Crystal Towers 2 XL Progress update 1
I'm going to start making progress updates on Steam!
A few days ago I received a couple of messages asking where the Steam version of Crystal Towers 2 has got to - which is flattering, because I didn't think that there were many people who cared! Over the last few months I've delved back into the game's code, as it needed some updates to work with the Steam API, and while there, I wanted to take the chance to fix a few things about the game that I didn't like but didn't have the drive to correct the first time I released it. So, sorry for the lack of updates so far, and I'm going to start making announcements about major changes to the game starting now!
The biggest problem with the original game was that the window size was far too small. It was originally made to match the resolution of early DOS games' 320x240 VGA graphics, which worked well enough for the retro styling, but players were often left wanting to be able to see more of the surrounding environment for tricky jumps or to avoid enemies rushing on to the screen and getting them before they had a chance to react. I'd been vaguely aware of the problem before I released the game, but at that point I thought it was too late to go back and change everything - but being away for a while gave me a fresh look and the chance to work out how I could fix it.
Here's a comparison of the view from the first teleport ring in the Music Castle, before and after the change:
In a boost to a widescreen format, the game is now nearly twice as wide and 60 pixels taller. The difference is incredible even when standing still, but when you see it moving, it's amazing how improved the gameplay is when you're able to see more of your surroundings. In the second screenshot, you can also see that I'm replacing the counters and text in the UI with a more consistent style that uses pixel text instead of the Windowsy fonts from the first release.
Of course, the issue is much more complicated than boosting the window size up and calling it a day - a lot of the game's graphics like the level backgrounds are designed to fit the old resolution, and scaling up pixel artwork never works well, so they had to be redrawn. Most of these are pretty simple to begin with because the player isn't really looking at them, but this gave me the chance to go back and improve some of the ones I did more hastily the first time around.
And to complicate the issues, there are places where a level can more than one background - like in Magma Falls B where you start deep in a well and climb up to reach an outdoor area. In places like this, other parts of the level strategically block where the background switches over - which works great at the original resolution, but now there are places where the increased window size betrays the trickery. So those need to be watched out for and the backgrounds rearranged to get the smooth changeover back.
All these changes - together with more adjustments and things that will hopefully make the game a smoother experience - are going into the new version, Crystal Towers 2 XL. Hopefully it should be in your hands before too long.
