DOUBLE ACTION : The (Final) Changelog

After a good while to think, I think this represents the best possible answer. Overhauling an existing work is difficult – you want to strive for elegance and refinement, as well as perhaps a little novelty, but without sanding away the game’s core identity – – and a game’s core identity is often its roughest edges.

This is a game about using resources to break things. It’s also a fairly “complete package”. I chose to double-down on those qualities, rather than try to rejig the whole thing into a super-balanced stoic game.

Some of the ideas I originally had were bad, unworkable or pointless. Some of those ideas directly contradicted the original design of the game. Others, I would rather pursue in a different work. Some of the changes here are very small, perhaps only intended for a single person – that is our thanks to the players. Others are little experiments for the sake of future work.

After so long, peoples’ expectations are probably all over the place. There’s not much I can do about that at this point. All I can do is move forward, aim higher, and work on new things, which I painfully want to do.

But ultimately, I just want this to be the best possible version of our game.

I hope you enjoy BLUE REVOLVER DOUBLE ACTION.

– danbo, game designer/programmer

About DOUBLE ACTION

BLUE REVOLVER DOUBLE ACTION is a free update for all players.

BRDA will be available on Steam, itch.io and Humble.

(Please note that while we are no longer accepting Humble purchases, owners on Humble will receive this and any future updates)

At time of press, there is no console or mobile version.

The old version of the game will still be available wherever possible. (This version uses a different save file and config file.)

Thanks to all our public beta test players. Your input has improved the work and soothed my worries a little.

Post-launch updates

• 1.52
  • Note: This is a replay-breaking update. The replay list only shows replays valid for the running version of the game. 1.51d is available as another beta branch on Steam, should you want to revisit past glories. Ideally, this is the last time this will happen.
  • Steam Leaderboards 2.0
    • There are now leaderboards for 60Hz, 120Hz, and all framerates
    • There are now leaderboards for individual weapons, and all weapons
    • The game will submit to all applicable leaderboards
    • Improved the UI around leaderboard selection
    • Initial fetch for leaderboards is Hyper-DA-AnyWeapon-AnyHz
    • This version uses new leaderboards, meaning they have effectively been “reset”. This is, hopefully, the last time this will happen.
  • XP-Mode leaderboards
    • XP-Mode now supports replays and leaderboards
    • This mode is a silly extra with purposely oddball balance, and doesn’t really hold up to the competitive leaderboard mindset.
    • But I guess that’s more of a decision for players to make.
    • Please don’t make yourself miserable trying to grind out highscores for these super-chaotic and random weapons.
  • Special Weapon adjustment
    • Val/Dee cluster
      • Fire rate now set to 0.35s
      • Added a shot limit system that prevents more than 2 missiles being active at once
      • I was unhappy with Val-Cluster’s clunky slow fire rate, but I don’t like being able to stack up too much damage at once.
      • Also, Dee-Cluster had a bug which made its fire rate pretty intense… but I kind of liked it.
      • This change should make the weapons feel responsive and precise without allowing a ridiculous amount of spam.
  • XP-Mode adjustment
    • Dying refills special ammo
  • The TLB pattern progression is now based on both time and damage
    • Whichever one is more difficult
    • This is factored into ramp-up too
  • Fixed a bug where alt-tabbing for a while makes the music go bonkers
    • This may also fix other issues related to alt-tabbing, can’t reproduce
  • Fixed an incorrect practice checkpoint in stage 2
  • Fixed some instances of pattern bonuses being unreported (and awarded at the wrong time)
    • True Last Boss
    • Stage 5 midbosses
  • Fixed the TLB breaks not being shown in the break gadget
  • Added a “global action lock” system
    • Input actions lock for 40ms after being triggered
    • Should decisively fix all cases of duplicate inputs in menus etc
    • Note: This does not affect regular gameplay at all, only menus
  • Added “MEDAL GOAL” text to device select
    • Some people thought the perk activation was tied to achieving the goal
    • Baby, that ain’t the kind of game we’re playing
  • Added invuln timer to the HUD in XP-Mode
  • Zangyou / Squib Battle
    • Only the first 8 bombs produce score items
    • Addresses an infinite milk issue
  • The FPS display now rotates with the screen
  • Moved the “REPLAY” text on viewing a replay
  • Fixed a lockup on failing to find a leaderboard
  • Fixed a bug when using “My Score” lookup at absymal leaderboard placing
• 1.51d
  • Added an effect that warns of the location of incoming “super junk” in ST5 descent
• 1.51c
  • Fixed an issue where leaderboard uploads always overwrite the previous upload
  • Improved legibility of ST5 descent “super junk”
    • Larger, more saturated red outline
    • Junk objects flash as they spawn
  • Fixed a crash on replay upload error
  • Fixed an issue where music doesn’t resume when inputting “back” on the pause menu
  • Fixed the rank level readout in the vertical gadget
  • The “scoring info” option now adds an invuln timer over the lives count
• 1.51b
  • Fixed a crash on Intel-based Macs – “grey screen with funny numbers”
    • Note: For now, Steam integration has been disabled on Intel-based Macs
  • Fixed a crash when Lua is installed on Windows machines via scoop
  • Fixed a crash with the sound manager in niche scenarios
  • Fixed a crash in the scoring tutorial
  • Fixed a crash in gallery mode
  • Fixed a crash when entering stage select with vortex barrier and 9 lives configured
  • Fixed an incorrect id in the unlock system preventing a piece of guest art from unlocking
  • Fixed an oversight stopping the game from pausing when focus is lost
• 1.51a
  • Fixed a crash in mission mode when using gadgets in vertical orientation

Core Gameplay

Added more playable options – both in the direct sense of a new player character, as well as making less attractive weapon options more attractive. Also slightly rejigged bomb mechanics.

• Added Dee as a playable character, with 4 special weapons
  • Fractal Salvo, a wide spread of small missiles
  • Pierce Lancer, a burst-fire piercing lancer
  • Gun Buckler, a deployable shield
    • Absorbs enemy bullets for a short period of time, then discharges the energy as fire
    • Short uptime, fixed ammo cost
  • Cluster Missile, a cluster missile that always explodes at a set (fairly short) distance, super-consistent
• Each playable character now has one shot type
  • Mae - Power, Val - Variable, Dee - Wide
• Fast focus transition
  • The transition from focused to unfocused is now instant when rapidfire and fire are pressed together
• All shot types have been completely rebalanced and visually overhauled
  • Baseline shot power is somewhere between v1.12’s Mae-Power and Val-Variable
  • In-game target DPS profiles (assuming everything hits) :-
    • Mae, unfocused 100%, focused 110%
    • Val, unfocused 105%, focused 105%
    • Dee, unfocused 120%, focused 100%
• Each special weapon now has an associated perk
  • The idea is to make the various weapons a little more appealing without outright homogenizing them
  • Cluster-types, probably Val’s, are expected to be the de-facto world record scoring weapons
  • Mae-Lancer :- Bombs generate more ammo (roughly 30% on average)
  • Mae-Laser :- Higher focused shot damage (4.7%)
  • Mae-Vortex :- Start with an extra life
  • Mae-Cluster :- Longer flourish extension (0.12s, no falloff)
  • Val-Caster :- Carriers drop an extra bomb
  • Val-Laser :- Higher unfocused shot damage (5%)
  • Val-Stasis :- Easier extends (10% lower extend milestones)
  • Val-Cluster :- Longer flourish window (0.5s)
  • Dee-Salvo :- Fully restock ammo at the start of a stage
  • Dee-Pierce :- Higher shot damage (2.5%)
  • Dee-Shield :- Longer counterbomb window (0.05s)
  • Dee-Cluster :- Longer flourish window (0.5s)
• Special weapon adjustments
  • Mae-Lancer fires faster with a slight increase in range – still a “sweet spot” weapon
  • Mae-Barrier has a higher damage output in general
  • Mae-Cluster has a stronger identity, small but rapid-firing cluster missiles
  • Val-Caster fires a single initial shot which chains to surrounding enemies on hit
    • The intent of this adjustment is to make the weapon more consistent but less “safe”
    • Val-Caster has received a visual upgrade
    • Fire rate increased from 0.36s to 0.3s
  • Val-Laser
    • Janky ammo consumption has been addressed, particularly across different framerates
  • Val-Stasis adjustment
    • Stasis bolts are now launched in the opposite direction of player movement, with high spread
    • Trying to give the player more control without making it a super efficient weapon for offense
      • It may well be a point-blanking monster? Try it out
  • Val-Cluster’s fire rate has been slightly lowered
    • The intent is that you can only have two clusters active at a time instead of three
  • Val-Cluster’s damage profile has been altered
    • Now deals more damage at the start of its lifetime, and less at the end
    • Same total damage for bosses etc
    • Intent is to reduce the effect of the lingering field on newly-spawning enemies
    • Dee-Cluster has the old flat damage profile
  • Val-Cluster can no longer fire at between 5 and 9.9999 special ammo
    • This was an anti-frustration feature that is not appropriate for the expert weapon type
• Bomb mechanic adjustments
  • Bombs convert all bullets on screen to ammo at the moment of firing!
    • There is no longer a 0.5s window during which this occurs
    • Generated ammo drops are “small pickups” with lower ammo value
    • The first 6 bullets cancelled produce 5 ammo each, 1 each afterwards
    • Additionally, there is a 2.5s window where all enemy bullets are suppressed
  • This change aims to make ammo generation via bombing a little trickier/riskier
    • (as well as create more of a tangible “pause” in the action)
  • Bombs now grant a 3s period of invulnerability (was 6s)
    • One of those things where you should probably just have the same 3 seconds as most comparable games
    • This change goes hand in glove with the altered bullet-cancel
  • Bombs deal 2x the damage they deal in 1.11, damage reduction on bosses has been removed
• Unfocused movement speed is now a gameplay option instead of a device-select feature
  • Fast (100%), Medium (90%), Slow (75%)
  • These correspond to the old movement speed options
  • (Technically, medium is 91.6667%, but i’m not putting that in a menu)
• Fixed an oversight where some special weapons can make the player’s ammo count run into debt
  • Seemed harsh.

Stages, Enemies, Bosses

Small adjustments to almost all bullet patterns – while some of them have been replaced entirely. A new pattern intensity “ramp-up” system. Reworked stage 5. Altered a few break bonuses to be less fiddly.

• Stage assets have been graphically adjusted
• More bullet cancels
  • Stage 2 midboss now cancels bullets on destruction
  • First phase of the stage 3 boss now cancels bullets on clear
  • Stage 4 midboss now cancels bullets on destruction
• Adjusted some stage 3 timings
  • This is more or less to better match the DA soundtrack
  • A handful more enemies here and there
• Stage 4
  • Latter-half big enemy now has some spinny orbital options
• Stage 5 rework
  • “Mini-boss rush” structure remains, but has been adjusted somewhat
    • Popcorn enemies start appearing after a midboss has been in play for a short while
      • Going for a juicy 8-chain finish is an alternative to speedkilling
  • Dynamic enemy spawn system
    • More spawn events
    • Midbosses now directly queue enemy spawns on death
    • Spawn events have a “window” of allowable time instead of a single point in time
      • This is necessary to make scoring consistent given this is a dynamic system
    • Enemies don’t spawn if their area of the screen is occupado
    • Better addresses “dead air” sections and overlapping enemies
  • Some enemy behaviour and patterns have been reworked or expanded
  • Variety between bosses has been improved
    • Some new enemies and variations
    • More complex encounters linked by simple waves
  • Added an exciting high-difficulty reverse section
    • Dee pursues you during this section, damage her to stop her firing for a few seconds
    • Hazardous junk data blocks from below
  • Fixed a wonky rotation-seeking bug in some small stage 5 enemies
  • There are still no ammo drops… it’s okay…
• Reworked patterns
  • Three of Dee’s particularly luck-reliant patterns have been wholly replaced
• Boss damage resistance adjustments
  • Boss health / damage resistance has been adjusted in line with the new shot power balance
  • Damage resistance generally starts strong and scales down over the course of most patterns
  • Roughly 20 seconds per boss phase
• Adjustments to many boss/midboss patterns
  • “Ramp-up system”: uses rank level and current boss/midboss “phase health” to make patterns more fierce as boss health decreases
  • Adds extra rank scaling to some pattern elements that didn’t have it before
  • This also adds a small amount of (consistent) dynamism to parallel mode
  • (Note: rank level is the far more important variable in the equation, this should be a generally-subtle change that increases the feeling of tension. Just a couple more shots…!!)
• Bullet pattern adjustment breakdown
  • ST1 Midboss
    • Destroying a wing pauses bullet patterns for 500ms – a little more “back and forth” and stops some harsh stack-ups
    • Intensity increased, particularly once both wings are destroyed
  • ST1 Boss [DELPHI]
    • First pattern, BLUSTER :-
      • Fixed a lot of janky behaviour for boss floating parts, particularly around respawning
      • Cluster shots size consistent across rank levels, fire rate determined by ramp-up
    • Second pattern, PURSUIT :-
      • Canister shell fire rate determined by ramp-up
      • Added rotation and scale effects to canister shells
    • Third pattern, GUTTERSNIPE :-
      • Field shots fire rate determined by ramp-up
  • ST2 Midboss
    • Most patterns now incorporate ramp-up
    • Spray lines pattern more chaotic across all rank levels
    • “Big circles” pattern now works more consistently, slightly reduced radius
  • ST2 Boss [HASKEL]
    • First pattern, MIRAGE: Gravity bullets affected by rampup
    • Second pattern, HEURISTIC: Altered acceleration curve of initial shots
    • Third pattern, NUDGE: Added death bullet pattern on destroying boss parts
    • Fourth pattern, TYRANT: Field shots affected by rampup, equivalent intensity
  • ST3 Midboss
    • Pattern SIGNATURE :-
      • Implemented rank level behaviour over “isNoviceMode” lookup
      • Bullet chains now have a variable length that loops, short-medium-long
      • Player can still go “around the world” easily but this may endanger the break bonus / extend item
  • ST3 Boss [YASUMI]
    • First pattern, INQUIRY :-
      • Bullet speeds affected by rampup
      • Single line of beams is now a narrower fan of beams, both affected by rank
      • Arc size affected by rank, tighter formation
      • Entrapment angle affected by rampup
    • Second pattern, SPOTLIGHT :-
      • Removed weird retaliation arc on destroying emitter bullets
      • Emitter bullets respawn less frequently, have less health
        • Pattern is more about suppressing these bullets
      • Emitter bullet arcs – fire rate and speed based on rampup
      • Arc radius made consistent across rank/rampup
      • Fan pattern now based on rank level instead of directly looking at game mode
    • Third pattern, WIZARD :-
      • Boss now slides from side-to-side during the “central” sub-pattern
        • Central sub-pattern follows boss’ movement
        • Pattern should be easier the more you duck “into” the arcs
      • Central pattern distribution made less random, density and cone radius based on ramp-up
      • Central pattern has a small acceleration effect
    • Fourth pattern, RAPID EYE MOVEMENT :-
      • Field shots now affected by ramp-up
      • Field shots fire in a more-defined burst, slighty less messy, RL4 easier
      • Altered emitter bullet death pattern
      • Emitter bullets now accelerate in slightly
      • Emitter bullets don’t build chain due to being break anti-targets
    • Final pattern, OVERTIME :-
      • Boss now smoothly slides in after the punch instead of teleporting
      • Punch spray pattern density affected by ramp-up
      • Reworked pattern on destroying emitter bullets
      • Emitter bullets now have less health
        • Emitter bullets don’t transfer damage to the boss
        • Can you build an 8-chain for a big bullet cancel?
      • Rank levels 4 and 5, boss now leaves a cluster of bullets at the bottom of the screen after a punch
        • Did you know? This was actually a bug in the pattern that I ended up really liking
  • ST4 Midboss pattern, MUDDLE
    • Field shot intensity based on ramp-up
    • Adjusted timing on the pause in fire after destroying all floating options
    • Adjusted bullet speed and fire rate after armor launch
    • Adjusted damage multiplier after armor launch
    • Intent is to make going for the break riskier with a bit more presence
  • ST4 Boss [LUNA]
    • First pattern, HANDSHAKE :-
      • Fan-type field shots firerate based on health-based rampup
      • Expanding cluster shots, more waves at medium rank levels but lower density
    • Second pattern, SLATHER :-
      • Pattern progression based on health-based rampup, added an extra progression step
      • Cluster shots, slightly lower fire rate but larger cluster at higher rank levels
      • Cluster shots have a chance of being aimed at the player
    • Third pattern, SUNDER :-
      • One of the hardest, most BS patterns in the game…
      • Gravity shots density slightly affected by ramp-up, no other changes
      • An occasional difficulty spike is a good thing
    • Fourth pattern, MONTE CARLO :-
      • Field shots fire rate affected by ramp-up
    • Last pattern, MDR :-
      • Lowered the amount of time for the timeout self-destruct break bonus (was 40 seconds, now 35 seconds)
      • Added an extra effect
  • ST5 Midboss 1
    • BIRDSHOT: Faster loop and slightly higher density based on ramp-up
    • New Pattern 2, KEYHOLE :-
      • Reworked, similar concept, more open, less prescriptive
      • Couldn’t think of a new name
  • ST5 Midboss 2
    • Main body turrets fire probability based on ramp-up
    • Main body turrets fire intervals now evenly spaced instead of randomly spaced
    • Now transitions to second pattern earlier, based on front-parts and turrets remaining
    • New Pattern 2, SCRIMMAGE :-
      • Simple, fast field pattern – slightly less messy than old pattern
      • Intended to immediately lock down the playfield and make a 8-chain cancel harder but very rewarding
  • ST5 Midboss 3
    • Altered collision, embiggened arm hitboxes
    • Pattern 1, POUND :-
      • Altered look and feel of the large bursts
      • Large burst fire rate slightly affected by ramp-up
      • More large bursts, slightly less wide, slightly more presence
      • Bursts pause for a moment for a short period after an arm is destroyed, prevent weird stackups
    • New Pattern 2, HOUDINI :-
      • Reflect pattern reworked, removed the random clumpy walls
      • Almost pure entrapment
      • Unique scaling – takes some time to reach max intensity
        • Intended to be quite punitive and reward clearing this phase quickly
        • The prestige of this trick is in timing this with an 8-chain
  • ST5 Midboss 4
    • Pattern 1, VOODOO :-
      • Field shots fire rate affected by ramp-up
      • Long beam shots less chaotic – aimed with bloom
    • New Pattern 2, MESMERIZE :-
      • Beam formations are now purely vertical
      • Fixed an oversight where only one emitter was firing (this improves pattern spacing)
      • Arcs are now chevrons!
      • Chevrons are aimed, ebb-and-flow forces timed movement from side to side
  • ST5 Boss [EPSILON]
    • Pattern 1, PRESS – Second-wave blue shots density affected by ramp-up
    • Pattern 2, ZUGZWANG :-
      • Altered behaviour, more+slower emitter bullets to deal with
      • Less density from each
      • Aimed arc fire affected by ramp-up
    • New Pattern 3, FUSILLADE: A straightforward fan columns pattern that changes as you destroy the boss’ shield summons
    • New Pattern 4, FIANCHETTO: Large special bullets from the corners constantly force movement – they can collide with the boss!
    • New Pattern 5, MARTINET: An “endurance” style pattern, constant large special bullets block shots… tension is rising
    • Pattern 6, REVOLVER :-
      • Pattern progression based on health instead of time
      • Improved performance via reduced garbage generation
  • True Last Boss [ZEALOT]
    • Pattern 1, BOMBAST: Fire rates based on ramp-up, pattern progression based on health breakpoints instead of time
    • Pattern 2, DIRECTIVE: Field fire rate based on health breakpoints, aimed fire rate based on ramp-up
    • Pattern 3, CRUNCH: All fire rates based on ramp-up
    • Pattern 4, MDR: Pattern progression based on health breakpoints, slightly increased spacing
    • Pattern 5, BLUE REVOLVER: Fire rates based on ramp-up
• True Last Boss’ counterbomb invuln lowered (was 5.5s, now 3s)
  • Given that parallel mode has stricter resources now, using them here is fine
• Altered break bonuses
  • ST1 Boss [DELPHI], BLUSTER break
    • Requirement is now “0 active options on pattern clear” instead of “0 alive options on pattern clear”
    • Basically removes a few cases where players could be cheated out of the bonus
  • ST4, added break bonus in second half of stage
    • Strip all of a particular large enemy’s floating bit options before destroying it
  • ST4 Boss [LUNA], removed SLATHER break bonus
    • Not particularly well-defined or fun to get, health ramp-up makes the “slow-kill” break less relevant
  • ST4 Boss, MONTE CARLO bonus
    • Break condition changed from “destroy 0 arms” to “destroy 1 or fewer arms”
    • Adds a small amount of tactics and leniency for various shot types
  • ST5, descent section
    • Shoot down 80% of the junk data objects
  • ST5, SQUIB break
    • Removed
  • ST5, FUSILLADE break
    • Destroy all of the bullet-firing shields
  • ST5, VANGUARD break
    • Removed
  • ST5, FIANCHETTO break
    • Finish the phase by having one of the large bullets collide with the boss
  • ST5, FILIBUSTER MK.V break
    • Removed

Missions

Sorted missions visibly into tiers. Score tracking brings scoring back to the forefront, because that’s what BR is. Some new missions with novel concepts and bosses.

• Redone mission menu
  • Missions are now sorted into tiers
  • “Survival” and “Scoring” missions have been replaced with survival-style missions
• Missions now have scoring
  • Each mission has a target score alongside the clear
  • This replaces the “A+” concept in 1.12
  • The missions are there to teach you how to play (for the most part)
    • So having “don’t use resources” A+ criteria in a game about resources was incorrect
• X-Weapon 1 mission changes
  • The special weapon now counts for scoring
  • Focus to increase the recharge speed
  • Damage increased
• New missions
  • T1, Breakthrough: Survive against a progressively-harder advance of enemies
  • T2, High Explosive: No special weapon, but score grants bombs! Go for a high score
  • T3, Snake Revenge: A stage 3 underdog enemy returns – Go for a high score
  • T3, Zangyou: Showdown with a unique version of the stage 3 boss
  • T4, Junk Attack: Waves of junk enemies! Control what you shoot, and avoid chain reactions!
  • T5, Squib Battle: Battle against a unique boss 5 and her annoying projectile
  • T5, X-Weapon 2: Clear the stage using a unique special weapon that turns bullets into score

Difficulty

Hyper mode is easier, and Parallel mode is less forgiving while still being generous with scoring resources.

• Normal and Hyper Mode now have the “Every Xm” extend schema
  • Normal :- 5,000,000, Every 10,000,000
  • Hyper :- 5,000,000, Every 15,000,000
• Parallel Mode now has 3 fixed extends (at demanding score thresholds), but more bombs
  • Extends at 40,000,000, 80,000,000, 120,000,000
  • Gain a bomb every 10,000,000 points
  • Gain two extra bombs on being hit (on top of the 2 for normal/hyper)
  • Parallel players still have more resources, but have a smaller margin of error
• Rank system adjustments
  • Hyper mode now starts about halfway along Rank Level 2
  • Firing special weapons no longer increases rank
  • Lowered scaling rank increase from boss/pattern bonuses
  • Slightly lowered rank increase from score items
  • Added a small fixed-amount rank increase on clearing boss patterns
    • This increase is considerably larger for PERFECT bonuses
  • Break bonuses now no longer increase rank
    • (I thought it’d be interesting to have a specifically low-rank scoring element)
  • After the first death on a given stage, deaths decrease Rank Level by 1
    • After 3 deaths, no rank level decrease on death
• In essence, the aim of these changes:
  • Make sure players always have a reason to score points
  • Make Hyper mode somewhat easier, and more distinct from Parallel
  • Make Parallel mode less error-tolerant, but still have a theme of “more resources at greater risk”

Scoring

Fixed some long-standing bugs and issues with scoring, added some incentives to not speedkill everything with special, higher value bullet cancels

• Altered chain timings
  • In chain-building mode, each destroyed enemy extends chain time to 3s (was janky and based on enemy score value)
  • Destroying enemies with special in flourish mode extends chain by 0.1s (was 0.08s)
    • However, this extension decreases every time for that flourish – easy to extend flourishes a little, but hard to go for ages
• Bombing now extends chain timer to 5 seconds (was 3s)
• Fixed an oversight that could shorten flourish time to 2s after destroying an enemy
  • …this is actually kind of a big deal
• Break bonus value normalization
  • All break bonuses are now worth either 0.5m, 1m, 2m or 3m points
  • Based on my perceived difficulty and sense of balance
• Pattern bonus multiplier system
  • Each boss/midboss pattern has an associated bonus value for clearing
  • Clearing the pattern without special, dying or bombing multiplies this bonus by 2x
  • 1 death or bomb, no special = 1.5x
  • This has been balanced s.t. break bonuses are always higher
    • Creative use of resources should be better rewarded in an either/or
  • Wish there was more I could do here but the variety of special weapons makes them hard to account for
  • Trying to reward not speedkilling everything without removing it as an option
  • I’m curious to see how players use this
    • I want it to be like “an alternate strategy” rather than something that is always leveraged on top of everything else
• Some scoring values have been adjusted, generally increased
• Bullet cancel events now produce more score items for the first few bullets cancelled
• Base per-bullet value for boss bullet cancels has been adjusted, increased
  • stage 1: 50, stage 2: 100, stage 3: 150, stage 4: 200, stage 5: 300, tlb: 1000
  • (was 50 for most bosses, 80 for st5 midbosses, 100 for st5 boss and 1000 for tlb)
  • Note that these get chain-based multipliers, 8x at minimum (this is not a new mechanic)
• Enemy score value adjustment
  • Most stage 2 enemies are now worth more
• Score item generation adjustment
  • Score item values are now 3200, 1600 and <=800
    • (was 20000, 2000, 200)
  • The intention is to create less of the tiny score items and more of the large/medium ones
    • May improve performance on lower-end devices
• Score item mechanics adjustment
  • Score item attract radius reduced from a curve (0-250) to a constant 120
  • Score items attract to the player faster
  • Having to actively move to collect score items is more interesting
  • No, there is no auto-collect point, it’s responsible to pick up your own rubbish
• Score items are auto-collected after a boss is destroyed
• ST5, REVOLVER - added a special case that allows players to use special and still get PERFECT

XP-Mode

What could XP stand for…? Experimental Project? Experimental Projectile? Is it a play on “experience” since scoring levels you up? I can’t answer these questions for you. This mode is a new take on our game where scoring is more important than ever, the weapons are hard to use, and there’s less resource management.

• Reworked Experimental Weapon mode
  • Dee only with a super-basic shot type
  • No difficulty options, completely rank-based
    • Rank never decreases, only increases
  • Alternate scoring
    • No chains, any enemy destroyed with special is x64 value
    • Bombs turn enemy bullets into score items
    • Pattern bonuses don’t punish special usage
  • Scoring powers the player’s shot up
    • 10m, 25m, 50m, 75m
  • Less emphasis on resource management
    • Special weapons generally consume lots of ammo - a full bar gets you 1-3 shots
    • Dealing damage and destroying with shot replenishes special ammo
      • This has superior efficiency at close-medium range
      • Look for a unique particle effect to get a feel for the range
      • This efficiency is “on” or “off”, it doesn’t ramp-up with distance
      • Some weapons have different ammo replenishment rates
    • Firing a bomb immediately refills all special ammo
    • Only one bomb in stock at any one time, collecting point items replenishes bomb
      • Clearing patterns also refills bomb energy
  • A selection of strange special weapons
    • (This mode is basically an exotic weapon mixtape)
    • Cascade Blast :- short-ranged spread of self-replicating explosions
    • Volt Cable :- electrifying cable that attaches to enemies
    • Kinetic Orb :- simple projectile, bounces off enemies and the player
    • Percept Bit :- lock-on to targets around the player, release to send gun bits after them
    • Zap Drone :- slow drone, very “placeable”, zaps targets around it but is very weak on direct collision
  • More of a fun extra than a super-balanced mode
    • Some weapons will be inherently better than others
    • “what if BR had no flourish mechanic and less resource management”
  • Buy one weapon in the shop to get access

HUD / Gadgets

A few HUD tweaks and some total information-overload gadgets for the side of the screen.

• The special weapon ammo bar is now coloured grey when there is not enough ammo to fire
• The top three digits of the player’s score are now highlighted
• Slightly altered spacing on the score font (this bud’s for you, ptoing)
• BREAK popup now displays the break score value
• “Gadgets” added for widescreen resolutions
  • Score
  • Personal best
  • Resources (lives, bombs, ammo)
  • Score breakdown (stage splits)
  • Rank
  • Extends
  • Breaks
  • Bullet counter
  • Score item counter
  • Boss HP
  • Current break value
  • Current pattern bonus
  • Music
• Some gadgets are also available for vertical orientations
  • Note that these are more utilitarian due to space constraints.
• Note that Gadgets are disabled on Steam Deck by default
  • They can be enabled by the user, but may be difficult to read on the handheld display

Online Functionality / Replays

Enabled replays/leaderboards for all platforms, replays respect the new framerate options.

• Leaderboards and replays now enabled for all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Replays now include (and enforce) framerate setting
  • Players should consider different framerates as different scoring categories
• Leaderboard submission is now possible without saving a replay
  • To be clear, a replay is still uploaded
• UX around leaderboard selection is improved
• Steam player names are now embedded in replay files on download, and shown on inspection

Unlockables/Progression

A few new unlockables, tweaked the shop system to offer a little long-term interest – with a goal for hardcore completionists.

• New unlockables
  • Screen filters
    • 16-color DB16
    • 16-color Sweetie
    • 16-color PICO-8
    • 16-color EGA
    • 16-color JPC16
    • 16-color “Captain”…?
    • Headache
      • Enjoy a true “retro” experience
    • Expensive TV
    • Smart TV
  • XP-Mode Weapons
• Unlock shop reworked
  • To buy one item in the shop, the player must have bought an adjacent option
• Weapons now show medals in device select screen
  • One for clearing, one for achieving a target score, one for Parallel clear
  • (XP-Mode weapons have one medal for just clearing)
• Completion rate screen
  • Tracks the completion rate of everything you can do
  • Weapon medals, mission clears, mission medals, shop unlocks, XP-Mode weapons
  • There is a VERY small reward for achieving the full 100%
    • Perhaps the true reward lies outwith the game, in the praise of the wise and beautiful
    • Also added one new achievement

Options/Accessibility

Massively improved the look and feel of menus – which is good because there are a ton of new options, such as 120hz framerate!

• Reworked menu functionality
  • Changed visual layout
  • Most options are now applied immediately, which is 1000% more intuitive
  • Removed “Confirm” step in most menus
  • Removed “Back” option in most menus
• Improved and expanded legibility options, in their own submenu
  • Added “ClearGold” technology as an option
    • (It gives score items a shifting transparency)
  • Added “ClearShot” technology as an option
    • (It makes player bullets transparent)
  • Added bullet glow option
    • Small glow around enemy bullets, fairy drastic but may help some players
  • Background brightness adjustment is now a percentage option
  • Background saturation adjustment is now a percentage option
  • Reduce Flash Intensity option
    • Lowers the intensity of damage flashing / bomb / stage transition effects
    • If you have photosensitivity issues, please let me know if this helps (or what would be good in future projects)
  • Custom bullet colours
• Added framerate as an option
  • 30fps, 60fps, 90fps, 120fps
  • Changing framerate from 60fps will introduce subtle gameplay differences
    • While MANY instances of frame-rate dependent behaviour have been fixed/reworked…
    • …I cannot guarantee I fixed all instances
  • 60fps is what’s “officially” supported – but I use 120fps a lot, it’s nice
  • Leaderboards and replays support 60fps and 120fps
• Added “Cheats” to options
  • Free Play is now a cheat
  • Infinite special ammo is also a cheat
  • Super Autobomb (autobomb on all modes, uses 1 bomb stock) is also a cheat
  • Stronger Shot is also a cheat
  • Reduced Bullets is also a cheat
  • Slower Bullets is also a cheat (note: this doesn’t always make the game easier)
  • Cheats display a small game overlay, disable achievements, medals and replays+leaderboards
• Added an “Extend” option to the Top Bar Display feature
  • Also shows bomb extends on Parallel mode
• Redone all tutorials
• Player colour palette is now a menu option instead of a feature in device select
• Screen menu
  • Added INSANE scaling option to make the game look like a 2007 YouTube video of a portrait-mode game
  • “Mix” wallpaper feature
    • Most gallery pieces aren’t really suitable for 16:9 with a big 3:4 in the middle
    • So, you can now mix-and-match the left and right of the background from gallery art
    • This is a truly revolutionary feature that attempts, in a small way, to glorify our guest artists
• Added a “Damage Flash Frequency” option
  • Mostly intended for video makers but can be used to disable the effect
  • (This is a bit of a hack and does not apply to everything)
• Simplified options menus
  • Removed “low spec” (shaderless behaviour) mode
    • This was a compatibility option that could be easily mistaken for a performance boost
  • Removed “skip intro” from options menu
    • Use “-skipintro” for this behaviour
  • Removed “show debug info” from options menu
  • Removed “show hitboxes” from options menu
    • Use “-drawhitboxes” as a launch option to see them
  • Removed “post to twitter” functionality
  • Removed “show bullet pattern names” option
    • Would be surprised if anyone actually used this
• Input assignment menu reworked
  • Input icons courtesy of Kenney
  • “Joypad: None” option removed
    • (if someone’s on steam deck etc and they accidentally select this, they’re in a pickle, right?)
    • This behaviour is still available via launch option if it’s truly needed
• Simplified extras menu
  • “Tutorials” as a submenu
  • “Cutscenes” as a submenu
• Local highscores screen moved from main menu to Extras
• “Unlock Everything” is a Save Game option
  • Unlocks everything in the shop, as well as “seen this boss” progression, clears all missions
  • Does not fill most completion rates
  • Use it if you want, for any reason
• Added an “Announcer Volume” option
• Added a Lives/Bombs setting to the stage select screen

Extras

Bits and pieces.

• Classic Ruleset option
  • This option tweaks some of the balance factors to be more like 1.11.
  • Note that this is not a perfect recreation, and is more like a halfway point.
  • Changes:
    • 6s bomb invulnerability
    • Damage of all shot types is increased
    • Weapon perks disabled
    • 1.11 extend schema
    • 1.11 score item collection radius+speed
    • Reverted the 2 extra bombs and full ammo refill on Parallel death
    • 1.11 flourish mechanics
      • Constant 0.084s flourish extension
      • Starting flourish sets chain timer to 4s
      • First enemy destruction in flourish mode sets chain timer to 2s
• Added more art to the gallery, including new guest pieces and promo pieces
• “-titleoverride [X]” launch option
  • Unsupported, overrides the random title screen art selection, X between 1 and 35
  • I think Kiwi asked for this? Being the WR holder, he gets one wish… I hope he’s pleased…
• Configurable controller analog deadzone, check your config file
• Break Guide videos have been updated for new breaks

Polish/Misc

Polishing a few of the less-charming rough edges here and there. Adding a few more effects and visual flourishes.

• New stage intermission art by woof
• Time dilation effect
  • Smooth, simulated slowdown after large bullet cancel events
    • (boss pattern clears, primarily)
  • Definitely kinda nice at 120hz
  • This slowdown only applies to enemy bullets, patterns, items and the player to avoid desync between stages and their music
• The player animation now better represents the system hitbox
• Bullet cancels now force the large score item sprite
• Score items now draw on a lower layer than most enemies
• Chain meter is now offset when a boss health bar is visible
• Added a simple telegraph to the punch in the ST3 boss’ “OVERTIME” pattern
• Unpausing the game state now has a short countdown
  • This prevents cheesy pause-button slow-mo
• Replaced the “run intro” scene with a unique per-character one
• Added extra animation to the chain counter
• Added some extra effects during stages 3 and 5
  • Small visual touch for stage 3
  • “Descent” effect for stage 5
  • Stage 5 boss has a simple background overlay for different phases
• Last phase of ST4 Boss, LUNA, now has an extra effect
• Fixed an awkward visual during ST4 Boss, LUNA, phase 4
• Boss intro sequence now shows the character/device name
• Alternate boss intro sequence when playing as Dee
• Added more personality to device select character portrait animations
• Changed “start” flow of stage select menu
• Stage select now uses the “quickboss” checkpoint for boss practice
  • (No waiting for resupply ships / intro effect)
• Framerate cap disabled during initial loading state
  • This should make initial loading much faster, depending on setup (particularly with vsync off)
• Removed “text scrolling” in ship select screen
• Renamed a TLB pattern to “CRUNCH” (was KAROSHI)
• Fixed a string issue with Val-Caster in stage select
• Fixed a long-standing bug in sound management
  • This should address a sound bug that appears when playing for long sessions
• Added input icon prompts to all screens
• Added a few rare easter egg messages to loading state
• Fixed many instances of elements flickering while game is paused
• Added a confirmation dialog to replay file deletion
• Improved screen flow for many extras
• Added a link to the DOUBLE ACTION OST Bandcamp page in Extras
• Removed the “seen TLB” requirement for practicing the TLB
• Changed the way debug hitboxes are drawn to be less ambiguous
  • Note: because of sub-pixel ambiguity, these are only rough guides and are not pinpoint accurate.

System

Improved performance, updated framework, new font, some tiny tweaks.

• LÖVE has been upgraded from 10.1 to 11.4
  • Native support for Silicon-based Macs
  • Auto sprite-batching may be a performance boost, I’m not smart enough to do that manually
• 64-bit version is now available for Windows
  • 32-bit version is still available for legacy systems
• Changes to fonts, input behaviour etc to achieve Steam Deck Verified status
• Localization system rework
  • Strings are now JSON files
  • Each language is a separate file
  • User translations can be placed in game save directory
• Linux version is now distributed differently
  • AppImage for itch.io, extracted AppImage for Steam
• Vector library changed to brinevector, reducing garbage generation, improved performance
• Changed json output library
• Reduced garbage generation in the majority of bullet patterns for enemies and bosses (less stuttering)
• Reworked score item collision for performance
• Wallpaper images are now dynamically loaded to greatly improve VRAM footprint
• Properly preloaded more data, reducing delay when launching the game
• Numerous VRAM optimisations
• Global cached animations for score items, reducing garbage generation, improved performance
  • Animations also cached for enemy bullets
• Fixed an issue with map files creating a too-large canvas
• Improved performance for scoring info popups by not rendering every string 9 times
  • I can’t do it! I won’t do it 9 times
• Fixed multiple cases of enemies not being disposed of after flying off-screen
• Fixed various cases of enemies/entities looking strange
• Collision system now uses spatial hashing for performance
• Most fonts have been replaced with Poppy Works’ Silver.ttf
  • As such, fonts have been better unified across languages
• Controller handling now uses LÖVE’s “gamepad” API (SDL_GameController)
  • This standardises button names for on-screen prompts etc (no more “Button 5”, “Axis 2 +” etc)
  • Input layout “should” therefore be the same for different controllers
  • Legacy controller API available via launch option
• Updated the gamecontrollerdb file, improving controller compatibility
• Adaptive vsync now available as an option
• Game now better deals with situations with “duplicate” controllers (DS4Windows non-exclusive etc)
  • No doubling up of inputs in menus etc

That’s it.

Good luck out there.

Learn lessons, but don’t collect regrets.