Well it's been a long time since the last update, and Rect 1.6 was promised for the end of october. Fear no more, we've spent the entire month with the development of the new version, and we'll start testing by Monday, so if everything goes smoothly, the new version will be released next weekend. We are looking forward to all our testers' feedback on the new features.
But what is in 1.6? There are a few larger features, and some small additions.The first of the new features are the newly implemented sounds. The game lacked any sort of sound, but from now on the game features sound both in the main menu, and in-game. It was an important design decision how we made the sounds, because it really puts its mark on the whole game. Note: the game currently does not feature music, it is uncertain if it ever will, since we don't feel it necesarry, but this might change in the future. Here is an example from the new sounds:
Another larger implementation is the ability to cross side in a Snake-like fashion. It truly gives mobility for the players, and creates new possibilities for maps with walls in the middle, because where it was previously difficult to move quickly from one side of the map to the other, it is now quite easy, giving the game a new perspective, and a chance for new playstyles. Although, for players who prefer the borders, there is a new map with borders almost all around.
Also, this version features a new gamemode called Elimination mode which focuses on a previous problem, that games can turn around during last seconds, and that the midgame, the build-up for the ending, has no real meaning for the game. Elimination mode works like this: players gain scores as usual, but at the end of the first and second thirds of the current match's full playtime, the player with the least score at that moment gets eliminated. This makes longer playtimes dense with action, as the match is split up into three build-up and three end phases, and after each of them the remaining players can engage the fight with more space to manoeuver. This gamemode is a great twist for the free-for-all playstyle.
And the smaller additions of the new version are:
- Equal amount of male and female names. Because we care for gender equality! Yey!
- New Cloning powerup. It creates a clone of you, with the same properties and movement, which when shot disapears.
- New Clean powerup. It cleanes all colors of the map, giving a fresh start to the match. Can be frustrating. Note: this powerups only available in TUECHMOÜ.
- New map with lots of walls on the side and less in the middle.
- Added new in-game options menu. We got rid of the original Unity dialog window from the start and moved it to an in-game menu.
- Added new tutorial in the menu. Where until now was only a table of all powerups, it is a new multiple window tutorial, with the basics, the gamemodes and the extended powerups.
- Added high-res title. Because it looks way better with smooth edges, we quadrupled the resolution of the title in the main menu.
- Fixed lots of bugs, and tweaked a few features, mainly in TUECHMOÜ, making it more shaky and less rolly.
If you happen to have read the previous updates on the new version, you might can ask, "but wait, where is the LAN support?". Well don't worry, it's coming, but not in 1.6. As it turns out it's way more work as we expected, so since we didn't want to delay further the release of 1.6, we moved it down a bit in the priority list, so fear not, it is coming, possibly with the next update, but that is not a promise. But as the "official release" date is approaching it questionable, if it will really be finished unitl the beginning of December. Even if we can shove every feature we want into it until then, we still wouldn't think it would be up to our standards then. So what will probably happen is we push the release date to the middle or to the end of December and releasing the final update then. Until that time we'll focus on figuring out how to do stablize things on Mac and Linux, while trying to finish LAN. But it's completely possible that we will be back to patch this game with more content.
