Another week, another Beta! We hope you are enjoying everything so far!
Multiplayer
Added in-game text chat.
Added selected holes view to game lobby (currently only visible for clients).
Fixed issue where Custom Playlist checkboxes would not update correctly when coming from the Whole Course menu.
Course Creator
Added Position, Rotation, and Scale handles. Toggle by pressing 'H' and switch between them using '1', '2', and '3'. You can also use the buttons on right side of the bottom bar.
Added "Select Border" option to context menu. This will select all of the border edges around a set of greens, starting from the selected edge. Note that greens must be merged for this to work.
Greens are now automatically merged when playing custom holes. You can still manually merge them using the "Merge Greens" option.
Fixed some objects being spawned with parts underneath the floor.
Apologies for having to skip last week's update, but to make up for it we have a big update for you this week! There are some really cool changes and additions that we think you will enjoy (along with bug fixes, of course).
Changes are as follows:
Multiplayer
Added text chat to Game Lobby
Clients disconnecting mid-game no longer breaks the game
Fixed player names in the scoreboard being incorrect
Fixed Power-up effects not going away when the player finishes a hole
Fixed controller input being lost when returning to the main menu
Course Creator
Greens are now no longer restricted to the grid
Added ability to save custom prefabs via the right-click context menu
Walls now generate corners and end caps. Greens must be merged for corners to generate between separate pieces.
Added some Scenery objects, such as trees and bushes
Improved object selection and positioning
Improved Snap To Surface
Improved the lighting on flags
Increased size of object thumbnail icons
Removed Return to Lobby button when playtesting a custom hole
Modified custom course save files to include metadata
Unfortunately, with this update previously made custom courses will no longer be editable or playable. Please keep in mind that this may happen throughout the course of the Beta, but once we are out of Beta we will ensure that future updates do not break custom courses.
Unfortunately this past week has been busy for us, so we will be delaying this week's beta build to next week. We hope with the extra time we can provide a more substantial update.
Currently slated for the next update is:
Further improvements to multiplayer.
Walls will now have corners and end caps.
Various bug fixes and optimization improvements.
We are also hoping to add the following in the near future, potentially in the next update:
Ability to save custom prefabs for use in the Course Creator.
Ability to place scenery in the Course Creator.
In the meantime, here is a screenshot of a custom hole we created in a few minutes that showcases a little bit what the Course Creator is capable of:
This is just a quick announcement letting you guys know that we have released a hotfix for a couple of issues regarding the Course Creator:
Fixed issue that was causing custom courses to freeze the game when attempting to play them.
Fixed "Inside" walls being generated as "Outside" walls.
Apologies for any inconvenience these may have caused.
Regards,
Road Turtle Games Team
MiniGolf Mania Beta - Week 3
Hi everyone!
Apologies for the delay on this weeks beta build, we had a few things we wanted to finish up before we pushed out the new build.
Changes are as follows:
Main Game
Modified game lobby UI layout in preparation for additional features to be added to the lobby screen, such as hole selection and game rules.
Improved lobby behavior when adding local players to the game.
Fixed stroke counter being one too high.
Minor modifications to fonts in the main menu.
Course Creator
Added "Merge Greens" option to the Course Creator's context menu. This option merges overlapping points and edges together for the selected green pieces, allowing for easier manipulation of greens.
Improved wall generation, walls now look a lot nicer.
Fixed issue with edges not rotating as expected.
Fixed issue with not being able to select edges and points if the parent green piece was currently selected.
We have released the second version of our Beta build. The changes are as follows:
Returning to the menu after playing a game no longer breaks.
Main menu scene is cleaned up better after joining and then leaving a lobby.
When joining a friend before the game is running, it will successfully launch and immediately join the lobby.
Joining a friend only game is now possible.
Fixed a bug in which the ball couldn't enter the hole completely.
Scoreboard system now works properly and reliably.
Hole gravity works.
Fixed some issues with controllers in the main menu.
As usual, you can discuss bugs, suggestions or any other feedback for the Beta in our Beta Discussions Subforum, and thank you very much to those who have already done so!
Regards,
Road Turtle Games Team
MiniGolf Mania Version 2 Beta
Hello everyone,
It has been a long time since we have last provided an update. We say that in almost every update, but this time we have something more than just promises to give you.
We have released a beta version of the major update we have promised in previous updates.
This beta currently contains:
Online Multiplayer
MiniGolf Mania can now be played online, with early stage Steam integration.
To host a game, simply choose Start a Public Game or Start a Private Game. To join a friend's game, first launch MiniGolf Mania. When the game opens, you can join your friend's game via the steam overlay.
You can also join a random game, if you wish.
Course Creator
The biggest new feature of the beta is the Course Creator, an in-game editor that allows you to create your own custom courses. We have put a lot of work into the Course Creator to make it one of the most versatile editors ever created for a minigolf game.
We do not have a tutorial ready for the Course Creator as of yet, but here is a run-down of the basic controls:
W, A, S, D - Move camera
Left Click - Select, Confirm Spawn object / Move objects
Left Click + Drag - Move selected objects
Right Click - Cancel Spawn / Move
Right Click + Drag - Rotate camera
Middle Click + Drag - Move camera
M - Start moving selected objects
Left Shift (Hold) - Move selected objects up and down
Z, X - Rotate selected objects
F - Focus camera on selected objects
G - Snap selected objects to the grid
C - Duplicate selected objects
The Course Creator does not currently have workshop integration, however any custom courses you make will be automatically sent to players who join your game, so you will be able to play your custom courses with friends online.
The Course Creator also currently has a limited amount of content available, but we will definitely be adding a lot more on the way to the final release.
Please be aware that custom courses created during the beta may become incompatible in future updates to the beta. We will do our best to try to maintain backwards-compatibility during the beta, but we cannot guarantee this.
Future Updates
In the past, we have not been reliable in giving updates for our progress with this game. From now on that will change.
We will be releasing weekly updates to the Beta branch until the final release.
These updates will include bug fixes, improvements, and additional features. The updates will most likely be released every Sunday evening (Eastern Standard Time).
Opting In to the Beta
To opt-in to the Beta branch, follow these steps:
Right click on MiniGolf Mania in your games library and select Properties
Select the Betas tab.
Select beta - Beta Releases from the dropdown.
Please keep in mind that this is a beta, everything is in its early stages, and there will be bugs and missing features.
We have created Beta Discussion sub-forums where you can report bugs or give suggestions for improvements or new features for the online multiplayer and Course Creator.
We would like to also mention that while the Pirate Course promised in past posts is not included in this beta, it will be included by the final release.
Thank you to everyone who has remained patient with us over the past year. We definitely wish we could have brought you more content in less time, but unfortunately our lives have been busy with other responsibilities. We just want everyone to know that we will keep the promises we have made, no matter how long it takes.
- Road Turtle Games Team
What we've been up to
Hey everyone,
First and foremost, we would like to sincerely apologize for leaving you guys in the dark without as much as a reply to some of the discussions going on. Things have been quite busy for us, and we have not done a good job in interacting with the community and providing updates. We will definitely try our best to change that.
But to make it up to you all, here is a peek at what we have been up to the past 4 months.
The New Course
The new course currently under construction is a tropical / pirate themed course. This theme was the most popular in our survey, and we hope it will provide unique and interesting challenges to our players.
Here is a taste of what you can expect from this new course:
The Course Creator
In our last update we posted this video demonstrating our work-in-progress course creator.
Saying that it has come a long way since then would be a gross understatement. We want to make sure this creator is robust and flexible, so that creators can make whatever their heart desires with as few limits as possible.
The first major change currently underway is the greens. We decided to completely revamp our greens from the puzzle pieces shown in our preview video into a freeform system where you can create almost any shape you can imagine:
Another major addition is the ability to style your courses using a variety of different options:
We can't wait until it is finally ready to go so we can see all the cool things the community creates!
Online Multiplayer
Last, but certainly not least, is the online multiplayer, the most requested feature. We understand that nowadays online play is a must-have in multiplayer games, so we are working hard to add this to our game. Unfortunately, we do not have any practical way to show our progress on this, but rest assured that this is a top priority.
In Conclusion
Once again, we apologize for not providing more consistent interaction with you guys, and we hope to change that. We will continue working hard to get this huge update out to the best of our ability.
Happy golfing!
*Note: Anything depicted in the above images is subject to change and may not necessarily be representative of the final product.
Course Creator Pre-Alpha Demo
Hey Everyone,
So it's unfortunately been rather quiet on the update front as of late, so to show you that we are not dead, we would like to show you guys a little video showcasing our level editor, currently in its pre-alpha state:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8vGOTp_NqQ
This is still a heavy work-in-progress with a lot of features that still need to be implemented, but it should give you an idea of the kind of level editor you can expect to have once it is fully released. Our goal is to have a level editor that is simple to use yet as non-restrictive as possible.
Regarding other features, we are currently working on implementing online multiplayer as well as creating a new 9-hole course (not giving away theme theme just yet!).
