Beeknighted v.3.5 released!

Hello everyone! 

The last few weeks have been crazy and I've been working around the clock to get new features and updates added to the Beeknighted demo. Version 3.5 has just been released, which will be the last patch of content before the next big numbered release (unless new horrible bugs are found). So many new players have been playing Beeknighted, and it's been so awesome to see everyone's reactions! Please feel free to link/share your streams, vods, and youtube videos and I would love to check them out! 

As many of you may know, Beeknighted was accepted to and included in the lastest HauntedPS1 Demo Disc - Spectral Mall! You can download and play it here: https://hauntedps1.itch.io/demo-disc-spectral-mall

Version 3.0 saw the full release of the Antfort dungeon up to the boss. But it was not without issues. Many, MANY bugs were found and fixed along the way, and now it is in a solid state. As always, feel free to comment here with any new bugs you might find and I'll happily look into them. 

Here's a detailed version history since 3.0 launched on Friday:

v.3.1

* fixed a bug where the trigger for the dining hall cutscene wouldn’t go away

* added a transition to the dining hall cutscene

* fixed the gate in the big stinky mushroom cave and shortened the timer from 10 seconds to 6

* added new dangerous raindrop spawners to the starting pit and all rooms with water

* added water footstep splashes and sound effects

* improved the audibility of the ants in the dining hall cutscene and in the stealth barracks

* improved the damage radius of the stinky mushrooms

* added additional decorations to the two caves after Selene’s room

* modified some of Selene’s dialogue

* modified the music balance in certain rooms

* improved the audibility of the timer

v.3.2

* added a new enemy type: evil mushrooms (big and small)

* increased the spawn speed of the raindrops in all rooms and added more to the upper level of the first room

* added some N64-style loading zone fade from black panels to a couple cave tunnels

* added a few more sprite decorations to said tunnels

* revised a couple lines of text to be more clear.

* further mixed the audio in the dining cutscene

v.3.3

* fixed a potential softlock where you could quit the game after defeating Antonio and never receive the bracers or Oubliette key when restarting

* fixed a bug with stealth where you could be caught while standing still behind objects

* improved Antonio’s bull charge tracking

* modified the hitbox for Antonio’s Kanabo to more accurately fit the weapon

* changed the guards’ behavior after Antonio is defeated

* increased the vertical detection zone for the compressing popsicle mushrooms

* modified a few lines of text to include keyboard keys

v.3.4

* created a new, more obvious elevator platform in the rafflesia room to replace the old one

* replaced the punchable boxes in the Dining Hall 2F room with ones with porous tops and fixed collision issues with the gates

* fixed a bug where pickups from thrown jars could spawn through walls (I think)

* fixed an ugly environmental clipping situation

* added a hint about talking to characters multiple times to the tutorial sign

* added a hint about climbing to the Chamber of Conquest sign

* added a hint about the aspirant to the ant guard’s dialogue

* added ladder stealthing by holding the stealth button

* added ladder scurrying by holding the dash button

* increased the climbing speed by 25%

* fixed hiccups in the animation transitions for the bee climbing and lifting objects

* fixed hiccups in the animation transitions for the toothworm emerging/burrowing

* modified the bomb and jar throwing arc to go just a bit farther and higher

* increased the volume of the pickup acquired sound

* added an ant sleeping at the dining table after returning to the room after escaping the oubliette

v3.5

* added a platform and ramp to the popsicle mushroom cave below the chest to get back to the switch from the breakable wall platform upon failing the timer challenge

* modified the mite’s jump arc so that it won’t land on top of the bee

* moved the seed lantern to the center pillar in the popsicle mushroom cave

* added water to the first cave room

* lowered the Aspirant’s health by 2 points

* lowered Antonio’s health in phase 2 by 2 points

* changed the hint provided by the ant guard about the aspirant being vulnerable when attacking

* optimized the courtyard better

* fixed a z-fighting issue in the Antfort 1F storage room

* fixed the spawn location when returning to the gatehouse from Selene’s room

So what are the plans going forward? Up next is work on the proper boss fight for Antfort - Queen Antalya. That boss fight will be in a meaty THREE stages, with a playable sequence following it. 

The code for controlling the bee also needs a major overhaul. Adding a lock-on system has been on the to-do list for a long time, but the current character+camera setup doesn't allow for it (or at least makes it very difficult) so reworking the code will open up the possibility of more interesting camera movements. In addition, I'll be working on making the animations and attacks smoother. Both rely on an animation tree that served me well while I was just starting to learn Godot, but now is awkward and is causing issues with more advanced actions. For instance, animations for hopping, swimming, ledge grabbing/climbing, and stinging are already ready to go (and have been for some time), but haven't been coded into the character. 

I'd also like to add additional charge attacks to all of the weapons and more options for how to place the seed pod bombs (such as dropping, throwing, spiking, and rolling).

As far as reworking old content, with the release of Antfort, the early caves are showing their age in my game dev journey. They lack any real time or vertex lighting, and the textures are ugly. In addition, the layout no longer serves the intended function of the rooms, so some reordering is in order. Based on watching many new players play the demo, it seems the time to getting the blast pods is too long, so I'll be finding a way to insert Louis into one of the earlier rooms to make the flow of the demo better and break up all the climbing and hovering bits. Antfort also needs a more in depth cutscene with Selene, so look forward to that. 

Thanks everyone for playing Beeknighted!

-MicrotonalMatt