Liberation News

[p][/p][p]Hi everyone![/p][p][/p][p]Cell Sword (my comedy scifi shooter) is OUT NOW and I have snuck in some Liberation time to push a new release.[/p][p][/p][p]This update I am pleased to add basic VR support for Liberation! Tin Man Games, a game studio in Melbourne, have loaned me a VR kit (a HTC Vive) for a little while. I was unsure how difficult it would be to retroactively add support for PCVR but the game was largely architected with this option in mind so the main hassle has been the HUD and stuff like pop up windows. I must admit it is super cool to fly around a retro space adventure in 3D (I am feeling a bit queasy as I finish up this coding session however).[/p][p][/p][p]Please consider this experimental VR support and not a full finished release. Here are the limitations at the moment:[/p]

• [p]the game CAN NOT be saved in VR mode[/p]
• [p]some parts of the interface may be unreachable (eg news articles)[/p]
• [p]the only inputs are keyboard/mouse and gamepads. I recommend gamepad when using VR[/p]
• [p]the on screen targeting is wonky in VR (it also doesn't show ship names) [/p]

[p]I am pushing it out to get early feedback from people who have more experience with VR than me. Please fly around the first few systems and then add your feedback in the forum on what you'd like to see. I will not turn on Steam's "playable on VR" tag until a minimum quality threshold is reached (and we may never reach it -- I can never promise future updates). To use: turn on SteamVR, start Liberation, enter the menu, turn on XR and restart the game.[/p][p][/p][p]BUT enough about my magical adventures in a whole new dimension of amazing gameplay... you, the common flatlanders, are still my people and I haven't forgotten about you. This update includes some tasty treats too.[/p][p][/p][p]The big one is that gamepad input has been polished. I gained some new experience from Cell Sword (available now!) and have fed it back into Liberation. The gamepad deadzones are more reasonable and the input is now logarithmic, which means small movements on gamepad mean much smaller movements in game. This provides a much MUCH better experience on gamepad.[/p][p][/p][p]If you play Liberation on a portable device, you can now cap the framerate to reduce battery drain.[/p][p][/p][p]Finally, in my quest to make the star systems each more unique and interesting, there's a few new cosmetic things in the game for people to discover.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for playing Liberation (and your future purchase of Cell Sword (have I mentioned it's out now?)). [/p][p][/p][p]As always, any shares/boosts/reviews you can throw towards my games really helps me make more of them.[/p][p][/p][p]Regards,[/p][p]Luke[/p][p]PS. Tin Man have made a couple of table top VR games and the classic Warlock of Firetop Mountain which I recommend people check out[/p][p][/p][h3]Add[/h3]

• [p]Mouse button can be used on title screen to start game[/p]
• [p]Add FPS capping. Players can now force the game to target a specific framerate. On a Steam Deck on a long trip? Cap the frames at 30 for a battery saving. Really want to recreate the Acorn experience? Cap Liberation at 12fps for a good time[/p]
• [p]Add framerate cap slider to menu[/p]
• [p]Add anti-aliasing options to menu[/p]
• [p]Add controller deadzone slider to menu[/p]
• [p]Some new dialogue for Galfed Broadcasting Corporation host[/p]
• [p]The algae bubbles on Algaeus now bounce when fired on[/p]
• [p]Add ground telescopes to Bellian[/p]
• [p]Add basic OpenXR support for headsets. NOTE: This is an experimental draft. The game can not be saved in VR mode and some parts of the interface may be unreachable[/p]
• [p]Add VR submenu with some configuration options[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Change[/h3]

• [p]Changing resolution now forces the UI to refresh, this is better in most ways[/p]
• [p]Update to Godot 4.4.x[/p]
• [p]Reduced controller deadzone to 0.16 by default (it was 0.5 before ewww)[/p]
• [p]Gamepad inputs are now logarithmic[/p]
• [p]Final switch over to my current universal build pipeline[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Fix[/h3]

• [p]Fix to loading on faster computers[/p]
• [p]Algae bubbles on Algaeus sit better on surface[/p]

Hi everyone!

I've been really busy working on my next game, Cell Sw--- ok I've been sitting around watching Andromeda (there's only so many times a person can rewatch Babylon 5). I was initially a bit hostile to it (how many times can they say the word Nietzschean in one episode?!?) but it's OK.

I have a small update I wanted to push for Liberation sooner rather than later (some of these changes have already gone live). The main change is that the player now gets a reward (I'm not saying what) for winning the Death Race. I have fond memories of watching The Running Man as a kid (I hear they're remaking it?!?) and Death Race is kind of the same vibe hopefully (how many bracket comments can I add to one post?).

I hope your 2025 is awesome!

Regards,
Luke

[h3]Update[/h3]

• add: reward player with an extra system slot upgrade if they win Death Race
  
• add: Death Race host contacts player if player wins Death Race
  
• add: allow keyboard Fire command to be remapped
  
• change: add a 10s cooldown to story mode blast weapon when entering a system (this should resolve issue with blast weapon killing hostiles before system finishes locking)
  
• change: switched over to my universal build system
  
• fix: always reset Etain asteroid on abandon game
  

Liberation is one year old today and to celebrate I am sharing a short story set in the Liberation universe.

It's titled "Murder on MegaPlanet".

The last year has been amazing and the game has done really well. Thank you for your support! Please consider leaving a review for Liberation and also wishlisting my next game, Cell Sword.

Murder on MegaPlanet Synopsis:

By all appearances, Eden Towers is a standard apartment block on MegaPlanet. School pods are well occupied, elevator rage is under control, and employment is mercifully low.

Except Eden Towers has a big problem.

Its community credit score is dangerously low and nobody can understand why. if it falls any further the building is in danger of being recycled... with the 200,000 residents still inside!

So when a high ranking government official is found dead, the desperate citizens are forced to rely on an unlikely hero, a servo bot with the ability to clean up the crime scene.

However, B31-T12 has a dream of its own... to be the Galactic Federation's greatest detective.

"Murder on MegaPlanet" is a darkly comedic tale by Luke Miller set in the universe of Liberation, the retro space adventure from Classyk Games.

It is available for free from this google doc link.

You can read it in the browser or go to File->Download and get it as PDF, epub or TXT.

I hope you enjoy this little insight into one of the many worlds in the game!

Hi everyone,

I'm back with probably the biggest patch Liberation will ever get! Liberation is meant to be just a small fun game that surprises and delights and that's the focus of this update.

The big changes are:

• New missions -- Mild spoilers follow: There are four and the purpose is to flesh out some of the story and provide variety and surprises.
  
• Police are OUT and Space Rats are IN. Before, if you attacked civilians the police would launch. The problem is that it would take forever for them to reach the scene of the crime! So I thought about it and decided to remove them. Instead there is an entirely different mechanism. Each system you enter you may encounter roving gangs of hooligans, known as Space Rats. It's just a bit more fun (hopefully) and that's why I'm here!*
  

One new mission of which I'm really proud happens about half way through the game in a big facility. The lights go out and for a few seconds you get some classic wireframe gaming.



Anyway, there's also lots of great little fixes and quality-of-life changes.

Finally, I am working on a new game! It's called "Cell Sword". Cell Sword is a 6DoF game like Descent (1995) set inside the human body. I'm going for Descent meets Inner Space meets Fantastic Voyage meets Omni Consumer Products from Robocop. The premise is that in the future, instead of playing video games, players remotely pilot microscopic craft to kill hungry nano drones left over from a war.

I've learned a lot making Liberation and I think Cell Sword is going to be different but in a good way. The steam page is up and there's a trailer too. Thanks for buying this game -- your support is making Cell Sword happen! Another way to help is to leave a review of Liberation... it would mean a lot.

Regards,
Luke

* I don't want to trash talk other space games but I really loved the Krait silhouette from the original Elite (1983) so I was shocked when I saw what they'd done to my boy in Elite IV! The Space Rats are my attempt to put it right.

[h3]Add[/h3]

• make galaxy map navigable with mouse
  
• allow keyboard to control pointer and zoom in galaxy map
  
• add keyboard remapping
  
• add keyboard remapping screen to menu
  
• allow rotate with mouse via a key modifier
  
• make primary mouse key apply precision aim (same as holding SHIFT)
  
• connect Nyria jumpgate to ZED Labs
  
• add third nurse to Boucher
  
• add secret stealth ship lab
  
• add new ship the ZED-12
  
• add new mission to destroy stealth ship labs
  
• add some new civilian ship names
  
• add data heist mission
  
• add SFX for talking
  
• add SFX for credit transfer
  
• add asteroid hug mission
  
• make billboards flicker when shot or flown through
  
• add search and rescue mission
  
• allow docking at mining ships
  
• on unlocked systems there is a chance of space rat activity
  
• add space rats as replacement for police
  
• add space rat article
  
• vibrate gamepads on missile impact
  
• add two new music tracks to battle sequences
  
• add "UI scale" option to Video Menu. When turning off retro graphics this will control whether to scale the UI and HUD or to use the native resolution.
  
• add option to turn off Star light in Video Menu. Some players report over-brightness on OpenGL drivers and this might help.
  
• add crosshair on external view
  

[h3]Change[/h3]

• terminate docking computer via cooldown button if pressed
  
• buff Balaantra fighter by a lot
  
• give exit menu button focus after abandoning game
  
• only show chatter on non-essential ships if they are not behind player
  
• flash mission objective message
  
• release target lock for new players on Penryhn when guard scrambles
  
• update manual to include SHIFT key and clearer instructions
  
• give market focus when dialogues closed inside dock
  
• reorganise menu
  
• remove police, replaced with space rats
  
• reduce effectiveness of autotarget tech by about 10%
  
• buff nurse accuracy at Boucher
  
• make it so any type of hacking unit can be used in hacking mission
  
• make missing encrypted package message clearer when docking at Lostmon
  
• buff rookie squad accuracy
  
• switch location of Kaneel and Lostmon. Let's not go to Kaneel, it is a silly place.
  
• make save games use latest system description and coords
  
• make plasma turrets have longer gaps between rounds to make it more tactical on heavy fighters
  
• punch up some Quatermatter mission text
  
• add delay between end of Death Race and mission communications
  
• add explosion when game over
  
• buff raider accuracy from 0.4 to 0.55
  
• nerf raider plasma bolt cooldown from 2 to 6s
  
• speed up Endurance at Boucher from 0.8 to 1.0
  
• nerf autotarget to only work within a certain range
  
• reduce dimming on comms
  
• normalise the vector when calculating speed for NPC ships(this really affects NPC behaviour)
  
• make missions update mission control on load
  
• allow speed controls to work on external view
  

[h3]Fix[/h3]

• stop shield booster forever boosting
  
• stop reactor booster forever boosting
  
• enable close comms button when messages run out
  
• stop player being able to use sold systems in duplicate slots
  
• stop shield bar continuing to boost when shield charge ends
  
• end laser sounds from exploding ships
  
• stop message history juddering after loading from save game
  
• fix spelling mistake on Etain system description
  
• stop The Endurance from always orbiting Lostmon when it is elsewhere
  
• stop missiles orbiting themselves if the target is stationary (this was hard to fix haha sob)
  
• make menu background fill screen on 4k resolutions
  
• remove blurriness on fonts when retro scaling turned off
  
• fixes for galaxy map when retro scaling turned off
  

Hi everyone,

To me, Liberation is a tight little game that lives or dies on how successfully it explores the concept "retro space adventure meets classic UK sci-fi".

Generally I am thrilled with the game. It has far exceeded what I thought was possible and the reception has been fantastic (please consider writing a review!). But as I watch people play several common negatives keep popping up:

1. When players die there is not a recent enough save game.
   
2. Players often close the communications window before accepting a mission without realising it and then get lost.
   
3. Restarting would not completely clean the previous game session.
   
4. Players visit space ports and space stations because they need to not because they want to.
   

A great example is watching youtuber Matt From The Awesome Duo play the game and hit all of these points (all fixed now hopefully).

This release addresses those issues!

1. The game now autosaves when you travel through a jumpgate.
   
2. The communications window can no longer be closed if there is a conversation occuring. It was a noble idea to give players ultimate freedom but they're not ready for that power.
   
3. Restarting or loading a game completely cleans the game session first.
   
4. Planetary systems now specialise in a technology and advanced versions can only be purchased in that system.
   

How are systems specialised? Here's an example: There are now advanced versions of the EMP Device. At some ports you will find the basic EMP but only at the Lostmon spaceport can you find the better EMP II and the ultra powerful EMP III. And spaceports can now vary pricing of the same items. MegaPlanet 1 has the widest variety of weapons on sale but you have to pay MegaPlanet 1 prices. It's just more ... fun.

Not only have the existing ship systems such as Battery Booster gotten more variations but there are several new ship upgrades: The autotargetter and the shield energiser. I could go on... it really is a very big update!

Additionally, the galaxy map screen has gotten a lot of love. New graphics, improved functionality, full controller support. Leveling up has gotten some love. Missiles have gotten some love -- they can now be sold and the ship slot freed up.

Finally I had someone ask about DRM. Liberation is DRM free and the source code is included in a zip archive (although it's a bit rough to get running). Coming from a Linux background (Liberation is made on Linux) this is how we roll.

I had thought my focus would be on new missions but this update sort of bubbled up. I can't do such a large update again until at least September (and I never can promise another update anyway). However, I do expect there will be some minor balance and fixes and polish updates before then.

Down and safe!
Luke

[h3]Additions[/h3]

• autosave when player goes through a jumpgate
  
• add mouse + controller controlled crosshairs on galaxy map
  
• make galaxy map navigable using controller
  
• include some missing source files in the included source code zip
  
• allow missile systems to be sold and the slot freed up
  
• markets can scale prices on individual items. Shows if cheap or expensive
  
• add upgraded missile launchers, Braben specialises in missiles, missiles cheaper at Braben
  
• upgrade Morloc spaceports to specialise in battery boosters
  
• add EMP II and EMP III that drain a lot more energy
  
• add shield energiser system for purchase. This was in the game at launch but was a phantom weapon.
  
• add sfx for buy/selling in the market
  
• market place can now scroll if there are many items
  
• update mining station of Etain to specialise in hacking units
  
• add new more powerful hacking units version II and III... for a price
  
• make Kaneel specialise in shields, add everything basic to MegaPlanet but make it expensive
  
• add "Thunderchild" to list of civilian ships
  
• The Clarke and The Endurance sell missiles for cheap. The Endurance repairs for half cost
  
• add new planetary art for galaxy map
  
• make Boucher spaceport contain a variety of equipment but use plague pricing
  

[h3]Changes[/h3]

• update to Godot 4.2.2
  
• nerf health of Hawks on Lostmon by 15%
  
• turn off docking rings if port is locked
  
• increase experience rewards as game progresses to make leveling up worth it
  
• add outline to unchecked checkboxes for clarity
  
• activate system info on press down instead of release on galaxy map
  
• release system and system info when clicking down on galaxy map outside a system
  
• add new planetary graphics to galaxy map
  
• add key to galaxy map
  
• reduce size of system lock icons on galaxy map
  
• add "you are here" to galaxy map
  
• reorient Khaldir jumpgate at Tycho to make view more pleasing
  
• reorient Tycho jumpgate at Thantis to make view more pleasing
  
• rotate Penryhn jumpgate on Khaldir to make view more pleasing
  
• remove comms close option when mid conversation (this will stop players closing a mission briefing before accepting a mission)
  
• reduce turning speed while boosting from 0.1 to 0.08
  
• rename spaceports on Morloc. WARNING: This may break older save files from Morloc. The odds of this affecting anyone is exceedingly low though.
  
• moved body pointer on The Egg
  
• place passenger portraits better on screen
  
• punch up dictionary article
  
• Hacking Unit I duration reduced from 12s to 10s, cooldown reduced from 20s to 16s
  
• boost bounty from EMP station on Khaldir from 5 to 42 credits
  
• toggling story mode no longer loses focus on menu button
  
• make submenus remember the top level button that opened them when you exit
  
• tweak take off animation at end of prologue
  
• return focus to load game button in menu after loading a game
  
• make Danube snippet an SFX not a music cue, you don't escape it that easily
  
• rework mission objective subsystem to provide better target icon behaviour
  
• add more carriages to metrolink train
  
• skip autosave when entering a fresh game
  
• reduce missile acceleration by 10% to make them even more remorselessly terrifying
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• fix normals on shipyards to prevent ships getting caught inside structure
  
• add collision shape for Braben planet
  
• add collision shape to Boucher planet
  
• fix name of Laveesti Star
  
• fix issue where resetting game could leave dialogue windows in weird state
  
• clean up mission objectives on game restart
  
• fix crash on leaving Ecrondal orbit
  
• fix camera change and boost issue on megaplanet
  
• reset game first to clean up entire session when loading a game
  
• hide dock control when resetting game
  
• hide slide outs when resetting game
  
• clear cargo on reset game
  
• reset cooldown visibility on reset game
  
• accepting the take Quatermatter to Thantis mission now updates dock controls
  
• trigger boost cooldown when player docks while boosting
  
• remove overzealous turn smoothing on enemy ships and missiles
  
• fix grammar error in MegaPlanet 1 description
  
• disable ship rotation during takeoff at end of prologue
  
• fix nasty issue where heavy fighter turrets were entering quarantine slightly ahead of the heavy fighter so the Lancaster was getting a bad target lock