Baldi's Basics Plus News

Version 0.2 is finally out! Before checking out this changelog I recommend playing the game and discovering the new stuff for yourself. Here's most of the changes from 0.1.5:

• Added 1st Prize! He's back and ready to start hugging you again!
  
• Added Johnny's Store! You can now buy items or have your map filled with the YTPs you earn. The store will also show you a description of any item you mouse over. Johnny will keep you company while you shop!
  
• Added many new ways to earn You Thought Points, including:
  
  • Picking up regular notebooks (+10)
    
  • Finishing jump rope with Playtime (+25 if you do it perfectly, the reward drops by 5 each time you mess up)
    
  • Field trips (+100, +200, or +300 depending on performance)
    
  • Time bonus
    
  • Grade bonus
    
• Added lots of new artwork, mostly replacing graphics that were previously placeholders. Updated graphics include:
  
  • Elevator screen. This has been completely revamped. There's even some music that plays while you wait!
    
  • Elevator in-game. The doors and inside now have proper textures. Also added new elevator door sounds.
    
  • Gotta Sweep's closet. The door now uses a new "Supplies" texture, and the inside uses whatever textures the halls are using.
    
  • Math Machine. This now has a design that is final! It will even light up to let you know if your answer was correct or not. Note, I'm aware that the pre-made maps still use the old design. This will be fixed once I rework the way pre-made levels are built and saved.
    
  • Grappling Hook. The icon is the same, but the projectile uses a much nicer sprite, and cracks appear where it hits a surface.
    
  • Staminometer. The stamina bar is no longer just a boring bar!
    
• The elevator results screen now displays accurate values instead of placeholders.
  
• Added a new event: Gravity Chaos! If you're upside down, any NPCs who aren't won't be able to interact with you, and vice-versa!
  
• The grappling hook can now be used 5 times before it's used up.
  
• Baldi can no longer end the game if his ruler is broken.
  

• Made changes to the sprite shaders that should prevent automatic batching, which was causing sprites to turn dark when multiple of the same sprites were near each other.
  
• Fixed the script that handles multi-angled sprites (1st Prize, The Test). Viewing angles weren't quite right before.
  
• Reworked the script that NPCs use to "see" the player so that they consistently detect the player even if the player is moving quickly or is inside the NPC. This occasionally caused strange behavior.
  
• Fixed clunky vertical mouse movement with the in-game mouse. It should be super smooth now!
  
• Fixed portal posters not rendering properly.
  
• Fixed Chalkles not rendering properly.
  
• Fixed the arrows not pointing in the direction the Principals are moving in in the Stealthy Challenge.
  
• Fixed some materials that were using old shaders that did not have fog or lighting effects.
  
• Fixed a bug that made it impossible to enter lockers while being pushed by an outside force.
  
• Corrected the color of Principal of the Thing's "I'm coming!" subtitle.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused NPCs in field trips to descend below the map.
  

That's it! I'm sorry for taking so long to get this first major update out. Trust me though, things are speeding up, and 0.3 will be released much more quickly! I hope you'll look forward to it!

• Whirlpools no longer pull you all the way down to the ground.
  
• Increased the speed at which teleporting whirlpools form (The ones that appear where an entity is getting teleported to, not the ones that appear when a flood begins).
  
• Reduced the number of whirlpools that spawn in the flood event (The previous amount was only meant for testing purposes. Oops!).
  
• The tape player and pay phone now have a cooldown before they can be used again.
  
• Playtime now gets sad and cancels the jump rope minigame if you enter a locker while playing.
  

• Fixed a bug that would allow math machine balloons to get dragged down near then ground when being held while the player got sucked into a whirlpool.
  
• Fixed the playground skybox. You should no longer be able to see objects from inside the school above the fence!
  
• Marked all shaders as opaque. All shaders are now cutout shaders. This fixed pretty much all sorting issues in the game!
  
• Stamina now recharges while inside lockers, while teleporting, and while getting sucked up by a whirlpool.
  
• Tweaked the NPC navigator to ensure the height value of destinations is always the same. This should reduce the vertical shaking that you'd sometimes see from NPCs. It should also prevent bugs where certain NPCs would sink down into the floor.
  
• Fixed a bug that would cause NPCs to get stuck when wandering into open areas with only one entrance/exit and with no wall-less tiles.
  
• Fixed a bug that would allow the player to retain the effects of the Faculty Nametag after it wore off if they died or quit with one and then used another before restarting the program.
  
• Fixed a bug that would cause players to be stuck in the wrong layer (Removing all collision) when quitting while "hidden" (In a locker, while teleporting, or while getting sucked up by a whirlpool), and then hiding again before restarting the program.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to use tapes on tape players and quarters on payphones without the items being used up in explorer mode, allowing the items to be used infinitely.
  
• Fixed a bug which caused "8" to show up as a subtitle when the fog event started.
  
• Reworked the cameras a bit to remove conflicts when being assigned to multiple locations. This was primarily to fix a bug where the camera would be in the wrong location when entering a locker while playing jump rope.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed whirlpools to spawn in locations that they shouldn't, like inside the elevator.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed whirlpools to send the player to locations where they could get stuck. This should no longer be possible.
  

Thanks for playing, and I hope you're all looking forward to 0.2!

Version 0.1.4 has released with a bunch of bug fixes and adjustments, here's what's changed!

Adjustments:

• Re-added Baldi's countdown and "ready or not" audio clips.
  
• Whirlpools no longer remove items. Instead, they will now suck the player and NPCs in and teleport them somewhere else on the map!
  
  • Also adjusted the amount of whirlpools that spawn in a flood, and the strength of whirlpools.
    
• Tweaked shaders for potentially better performance when fog is not active.
  
• Updated to the latest version of Unity 2019 (2019.4.5f1).
  
• Added a text prompt on the sign-in screen to enter your name if no names have been added.
  

Bug fixes:

• Made multiple fixes to the level generator. The following changes will result in seeds changing!
  
  • All types of swinging doors should no longer be able to spawn on top of each other.
    
  • Rooms can no longer spawn at the corners of halls and other rooms. This is to fix a bug that could allow rooms to spawn, but have no connection to a hall or room. This most commonly occurred with Gotta Sweep's closet.
    
  • Fixed multiple bugs which allowed things such as lockers to spawn over windows and posters to spawn behind wall-covering objects.
    
• Principal of the Thing can no longer get stuck inside It's A Bully while trying to send him to detention.
  
• Stamina now recharges while inside lockers Okay so this is embarrassing... I fixed this, and then this introduced another bug, so I fixed that, which ultimately... Unfixed this and I didn't realize it until after I released the update. OOPS! Expect this to be fixed in the next update.
  
• Math Machine notebooks will now appear on the map in endless mode when they respawn, but before the new problem is solved.
  
• The level generator will no longer connect tiles to null tiles, which are used on elevators. This fixes a bug that would allow hallways to rarely connect to the inside of the elevator.
  
• Fixed a bug where Playtime wouldn't return to normal speed when using a Nametag while she was chasing you.
  
• Fixed upside down locker textures.
  
• Principal of the Thing will no longer stop running when being pushed by an outside force when using the Principal Whistle.
  
• Fixed a missing subtitle for when notebooks respawn.
  
• Fixed Chalkles sprite fade-in. It will now fade in from black to white, instead of from transparent to fully opaque.
  
• Fixed Cloudy Copter continuing to blow wind even if he leaves his location to go to a party.
  
• Skybox was supposed to render properly in the playground in this update, but due to an oversight it's not quite right yet. A proper fix will be in the next update.
  
• Elevators can now be exited from the inside when they are closed as a failsave if the player somehow accesses a closed elevator.
  

Version 0.1.3 of Baldi's Basics Plus has released! Here's what's changed:

[h3]Changes:[/h3]

• The Nametag item now works against Beans and Chalkles. They will ignore you while you are wearing it.
  
• When wandering into open areas, NPCs will now avoid picking the edges to walk to if possible. This means that hiding in a corner or against a wall with a chalk eraser cloud is a guaranteed way to successfully hide from someone, as there is no chance they will wander close to the wall. Just make sure they didn't see you before using the chalk eraser!
  
• Principal of the Thing can now send It's a Bully to detention if he sees him bullying the player.
  
• Extended time for the party event. It will now last anywhere from 50 to 80 seconds. Previously, it could last from 30 to 60 seconds.
  
• Extended time for the mystery room event. It will now last anywhere from 90 to 120 seconds. Previously, it could last from 45 to 60 seconds.
  
• Added a version number to the sign-in screen.
  
• Lowered guilt time for using the BSODA from 3 seconds to 0.8 seconds. With this change, Principal of the Thing practically has to see you use the BSODA in order to scold you for it.
  
• Removed the rare one-way walls from level 3. Yes these were intentional and yes, the cursed things will make a comeback some day.
  
• Subtitles that are missing a value will now simply display the key it's looking for instead of the generic "Localized text not found" message.
  
• Removed some unnecessary debug warnings that could potentially cause slowdown.
  

[h3]Bug fixes:[/h3]

• NPCs can no longer pass through Math Machines
  
• Doors now make noise when opened by NPCs (Before they only made noise when closing after opened by an NPC).
  
• Fixed a bug that caused notebooks to spawn a bit further away from the math machine each time they were spawned in endless mode.
  
• Made improvements to save functionality that will hopefully prevent save data corruption.
  
• Instead of crashing, the game will now display an error screen when a corrupted save is attempting to load.
  
• If the high scores data file is corrupted, the game will now automatically reset it to defaults.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the backer credits not to display.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed buttons to spawn in mystery rooms.
  
• Fixed the invisible trees in the playgrounds of pre-made levels.
  
• Entering "-" into a seed field will no longer crash the game, and will instead select a random seed.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused Mrs. Pomp to start attacking the player when they clicked on a locked door.
  
• When getting moved while inside a locker (By using a teleporter or getting teleported by Arts and Crafters for example) you will now be removed from the locker.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed you to place portal posters on tiles that Chalkles could spawn on.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed you to place portal posters on tiles that are blocked on the player's side of the wall.
  

Baldi's Basics Plus entering early access was a huge milestone for the game, but it's also just the beginning for things to come! Now that the game's been out for a few days I figured I should share what my plans are for the rest of the game's development cycle, from now until the day the game leaves early access and officially releases. If you've already bought the game, this will give you an idea on how often to expect major and minor updates. If you haven't bought the game yet, you can use this info to decide if you want to grab it now or wait until after future updates have released. The choice is up to you!

Oh, and of course, all of this stuff is subject to change! Hopefully it won't change much, and if it does, hopefully it will be change for the better!


I have no strict schedule on when I'll release updates, but I do plan on releasing them fairly consistently. There will be two types of updates during the development cycle, major and minor updates. Minor updates will consist of bug fixes, tweaks, and improvements to existing content. Major updates will introduce new content, and may also include major overhauls and additions to existing content. Minor updates can be expected about once every week or two, while major updates can be expected about once every couple of months.

This will continue for a while. Eventually, once the game has an amount of content that I'm satisfied with, I plan on taking a longer period between updates to work on one big, final update that will bring the game pretty much to its finished state. This final update won't focus on new content so much as polish, horror elements, secrets, etc... I don't want to say much about what I have planned for the final update, as I don't want to spoil anything, but I think the fact I even have to worry about spoilers should tell you something about what to expect.

After the final major update I'll continue with minor updates until the game is stable enough for an official release!


Currently the game costs US$10. As I've mentioned in the early access info, I do plan on increasing the price as the game receives updates. Currently I'm planning on increasing the price a little bit two times. Once at an undecided date to coincide with a major update roughly half-way through development, and once more to coincide with the final major update (Not the official release, but the final update before the official release). Of course, anyone who buys the game at any price will receive all future updates for free. I'll be sure to announce price increases before they happen, so if you're unsure about buying the game now, but still want to snag it at the current price, keep an eye out for that.


I'm pretty happy with the game overall at the moment! I've expressed in the past that I wish things were further along than they are now, but even if things do go slower than I'd like, that won't stop me from finishing this game!

I've received a lot of great feedback from players so far, and have already used some of that feedback to make game tweaks in the 0.1.2 update. While I'm pretty happy with the state of the core game, there are some things I've been thinking about that I'm going to be making some major changes to.

[h3]Field Trips[/h3]
Somewhere along the line I forgot to make sure field trips were fun. That seems like a pretty big oversight, but you'd be surprised how often fun can be forgotten about in game development when something seems cool!

When I made the camping field trip demo, I primarily made it as a proof-of-concept, a way to say "Look, you'll be able to play mini-games and win items during the main game!" I also made it with the hopes that YouTubers would play it and help spread the word of the Kickstarter, and they did! I seriously cannot thank them enough. However, I didn't really spend much effort in ensuring the field trip was fun to play, and looking back, the fact that it didn't doom my Kickstarter by being as boring as it was kind of amazes me, haha.

When it came time to add field trips into Plus, I made a big mistake! Instead of coming up with a new, fun idea for a minigame, I just ported the camping demo into Plus. No changes or anything to make it fun I just moved it over pretty much exactly as it is in the demo. It's at this point I kind of lost sight of what field trips should be. After that I added the farm field trip, which I think is slightly better, but not much.

I write all this to say... Yes, I'm aware field trips feel like chores right now, and I'm going to address that issue! I'll eventually rework the current two field trips into something fun (Or scrap them entirely if that doesn't work out) and future field trips will not be added unless they're fun to begin with. They won't last so long, and they'll be more engaging. I'm sorry you all have to suffer through the current field trips if you want a chance at getting an apple... But hey, maybe the apple is still worth it! :P

[h3]Game Speed[/h3]
I mentioned this on my Twitter a little while ago, but I've come to realize - both through my own play testing and feedback from others - that the game is currently too slow. The speed currently is equal to the speed of Baldi's Basics Classic. I used that speed initially as an easy starting point for Plus. While the speed of Classic is great for Classic, since the game is so short, I've quickly come to realize that it's a bit too slow for Plus, due to the fact that it's much longer (And will be even longer in future updates!). A play session through the three levels currently in the game can take over an hour! I've actually been meaning to increase the speed a bit for a while now, but just never got around to it. Now though it's moved up pretty high on my priority list. The speed increase won't be huge, I'm thinking something along the lines of making the walking speed the current running speed. This means that the game will still have the same slower, more methodical feel to it that it currently has, but levels will be quicker to complete. I also intend to keep the relative speeds of NPCs the same, so balance will remain similar to how it is now.

On a related note, I also plan on adding a save and quit feature so that you can take a break from longer play sessions that you don't want to lose progress in. This will also help prevent play sessions from becoming too long!


The first major update, version 0.2, will come with some new features, including the in-game shop that will put the YTPs to good use! It will also include a handful of new items and events, a new character, and a new field trip. Before I begin working on those things however, I'm going to turn my focus towards some internal stuff that needs re-working. Namely, the way I create pre-made levels. Besides the fact I haven't built a proper dev tool to build levels by hand (The only way I can do that currently is with a painfully slow process where I click and drag prefabs into scenes by hand), I also currently have a very poor method of turning randomly generated levels into pre-made levels. The issue is that when I save a generated level as a pre-made level, it loses references to the prefabs used to build it. So, when I update a prefab, it doesn't actually update in the pre-made levels, which is why there have been some strange bugs in Plus that only occur on the challenge maps and the medium endless map (For example, if I were to update the door prefab, that change would instantly apply to randomly generated levels, but not the pre-made levels, which could cause some unexpected behavior, and makes updating things needlessly difficult). Once I take some time to create some proper level building tools (For myself. I'd love to add such a feature to the game, but making it user-friendly enough to add to the game would require a lot more work) and a good method for saving generated levels, my workflow will improve a lot when it comes to things like adding challenge maps.

Because of this, the gap between now and the first major update may be longer than gaps between future major updates, but then again, maybe all of this will be finished a lot quicker than I expect.


I think that about covers everything going on with development for right now! Once the next major update is nearing release I'll be sure to post about it with more details on what to expect. Until then, I'll continue with minor updates to version 0.1. Thanks for the support everyone!