Solaroids: Prologue Windows, Mac, Linux, X360 game

It is awesome to see the competition getting fierce on the leaderboards, as well as players taking advantage of the new Control Styles and Score Multiplier. Not long ago, I wouldn't have thought I would see high scores past maybe 10 million. I'm going to need to sit down and seriously see if I can even compete at my own game, as my once thought competitive score of 7.5 million is starting to look long-in-the-tooth!

I just released a set of new features primarily focused on competition. I've had Statistics behind the scenes for some time, but I've always wanted to present them in-game. Showing the last/best score in each player HUD was one such feature, and I'm happy to report that now several other useful (and maybe some non-useful) statistics are now readily displayed while playing alone or with friends.

The current set of stats are shown once a round has been completed and before continuing (or while requesting to forfeit).

For player 1 (normally tied to the steam account), It will display the recorded Overall steam stats in addition to showing temporary session stats for Current, Last, and Highest, For players 2-4, only stats for the current game session are tracked. If there are particular stats that you think should replace some of these, let me know in the comments or Community Hub.

In addition to Stats, I've also decided to give each player their own mini high score listings to show their overall ranking between rounds. This includes Local, Global, and Friend listings.

What's a game based on a competitive score mechanic without more ways to rank yourself? I hope you enjoy 1-UP'ing your friends, or at least knowing at a glance who's the best!

I also managed to get a couple of smaller features in based on community feedback. If you are one of the players that had wished for "classic" twin-stick style controls (aka Geometry Wars / Robotron) when using the Modern (dual-stick) control style, then you might enjoy the new Fire on Aim option under the Gameplay menu. Fire on Aim augments the Autofire setting to start firing just by aiming the ship. One consequence of this though, is that it is harder to conserve your Primary Weapon ammo. However, if you're careful not to fully press the thumb stick all the way, you can actually aim without firing as well.

Another set of small features relate to a recent request by a player to "simplify" the arena. I think they were longing for an experience closer to some of the retro games long ago, without backdrop clutter competing against energy bullets etc. As such, I've made it possible to adjust the background elements, such as the stars and nebula, to simplify, fade, or turn them off completely. Find these settings under the Effects options menu: Stars, Background Opacity, and Stars Opacity.

I hope you enjoy the new refinements and features. Let me know in the comments or Community Hub what you think so far, how it should evolve, and if you have any favorite stats.