First release on Itch.io!
Version 0.4.0.0
-Recently implemented an options menu. Some things work, some others don't. Next version will have a save options feature.
-Preparing to rewrite ball bounce physics. Too bad I skipped physics in school :D
Not much to say in this first one. Remember to report bugs in the bug report thread!
Version 0.4.1.4
-New arena! The Space Invaders arena has been added to the game.
-The version number is now listed at the top right of the menu screen.
-Added a screenshake for when blocks are exploded. This cannot be turned off yet, that functionality may come in a future update (or it will be removed entirely or refined to the point of non-annoyance)
-Fixed a few graphical errors
-REMOVED 32 BIT LINUX VERSION. This was causing the Linux Itch client to install the 32 bit version to 64 bit machines, and since nearly every Linux machine these days is x64, there is no overwhelming need for a 32 bit version. Thanks to r/Linux_Gaming for the assistance in coming to this decision!
The testing support I've been receiving has been really wonderful. Thank you so much!
Version 0.4.1.9
-It's been a while since the last update. I do intend to maintain a higher frequency of updates in the future.
-The ball bounce physics have been modified to reflect both the infinite plane bounce formula that it has been using up to this point as well as a new theorem that will compare the balls position to the object it is bouncing off of in specific cases. This should improve gameplay by a significant margin as the player now has near direct control of the ball.
-The ball has been sped up due to review of source creative material. Playing classic Breakout and Arkanoid styled games and receiving some peer review made it very apparent that TETRARKHOUT is currently lacking in difficulty. There shall be more changes to address this in the future as well.
-There have been new sound effects added to the reset warp.
As always I am extremely grateful to those who have purchased and are actively playing TETRARKHOUT. I cannot stress enough how important it is to me that you remain fairly critical of the game both for it's content and it's gameplay and provide feedback to me on both these fronts. The game can only get better from here as I begin to shift more towards content creation, and with your help even more greatness can be achieved.
Version 0.4.2.0
I promise, it is a mere coincidence that I am releasing this on 4/20. It is less coincidence that it is releasing at 4:20 PM.
-Uncovered some files in the original build, included them for shiggles.
-You can now reset settings and savestates in the options menu
-interpreter command line shows up for a split second at the beginning. Please do not try to interrupt the software in progress of loading. You may cause unintentional effects to your computer.
Next time: More maps! Mouse controls finally! Other overdue things!
Version 0.4.3.6
Biggest update yet!
-New arena designed by @YarHarALC on twitter! IF you have an arena design, submit it to me on the community forum! Even rough drawings will do.
-Improved player feedback, more sound effects recovered
-New tracks added to game by Sirmooge, should help to "modernize" the experience.
-MOUSE SUPPORT! Finally! Been meaning to add it for months. Still a bit of tweaking to be done, but I really want to know what you think of it right now. It can be turned on from the DIFFICULTY menu in the options. The reason it's there is because it makes the game EXTREMELY EASY. Use with caution, it can mess up your immersion if you're looking for that sort of thing.
-recovered more files, put em in. They're tiny little things, so I don't see the harm in adding them. Maybe they'll add up to something better down the road.
-updated the logo on the load screen
-added text randomizer to the load screen
Please remember to leave feedback! The discussion forums are pretty dead, let's change that!
Version 0.5.0.0
Halfway there!
-TETRARKHOUT has been replaced by BRKÖUT.
-Level progression system implemented
-Included more code from the original. Still not entirely sure what it does ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
-SHRÖUT, the shareware edition has been released!
-Added ability to disable color changing in the menu, ideal for people with epilepsy
-New maps!
Version 0.5.1.0
This update mostly to fix a crucial error I made in the last export and to make a couple aesthetic changes.
-updated ball to a more ball-shaped thing, added glow effect to help make it stand out
-added "press enter" on level select screen
-app no longer in Kiosk Mode, an error I made in my previous export for 0.5.0.0
Version 0.6.0.2
So this is a bit odd.
A while back I mentioned that I've been adding random junk files to the game from the disk to see what happens. I may have to stop doing that.
I keep finding new files cached in the original copy. There are new files appearing on the original disk. I'm not putting them there. I would usually accredit that to an extreme amount of sleep loss and just plain old forgetfulness, but I am actually incapable of writing to disk. The cheapo reader I bought for this project is read only, there's no way to write to the disk. I've looked through backups that I've made in the past and sure enough, these new files aren't there. Every time I add a file form the disk into the game, a little piece of the game changes in a way I haven't seen before.
This week marks a year of working on this game. In approx. one month it will be completed and out of my hands.
I've put too much time into this. We've just entered Beta.
Usually when a developer reaches this level of schizoid paranoia they need to take a break or stop. I have my deadline. I can't stop. I guess you're all along for the ride.
There's now a whole new mechanic that I've never seen before. I'm marking what is me and what isn't.
-Added icon to Windows version (me)
-Added ANOTHER icon to the windows version (not me)
-Disabled write to disk (me, no longer secure until I can figure out the extent of the dormant code)
-New level, looks a bit like Kilroy (me)
-Changed level progression to one at a time (me)
-During endgame for a match, the ball homes in on the final block (not me)
There's probably some more added as well that I've forgotten, or just lost track of. Things keep changing and I can't notice everything.
Oh well. Development is on track. Be back with updates.
Version 0.7.2.0
I'm losing my mind. The game may as well be writing itself at this point.
I'm not including from the original code anymore, and yet unintended changes keep appearing.
As mentioned in the update on the release date, I used to believe there was some kind of security breach. Now I'm not so sure.
There's really only one -barely likely- explanation I can think of at this point. I've had sleepwalking issues before. I remember when I was a kid once I woke up outside in the snow and had to figure out which door to the house I unlocked to get outside, then when I tried to get back inside the house alarm went off.
I haven't sleepwalked in a long time. A relapse isn't out of the question, I've been pretty stressed out recently what with the move and developing a goddamn video game. I've never heard of sleep-coding, but I'm running out of reasons.
Anyhow. This update was pretty 50-50 between me and... well, whoever.
- new levels (not me)
- a blob monster with teeth
- abstract
- a sandwich, I think
- final block homing toggle in options menu (me, after several hours...)
- new distortion layer with scanlines added for better nostalgia stuff, should also improve legacy support (me)
- aaand a lot of stuff that I can't seem to get to run. (definitely not me)
I can't expect you to download this without your understanding that I have no idea what you're getting. You may come across things I haven't seen yet. There's no room for a QA dept in this company. I really need people to test this and tell me what they find. I haven't seen anything dangerous yet
Things I have heard about, but have not seen yet:
- messages appearing in the game, seemingly nonsensical
- a diagram of some sort of circuit board, possibly internal to Vic 30
- a train...?
If you see ANYTHING out of the ordinary, I want to know. Please put it in the bug thread, tweet at me at @StupidMassive and I'll look into it. If you want to back out, that's fine. I can't offer refunds because my fucking business partner won't let me, but if you SEE shit, SAY shit and I'll try to help you out.
Thanks so much for riding this through with me. Really hoping we get this figured out by January. Next update in December.
No release, just a note.
For those of you wondering about the game's current status, I honestly don't know where it's going anymore. I think I've lost control. Completely.
Looking at the damn thing gives me a headache. Every time I boot up the IDE I'm looking at new changes. Sometimes it's working perfectly, other times it will randomly shut off... or a level won't end... or god knows what else happens. I don't know what it's doing anymore, I just don't.
I tell my therapist about it and she just keeps telling me to take more Melatonin so I'll sleep better. Everyone thinks I'm making it up... and it's not like I have convincing proof. I show someone the software, they just think it's buggy software or it's a "pony island ripoff", whatever that's supposed to mean. No one even reads these changelogs, even though I beg them to, not even Aaron.
My business partner Aaron does not understand the situation. He's CONVINCED the game will be a hit, he thinks we should have released on Thanksgiving. It shouldn't be released at all.
Fuck this contract. Fuck BRKÖUT. Or TETRARKHOUT. Or whatever. I'm done. I'm so fucking done.
It's still going. Every day feels like a week.
1.0 delayed. February? March? Dunno. Still not greenlit, but that's all Aaron.
Aaron Taylor. That motherfucker. Equal parts salesman and pirate.
That son of a bitch thinks we're going to make a mint. He thinks obscure Vic 30 fanboys will come out of the woodwork and snatch it up. Fuck that, no one's heard of this thing. Fuck him.
New info. It's starting to happen to my laptop. Whatever it is, it spreads. I think I'm figuring out how. Tracing it myself. Wanna warn you but you won't listen. Pretty sure I'm writing these for myself. Might as well get poetic.
For those of you who missed the news... yes, we were Greenlit. God help those who aren't reading this blog.
In fact, God help us all.
I've thrown my life away for this project. I had friends. Real ones, not the back stabbing kind like Aaron. I haven't seen any of them for months.
And after so long, now that I'm uncovering some fraction of the truth of what's going on? Friendships, acquaintances, all falling apart and dying. The bodies keep piling up. Running out of room, already knee-deep in the dead.
I loved once. A few times, actually. Not for three years now.
I won't lie, life before this project wasn't perfect. I was in a slump of my own. I wanted to go to college. I wanted something more than holding a slightly-more-than-minimum-wage job and ghosting through every day. I wanted to draw blood, cut out the living heart of existence and put it out for display. I wanted to feel like a vulture clutching to the wings of an angel. I wanted to be art, not mediocrity. Aaron sold me with the promise I could be more, that I could build a new world with him. A real business, a true universe. Real people who would respect and love us just for doing what we did.
When we started on remastering BRKÖUT I felt like we were breaking new ground, like a vein of gold had split open at our feet. It wasn't long before I realized it was pyrite. Then the pyrite turned to magma. Then it boiled over.
Had any of you even heard of a Vic 30 before you started here? Not a Vic 20, an honest to god "Saving Grace" Vic 30 with the dumbo ears and all. I hadn't either until Aaron showed me his collection. It's his personal machine I'm using to develop the goddamn thing.
Well. I was, anyway. I'm not sure who's developing it now.
Stack that and the fucked up shit with these computers, I'm losing it. Really, really, losing it.
I look back at what I tweet, and I just find vague and cryptic shit I can hardly remember tapping out. I tracked down telephone lines leading from my house for a long time. I started putting them up just so everyone knew. I need help. I am so very, very fucked.
Enough moping. Here's the part where I try to rationalize a little bit.
So you saw the video. I started filming because I noticed that my icons just randomly rearranged. The cliche little "I'M WATCHING YOU" at the end. Then my webcam came on, and you all saw my shocked and embarrassed face for a second.
So as I said before, I thought that I had a virus or maybe someone had access to my computer. Anyway, what happened in the video fed my suspicions. I took a vocational course in high school for networking (almost got certified), so I looked around. Couldn't find any obvious holes, so I doubled down on a firewall and locking down my logins. 2FA wherever possible. Changed all my passwords. Rogue code kept showing up.
I took myself off the internet entirely. Unplugged the modem, unplugged the router, backed up locally, changed passwords again, removed wifi antennae from everything, even unplugged my phones. For a few days that put my mind to rest... but then it just started up again. Then more messages. These ones got weirder, a bit too personal for my taste.
I switched entire computers. I scraped together my savings and bought an entire new computer. I copied over the backups I had made and tried to get anything - anything - done. I almost succeeded too, but I couldn't recognize any of the work. It's just... so foreign. It's like a completely different thing now. There's 200+ commits that, again, I did not make. None of them are labelled, none of the code is commented.
And then the commits kept coming, and then there were more messages. Even more personal. Even more weird.
It gets worse, and this is important. Whatever it is, it spreads. I had a laptop on the same network for a while, I took it to a Starbucks the other day and I got another set of messages. I had to leave, I nearly spilled my frap over the keyboard. I've only confirmed this over LAN. I don't know if it can spread through the internet, but take any email you may have gotten from me with a grain of salt.
Listen. This game is going to come out. I can't stop Aaron, and he has me by the balls with a contract. I can get away with what I say here because Aaron never reads these, but everywhere else I need to keep up the ruse. I need to sell BRKÖUT, but my personal advice to you?
DO. NOT. BUY. BRKÖUT.
Next update will be 1.0. Then mass release and marketing push.
For everyone who hasn't read these logs... I'm so, so sorry.
It's some sort of infection... Not really the right word for it.
If this is what it seems like... well, everything I know about hardware and software is out the window.
It's coming. It's coming fast.
This will be the last post on the changelog before it comes out in full force.
If you've been downloading the updates, it's too late... You're already primed.
Maybe lubricated is a more accurate term.
I'm so, so, so sorry.
