
implement two-page entry texts
update many signpost and Emuurom entries
show biome sprites in entry texts
bugfix: prevent UIs from overlapping
bugfix: fix intro cutscene if plugging in controller during cutscene
Happy holidays and
(this might as well been the last update of this year, and if that's the case then also)
