Maybe after this comment, it will start offering "Go back to school, n00b - for Teens".
Brixtar updates are happening, although at a slower rate than last week. The annoying thing about having a long list of updates is that I don't feel ready to release an upgraded version until they're all done. I'll have an update before the end of the week however (i.e. before the MAGIC contest starts), but it might be close.
Updates done so far include:
- Mac OS X port is ready. My PowerBook wielding brother has tested the direct port of the Windows version for me and says it works fine, so it's a good sign (especially since his Mac has a different architecture from mine). I could release the alpha version now, but I feel a bit guilty if I don't finish all the updates first.
- The minimising to an icon and then restoring bug is fixed. I felt stupid for not catching that one, but it seems that that particular graphical glitch didn't occur on my computer; might be a graphics card difference? Anyway, the game now reloads all the graphics resources when you restore it from the minimised state; the same as what happens when you resize the screen. The game also pauses when its minimised as well.
- Mouse support for the paddle is operational. I still need to test it some more to see if it's properly working in all cases. It does make the game significantly easier. I've also got a new cheat - "air hockey mode" - where the paddle can move anywhere on the screen. It's actually a lot of fun like that, although there's an increased chance something screwy will happen with the collision code. I might someday soon make a modified version to play the game exclusively like that.
A question on mouse control however; currently I don't hide the mouse pointer in windowed mode for the game. This means at present the mouse pointer needs to be hovering over the screen to play the game, which is off putting. I could hide the pointer and give full control to Brixtar, but then you'd be stuck playing the game until you quit. Can anyone suggest a good solution?
I'm thinking of trying a combination of key presses or mouse buttons to "lock" control on Brixtar, or maybe having mouse control release when the game is paused. But if anyone can suggest a better solution I'd be eager to read it.
That reminds me very much of an old Acorn game called Oddball. It had large, scrolling levels (and some shiny particle effects IIRC), and really added another dimension to breakout. It would be nice to see a similar modern game. :)
I reckon control being freed by a mouse click would do fine. Can't think of anything better myself. (Unless you want to trap the user's mouse until they get a very rare powerup or something, then have the option of freeing it for a brief period. >.>)