Sisyphus Endures · published · build 25236976
Hello, friends of Sisyphus.
So this is it. I am releasing update 1.1 which is by far the biggest update to the game so far. Huge chunks of the game re-written, fixed, broken and then re-written again, so rather than trying to give a technical list of all the changes, here's a bird-s eye view of what's changed:
This is the key feature of this update which I announced sometime back in May. Sisyphus Endures now supports 2-player co-op which completely changes the whole feel of the game. To have short glimpse of the multiplayer gameplay experience, drop off to Youtube for a new trailer specifically about that aspect of the game. In addition, here's few screen captures from our play-testing sessions. Incorporating multiplayer made it necessary to change the logic behind how the game is initialized. Essentially every time you play, you host a server that others can join either via Steam lobby system or direct IP. Don't worry, this does not mean that permanent online connection is required for playing the game - the server will live on your localhost regardless whether you are connected to the internet or not. Since the new initiation requires a few extra steps, here's a more detailed instruction on how to start a game, either by yourself or with a friend.
1) In the game lobby menu, host a game
2) Choose whether you start a new game or load an old one
3) Click start and Steam lobby view opens up. If you're playing alone, this is it. Click start and you're ready to go.
4) This is the tricky part. If plan to play with a friend, they need to start the game and join the game via Steam overlay.
5) You should soon see your friend in the Steam lobby view. Once everyone's set, the host needs to click start and off you go.
Playing without internet connection follows the same logic. If Steam is unable to connect at startup, you are directed to an alternative menu view which allows to start the game.
The game has now a debug mode that can be turned on / off via settings menu. Debug mode is mostly for helping me during the development process but there is no need to remove it from the live build. Chances are you will not be using these functionalities, but currently the debug mode has two features:
1) In-game logger - a generic logger view for capturing warnings and errors when the game runs.
2) Join game via IP - this feature allows to join a game using direct IP address connection rather than the Steam lobby system. For this connection mode to work, the game needs to be activated without Steam working both by the host and the client. Direct IP connection requires that host IP address is accessible via port 7771. This is usually fine on LAN, but will require manual port forwarding on your router to connect via Internet.
There are some changes to how the game menu works. Most of this has to do with incorporating multiplayer support (for example, only the host can proceed to the next map, so the button is removed from the client end). The game now has a separate How to... view in the main menu to introduce you the basics of gameplay if needed. I have also updated the list of 3rd party assets / libraries / tools used under Credits section
I improved the logic how player collision detection works which should reduce annoying instances, where Sisyphus stops due to irregular terrain features. Additionally, Sisyphus now runs slightly faster than before to improve playability.
During play-testing, we discovered a few minor bugs which I decided not to include to this update to ensure the fixes receives a more thorough testing. The following issues will be handled in subsequent smaller updates:
- Music stops suddenly and then resumes after awhile
Explanation: this happens when the player reaches a new checkpoint before the music clip has had time to play through its first loop properly. So if you're hearing this, congratulations - you are faster than the game can keep up.
Workaround: The music should return to normal in a minute or so. - The torch does not extinguish after loading a game
Explanation: this happens when you load a game where the initial torch of the map has not been extinguished yet.
Workaround: subsequent checkpoints function properly. When you re-save the game after catching the first torch / checkpoint, it will remain extinguished after reloading. - On a multiplayer game, the mouse remains visible after returning from in-game menu.
Explanation: when the other player resumes the game, the mouse remains visible due to cursor locking mechanism not triggering properly.
Workaround: clicking on the area where the continue button exists immediately after returning to game seems to trigger the cursor locking mechanic and make the mouse disappear. I am sure there are other bugs hiding away somewhere, so drop me an email at [email protected] if you discover any additional issues.
In order for everyone interested to have a chance to try out the new gameplay mode with a friend, I am putting a 50% discount for a longer than usual period. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
The current update took about 6 months to materialize. Immediate hot-fixes aside, I expect the next substantive update to be more on the visual side of the game. No timeline as always, but I expect it to be a shorter update cycle this time around.
- N