The existing 2D thumbnail option will be removed in favor of 3D previews.
The toggle to a text-only list remains available.
S20 only, not available to retail TRS22 users.
GPU Clutter
This is a code-level upgrade to the existing clutter effect layer which increases performance. Future releases will build on the groundwork here by way of advancing clutter to completely replace turffx.
Static performance (fps) should be as good or better.
Dynamic performance (fps while moving the camera) should be better.
The latency of clutter updates in response to camera movement should be substantially better.
The latency of clutter updates in response to editing should be substantially better.
Available to all WINDOWS builds.
MacOS has this feature disabled due to a late-cycle-identified critical bug.
HD Terrain
This is a new selectable baseboard option, not a drop-in replacement for the existing options. This will be the default for new routes, and the existing options are deprecated.
Render performance is equivalent to existing terrain while sustaining a much higher visual quality.
Editing performance will vary depending on the demands placed on the tools. Basic editing remains smooth, however HD scrapbook edits may be noticeably jerky in this release.
Improved spatial resolution.
0.125m, as compared to 5.0m previously.
Down to 2.0m is lossless; lower than that uses lossy compression.
Less texturing flexibility (16 textures per baseboard, down from 250).
This can be mitigated by:
Clever texture management.
Scrapbooking various texture patterns together using a small brush radius.
Generous use of clutter effects to reduce the visibility of the underlying texture.
Increased spatial resolution.
Improved visual quality.
Use of vertex color painting (Color Tint Effects Layer).
Pave the way for Ray-tracing compatibility.
Clean minimap transition. The legacy "low lod" / "minimap" textures are visibly different from the terrain textures, and so there is a jarring transition. That won't happen with single-pass HD Terrain as it renders the 3D terrain for map view.
Continuous LOD. Detail will gradually reduce into the distance rather than entire blocks of terrain changing LOD at the same time.
Tessellation is used to increase the polygon count near the camera. This allows for the display of the HD height data and for displacement mapping, without requiring excessive increases to the scene poly count.
The extent of tessellation depends on the shader detail setting.
Displacement mapping is used to provide a similar visual effect to parallax mapping without the "wobbly terrain" edge cases at sharp angles.
By itself, unless the tessellation factor is extremely high, the displacement mapping effect has insufficient sampling points and noisy LOD transitions.
Parallax mapping is used on top of the displacement mapping to negate the visual effect of the LOD transitions, giving the full benefits of each technique.
Baseboard walls won't be rendered on this terrain type. This is a deliberate decision as we're moving to infinite terrain in the future.
Legacy (Surveyor Classic) water isn't supported on HD terrain.
Check out the exciting updates we've prepared for you in this thrilling new version!
Hard Mode: Are you ready to face a real challenge? Now you can select Hard Mode when starting the game or in the trophy room. Here, enemies will be smarter and stronger, putting your skills to the test.
Item Crafting: It's time to put all those resources you've accumulated to good use! We've implemented an innovative item crafting system. You can now combine materials to create specialized equipment that will aid you in your toughest battles. Explore all the possibilities and craft the perfect gear!
Skill Learning: Enhancing your abilities has never been more thrilling! With the new skill learning window, you can unlock unique techniques for your characters. Use a special resource obtained during battles and give a personalized touch to your strategies!
We hope you thoroughly enjoy this update. Your feedback is valuable to us, so feel free to share your comments and suggestions.
Get ready to face exciting challenges and take your skills to the next level in Tits and Shadows V1.17!
Adds 'star' indications above tiles that, if discarded, would put you one tile away from a complete hand. (NB: Only shows if you have "Show Waits" enabled).
Also fixes an issue where the landscape mode wouldn't take effect if your Windows Display "Scaling" factor was set to something higher than 100%.
So if you have Steam Deck and were on the fence, go ahead and get it.
The funny thing about this is, Steam sent me an email in what I would call a subtly admonishing tone about how a few things about my game prevent it from being "Verified". Yeah, I'm like, I'm a single indie developer who never once tested this on a Steam Deck and didn't really do anything specifically to make it compatible with Steam Deck. The fact that it's "Playable" with no effort on my part is pretty good actually.
The reason it is "merely" Playable are a few minor controls oddities, like you have to bring up keyboard to enter your name, and sometimes it shows keyboard/mouse controls, and text that's a bit too small for their threshold on the small screen.
Another funny thing is that Steam chose to review this for Steam Deck, I didn't request a review (that I can remember). I'm guessing they chose this minor indie cult classic to review because I had a native Linux build and a fair number of Deck users.
So I had something set to guide you to the prologue if it isn't playing. However, it created an exception screen about parameters lists. I have fixed that.
In devlog #15, we’ll be looking at the brand new conveyor ramps, extractor pooping, as well as bunch of other smaller changes and cleanup work I’ve been doing for the last two weeks.