Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekly Dev Log for January 30th, 2023, detailing all the changes that have happened since January 23rd, 2023. Note: Devs that don't appear in the weekly log are not necessarily away or not doing work, but may be working on things currently not announced or backend work that doesn't need to be detailed.
Accessibility Suggestions
We've created a forum post asking the community for suggestions on how we can improve gameplay for players with certain conditions such as colorblindness, dyslexia, or anything else that might affect a players ability to use the standard presentation and controls of the game.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, and possible solutions on how to solve a particular issue, please check out the forum post here.
February 2023 Condo Contest - Monochrome
Hey everyone! It's time for another Condo Contest.
The theme for February's contest is Monochrome!
With this theme, your build should be focused around one color!
You don't need to use the default color on an item, but you should try to keep all items in the build around the same hue. Feel free to change the brightness and saturation.
The submission period ends on February 23, 2023 at 11:59 PM.
First place prize is 2,000,000 Units!
You can read the rules, how to enter, and prizes here!
Virus: Altar
Johanna continued working on art for Virus: Altar.
Virus: Altar WIP
Miscellany
JJosh continued working on the Unannounced Condo Feature.
Lifeless continued working on maps for Game Worlds.
macdguy worked on finishing up the Unannounced Condo Feature. He also worked on fixes for Condo I/O bugs and other QOL changes.
madmijk continued working on Condo I/O bugs.
Sketchman continued working on backend improvements and optimizations.
Wrap It Up
That about covers everything that happened since January 23rd, 2023 at PixelTail Games.
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Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekly Dev Log for January 23rd, 2023, detailing all the changes that have happened since January 17th, 2023. Note: Devs that don't appear in the weekly log are not necessarily away or not doing work, but may be working on things currently not announced or backend work that doesn't need to be detailed.
Accessibility Suggestions
We've created a forum post asking the community for suggestions on how we can improve gameplay for players with certain conditions such as colorblindness, dyslexia, or anything else that might affect a players ability to use the standard presentation and controls of the game.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, and possible solutions on how to solve a particular issue, please check out the forum post here.
December 2022 Survey Results
Thanks to everyone who participated in the December 2022 Survey!
We had just over 2700 people answer this time!
We'll be using these results and the comments made to help us decide where to take the game next!
Last week, we released Update 0.16.5.0, which included a new Little Crusaders map, Cardboard Castle, as well as Phase 2 of Condo I/O. There were a bunch of new features added, which you can read all about here.
Miscellany
Johanna continued working on art for Virus: Altar.
JJosh continued working on the Unannounced Condo Feature.
Lifeless continued working on maps for Game Worlds.
macdguy worked on releasing the update, fixing bugs with Condo I/O, and continued working on the Unannounced Condo Feature.
madmijk continued working on Condo I/O, specifically the logic gates.
Nuclearxpotato continued working on art for Virus: Altar.
Sketchman continued working on backend improvements and optimizations.
Will continued working on music for SDNL.
Wrap It Up
That about covers everything that happened since January 17th, 2023 at PixelTail Games.
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Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!
This update addresses various issues that came up from Update 0.16.5.0.
Changes
Condo IO: You can now easily switch which input you want to connect to with the IO wiring tool, by using the scroll wheel before making a connection
Condo IO: Improved IO wiring tool screen. Now provides information on which input is available, along with what outputs an item may have. Also now displays how many connections the item has within it
Condo IO: Added drop shadow on connection labels
Condo: Updated Tower Glove screen fonts to be more readable
Added IO Events - Lights: Flash
Bug Fixes
Condo: Fixed Button Canvas not being interactable
Condo IO: Fixed Counter not taking in inputs properly
Condo: Fixed canvas animations not playing by default
Condo: Fixed canvas animation rates cutting off the animation playback
Condo: Fixed theater seat LOD
Condo: Fixed Security Camera not showing landscapes
Condo IO: Fixed "SetNumber" input of Number Signs going out of range
Condo IO: Fixed Timer not replicating to clients
Condo IO: Fixed Timer "AddTime" feature not working
Condo IO: Fixed certain volumes not saying deactivated on condo reload
Condo IO: Fixed paste from clipboard not pasting to the currently selected event
Condo: Fixed "Simulate Physics On Respawn" setting not handling simulation state on condo load. Now if you have "Simulate Physics On Respawn" set to false, it won't simulate on condo load
Condo IO: Fixed Basketball Hoop "OnScored" event being called when hitting the basketball hoop instead of actually scoring
Condo IO: Fixed "FadeToColor" not fading the correct colors for certain lights
Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!
Take the battle to the backyard in the new Cardboard Castle map for Little Crusaders.
Condo IO: Phase 2 - Adding Interactivity To Condos
This update includes phase 2 of the Condo IO feature set.
Variable support is here! You can now set variables (where applicable) to items. For example, with a button, you can set the color of a light, or set the canvas URL of an existing canvas within IO events.
ex. Button → Set URL on Canvas
ex. Button → Set Color on Light
ex. Button → Set Time on Timer
New Modules
Toggle Module
A logic item that calls two separate outputs that get toggled between when activated. Useful for toggling multiple things on/off. Will call Off on load. This is a boolean
Counter Module
A counter that counts a number then fires off when its max or min is reached. Can be reset to restart the count. Counter can optionally save its value persistently. You can Add, Subtract, and even Multiply and Divide the counter
Timer Module
A timer that keeps track of time passed. Can be adjusted to loop, select random times between min/max, pause/unpause
You can now drag and drop connections into other events
Added copy/paste to clipboard buttons for connections
Added tons of new IO Events to existing items (list in changelog below)
In this update we've added a much needed feature for condo owners: Box Select. Box Select allows creators to select multiple items at once by dragging and dropping a box shape over the items. Box Select can be activated by holding the inventory button (default Q) and clicking and dragging to create a box, just like you would in other applications.
Condo: Color Palettes
You can now create up to 3 unique color palettes when creating your condos and these palettes save so when you switch condos or restart your game, you'll still be able to keep your favorites.
Changes
Little Crusaders: Cardboard Castle
Condo IO: Phase 2
Condo: Box Select! Select multiple items quickly using box select. While holding Q, click and drag to create a box. Box select will select only items that are not locked. You can adjust box select settings in the inventory settings.
Condo: Added new Saved Color Palettes to the colorable editor. You can now create up to 3 unique color palettes and they will save to your save data, so your saved colors will persist even after closing your game or condo
Condo IO: Variable support! You can now set variables (where applicable) to items. For example, with a button, you can set the color of a light, or set the canvas URL of an existing canvas within IO events
Condo IO: You can now drag and drop connections into other events
Condo IO: Added new IO item: Light Switch
Condo IO: Added Toggle Module - A logic item that calls two separate outputs that get toggled between when activated. Useful for toggling multiple things on/off. Will call Off on load. This is a boolean
Condo IO: Added Counter Module - A counter that counts a number then fires off when its max or min is reached. Can be reset to restart the count. Counter can optionally save its value persistently. You can Add, Subtract, and even Multiply and Divide the counter
Condo IO: Added Timer Module - A timer that keeps track of time passed. Can be adjusted to loop, select random times between min/max, pause/unpause
Condo: Sound Emitters now have a "Starts Playing" option, default on. This is useful to disable sound emitters always playing when loading into the condo, so they can be triggered by IO events instead
Condo IO: Modules now snap together!
Condo IO: Added FireOnce setting to Relay, which will allow one input into a relay then require calling reset to call the relay again
Condo IO: When hovering over a connection in the UI, it'll temporarily display a wire to the connected actor
Condo IO: Light items no longer make a switch on/off sound if interacted with Condo IO inputs. There is now a setting on the Light items to re-enable the sound from IO inputs
Condo IO: You can now color modules (such as Relay)
Condo IO: Item picker now has an option to show all items instead of just items with inputs
Condo IO: Levers now call output "OnLeverOff" when first loading in a Condo
Condo IO: Added copy/paste to clipboard buttons for connections
Condo: Safe now has door functionality and IO support
Condo: Removed pillars from Theater condo
Condo: Increased Door auto close delay limit to 30 seconds (from 10 seconds)
Condo: Added slack variations to Christmas Light String items
Condo - Theater: Removed pillars from the Theater Condo
Condo: Tower Glove viewmodel sway greatly reduced so you can read the screen more clearly. Also adjusted the viewmodel position to bring the screen forward more
Condo: Grandfather Clock pendulum now animates and the clock now chimes when an hour passes (with the amount of hours that have passed)
Added IO Events
Lights: OnToggled
Doors: OnToggled
All Knowing 8-Ball: OnPositive, OnNegative, OnNeutral
Dark Voyage: Fixed the carts teleporting across the ride
Plaza: Fixed Plaza map button not working (M key)
Plaza: Fixed Laser Tag map teleport causing you to get stuck
Condo IO: Fixed Teleport Volume not working (unless you reload your condo)
Condo IO: Fixed Teleport Volume not saving filter settings
Condo IO: Fixed Teleport Volume not setting or saving teleport target location
Condo IO: Fixed stashing IO-based items not saving the condo data
Condo IO: Fixed Trigger Volume OnTrigger, OnLeaveTrigger not being completely reliable and not always firing off properly
Condo IO: Fixed Damage/Heal Volume being off by 1
Condo IO: Fixed Physics Slot resizing physics items after they are ejected
Condo IO: Fixed Relay, Keypad, Lever, and Physics Slot not firing events that have a delay
Condo IO: Fixed Canvas Door not handling IO events
Condo IO: Fixed Vault not handling IO outputs
Condo IO: Fixed Light items not firing OnTurnedOn/OnTurnedOff events when fired by IO inputs
Condo: Fixed Keypad not having an edit option with right click menu
Condo: Fixed health bar not showing up if you have a weapon equipped
Condo: Fixed Airlock Door sounds being way too loud
Condo IO: Fixed Door items not handling delays properly
Condo IO: Fixed Keypad not handling delays properly
Condo IO: Fixed infinite loop issue with Dice
Condo IO: Fixed infinite loop issue with Doors
Condo IO: Fixed door open sound not always playing with IO events
Condo IO: Fixed Button Shape star not being recolorable
Condo IO: Fixed up Sound Emitter toggle code, fixing issues with toggling off sounds with IO causing them not to play again on condo reload
Condo IO: Fixed Sound Emitters adjusting pitch when using IO events to play sounds
Condo IO: Fixed up IO behavior on the (Emergency) Button, and fixed the Emergency Button firing its output twice
Condo IO: Physics Slot now works with soda cans from the soda machine
Condo IO: Soda can props can now be interacted with condo IO features, such as volumes
Condo IO: Fixed Size Volume not working if you set the size volume to 1.0 scale
Condo IO: Fixed Size Volume fighting with other size volumes (if you had two size volumes they would try to resize the player with their own settings over and over)
Condo IO: Fixed an issue where Hide would not always hide the item when you first make the connection
Condo: Fixed Football not respawning after being thrown
Condo IO: Fixed Push Volume arrow not updating if the push volume was disabled
Condo IO: Fixed items that have no collision re-enabling collision when Unhide is called
Condo IO: Fixed Media Player outputs calling on repeat instead of just once
Condo IO: Fixed EjectFromSlot not allowing items to be placed into Physics Slot after calling it
Condo: Fixed Canvas Cone not having tiling support
Condo: Fixed Cabin Wood items not replicating style/length properly
Condo: Fixed Gramophone materials being lit in darkness
Condo: Fixed Campfire stones setting not saving
Condo: Fixed Canvas Rug not having tile settings
Condo: Fixed Festive Lawn Lights not showing for clients
Condo: Fixed various IES light rotations for light items
Condo IO: Light items now have a FadeToColor input
Condo IO: Fixed many issues with switching connection events, types, and data
Condo IO: Fixed removing connection sometimes removing the wrong connection
Condo IO: Fixed issues where switching events with an item that has a persistent connection would cause it to not find the correct event after the switch
Condo: Fans, Laser Projectors, and Fog Machines now follow the same use permissions as light switches
Condo: Fixed Reinforced Wooden Gear not animating for clients properly
Condo: Added seasons (holiday seasons) appearance property to Ferris Wheel milestone, so you can change the colors of the Ferris Wheel
Condo: Fixed item properties not being centered in the editor UI sometimes (happened a lot with items that have only 1 property)
Condo: Fixed Portal item showing a debug sphere
Condo: Fixed Portal & Transdimensional Painting not replicating absolute rotation state to clients or host properly, causing issues where the preview destination would be incorrectly displayed
Condo: Fixed Teleporters absolute rotation setting (aka Set Exit Rotation set to false) still changing player rotation
Fixed RC Sleigh slowing down after a bit of movement
Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekly Dev Log for January 17th, 2023, detailing all the changes that have happened since December 19th, 2022. Note: Devs that don't appear in the weekly log are not necessarily away or not doing work, but may be working on things currently not announced or backend work that doesn't need to be detailed.
Accessibility Suggestions
We've created a forum post asking the community for suggestions on how we can improve gameplay for players with certain conditions such as colorblindness, dyslexia, or anything else that might affect a players ability to use the standard presentation and controls of the game.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, and possible solutions on how to solve a particular issue, please check out the forum post here.
Virus: Altar
Johanna continued working on art for Altar.
Nuclearxpotato continued working on Altar, working on torch models as well as sculpting some rocks and adjusting the lighting.
Virus: Altar WIP
Condo and Condo I/O
macdguy continued working on Condo I/O, adding support for variables and a bunch of new features, which you can read about here.
Madmijk worked on adding logic gates.
Condo: Color Palette Saving
You can now have up to 3 saved color palettes. These palettes are saved to your save data, so when you close your condo or game, these values are saved.
Condo: Item Box Select
Condo I/O: Timers and Counters
Condo I/O: Drag and Drop Connections on Events
Condo I/O: Security Camera Input Demo
Condo I/O: Variable Inputs
Light color can be set with Condo I/O inputs.
Miscellany
Lifeless continued working on maps for Game Worlds.
Sketchman continued working on backend improvements and optimizations.
Wheezwer continued working on the minigame medallions.
Wrap It Up
That about covers everything that happened since December 19th, 2022 at PixelTail Games.
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Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!
Wintertime has come to the Tower Unite Plaza! We’ve decked out the island with holiday cheer and brought back all of the classic holiday events. Be sure to drop by Santa Claws’ Workshop for new Condo and Appearance items, and enjoy the festive atmosphere!
Holiday Coins are also back and can be earned by playing any of the games in Tower!
We've added several new Holiday themed items in this update, including the first phase of Condo IO.
New Items!
Added new items To Santa Claw's Workshop: Frozen Shades, Holiday Scarf, Reindeer Bells, Snow Chair, Snow Shelf, Snow Table, Pet: Snowfella, Festival Lights - Holiday Tree, Festival Lights - Santa Claus, Festival Lights - Jack Frost, Festival Lights - Leaping Reindeer, Festival Lights - Candy Archway, Shrunken Reindeer Flying Pet, Candy Cane Cigar, Santa Claws Scarf, and Snowflake Glasses
Added new items to Celebrations: Menorah, Kinara, Dreidel, Festival Lights - Snowman, Festival Lights - Reindeer, Festival Lights - Candle, Festival Lights - Circle Archway, Festival Lights - Tunnel Archway, Festival Lights - Candy Canes, Festival Lights - Lollipops, Festival Lights - Moose, Light Bramble Deer, Festivus Pole, Festive Garden Light
Added new items to Seasons (nature store): Firewood Pile, Ice Chunk, Ice Outcropping, Ice Spire, Ice Spikes
Added new item to Tower Threads clothing store: Penguin Scarf
Added new item to Fresh: Gingerbread House
Added new items to D.I.Y: Lightbeam FX, Keypad
Added new items to Toy Stop: 20-Sided Die
Added new item to Asteroid Belt (Arcade): 20-Sided Deluxe Die
Added new item to Rob's Imports: Reinforced Wooden Gear
Added new Condo IO items: Trigger Volume, Push Volume, Damage / Heal Volume, Size Volume, Gravity Volume, Blocking Volume, Teleport Volume, Player Movement Volume, Relay Module, World Control Module, Basic Shape Button, Basic Lever, Physics Slot, Canvas Button
Condo IO: Phase 1 - Adding Interactivity To Condos
This update includes the first phase of Condo IO. This will kick start the Condo IO system that will continuously have new features added to in future updates.
Condo IO stands for Condo Input and Output. It’s a powerful set of tools and integration with items that allow items to connect with each other and perform actions based on gameplay events.
Using the new Connector Tool (added to the Tower Glove), you'll be able to wire items together and have them interact with each other!
Connect a Button to open a Door, use the new Keypad item and have a locked Door open with a password, or have hidden Trigger Volumes that turn on lights or hide or unhide items! You can even connect Security Cameras to Media Players to have camera feeds.
Condo IO does not require any programming knowledge, it's all built into the Condo tools for you and available immediately. Condo IO is in alpha stage, so expect some issues.
Lots of existing items now have inputs and outputs that you can hook into, such as Doors, Buttons, Lights, Food, Fireworks, Balloons, Bells, Media layers, Physics items, Beds, Dice, and Keypads!
Plaza: Condo Hub elevator entrance was completely remodeled
Plaza: Improved minigames archways
Plaza: New Tower Lobby ceiling and artpass
Plaza: Improved ocean water
Plaza: Improved background islands
Gingerbread Smash now has 2x more gingerbread
Snowball Battle points are now 3x more
Vehicle items rotation camera (right click) is now a toggle instead of requiring you to hold right click down
Accelerate: Improved camera position, so you can see turns a lot easier
Accelerate: When drifting, the camera will rotate a bit more so you can see what you're drifting into
Condo - Media Player: Added WebM syncing, pausing, and volume support (note: duration is currently set to 3 hours always, we will have a setting to adjust WebM duration later on)
Condo: Spikeboard now has a damage setting to adjust how much damage it deals to players
Condo: Spikeboard now pops Ball Race orbs
Condo: You can now connect Security Cameras to media players. Please keep in mind that they are pretty resource intensive if you use a lot of them
Bug Fixes
Plaza: Fixed theater screens being overly bright
Fixed media players in general being overly bright
Plaza: Fixed treasure chests sometimes spawning in the ice
Fixed many networking issues with the Pogostick (and added new sounds and upped its jump height by 2x)
Fixed players not being able to leave the Motor Scooter seats after entering them as a passenger. This fix also fixes all other vehicles with seats as well
Fixed Motor Scooter and Minecart items not having options to toggle passenger mode
Fixed Dolphin passenger's camera bobbing up and down and smoothed turning for passengers as well
Arcade: Fixed Salmon Says button sounds not playing
Condo: Fixed Bell Wall item not playing animations for other players, and now can be shot to activate
Plaza: Fixed Plaza popping out after using a store for a couple frames
Condo - Theatre: Fixed Theatre condo surfaces not networking for other clients
Plaza/Condo: Fixed Health Bar HUD element not showing up properly (show by either taking damage or holding C)
Condo: Fixed variations not copying past 10
Condo: Fixed Canvas Poly collisions
Condo: Fixed Boulder Cliff collisions
Condo: Fixed Discoball items not saving their speeds anymore
Plaza: Fixed planters around fountain area being off-centered
Plaza: Fixed imposter LODs for palm trees
Optimizations
Plaza: Optimized rendering of the nightclub exterior building, reducing drawcalls by around 250
Plaza: Optimized rendering of the bumper cars exterior building, reducing drawcalls by around 120
Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekly Dev Log for December 19th, 2022, detailing all the changes that have happened since December 13th, 2022. Note: Devs that don't appear in the weekly log are not necessarily away or not doing work, but may be working on things currently not announced or backend work that doesn't need to be detailed.
Accessibility Suggestions
We've created a forum post asking the community for suggestions on how we can improve gameplay for players with certain conditions such as colorblindness, dyslexia, or anything else that might affect a players ability to use the standard presentation and controls of the game.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, and possible solutions on how to solve a particular issue, please check out the forum post here.
Holiday Update
We're currently wrapping up work on the upcoming Holiday Update, which will bring with it the initial release of Condo I/O, along with a yet to be announced Condo feature. You can read everything slated for this update here.
Johanna finished up the Holiday Plaza, as well as fixing various bugs.
JJosh continued working on Holiday items and furniture.
Nuclearxpotato continued working on Holiday items.
Holiday Items
Condo I/O
The Holiday Update brings with it the initial release of Condo I/O.
macdguy worked on finishing up the initial release of Condo I/O, fixing internal bugs and making a bunch of volumes.
Condo I/O: Player Damage/Heal Volume
Condo I/O: Player Size Volume
Condo I/O: Player Push Volume
Condo I/O: Player Movement Volume
Condo I/O: Trigger Volume Settings
Condo I/O: Relay Node
Condo I/O: Buttons in Shapes
Miscellany
Lifeless continued working on game world maps.
Madmijk worked on the Playable Guitar, along with the Condo I/O keypad and the dreidel Holiday item.
Sketchman worked on backend improvements and fixes.
Wheezwer started working on a mural for Typing Derby.
Will continued working on music and sounds for SDNL.
Wrap It Up
That about covers everything that happened since December 13th, 2022 at PixelTail Games. See you all in 2023!
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Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Weekly Dev Log for December 13th, 2022, detailing all the changes that have happened since December 5th, 2022. Note: Devs that don't appear in the weekly log are not necessarily away or not doing work, but may be working on things currently not announced or backend work that doesn't need to be detailed.
Accessibility Suggestions
We've created a forum post asking the community for suggestions on how we can improve gameplay for players with certain conditions such as colorblindness, dyslexia, or anything else that might affect a players ability to use the standard presentation and controls of the game.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, and possible solutions on how to solve a particular issue, please check out the forum post here.
December 2022 Player Survey
It's time for another player survey! We'd love to hear from you and gather your thoughts on the game so far. These surveys help us plan for the future of Tower Unite!
We're currently wrapping up work on the upcoming Holiday Update, which will bring with it the initial release of Condo I/O, along with a yet to be announced Condo feature. You can read everything slated for this update here.
Johanna worked on getting the Plaza ready for the Holidays.
JJosh continued working on Holiday items and furniture.
macdguy continued working on getting Condo I/O ready for it's initial release. He added events to a bunch of items, so that they can be interacted with using the Condo I/O system. He also fixed various bugs and tweaked some Holiday events. In addition, he worked on adding .webm and .ogv support to the Media Players in the Condo.
Nuclearxpotato continued working on Holiday items.
Wheezwer worked on holiday scarf designs and concept art for the Gingerbread House item.
Holiday Items WIP
Ball Race: New Map
Lifeless started working on a new Ball Race map, yet to be named.
Ball Race: New Map EARLY WIP
Miscellany
Lifeless continued working on game world maps.
Madmijk worked on bugs and smoothing out the Monorail animations.
Sketchman worked on backend improvements and fixes.
Wheezwer worked on Minigame Medallions.
Will continued working on music and sounds for SDNL.
Wrap It Up
That about covers everything that happened since December 5th, 2022 at PixelTail Games.
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Join our Discord for development updates and community fun! https://discord.gg/pixeltail We love awesome people like you!