TehRealSalt

Should be under the Input category in Options

I am working on a new Snap demo (yup, another one, I know), set to come out in a couple of months. I'm not trying to make another Episode 1 mega shareware-style demo though; it'll have a lot less content, and won't replace the Episode 1 demo. In return, I want to use it as a testing ground for many new Episode 2 mechanics and features. In the few months in the run up to it, I want to start posting a couple of design / technical process posts, some about the stuff that is getting added to it, and maybe some stuff about stuff that's already in the game. Maybe this is a bit pretentious? I dunno. But I suck at consistently giving update posts (especially when I consider the progress too small or insignificant to talk about), and this gives me an excuse to shut up and just start writing. Today's topic: the new combo system, which I'll be introducing with this new demo. itch.io mirror if you'd prefer to read it there: https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/540412/combos-in-snap

Me and Sev were scratching our heads figuring out where you were, and then figuring out how you got there. The Normal layout & base geometry was by Sev, but I did the Hard changes, and it did not occur to me you can get thrown out of the window looking out of the lavafall room. We're now putting bars over it for Episode 2 :p

A Large Snap Episode 2 Preview, since it's been a hot minute. https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/488255/a-large-snap-episode-2-preview

Just a quick release since GZDoom v4.8.0 broke Snap really, really badly. As a bonus I backported Episode 2's cool player animator system, so hopefully that makes it worth it :P (gif of looking into mirrors with the new animators) v2.4 changelog: Updated GZDoom version to 4.8.2. Fixed intermissions unable to progress since GZDoom v4.8.0. (You can no longer ready up in multiplayer due to under-the-hood changes, unfortunately. A more intricate fix will be made for Episode 2.) Implemented automatic character animations, which shows your aiming, strafing, shooting, crouching, etc. This makes mirrors & multiplayer look much better! See the attached gif. Added a "damage reduced" sound while Super Shell is active. Added the option for thicker automap lines in the menu. Subtitles no longer go off the edges of the screen at 800x600 resolution. Improved the automap view. There is now a dark transparent BG, the player arrow was made more visible, and key fobs are shown. This requires a config reset. Cleaned up automaps for several levels. Improved directioning on the ending lift in E1M2. Fixed being able to stand on the edge of the cutscene pit in E1M1 by using strafe-running. Fixed a bug in E1M4 where a monster closet would not open in multiplayer. Fixed one specific menu sound being very loud. Custom maps now default to using the generic ending if a next level isn't set. https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/403169/v24-release

Thanks everyone for the input!! The original game jam version was obviously made under time crunch, and most of the time spent on Episode 1 was polishing the existing base mechanics. Now that those are pretty much set mostly in stone now, the future Episodes' are definitely just focusing on cooler levels \m/ -------- Didn't plan on making this patch, but I see lots of blind playthroughs guilty of running the IWAD as a Doom PWAD (which causes lots of minor subtle issues that make the game look much more unpolished). Since I had to make a patch anyway, I went ahead and threw a bunch of quality of life tweaks already made for Episode 2. Episode 2 development is still going well, but what has been done isn't really showable -- just lots and lots of prototypes of just about everything. Not really polished enough yet for me to be really confident in showing off yet, hoping to get the early levels in the Episode fully complete soon. (Hopefully I'm done with patches so I can fully focus on it, lol.) (gif of new knockback VFX) v2.3 changelog: You can no longer run Snap as a Doom PWAD. (It's a standalone IWAD!!) Updated Directional Influence mechanics. This should hopefully make it clearer how to escape hitlag combos, especially in Versus. Added the following visual effects: Shift DI gives you colored afterimages, to show other players how you're moving. Velocity DI has a ring explosion, which spews dust in the direction of the original knockback. (When using VDI, you'll be sent away from the dust.) Velocity DI's effect was made significantly stronger. Shift DI was totally reworked to be fully automatic, instead of only semi-automatic. This will make Shift DI really easy for pretty much anyone to use effectively, instead of being an incredibly obscure mechanic. The following changes were made: Mash shifting was removed entirely. Automatic shifting was made to be as strong as mashing used to be. You now get automatic shifts every single time hitlag is added to you, instead of only after hitlag. Knockback was made even stronger, to allow DI to be used to escape more scenarios. Replaced the Powerup Copter sprites with a 3D model. Added relative skybox viewpoint objects. These are used in VS1 to make the death plane more seamless. Improved directioning for the various connecting points in E1M4's central room. Improved directioning for the red key door in E1M6. Improved directioning for the bank area in E1M8 Normal. Slight length & directioning changes for E1M9. Optimized event handler usage. Poorer machines may feel a slight performance increase. Player corpses now utilize Hexen's corpse queue; by default, only 64 corpses will be allowed to pile up in multiplayer. Made the invincibility period after using Septacrash far shorter, to make it less cheesy in Versus. Versus Random Weapon roulette starting position gets offset by one each time you use the roulette. Intended to reduce the feeling of "this weapon again?" "Spawn farthest" is now default in Versus. Adjusted default multiplayer connection settings. After some experimentation, these settings play significantly more smoothly with poorer connections. Fixed cacti being solid for a short time after they've already exploded. Fixed player sorting on the multiplayer HUD with more than 2 players. Fixed the 7th bullet's center afterimage being misaligned. https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/379763/v23-release

v2.2 has been released. This was meant to be just a really simple 5-line changelog patch to address lag & a few bugs, but it ballooned really fast! Most notable change is a new weapon can system -- weapons need to be kicked open to be picked up, to prevent accidental weapon pickups. GIF of weapon cans in action: https://imgur.com/vayVWJO Download + changelog: https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/336109/v22-release

v2.1 has been released. Main reason for the patch is to fix a pretty nasty thinker leak that was happening on a few levels, please try it out if you were having performance issues before. Other highlights include alternate E1M7 generators, and Homing Beam buffs, as well as lots of minor polish in lots of little areas of the game. Read the changelog here: https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/315408/v21-release

The Episode 1 update (v2.0) has been released!! The length of the game has been doubled, and lots of polish to every other aspect of the game. Changelog: https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/313411/episode-1-v20-release

I believe you're referring to a HUD bug that was made obvious by a GZDoom update, yes, that's fixed. All indev testing is done with the latest GZDoom.

In the next update, Versus mode will be undergoing a lot of tweaks to make it more fun. To go into lots of detail: As for actual single-player progress, it's going well. Never really sure how much to show off because I like keeping campaign stuff un-spoiled (that's why my detailed updates tend to be multiplayer :p). But all of the remaining stages are starting to come together so I think I'll meet my self-imposed deadline ... really cannot wait to get it into peoples' hands. :)

re: Death Egg -- it slipped my mind to reply, but the latest version of the game implemented a toggle, and the default was just lowered in general in a patch. I was trying to make the flashing match software a little better, but realized later I went a bit overboard when I did another direct comparison. Mostly this year I've been focusing my other project, but I started getting interest in Snap development again, so we'll be fleshing out Snap's 7DFPS build further, and turning it into a fully featured "shareware" episode. Pretty much all of the content in the 7DFPS build will be doubled, and all of the existing content will be polished up. What's currently being done for the update: 3 new weapon types 2 new enemy types 5 more levels, with one of them being a new mini-boss. Added to the existing level total, the full episode will contain 10 stages. Fleshed out story (some simplistic but interactive in-game cutscenes) More polish on the existing levels (Level 4 will be hit with a 2nd pass) Rebalanced existing enemies & mechanics (Hitlag, shoot & kick at the same time, less damage-spongey enemies) Complete rework of the Very Rude difficulty (no more basic fast monster speed value changes, instead adds completely new enemy behaviors) Even more jams by Sev New multiplayer modes A few screenshots of the update's content (albeit slightly out of date): (Technical issues made this video come out a bit blurry. Sorry! I've already fixed the issue for next time.) More recently is the new Invasion mode, a little pet project of mine. This will be a set of Coop specific stages, in which you will defend a core from an onslaught of Ocean's robots. Each stage will have 2 separate missions, one Normal and one Hard. Additionally, some robots may come with a "modifier", as indicated by special particles on them, which adjusts their properties. The mode is designed primarily for 2 players, but the difficulty scales up to accommodate all 8. You might also notice a few new things in this video. The most obvious from the start is the jumbotron at the bottom of the screen. This is to both add some more information to the screen, and to make the existing messages prettier and less janky. Additionally, there's also a new mechanic: the Septacrash. When the 7-Star meter on your HUD is full, you'll be able to unleash a powerful blast that demolishes everything around you. It's slow to charge, so you'll want to be careful to not waste it.

Yet another patch, v1.2, this one is much smaller. Adds drop shadows under lots of objects, and several bug-fixes. Buuut the real reason for this patch was to lock off Hard Mode until you beat the game, because, after watching several first impressions, I don't think it's obvious enough that it's a remixed campaign that assumes familiarity with Normal, rather than Ultra-Violence-style "more monsters". Ah well. :p Full changelog: https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/208753/v12-release

Version 1.1 has been released! Most notable changes are presentation polish, multiplayer polish, Level 4 polish, and save points. Full changelog is here: https://tehrealsalt.itch.io/snap-the-sentinel/devlog/207870/v11-some-more-polish

I uploaded a simple trailer, it's in the first post now.