Thursday 31 March 2016

Alpha 2.0.47-48 Released

Changes

2.0.48

  • Fixed a bug where Blackshift would leak memory until crashing.
  • Fixed a crash when loading from a save state saved when bombs were exploding.
  • Fixed crash when too many guns fired at once.
  • Fixed crash when using several save points in quick succession.
  • One new level & some minor level changes.
  • One new object.

2.0.47

  • New graphics
  • New levels
  • Level Editor changes:
    • You can no longer put items on top of landmines
    • You can now right-click on the player and some of the enemies to change their facing direction. You can right-click on some other stuff, too.
    • You can now place things on conveyor belts.
    • Mac users can now use touchpad gestures to scroll in the editor.
  • Level Pit changes:
    • Rearranged the Level Pit interface.
    • Wins where you survived now count as better than wins where you died, regardless of time. Leaderboards will change accordingly. (Sorry, Bibbythedark.)
      • Some leaderboards may look odd for a few hours until they all update.
    • Main screen now shows a selection of levels, not just the newest.
    • Level Pit levels that aren't totally surrounded by walls now do not get any background terrain shown during gameplay. This prevents issues where you could fire bullets outside the level and they would clip through the terrain and look glitchy.
  • Bugs fixed:
    • Fixed graphical weirdness if you removed the last item in a level or pressed Clear.
    • Fixed wins sometimes not registering when you used a save tile. Happened most often on levels with random enemies but could also happen on other levels.

53 comments:

  1. Nice that you got other levels up in the Level Pit but I can tell you that Box Guidance and Sticky Test w/Tour do not work anymore. They can be fixed. Sticky Test you learn quick but Box Guidance is brutal and the ending doesn't work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alrighty Rob, you used to have this on SSB (gawd I wish you would bring that back - totally awesome!) Hardest Levels! Obviously you can tell by the number of plays and the number of wins.

    I beat all of my own levels but they don't show up but as I stated above, you picked two that cannot be beaten so, delete them from the list. I can fix them. Also, I gotta check the levels where I put the stinger on a bomb, they too are hooped. You need to give us the ability to edit our screwed up levels because we test and you fix, then that level is hooped. Also the ability to delete levels that are crap (that we make)! Then, you can go Beta. Didn't we have portable blue deflectors in the original or Netshift?

    Let's get rid of the crap that doesn't work anymore and upgrade the level pit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. - SSB: Not happening, sorry! It's hard enough running one online game on my own, let alone two.

      - Hardest Levels: I'd like to add something like a "Stats" view, where you can see things like that. I don't really think I need to encourage people to make hard levels, though.

      - Editing: Ssh! It's coming!

      Delete
  3. Okay, I think you just got a crash report on my "Bad Allocation" error. I think it has to do with graphics from what I have researched. It doesn't have anything to do with my computers because both have crashed today several times.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Found the bug, it looks like I screwed up big time! Blackshift eats all your computer's memory! New update coming very soon! Thanks for raising this!

      Delete
  4. Haha!
    Guess I'll have to change my play style!

    On another note, I think there's (still) a small problem with the score... From what I see, if you already registered a score where you died with a time inferior to the minimum possible without dying you cannot register a new "no-death" score.

    Now, is it really a problem? You decide. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, fixed just now.

      Delete
    2. Then also remove Sticky Test W/Tour and Box Guidance from the Level Pit for the time being.

      Delete
    3. Deleting is tricky right now.

      But, I get that you don't want impossible levels showing up with your name on them.

      I'll make the Pit hide every level with no valid wins.

      Delete
    4. Nice, I like the scull for death wins! Ha ha ha!

      Delete
    5. OK, levels with no wins are now blocked from the main page. They still show up on user pages.

      Delete
  5. One Eyed Monster also can't be beat but it too is fixable!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Okay, Rob check out Flaw in Grilles and the solution. Also, you need to add the opposite grille to the menu.

    I have been checking some of my levels and OMG, almost a third are busted - ha ha ha - glad to be of service Rob! This one is prolly gonna get busted soon so I made it short.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ha ha ha, now that was funny eh Rob! I can even stop in the middle and wait!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah I kinda rushed that one out to fix the allocation bug, so you got a half-baked grill switch for free.

      I'll make it proper next time.

      Delete
  8. I can still beat the level if you fix it! Just tried it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. drerio beat the level clean! Now, I spotted something on Fire Island in that if the bullet gets onto the unlit tile and the tile lights up, the bullet goes right through!

      Delete
    2. Already fixed for the next version!

      I'm doing this change "versioned" so your existing levels will keep the old behaviour. Trying to break stuff less these days.

      Delete
  9. Man, you've been working like an animal lately. Haven't had so much fun in years. The last crash report was bogus, I had BShift running and forgot to get the upload and played something!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Enjoy it while it lasts, I've been working full-time on Blackshift lately but can't afford to do that forever (unless it becomes REALLY popular, lol).

      Delete
  10. BTW, Luigi is messed up as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I noticed, but that's not too big a loss, right? Haha.
      Anyway, I wanted to warn you about my "really unfair" level: It isn't meant to be taken seriously and if you hate it, you're correct.
      I just tried some stuff I wouldn't use in a regular level because it's, well, unfair. Just a bit too late for april fools.
      Bibby once again showed me that I didn't tune the timing quite enough by sneaking through the first part. Usually, the teleporter always sends you to the "wrong" room if you don't trick it.

      @Rob: Oh, so that's why we got so much lately. Thank you for the conveyor belt change, it's appreciated.
      Sometimes I still have problems with the safe tile permanently saving changes, bullet positions etc in the editor. Sometimes CTRl+R works, but if I'm not careful I mess that up, too.
      And, of course, editing and FIXING published levels would be a blast, but you already know that and I understand it's not possible just now. I'm looking forward to that.

      Delete
    2. I did "trick" the teleporter if you look carefully.
      Btw, I loved this level. It's not a frustrating type of "unfair" (like 600+ enemies to avoid) and the whole level have the same type of logic, so in the end, it's like a puzzle to solve. Plus the title warns us...

      You did trick me until the end btw. I probably died at least 50 times... Good job I guess! ;P

      Delete
  11. Kinda worried about your last post Rob. So, I had a kid here play the game. And, left him alone without any instruction until he asked how to pick up the key. I said to use the J key for pick-up and drop, spacebar to shoot. He figured it out in a real hurry and had fun. This is a nine year old kid! So, I'm gonna make some easy kid games just for fun.

    As well, I have one key left so, I have to decide who to give it to. If I had two keys, I know exactly who to give them to promote this game. Just sayin'...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good feedback, thanks. I'll make the controls more obvious.

      Delete
  12. Hey, I forgot, you are selling keys cheap. I will buy what I need! Ha ha!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I see Xindaris is back. OMG, his last level on Netshift crashed my computer! Somebody has got to find Sabik!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Robin, are the menu sounds supposed to be gone? No windchimes when I press escape or quit, and no sounds when I mouse over and select menu options...

    ReplyDelete
  15. to be a bit more specific, I've figured out that when I play level 27 the sounds stop working correctly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't reproduce this but I had a go at fixing it in the latest update. Let me know if it works.

      Delete
  16. I think I published Fire Island on Friday from my desktop. I see it now in my directory on my portable as unpublished plus I have two games as wip. Kinda odd methinks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You haven't been moving game files around between computers, have you?

      Delete
  17. Is Level 27 even beatable? As well, my laptop crashed with an 0xa0000001 error. Possibly a graphics card issue here or a program glitch?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I messed it up, sorry!

      Delete
    2. As for the error, is it a "stop" error? (Whole computer stops)

      If so, those are driver or hardware bugs, not my fault!

      Delete
  18. I as well cannot even get past the first room in 27.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aah! There was supposed to be a bullet! It was right there, I swear!

      Who made this stupid game

      Delete
    2. OK that makes sense. I was wondering if there was a sound cue that wasn't coming through that would have gleaned insight into how to get past the room...

      Delete
  19. A few things:
    1) There seems to be a big glitch somewhere in Lumpy Gravy that crashes the whole system. If you move off the start square, collect the gem while quickly moving off so the boxes drop, it crashes every time right after that on my system. I can send logs or whatever if it would be helpful.
    2) My first win on the new 5x5 level vanished. It was a clean win, but the 'done' disappeared and the win didn't stick. The second run looks like it did stick.
    3) Still having the apparently random problem of saves sometimes sticking and sometimes not when you die and end up back on the main screen for a level pit level. It seems to be consistent within one running of the software (if it sticks on one level, it'll stick on all; if it vanishes on one it vanishes on all), but on the next start it may behave the opposite. Can't find any pattern to it yet....
    Thanks again for all the fun!
    drerio

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I beat 5x5 twice. Score doesn't show but I did use a bunch of saves!

      Delete
    2. BTW, I used a bit of cheat code on Lumpy Gravy and the game has been updated a few times since then so it probably doesn't work anymore properly if you don't do it right. On 5x5, when the "Done" showed up, I tried a replay and the game locked. Xindaris can do that to the game! Ha ha ha!

      Delete
    3. 1) Thanks, fixed (next update)
      2) I'll look into it
      3) Never had this happen, I'll keep an eye out for it. Haven't spent much time in the Pit lately, might see it next time I do.

      Delete
    4. Another bug that happens on 5x5 is when you save while a gun was shooting on a "rebound" tile. I don't know how it happen exactly, but when you restart from that save, the gun will shoot 2 bullets instead of one. That's maybe the reason why the save don't work, as this bullet is not supposed to exist.

      Delete
    5. Thanks again, also now fixed (next update).

      Delete
  20. Do enemies push the player? Not that it matters because you die if they touch you, but in some situations it lookes like they give you a little push: if you have a key and there's a lock on the opposite side, it opens; if there's a pushable box, it moves. Doesn't really interfere with gameplay or anything, I just thought it's funny.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha, you're right! Didn't know about that.

      There's actually quite a few quirks of the physics system that you can exploit to get weird things to happen.

      Keeping the rest under wraps so I can fix them without breaking the inevitable weird levels people would make :)

      Delete
  21. I just sent you some pics of an oddity Rob.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah well, thanks for letting us put stuff on slider tiles and the arrows, it is a game changer. And, pick up and drop on the slider tiles because I figured the code would allow it as long as you are not pushing the arrow/WASD buttons. Timing though has to be EXACT centre or you will not pick up! And, drerio, what the heck are we supposed to do with the fish once we get into the impossible level? One thing that would be nice Rob if you could make the game smaller so we can see more of the hidden stuff that some gamers like to hide. Go back to Blackshift one and see the game size. Plus, I would like to be able to control the background (out of play area) dynamics. I like the fact that you can turn the enemies - nice touch! Anyways, I am making a slider pickup and drop level with plenty of saves. I am basing it on some levels I made in Netshift. I will await the next update before I put up another Netshift level with the on/off switch for the grille! Can we have the Mike Tyson video show when you get grilled? Buahahahah!

      Delete
    2. Pickup/drop on sliders — this is a bug, it'll probably disappear at some point.

      Zoom out — I've started to experiment with the view distance, you'll see some changes in the next update.

      Control the background — You can exert some influence on the background. If your level is fully surrounded by walls, you'll get the terrain background, otherwise you'll get no background. Which terrain you get depends on the size of your level.

      Grilled — It was George Foreman! I don't know about Canada but here in the UK he used to be on TV a lot promoting grills.

      Delete
    3. I will stop the pick-up and drop levels then but it was kinda fun (a bit hit or miss though)!

      http://www.georgeforemancooking.com/ ... well it was a boxer ha ha ha! LMAO at level 100 when he popped up on the screen when I got fried!

      Screen size - occasionally, my screen zooms out when I am playing. It is kind of "jerky" and a bit awkward though (processing too much information maybe?). The size is like the maximum zoom out in the editor. I don't know why it does that!

      Delete
  22. Obie-
    First hint is that none of the pets ever die in that level. You keep everyone alive (if sometimes out of sight or trapped for a while), as you need three pets to finish the level. The Hold This level has a big hint for one of the aspects of the pet level, though it's not quite the same. I may have made a few parts too convoluted to figure out, though there are hints scattered on the floor in a few places to help...

    ReplyDelete

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