Build 25511908

Hey, Clickonomers!

This is an exciting update for Clickonomy. Last week, I shared some gameplay on social media showing the reworked recycling and selling mechanics, but they have changed radically since then, and I've made big decisions about the core gameplay. The game was always meant to be a chill, minimalist point & click experience, but I realized the day-one version was pulling in too many directions at once. Everything should now feel more focused and less confusing. The heart of the experience should be the discoveries you make and the money you earn from them. So this update brings 6 major reworks — this wasn't supposed to happen all in one update, but here we are.WARNING: Because of the number of major changes in this update, saves from previous versions are no longer compatible. The game will automatically start a new save if your existing one comes from an older version.Now, on to the update!

Version 0.9.7

Weather

A planet doesn't feel alive without changes in the atmosphere, so here's a first step toward a bigger Seasons update, coming closer to 1.0.

• Added a new weather system

  • Rain and storms can occur randomly

  • Ground, water, grass and resources are visually affected

  • Wind picks up in bad weather and pushes loose pieces around

• Added variable clouds

• Added lightning during storms

  • Lightning can randomly strike and destroy any resource

• Added variation to the wind in the grass

Core gameplay

Since the primary goal has always been for the game to feel simple and minimalist, I felt the containers were too confusing for most players. Even though showing the inventory in a more organic way was a deliberate design choice, I think it missed the mark of what the game is supposed to be. These changes remove placeable objects entirely: both containers and the gem collection box.

• Removed containers

• Removed the grab mechanic

• Collected resources now go directly into a Resource vault, on the left side of the scanner (replacing guides — see below)

  • The vault can hold up to 16 different resources

  • There is no limit on how much of each resource you can hold

• Removed the Grab perk

• Removed the Container perk

Recycling rework

The recycling mechanic, with its giant vacuum coming down, felt out of place. It was a fun, original idea, but it was ultimately underwhelming to use and took up too much of the gameplay loop. It's now a much simpler mechanic, done directly where your collected resources are stored.

• Removed the recycler

• Removed the recycling multiplier

• Removed the recycler's landscape-damaging bursts

• Recycling is now done directly from the Resource vault

  • Hold left click on a resource to recycle it into energy

  • A progress bar shows how much of that vault slot has been recycled

Selling rework

Following the core gameplay and recycling changes, selling resources has never been more satisfying. This is actually how selling worked in the early days of development, and it leans much closer to an incremental/clicker experience. It should be both addictive and simple.

• Selling is now a clicker experience, inspired by how the recycler used to work:

  • Each click on a resource sells one batch (its size depends on your tool's Rate)

• Money earned is now displayed at the top of the scanner

• A new multiplier with a selling progress bar activates once you start selling

  • The multiplier applies to the selling price of every resource

  • Each resource sold fills the selling progress bar, and more valuable resources fill it faster

  • When the bar fills, the multiplier doubles

  • The multiplier resets a few seconds after your last sale

• Added a sound when selling a resource, pitched according to the progress of the selling bar

Tutorial rework

We're not done with the reworks. The number one issue at launch was helping players feel part of this world and know what to do. I've reworked a large part of the tutorial, and it should now be straightforward and simple.

• Guides have been removed from the scanner

• Guides are now anchored to the world and to objects, depending on your progress

  • New guides appear with a radial animation

  • Guides keep a permanent marker until completed

  • Guides now have a progress bar

Gem collection rework

Another step toward simplicity: like resources, the gems you own are now displayed inside the scanner.

• Removed the gem collection box

  • Owned gems are now shown in the Gem vault, on the right side of the scanner (replacing orders — see below)

  • Gems are displayed in 3D

Progression rework

The other major issue was the lack of any sense of progression. That's completely different now: you progress through the scans you make, with a clear progress bar and tiers that grant tool rewards (letting you collect new resource types, for example). Everything has been rebalanced for smooth levelling and a steady unlock of new resource types.

• Removed orders

  • Progression now comes solely from your discoveries

• The Codex has been merged into the scanner

  • Hover over the bottom part of the scanner to reveal the Codex

• Scanning an already-known resource (or obtaining an already-discovered gem) advances that resource's mastery

  • There are 5 tiers: 1. Analysis, 2. Study, 3. Research, 4. Expertise, 5. Mastery

  • Reaching a tier rewards you with a new tool head or handle

  • The rarer the resource, the fewer scans each tier requires

  • The Codex and scanner now display mastery progression

• In the Codex, hovering over an unknown resource reveals its rarity

  • Hovering over a known resource shows both its rarity and mastery progression

  • Hovering over a known perk shows a short description

  • Hovering over a known gem shows its rarity and mastery progression

  • Hovering over a known tool shows its energy consumption and the bonuses it provides

Performance

Overall performance and loading times have improved dramatically. In my own measurements, a fresh first launch went from 3 minutes of loading and shader compilation down to 30 seconds, and only a few seconds on subsequent launches. The framerate is also far more stable when moving around the planet.

• Shaders now compile during the loading screen instead of causing a long freeze at the start of the intro

• Faster loading overall, and significantly faster on subsequent launches

• Camera movement around the planet is now smooth and consistent at any framerate

• Fewer stutters while navigating the planet

• Optimised terrain and grass shaders

• Reduced CPU and memory usage at startup

• Global illumination is now disabled on Standard and Low quality settings for performance (still enabled on Extreme)

• Windows & Linux: textures load faster and use less video memory

• macOS: new installs now default to MetalFX temporal upscaling and standard VSync

Engine

• Updated from Godot 4.7 to 4.7.2

Controls

• Contextual main controls are now shown next to the cursor, on its left

  • Other controls are still shown at the bottom of the screen

New content

• Added a new tool handle effect, X-Ray, which reveals unscanned resources while scanning

VFX

• Improved the smoke VFX on destruction

• Improved the dust particle VFX

Quality of life

• Added a new UI animation when gaining money and leaves

  • Adjusted the timing of the looting sound

• Added a new UI animation when spending money

• Improved the cursor text animations

• Made the scanner animation smoother

• Added a rarity icon and colour to toolbox items

• Toolbox item tooltips now show energy consumption, type and/or bonuses

• Tool parts now have an outline coloured by rarity

• Added a rarity icon to unknown resources

• Added a rarity icon to gems

• Added a rarity icon to contextual cursor texts where relevant

• Scanned resources now stay highlighted

• Added a new UI and animation when obtaining a new tool part

• Added a new UI animation when discovering something

• Added a "Skip guide" checkbox to the welcome message

Bug fixes

• Fixed spamming the scanner breaking the zoom

• Fixed scanning a fruit resource also marking its plant base as scanned

Other

• Renamed "gemstone" to "geode" to avoid confusion

• Added a mention of the Codex to the welcome message

• Added a mention of the Codex to the help section walkthrough

• Changed the scanner sound when scanning a resource

• Changed the planet intro animation

• Changed the overview animation when starting a new game

• Money, energy and leaves are now gained directly, with no more picking items up from the ground

• Enabled MSAA when Bilinear scaling is on

Localization

• Added French, selectable in the game's Steam properties