Hello everyone! A little update with some new features mostly around options and to give you an early glimpse of the work-in-progress on the new Vector mode.
Yip, I couldn’t resist getting your feedback, so I exposed an option to change the theme between the normal modern vector illustration style graphics and a more raw classic vector style. It’s still very much a work-in-progress so be gentle. I still have to do work to swap out more shapes/symbols, particle effects (explosions/missile trails), fonts, and of course the main title, but I’m interested to hear what you like and don’t like with the direction. Eventually I want to support additional themes too, so I can put in a nod to my old workhorses, the Commodore Amiga and C64, and hopefully some other classic systems as well. You can change the theme from the Effects menu, or for the brave, you can switch while in the heat of battle with the T-Key or DPad-Up, which are the default controls mapped to the feature.
There are also a few smaller updates focused on some usability enhancements requested from players and Youtubers. You can now fine tune the sensitivity of the thumb-sticks and triggers for the supported game controllers. This shows up as Thrust/Rotation Sensitivity options under the Controls option menu. In addition, you can also tone down the power of the thrusters if they’re just to much for you to handle using the Max Thruster Power option. It’s also fun to dial it down just for more deliberate thrusting experience and a different feel, but unfortunately, if you dial it down too much, you’re bound to take a beating from random debris and bullets!!
Thank you for supporting me on my journey to try and make the Best Asteroids Style Space Shooter. If you ever want to chat about Solaroids with myself or other players, or brag about your top scores and share tips, join the Solaroids Discord Server. It’s quiet there now, but maybe you can help change that!
I’ve also created a dedicated Early Access Page filled with, gifs, links, and a place where you can sign up to be notified at full launch.
Cheers and happy blasting!
New Features
- Enable experimental Vector mode. Note this is really early-early-access. It can be turned on either from the Theme option under the Effects category, or by pressing the DPad-Up button or T-Key if keyboard is being used. The control used can also be reconfigured like other controls per Control Style.
- Max Thruster Power
option – Adjust the maximum thrust on a player by player basis. This is
both useful to tune to your comfort level, and when taken to the
extreme, makes for some fun times trying to change trajectory to avoid
incoming debris!
- Thruster/Rotational Sensitivity
control options – Adjust the sensitivity of the controls used for
thrusters and rotation when assigned to analog controls like
thumb-sticks and triggers. At 100% it will behave as it has, while at 0%
most of the control will be at the end of the pull/push, and at 200%
most of the control will be at the start of the pull/push. This is also
per player.
- Reset Controller Layout option.
- Display version and EA disclaimer on the in-game option screen.
- Add Solaroids logo to the in-game option screen.
- Use
machine based-translations, denoted with a (*), as stand-ins for text
that hasn’t been proofread/localized by a native speaker. Yes I finally
pulled the trigger on this one and actually put the machine translations
in until I can get the real ones sync’d up.
- Allow the viewing and configuring of player options and controls from the main menu, not just the in-game pause menu.
- Move Autofire and Aim on Fire options from the Gameplay category to the Controls category. They are now configurable per player instead of global options.
Issues Addressed
- Fix title graphic style/size when starting up under a non-English locale.
Previously Released Patches
- Fix regression in camera handling at the edge of the arena when Seamless Wrapping is off.
Solaroids is available on Steam Early Access and is still being actively developed by Chad Yates as part-time Indie game developer. Come try out the free Demo, join the Community HUB on steam, or join the ranks of brave fighter pilots defending the solar system and competing for high scores and prestige!