This update brings a new feature for players that like optimizing, plus some smaller improvements.
New features
Load and code from your best solutions in terms of time, solution size or run size.
After completing Use Your Powers Wisely players will be able to access a new menu.
This allows players to load the code that achieved the best score for each of the 3 score categories. So if you tried different approaches to a level, say trying to optimise the time score then later trying to shrink your code into as small as possible solution size, you'll now be able to switch between them and continue improving them.
Other changes
Remove loading splash, as loading is generally too fast to see it now.
Improve/reword overlay messaging about re-running code at each stage.
Clarify in function docs that location ids are always positive and non-zero.
Improve 'not' primer explanation.
Improve Try using else & comparison message placement.
All game textures have been converted to GPU compressed formats. This drastically reduces VRAM usage & load times while retaining high quality visuals.
The Textures video menu option has been removed as now everyone will use high quality GPU compressed textures.
Click/drag scrolling of scroll bars with the mouse. This is particularly useful for the code reference & message archive.
Other changes
Fix typos in company message B.
Improve game error logging to include more info.
Fix opengl crashes due to texture dimensions.
Optimise render performance when in the menu.
Issues & Feedback
New issues to investigate:
Game recording with plays.tv on Windows
Introduce code re-running more clearly at "Keep Going!"
This update improves the VRAM usage of the game, fixes panic error logging to help solve future issues and more. I also worked on eliminating scenarios that could cause save data loss. Read the blog for more.
New features
Reduced texture VRAM usage and new Video menu option Textures for selecting the texture size/quality. The new default (High) has been optimised for 1440p screens and should almost totally indistinguishable from the Max setting (previous default) at this, or lower, resolution. As such Max is only offered on higher than 1080p resolutions. A Low setting is also provided to try and minimise VRAM usage at the cost of image quality.
Improve incorrect code indent error messages. Importantly the offending line is no longer covered up by the error message, the message itself is also more helpful.
Add new tile effect for robo_location(), robo_forward_location()
Add a sneak peak of the next chapter of levels in the level selection screen after finishing the currently last level.
Other changes
Allow `while` to meet the `else` usage requirement in Testing Grounds.
Use tailed arrow icons to represent keyboard arrows.
Provide Native Effects option only when running the game at over 1080p resolution, as under this native is identical to High.
Clear autocomplete options when running code.
Set Textures option to Low after a VRAM allocation panic to avoid similar panics on next startup.
Await image processing at startup avoiding early texture pop-in & potential music stuttering.
Fix some unexpected behaviour changing volumes after using the mute functionality.
This update brings new story, graphics effects & autocomplete improvements. Read more in the blog.
New features
New messages to unlock revealing more of the story of the Bright colonists. For players that have already completed the levels with changed unlocks an exclamation mark is shown over the level, open the level to re-view unlocks.
New graphic effects
- robo_scan() - robo_use() - robo_detect_adjacent()
Autocomplete comparisons '>', '<' etc. Suggest 'is'/comparisons when typing '=' or '==' which are not equality operators.
Other changes
Move primer unlock about functions earlier after completing Sense Of Direction.
Optimise CPU compute/allocation, lowers general CPU usage / speeds up full-speed compute.
Autocomplete. Code completion suggestions will now appear as you type, press tab to use. Completions are generated from a lexical sweep of your code plus language keywords and external (ie robo_*) functions.
The following shorthands for external functions have preference so will always come top in the suggestions and can be used like macros/snippets. Type the shorthand and press tab. Shorthands are generally the significant letters of a function:
rf -> robo_forward()
rl -> robo_left()
rs -> robo_scan()
etc
See new autocomplete keys in the game directory README.txt.
Other changes
Fix company message acknowledge not always working causing the message to reappear.
This week's update brings many quality of life improvements to the game based on the feedback I've received. More info on these changes will be published a little later today in the devblog.
New features
Levels now have names. These will appear above the levels and in the score screens.
Profiles can now be deleted in the title screen. Click the bin and confirm by clicking the red tick. Take care as this cannot be undone.
New editor keyboard shortcuts see the README.txt file in the game directory for a list of all hotkeys.
New company message (B) after completing all aboveground levels.
Move the first direction data-store level underground.
Move robo_location() discovery to after Gatehouse.
Add video menu option `Snowfall` with options On, Background Only, Off.
Windows: Add NvOptimusEnablement & AmdPowerXpressRequestHighPerformance link exports to prefer dedicated GPU usage on laptops. This should address performance issues on bad+good GPU laptops.
Other changes
Improve button click responsiveness when cursor is moving.
Improve initial robo_use() message.
Improve power switch explanation message clarity.
Add extra clarification around code re-running at each stage in Keep Going!.
Reduce Hello Robo tutorial to add only 3 lines.
Tweak company message A.
Avoid "read about comparison" overlay covering text if possible.
Rework level statistic totals placement.
Rename "nodes" to "phrases" to make more immediate sense.
Show speed tutorial in Keep Going! even if the 1st run solves the whole level.
Improve video menu presentation, align options consistently and use dim colour when disabling options.
Add GPU vendor/renderer info to F10 debug.
Reword unsatisfied level requirement message.
Save panic traces to an error.log file.
Tweak sequence overwriting code example for clarity.
Issues & Feedback
New issues to investigate:
Improve new game first level button visibility #139
A week ago I was working with a group of 32 semi-active alpha testers, now over 2000 beta testers have signed up to try Robo Instructus. I've already received a lot of great feedback that will help improve the game. Thanks very much to everyone that sent in their thoughts!
One main theme that's coming through is the learning difficulty spike that happens at the 5th level. Improving this, then, is the main objective of beta-1.2. This version adds new levels & reworks some to spread out the cognitive load of learning the new concepts. It also better explains variable scoping which becomes quite important around this point.
So please try out these new levels and features and let me know what you think. Steam should update the game automatically.
Beta-1.2
New features
Add new usable tile "power switch" and new level designed to better introduce the robo_use() function in isolation from other new concepts.
Rework (previously 6th) level to incorporate power switches and location data stores.
Add "Scope" primer explaining variable scope rules.
Rework the first level with direction data stores, try to simplify the necessary concepts used here.
Reorder code reference primer sections to be less confusing.
Other changes
Rework first level tutorial. Remove initial code which can cause confusion.
Move game speed tutorial to during 2nd level.
Don't auto increase from speed 1 -> speed 2 after completing first level.
Fix error sound triggering twice in some cases when the robot falls.
Fix render bug in title screen after viewing the code reference.
Linux: Build with older glibc to support Ubuntu 16.04.
Replace message images with actual in-game renders.
Fix quoted message display issue.
Avoid mipmapping where possible to lower VRAM usage.
Welcome to all the beta subscribers and a big thank you for testing this game!
The beta period is all about polishing the game experience, adding improvements and suggestions & fixing bugs. Please send feedback to me via email or on the steam community with your thoughts on the game.
Beta goals The game's narrative is in progress and will be appearing more and more during the beta. I'll also be adding more levels, functions & dangers as the game becomes more and more complete.
The many different countries involved in the beta it's also focused my mind to making the game more multilingual. It will take time to add more languages to the game, so please bear with me on this one.
My immediate update goals include adding new early levels to improve/smooth the learning difficulty spike that happens around the 5th level. So expect updates on this soon.
Thanks to everyone that have already sent me feedback! I look forward to hearing more experiences with Robo Instructus.
