No Shield Cat Build? (Progress update!) (Patreon)

Hey guys! I wanted to write a little post because typically I've been releasing builds every 2-4 weeks, but right now I don't plan on putting a build until like March. Generally I just treat the patch notes as progress updates because I can just describe what's going on and you can go check it out for yourself. Since I wont be putting a new build for a while more though, I wanted to talk about some stuff that will be in the next build! This way you can know I'm still working on the game and didn't disappear or something.

Map Changes

The first thing I want to talk about here is map changes. You'll immediately notice that the Deep Woods has a lot more detail on it! I'm experimenting with hand-drawn maps for the areas with the Deep Woods as a test. These will allow you to get a better idea of where to go in case you want to go back to a specific room. Other stages also have more high resolution graphics (when zoomed in.)

To help with exploration, new map markers have been added too! You can place up to 6 markers on the map, and they'll also show on the minimap. I'm hoping this helps to navigate this ever-expanding interconnected map.

To help with exploration, indoors areas such as caves will now show on the map. Their entrances are marked on the map with (1), (2) etc. This function allows sub areas to show on the map, so you can more easily know when you've explored and area and when you still need to go there.

To help ease confusion, the map screen is simpler when you zoom out. Only locked doors, Willow save points, and other really important markers will be shown when you zoom out. Once zoomed in, you'll see more markers in rooms that have a lot going on. These changes together make the map screen much more useful and informational, without being too overwhelming. (The minimap also has the same changes, less icons overall to make it easier to use.)

Letters are now Big Orbs

Another thing you may notice in the screenshot above is that the LANCE letters have been replaced with large blue orbs. This change allows me to be able to add up the collectible much easier, where as before it was confusing to try to display to the player how many of each letter Lance has. Now, the game just says something like "You have 9/25 Orbs" and you can go from there.

If you're worried about having to collect the orbs, don't be - the orbs replace the letters entirely, and your save file will automatically be updated. Any letter you collected will be set to the corresponding orb, and you wont have to collect it again.

New Title Screen

The game now has a nice hi-res title screen using the key art that I made recently. On top of looking significantly better over the previous one, this one is also animated! It overall gives a much better first impression I feel.

Stage Expansions

I've been working on expanding existing stages as well as filling in the new stages. The River Path has been expanded with about 15 screens as I write this, with 10 more screens planned. It now has big orbs to collect as well, so keep an eye out for that! Unfortunately, due to the fact that part of it is accessed from the Autumn Grove side, you won't be able to 100% the stage (for now.) I should note that the Marcus' Adventure minigame for this stage remains unchanged.

I've also been putting work into the Forest Path, a dark rainy area which is positioned to the south of the village. It's about 20% done now, and features brand new mechanics like platforms that Lance activates by throwing his shield at them, as well as magic potions that allow you to spin over massive gaps. Since this area is also accessed from the Autumn Grove, it will be a while before you're able to get in there too.

Misc Changes

Here are various changes that I've made that are important enough to talk about, but not enough to have their own sections:

• Blur has been improved significantly and now looks really nice, even on the lowest settings (at no performance cost.)
• Load times have been improved by generating cached files and using those.
• General performance has also been improved through the use of lookup tables and other optimizations.
• Echo effects have been added to caves and other areas where appropriate to give a more ambient feeling.
• Small icons will show on the screen if you're using any cheats.
• A small icon in the corner also shows what difficulty you're playing on (doesn't appear in normal difficulty.) These changes are to make it harder for streamers to lie and say they're playing legitimately if they're not.
• I redid the music in the Abandoned Mines and it's a lot better now.

More Changes

There's plenty more that I've been adding or that I changed or adjusted, as well as bug fixes - more than what I've talked about here. However, you'll just have to wait until the next build to check them out. It'll be a while more before that build comes out, so all I can ask is for your patience. Thank you for supporting the game and checking it out!