Viewing entries tagged
guts and glory

Big Update + Big Sale!

Community created character "Junior" and his HoverBoard

Community created character "Junior" and his HoverBoard

GUTS and Glory

Yet another big update this month!  v0.8 is here and adds more content requested by the G&G Community, including:

  • GUTS!!!
  • Blood & Gore Settings: turn it up, or turn it off
  • Community Track Leaderboards
  • Pedestrian AI
  • New Blocks
  • Another new Hazard
  • annnnd a HoverBoard character!

This is the 8th and final character for the game, and wraps up the core content for the Level Editor.  Now I'll be turning my attention to the remaining Kickstarter rewards, new Official Tracks and other content for the full release. 

Lots of fun surprises in store for when Guts and Glory leaves Early Access :D

Get Guts and Glory HALF OFF!!  Ahahahaa...

Get Guts and Glory HALF OFF!!  Ahahahaa...

50% OFF SALE

Guts and Glory is part of the Steam Halloween Sale, so if you pick it up before Nov 1st you can get it at a huge discount!

Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!!!!!

Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!!!!!

v0.3.8: Physics Materials and Level Editor Improvements

Today I'm uploading the first update to Guts and Glory on Steam.  Man, that feels good to say!  This update brings a host of new features and bug fixes to the Level Editor.

Beta Branch (IMPORTANT)

Going forward, if you want to access the very latest build of the game, you'll need to opt-in to the Beta branch on Steam.  It's super easy to do.  Just go to your Steam Library, right-click Guts and Glory, then go to Properties and select the Beta tab.  Detailed instructions here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=182912431

If you wish to wait until updates have been tested more before installing then don't do anything.  You'll receive updates automatically about a week or two after they've been battle tested by others.

Physics Materials

All Building Blocks and Physics Blocks now have a Materials option in the Level Editor.  Each Material will change the texture, mass, drag, and other physics properties of your Block.  Turn a Block into Metal and it be behave like a heavy hunk of metal.  Turn it into Rubber and watch it bounce across the screen.  Turn it into Foam and it will be light and fluffy.  Making a Block larger or smaller will also change its physics behavior.  The goal here is to create something similar to Little Big Planet's materials system.

Materials also affect wheel traction on vehicles.  Plastic is a little slippery, and "Grippy" material behaves like grip tape on a skateboard.  Each has its own nuances.  Audio and particle effects will be added later.

Now you can make giant metal rolling balls of death, falling stone spikes, foam pits or a ton of other creative stuff.

More Materials will be added in future updates.  I just have to figure out a more efficient system of adding them first--currently I have to update each Block manually.

Snap-to-grid mode is brand new and just a little buggy

Grid Snapping

I got several requests for this feature.  You can now turn global grid snapping on/off in the Level Editor by pressing the Grid Snapping button in the top ToolBar.  This will shift any item you're editing to the closest 0.5 meter increment, making it a lot easier to line-up objects or fine tune your tracks.

This currently only works with the Move tool.  Rotation, and maybe scaling, to be added later.

Checkpoint Manager: those little colorful circles in the lower left corner

Checkpoint Manager

The Level Editor now has a Checkpoint Manager in the lower left corner of the screen.  As you add/remove Checkpoints, this will show you how many you have on the map.

Click any of the Checkpoints to make it your temporary Respawn Point.  Next time you press the Quick Play button, you'll automatically start from that Checkpoint instead.  This will make play-testing your levels much faster and easier.  (Shoutout to Kr4zy Z4ch for the recommendation.)

The Checkpoint Manager also ensures there are no missing Checkpoints before the level can be uploaded to the Workshop.

Hazard Glitches

Saw Mills, Hanging Hooks, and Wrecking Balls are now static during level editing, for easier handling.  The ropes no longer spazz out if they pass through other objects during editing, and saws don't break apart.  In general, moving objects around is much less glitchy.

Landmines

Landmine bugs should be fixed now.  There was an issue causing them to sometimes spontaneously explode for no reason the first time you enter a Community Track.  

Another bug caused them to sometimes fall through objects during editing.  To fix this, landmines are now static during editing, so you can manipulate them just like Blocks.

Landmine textures have been changed to bright yellow and red.  They were way too hard to see on grassy maps.  They still only have a red glowing light in the dark though.

Landmines now have a Sleep mode.  Yes, this means you can put them on walls, ceilings, or suspended in the air.

GUI Improvements & Death Bugs

There is now a "Next Track" button for Official Tracks.  I ran into issues with adding this for Community Tracks, so that will have to wait until another time.

Bugs such as the play mode HUD ("Ready? Go!") getting stuck on screen, disappearing buttons, and stretching for some aspect rations should now be fixed.  Also, animations have been removed from file menus in the Level Editor to speed things up.

There was also a bug that sometimes caused the game to think the player was dead after a respawn.  This should be fixed now as well.

Falling into infinity is no more!  Going off the map will auto-respawn your character now.

More Materials will be added in future updates... any requests?

Other Improvements

Thanks to your feedback I was able to track down and stomp out several bugs and make other improvements.  Finish Point flags should stay up better, some difficulty curves have been improved, fences are stronger, skids marks work slightly better, and headlights now automatically turn on at night.

Change Log

Going forward I will also start posting my development change logs, for those of you that like to see all the details.  (That 4th number is just my internal versioning system.)

v0.3.8.1
Added basic Music & Global Volume control sliders, under Settings Menu.  (Does not save settings to PlayerPrefs.  Temporary solution that will be replaced by more comprehensive Settings and Audio systems.)
Added global grid snapping mode.  On/off button in top toolbar.  (Does not yet work for rotation or scaling.)
Added Materials options to Building & Physics Blocks.
Materials change the Texture, Friction, Mass, and Drag of the Block.  (Audio feature will be added later.)
Scaling Physics Blocks now changes the total Mass of the object (ie- larger physics objects are now heavier and slower than smaller objects).
Materials on Physics Blocks affect Wheel traction, audio, and particle fx.
Reduced ToolTips pop-up time for 0.5s to 0.4s.  (Will later add Settings option to turn on/off, plus Tutorial/vidoes.)



v0.3.8.0
Fixed SawMills glitching/breaking during level editing.
Fixed Wrecking Ball rope glitching/breaking when intersecting other objects during level editing.
Fixed Hanging Hook rope glitching/breaking when intersecting other objects during level editing.
Fixed LandMines exploding unintentionally when starting some levels first time.
SawMills, Wrecking Balls, Hanging Hooks, and LandMines are now static during level editing, for easier handling.
LandMines now have a physics sleep option.
Changed LandMine texture to yellow and red for better visibility.
Slightly reduced odds of floating skid marks; may need to replace with new system in the future.  Low priority.
Improve Finish Point flags so they are less likely to fall over in Community Tracks.
Made fences a little stronger and less likely to knock down other segments.
Headlights now automatically turn on/off by default for night/day.
Falling out of level boundaries automatically respawns at last checkpoint.
Removed pop-up menu animations to speed up workflow in Level Editor.
Reduced difficulty of Whiplash level to improve difficulty curve.
Added "Next Track" button for Official Tracks.
Added an unlock override feature in case someone gets really stuck on an Official Track.  (Hit Next Button in Pause Menu 4x.)
Added "Respawn Selector" GUI in Level Editor.  Quickly see how many checkpoints you have, and easily spawn at any of them for play-testing.
Added system to check for gaps in Checkpoints before they can be uploaded to the Workshop.  Helps to ensure level can actually be completed.

Steam Private Beta

What will YOU create in the new Workshop Level Editor?

After more than 400 hours of game development since the Yang Demo was released, I’m happy to announce that the Guts and Glory private beta is finally ready on Steam! It will begin this Friday, January 6th, at 7:00am MST.

A Steam Key will be posted to your HumbleBundle Download page on this date.  If you lost that link, you can request it again here using the same email address you use for Kickstarter.

This version is open to all Kickstarter Backers of the Golden Prestige Pack and higher levels, and limited Press.  There will also be a few keys given away to HakJak Newsletter subscribers the following week, so sign-up now if you haven’t already!

Currently running on Windows and Mac.  I’ll be working on the Linux build very soon.

Create infinite new challenges!

Level Editor + Steam Workshop

I wanted to get this into your hands as soon as possible, so please understand this is a “bare bones beta.”  It’s as raw as they come.  The primary feature of this version is the brand new Level Editor and Steam Workshop integration.  It’s only the beginning stages of the editor, but is already powerful enough to build some very cool stuff.

Level creation is very easy.  Just hit the “Create” button on the Main Menu to get started.  Hover the mouse cursor over any button to see a Tool Tip explaining how things work.  As you build, you can press the “Quick Play” button at any time to instantly play test.  Once you’re finished, you can upload your level to the Steam Workshop with a single button.

I will be adding more to this very quickly, and I can’t wait to see what you guys create!

Track Groups: each tells a story... well kinda...

Official & Community Tracks

Tracks are now divided into 2 sections: Official Tracks and Community Tracks.

Official Tracks are now placed into Track Groups.  Each group loosely follows the story of a specific character(s) and theme.  Each track the groups is also locked until you complete the one prior.  Don’t worry though—I toned back the difficulty levels on many of them, and revised or replaced others!  Any levels you completed already in the alpha (v0.3.3) should already be unlocked for you, if you’re playing on the same computer.  Not a lot of new content in this section yet, as my focus has been on the Level Editor and community tracks.

Your Personal Best Time is now shown directly on each level button.  Leaderboards will be added later as well.

Community Tracks will show a list of all the levels you have subscribed to on the Steam Workshop, as well as your Personal Best Time for each.  Just hit the “+” or subscribe button on a level in the Workshop.  After you subscribe to new levels, they will be added to this list if you leave it and return, or just hit the Refresh button in the upper left corner.

The new Vehicle Classes legend is shown on the right

Vehicle Classes & Controller Support

Vehicles are now divided into Classes.  This will make it easier to build new content and tracks designed around specific types of vehicles.  You can also set which Vehicle Classes are allowed in tracks you create in the Level Editor.  This is much faster and easier than having a long list of all characters that will be in the game. 

Controller support has also been added to everything except the Level Editor.  So you can finally kick back and play without messing with the mouse!

Play God.  Create and destroy!

Steam Store and Community Pages

I’m in the process of building the Steam Store and Community pages right now.  I should have them done today, and will submit to Valve for approval.  Once approved, you will be able to share screenshots of the game on Steam Communities, see the public Workshop page, add the game to your Favorites for future notifications, share with friends so they can add to their Wishlist, etc.   This process can take up to 5 business days.

Until then, the Steam Workshop page may be a little harder to find.  If you can’t reach it through Steam Search, then just upload a level and it should take you there; the first time you upload a level, it should take you directly there in your Steam overlay.  Just bookmark this page for now, or wait until it is published publicly by Valve in a few days.

Turn up that glorious new music!

Music

Guts and Glory now has an epic, custom theme song created by Ressa Schwarzwald! I think you guys will love it!

I’ve also added several custom and licensed music tracks throughout the game, with much more in the works! They really add a lot to the game and bring the levels to life. I love the irony created by the new music in the Rooftop Hop track and Industrial Power too.  

Music options will be added to the Level Editor soon as well!

Thank you for all your support!!!

Thank you for all your support!!!

Awards

I am also very honored to say that Guts and Glory has received a couple video game awards! It received IndieDB’s “Editor’s Choice” Award and also placed in “Player’s Choice: Best Upcoming”.  

HUGE THANKS to everyone who voted and has supported this project! When the days get long and I get stuck on some really difficult code, seeing your support is a huge motivation.  

A Final Note

I apologize for the long gap of time between last update and this one.  Adding the Level Editor and Workshop integration was one of the biggest challenges so far, and I've just been absorbed in it for the past month or so.  It's mostly been a lot of technical stuff that doesn't offer much "show and tell" for an update.

However, now that this part is complete, it lays the foundation for the game and sets things up for rapid development going forward.  I should now be able to do much more frequent (and fun) updates, and I look forward to your feedback to help shape things to come!

Level Editor Early Preview

The past couple weeks I've been hard at work implementing the new Level Editor for Guts and Glory, and I'm happy to say it's coming along great!  While there is still much work to do, I wanted to give you guys a quick update on the progress so far.  Check out the video above for a timelapse preview of the level editor in action.

The goal here is to make building levels as easy and fast as possible, while providing for lots of flexibility and power to create anything you want.  The Level Editor is really the heart and soul of this project, so a lot of attention will be dedicated to developing it further over time.

Quickly set a checkpoint to save or not.  This creates respawn points.

Currently, it has the following features:

  • Terrain creation, editing and painting.  Make mountains, hills and valleys with ease--or just a bumpy motocross track.  Create plateaus, smooth the terrain, and paint grasses, dirt, mud, etc.
  • Assorted building blocks to create any architecture you want.
  • Assorted physics blocks to create all sorts of interesting physics sandbox scenarios. Even put them to "sleep" so they don't activate until you touch them.
  • Textures that change dynamically to object sizes (like Little Big Planet) so everything looks good no matter how big or small you make them.
  • Easy color changes
  • Lots of Hazards and Special Items you can drag and drop into levels with ease, then tweak settings.  For a good example of this, see the MegaFan in the video above.
  • Easy Waypoint management.  Drag and drop waypoints onto any surface and easily mark if they are saving checkpoints or just regular waypoints.
  • Fast test plays and editing.  Jump into the track with the push of a button, play test it, then back to the editor just as easily to finish.

Next up I will be adding dynamic Materials, similar to Little Big Planet.  This means you can turn basic blocks into bricks, metal, foam, ice, etc. and it will behave like that material should.  I also plan on doing the same for the terrain, so dusty trails, mud, ice, etc. behave like they should.  This should round out the basics of the level editor and make it ready for the Beta.

The Challenges

Adding a level editor to Guts and Glory was harder than I anticipated.  As I built the game, I tried to plan ahead and structure everything with this in mind, but it's impossible to predict how everything will work ahead of time.  I won't bore you with the nerdy details, but basically several parts of the game "broke" as I started to integrate the editor.  This set me back a few days, but all is well now!

What's Next?

There are a few things I need to finish before the Level Editor is ready for the Beta:

  • Add a "complexity limit" bar, so levels don't get so large they crash lower end computers
  • Finish the file management system
  • Finish the user interface and some minor bug fixes
  • Update the Timer to record user made level times

I'm hoping to knock those out over the next couple days or so.  Then I will do a stripped-down build of the game and start learning how to upload it to Steam, integrate it with the Workshop, etc.  My goal is to have the basic Level Editor fully functioning in time for the Beta, so players can start building and sharing levels right away!

Before the Beta is ready I will also need to select which "official" tracks stay in the game, polish them up, and finish the main level selection menus so they are map-centric instead of one giant list.  I also have some more work to do to get Larry fully ready to play, and really want to add the control customization as soon as possible.  Fingers crossed that I can get all this done before the Beta starts next month, but so far it looks like things are right on track!