Version 1.1 development

The "Steam Engine Thingy" is actually content from WazHack 1.1. Well, maybe not the electrical side of it - I added that for the green light.

Yesterday I finally branched the codebase, primarily so I could try out Unity 4 integration. So far it's looking great. I've even seen a single frame on the game running under Linux (it crashed before the next frame... Unity 4 is still in beta). Certainly I have confirmed that it will be a pretty straight-forward port.

The 1.1 beta will start in a month or two - until then there shouldn't need to be any new updates to 1.0 (but send in bug reports if you find anything nasty!)

--

Waz

WazHack on Steam Greenlight

Steam’s Greenlight service allows players to help decide which content should be released on Valve's Steam platform.

There are hundreds of Indie games up there already, and WazHack is no exception.

Check out:

• the WazHack Greenlight page
• Ernie's list of Roguelike on Greenlight

Just for fun, I put up a new title screen on WazHack.com, or if you're impatient, here is a video:

But it's more fun turning knobs and tooting horns yourself.

WazHack Android version brings Benefits for All

One of the beauties of multiplatform development is that improvements for one platform usually carry over directly to the other platforms.

While WazHack for Android was being developed, and was really only known to the folks on the wazhack IRC channel, I started getting words of thanks for the improvements to "mouse only play" in the Web version. Personally, I'm a WASD + Mouse guy, so there had been a lot of silly little usability uglies in the Web and Windows version if you tried to play only with the mouse.

Making the Android version forced me to cover every tiny case and to test every nook for ways to make the touch experience better, and all the mousers in the Web and Windows versions got the benefit of that before it even appeared on Android! I love the Web version: I'm sorry if web users feel they're in a constant beta program, but that version is the first place to get all new changes to the game - it only takes me 30 seconds to push an update, as opposed to days for the other platforms - you are my heroes.

WazHack under Unity Profiler with 1.0.13

The release of the first version for Android (WazHack 1.0.12), was admittedly quite jerky on a lot of older devices. With the new release (1.0.13), I can't say I've made it perfect on those old devices, but now I think anyone complaining should really just go get an upgrade - Samsung and Google really need your money ;-).  WazHack, unlike all the cheezy Zynga crap, has a lot going on beneath the visual surface of the game, and I would rather not cut back on game depth just to get 60fps.

I hope players on older Windows computers will enjoy the performance boost in 1.0.13 as much as those playing on an older Android device.

How do you get updates? It depends on the platform:

• Android: open the Play Store, search for WazHack, and select Update. You can choose to update it automatically: I'll warn well in advance if a new version will lose your save games.
• Web: nothing - you get the new version automatically! If you're impatient and know a new release just got published, press shift-reload a couple of times. You don't have to worry about losing save games: all old versions are kept on the server and loaded on-demand if you try to play an out-dated savegame.
• Windows: in the Desura client, click the update button. For other versions, visit the site where you bought it and you'll get a download link. WazHack is currently on Desura and Indievania.

Still to come on the cross-platform front is better support for gamepads (no, I'm not thinking of targeting XBOX any time soon). The original Controls Options in the Web/Windows version was done to facilitate crazy ESDF players (hey, Ted!), but with a few changes it will also allow me to support Joysticks and Gamepads. Maybe this will make Xperia Play users happy?

And yes, I'll be targeting iPhone and Mac as soon as I can get myself a Mac Mini.

WazHack for Android

How does it play?

The new Android version of WazHack plays very similarly to the Windows version available on Desura. All the same items, all the same monsters, all the same character classes. The UI is adapted to the small screen and "fat finger" touch interface by moving the action buttons to the corners, with most actions within the Inventory button. All game UI is "fattened" to make it easier to use. To make up for the smaller screens Android normally runs on (unless you have an OUYA...), the camera zooms in when enemies are in sight, so fat fingers don't have you picking up a rusty old Orcish chainmail while you're trying to beat on a vampire bat. Because it is built on the same code-base, new features are available for both version - and multiplayer even works between the Android and Windows versions!

Which devices?

Realistically, you'll need a device made in the last year or two, but it certainly works great on a Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 or a Samsung Galaxy Nexus - the two devices Waz tests on. But give it a try on your device and comment below. The game uses the same "demo to 300 feet" model of the Windows version, so it's completely free to test out on your device.

All Thanks to Unity

It is the multiplatform nature of the Unity engine that made it possible to do such a port. So if some of your other favourite Indie games are made using the Unity engine, ask the developer for an Android port!

WazHack 1.0 released for Windows

For the last 3-months, WazHack has been polished by a web-based beta period, with a total of 9 beta releases, over 200 interim patch releases, and 30,000 games played. The result of that polish is now available for purchase as a stand-alone Windows game on Desura:

 

The web version will of course continue and help rapidly test the 1.1 release, but already players are reporting that the Windows stand-alone version gives a much more familiar and smoother gameplay.

Beta 9: Anonymous Multiplayer

By popular demand, you can now set a Nickname for your Guild account, so you no longer need to reveal your email address to play multiplayer! Go to your account to set it up.

I'm sorry this feature took so long - I've been looking at integrating with Desura, and I wanted to know more about their user system before making changes to my custom user database server. I'm still working on the Desura packaging, but I know enough, so here is Beta9 for your enjoyment.

BTW, it also looks like I will be able to hand out Desura keys to all Beta Guild members - thanks for all your support so far!

Similar to my warning when Multiplayer was first added, changes like this are inherently hard to test (everyone's network is different), so be sure to let me know if you have problems with multiplayer (or anything else of course).

-- Waz --

Beta 8: Icebergs

No, beta 8 is not set in Antarctica, although it is midwinter here in Australia.

For the last month I have been working on making the UI feel better when used only with the mouse. I usually play with WASD but I've forced myself to play with only the mouse to get a feel for what it's like and fix any quirks. If' you've tried using the mouse previously, have a feel of it now and tell me if I've missed anything. There are lots of little things - from how chests open, to single-item pickups, attacking, etc.

By popular demand, you can now edit your stats during character creation. The range of possible stats had to change to make this reasonable: previously a wider range was possible, just very unlikely, now it's more constrained for each class. The effect of CHA on commerce has been amplified a bit - so be careful choosing big muscles over a good personality. Personally, I still think it's more fun to play a random roll.

Mostly for the last month I have been working on something else for WazHack. Sorry, I don't mean to be mysterious, I just hate vaporware announcements. I do want to assure you that yes, I'm still very much alive and hacking, and to let you all try out the feel of mouse-only play.

In devising a fun title screen, I thought of how what you see in this release is just the tip of the iceberg of what I have been working on. As usual, I got carried away having fun expressing that. I liked the iceberg texture so much that I changed how the Cold wand/spell works: it now freezes the target in ice. Hitting a frozen creature either shatters and kills them (a favourite trope of mine) or does nothing (except critical hits - these work as normal); the chance of shattering is unrelated to the creature's current HP but rather to their max HP (i.e. to their hit dice and hence level). Their armour shatters with them, but other items are dropped (assuming they didn't freeze and shatter when you first zapped them).

Enjoy! Don't forget to share your experiences on /r/WazHack on Reddit.