Incoming changes
Hello everyone !
Lost Items is about to be published on Steam. It's a huge thing and it means a lot to me. Knowing it will be available on that huge machine makes me really happy !
But it's not everything, it's only an Early Access ! So it means it will change.
I have a list of more than 20 features to add to the game. So I guess the game will not be finished until a few months, or maybe more ? Sounds like it can always have some improvements.
So, what am I working on, right now ?
To be honest, not much. At least, not for you. I'm currently reading the whole code because it needs some adjustments. So I'm reading thousands of lines, thinking of what they mean and try to make them look better. (okay okay, I do know what they mean, but I wanted to sound like it's a really hard work).
It isn't that hard yet, but it adds a lot of bugs I need to deal with. So the game is not stable anymore (the development game I mean, not the one you play on). I need some time to remake everything in a better way, and then optimize it.
Yeah, I'm working on optimization right now. It sounds like having only 450 fps on the higher level is not much (you can't see your FPS right now, maybe must I add it for you to know).
So here is a list of what I plan for the next update :
First, we really need an update containing optimization. It works properly on most computers, but only on the lower levels. The higher levels are quite resource-consuming, and it's not the way it must be. The only problem comes from the size of the maze I guess, and the way I draw each tile. One week ago, I had only 150 fps on the higher level because I drew all the tiles, even the ones not showing. So, just by changing a little thing, it works 3 times better. It sounds cool, right ?
Second, I really need something to handle a custom window size. Working with a 1280x732 window is cool, but it would be so nice to play fullscreen, 1080p game. For you and for me, because that trailer in 720p looks so bad.
Third, and the best thing I guess, would be to rework the way we walk. As you can see, the last key you press isn't where you move. It goes in that order, if I remember correctly : Up, right, down, left, or something like that. The reason is that I'm quite a fool and I can't make a game work correctly. Or just I thought of a bad way to implement it. So I may rework the whole thing.
And the last thing would be an achievements system. Yeah, we need it. Steam gives us (developers) a good way to achieve that, so I think I'll take a look at it. It may not be available in the next update, but I really plan to do it as a very important thing.
And for the rest of the project ?
I don't think these four points will take me more than a month or two (and I hope not so, because the first point is not the funnier part of the development), so will the game development end right after that ?
The answer is no. Because I don't feel like it. I talked about 20+ features.
So what are these features ?
Be patient. I won't tell you everything I plan, you must wait a bit, just to discover it by yourself. The only thing I can promise is more blocks and more ghosts. But they'll come with time, not all at once, because I need to implement them...
For now, I have no screenshots to give you, because the current changes are not visible in the game. They are just code changes. So I'm gonna give you this algorithm :
Start
Display "Feelzor is the best, he's a god"
End.
And remember, it's only an Early Access right now, and the game is not finished. It's only the beginning of a new journey...