[p]Hey folks,[/p][p]Thank you all so much for your patience in awaiting an update to MORSE! It's been a very busy month for me. Now that MORSE is post launch, I've gone back to just me maintaining the game solo which means a slower pace of development (though this does not mean I am not enthusiastic to continue work on the project). [/p][h3]
A massive, massive thank you[/h3][p]First, I wanted to say hello and thank you to everyone who picked up MORSE in the Steam Typing sale, I was taken aback by the swell in interest in the project and am very grateful for your support. [/p][p][/p][h3]
What have I been up to?[/h3][p]My main focus since the new year has been doing more structural groundwork for MORSE to serve as an educational tool for outreach for Amateur Radio throughout 2026 and beyond. That's reflected in this update in a variety of ways. You can listen to me demonstrating and discussing these topics in this video:
MORSE Update: VBand, Ham Radio Outreach Mode and Minimalist Mode! - YouTube[/p][p][/p][p]
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VBand Support: It's finally here! [/h3][p]This is by far the most requested feature for MORSE and after some wrestling with the engine, I have successfully solved the issue of the two ctrl buttons not registering as separate inputs. With thanks to folks on the Stencyl Discord and my own perseverance, you can bind the Left and Right ctrl buttons separately, meaning Vband can be used out of the box without any adjustments/plug ins. I personally don't have a Vband adapter so can't say for sure, so please let me know if it works! [/p][p]I really really appreciate those who've waited, I'm excited that this may help more people get keys wired up and connect the game to one of the go-to adapters in Ham Radio.[/p][p]
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Fog of war/Line of sight indicator[/h3][p]The latest version of MORSE now has a clear line that indicates where ships will become visible. When showing the game at expos, players will often just stare at the blank map not really understanding when or why enemies become visible. By having an explicit line that shows where they become visible, that hopefully makes things clearer. [/p][p]
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MORSE Modifier: Minimalist Mode[/h3][p]This has been another requested feature, most recently by player Luniya, who highlighted that the UI blocks a lot of vertical space of the grid which is critical on later levels. They wished the UI could be hidden to create more visual space. [/p][p]In response, I've added a Minimalist Modifier which cuts out the Morse Code interface along the bottom, freeing up that space to sight ships further down the screen. I really love this new feature for two reasons:[/p][p]- If you as a player have reached a level of proficiency at MORSE as to not need this UI, that gives you an edge in gameplay in having a wider sightline for enemies, similar to the help sheet that can be collapsed once you've memorised the Morse letters for a wider field of view.[/p][p]- Within Amateur Radio, it is widely considered more effective to learn Morse Code through sound rather than visuals (and that visual learning can actually slow/incorrectly teach the process) so this provides a non-visual version of Morse input for those keen to learn though audio only and opens up the game to more people. [/p][p]Investigating this also made me realise as well that the red flash for the dot/dash indicator wasn't correctly synchronising with the beeps, therefore potentially confusing players, should now be much more snappy and visually responsive. [/p][p]
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MORSE Modifier: Outreach Mode:[/h3][p]This is a pretty straightforward addition to the project but hopefully has some useful cultural impact: This is a modifier of MORSE that tailors the game to be suitable for exhibition, it's what I use when I show the game off at events. it includes the following functions:[/p][p]
- Timed reset/Button reset: If the game is left idle for too long, it resets back to the main menu and defaults to straight key, Novice Mode and Campaign. Holding both the launch and Morse key for 5 seconds resets the game, which is useful if someone wants to navigate back to the start without having to use the mouse/keyboard.[/p][p]
- Lower number of waves: When I was testing the game in Strasbourg a lot of people were struggling to last to wave 10, so providing a more achievable target that also lowers the chance of someone hogging the game. With museums, this is commonly described as a pinch point, where realistically you don't want a museum interaction to last more than 2 minutes lest it create congestion. 6 waves is definitely longer than that, but still a comfortable amount to see the elements of the project.[/p][p]
- Attract Mode: When the game is left idle for a prolonged period, it resets and if left on the main menu goes into attract mode, where enemy ships cross the map under the hail of artillery and background sounds of dots and dashes. I'm particularly happy with this because of...[/p][p]
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In game promotion of local Amateur Radio & Random Bazar:[/h3][p]As part of the Outreach mode, I now have dedicated pages for encouraging people to find their local amateur radio group: This is a developing feature, but currently upon either beating/losing the demo or watching the attract mode, a message displays encouraging players to find their local club via the
IARU. Right now it's a little clunky in that it's a lot of text on screen, but where it'll become more elegant is working directly with Amateur Radio clubs, where I can provide them with a tailored version of the project. [/p][p]Case in point, MORSE is currently exhibiting in Strasbourg for 3 weeks as part of Random Bazar, a festival filled with strange and wonderful Alt Ctrl games installations. As part of that, I have added on-screen promotions for local and national Amateur Radio communities, namely
Strasbourg club REF67 and the French National Society
Réseau des Émetteurs Français. I've reached out to both organisations to put it on their radar and hopefully REF67 get chance to visit whilst the game visits the city and failing that, the project hopefully sends potential local amateur radio enthusiasts their direction. [/p][p][/p][p]I'll likely be doing a writeup for delivering the project in Strasbourg in the coming month, I am very excited for MORSE to be there and am grateful to Henri and the team for hosting the game! Find out the details of the event below if you fancy visiting it over the next month. The setup they provided for MORSE is absolutely wonderful:
Festival 2026 – Random Bazar[/p][p][/p][p]
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Localised "Cheat Sheets":[/h3][p]Finally, connected to MORSE's use as a tool for outreach, a number of community members contacted me about a "Cheat sheet" to onboard players quickly with the project in communal, arcade or educational settings. In response, I've put together a help sheet in English and French, I'll be hopefully expanding this help sheet to more languages in the coming months as the game tours more international events and reaches more clubs around the world. The French translation in the middle was used at Random Bazar and proved effective in giving French residents a language tether to engage with the project for those unfamiliar with English. Steam user Alpha has also very kindly translated this sheet to Korean, which I really appreciated. [/p][p][/p][p]That's all for now, thank you all again for your posts over the last month, I enjoy reading and responding to them. Do let me know if there's any other future ways I can tailor the project or if your club is interested in a custom demo for local outreach.[/p][p][/p][p]73, Alex[/p][p][/p]