Hey everyone! Just posting a quick announcement to say that we now have t-shirts available! We'll be posting one new Mondrian - Abstraction in Beauty t-shirt a week at Teespring, starting with the game's honeycomb icon. They are available in men's and women's styles, in black, white, and primary colors, for just $19.99!
I can't promise we'll be able to bring shirts to events, or that any shirt whose campaign has ended will come back around again, so you might want to pick one up ASAP if you like it.
You can find this current shirt and all upcoming shirts at our new storefront right here: https://teespring.com/stores/lantanagames
Testing Branch Updated - 1.3.1a1
Hey everyone! The testing branch has just been updated to Version 1.3.1a1. Some notable additions include:
Difficulty selection moved under Start Game instead of in the Options menu
The ball now pauses for a split second when powerups are hit, in an effort to ease up some of the visual noise
Night mode improvements for background paintings
Lowered difficulty of Corestar Easy by removing corner gray blocks
Removed requirement for Controller to be attached to make the Input Type label change in Options menu
Fixed a bug where having Checkerbox selected would load Mirrobox levels, and vice versa
What we particularly need feedback on is the Ball Pause. Please let us know how this feels, whether you love it or hate it, if maybe the pause should be even longer (right now the ball will start moving as soon as all powerup effects are over) etc. There will be one or two other additions for cleaning up visual noise by the full 1.3.1 release.
Thanks and have fun!
Version 1.3 Released - Bring Your Quarters [Weeklong Sale - 25% Off!]
Prepare, one and all, for Arcade Mode! In this brand new game mode, you'll have 3 lives to get through 20 rounds, collecting gems as you go. If you run out of lives, you can spend 25 gems to restock. However, you're competing for glory on the Steam Leaderboards, so losing that many gems may also mean losing first place! There are separate leaderboards for Relaxing, Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulties, and each difficulty also restocks a different amount of lives for 25 gems (Relaxing & Easy = 3 lives, Medium = 2 lives, Hard = 1 life). Also there is a Steam Achievement for beating Arcade Mode without losing a life. Have fun with that one.
We didn't have time to implement Local Leaderboards yet, but you can expect them at some point within the next couple of minor updates (1.3.1 or 1.3.2).
There are also some other new features, like the Gem Paddle, which expands every time you collect a gem and shrinks the rest of the time; and the Gem Shield, which makes gems bounce against the wall instead of flying through. Also, you asked for Premium Boutique unlocks and you got them. Levels can now be filled with beautiful, Impressionistic background art, which can be unlocked in the Boutique for 250 gems apiece! There are 9 overall, which means you'll need 2250 gems to get every single one (we know this won't be a problem for some of you Gem Hunt connoisseurs). If you're running the game on a lower-end machine, you can reduce the size of backgrounds or turn them off entirely to improve performance.
For anyone playing on an Xbox One Controller, Dualshock 4, or other equally advanced controller on Windows 10, there is now a setting to modify how the game reads trigger states, which will prevent the endless paddle spinning bug. Since the game does not auto-detect your controller (we could but we'd be updating the game until the end of time by detecting new controller names) head into the gameplay options and set the input type to "Advanced Controller." If you don't have a controller plugged in, you don't need to do anything here!
We are also happy to annoucne the release of the Mondrian Shareware Demo! For anyone who has not yet picked up the game, this demo will give you a sense of what the game is all about. It's completely free, though content is greatly limited from the full version. The demo is available here on Steam, as well as on IndieGameStand, itch.io, and we'll be uploading it to other sites as well. We encourage you to share this demo with your friends, family, and even strangers however you'd like.
There's plenty more to check out in this update, so read through the patch list and then jump in and enjoy our favorite build of Mondrian - Abstraction in Beauty to date!
Features:
Backgrounds! Each of our Mondrian-inspired images is available as an in-game background for the Plastic pack, as well as some brand new ones. Each background also has variants to match emulators & color schemes. Backgrounds are available at the premium price of 250 gems apiece
Arcade Mode! In this mode, you have 3 lives to clear 20 levels. If you clear all 20 levels or lose all 3 lives, your score is recorded on the Steam Leaderboard corresponding to your currently selected difficulty!
Gem Paddle! This paddle shrinks while you're not collecting gems, but grows when you do! Unlock it for 48 gems
Gem Shield! This powerup makes gems bounce off the wall for a short time, instead of flying through it. Unlock it for 42 gems
Background Quality Option: Useful for the new backgrounds as well as ones in Benefactor packs, this option allows you to set backgrounds to 100%, 75%, 50%, or 25% resolution. Lower-rez backgrounds can improve performance on lower-end systems
Background Toggle Option: Don't want the backgrounds on at all? No problem! You can toggle backgrounds off entirely, giving the game its classic, minimalist feel throughout. This is also a great option for improving performance as it clears the background from RAM entirely
Added some more tooltips to the Gem Chest screen
Added Controller Type input setup under Gameplay Options. Switching between Normal + Advanced will allow you to set the game to read specific functionality in regards to a controller's triggers. If you do not have a controller attached, this button will be set to a "Don't Worry About This" mode. This is a more in-depth attempt to solve the "Constantly Moving Left" issue with more advanced controllers like the Xbox One controller, which have to do with Z-Axis values as opposed to Z-Rotation values. Advanced Controller mode will read the both the current Z-Axis and Z-Rotation Value, while Normal Controller mode will only read the current Z-Axis Value. If your paddle is spinning uncontrollably, try switching to the Advanced mode.
Added Nightmode overrides for backgrounds
Added super special ending for Arcade Mode!
Six new Steam Achievements to go along with the Gem Paddle, Gem Shield, and Arcade Mode
Added B-Button as Save & Exit control in Options & Boutique
Changes: <*>Improved tap-to-move response time on Main Menu
<*>Added more controller options for exiting the Credits screen
<*>Minor change to lighting functionality in Children of Liberty pack
<*>Increased Font Size of tooltips in Gem Chest screen
<*>Realigned and recentered Boutique
<*>Recentered Gameplay Options
<*>Recentered Special Thanks Credits
<*>Adjusted Difficulty tooltips in Options Menu to include information about Arcade Mode
<*>Increased font size of tooltips on Gem Chest screen
<*>Tied Gem Chest backgrounds into new Background Size system. Gem <*>Chest backgrounds cannot be deactivated. If your Gem Chest is slow (even without a million gems dropping) try dropping the Background Size in the Gameplay Options.
<*>Minor alterations to rate of paddle acceleration
<*>Bombs now have a much greater fading effect in Fading challenges
<*>Updated "Get All Bronze/Silver/Gold" Achievements to reflect the six new achievements. If you previously got these, they will be unaffected
Bug Fixes:
Fixed a bug where Gem Number popups wouldn't be black & white in Monochrome mode
Fixed a bug where the main menu would scroll too fast while using a controller
Major reorganization of "Erase Data" function. A backend bug fix, but will help stop the engine from crashing when in development
Fixed a bug where new games wouldn't start with 0 gems
Fixed a bug where the Shift key would act as a Select function on the Main Menu
Fixed All Bronze Achievements not unlocking. The game was not searching for the right achievement name when it came to the Play the Tutorial achievement
Fixed a bug where the Main Menu would sometimes automatically scroll up
Fixed a bug where Paddle-less challenges would not set the wall to
Follower rotation if Follower was still locked
Override for ball type on Paddle-less challenges
Added a check to prevent particles from inverting in Amber Monochrome and Handheld schemes (may or may not work)
Fixed a bug on the Options screen and Main Menu where the Enter key would be read twice per press
Explored a fix to levels ending before they even begin
Hotfix 1: Fixed screen resolution being tied to background activation
Hotfix 2: Fixed paddles blinking in Monochrome color scheme
Hotfix 3: Fixed Gem Shields not deactivating properly
Hotfix 4: Fixed Monochrome color scheme not keeping the level monochrome and causing slowdown
Hotfix 5: Slowed the rate at which pop block particle generators decrement to make sure pop blocks always make particles
Hotfix 6: Fixed the ball having an incredibly small chance of bouncing back into the playing field after leaving
Hotfix 7: Fixed Wildcards not triggering
Enjoy the update!
Incoming Update - Backup Your Saves!
Hey everybody! This is a quick announcement to let you all know that Version 1.3 will be releasing this Monday, May 9. Cloud Saves are not yet fully implemented in the game, but we did add local backups in the last update. If you haven't played in a while, here's how to make sure your game is backed up:
Update to the latest stable build, 1.2.3, or the build in the testing branch, 1.3a5
Go to Options > Gameplay Options > System
Press the Backup Data button, and the game will automatically create a backup of your mondriansettings file in your parent User directory
Alternately, the game will also automatically backup your settings file when you exit, so you can just open and close the game! It never hurts to manually back up your save file, though.
When the game updates, you can restore your progress just as easily:
As soon as you open the game, go to Options > Gameplay Options > System
Press the Restore Data button to restore your game from the backup location!
Just make sure to restore your data BEFORE you exit the game!
Update and full patch list coming on Monday, along with a small surprise.
1.2.3 - Back it All Up
One more maybe-final update for the 1.2 era! Thanks to much playtesting at the MassDiGI Game Challenge, we were able to find some and squash some bugs, make some minor optimizations, fix a level layout, add a new "Lighting Effects" option, and more. Possibly the most exciting addition, though, is the new "Backup Data" option! Clicking this option (under System) will make a copy of your "mondriansettings" file and place it in your User folder. Clicking "Restore Data" will restore the most recent backup. A backup is also created any time you exit the game. This way, you can copy your progress over to other machines, or restore your lost progress in case it disappears in an update! We've got you covered. This feature will eventually be Steam Cloud compatible, but at the moment, it is only local.
Our goal now is to begin focusing on new content for 1.3, so expect updates to slow down for a month, maybe a month and a half. We are currently looking for ways to bring Mondrian to PAX East, which means you can expect 1.3 to launch around the same time.
Features:
Added Achievement Unlock check to every screen
Added Backup Data under Gameplay Options. This will manually create backup a copy of your game data in your User directory
Added Restore Data under Gameplay Options. This will replace your settings file with the backup copy in your User directory
Added Automatic Backup Data toggle. This will automatically create a backup copy of your game data in your User directory whenever you exit the game
Added Lighting Effects toggle to Gameplay Options. This should help improve performance on lower-end PC's for Benefactor Content levels. More additions along these lines in the next major patch
Changes:
Moved stat tracking code for most Steam achievements to same events as local stat tracking
Separated System options into Menu and Data
Increased Red and Blue hues in Children of Liberty level pack
Updated Children of Liberty and Neverending Nightmares level packs to new Color Control system
Simplified the Wildcard powerup icon
Improved Color Control on Wildcard effect
Lowered maximum brightness of menu stripe and headers in Gem Chest
Bug Fixes:
Fixed a bug where your collected gems might not have been counted properly
Fixed a typo in the Options menu
Fixed a bug where challenge rewards would not add to your gem totals
Fixed a bug where gems in Children of Liberty pack would be the incorrect colors
Fixed a bug where visual unlocks would not relock upon erasing progress
Fixed gray block positioning on Square Layout 1's medium variant
Fixed a bug where gem colors could be inverted on Amber Monochrome
Fixed a bug where the Challenge counter would not reset upon returning to the Main Menu
Fixed Screenshake button in Gameplay Options not colorizing at proper times
Fixed Follower/Opponent controls in Neverending Nightmares level pack
Fixed gem, Wildcard, and Lock colors in Neverending Nightmares level pack
Fixed an exploit where the wall would stay locked after pausing
Fixed Handheld and Amber Monochrome effects inverting in Night Mode
1.2.2 - Color Control
It's time for some more bug fixes and tweaks, as well as new achievements! This patch turned out to be a little bit heftier than we anticipated, but hopefully that means we can now begin the heavy lifting on 1.3!
In event news, we will be at the MassDiGI Game Challenge this weekend, and we'll have posters, soundtrack CD's, and game codes on hand to sell. Come say hi, buy some merch, and play some Mondrian!
Features:
New Steam Achievements! Check your game profile for the full list
Created a system to more easily set color palettes. More of a backend thing but an important feature going forward
Added "Clear Steam Achievements" option to System menu
Added Controller Rumble settings to Special Effects. This setting controls the strength of controller rumble motors in-game
Added missing background to Gem Chest
Added some more encouraging messages when you end a round
Added more appropriate checks for resetting the Wins in a Row stat
Changes:
Reduced image size of lights and shadows in Children of Liberty & Neverending Nightmares packs to improve performance
Modified on-screen effects in Children of Liberty pack to improve performance
Wildcard no longer changes your paddle or ball's color
Reduced max Pastel lightness from 250 to 240
Optimized Bomb powerups
Reworked Amber Monochrome and Handheld emulators into more accurate color palettes
Removed actual screenshake on the option selection. Now just the option image shakes instead
Cleaned up the Bomb option image
Improved look of text on Gameplay Options, Boutique, and Credits
Improved background loading code on Gem Chest
Bug Fixes:
Mondrian 1.2.1 Released
This update for 1.2 includes some nice improvements. A couple outstanding sound bugs have been fixed, fixes for Steam Achievements have been implemented, and some nifty controller updates have gone in, including rumble! If this clears everything up, we have some excellent content ideas in mind for 1.3, and will aim to get that out between the end of March and PAX East.
Features:
Added controller rumble on block pops, bombs, and wall locks/unlocks
Activated default Steam Controller setup as "Generic Gamepad"
Changes:
Included even more data to erase when you choose Erase All Progress in Gameplay Options
Reduced rate of fade on Fading Challenges by half
Gray blocks now always stay visible on fading challenges
Bug Fixes:
Fixed a bug where Opponent walls would not rotate counterclockwise with controller bumpers
Added a potential fix for deactivated levels loading, but will need more testing
Restored missing tooltips in Boutique
Fixed a bug where the wrong block would pop in Fading Challenges
Fixed a bug where Hex Walls 2 & 3 were mixed
Fixed a bug where Gem + Gray Block sounds could stop playing if triggered too often
Explored fixes to several Steam Achievements not unlocking, but will need more testing
Fixed round counter adding 2 rounds per level instead of 1
Thank you all so much for your feedback in the last week. As usual, if you find anything wrong, please let us know and we will fix it as soon as we can!
- Danny
Mondrian 1.2 Released!
Hello everyone! This is the biggest update so far in the 1.x era. We've read your feedback in the reviews and made many changes to the game's feel, speed, and features. First and foremost, we've introduced a new gameplay mechanic: Gems! Gems have a chance to spawn when a block gets popped, and will fly out of the arena. Walls don't stop them, so make sure to grab them, because now you unlock all the goodies in the game with the gems you've collected! You can also gain 50 gems instantly just by sharing Mondrian on Facebook and Twitter from the main menu.
On top of the gems, we've completely revamped paddle controls and made them much smoother, with lower initial speed, higher top speed, MUCH greater precision on minor movements, and another acceleration step. You can also now use your controller's bumpers or triggers (a long overdue control scheme) or the A/D keys to move the paddle as well. Ball behavior has also been slightly modified and the size of the Breakerball has been cut in half in an effort to make the game less frustrating at higher difficulties.
This is just a taste of what's new. You'll have to read through the patch notes to see the rest. A big thank you to everyone who supported the game during the recent Holiday Sale and Pay-What-You-Want deal, and a big welcome to all the new players! We also want to thank everybody who stopped by the table at Indie Arcade: Coast to Coast and tried out the update before it went live. We couldn't have made this update this in-depth without your help.
Features:
Gems! Gems have a chance to fly out of a block when popped. Spend gems in the Boutique to unlock paddles, balls, levels, visual effects, and more
Boutique! The Boutique is where you now unlock everything for the game. We'll be building the Boutique out even more in the coming updates
Added Facebook and Twitter share buttons to main menu, as well as +25 gem bonus per share. Buttons are on a 5 minute timer
New gameplay mode: Gem Hunt! Collect gems in the first level, and go Double-Or-Nothing in subsequent levels
A shiny new Gameplay Options screen, which now includes Level Packs and Visual Styles (previously Effect Select), as well as new graphics to demonstrate every option
Remade tutorial and reduced game to just one tutorial, introducing basic movement and mechanics
Added New Gameplay Option: Erase Data. Start fresh with 0 unlocks and 0 gems. Available in the Gameplay Options menu
Added controller bumper buttons, triggers, and keyboard A/D as paddle control varieties
Replaced Progress Check screen with a Gem Chest to show you how many Gems you've collected
Added dedicated sound effect and midscreen animation for Wildcard
Added a Warning before a Challenge Level
Added WASD and Space as controls for Museum
Added Space as control for the Options menu
Four new Piet Mondrian quotes
Changes: <*>Overhauled the way levels are generated
<*>Original gameplay mode now called "Endless," appears when you choose Start Game
<*>Removed all trophies. You now control each Tier's unlocks in the Boutique. Steam Achievements and any unlocks you had are unaffected
<*>Removed the Level Select and Effect Select screens. These are now located in the new Gameplay Options screen
<*>Removed the "Extras" menu
<*>Moved "Send Feedback" and "Get the Lantana Ledger" to the Options menu
<*>Moved "Museum" to the new "Learning" menu, which we plan to fill up with more stuff very soon
<*>Moved Tutorials to the new Start Game menu
<*>Changes are now automatically saved by default upon exiting the Options menu
<*>Color Schemes are now selectable in the Options menu
<*>De Stijl scheme is now unlockable on its own instead of as an end-game reward
<*>Plastic style renamed to Next Gen
<*>Slowed scrolling in menu, but added manual tap-to-scroll to compensate
<*>Tied rate of paddle acceleration and deceleration - not just top speed - to Game Speed setting
<*>Incrased maximum paddle speed by 50% and added extra step of acceleration
<*>Reduced initial speed of paddle and drastically tightened minor paddle movements
<*>Increased ball speed by 12% for all Game Speeds
<*>Reduced the size of the Breakerball by 50%
<*>Simplified paddle movement code
<*>Added a bit more flavor to Achievement icons
<*>Switched Monochrome from a Visual Style to a Color Scheme
<*>Increased chance of wall rotations generating
<*>Increased chance of Breakerball and Speedball generating
<*>Increased chance of Scoop Paddle and Tripaddle generating
<*>Increased Tripaddle side-bounce angle from 45 degrees to 60 degrees.
<*>Increased stereo sound panning
<*>Decreased speed of all automatic wall rotations by 50%
<*>Minor increase on spacing of side detectors for Tripaddle
<*>Metastar is now unlocked at the start of the game
<*>Doubled speed of animation and fade on the big Wall Lock animation
<*>Changed Wildcard icon from Diamond to Swirly
<*>The ball is now always set as the front object, to help make it a bit easier to find among the chaos
<*>Ball and paddle brightness has been limited even further
<*>Extended quote timer by 0.25 seconds
<*>Removed paddle movement sound. Just not feeling it. We'll look into a new one for a future update
Bug Fixes:
Explored a fix to a bug that would cause the selector on the main menu to not scroll down
Fixed a bug where walls would not rotate in certain challenge modes
Fixed a bug where Opponent wall rotation, if not unlocked, wouldn't reset the rotation type properly
Fixed a bug where hitting a Wildcard powerup would not set the paddle's side detectors to the proper position
Redid controls in Museum for better controller compatibility
Fixed a bug in the Museum where Escape would always go back to the
Main Menu, instead of closing a gallery when one is open
Fixed a small bug where gallery controls wouldn't immediately respond upon viewing a gallery
Fixed a big bug where some levels would not read unlock states correctly, causing a loading loop
Fixed a bug where setting Default Options would not set Sound Volume,
Music Volume, and Screenshake levels to default values
Fixed a bug that would prevent the game from loading on the very off-hand chance that no levels were activated
As an aside, if you disliked or were on the fence about the game to begin with, we'd love for you to give it another shot and update your review if you feel like the improvements we've made warrant changing your criticisms. Either way, thank you all so much for the feedback! There will be more updates on the way in the coming weeks/months, so stay tuned.
- Danny
Quick Update: several day-of-update bugs have been squashed, so the game should be good to play now. We've also removed the achievements related to beating the tutorials, as now there is only one tutorial. New achievements related to the gems and other incoming features will be included with 1.3.
On Our Way to Washington D.C.!
Hello everybody! First and foremost, a gigantic thanks to all the support during the Holiday Sale and a big hug to all our new players! We hope you're enjoying the game and can't wait to release the next update in a few weeks time. It's almost ready!
Speaking of that update, this weekend we will be showing off a preview of what's in store at Indie Arcade: Coast and Coast at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C.! Fitting, right? Very specifically, we will be showing off a new gameplay mode, and the Top 3 scorers in this mode, who also sign up for the Lantana Ledger, will win a Boxed Mondrian Steam Key, Mondrian Soundtrack CD, or Mondrian 11x17 Poster! If you want to attend the event, it's free, and there are some other great games on show too! Stop on by if you can. https://www.facebook.com/events/755788084526867/
I have to get back to packing for the road trip, but I'm looking forward to seeing you all there!
- Danny
A Very Minor Update
We noticed a bug in a live stream so we fixed it! It’s not even a bug most players would run into, but we’re committed to quality. That is how much we care.
There are two other pieces of news worth mentioning:
Mondrian will be on display at the Indie Arcade: Coast to Coast event at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. on January 16! Come say hi and buy a code and poster while you’re there. It’s free to attend!
We’re currently thinking about some new gameplay additions and tweaks, chief among them being abandoning the trophy system in favor of a risk/reward based unlock system. We hope to have this working by Indie Arcade in January. More news as it happens.
