I cant believe it has been two years since I dropped this game onto steam... It feels like only moments ago that I was writing the first year anniversary post... But hey, here we are.
Thank you to everyone who has been supporting the game over there past two years, and I look forward to dropping more content in our third year!
It hasn't been too long since our last content drop, but I was able to rustle up a few new things for today, including a new and improved old game mode and some new maps., so lets discuss!
Year Two Anniversary Skin
If you play the game between November 13th and November 30th, you will receive the year two anniversary skin. The current skin is only a placeholder, and will be updated to some thing way cooler once I find the time. I have also added a placeholder for the year one anniversary skin for those who unlocked it one year ago, and again, this will be updated when I find the time along side the year two skin.
Scavenger Hunt Game Mode - Part 1
Some people may remember the old scavenger hunt mode that used to be in the game waaaay back in the day (long before the game dropped publicly on Steam). Well, today I am happy to introduce the new version of this mode.
The new mode is split into two main elements; hidden collectibles, and the main scavenger hunt.
Marble Shards
Each level now contains a number of hidden collectibles known as Marble Shards, and you can keep track of these via the level select screen. Marble Shards are available on all Time Attack, Gem Arena and Legacy levels, though some levels currently do not have any, as these are levels I am planning to update in the very near future.
These Marble Shards also represent the possible spawn points for the original Scavenger Hunt game mode.
Scavenger Hunt
At all times, one of the Marble Shard spawns will be replaced with an extra special collectible known as a Giant Marble Shard. This location is the same for all players, and only one person can collect it and claim the prizes that come with it. Once collected, a new location will be selected and the cycle continues.
In order to aid you in your search, each location will come with a special hint, that again, will be the same for all players. Use this information to find the loot! I should not however, that these hints will be populated over time, as bulk writing 2000 location hints wasn't something I was interested nor had the time to do in a single sitting. Because of this, there are currently no hints available, but each update that comes with the game will see more hints added.
This is why I have called this Part 1 of the update. Part 2 will be the gradual addition of the hints as mentioned above, as well as a dedicated Scavenger Hunt menu screen to display the hints and display the top hunters leaderboard. On top of this, additional rewards will be added for the collection of regular Marble Shards, as well as the Giant Marble Shards.
This new mode brings three new achievements:
Spelunking All Over - Find and collect all marble shards The Seeker - Find and collect your first giant marble shard Vulture - Find and collect a giant marble shard within 30 minutes of it spawning
Naturally the latter two achievements will become significantly easier once the hints start flowing in, but they are still technically possible to obtain right now!
New Levels
Todays update also brings a few level updates:
Salahs Nightmare- Legacy Time Trial This level is a reimagining of a level sent to me many years ago by one of Lost Marbles top players; Salah. The level is no joke, featuring incredibly thin beams and small platform jumps. The map is fairly short however, so with a little patience most people shouldn't have too much trouble passing.
Spiders Web- Time Trial This isn't technically a new map, but it has been slightly reimagined and moved from legacy to the main game list of levels. This new and improved level now contains a number of super jumps, as well as modified start and end locations. The upper portion of the level is also slightly different.
Personally, I find these improvements make the level feel completely new, and this is my reasoning behind the move.
For those of you looking to play the original, fear not, as it can now be unlocked as a Remix level.
Spiders Legacy- Remix Time Trial As mentioned above, this is simply the original version of spiders web without the new improvements. The level can be unlocked by finding the secret gem on the new and improved Spiders Web level.
Divided- Time Trial Similar to Spiders Web, divided was also a legacy level that has now been moved to the main game levels. This level has no significant changes other than the decoration, but I feel it now fits the visual style of a main level, and so it has made the move.
Other Patch Notes
"Safety First" legacy level has received a small and much needed visual improvements, and as had its name changed to "One Small Roll"
"Minuteure" Gem Arena map has received some small visual improvements
Achievements and unlocks now sometimes show actual progress values (x/x) as opposed to a % value - This varies achievement to achievement
Lost Marbles Content Update
Hey again!
It's been a little while since our last Lost Marbles content update, and so I figured it was time to drop a few more of the finished levels that are lined up and ready to go! Along side these levels, I have been working bringing back an old game mode; Scavenger hunt! But this time, with an interesting twist. Also, its almost Halloween, and unlike last year, I have actually made this years marble skin! :D
Lets dive in!
New Levels
In this drop we have 5 new levels; 2 main game levels and 3 legacy levels. My reason for working on legacy levels the past couple of weeks will become apparent, but I'm not ready to spill the beans just yet.
Steeplechase- Time Trial This will likely be one of the final easy levels I make for the main game, since I'm pretty happy now with the number there are, and so will be focusing on harder levels going forward. Steeplechase has you navigating a number of steeplechase jumps, only instead of wood, you will be jumping over deadly laser beams! Each section will offer an easy and a hard jump, with the latter likely being the slightly faster route... On top of this, you will have to navigate some tricky sections of ice!
Deflection- Time Trial Deflection is based on a very old level of the same name from the 2018 era of Lost Marbles, and originally started as a remake of that very level. The level ended up so different I figured why not extend the level and introduce it as a main game level. In this linear time trial level, you will be expected to skilfully bounce across bounce pads, avoiding the bumpers and collecting the gems along the way!
Spires- Time Trial This legacy level dates back to 2017 before the game was even uploaded to Steam. Ironically originally called "Powerup Playground", the level consists of only super jump powerups, though there are 3 of them. Use these to collect the 3 gems atop the 3 towers on the map.
High Jump- Time Trial This is the level I alluded to earlier when talking about "Deflection". It was originally designed in the 2017-2018 period of Lost Marbles, and after my original attempt at a spiritual recreation of the level turning into a new main game level, I decided to attempt a more literal remake. Of course the level still comes with the current style of Lost Marbles levels, but the path you take is a near 1:1 recreation of the original, as with most Legacy levels. The level is fairly short, but can be a little tricky and requires a decent level of knowledge on games physics.
Marble Skies- Time Trial
There's a lot of history in this level; too much to tell here. The level was originally designed by the developer of Marble Skies as a community level in the game. I enjoyed the simplicity of the design so I recreated it to mess around with in my own game during early development. The design eventually evolved into what is now "Sky Run" in Lost Marbles. If you are playing Lost Marbles, there's a good chance you have already also played Marble Skies, but if you haven't, you should check it out, its another cool marble game!
Modified Levels
On top of these new levels, two of the existing levels have been modernised and brought up to date with the current aesthetic of the game. These levels are the main game level "Round Trip", and the legacy level "Bouncer".
Scavenge Hunt
For those of you that have been around for a while, you will probably remember the Scavenger Hunt mode that used to exist in the game. I have recently been doing a complete overhaul of the game mode, and although it is not included in this update, it is very close to being finished. I am hoping to have that update out to you guys in November, and will fully discuss the features in that updates post. I guess this little section can count as a teaser for the future update... :)
Halloween!
Playing the game any time between the 21st of October and the 11th November will reward you with the 2024 Halloween skin in game, so what are you waiting for?! Go grab it now!!
Additional Changes
Level select UI now shows an icon for levels that include some form of associated challenge or collectible
The medal image has been changed - This is subject to change again once I find something I'm 100% happy with
Gem Arena HUD now shows the current seed number, along with an identifier for when a random seed is being used
The popup visuals for unlocking a checkpoint and viewing tutorial hints has been updated
Various medal requirements have been updated
The number of gems required to unlock the "Rainbow Rush" Remix level has been reduced from 13,337 to 5,000
The amount of cumulative Gem Arena score required to unlock the "Gold Rush" Remix level has been reduced from 100,000 to 50,000
The "Classic Goals" achievement can now be unlocked using a manual seed Gem Arena run
"The First Of Many" achievement can now be unlocked
"Jeweller" achievement can now be unlocked
"A Girls Best Friend" achievement has been updated with a more informative description (but still cannot be unlocked yet)
The achievement "That's Illegal" has been added for finding an undocumented marble skin
The unlock requirements for the "Spelunking All Over" achievement has been changed
Game Fixes
The Level Rush total ratings leaderboard now uses the correct table header
"Mobile Sprawl Unit" Remix level now unlocks correctly - Replaying any Gem Arena level will unlock this if you meet the requirements
"Minute Madness" achievement will not unlock correctly
"Graduation Day" achievement will now unlock correctly
Game Patch (v0.3.90)
Hey all!
Just a small update to fix a fairly major bug that was preventing people with old save files from playing the game. Anyone who missed the save transfer period (Jan 24 - July 24) that tried playing the game would run into the issue of levels loading incorrectly. This has now been fixed, and your save will have been flushed. In order to get your scores back, simply view the leaderboard for each level. Doing this will download your current server PB and set it locally.
Sorry to everyone who ran into the issue, and a huge thanks to the people that pointed it out to me! <3
Game Content Update (v0.3.89)
Hey!
I did plan on bringing this update to you all a lot sooner, but some unforeseen issues arose surrounding save files etc. which ended up delaying my progress on new levels. I'll spare you the details of the issue, but combined with me going away for a week (and then coming home ill for another week), you guys get this update a month later than planned. I'm sorry for this! <3
New Levels:
This update brings a number of new levels, as well as some improvements to some of the older levels. The update includes 3 new time trials, 1 new gem arena and 2 new remix levels to unlock. You will be introduced to a new hazard type, as well as a new powerup.
space Race- Time Trial Space race is an easy difficulty level that has you racing a linear path across uneven terrain and moving bridges. The level has no gems to collect, so feel free to cut as many corners as you can find to get that platinum medal!
Flight of Passage- Time Trial Flight of passage is an intermediate difficulty level that involves a lot of off-ground action, dodging lasers and space mines while you collect the levels three gems. The level introduces the Jetpack powerup, which allows you to float around like a true space marble! Additionally, this is the first level to include 'gated' gems, which have a much larger collection area than traditional gems.
Rise and Shine- Time Trial Rise and shine is a very difficulty level that involves a lot of raw platforming with tricky pathfinding, and also includes several powerups. Navigating this level is intentionally tricky, and I don't mean just technically, so if you find your self struggling, don't forget that you can check out replays from the level leaderboards. Do you have what it takes to rise to the occasion?
Sprawling- Gem Arena Most of you are probably aware that the biggest inspiration for this game is Marble Blast Ultra. Sprawling is a recreation of the multiplayer map 'Sprawl' from this game. I was a big multiplayer guy back in my days of MBU, and so I spent many many hours playing this map, so I am very pleased to bring this recreation to Lost Marbles for you guys to enjoy!
Backtrack Blast- Time Trial Remix This level is a reverse version of 'Space Race', with the inclusion of a gem to keep things interesting and prevent the entire level from being skippable. It can be unlocked by finding the hidden gem on 'Space Race'
Mobile Sprawl Unit- Time Trial Remix Ok, so this level isn't technically new, but up until now this level was only playable if you managed to catch it on spotlight, and since there is only 1 player besides me on the leaderboards, its safe to say that most of you probably didn't... The level is now available to unlock by earning a platinum medal on 'Sprawling'. The level is actually a remake of 'Sprawl' from the 2009 Marble Blast Mobile game, which used the original MBU Sprawl map as a time trial level.
New Elements:
With these new levels comes a few new gameplay elements:
Space Mines Space mines are the newest hazard added to the game. Avoid these at all cost! Get too close and you will trigger the a countdown, so be sure to steer clear of the blast... And I don't think I need to tell you what happens if you make a direct collision... Sometimes, they might even track you down, so stay on your toes!
Space mines are still a work in progress, but functionally they work. They are missing an explosion sfx, as well as some proper sound effects. These will be updated in due time; I have a LOT of sfx work to get done in the very near future!
I have also started adding these mines around existing game levels as additional background decoration. You most likely wont find any in your path, but they are still deadly, if for some reason you choose to aim for one...
Area Gems Similar to gems, these are required to complete a level. The difference this these is that they have a much larger collection range, and this area is indicated with a special effect; you cant miss it!
Jetpack Powerup The Jetpack is the newest powerup to play with, and its a lot of fun. You can use the jetpack to navigate the skies, until you run out of fuel of course... Not to worry though, you can top up the fuel by collecting another Jetpack. Unlike the other powerups, the Jetpack will respawn even if you are already holding one.
Arcade Makeover
Over the past months, I have noticed a lot of players loading up the game for the first time and shooting straight into 'Arcade' mode, thinking that the name implies it is the main mode for the game. I assumed that most people would realise that the options read from left to right as an indication of the importance, but I was wrong.
I have done a few things to help prevent this going forward, with the main one being a sort of 'rebranding' for the mode. Going forward, it will now be referred to as 'Level Rush', which I feel fits the nature of the mode far better than 'Arcade', and gives a clear indication as to what you can expect from the mode. Shout out to Neon White for inspiring my use of the term 'Rush', though I doubt they were the first game to use it.
Additionally, you are now required to complete all beginner levels in order to unlock the mode (this was in an older small update).
Finishing Thoughts
So I did intent to release a couple more levels that I have fairly close to completion, but with everything that has been going on this month and last, mentioned at the top of this post, I figured instead of delaying the update further, I would just release what I have ready now, and drop more levels shortly down the road.
I hope you all enjoy the new content! Thanks! <3
Full Patch Notes
Fixed issue of powerups not showing correctly in recent replays
Fixed issue where multiple preview marbles would spawn when selecting a marble skin
Loading screen now shows the correct level image when continuing from the end of a level
Loading screen hint text now correctly scales to fit the screen
Remix levels now correctly show the obtained medal beside the level name
Removed camera blocking issues on several levels
Added additional background decoration to several levels
Game Patch - v0.3.80
Just a small patch today, but dont worry, the level drop will be coming 'soon' :)
Patch notes: - Fixed issue with timer visuals when switching minute value - Fixed issue with medal count not displaying the correct number for Remix levels (You may need to reload your local score for each level by viewing the leaderboards) - Simplified various Remix level unlock texts - Added the ability to toggle the Replay hud (P Key or Left Stick Click) - The constructor powerup now finally has a proper mesh and HUD icon! - 'Rocky Road' has had its difficulty changed from 3 to 2 - 'Duality' has had its name changed to 'Splitting The Atom' - Various minor changes to some of the tutorial levels
Game Patch - v0.3.71
Just bringing you guys a small patch to clean up some stuff from the previous update.
Patch noted:
You can now disable the start level animation from the user interface settings
The start game animation has been changed slightly to be less 'in your face'
Fixed the glitch allowing you to jump on the mind block tiles of the new level
The game will now correctly show an error message when playing an old version game
'Unfinished Business' Diamond medal has been lowered from 65s to 45s
Game Update - New Difficult Level
I wasn't planning to release this level quite yet, but I wanted to make a few changes to the game and since the level was ready to go, I have decided to include it here.
The change that prompted this update was to lock arcade mode until the player has completed the games tutorial levels (the blue levels).
I am doing this because I have seen far too many people jump into the game and immediately load up Arcade mode as their first play. This usually ends up in the player getting frustrated as Arcade doesn't actually include any of the tutorial hints, followed by rage quitting the game... This obviously isn't the best first impression of the game that I want for the players, so I wanted to get this update out asap.
As the title mentioned, the update also includes the newest (and hardest) level, 'Unfinished Business'. The level will have you navigating some very thin, curved platforms, as well as avoiding deadly laser beams! Do you have what it takes?
Full patch notes:
Arcade mode now required completion of beginner levels to play
New level added: Unfinished Business
The jingle for collecting all gems now correctly reflects your volume settings
The sound when attempting to finish a level without all the gems has been changed
Removed the two empty tutorial hints that were on top of the gems in 'Gimmie The Loot'
Fixed the issue with the Legacy mode tile showing incorrect mode rating
A new level start animation has been added to the game
Game Patch - v0.3.57
This one is coming to you a little earlier than I, but I found a gameplay bug that I wanted to fix asap so you get this now.
The bug in question was an issue that allowed you to gain unintended height from repeat jumping on a bounce pad. I figured I should release this now before someone find a way to abuse it... :)
Full patch notes:
Fixed bug allowing you to jump on bounce pads to gain additional height
Fixed issue with spotlight levels showing as locked
Fixed issue with spotlight levels being selectable in demo, leading to the game crashing back to the splash screen
The tutorial popup text font has changed
The tutorial popups now have a nice new fade in and out animation, as well as a sound effect
Unlocking a checkpoint will now play a sound and animated popup message to indicate it has unlocked
The unlock requirement for the 'Extracurricular' remix level has been changed
Added the first hidden marble unlockable, so get your compass out and go find it...
A new popup was added to indicate when a new achievement, level unlock or marble unlock has occured, along with a little sound to go with it
Thanks for reading! <3
Customisation Update - Part 1
I'm sure most people nowadays will agree with me when I say that customisation in video games is a fairly big deal, and anyone who has played Lost Marbles before this update will knows that the game certainly did not hit the mark in terms of what is expected of modern day customisation. This update aims to rectify this issue with a number of improvements to the game, and as the title of this post implies, this is the first of a number of updates aimed at customisation.
Oh and for anyone wondering, I'm English, so please don't tell me I'm spelling 'customisation' wrong... ;)
Customisation Menu Overhaul
The first major change is the customisation menu found in the player profile section of the main menu. This is where you choose you marble skin, and for the longest time it was just a quick UI menu that was whipped up in an hour or so... The new design is a complete overhaul, and includes a number of improvements over the old menu.
Skins are now sorted into groups, with most skins now having multiple variations that can be cycled through
The skin display now features a small diorama that accurately depicts the skin being displayed with correct lighting
A more polished look
The list is fairly small, but I hope the changes speak for themselves. With this being the first attempt at the new menu, it is very likely to evolve over the coming updates to further refine and polish the look and feel.
More Skins!
That's right, the update also brings with it a slew of new marble designs, with a number of variations for each, as well as a number of new variations for old marble designs. Before today there was a measly 12 marbles to choose from, but this update takes that number to a whopping 29!
On top of this, the update has finally introduced unlockable marble skins. These will be featured in the marble selection menu, with a description of what is required to unlock them, as well as a progress percentage when applicable.
I hope it goes without saying, but this is not the final selection of marbles, so expect more to be added as and when they are ready.
Additional patch notes
A list of other small updates and fixes:
Bounce pads no longer show the 'Mind Block' surface type on the HUD
A small backstop has been added to 'Surface Tension' in order to hopefully prevent players overshooting the final bounce pad jump
An additional hazard strip has been added 'charge' that will hopefully help to guide players through the level better
The empty tutorial hint on 'Gimmie The Loot' has been removed
The Arcade level select menu now correctly shows the title 'Arcade' as opposed to 'Legacy'
And finally, the demo has received some minor changes:
The demo can now access the 'Extra Modes' menu, as well as the game modes contained within (Remix and Legacy)
Any levels not available in the demo will show as locked in level lists
A small message has been added to the main menu screen to remind players that the game is available for purchase if they wish to support the game and access all content
Removed the level 'A Bridge Too Far' - Feedback from a number of people playing the demo was that it was too long, and it gave away too much content
Small Patch - v0.3.39
Issued a temporary fix for the issue I created last update where the end screen pops up a second time when replaying a level - Il release a proper fix for this once I rework the end level screens.
Hit trigger moving platforms no longer trigger for everyone when the host touches it in Liveplay.
Liveplay level select should now take you to selected level instead of kicking you back to menu
