hi fans of space!!!

We released BOMBARDMENT:hd|FW: CEASELESS ASSAULT OF ROCKS! on a self-imposed deadline - September 13, 2019.  I think it was pretty good, and our goal was mostly to make a game jam-scope game sufficiently modernized and not as janky.

However, we might be exhibiting the game in the future, and we felt there were a few features that could be added fairly easily.  We might also sort of be perfectionists. So the whole thing spiraled a bit out of control, as these things tend to do (I think Witchy Workshop is like two hours long?), and our 1.1 patch turned into more like a 2.0 patch. Oops!

So what's new in this release?

First, we sort of made a whole new game.....??

Somehow we forgot about the first rule of video game asteroids, and also real life asteroids, which is when you shoot at them, they actually become even more dangerous as they break into a whole bunch of unpleasant little pieces. When you were younger, you were probably warned by a parent or teacher that if you see an asteroid in real life, you should leave it alone and not try to beat it up, as it's pretty unlikely to slam into you at twenty kilometers per second.

But as BOMBARDMENT:hd|FW: CEASELESS ASSAULT OF ROCKS! is above all a cautionary tale, we realized there's much more depth to the gameplay when the larger rocks break into smaller ones, as you have an incentive to wait until you've fractured a rock into smaller chunks with another weapon instead of just firing wildly at whatever looks most menacing. As a result, all the levels have been totally revamped to accommodate this new system, as it was basically impossible to progress past the first or second level otherwise.

Next, over here we said:   

If people like it, perhaps it could get a full sequel with more weapons, more levels, and one of those demo modes that you'd see on arcade games that flash "INSERT COIN" and if you don't have any quarters you just sit there and pretend you're playing even though everyone knows you're not.

If you're familiar with our development, we also said we'd make Witchy Workshop if we received "millions of dollars". Neither wish came true, but we've added an "attract mode" with an oddly detailed cutscene that will answer all of your burning questions about why the rocks have started their assault on Earth. You can watch the AI play the game better than you can, after that's over.

Also new in this patch is full gamepad support. We've added checks for the tutorial to detect which input you're using and give you the right information, configured rumble, and generally tried to design the game around gamepad input as much as possible. I like playing much more on a gamepad, so I think we might have succeeded? You don't need to restart the game to play with a gamepad, just turn the controller on and it will automatically detect the new input.

Due to the fact you need to be able to reach three different buttons at once while scrolling, we couldn't use the shoulder triggers for firing and the right stick for scrolling. Instead, the shoulder triggers scroll up and down (holding Y will make them faster), the A button fires the middle weapon, and B/X (or the shoulder buttons) fire the side weapons.

Since sometimes people hate rumble, we've also added a settings menu where you can turn it off and change some other things.

There's also some "game over" functionality now, better-looking dialogue, better collisions, lots of visual bugs fixed, and so on. Here are the full patch notes.

Patch Notes

Thanks for dutifully playing BOMBARDMENT:hd|FW: CEASELESS ASSAULT OF ROCKS! every single day since it was released. This patch adds some really big features for the best gaming experience.

Added

• ASTEROIDS TAUGHT NEW SKILLS: In the year 1923, the video game "Asteroids" first graced pizza restaurant waiting areas across America. Shooting asteroids now made them break into smaller asteroids, an unprecedented level of realism for the time that made anyone who saw it happen faint.
  
  Over time, asteroids that split into multiple asteroids when you shoot them has become an almost mandatory feature for every game on Earth, even those which would otherwise lack asteroids. We've added it too, providing a new dimension of deep strategy. All the levels have been revamped to accommodate this, so it's basically a brand new game!!

• GAMEPAD SUPPORT: The half finished gamepad support that kind of works for some things is now full gamepad support, at least for the XBOX 360 controller (or other controller, using x360ce). There's also vibration effects for when your shield gets hit or you do successfully injure a rock. Please play this game on a HOTAS for maximum enjoyment.

• ATTRACT/DEMO MODE: Discover how all the space objects came to crash into our good planet in a gripping cinematic experience nominated for a Nobel Prize, by just waiting and not pressing a button. Then watch the computer play "BOMBARDMENT" by itself using neural net and hacking technology.

• "GAME OVER" MODE: Instead of just seeing the same level over and over when you are bad at it, now you will only get two chances to try it again with some extra shield power. This makes Bombardment "Dark Souls meets Minecraft".

• SETTINGS MENU: Wow! "Settings" are truly better than ever! You can toggle a connected gamepad, vibration or turn off the music here. You can even turn on "Absolute Mode" in order to use a flight stick throttle for scrolling (it will be mapped to the 360 controller right stick). Note that disabling "Use Gamepad" does not turn off the gamepad entirely, but instead shows the cursor at all times and prioritizes mouse-based input.

• NEW SMALL ASTEROID SPRITE: It's cute!!!
• NEW HIT EFFECTS: They're kind of cute!!!

Changed

• Levels now have a set amount of "points", representing how many rocks will make your life difficult, as well as varying chances to spawn each type. This makes the game a "Roguelike".   
• The level ends after all these points have been used up and all asteroids have been destroyed one way or another - it's no longer based on how many you have destroyed yourself.
• The tracker in the bottom left now shows you how many small rocks are left (medium rocks count for two, and large count for four).
• Default loadout is now BEAM - FLAK - NUKE because that's what's used in the demo section. Lazy!!!
• Dialogue text no longer does that horrible "wrapping to new lines as a word is finished" thing you see everywhere
• Flak now much less effective against larger targets
• Beam weapon description now mentions its limited range
• You go back to the main menu after beating the game now rather than having to relaunch the game over and over, simply because you can't get enough of BOMBARDMENT:hd|FW: CEASELESS ASSAULT OF ROCKS!
• Collisions with the city shield (asteroids, cursor) are more precise
• "Asteroid off-screen" cursor is now more precise for bigger asteroids

Fixed

• Readme typo
• GUI resizing bug
• Some one-frame draw issues
• Weapons appeared to fire sideways for a few frames  
• Further improvements to overall rock stability and other minor adjustments have been made to enhance the user experience