Antipaint News

Hello there, Determined Doodlers!

Here's a monthly update on the stuff I've been working on.

[h2]Steam integration[/h2]
This month marked the milestone of uploading the first game builds to steam and integrating some neat steam features like leader boards and cloud saving. This puts us one step closer to being able to release and gives way to some fun game modes like...

[h2]Daily doodle[/h2]
A challenge mode where you compete for the top score on a randomly generated level. The level is the same for all players around the world and is regenerated each day. You will now be able to show off your skills and determine the best artist daily!


[h2]Survival mode[/h2]
One more special game mode that came to life this month is the survival mode. Here, the goal is to stay alive for as long as possible. The level is infinite, the enemy variety changes over time and everything gets harder and harder the longer you survive. If you've ever wanted to fill every part of the canvas with paint - this is the game mode for you.


[h2]Glow in the dark paint[/h2]
I've added some neon glow levels into Antipaint. So now the paintings you end up with can have a nice futuristic neon sign feeling.


[h2]Other changes and tweaks[/h2]
I've also added a bunch of minor features and tweaks to the game. If you narrowly avoid an enemy, you get some extra points and a neat little popup to indicate your close call. The level loading transition received a facelift and now looks like proper brush strokes covering your screen. There have also been various UI tweaks and fixes and some game balance changes.


Once again, thank you for reading and if you like what you see, make sure to wishlist Antipaint to get notified when it comes out. Cheers!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418390/Antipaint/

Greetings, Striving Sketchers!

A month has passed, therefore allow me to show you what's been cooking!

[h2]Procedurally generated levels[/h2]
In the world of indie games one of the most common thing you could encounter would be procedural generation... and screenshake.

Antipaint already had its fair dose of screenshake, so it was high time for me to implement procedural level generation. It's a neat little system that uses a wide variety of preset spawn patterns, a randomized enemy roster, a literal difficulty curve and a few other fiddly bits to create unique levels.

It can create levels of varying length, difficulty and artistic styles for the infinite enjoyment of the player. It's a well needed breath of fresh air and allows for some very fun capabilities like daily doodle challenges, infinite levels or just plain old procedural levels. I want people to be able to create unique paintings each time they play and the procedural generation system has huge potential in that regard. Needless to say, I am very pleased.

[h2]Snakes[/h2]
Oh no, some slimy slithering snakes have invaded Antipaint! Only a true master painter can defeat these foul beasts!


[h2]Improved visuals & sounds[/h2]
Last month I spent a lot of time tweaking and changing the game UI. I'm not done with it yet, but I like where it's going. I've also tweaked the visuals of a few projectiles and added a few neat sounds, courtesy of my friend, CookieSalad. Thanks!


[h2]Everything Explodes[/h2]
I've added an "everything explodes" modifier into the game. It creates some sick chain reactions where an exploding enemy causes nearby enemies to explode. It's a fun little gimmick and it will be very fun to create a few levels with it.


[h2]Other Things[/h2]
Meanwhile I've also been working on a few premade levels, fixing a bunch of bugs, adjusted some particle sizes and various other tweaks and tidbits. Progress, progress, progress!

Thank you for your interest in Antipaint. If you hadn't already, please wishlist and follow the game for more news and updates. I really appreciate it :)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418390/Antipaint/

Greetings, Prospective Painters!

It's time for another Antipaint development update. Here's what I've been working on.

[h2]Camera Zoom[/h2]
Just after posting the previous development update, TheDane from our discord server suggested a neat little feature - the ability to zoom out to see the whole painting. So I implemented it. Cool!



[h2]Boss Fights[/h2]
Antipaint needed a big baddie battle. So I began experimenting with a boss design. I want the final game to feature several different bosses, all with their own unique quirks. This one is a bit simple, he charges at you, then turns around and does it again. If you hit it enough, it will start spawning minions and moving faster. Simple, but effective.



[h2]Scaredy Enemies[/h2]
In order to shake things up a bit I've added an enemy that runs away from you instead of running towards you. With this groundbreaking design it becomes a bit easier to paint something you want as you can guide these little fellas to where you want them to be. Or you can just splat them.



[h2]Symmetry[/h2]
I've toyed around with the idea of symmetry and I am really liking the results. It allows me to create very different and neat-looking paintings. It also adds some complexity into the game as it's a bit harder to spot the enemies as there are several moving lines on screen that do not contain enemies. Neat!



[h2]Demo Build[/h2]
I've recently released a demo build on itch.io to gather some feedback. You can check it out here. Please hop on the discord server afterwards and share your thoughts!

[h2]Other Things[/h2]
I've also been spending some time on refining and optimizing the UI and getting things to work with a controller. These tasks aren't as fun or glamorous, but you've got to do them. Apart from that I've also tweaked some animations, added some neat little camera bobbing, changed up a few sprites and fixed various issues.

It's been a productive month and things are moving along nicely.

[h2]Wishlist Antipaint[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418390/Antipaint/

Greetings Aspiring Artists!

Thank you for your interest in Antipaint - here's a quick update on what I've been working on.

[h2]Powerups[/h2]
If I'm making a hectic, arcade twinstick shoot 'em up it has to have powerups. It's probably the law. Therefore, I've added powerups to Antipaint! So far there are only three - a super painting speed powerup that makes you paint faster, a big blot buff that makes your paint droplets bigger and an orbital orb buff that creates an orbital orb that orbits around you, striking down anything it touches. Neat!

Here's the three powerups in action:


[h2]Splat Styles[/h2]
I've been expanding upon the arsenal of splats. Different splats lead to different paintings, so having a nice variety here is key to a diverse gallery for every player.

Here's a few paintings you could end up with:


[h2]New Brush[/h2]
There's a new "brush" in town - the paint roller! It's the first melee brush - it doesn't shoot any projectiles. Instead, you must whack the enemies close and personal. While other brushes have a limited-use super move to get you out of tight spots, the paint roller has an infinite-use dash/roll attack.

It's very fast, very mobile and very different from the rest of the tools you've got. It's hard to master, but I'm very pleased to have it in the game.

Here's the paint roller in action:

Note how the roller becomes bigger after picking up the big blot buff!

[h2]Other Oddities[/h2]
I've been experimenting with a few other ideas. One of which is heavily inspired by the game "Super Hot" - time moves when you do. It's a very simple, yet incredibly fun idea.

I'm still thinking about how it could be integrated in the game, maybe have it appear in a few levels only. Those levels would give some nice variety and provide some rest from the regular gameplay. That also gets me thinking about what other game modifiers I could throw into the mix...

There's also been some progress on the user interface, game state saving and other less interesting parts of any game.

Overall, I'd say the game is moving along nicely. Thank you for reading this update! If you have any feedback, ideas or just want to say hi, please drop by on our Discord server!

Cheers!

[h2]Wishlist Antipaint[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418390/