Thanks everyone for your support so far! NEO Scavenger's Greenlight campaign has had over 8000 visitors to date, a 77% approval rating, and the "caluclated ratings" ticked up from 0% to 1% this morning!
1% may not sound like a lot, but even heavy hitters like Project Zomboid, with over 100k visitors, have 8%. So not too shabby!
Not much to show today, though it was busy as ever.
Most of the day was spent going through the application process for Desura. Things are looking good for adding NEO Scavenger to their service, though I still need to sort out a few details.
I also messed around with Linux builds today. Getting Ubuntu running on my laptop was a bit of a bust, as I think the laptop was way too weak to run it using Wubi. Lubuntu, however, is running much better. Enough so that I was able to compile and test an executable version of NEO Scavenger there.
It's my first trailer for a game, and I think it came out pretty well, actually. Not bad for my first foray into After Effects! It uses one of Josh Culler's excellent pieces composed for the game.
Work on the downloadable versions continues, and today I think I got the demo setup for downloads. Now, when visiting the demo page, you should see some new buttons at the bottom:
I've just finished uploading new beta build v0.950b and demo build v0.950d. It's mainly bug fixes for things folks have reported in the last few days. Both versions include:
Been a slow day today. Mostly reading about deploying Flash as a stand-alone executable on PC, Mac, and Linux.
Why Flash?
Part of the reason I chose Flash as a platform was because 95% of people on the web have the Flash plugin. People can just visit www.bluebottlegames.com and try the demo with little to no effort.
If I had chosen C++, C#, XNA, or any of the native application types, I'd have to present a "download" link, and people would have to:
I've just finished uploading new beta build v0.949b. This build includes a pretty large number of bug fixes and balance tweaks. However, one of the more interesting changes involves our familiar cryo facility.
Return to the Cryo Facility
A few players had asked in the past to be able to return to the cryo facility later in the game, in case they wanted to search again for clues, or didn't get a chance to earlier in the game. That makes a lot of sense, so I rewired a few things to allow that to happen.
Still no new build yet, though we're getting close. Trying to sort out a few more issues before uploading the new beta build.
The More You Know...
So it turns out there's a pretty funny bug in the game right now. If one takes painkillers and then drinks whiskey, they may go into shock and never wake up once the effects wear off. Kinda like real life!
I was trying to get a new content update ready for tonight, but it's taking a bit longer than expected. So, unfortunately, no new build tonight. And what's more, I'll be out of the office tomorrow. Sorry!
Mystery Items
However, I feel bad leaving for the weekend without at least sharing something. So, I figured I'd share some new item art on it's way:
Only a few bug fixes today, so I'm not going to upload a new beta version just yet.
However, I've got a plan that I think I'm happy with for updating the demo. It was hard coming up with the right balance of features/content to keep vs. limit in the demo, but I may have a good compromise. I've started work on that today, and hopefully I can have the demo updated within a week.
I've just finished uploading new beta build v0.948b. It's mostly a collection of game balancing and fixes, but you may notice some big differences. Here's a run-down:
Been working most of the day on NEO Scavenger's first trailer. As I gear up for launch on Desura, I need to have certain checkboxes ticked, including a gameplay trailer.
I think I've finished a version I'm happy with today, and plan to upload it once the demo's ready and Desura's all setup. Can't wait to share it!
I also managed to fix a few bugs, though I want to nail a few more before uploading a new build. Today, bug fixes included:
I've just uploaded a new beta build, v0.947b. There were a few other fixes I finished today, so I figured I'd get them online for the weekend. They are:
I've just uploaded a new beta build. It's still labeled v0.946b (doh! forgot to change it), but the timestamp next to the version should read August 10, 2012.
This build addresses a pretty major bug in combat which caused the game to crash if the player ever restarted or loaded a game after playing for a while. Usually, this resulted in an empty combat screen, a lot like this thread.
I've just uploaded a new beta build, v0.946b (labeled August 9, 2012). It includes new battle moves, mostly for players/creatures with prerequisite skills.
I just finished uploading a new beta build, v0.946b. The build includes several fixes, balance tweaks, and some new content.
New Music!
Josh's second piece is now in the game! You'll hear it crescendo slowly into the foreground in the skill selection screen. It's ripe with dark pensiveness and anticipation, perfect for planning your ability strategy!
First Aid
You'll also start seeing a new item in the game: the first aid kit.
I just uploaded a new build, v0.945b, with a couple minor bug fixes I made this morning. They are:
Fixed a bug that caused terrain resources (rivers, lakes, trees) to pile up in hexes after many save/loads.
Fixed a bug that caused skills and traits to be double-applied when game is loaded from a save.
I still haven't been able to find or fix the issue some folks have seen with save/load causing stuck conditions. I tried a bunch of tests this morning to make it happen, but no dice.
