December 2016 Build

The main focus of the December build was LAN games. The goal is to use the same code for both LAN and web games so making sure LAN games is as best as it can be is a must. Bandwidth usage has been cut by over 50%, plus, overall complexity of player movements/updates has been drastically improved. All of this means that when we get to adding true online support that it works straight out the box.

Monks choosing which runner to chase has been problematic for some time now. Special thanks to Greyfax for helping me to finally fix this long outstanding issue.

What are you waiting for? Head on over to the downloads page page and get a copy!
Special thanks this month go to Greyfax, Howie, Leandro + everyone who downloaded the September (or any previous) build.

This monthly post covers the highlights from the last month of work. If you like to read the weekly update posts featured in this build, you can find them here: weeks #44, #45, #46, #47 and #48

If you find anything at all that is wrong with the game so far or have any ideas or suggestions, please get in touch with me. Your feedback is very important to making this project as good as it can possibly be.

Continue reading for a summary of all the fixes, improvements and new features in the December update.

Editor

2 bugs fixed, 5 improvements
improvements to cut/copy/paste
improvements to line tools (line and box)
removed unnecessary code from editor

Game

2 new features, 20 bugs fixed, 7 improvements
monks now choose the correct runner to chase
fixes to monks dropping gold incorrectly
fixes to monk hump 'n bump
added "Trapdoor between ladders" to Quirks Mode
tweaked the pixel shader used on most effects
fixes to pick-axe rubble to behave like the Original
monks can no longer climb out of befuddlement gas on ladders
improved player collision routines
if restarting a 2P+ game and a runner is out of lives, he will spawn again as soon as a life is awarded (transfer or cheat)

LAN

1 new feature, 4 bugs fixed, 6 improvements
games now disconnect from host properly plus display a message
vastly improved lag compensation for games up to 100ms latency
games transferred from host are now compressed (approx. 75% smaller)
fixed crash when going to a different puzzle
various UI fixes
when the game or a particular player is out of sync, all players are alerted

Out of sync message

Game over, disconnecting from the game

General

3 bugs fixed, 4 improvements
updated FNA engine to 16.12
various UI fixes
screenshots now saved to a SCREENSHOTS folder on your Lode Runner Online directory
music now pauses when game is no longer active on main menu

What's coming next?

further improvements to the LAN lobby
timed game support for LAN games