Gem Worlds v1.2.1 Released: Better Gamepad Support
Gem Worlds v1.2.1 ships today (demo and full version), which a bevvy of gamepad-related improvements and bugfixes. This should significantly improve the player experience if you use a gamepad, or if you play on Deck.
If you're on a gamepad and past the tutorial, you can always start a new game to see the tutorial dialog again. If not, the controls are pretty simple:
d-pad to move
bottom button (A in XBox controllers) to skip a turn
right button (B in XBox controllers) to cancel selection
trigger/shoulder buttons to switch between items and skills
start to get to options
R3 to toggle the UI
The full list of changes include:
The ability to pass turns via the gamepad
The tutorial level tells you gamepad controls if it detects a gamepad
Gamepad buttons can be rebound
The full list of bug-fixes includes:
Fix: you can now skip dialog with the gamepad
Fix: skill upgrade/navigation breaks with a gamepad
Fix: inconsistent navigation of items and skills via gamepad shoulder/trigger buttons
Fix: overwriting a save dialog works with gamepad
Fix: you can toggle the message console on/off with gamepad or with ~ (keyboard)
Fix: space/pass-turn is now rebindable
Fix: quitting during tutorial/dialogs no longer shows dialogs in the titlescreen
Fix: pausing during skill selection breaks the game
Special thanks to 3akev for his tireless and amazing, high-quality work to get all these fixes and changes pushed out (and in a matter of two days!)
Need More Reviews
Dear gamers,
At ten reviews, Steam no longer flags the game as shovelware/asset-flip, and opens the floodgates of traffic. This usually results in more sales, more happy players, and a bigger game community.
Gem Worlds reached seven reviews today, which is an amazing milestone for me. We're three reviews short. If you played the game for any duration at all, please leave a review, and let others know about the game! Feel free to be honest about your likes and dislikes.
If you want to reach me, I'm around on the forums, Discord, Twitter, etc. as usual.
P.S. please let me know how the experience is if you play Gem Worlds on Steam Deck; I don't own a Deck, so I can't test it myself.
Gem Worlds v1.2.0 released
Gem Worlds v1.2.0 ships later today (both the full game and the demo). This version includes gamepad and keyboard support everywhere - in game, options, and menus - as well as some fixes:
Fix: in rare cases, a room-based level may have inaccessible areas
Fix: level selection menu correctly appears post-game
Please note that the controls rebinding menu shows all controls (keyboard and gamepad), but rebinding gamepad controls currently doesn't work (and I can't figure out why). If this is an issue for you, please contact me and let me know.
Gem Worlds v1.1.0 released
I released Gem Worlds v1.1.0 today (both the full game and the demo). This patch includes a few important changes:
(Full game only) Fixes Steam achievements not triggering. For the world completion achievements, you can complete any level to collect the old ones (e.g. completing W3L1 will collect the World 1 and World 2 achievements)
I revamped the options menu completely; it now includes sections, and more importantly, is fully usable by keyboard and gamepad (with some minor visual bugs).
Fixed a bug where, in a rare case in World 3, the bottom-right corner of the map appears dark gray.
Gamepad support is still a work-in-progress, and I intend to get back to it next month (after my break from game development).
Gem Worlds v1.0.1 Launches on January 16, 2023
As announced in December last year, Gem Worlds ships on January 16, 2023 (in just three days). This version matches the corresponding v1.0.1 demo, which includes a number of bug-fixes.
Unfortunately, adding gamepad (and full keyboard) support took a lot longer than anticipated. While I made major strides in updating and modernizing the main menu, I didn't fully finish the changes, and it's buggy enough that I'm going to hold off on releasing an update.
The plan for the next release, v1.1.0, still includes full gamepad, keyboard, and mouse support for the entire game. I'm quite burned out from working on the game for 18 months, but I'll see how much farther I can go with it.
Thanks for your support, and see you at release!
Gem Worlds v1.0.1 Demo Released
v1.0.1 of the demo ships today. This build primarily includes bug-fixes, including:
Fixed a rare case where you spawn under a lock
Fixed a rare case where boulders slide over a one-tile gap
Newly-learned skills sometimes appear as level 2
Light crystals run out of turns but light doesn't dim
A few UI bugs related to skills
If you enjoy the game, please subscribe to my newsletter to get updates.
Finally, due to an unexpected issue with Steam, the game will ship on January 16, 2023.
Gem Worlds v1.0.1 Demo Release
v1.0.1 of the demo ships today. This build primarily includes bug-fixes, including:
Fixed a rare case where you spawn under a lock
Fixed a rare case where boulders slide over a one-tile gap
Newly-learned skills sometimes appear at level 2
Light crystals run out of turns but light doesn't dim
A few UI bugs related to skills
If you enjoy the game, please subscribe to my newsletter to get updates.
Finally, due to an unexpected issue with Steam, the game will ship on January 16, 2023.
Gem Worlds v1.0 demo
v1.0 includes a major change in how skills work. Instead of saving up gems across multiple levels and buying skills from the shop, you now learn a new skill every other level. You get to pick between upgrading two previously learned skills, or learning one new skill. You also get to change your equipped skills. I hope this will encourage more experimentation with skills.
This version also includes several smaller changes;
You can choose between multiple save slots. All your existing progress is placed in the first slot.
You have unlimited lives and no longer can get game over
Each world generates only two types of levels
Removed background music and options
Options scroll vertically
(Accessibility) you can disable the gradient shader for tiles, which makes it much easier to see what's going on
This release also includes a slew of bug fixes. The most important ones are listed below.
Fixed a soft lock when you push a boulder into the exit
Fixed a soft lock when you push a mine into an explosion
Pressing space rapidly while next to a monster no longer makes other monsters move erratically.
Moving non-stop no longer causes some boulders to defy gravity and dance up and down
Clicking on skill buttons correctly activates skills
Pushing a tipped boulder upward into a teleporter no longer causes it to dance up and down
Fixed janky monster movement if you hit a monster and immediately move
Gem Worlds: What to Expect in v1.0 and Beyond
When I prototyped Gem Worlds in August of 2021, I thought it would take me maybe another month or two (at most) to finish the game. Here we are, after 15 months of evenings and weekends, with the end in sight!
I finished all the content for Gem Worlds as of a few minutes ago; all that remains is to play the game through and fix any bugs that show up. There are probably a lot.
Here's what you can expect for the next few weeks (in order):
An updated v1.0 version of the demo
The full game release
Critical bugs that inevitably appear in the days after the release
Some new features: Steam cloud save, and new accessibility options
Above all, I hope the game picks up a strong user base, so that I can get actual feedback to further improve the game. I hope you will give the game a shot, and let me know what you genuinely think of it!
Gem Worlds 0.7.2 releasing shortly
Gem Worlds v0.7.2 will release shortly. This version will cause your save data to wipe out, sorry about that! It's likely that I may release a few more patches in the next few days while I iron out how to do this.
For users interested in manually recovering their save data (it's there, just in a different directory), please contact me via the forums or Discord.
I'm still working on getting Steam cloud saves to work properly, and to sync across all platforms.
Other than this, it also fixes a bug where time bombs count down and explode while time is frozen.
This change was reverted shortly afterward. Sorry!
